Thursday, December 12, 2002

Buchanan on Catholicism
Pat Buchanan is dissing Vatican II again. The problem is, Pat Buchanan is on record as rejecting Vatican II. Thus, he puts himself outside the pale of Catholicism. One cannot reject an ecumenical council and call oneself Catholic.

The statistics Buchanan cites are true, but how does one interpret them? Is the statistical decline because of faithful implementation of Vatican II or because of dissent and a hijacking in the United States of the reform by priests, religious, lay people and sometimes even bishops of the authentic meaning of the documents of the Second Vatican Council?

A counterexample of the U.S. case is the diocese of Krakow in Poland. When Karol Wojtila implemented the Council it led to a flowering of Church life in his diocese. Why? Because his implementation was faithful to the letter and spirit of the Council.

I read these documents every year with my seminarians, and I am nothing but inspired by them. The vision that the documents themselves promote of the Church in the 21st century is one of exploding evangelization in word and deed. What the Council wanted was for the light of Christ to shine forth more clearly from the Church before all nations.

Let me go on record as unabashedly and enthusiastic standing behind (in fact, under) the Second Vatican Council.

Read the documents!

See also TCR's comment.

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