What People are Commenting
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Shrinking Church & Papal Veto
‘Hats on Cats’
A friend recently told me about this Etsy shop, Hats on Cats. It seems to be quite popular.
This shows what happens when we start to treat animals like children.
In Maria,
R.S.
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Shrinking Church
As an economist, I have to ask how those who promote Vatican II are going to upright the ship except to close parishes like they are doing in Baltimore. On the other hand, my experience has been that attendance at the TLM in the Raleigh area is growing so much that there is standing room only at a parish one hour away from the big city 10 minutes before Mass begins. So why shut the TLM down? Where there is excess demand, should we not increase supply?
If Vatican II is being promoted, the question needs to be asked, where are all the converts now that all the elderly have died or are in nursing homes, given that 40 out of 61 parishes in Baltimore are closing?
It appears that not even the Hispanics are filling the Vatican II churches.
If this were a corporate problem, there would be a lot of serious questions coming forward, like why are the traditional Latin Mass communities growing at the same time the Vatican II congregations are disappearing?
E.Z., Ph.D.
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Papal Veto
I have two questions which I feel would be properly addressed by the TIA staff. My first question is regarding the so-called 'papal veto', or, Jus exclusivae. What is the position of TIA in regard to such veto power? According to the understanding of an Organic Society, would a reigning monarch have the power to depose a Pope? I feel unsettled on the issue.
My second question pertains to the author and philosopher, Frederick Wilhemsen. Are there any resources on the TIA website which dissect his work and philosophy? I am interested in the out-of-print Triumph magazine and the work of Wilhemsen generally, as it seems he is closer to the truth of things than the traditional conservatives of the 1960's.
God Bless you and Our Lady keep you,
M.W.
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TIA responds:
Hello M.W.,
Thank you for your questions.
- Regarding the so-called papal veto, that is, the power of a temporal head of State to veto the election of a candidate to the Papacy, our position could not be other than that of the Catholic Church, definitively expressed by St. Pius X in his Apostolic Constitution Commissum Nobis of January 20, 1904. To wit:
“Wherefore in virtue of holy obedience, under threat of the Divine judgment, and pain of excommunication latae sententiae… we prohibit the cardinals of the Holy Roman Church, all and single, and likewise the Secretary of the Sacred College of Cardinals, and all others who take part in the conclave, to receive even under the form of a simple desire the office of proposing the veto in whatever manner, either by writing or by word of mouth. … And it is our will that this prohibition be extended … to all intercessions, etc. … by which the lay powers endeavor to intrude themselves in the election of a Pontiff… Let no man infringe upon this our inhibition … under pain of incurring the indignation of God Almighty and of his Apostles, Ss. Peter and Paul.”
Although the last time this veto was exercized was to prevent Card. Rampolla from becoming Pope, and was actually done for the benefit of the Church, in principle the Church must be entirely independent of any temporal influence in the election of a Pope. - Regarding Frederick Wilhemsen, TIA has not studied his work.
TIA correspondence desk
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Aren’t Some Advent Customs Superstitious?
Your article "The Feast of St. Thomas: Lively & Manly Customs" features customs for the last days of Advents from different regions. I thank you for such sharing of customs.
However, I found the first part of the article about dispelling demons disturbing. I understand that sprinkling holy water drives away demons, but is not whipcracking, shooting guns and ringing bells to drive away demons superstitious?
I hope that you will respond to this. Thank you!
J.V.
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TIA responds:
J.V.,
We are glad you are reading the articles that show past traditions and customs that encourage Catholics to more closely follow the Liturgical Year. We are sorry that most of these customs have disappeared, as modern man became more materialist and wanted to fit into the modern world.
We do not believe that the Advent customs you mentioned are superstitious. There are good reasons for those Catholic persons to have those practices.
For example, the Irish had a beautiful custom of burning a blessed candle all night on Christmas Eve to welcome the Christ Child. This was a charming act. which, like almost all the Catholic traditions, had a teaching purpose.
On the night when St. Joseph and Our Lady could find no room at an inn, the family lights a candle to say: "This house is open and ready to receive you." On that night, any traveler could expect welcome in the cottage of an Irish Catholic who viewed the wayfarer as a symbol of the Holy Family. Charity, hospitality, compassion and many other lessons came from that simple custom.
Regarding the customs in central Europe practiced in the last days of Advent, when the men would crack whips, shoot guns, etc. to drive away the demons before Christmas, they found basis for their action on natural and supernatural realities. Darkness dominates in the days before the Winter Solstice. Catholic peoples understood the symbolism of these long dark nights that came before Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice, would rise to free man from sin. In that time of darkness the devils were especially active.
Catholic people used to understand that darkness was a symbol of sin, just as light was a symbol of Christ and the Resurrection. The act of men going out to shoot guns and crack whips had a symbolic significance to show their determination to fight against darkness and evil. It was a healthy sign of the militancy of the Catholic man, called to defend Church, country and family; it also served as a reminder that every Catholic – man, woman or child – must fight against the world, the flesh and the Devil. We do not see any superstition in those customs.
When we enter the symbolic terrain, which deeply penetrated the minds and hearts of the medieval world, we find layers of meanings behind each custom that the Church approved and encouraged.
To reduce these sound customs and traditions to "superstitions" is to cave in to Protestant propaganda, which is always trying to put down the Catholic Church, her Saints and her traditions. Also, some positivists and free-thinkers spread similar accusations because they rejected the true Faith and the Catholic customs, which nonetheless should touch every Catholic in charming and unique ways. Customs are born from the spirit of a people and express well their characteristics and ways of being.
Cordially,
TIA correspondence desk
Posted May 23, 2024
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The opinions expressed in this section - What People Are Commenting - do not necessarily express those of TIA
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Re: Inconveniences of a papal kiss
Is this not the greatest persecution of the Church ever? And the persecutors? Rome and their freemasonic/communist handlers.
No blood (well, silence, and even approval of communism, abortionists) but the number of damned souls is the measurement of the evil.
J.J.R.