Dear TIA,

Thank you for your work in going deeper on Newman's writings to get a confirmed position that he is Liberal. We recently had a group of Catholics arguing about the question of Newman's Liberalism.

The majority of the traditional Catholics stated that his writings are orthodox. So a small group here tried to get more information to maintain the disputation, and we have started by using your texts, since almost all other sites are ambiguous or consider him a true Catholic.

From what we found, we agree completely with your conclusions and we suspect his influence on what we consider a liberal school of writers.

We believe that this movement after his death influenced numerous writers including Tolkien, who is another controversial personage.

     H.V., England

Dear TIA,

I am following with interest your articles on Cardinal Newman.

In your latest post, Progressive Document of the Week, "Newman Suspect in Rome," a Cardinal is mentioned that Fr. Newman wishes to respond to about criticism of The Rambler.

Can the name of that Cardinal be supplied? Thank you,

     In Maria,

     C.C.



TIA responds:

Dear C.C.,

Thank you for your interest.

The full name of Card. Antonelli, mentioned in that statement, is Giacomo Antonelli. He was Secretary of State of Pius IX at the Vatican from 1852 to 1876.

The English Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster at the time was Nicholas Wiseman who was made Cardinal in 1850 and died in 1865.

Henry Manning succeeded Card. Wiseman as Archbishop of Westminster in 1865 and was made Cardinal in 1875 until his death in 1892.

These are the most quoted Cardinals in Newman's life, which ended in 1890.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

TIA,

JMJ

The 62 Reasons to Reject the Novus Ordo Mass was made in the early '80s I think.

God bless you and your work!

     M.R., Sweden

Tradition in Action,

As a baptized Roman Catholic of Haitian-American descent, I must tell you, that I found Mr. O'Reilly's article, regarding the recent earthquake in Haiti, quite informative and well thought out.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake, which claimed the lives of so many residents of my parents' native homeland, should be a wake up call to all practicing Catholics. Considered to be one of the worst natural disasters to hit in the Western Hemisphere, It has left the Haitian capital in ruins.

Surely, one is not surprised by this devastating event, which resonates Our Lady's words to the three seers in Fatima, during 1917, "that many nations would be annihilated." Since walking away from the Novus Ordo sect about two years ago, I came to the conclusion that the motivation behind Vatican II was ill-conceived and primarily responsible for our continued division within our parish church.

Haiti, like most countries in the Caribbean was once a heavily practicing Catholic country, which unfortunately was never able to overcome the endless corruption of ruthless politicians, abject poverty and the pernicious practice of voodoo.

Those who - like my parents - were fortunate to immigrate to the United States, did so, by holding on to their rich Catholic Faith, despite the number of obstacles which they faced. Life for them, and other blacks, both native and foreign born in America before the Civil Rights Movement, was quite difficult. The residue of slavery branded blacks and other minorities as "social outcasts" in American society. Even the Catholic Church was effected by the collective practice of racism, as it would find many of its white religious leaders and lay people adopting the use of Jim Crow segregation within the halls of the Catholic Church.

This un-Christian behavior did not deter many black Catholics from exiting the Church; instead, they would find themselves being ministered through the compassion of a number of dedicated figures, both black and white, such as:

• Bishop John England who offered Church services to blacks in his native Charleston, S.C.;
  
  
• Rev. Augustus Tolton, who became the first ordained black priest in the United States;
  
  
• Saint Katherine Drexel, who invested her $20 million inheritance into ministering to Black and Native-Americans;
  
  
• Blessed Bernard J. Quinn, who opened up the first parish in Brooklyn in 1922 to serve the black Catholic community.

All of these individuals lead truly inspiring Christian lives, and are worthy of having their stories profiled on this site.

Haitians, to this very day, continue to practice the Catholic Faith in the most orthodox manner, and their presence can be seen in most services where the Traditional Latin Mass is being offered. Despite what some white liberal-minded priests may think, silly theatrics such as tambourines, guitar-strumming '60s folk singers and a predominately middle-aged group of female choral singers belting out Protestant hymns never really caught on with them. Their faith along with other minority Catholics is shaped by a truly solemn service conducted by a dedicated priest, modeled after Christ!

The Conciliar Popes from 1958 to the present, have been troubling themselves by "dumbing down" the Faith in order to "soothe the emotions" of its followers, rather than to encourage them to practice their faith in the most orthodox manner.

They have given Novus Ordo Catholics the opportunity of interpreting their faith in the manner which suits their egos. They have the option of receiving Holy Communion in their germ-laden hands from both male or female lay persons, without the preparation of cleansing their hearts through the Sacrament of Penance.

Their parish priest, whose sexual orientation remains a matter of dispute, assures them of their eternal salvation in Heaven with yet another non-threatening homily, laced with a series of jokes. His sweatshirt-, dungaree- and sneaker-wearing feminist nuns conduct the parishioners in belting out another verse of "Kumbaya," while traipsing back and forth on the altar. God is no longer to be feared, nor seen as judgmental or condemning. Instead, He is to be treated as a compassionate friend, who tolerates our behavior, irrespective of whether or not we persist sinning against Him.

The late Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa are to be glorified and held up as the official prototype for "Novus Ordo Sainthood." The promotion of multiculturalism, celebration of diversity and constant praise of Barack Obama becoming "America's first Black President" won't prevent another disaster from erupting, here or abroad, nor will it encourage God to bless our nation, let alone the entire world.

Our globe-trotting Pontiff, like his weak predecessor, won't bring about anything fruitful inside the Catholic Church, nor the world over, by continually taking photo ops with Jewish Rabbi's and Muslim Imams. Future disasters, worse than the fate of Haiti will emerge, so long as he is willing to treat the Catholic Church as though it were indistinguishable from other heretical sects.

     Yours in Christ

     A.B.

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  Newman's Admiration for Acton and Döllinger

  Fr. Feeney on Cardinal Newman

  The Liberal Cardinal Newman Americans Don't Know

  Liberals, Modernists & Progressivists

  Polemic on Newman's Homosexuality Grows

  62 Reasons To Reject the Novus Ordo Mass

  What Has Been Forgotten in Haiti?