Fr. Joseph Ratzinger on Patriarchate vs. Papal Primacy

"The more new Rome (which could not dream of calling itself ‘apostolic’) obscured the old idea of the apostolic see in favor of the patriarchal concept, the more; the more Old Rome emphasized the completely different origin and nature of its authority. Indeed, this is something entirely different from a primacy of honor among patriarchs, since it exists on quite a different plane, wholly independent of such administrative schemes. The overshadowing of the old theological notion of the apostolic see – an original part, after all, of the Church’s understanding of her own nature – by the theory of five patriarchs must be understood as the real harm done in the quarrel between East and West."

Read the whole article HERE

Catholic world Report and First Things promoting error: Ecumenism without truth

So I am again going to point out another false attempt by the modernists (condemned by pontiffs like Leo XIII, Pius X, Pius XII specifically) to create unity for unities sake and all in the spirit of Vatican II, saying the documents allow this but doesnt quote anything and appeals to revolutionary ideas and novelties to condone their standing and opinions on the matter.  Enjoy! [My comments]

CWR: Most Catholics probably envision future unity between the Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church as a re-installment of one world Church organization with the pope of Rome at the top of the governing pyramid. A look at history shows that such a model never existed, so what could Orthodox-Catholic communion actually look like if it were achieved? A renewal of Eucharistic communion? The possibility of an eighth ecumenical council? A resolution for the dating of Pascha/Easter?

[Considering that Peter was the earthly head of the church with the Keys to loose and bind the heavens and the Earth and acted on this commission throughout scripture and the sacred history of the Church, yeah I do expect that there is a singular head, a visible sign of unity which Peter is.  To say that such a model never existed where the Bishop of Rome didn’t in fact hold primacy over all the other Bishops is to blatantly disregard history, one need only read Clement, Leo and the Early councils and Popes and see that Popes where not merely first among equals, but the rock of the faith.  The difference rests in the application of the office not in the actual understanding of the office, that is solemly defined by Vatican One under infallible decree, to deny that Peter is the visable head of the church is not merely to be sismatic, but to be heretical because as Catholics we must profess all the decrees handed down.  The Orthodox might claim it wasn’t solemnly proclaimed when they split so they might say they are only systematic, but denying truth is to be in error, thus hertetical.  Heaven knows what we don’t need now is another ecumenical council when the vaugness, and yes Mr. Mira the Vatican II documents are vague if they weren’t they wouldn’t require a strict hermanutic of continuity (see trent and Vatican I documents then compare).  The dating of the Pascal feast is another issue, see the link below for information on this: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05228a.htm]

Taft: What it would look like is not a “reunion” with them “returning to Rome,” to which they never belonged anyway [considering that there is One Church with Peter as its head, and this is clearly seen in scripture and in the History of the Church from the beginning this is a false statement] ; nor us being incorporated by them, since we are all ancient apostolic “Sister Churches” with a valid episcopate and priesthood and the full panoply of sacraments needed to minister salvation to our respective faithful [Hmmm so having valid episcopates and sacraments is the only thing needed to be in the church; wow I guess we should tell the Polish National Church and the Old Catholic Church they really never left since they have valid sacraments], as is proclaimed in the renewed Catholic ecclesiology since Vatican II [where does Vatican II call for a new ecclesiology?  And where does Vatican II state that it is to be held by the faithful as de fide?  This is more spirit of Vatican II garbage where the power play is to create a situation where the pontiff is merely a symbol, but not different then anyother Bishop in substance, thereby denying Vatican I.  Pope Paul VI is said to have been made aware of this collegial power grab and quashed it, feeling deeply saddened by the actions of the other Bishops] and enshrined in numerous papal documents from Paul VI on [so disregard anything before Paul VI, even if it is infallible teaching.  I mean really! First things what are you?  CWR what are you?  Modernists giving lip service to a hermanutic of continuity, but practicing the hermanutic of rupture], as well as in the wonderful Catechism of the Catholic Church. [But not the Catechism of Trent, because that’s not friendly enough] So we just need to restore our [our, wait we broke communion with them?  I don’t seem to remember this, we have Peter they don’t.  They continue to fall into error allowing divorce, contraception and other innovations from the top of their episcapates, but we need to be in communion with those perpetuating error? Please] broken communion and the rest of the problems you mention can be addressed one by one and resolved by common accord.

. . .

CWR: How could the papal claims of Rome be modified in a way that would be both acceptable to the Orthodox Churches and faithful to the tradition of the Catholic Church? Do you think the jurisdiction issue really is a hang-up for the Orthodox since they also practice cross-jurisdiction throughout Western Europe, the Americas, Australia, and East Asia?

Taft: The new Catholic “Sister Churches” ecclesiology describes not only how the Catholic Church views the Orthodox Churches. It also represents a startling revolution [Yippie a novelty, spirit of Vatican II!  Lord please when will the modernists be exiled from the Holy Church.  He is admitting a Heremantic of Rupture here!  Wake up people and see shes under attack by those within!] in how the Catholic Church views itself: we are no longer the only kid on the block [so we are not the one true faith in which the gates of Hell would not prevail?  Again these “sister churches” as he likes to call them are all ok with error.  We are literally the only kid on the block that has upheld truth in the face of mounting evil.  Playing semantic games like the whole church or the only kid on the block is creating a new novelty against the faith and denies the no salvation outside the Church dogma, and yes I know the nuance but still they will only be saved by the one church not being a sister church which is confusing the structure of the early Christians before the great schism], the whole Church of Christ, but one Sister Church among others. Previously, the Catholic Church saw itself as the original one and only true Church of Christ from which all other Christians had separated for one reason or another in the course of history, and Catholics held, simplistically, that the solution to divided Christendom consisted in all other Christians returning to Rome’s maternal bosom [And where in Vatican II does it deny this fact?  I will admit that Bishops have become cowardly especially with the Russian Orthodox playing semantic games that they would protestalatize, but how is this actually church teaching?  Writing a treaty is not a teaching, but an indult, to not act on truth, but not to deny it either].

Vatican II, with an assist from those Council Fathers with a less naïve Disney-World view of their own Church’s past, managed to put aside this historically ludicrous, self-centered, self-congratulatory perception of reality [This is such a stink bomb its incomprehensible that CWR and First things are making these statements public when they will cause confusion and scandle.  Again where is this idea in Vatican II?  Saying that the fullness of Truth subsists in the Catholic Church necessarily means that all other bodies are lacking to some degree or another and must come into communion with the fullness]. In doing so they had a strong assist from the Council Fathers of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church whose concrete experience of the realities of the Christian East made them spokesmen and defenders of that reality [Where?  Where is this novelty introduced and does it even carry with it a de fide statement?  Vatican II is a valid ecumenical council and where it restates Catholic truth it is indeed infallible, but where novelties are introduced without a statement defining it to be held by all the faithful as can be seen in previous councils then it is a matter of being ambiguous and not actual de fide teaching. Such statements require a heremanutic of continuity to be in line with the whole tradition of the Church].

In this context I would recommend the excellent new book by Robert Louis Wilken, The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (New Haven & London: Yale U. Press 2012). Professor Wilken, a convert to Catholicism who is a recognized expert on Early Christianity and its history and literature, shows that Early Christianity developed not out of some Roman cradle but as a federation of local Churches, Western and Eastern, each one under the authority of a chief hierarch who would come to be called Archbishop, Pope, Patriarch, or Catholicos, each with its own independent governing synod and polity, all of them initially in communion with one another until the vicissitudes of history led to lasting divisions. [The Clement letter itself denies this possibility, just because a professor writes a book doesn’t make it correct].

+JMJ+

Response to Mick Krever's CNN article (in which I go line by line again)

So, this is another line by line response to more ignorance spewed by ignorant media types and katholics.  Please CNN find an editor that actually knows the faith so they can edit out the slanders and misunderstandings perpetualted in this work and others on the topic.

American writer: “No matter what, I’m still Catholic”

By Mick Krever, CNN

Mary Elizabeth Williams thinks the Vatican is strict, dogmatic, and backward-looking [blah, blah blah, in other words she remains ignorant of their “faith” and loves the world oh so much.  Nothing new here more statements made to divide people]. She is also a committed Catholic [So she hates what the Church teaches but she continues to profess the Faith?  What does she profess?  The Church isn’t a denomination but the only Church Christ established with his authority to teach.  Catch that His authority, not a man’s authority].

With so much scandal [the homosexual priests getting in in the first place is a scandal that they did disordered things only follows, they need repent as the rest of us and be faithful to the teachings of Holy Mother Church] and conservatism on the key issues of today [Those meanie conservatives always standing in-between you and continued debauchery, and building Sodom and Gommorah all over again, what a pity], it is not unreasonable to ask why progressive Catholics stay in the Church [This is how you know the person completely lacks knowledge of the faith.  The Church is neither conservative nor progressive, she like her divine spouse is eternal her truths aren’t judged by todays ideology, but todays ideologies are indeed judged by the Church who has Authority from the Blessed Trinity to do so.  There is no such thing as a progressive or conservative Catholic, only orthodox or heterodox].

“I think to be questioning, and to call out hypocrisy, and to illuminate injustice when you see it is about as Christ-like as you can get,” Williams told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.[Ok so….the teachings or the people are wrong…come on you don’t understand the faith….infallibility is not impeccability].

After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation earlier this month, Williams, a writer, penned an op-ed titled “No matter what, I’m still Catholic.” [Could have been more honest saying “No matter what I am not going to learn the whys for the whats, but will continue to fight against a personally perceived injustice”]

“What I would hope, and what I think we see based on just the stepping down of this pope, is that the Church realizes that it is in a moment of extreme crisis,” [First things shes got right thus far…applause is due] she said. “I don’t expect to see gigantic change, but I do expect to see a message that says, ‘Our priorities are going to be different from now on.’” [On what, the teachings are the teachings, and don’t change…I think you confuse the Catholic Faith with Protestant sects that don’t have authority in the first place to make doctrinal statements].

As cardinals begin to gather in Rome to elect a new pope, Williams says she is hoping for more consistency between the Vatican and the reality of life for the billion-plus Catholics around the world [In other words don’t just be in the World, but be of it, after all truth is what you make it…right?  I mean truth is subjective…wait truth took on flesh dwelled, was crucified and resurrected, so no actually it is objective whether or not you like it doesn’t matter].

“What we see in parishes across the world, certainly I see it in my own parish, is so different from what we hear coming out of Rome,” [Again the same misunderstanding that authority to teach does not rest in her subjective mind, but in the Keys granted to Peter and the Bishops in union with him.] she said, which she described as “very strict, very dogmatic, and a very backward-looking worldview.” [See first memo above]

As a child, Williams recounted, she fought and lost a battle to become an “altar girl.” [Appealing to emotions over authority nice…touché.  But just because she was denied makes no difference. No one has a right to be an Altar anything].

“When I now go to my church and I see girls up there on the altar,” [See indult.  This is a misunderstanding, because the altar server is not ordained but is the helper of the Alter-Christos, usually the first step in promoting a boys vocation to the priesthood]. she said, “that to me represents an understanding, and a little bit of progress.” [No progress because the altar server is not ordained and is a discipline that can be changed if necessary like fish on Friday or even celibacy.  For instance some dioceses still ban “altar girls” and have actually seen increasing vocations since…but no correlation im sure….right].

It is progress she has not seen reflected by her pope. [Misleading statement again, CNN please hire someone who knows the faith to edit for misunderstandings]

“We live in a different world now,” [See we really can’t believe what they did before they didn’t have the knowledge we have today.  We are so smart be even kill children calling them embryos to confuse, contracept ending the lines of future generations and creating a misunderstanding of the biological reason for the marital act, and so forth.  The world is always changing and the Church is there to call it back to the teachings the Creator gave his people, not the other way around] she said, “and I think that the Church has revised itself philosophically in the past, [where?] There’s no reason that it can’t revise itself philosophically in the future, [On what?] and take an attitude that’s just more encompassing.” [On what…come on we know the talking points]

It is important, she believes, for Catholics to keep up their pressure on the Church’s leadership to change. [Christ didn’t set up a democracy, but gave to Peter the Keys to loose and bind, to teach all nations.  But to you no authority is given but obedience to Christ who is the Church necessary].

“We need,” Williams said, “to have people understand that for a lot of us, Catholicism isn’t about towing some backwards-looking line. [No its more like hey I’m ok your ok, we are all ok.  Let’s all be joyful hold hands and believe whatever makes you feel good…what that’s Protestantism…ah  you’re an Episcopalian] It’s about living a faith that is about service, and is about love, and is about compassion.” [Love demands obedience, “If you love me you will keep my commands]

                                                                                                   +JMJ+