Theatrum Mundi Secundum Adam

Archbishop of the Loonie Moonies...

2006-07-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

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So, Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo decided to run away from home and show up in the United States to champion the idea of married priests.

Now, to be wholly honest, I am not completely against the idea of married priests. It has its ups and downs, but I fully trust in the wisdom of the Holy See to decide whether or not this discipline is wise to continue.

However, this guy is just a lunatic.

He married a Korean woman in a mass ceremony by Sun Myung Moon, but was later persuaded by the Vatican (actually, by Cardinal Betrone, the number two man at the CDF at that time and now the newly named Secretary of State) to renounce his marriage and return to full communion, thus having the Holy See drop the excommunication threat.

He's back with his wife now. So I guess that didn't hold.

Really, I don't mind people talking about the pros and cons of mandatory celibacy, but couldn't the pros find a spokesman that has a few less screws loose?

Another shake up...

2006-07-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

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Joaquin Navarro-Valls has stepped down as the Vatican Flack. He's really been great at his job. Benedict has named a Jesuit priest as his replacement.

Forgive me if I'm just a little concerned that a Jesuit ordained in 1972 is named to anything. The Jesuits have a wonderful history, but their recent past is quite disturbing. However, Benedict is a wise man who I don't believe would name someone of questionable opinions to such an important, visable post. So, I trust in the Holy Father's decision.

Aaaaaaaaaaand....we're back!

2006-07-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

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Back from Astoria and Montana. Astoria was a pain in the ass. The apprentice artists were amazingly dumb...and not very good.

Montana was great. It's tough doing the long distance thing, but she'll be back before too long and I'll make one more trip over there in a week and a half. Besides, she's worth it. I think this just might be the one...but that's for a more personal story.

Back to the Anglican Church. Seems they've decided to allow women bishops, causing some a couple strokes, no doubt. No official response from the more conservative branches...yet.

Cantate Domino Canticum Antiquum!

2006-06-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

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I'm in Astoria this week and Montana next week, but I needed to post this article on the Pope's comments about sacred music. A great read and I hope the Holy Father does more than just make a few comments.

It's Too Darn Hot!

2006-06-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

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OK...the Portland/Metro area topped out at 99 degrees F. today. Supposed to reach 102 tomorrow. Needless to say, I am quite glad that I'll be heading to the Astoria Music Festival to perform. After that, I might be headed to see my girlfriend in Montana for a few days. So, I'll be on radio silence until after the 4th of July. I might send in an update when I get a chance, but that'll be a happy surprise for everyone if it happens.

Check out this interview with the Secretary for the Congregation for Divine Worship about the "recovery of the sacred." I think he makes a lot of great points and I hope something is done soon!

Who the hell is running things?!?!?

2006-06-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Now, all political concerns aside, this story is absolutely ridiculous.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles won't be conducting background checks any more. They don't want to scare off illegal aliens by requiring background checks of volunteers and employees.

So that's where our priorities lie now? "Oh it's ok...let the children be abused...that's just fine. Just don't make the illegals feel like they're not being included. That would be a sin of the highest rank!"

Does Cardinal Mahoney really know about this?? I mean, I haven't ever had an immense of respect for His Emminence, but I can't believe he would really allow this. I really, really hope they get beat to hell over this and they change their policy. Not because I'm mad, but because they are just asking for more lawsuits and, more importantly, more innocent children to be abused.

It's no longer safe to be a child in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Let's do the Curia Shuffle...

2006-06-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Benedict's first major Curia shake-up happened today. Angelo Sodano today resigned as Secretary of State. He was replaced by Tarcisio Betrone, Archbishop of Genoa. An interesting fact is that Cardinal Betrone has no diplomatic experience. He's been Archbishop of Genoa since 2002 and was Secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith before that, which is no doubt where Benedict got to know him.

Another change is American Cardinal Edmund Szoka has resigned as the head of the Vatican City governate. He will be replaced by Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, who will most likely receive the red hat in next year's consistory.

These are two really big positions; The secretary of state effectively acting as "Prime Minister" and the head of the governate as "Foreign Minister". It will be interesting to watch and see if any major policy shifts become obvious.

2006-06-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

Another issue on the Episcopalian front. Seems the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas has just had enough. They've voted to withdraw from the Episcopal Church. And so it begins...

Two other dioceses are not happy about the way things have gone. They've been told time and again "just six more months...then someone will do something." Seems like they're sick of hearing that....Someone did something alright...but it was them.

Can't say I blame them. The Traditional Anglican Communion is looking at joining Rome under the provisional Anglican Usage, which would allow the certain former Anglican parishes to retain the Book of Common Prayer with very slight alterations (prayer for the pope). They've already rejected Cantabury all together. If I were Cardinal Kaspar, I'd put Cantabury on the back burner and try to court this group. They have no firm central leadership and could lure conservative Episcopalians who have just about had it with their current denomination into the Roman fold. Not only that, but it could provide a more traditional, conservative alternative to those Latin Rite Catholics who don't like the way the Mass of Paul VI is being treated, but aren't quite ready to or comfortable with the idea of making a total switch to the Tridentine Mass. Or if a Tridentine isn't available.

Right now there is no "Anglican Rite". There is an Anglican USAGE, under the auspices of the Latin Rite. However, if the usage gets popular enough, who knows? I must say, if the Traditional Anglican Communion Parish we have here in Portland came into union with Rome and, for some reason, I wasn't a church choir director at the time, I would seriously consider going there quite a bit.

2006-06-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

Really, The Episcopal Church is acting like they want to get kicked out of the Anglican Communion. Maybe they're like the kid who does something they know they're parents don't want them to do just to get them to act.

You have to wonder how much more of this Daddy Rowan is gonna take...

2006-06-20T00:43:00.000-07:00

Episopalians are really making things difficult for everyone. They elected a woman Presiding Bishop this week. While they dodged the gay-presiding-bishop bullet, this is one that's gonna be a problem. For the sake of Anglican Communion and possible reunification and talks with Rome and the Orthodox, they should withdraw from the Anglican Communion.

2006-06-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

I really hope someone realizes that Bishop Trautman needs to be replaced from the BCL.

Trautman significantly ammended the text of the Mass re-translations. This man is a successor to the apostles. You'd think a man who holds such an office as chairman of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy who has had several of their heavily ammended versions of the Roman Missal thrown back in his face by Cardinal Arinze might be able to get it through his thick skull that HE IS NOT GOING TO WIN THIS.

In the link above, Trautman says "I'm pleased that the text has been significantly amended. That made an important difference for me".

....GAH!

I read the last edition the Rome proposed and some of the changes Trautman mentions are, indeed, substantial. Arinze would be well within his right to reject them...and just to embarass Trautman, I hope he does. Not that it really would matter...Trautman said he wouldn't expect to see the changes put into affect for several years. His Excellency turns 70 next Saturday. That means five more years until the age limit is reached. Not a moment to soon...

2006-06-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

Know what happens when the SPIRIT of Vatican II supercedes the DOCUMENTS of Vatican II? Stephen Colbert does...

2006-06-16T01:24:00.000-07:00

NEWSFLASH

The bishops have approved the new Missal translations.

Now the last step is Rome must approve it. Let's see if that happens and, if it does, when. And if it's approved, when must we begin implementing the changes at the parish level?

Stay tuned...

2006-06-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

A correction to the last post...The USCCB meeting is THIS WEEKEND!!

Watch for updates!

2006-06-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well it's about damn time...

The bishops are going to vote on the new Mass translation...will it pass? They need 2/3 of the conference and I just don't see them getting it. At last polling, only 52% thought it was an excellent or good translation. The other 48% thought it was fair or poor. There are, however, a possibility that could cause passage...

A few of Their Excellencies who think the translation was "fair" could be influenced by the fact that their collegues in England, Wales and Australia have already approved the translations.

I've read the new translations, at least what is believed to be the new translations. They are quite beautiful and elegant. I say "what is believed to be the new translations" because Rome and the USCCB have been playing "Missal Wars" (pardon the pun) for a few years now. Vox Clara (the group approved by the Vatican to write the new translations) would send the new missal translation to the USCCB, the bishops would ammend a few things and then send it to Rome for approval and Rome would send it back and say "No dice...try again". This time we might actually get an agreement.

The chief opponent of the translations is Bishop Donald Trautman, Bishop of Erie and chairman of the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy. Read the article linked above and read what his arguments are. I must say, they're the same old arguments that have been floating around the "progressive" wing of the Church since before the council. The crux of it being: "People in the pews are too stupid to understand the faith". You know what? If we keep dumbing down the liturgy, theology and the faith in general, that's going to become more and more true.

Mother Church in America is falling victim to what all aspects of our culture are: absolute dumbing down. People are too stupid to take things the way they are and, if neccessary, learn something about them. Doctrine and Dogma are just for theologians now. If you know something about the Deposit of the Faith and actually follow it, well then you're just pre-conciliar. A legalistic dogma-quoter who doesn't care about people.

Quite the contrary; I think it is us doctrinal watchdogs that have the MOST faith in people. Who care the most for people. We believe that people have the ability to understand the faith. To understand doctrine and dogma and the Deposit of Faith. We believe that pastors of souls have the ability to explain, to even those with the least intelligence, the basic tenants of the Deposit of Faith.

That's another thing that has to stop; the continuous fight between the dogmatic, doctinal perfectionists and the pastoral, people folks. The dogmatics have a duty to protect the precious faith that we have been entrusted with. The pastoral types must work WITH the dogmatic types to put a pastoral face on the dogma of the Church. This constant fighting between the dogmatics and the pastorals; the dogmatics being hardline, without discussion of how to implement it's belief; the pastorals continuously trying to bend the rules so that the people will be able to accept them without major amounts of meditation.

The perfect combination of pastoral and dogmatic was found, in my opinion, in the person of the Servant of God John Paul the Great. He was the ultimate pastor, but in his writings and teachings, we found absolute fidelity to doctrine, dogma and the Deposit of Faith.

The vote is expected the weekend after Corpus Christi. Come to TMSA for your USCCB liturgy vote coverage!

2006-06-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Resurgens Blogus!

Ok, I thought about declaring this thing dead, but now that summer is decending upon us, I actually might have time to make it alive again!

Big stuff going on my life. I've gotten my own place over in the Bethany neighborhood and, without telling me, a month later they decided to turn them into condos. Well, I'm thinking of purchasing the one I'm in. No doubt I'll keep you updated on that.

I've gotten really serious with my girlfriend, who I chased for nine months before she finally said yes. We are incredibly happy, other than the fact that she's home in Montana and I'm here. We get through it though. I talk to her a lot during the day and we talk on the phone a bit throughout the day. This one is a keeper though. We have a long year ahead of us, but we're going on vacation this summer together, which is going to be amazing.

On the religion front: Father Ron has resigned and Father Craig has been named pastor. Along with some other administration changes. This is going to be an interesting time of transition into a form of government I've never been a part of in the Catholic Church. Will it work? I'm willing to say either way. It's gonna take the parish buying into it, which I'm not sure if they have yet. I've always had the pastor as spiritual and temporal head of the parish. The "Pastoral Associate" was never a co-leader, but more of an executive assistant, and no matter how they bill it, I can bet that's the way this is going to end up. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, though.

On the music front, I'm getting ready to do the Astoria Music Festival. Have you ever agreed to do something that sounded like a great opportunity at the time and then realized "what the hell did I do that for?" Well, welcome to my life in the end of June. I have far too much to do and for some reason this sounded like a good idea. It'll probably be a great experience but, who am I kidding? I'm never going to be an opera singer. I think I have the voice (humble, eh?), but I don't have the ability to memorize...besides, I like money too much. So, I'm a conductor.

This post leaves a lot of loose ends open...so check back for more frequent, shorter updates on individual subjects.