Defending the 12th century since the 14th; blogging since the 21st.

Catholicism, Conservatism, the Middle Ages, Opera, and Historical and Literary Objets d'Art blogged by a suburban dad who teaches law and writes stuff.


"Very fun." -- J. Bottum, Editor, FIRST THINGS

"Too modest" -- Elinor Dashwood

"Perhaps the wisest man on the Web" -- Henry Dieterich

"Hat tip: me (but really Cacciaguida)" -- Diana Feygin, Editor, THE YALE FREE PRESS

"You are my sire. You give me confidence to speak. You raise my heart so high that I am no more I." -- Dante

"Fabulous!"-- Warlock D.J. Prod of Didsbury

Who was Cacciaguida? See Dante's PARADISO, Cantos XV, XVI, & XVII.


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GLENDON!
posted by Cacciaguida at 1:27 PM

 
New Archbishop of St. Louis is Robert J. Carlson, who did so much as Bp. of Saginaw to clean up after the egregious (modern sense, not the sense in which the e.f. liturgy calls today's saint, Anselm, "doctor egregius") "Ken" Untener.

Pope Benedict's bishop-picking operation continues to prove more of a science and less of an art!
posted by Cacciaguida at 11:25 AM

 
The Economist on England's Archbishop Nichols: Time for Bruiser
posted by Cacciaguida at 10:06 PM

 
In New York, Archbisop Dolan installed today. From the New York Post:

Archbishop Timothy Dolan today promised to oppose Gov. Paterson's same-sex marriage [bill], just one day before it will hit the floor of the Legislature.

"You can bet I would be active and present and, I hope, articulate in this particular position," Dolan told reporters.

The question - one of many the new archbishop took from reporters at his first news conference in Midtown - came as state lawmakers prepared to begin debating the controversial issue.

Paterson to Push Gay Marriage Bill

"The topic you raise - other topics that are controversial that the church has a message to give - you'll find that I don't shy away from those things and I wouldn't sidestep them," said Dolan.

The new archbishop - who will be installed during a Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral later today that will feature Mayor Bloomberg - spoke of the need for the church to embrace immigrants and to continue the process of reform that began after the sexual-abuse scandals that rocked the church a few years ago.

"The most sacred responsibility that a bishop has is to pass on the faith that remains changeless and has for 2,000 years," he said. "So in substance, in the quality, no, I couldn't change things if I wanted, because they're not mine to change."

posted by Cacciaguida at 2:32 PM

 
Vatican diplomats have quietly blocked several proposed U.S. ambassadors to the Holy See with pro-abort views, the latest being Caroline Kennedy.

First a Senate appointment, now this. There's a show-biz expression for the fix Caroline is in: she "can't get arrested."
posted by Cacciaguida at 6:13 PM

 
Pirates Killed, Captain Saved -- w00t!!

There is a tradition received from Roman law into the early modern yet Christian-influenced tradition of Grotuis and Vattel, a tradition towards which we should only with the greatest caution indulge a sense of superiority, that regarded pirates -- because of the self-expulsion from the civilized human community that knows the rule of law -- as latrunculi (a contemptuous diminutive of "thieves"), hostis humani generis (enemies of the human race), and eligible for summary execution.

The sagacious Prof. Mackubin Owens explains here.
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:08 PM

 
From Pope Easter homily:

The resurrection, then, is not a theory, but a historical reality revealed by the man Jesus Christ by means of his "Passover", his "passage", that has opened a "new way" between heaven and earth (cf. Heb 10:20). It is neither a myth nor a dream, it is not a vision or a utopia, it is not a fairy tale, but it is a singular and unrepeatable event: Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary, who at dusk on Friday was taken down from the Cross and buried, has victoriously left the tomb....

"...it is the answer to the recurring question of the sceptics, that we also find in the book of Ecclesiastes: "Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’?" (Ec 1:10). We answer, yes: on Easter morning, everything was renewed. "Mors et vita, duello conflixere mirando: dux vitae mortuus, regnat vivus – Death and life have come face to face in a tremendous duel: the Lord of life was dead, but now he lives triumphant." This is what is new! A newness that changes the lives of those who accept it, as in the case of the saints....

posted by Cacciaguida at 11:03 PM

 
"Twitter in Hell"

The exercise “Twitter in Hell” was handed to some lucky seniors at University Laboratory High School at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, after reading the classic tome. Their mission? To write 140-character tweets describing each level in hell as if they were Dante writing to his beloved Beatrice.

posted by Cacciaguida at 2:34 PM

 
Consciensce clause issue

A website that helps you participate in the notice-and-comment process on Obama's rescission of the conscience clause protecting the rights of pro-life medical professionals: http://www.adoctorsright.com/.

Deadline for comments is tomorrow (April 9). The site sponsored by The Heritage Foundation, and kudos to them for it.
posted by Cacciaguida at 11:46 AM

 
Toomey vs. Specter: the saga continues
posted by Cacciaguida at 1:28 PM

 
Archbishop Vincent Nichols will be the new Archbishop of Westminster, UK. Damian Thompson, the Daily Torygraph's Catholic blogger and in-house Tridhead, who is hard to please, is for the most part -- quite pleased. The worst choice would have been Bishop Arthur Roche (as Damian made clear when he posted, mere days ago, that he thought Roche had it in the bag). The best would have been the other Nichols, Fr. Adrian Nichols, OP, but -- dream on.

As Thompson cogently remarks of V. Nichols in the comment section: "[T]he people who have wrecked the Church in this country [i.e. Britain] didn't want him to get the job."

P.S. (1) I am not Damian Thompson. If I had my own blog at The Daily Telegraph, would I write this? (2) I don't think whatever Damian Thompson tells me to think. I just find that I never disagree with him, and that he says things the way I wish I had said them. (Anglo just called: it wants its philia back.)
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:22 PM

 
Compared to W, new Prez's press operation is unprofessional and addicted to secrecy. Thanks to them, American TV viewers saw a day-full of violent protestors in London, instead of a day-full of a U.S. President doing presidential stuff. (Ida know, maybe that's political gold....)
posted by Cacciaguida at 5:16 PM