Monday 31 January 2011

Musings on the Outer Edges of the Abyss

"Make her's a bitter. A pint, naturally..."
Damian Thompson and Fr Ray Blake today both post on The Tablet Trust Director, Dr Tina Beattie, who has appeared on nominally Catholic correspondent, Edward Stourton's, BBC Sunday Programme to voice concern over the shocking and revelatory conversion of Anglicans to Catholicism and the dreadful and poisonous increase in the number of Catholic priests that have resulted.

To find out just how damaging to the Church this injection of fresh blood into the Priesthood is and why these men should, in fact, be women, read Tina's blog here.

Damian Thompson gives us the fascinating exchange between two Catholics whose loyalty and love for the Most Holy Faith is about the same temperature as the average pint pictured left. Why is it that, in the Church, only the froth is at the top of the glass from which the public drink? I can think of so many public speakers on Catholic matters who could represent Catholicism better than Tina, but, hey, I guess that reputation is everything in the media game and having a 'Dr' before your name just gives you that special kudos to get on the BBC. Oh, and being a liberal Catholic and making a habit of being contentious and dissenting from Church's Magisterium helps enormously too...

Edward Stourton: 'Do all Britain’s Roman Catholics welcome the ordinariate, the body set up by Pope Benedict to allow disaffected Anglicans to join the Catholic Church while maintaining many of their own traditions. No, is the short answer. Tina Beattie teaches Catholic studies at Roehampton University and, Tina Beattie, your problem with this is what?'

Readers. Guess what...You're not going to believe this, but I get the distinct impression that The Tablet is not happy about the Ordinariate. I don't know what it is. Let's call it a hunch. Now, that is what I call a surprise.

Tina Beattie: 'Well, I don’t want to call it a problem, but I think many of us are perplexed about what this means in terms of the Catholic Communion, and indeed obviously for relations between our two Churches. The Catholic Church has a unity that’s not based on like-mindedness or sameness, and it’s very puzzling to know how this very homogeneous, small group of like-minded people, offered a quasi-independent place within the Catholic Communion, is going to fit in and become part of us.'

Us? Us? Is she talking about the Body of Christ or herself and the rest of The Tablet team? Us? Hmm...Interesting. Well, Tina, since their reception into the Church they are a part of us, though, I have to say that when you use the term 'us', I just think of that bit in the Gospel when the demoniacs start lashing out at Our Lord saying "my name is Legion, for we are many." Further, I may have missed a couple of news stories today, but since exactly when has the Catholic Church been called the Catholic Communion? Anyone would have thought that Tina gets mixed up between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. It isn't that surprising, of course, because her vision of the latter is frighteningly similar to the reality of the former. I say frightening not because I am frightened of women, but rather of the liberal-in-guise diabolical insurrection taking place against God's Church and all the hellish havoc these heretics seek to wreak upon souls and Her.

Edward Stourton: 'And is your objection partly to do with the fact that you don’t like what they stand for? Particularly on the question of women’s role in the Church?'

Hilarious. You'd think these two had only just met! As if Mr Stourton isn't fully aware that the question of women's role in the Church is precisely the one thing (though, in fact, there are 'many') about which Tina is unhappy.

Tina Beattie: I’m not happy about that, no. And I think actually, dare I say it, it’s a peculiarly Protestant thing to join a church because of what one doesn’t like, as a gesture of protest – that’s where the word comes from. It would be wonderful if they were coming in for the positives, and the joy, and the wonders of being part of this worldwide Communion.

Gosh. Well, who says further education is a waste of time? The English Church's most gifted theologian-cum-teacher of 'Catholic studies' has informed us that the word Protestant is rooted in the adjective, 'to protest'. This is mind-blowing stuff. Yet again, Tina makes the same 'Communion' slip. Or is it? No longer is She the 'Universal Church', nor is She the 'One True Church', nor the 'Bride of Christ', nor the 'Ark of Truth' and 'Instrument of Salvation', but the 'worldwide Communion'.

Don't get me wrong, of course we Catholics rejoice that we are in Communion with our Priests, Bishops and Pope. Of course, Tina, it is of particular importance, as a Catholic, to be in 'Communion' in mind and heart with the Successor of St Peter since he is the Rock upon which the Gates of Hell shall never prevail. The Successor of St Peter. You know? The guy dressed in white, with the white hat, who instigated the whole idea of an Ordinariate that, much like the liberation of the Traditional Latin Mass, by-passed the tragically abused authority of the World's largely liberal-minded Bishops? You don't appear, by your musings on the edge of the outer abyss, to be in 'Communion' with the Successor of Peter. It's important you teach the importance of that to your students, by the way. No, what you seem to inhabit, is a kind of 'quasi-independent place within the Catholic' Church. Most Catholics loyal to the Magisterium, to the Successor of St Peter and to Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ are wondering just how and just when you and your professional Catholic friends are 'going to fit in and become part of us'.

Just as an aside, one of these days I am going to make a list of all the men and women who make really rather a lot of money out of being Catholic (especially in the media) and find out what percentage of these professional lay Catholics are actually Catholic. Tina, darlin'...this one's for you. Oh Tina! What 'a peculiarly Protestant thing' you are!

8 comments:

Patricius said...

"a list of all the men and women who make really rather a lot of money out of being Catholic (especially in the media"

This seems like a really good idea.

Anonymous said...

Why do Traditional Catholic Bloggers feel the need to tear into anyone who does not agree with them. I am no fan of Ms Beattie, but she is entitled to her opinion as I am entitled to mine.

Earlier this evening Paul Priest posted this vile piece on The Telegraph Blog:

"Hey !
What about Tina Beattie's blogpost on the ordinariate she took down after 'complaints' ?
[i.e. she didn't like being humiliated by the comments from Fr Ray, Laurence England and myself which kinda contradicted her version of reality and Catholic teaching]
Still - it wasn't as bitchy and pig-ignorant as the article to which she referred from Peter Stanford."

This vociferous attack, the tone and the language are not what we expect from fellow Catholics. I note that your name is included in the list of those who ‘humiliated’ Ms Beattie with your comments. Nothing at all to be proud of.
The Traditional Catholic Lobby has forgotten mercy, charity and all that Christ taught us about how we should treat our fellow man.
Being a Traditional Catholic does not automatically give you a licence to tear into anyone who does not hold with your opinion.Has that now become a sport for the Traddies? The fact that Fr. Ray is included is alarming. He is a Priest of Jesus Christ. We look to our priesthood for guidance and stability. There is no goodness, joy, not even a modicum of charity in Fr. Ray’s posts of late.

We do not all love the Latin Mass, we remember it, but it is good to move on and have the Mass in English. I am, like many others sceptical of the Ordinariate. So what? Early days there ‘s a long way to go. I should not be shot down at every turn because my opinions differ and treated as if those opinions make me less of a Catholic.

The Bones said...

Dr Beattie is a public Catholic in a public position teaching young members of the public.

Therefore, Catholics are entitled to draw her attention to her errors and to call her out on them, for her spiritual good, the good of her students and the good of impressionable Catholics listening to her.

What right, exactly, Greg, does she have to stand on a public platform and call for women priests etc? Who gave her the authority to do anything else in public, but support the teaching of the Church?

Abortion does not offend Dr Beattie.

A contraceptive society does not offend Dr Beattie.

The setting up of gay unions as marriages does not offend Dr Beattie.

A lot of moral evils going on inside and outside the Church appear not to offend Dr Beattie. The only thing she seems to defend is the right of women to be priests.

I ask you, Greg, just what is Catholic about that?

Anonymous said...

And just what is Catholic about the way in which traditional bloggers try to stamp everyone who does not hold their views into submission?
Two wrongs are never going to make a right.

The Bones said...

Best to just keep silent while the Faith is being ripped to shreds by two liberal Catholics live on BBC isn't it Greg? Keep silent, or smile, or flatter them.

By remaining silent Greg, in this matter, Catholics who know about Ms Beattie's very public airing of her 'views' are acquiescing in a public betrayal of the Faith. She doesn't defend the Faith in public. Why on earth should Catholics defend her?

There are hundreds, no, thousands of men and women who could defend the Church with great love who never get on TV or radio or newspapers. There she is in a position of influence and what does she do, but carp on about how awful the Ordinariate is.

As I said, I am not alone in this criticism of 'professional Catholics'.

“The bureaucracy is spent and tired … It is sad that there are what you might call professional Catholics who make a living on their Catholicism, but in whom the spring of faith flows only faintly, in a few scattered drops.”

Pope Benedict XVI, from Light of the World

Oh and by the way Greg...I hate to break this to you, but I'm afraid that our "opinions" on issues of Faith and Morals do actually matter and can actually make us "less Catholic."

Finally, this blog post has naff all to do with the Latin Mass.

The Bones said...

Sorry, there. Anonymous comments not published. Read the small print.

Ttony said...

Thanks for finding the video.

"a list of all the men and women who make really rather a lot of money out of being Catholic (especially in the media"

If you are looking for volunteers to help, my e-mail address is in my profile. But either way, God Speed!

The Bones said...

Email me please, lennydetroit@hotmail.com

Can't find your email in the profile

The Pope Who Won't Be Buried

It has been a long time since I have put finger to keyboard to write about our holy Catholic Faith, something I regret, but which I put larg...