Its Time for an Inquisition

Things like this convince me that maybe it is time for the Church to conduct a new inquisition.

Thanks Vatican II, thanks alot.

I often get upset with the media for its dumb questions, which I am convinced are simply wishful thinking that Catholic Church will make itself irrelevant (by showing the world it doesn't believe what it has preached for the last 2000 years) as the Anglicans have (for a shorter period of time, but you get the point).

Four examples, are these articles on the Catholic Church and condoms in dealing with AIDs in Africa.

What these people don't get, and I cannot understand why (even before I considered myself religious, I did at least understand how religions work), is that the Catholic Church cannot just change its mind on something so fundamental as "life". The Church is not going to wake up one day and decide abortion is ok. The Church is not going to wake up one day and say women priests are ok. The Church is not going to wake up one day and say condoms are ok, even in special very rationalized situations.

Perhaps its precisely because these media people, and even some who claim to be Catholic, do not believe in the Church as Christ's church. They look at it as just another large denomination that was and is created, run, and manipulated by men. Certainly, if I take that viewpoint, then it would make no sense to me why the Church could not just change its mind on what it claimed to be fundamental truths.

What I find particularly cynical of them, and very frustrating however, is that they clearly believe those who run the Church do not believe any of what they themselves teach. I think Pope John Paul II (to a lesser extent than Pope Benedict XVI) and Pope Benedict the XVI, have shown time and again that they do believe in what the Church teaches. Yes, they are both very liberal Popes (JPII more than Benedict), but not in the political sense, rather in the liturgical sense. My faith is strengthened by our Pope's adherence to the Church's teachings on morality.

A lot of this misunderstanding I think stems from scandal. It has been said that the greatest threat to Christianity is Christians. In other words, scandal within the Church convinces others that Christians are hypocrites and don't believe what they preach, which ruins the credibility of the Church and casts doubt upon its truths. It is for this reason, that the current "purge" (a word used by various media outlets), underway by our new Pope is so welcome. Liturgical abuses, sex abuse cases by clergy, Communion given to those known to be outside a "state of grace" (a Catholic term for "in good standing with the Church"), etc etc, the list goes on.

Some fantastic news on this front, returning to the real translation of "pro-multis" meaning "for many" away from the warm and fuzzy super inclusive but incorrect translation to "for-all" is a great step (while this is primarily a semantics argument -even those who like "for all" can agree that Christ knew not all would accept him and his fogiveness, making it not really all, but instead many, hence pro-multis- , it is also a great example of why the universality of a Latin Mass is so desirable). Many of the excesses after Vatican II look to be on the way out, which can only be hailed as a great thing.

While our last Pope worked extremely hard to protect the Church in Eastern Europe in the first part of his Papacy, our new Pope seems intent on reuniting Christ's followers in His Church. I think this is one of the greatest things I have been alive to see, and I pray he is successful, I also find it fascinating that the media is completely missing this, the biggest story affecting the Church. What Pope Benedict the XVI is attempting, by reaching out to the Orthodox churches, on his visit to Turkey, and his later visit to Greece, as well as the apparent effort he is making to mend ties with the Society of St. Pius X, and others who are devoted to the Mass, is potentially huge. Indeed, the Pope seems to be doing a good job of reaching out to Anglicans as well, letting them know that there is still a Church faithful to all of His teachings, not just those teachings that are convenient for certain individuals.

I would love to have the Church returned to orthodoxy and tradition, the wacky pro-abortion, pro women priest, "Catholics" who do not believe in the real presence really ought to go find a Protestant denomination to attach themselves to. My hope is that reuniting the Church with those who are still faithful to Christ, will shed so many of those "followers" who continue to bring scandal on the Church, by, among other things, showing the world that they hold the same view as so many in the mainstream media, that the Church can just change its mind, because, they think, even the Pope doesn't really believe what he teaches.