His Eminence Pope Benedict is pretty right wing.

I get weekly e-mails from an old college friend in a super-conservative seminary down in Florida, and he just told us that the head of his seminary is getting together a Rome campus with the Holy Father's blessing and help.

Frankly, I'd been wondering how conservative His Eminence was, but this puts all doubts to rest. My friend's been brainwashed or something, as his e-mails sound like they're straight from Opus Dei or something (he's also the president of Students for Life at his school and was proud to meet Mrs. Schiavo's parents when they were there to present money for a scholarship). He's so far to the right that I don't even know him anymore.

The Rome campus also will have a program for students to study the Holy Father's writings before he was elected Pope and another saint who's a patron of the right wing faction in the Church. Apparently, the head of Ave Maria, the school he goes to, is becoming a close associate of the Holy Father as well.

I pray for all my brothers and sisters in Christ under the Patriarch of Rome. It's going to be a bumpy ride. :(

I'm pretty sure Scalia and O'Connor are. Kennedy, too?

I taught in a girls school they wanted to take over a few years before I got there, and frankly, Opus Dei scares me. They want to turn back the clock and make the Church what it was centuries ago, and they'll do whatever it takes to do that. If they have an in with the Holy Father, that's not good.

It's been evident from his actions and writings for decades, and in fact many liberal Catholics were trying to hold out hope that "maybe as pope he will soften his views".

Well as they say, a tiger can't change his stripes.

Of course, being Eastern Orthodox, I don't hear everything coming down the pipeline, but the reports I heard seemed conflicting. If he's with this Ave Maria seminary, he's extremely conservative, more so than even our church, which is saying something.

He is a dangerous reactionary, IMO. Sorry, Catholics, just my observation.

Do you have any details beyond what your demented former friend sent?

Nobody ever said that Benedict was doctrinally liberal. His predecessor was just as conservative but more charming.

Together, they purged the Jesuits and Maryknoll Sisters, forcing a lot of activist priests and nuns out. You're right about his predecessor, BB.

That will give you some insight to what some people think of him.

I took out the identifying info.


"+Jesus, I Trust In You!+

September 8 , 2005
Feast of the birth of Mary, Mother of Our Lord



Confiteor
I confess to Almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
In my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison

Dear friends and family,

A warm and happy greetings to you all on this, the day when the Church commemorates the birth of Mary. This is one of the special feast days here at Ave Maria. As you may or may not know, Ave Maria is dedicated in a special way to Our Lady (for those of you who don't know Latin, Ave Maria means Hail Mary, the greeting that the Archangel Gabriel used when he told her that she would be the Mother of the Savior.) So we celebrate the Marian feast days in a special
way. Today, at the 7:50 Mass, (this Mass on Tuesdays and Thursdays is in Latin, according to the Novus Ordo, the Mass of the 2nd Vatican Council) 16 young ladies made their semester consecration to Jesus through Mary as members of the Women's Discernment program. It is a unique program to anything else in the country. These ladies are discerning a call to the religious life as Sisters, or as you more likely know them, nuns. We have 3 different women's communities
on campus, so there is ample opportunity to discern, among the white nuns (Sister Servants of the Home of the Mother), the Brown nuns (the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), and the black nuns (Benedictines). This is as close as you can come to the idea of a "Pre-Theologate" for women. They are a great group of young women, and I am very proud to count them as my friends.

Yesterday afternoon, we had the talk by Rosalind Moss. I also had the privilege of having lunch with her. She is a wonderful lady, who has an outstanding conversion story. She was here to deliver her talk titled "Mary, our Jewish Mother." It was very moving, and I got teary a couple of times, as she shared her growing in her faith, regarding a concept that is often times very hard for Protestant converts to wrestle with, Mary, and all that the Catholic Church
teaches about her. Her faithful witness to the Truth that she discovered moved me so much.

You can purchase her books and her talks if you go to this link:

http://shop.catholic.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/c-Conversio
n_Stories1.html?L+scstore+zqtg6319ff8a188a+1148457520

I would recommend these items highly.

Father Fessio has returned from his trip to Rome, and it is very, very likely that we will soon have a campus in Rome. So much in fact, that the Holy Father himself is helping this happen. the Holy Father asked especially about Ave Maria, and is very happy with what has been reported to him about us. The new campus would be a joint facility of education and research libraries, with 2 research centers, 1 focusing on the writings and research of the theologian Hans Urs von Balthazar, and the other on the writings of Joseph Ratzinger. I am so excited! I could spend a semester in Rome! WOO-HOO!!!!

My classes are going well. I am really liking my Triune God class, and the Theology of Tradition class. My math class, so far, is not as awful as I thought, but I am only in the 2nd week.

A week from today is my birthday, and we will be having a big kick-off rally at the Collier Planned Parenthood, on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Please keep Students For Life in your prayers. I believe that this facility will soon be performing abortions, as another 'clinic' closed Ft. Myers. This is great, because Dr. Azima was a butcher. He had been to jail twice for criminal neglect, so I am glad that he is gone.

God Bless.



St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us!

St. Joseph, most chaste spouse of Our Lady, pray for us!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

Jesus Christ, Eternal High Priest, have mercy on us!

Christ's Peace and Mercy of His Most Sacred Heart to all of you!

Pleading His mercy through His most blessed Mother,

XXXXX
Ave Maria University


Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession.
--St. Isidore of Seville"


Yeah, I get that every week. I have thought about getting off his e-mail list, but I decided to keep an eye on him through it. I'm glad I deleted the Schiavo one, though, as I got physically ill from that one.

Which is what some called Schiavo's death---not that I agree. Why didn't you post this in LBN? Oh--it's not a big surprise to anyone. Choice & End of Life issues have political repercussions. But you are also offended by non-political parts of the correspondence. They are just too religious for you--full of that icky "Catholic" stuff.

Have you considered answering? Pointing out Catholic thinkers who disagreed with some of the current doctrine?

Maybe you missed that I'm Eastern Orthodox Christian. We're the ones with the two-plus hour long liturgies and theology that hasn't changed in hundreds of years. It's not the Catholic stuff, and it's not the religious stuff--it's the crazy stuff of taking a minor theological point and making it the most important one of all.

I have talked with him, and he flat-out said that he didn't want to talk about anything we disagreed on, preferring to try to salvage the relationship. He was horrified that I not only voted for Kerry but also worked for his and Dr. Dean's campaigns locally. He got off the phone when I explained that it's because I'm a "Peace and Justice" (Catholic term I learned when I taught in Catholic schools) kind of Christian.

I would love to have a debate with him using the writings of the early Church fathers and mothers. Something tells me, though, that he wouldn't be interested.

I'm really sorry to hear about the loss of your friend.

Alot of people don't realize that even so called "main stream" Christian Churches are oocults in their own way.

In an attempt to be closer to God, to wrap themselfs in to God's teachings.. they close them self off from listening to anyone else that might disagree with their teachers.

It's not that he is brainwashed or something on purpose. It's that he is only hearing one side constantly. His opinions are being formed way before he ever hears anything differently. Then he has based other things on that opinon, and formed other opinions.. it's a nasty cycle.

That is why I am sorry for you. By the time you get a chance to vist or talk to him.. what is there to talk about? Most likely he can no longer acept people having a "disagreeing" opinion. He is surrounded by people who "agree". So, they loose their ablity.

IT's hard to stay friends when a person goest that rought. No matter what the faith is.

We went to Mount Vernon Nazarene College in Ohio (yeah, the one that got Kenyon's voting machines--I'm so suprised :roll: ). He didn't graduate, actually, and seemed to lose his way for years. Many of us were the college's quiet liberals, and even he seemed more concerned about helping the least of these, but while most of us either left the church entirely or changed to more Progressive forms of the faith, he went more conservative and became Catholic.

It's not like he hasn't lived outside without hearing other arguments--he's lived those other arguements. For some reason, he's turned his back on them, though, seeming to need to ultra-conservative form of Catholicism.

I keep praying that he'll change when he gets out and has his own parish. Real life will smack him in the face if that happens, but as close as he is to some of the powers that be, he might never have a parish and just move up the chain after he graduates. *sigh* That won't be good for anyone if that happens.

I'm talking now. He no longer is hearing anything but one side.

I'm not saying he did that on purpose. Or that he is choosing not to hear both sides. IT's the way people think we are around him now. Those that disagree will not be included in the "group." And what you believe, who you "agree with" does impact how far he will go...

He has changed from the man I once knew. Thanks for clarifying it and helping me understand.

When He was elected I figure the "Holy Spirit" was just generally pissed with the Catholic Church.

So Je$us Co.'s new CEO is no Mother Teresa?

What a surprise ...

:eyes:

churches. I have a list of some on my website. (you can find your way there by clicking the bottom link.)

------------------------------------------------------
Ditch Bu$h and save the Gulf: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=106&topic_id=22507&mesg_id=22507

Then save the nation!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

I'm going to check them out. I have other Catholic friends who might be interested, too.