The Holy Father signed a declaration today acknowledging what everyone who isn't stupid, ignorant, dishonest, or just a bigot already knew. Pope Pius XII has officially been declared as "venerable."
And John Paul II, too.
I'm sure Foxman, Wills, and Co. are already scheduling press conference to continue their slander against Pope Pius. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ignoring the JPII news. This other stuff is really just more important. Don't be surprised that folks are trying to turn this into a JPII vs. Pius XII conflict of "Pius XII is a murderer," which will then turn into a pre-VII vs. post-VII conflict about how the Church "doesn't teach ______ anymore."
The first part has already started:
"We are saddened and disappointed that the pontiff would feel compelled to fast-track Pope Pius at a point where the issue of the record — the history and the coming to a judgment — is still wide open," said Abraham Foxman, a Holocaust survivor and the Anti-Defamation League's national director.
Elan Steinberg, vice president of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and their Descendants, called the announcement "particularly disturbing and callous" because it was paired with that of John Paul, who endured the Nazi invasion of his native Poland.
Frankly, Abe, nobody should give a crap about what you think. Elan should go read what folks like Golda Meier and Albert Einstein said about Pius and then take some stock as to whether they would feel his objections are what is really "disturbing and callous."
For me, I'm just very proud of Pope Benedict for having the courage to do this. He's not stupid. He knows what people are going to say, and for a guy who has taken as much heat as he has over the last couple of years, he isn't backing down.
Pope Pius XII, pray for us!
And Viva il Papa!
6 comments:
Happy about Pius XII but disturbed about JPII.
What should I venerate? Should I kiss the Qua'ran if it is given to me as a gift? Should I allow pagans to worship demons on consecrated ground? Should I declare schismatics to be martyrs?
This makes no sense.
My take on all this stuff.
Nobody is perfect. St. Peter (even outside of his denial of Christ), by his actions, made Judaizers look legit.
Seriously, if you are looking, my suggestion would be to venerate his acceptance of suffering and his complete and total denunciation of the culture of death, even when death was taking him by inches.
JPII's actions scandalized the faith and no corrections were made. It goes beyond simple mistakes.
Sorry, I am very frustrated, stressed and disturbed by all of this.
One cannot venerate a person and focus in on the good and ignore the bad. The repeated actions that directly effect the faith cannot be ignored. I cannot hang a picture of a man up and venerate his image knowing the things he did and suggested. It is really disturbing.
I'd say Peter's actions were about as scandalous as they come. Sure, you can say that no corrections were made for JPII, but there wasn't a St. Paul around either. Much as one might admire, say, Archbishop Lefebvre or whoever, they just don't arise to that level.
I don't think that any of JPII's shortcomings are "simple mistakes," nor am I ignoring them. However, I don't think it wise to dwell on them either, and I'd say that in the case of any saint/blessed/venerable.
It's not for me to judge the First See. I can and do understand why you are disturbed by this. Don't let it get to be a big deal, though. Popes are men. They screw up. They can still be emulated in their virtues.
With HH BXVI putting himself "in the line of fire" with such actions, I still fail to see how certain Catholics rail about him not doing "enough" or being "weak"...
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