Comments on: Without a Doubt

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:55:26 +0000

Andy P/Doria 2:
Religion on the Line? Terrible…and truly dangerous, you’re so right. I don’t know how you can stand to listen to it. I’ve tried but it is unbearable. There is never even a hint of how heavenly the Catholic Church is. Or a boast (yes, BOAST, though humbly) that our Church is the only institution left on earth that is standing against the destruction of human life and traditional marriage. I don’t expect Fulton Sheen or St. Steven. Don’t get me wrong. But to cede the truth to “secular technocrats” as Archbishop Chaput calls them… to deliver such a watered down, get-along message, is almost, as my Italian mother would say, it’s almost sinful. Sorry. Ok. I’ll pray for the Deacon and all of us.

By: Robert Fox

Robert Fox — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:34:58 +0000

Dear Irene: Again, I do not wish to be unkind. I have read so many different forms of Catholic news since my return to the Faith in my early 20′s. I am now in my 50′s. I also do not read the Remnant. But not because it is a matter of TASTE. Taste has nothing to do with it. It has to with emphasis and orthodoxy.

As the Great G.K. Chesterton once said; ‘There is nothing so exciting as orthodoxy’. I have often found NCR’s reporting to be quietly ‘laughing in a subtly derisive way’ at orthodoxy.

Again, it’s not about taste… it’s about clearly articulating Church teaching on liturgy, sexual moral ethics, reverence for the Real Presence, respect for the dignity of priesthood and the sacerdotal nature of same. I see most (not all) of the writers in that publication as agitating for changes that 1.) Are harmful to the Faith, 2.) Have been tried and demonstrated to be failed novelties, 3.) Actually contribute to the demographic decline we are now seeing in Europe.

I have a GREAT idea though. Instead of either one of us reading any Catholic ‘publications’… why not visit the Vatican website and read the great encyclicals? Let’s start with the great encyclical QUAS PRIMAS… This is the ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PIUS XI ON THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING.

After reading that, you will never be tempted to read another ‘publication’ nor will I, without first asking ourselves this question: Is Christ the King of our Social Order?

If the answer to that is YES, then everything else falls into place.

I’m no longer interested in my own likes, dislikes, tastes. I care for that which the Church gives me in her councils and in her infallible documents. If a layman, a priest, a bishop, a cardinal contradicts that… I don’t listen to them.

Ave Maria!

Robert Fox, Long Island.

By: AndyP/Doria2

AndyP/Doria2 — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 23:24:11 +0000

The National Catholic Reporter is the magazine of dissent. It is one of the most dangerous anti Catholic magazine on the Planet. It is a forum for most dissenting, liberal, semi apostate catholics. Run from this apostate magazine.

NY’s WABC radio show, religion on the line is a close second. The Deacon on that show is one of the most dangerous Catholics in America. I have heard him say more than once that there are many roads to Paradise when Jesus Himself said “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” His everybody will get to Heaven attitude will end up damning many of his students to the abyss. My heart goes out to them.

By: VINCENT

VINCENT — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:03:09 +0000

Dear Exellency, With all due respect to your self and your esteemed office please expain exactly why you refuse to uphold cannon 519. Govenor Cuomo and other politicians should not be allowed Holy Communion and the present Pope has explicitely stated so, as he did in his previous office, in agreement with Pope JPII.This abuse is a direct assualt on the Holy Eucharist, a sin for which you will some day answer for. Meanwhile untold damage is also done to the laity from sinfull leadership from Catholic Hiarchy, who preach and expect us to follow their leadership. May God have mercy on your immortal soul.

By: Peter Nault

Peter Nault — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:27:25 +0000

Frankly many people sitting in the pews no longer have the respect they used to for the bishops’ moral teaching authority in the church. This authority has eroded since the revelation of how the sexual abuse scandals were swept under the rug in diocese after diocese, most recently in Philadelphia. There are still dioceses in the United States where the bishops have refused to implement any of the guidelines for protecting God’s children. Are bishops such monarchs that they can get away this? Can the apostolic delegate or the Pope do nothing about this?
Meanwhile, it appears that the bishops spend their time at national meetings discussing whether “sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall” is the better linguistic way of praying the Canon of the Mass. Perhaps all of the time spent on revamping and retooling the order of the Mass for Advent 2011 could have been better spent on Evangelization and dealing with the gigantic problem of why people are no longer attending church services.

By: Irene

Irene — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:33:08 +0000

Hello NYer & Mr. Fox: I completely respect the fact that you do not share my admiration for NCR; different people have different tastes (you’ll never catch me reading The Remnant, for example). But a lot of us do like NCR. And your own criticisms are a far cry from what the Bishop said, calling NCR “a publication that makes its living reporting on, and sometimes actively promoting, the demise of the institutional Church”. Come on now. And does Bishop Tobin consider that applicable to Bishop Gumbleton, and all of the other clergy and religious who are regular contributors to NCR?”

But my point is that the bishop’s comment is just gratuitously over-the-top mean spirited; it was unncessary to single the paper out for attack on an article about what positive things the Church is doing. I very much agree with the point of the thread that our Church is alive and well, with lay people and clergy doing wonderful things. But I think we would be even better off if our leaders didn’t casually create divisiveness and strife.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 05:21:36 +0000

Dear Archbishop Dolan,

First off, I’d just like to say that I’m from the Archdiocese of San Antonio, and I only just stumbled across your blog recently and enjoy it very much! Thank you very much for sharing the article by your friend and fellow bishop. I’m not very good at getting my thoughts out very concisely, so I’ll just say this: there’s a lot of evil in this world, and I think it’s very easy for most people to lose both faith and hope. When I read the writings of people like you, Archbishop Dolan, or Bishop Tobin, I am reminded that during these dark times one should never allow themselves to despair; rather, recall the promise of Jesus to the Church: “…the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” With that confidence I find it much easier to find joy in even the most sorrowful of times. Peace be with you.

Your brother in Christ,

Tom

By: NYer

NYer — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:44:07 +0000

Irene,
With due respect, to say that the National Catholic Reporter is “very balanced and informative about local and national Catholic issues” is a tough sell, notwithstanding John Allen’s professional reporting. Apart from his reliable and balanced contributions, the newspaper is nothing but an adolescent forum of dissent.

You are always in my prayers Archbishop!

By: CathySue

CathySue — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:04:37 +0000

Archbishop Dolan, Thanks for sharing Bishop Tobins column. I really liked it. My daddy used to tell me that too often people waste precious time playing “aint it awful” rather than just going about getting the job done. I too, see so many wonderful, joyful people in the Catholic Church, doing wonderul good things. I’m no Polyanna. Bishop Tobins column is a wonderful reminder for me to stop ‘playing aint it awful.’ There is so much work to do. So, as we wait in joyful hope, God bless you, Archbishop and our Church, too!

By: Robert Fox

Robert Fox — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 23:05:41 +0000

Dear Irene: I must respectfully disagree with you on your characterization of National Catholic Reporter. I find it’s commentaries on theology, morality and spirituality to be stuck in a a 1960′s -1980′s time warp.

The NCR is always on the side of dissent (in an artfully dodgy way) and so are most of it’s readers. An example: The commenters of the recent Norma Jean Coons recant article are mostly in favor of the Womenpriest movement.

The Sanctions lifted on recanting woman deacon were covered so poorly that the article does not even mention why she really recanted. Why? Because her reversion to the faith occurred the first time she ever went to a Tridentine Mass. And if you search the ENTIRE NCR website… I doubt you would find the word Tridentine, because it is the kind of vocabulary word that the NCR would rateher ignore than honestly explore.

I guess I’m saying that the NCR to many of us young internet hip families is transparent… and it is precisely so because we can go to vatican.va and read what the Church teaches itself.

NCR was a ruse that worked when young people could not get their hands on authentic Church teaching. Fortunately those days are over.

Servus, Robert Fox, Long Island, NY