| |
Commonweal's Take on 'Catholic Polemicist Matt Abbott'
By Matt C. Abbott
Renew America
July 29, 2007
http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/070729
United States — I must say, I got a bit of a kick out of a recent post on the blog of Commonweal:
'The Los Angeles abuse settlement continues to reverberate to a degree that surprises me. There were several powerful letters to the New York Times after their news story and editorial, including one from Anne & Ed Wilson of the VOTF chapter here in Brooklyn, and one from the venerable Msgr. Harry Byrne, who now has his own blog. But there was also a truly brilliant parody that apparently sought to find humor in this dark saga, and at the same time puncture many of the silly contentions and connections made by some advocates of a liturgical silver bullet for the crisis. The letter is from, of all people, the 'rite-wing' Catholic polemicist Matt Abbott. In full it reads:
'To the Editor:
'I am pleased that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has settled with more than 500 survivors of sexual abuse. The settlement is long overdue.
'Despite the moral corruption that has permeated the church in the United States over the last few decades, I still believe in the truths of the faith, and I applaud Pope Benedict XVI for loosening the restrictions on use of the traditional Latin Mass and for reiterating the church's central role in salvation.
'Matt C. Abbott
'Chicago, July 17, 2007'
The post, by Commonweal contributor David Gibson, continues:
'Or at least I think it was meant as parody. Unfortunately, about the same time, the Vatican came out with a lengthier take on priests and pedophiles that is no more encouraging in its analysis. The text is posted at Zenit and is a pamphlet written by Monsignor Raffaello Martinelli, an official of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In his self-administered Q&A Msgr. Martinelli repeats many of the defensive argumentations made by other Vatican officials after the Los Angeles settlement....'
More interesting than Mr. Gibson's take on my pithy NYT letter is a comment by blog reader Bill Evans, which states (in part):
'Regarding Matt Abbott's letter and Motu-Mania in general, it seems to me that Pope Benedict has achieved exactly what he has wanted for decades. Vatican II and all it seemed to stand for (expanded lay involvement, theological progression, a radical openness to change, relativism which was masked as ecumenism, etc.) was embodied in a new liturgical expression. In other words, the liturgy became the symbol of all that the Council decided to 'change,' 'update,' or 'throw away' from the pre-conciliar Church. Many Catholics who couldn't reconcile their own consciences with the Church's unchanging teachings on homosexual sexual activity, contraception or the unicity of the Catholic Church, were at least able to point to Vatican II as a sign of hope, that the Church was indeed open to change, and unfortunate trappings such as the Church's moral teachings could also eventually be changed or reversed, just like the liturgy. This profoundly divisive attitude is a trend that the Holy Father has been looking to expose and correct for many years. There are not two churches, the pre- and post-conciliar churches respectively, but one Church, with one Head and one body of teaching. The Council said nothing new about the unique role of the Church (as the recent document from the CDF points out), nor did it change any of the theological principles that underlie the liturgy. The hermeneutic of discontinuity, as the Holy Father has called it, has done a great deal of damage to the faith of the people in the pews and presents a fractured view of the Church. Being the true Pontifex Maximus that he is, Benedict is seeking to do away with discord and division in the Church. Arguing about how Summorum Pontificum represents a step 'back' to the 'pre-conciliar' church is doing nothing but proving Benedict's point for him!'
In a subsequent post, reader Bill Mazzella asserts that Father Andrew Greeley is "one clergyman who has, alas, more integrity than all the bishops combined."
Well, I have to disagree with Mr. Mazzella on that point. Remember this matter?
Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic columnist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication, Media and Theatre from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, and an Associate in Applied Science degree in Business Management from Triton College in River Grove, Ill. He is the former director of public affairs for the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League and the former executive director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee. He was a contributor to The Wanderer Catholic newspaper and had numerous letters to the editor published in major newspapers, including the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com
|
|