Defending the 12th century since the 14th; blogging since the 21st.

Catholicism, Conservatism, the Middle Ages, Opera, and Historical and Literary Objets d'Art blogged by a suburban dad who teaches law and writes stuff.


"Very fun." -- J. Bottum, Editor, FIRST THINGS

"Too modest" -- Elinor Dashwood

"Perhaps the wisest man on the Web" -- Henry Dieterich

"Hat tip: me (but really Cacciaguida)" -- Diana Feygin, Editor, THE YALE FREE PRESS

"You are my sire. You give me confidence to speak. You raise my heart so high that I am no more I." -- Dante

"Fabulous!"-- Warlock D.J. Prod of Didsbury

Who was Cacciaguida? See Dante's PARADISO, Cantos XV, XVI, & XVII.


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Media are overplaying the "Holocaust denial flap" angle, naturally -- but it is one of the angles to the story, and, on the whole, I think it's a good idea to bring the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as the Holy Father has now done.

For one thing, Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, though a devoted and energetic friend of the re-mainstreaming of the Extraordinary Form, was also a little bit like a 13-year-old boy with a laser-blaster. More than once he articulated the status of SSPX-adherents as more legit than it actually is, and if he wasn't actually responsible for the under-vetted action in re Williamson (the fact that no one in the Curia of the rank of archbishop or higher is aware of Google, or else thinks it's a number, probably had more to do with it), he sure didn't do backflips of regret over it.

Also he's 80. Five years past retirement age.

The CDF under Cardinal Levada has been doing a good job (contrary to some people's fears when this, Pope Benedict's first appointment, was made). Time to let CDF supervise PCED.
posted by Cacciaguida at 9:02 PM

 
USA Today says: Top Republicans puzzled by Palin's abrupt resignation.

You know somethng? Top Republicans puzzle easily.

Besides that, the article simply doesn't back up its hedder. It devotes its second and third grafs to Sen. Chuck Grassley -- who has been puzzling top Republicans since he first took his Senate seat in 1979. After that, it cites various Republicans who are backing Palin up and seeking her out as a campaigner.

Only at the end does the piece find three Republicans whom it can quote as something other than Palin backers. Only one of them -- Karl Rove -- is credible, as speaking from a detached point of view (he hasn't been hired by any other candidate yet, has he?) The other two are Mike Huckabee, Palin's obvious bitter rival for the Evangelical vote, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a scratch-your-eyes-out Palin-hater ever since Palin beat Murkowski's daddy in a gubernatorial primary.

But of course, we sophisticates all know to laugh when Sarah blames the media....
posted by Cacciaguida at 1:38 AM

 
Great Catholic conspiracies maybe you missed, from Shrine of the Holy Whapping:

I've always had a soft spot for tacky Church consiracy novels, what I call "Cathsploitation." For once, the Church gets to be secretive, majestic, powerful, arcane, and something other than felt banners and Marty Haugen....

And so on, proceeding to a list of suggested overlooked conspiracies. Highly recommended!
posted by Cacciaguida at 3:59 PM

 
These Eastern Orthodox, man -- there's no talking to them. All I did was say to this one Oriental Schismatic priest online -- and he was, like, totally patronizing me: assuming, since I had been writing candidly about weaknesses I perceived on my own side as well on his, that what I wanted most in the world was for some kindly O.S. priest with a twelve-foot beard to take me under his wing and explain the "problems" with the Filioque to me. He even suggested the Church should change its creed -- "again"!

Well I mean really. All I did was point out that we don't change our creeds to suit factious sectaries animated by the schismatic spirit of Photius and Cerularius -- we don't, right? -- and they start going all Rikios Rikardos on me! What can you do with such people?!

A few months ago I asked my spiritual director: who's doing for Eastern Orthodoxy what Catholic Answers, Envoy, et al are doing for Protestant Fundamentalism? He said -- no one is, b/c we're cultivating good relations with the E.Os.

That won't do. Yes, I know there are high-level ecumenical talks and events, and even the occasional minor breakthrough. But at street level, Easterners -- many of whom are Protestant Fundamentists, only now they've got a few icons in their pockets (seriously: an ex-Prot E.O. I once met, a blazing anti-Catholic bigot, told me he liked Orthodoxy b/c it's "Fundamentalism with pictures") -- are out there sheep-stealing just as hard as Jack Chick, Christians Evangelizing Catholics, and all the other folks that Karl Keating et al, God bless them, have done so much to teach us about and arm us against.

So we need an Eastern-directed Catholic Answers. "Envoy to Constantinople." "Focus on the Photius." "Sail Beyond the Sunset." "When You Care Enough to Send the Very West." "1204 'n' More." I don't now, you pick the name. But somebody's got to do it.
posted by Cacciaguida at 12:37 AM

 
DOJ seeks to dismiss Geronimo descendants' lawsuit against Yale

...even though, as the article notes, Skull and Bones (which allegedly filched some of G's remains to decorate its clubhouse) is "not affiliated with the university."

Now that's interesting. The Pythagorean Brotherhood is no more "affiliated with the university" than Skull & Bones is, yet somehow, if we had bits of a dead Indian lying around (not to mention dung or the M4 Motorway), I don't think either Yale or the U.S. government would be as solicitous.

Ah, but that is because we've had just a few decades less in which to infiltrate Yale and the U.S. government....
posted by Cacciaguida at 12:23 AM

 
Vatican: Lefebvrists Exercise No "Legitimate Ministry." (Link now fixed. Also permalinked in margin as "SSPX suxx.")
posted by Cacciaguida at 8:00 PM

 
WSJ announces: Barbarians in Bankruptcy Court. As an old medievalist, this really got me thinking.

Svend the Spent
Skald the Skint
Attila the Munny
Broke Burgundians
Alemanni outta money
Clovis, King without Francs
Visa-Goths
Hedge funds? No, hedge rows
No-mun invasion
Magyar-card
Citicorpinopolis
GMosticism
Viking Voyage Investments
Too-Late Antiquity
Bankrupcy Code of Justinian
All Rhine, no rhino
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:56 PM

 
Jesuit University of San Francisco President Defends Condom Use for Virus Prevention Yep, during flu season just place securely over nose and mouth and breathe normally....
posted by Cacciaguida at 4:42 PM

 
Palin versus Letterman

One of the few things our sick society is still appropriately uptight about is sex across the age line (currently set at 18), and even jokes about same.

Now, there's plenty of room to ask whether Letterman was over the line or not when he made that off-color Alex Rodriguez joke involving the Palin daughter whom he may have thought was 18-year-old single mom Bristol. Turns out, though, it was actually 14-year-old very-much-non-mom Willow.

Oops.

No Number Three: Writer sending out resumes. But what about Dave?
posted by Cacciaguida at 10:56 PM

 
SkyNews: French security agency links radical Muslim names to AF447

CounterterrorismBlog: Hack-jet: airborne cyberterrorism in a networked world?

A systemic software corruption may account for the mysterious absence of a Mayday call - the communications system may have been offline. Designing airport and aviation security to keep lethal code off civilian aircraft would in the short-term, be beyond any government civil security regime.

posted by Cacciaguida at 1:08 PM

 
UK Europe elections:

Good news: Labour Party humiliated, place third in popular vote behind Conservaties -- and anti-EU fringe party UKIP.

Bad news: even fringier, racist BNP picks up one, maybe two EU Parliament seats. Voter turnout is low. Apathy is dangerous, as anti-BNP Tweaters are pointing out.

As John Redwood points out: when British voters can focus on the Euro-federalism issue (and, one must add, can be motivated to vote), they vote overwhelmingly against further rule from Brussels.
posted by Cacciaguida at 12:04 AM

 
From London: imminent Cabinet re-shuffle, announced through embarrassing leaks.

But the only re-shuffle the electorate is interested in is one that moves Labour from "Government" over to "Opposition." Actually, even that might be stroke of luck for the Labour Party, as one recent poll has it trailing the Liberal Democrats.

Note that one suspected leakeuse is Hazel Blears, a Blairite widely thought to have been the model for Dolores Umbridge. (J.K. likes, and Hazel hates, Gordon Brown.)
posted by Cacciaguida at 10:35 PM

 
Tiller the Killer killed. NEMESIS.
posted by Cacciaguida at 6:56 PM

 
Robby George v. Doug Kmiec

At 5 p.m. this afternoon, American Papist will be liveblogging a debate between noted natural law champion Prof. Robert George and noted apostate Prof. Douglas Kmiec, moderated by Harvard Law prof, former U.S. Vatican Ambassador, and noted saint-in-the-making Mary Ann Glendon.

The topic is "The Obama Administration and the Sanctity of Human Life." Since there's no verb in there, I'll assume the implication is "Two great tastes that go great together," with Kmiec in the "aff" and George in the "neg."
posted by Cacciaguida at 1:21 PM

 
Here, a pro-abortion blogger endorses the Sotomayor nomination with reservations. But it's the comments that are really wild....
posted by Cacciaguida at 12:43 PM

 
Today's news, very briefly: North Korea detonates first Hispanic gay marriage.

Been busy; back with more soon.
posted by Cacciaguida at 12:46 PM

 

Queen's Trinity Cross honour deemed unlawful by Privy Council

An honour established by the Queen has been declared unlawful after Muslims and Hindus complained that its Christian name and cross insignia were offensive.

posted by Cacciaguida at 5:51 PM

 
JACK KEMP, 1935-2009. Footballer, congressman, pro-lifer, tax-cutter, idea-politician, presidential hopeful who achieved more than some presidents do.
posted by Cacciaguida at 11:01 AM

 
Gordon Brown has lost it, say ministers
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:17 PM

 
Specter: I did warn you. (Ignore Emperor and scroll down to April 22, 2004.) Well, Pat Toomey's on the move again....
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:10 PM

 
GLENDON!
posted by Cacciaguida at 1:27 PM

 
New Archbishop of St. Louis is Robert J. Carlson, who did so much as Bp. of Saginaw to clean up after the egregious (modern sense, not the sense in which the e.f. liturgy calls today's saint, Anselm, "doctor egregius") "Ken" Untener.

Pope Benedict's bishop-picking operation continues to prove more of a science and less of an art!
posted by Cacciaguida at 11:25 AM

 
The Economist on England's Archbishop Nichols: Time for Bruiser
posted by Cacciaguida at 10:06 PM

 
In New York, Archbisop Dolan installed today. From the New York Post:

Archbishop Timothy Dolan today promised to oppose Gov. Paterson's same-sex marriage [bill], just one day before it will hit the floor of the Legislature.

"You can bet I would be active and present and, I hope, articulate in this particular position," Dolan told reporters.

The question - one of many the new archbishop took from reporters at his first news conference in Midtown - came as state lawmakers prepared to begin debating the controversial issue.

Paterson to Push Gay Marriage Bill

"The topic you raise - other topics that are controversial that the church has a message to give - you'll find that I don't shy away from those things and I wouldn't sidestep them," said Dolan.

The new archbishop - who will be installed during a Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral later today that will feature Mayor Bloomberg - spoke of the need for the church to embrace immigrants and to continue the process of reform that began after the sexual-abuse scandals that rocked the church a few years ago.

"The most sacred responsibility that a bishop has is to pass on the faith that remains changeless and has for 2,000 years," he said. "So in substance, in the quality, no, I couldn't change things if I wanted, because they're not mine to change."

posted by Cacciaguida at 2:32 PM

 
Vatican diplomats have quietly blocked several proposed U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See with pro-abort views, the latest being Caroline Kennedy.

First a Senate appointment, now this. There's a show-biz expression for the fix Caroline is in: she "can't get arrested."
posted by Cacciaguida at 6:13 PM

 
Pirates Killed, Captain Saved -- w00t!!

There is a tradition received from Roman law into the early modern yet Christian-influenced tradition of Grotuis and Vattel, a tradition towards which we should only with the greatest caution indulge a sense of superiority, that regarded pirates -- because of the self-expulsion from the civilized human community that knows the rule of law -- as latrunculi (a contemptuous diminutive of "thieves"), hostis humani generis (enemies of the human race), and eligible for summary execution.

The sagacious Prof. Mackubin Owens explains here.
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:08 PM

 
From Pope Easter homily:

The resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his "Passover", his "passage", that has opened a "new way" between heaven and earth (cf. Heb 10:20). It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, who at dusk on Friday was taken down from the Cross and buried, has victoriously left the tomb....

"...it is the answer to the recurring question of the sceptics, that we also find in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’?" (Ec 1:10). We answer, yes: on Easter morning, everything was renewed. "Mors et vita, duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus – Death and life have come face to face in a tremendous duel: the Lord of life was dead, but now he lives triumphant." This is what is new! A newness that changes the lives of those who accept it, as in the case of the saints....

posted by Cacciaguida at 11:03 PM