A tip of the hat to J.D. for these links:
“A first column for a new year for a Roman Catholic magazine. Let’s ask
a few basic questions about what it means to be Catholic, because as much as it
pains me to admit it, a lot of alleged members of the Church seem to be
absolutely bewildered. My opinion, by the way, is irrelevant here. It’s Church
teaching that matters, not how any of us feel or think on one day or another.”
“Look, it comes down to this. If you wish to live as a Christian but
reject the authority of the Catholic Church, have the courage and integrity to
leave the Church and become a Protestant—where, I assure, you will find
something else to complain about and reject, so you can go to another
Protestant church, and then another.”
“Nobody has to be a Catholic, unless you are a Catholic. Then, sorry,
you have no choice. There is no such thing as a Kennedy Catholic, a Dalton
McGuinty Catholic, a cafeteria Catholic. It’s Catholic, or not.”
“This year may be one of the most challenging and pivotal for Canadian
Roman Catholics. We are likely to lose more of those who like to select which
parts of the Church please them. We’ll lose those not committed to human life,
those not glued to the cross, those not convinced that a Papacy that has never
taught heresy in 2000 years can be trusted.”
“We will also witness more attacks from federal and provincial
politicians, the increasing triumphalism of sexual minorities, and more
aggression from organized atheism. But we will also gather more converts from
failing Protestantism, and more committed young people: briefly, more and
better and real Catholics. It is never easy, but more exciting and rewarding
than ever.”
“In mid-October I was part of a panel at a Toronto university
discussing how the world views the Church. It was all pretty good stuff with
some faithful and successful Catholic writers on the platform. The academic
present, however, was not known to me. But her views were. Not that I had ever
heard of the woman before; what I mean is that her opinions on Catholicism were
entirely typical of an attitude that has caused colossal damage to the Church
in recent years. While discussing abortion, for example, she said that there
were “gradations” within Catholicism and implied that supporting the rights of
the unborn or promoting their slaughter were various and valid Roman Catholic
positions.”
“You can have all sorts of opinions on all sorts of subjects but the
fundamentals of Catholicism are just that and if you reject them you are not a
Catholic in good standing.”
“Selfishness and fad posing as Catholicism is becoming less common and
has been exposed as the intellectual and theological fraud that it is.”
“He (Raymond Cardinal Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura) made
it abundantly clear that the “hypocrisy” of those who claim to hold personal
Catholic beliefs but publicly support same-sex marriage, abortion and
euthanasia is unacceptable. Speaking of pro-choice and pro-same-sex marriage
politicians, business people and doctors he continued, “It is not possible to
be a practising Catholic and conduct oneself publicly in this manner” and “When
a person has culpably espoused and co-operated in gravely sinful acts, leading
many into error and confusion over fundamental questions regarding respect for
life and integrity of marriage and family, his repentance of such actions must
also be public.”
“Thank God for Archbishop Burke, thank God for the Church, thank God
for His Son who gave it to us and thank God it is never too late to say sorry
and get it right.”