Culture wars, Democrats vs Catholics

Father Z fiskes two articles about the evil Bannon vs the good Pope.

Perhaps you saw the NYT’s piece (aka Hell’s Bible) which managed (through fake news) to make an absurd connection between Card. Burke (whom libs hate with the intensity of a type O star), and chief advisor to Pres. Trump (whom libs hate with the intensity of a type O star), former Breitbart editor Steve Bannon (whom libs hate with the intensity of a type O star).  It was a tour de force of smear.   The objective: link Burke and Bannon and Trump with the liberal Alt-Right bugbear.  The upshot is that Burke, etc. are white supremacists...

Then there is the surreal piece at WaPo worthy of the Red Guard of China’s Cultural Revolution entitled, “How Pope Francis can cleanse the far-right rot from the Catholic Church”...

The stakes could hardly be higher, especially as the pope seems on a collision course with a Trump-Bannon White House that has imposed a form of a Muslim ban and disparaged him during the election campaign for daring to suggest that building a wall on the United States’ southern border was un-Christian. If the pope doesn’t put the reactionary elements such as Burke and his cronies back in their place, [Straight out of China’s cultural revolution jargon.] they could force a real schism during his papacy and leave the church open to justifiable accusations it failed to stand up to enablers of extremism and neo-fascism within its ranks.

then Father Z adds his own two cents into the mix:

“Reactionaries” must be purged!

 Send them to the country-side to learn from the wisdom of the worker peasants!

DOWN WITH BURKE!

DOWN WITH THE FOUR OLDS!

CLEANSE THE REACTIONARIES!

BAN THE COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARIES! 

the funniest part of this is the hint that the oppostion to the Pope are white guys. Guess they never heard of Cardinal Sarah.

from the Amazon blurb:

"The idea of putting Magisterial teaching in a beautiful display case while separating it from pastoral practice, which then could evolve along with circumstances, fashions, and passions, is a sort of heresy, a dangerous schizophrenic pathology.  I therefore solemnly state that the Church in Africa is staunchly opposed to any rebellion against the teaching of Jesus and of the Magisterium. . . .  The Church of Africa is committed in the name of the Lord Jesus to keeping unchanged the teaching of God and of the Church."

Robert Cardinal Sarah 

The Philippine bishops for years have been stopping the legalization of divorce, knowing that it will adversely affect women and children... moms turn to prostitution or working overseas to support the kids, or get a new boyfriend who doesn't want her kids, who end up on the street. And often the street kids end up sexually abused and/or abusing alcohol/glue/shabu...

A lot of the sexual freedom education agenda and the"gay agenda" that Obama pushed on poor countries in Africa and Asia was opposed because it was seen as a way for the rich and powerful (and the sex tourists) to abuse these kids, or their students, or their  employees, without worrying they will be taken court.

and of course, anyone familiar with the culture wars in the Anglican church knows how those nasty old fashioned Africans and Asians are messing around with Webly's PC gay agenda.

By the way, when I said "the Democrats vs Catholics", I am referring to this:

Wikileaks one: from John Podesta:

We created Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good to organize for a moment like this. But I think it lacks the leadership to do so now. Likewise Catholics United. Like most Spring movements, I think this one will have to be bottom up. I'll discuss with Tara. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend is the other person to consult. 

On 2/10/12, Sandy Newman wrote: > Hi, John, > > 

This whole controversy with the bishops opposing contraceptive coverage even though 98% of Catholic women (and their conjugal partners) have used contraception has me thinking . . .

There needs to be a Catholic Spring, in which Catholics themselves demand the end of a middle ages dictatorship and the beginning of a little democracy and respect for gender equality in the Catholic church.

Is contraceptive coverage an issue around which that could happen. The Bishops will undoubtedly continue the fight. Does the Catholic Hospital Association support of the Administration's new policy, together with "the 98%" create an opportunity?

Of course, this idea may just reveal my total lack of understanding of the  Catholic church, the economic power it can bring to bear against nuns and priests who count on it for their maintenance, etc.

Even if the idea isn't crazy, I don't qualify to be involved and I have not thought at all about how one would "plant the seeds of the revolution," or who would plant them.

Just wondering . . .

in other words, Democratic politicians interfering with religion by using government's economic power.

More here Wikileaks 2

WaPo spin here. they were joking. But at least way down in the article they quote  two Catholics, including Raymond Arroyo (of EWTN):

Kurtz, president of the Catholic bishops’ conference, noted reports “that some may have sought to interfere with the life of the Church for short-term political gain. If true, this is troubling both for the well-being of faith communities and the good of our country.”

Raymond Arroyo, lead anchor and managing editor of EWTN, the global Catholic network, said the emails have the potential to tip the balance for people who were still undecided. “If you have people on the fences, it is irritating,” Arroyo said.

Arroyo said that the emails describing the “Catholic Spring” will especially rub Catholics the wrong way. “It makes it seem like you’re creating organizations to change the core beliefs of the church,” he said. “For someone to come and say, ‘I have a political organization to change your church to complete my political agenda..."