Catholic Thought discussion

Bp. Athanasius Schneider made the comment along the lines of the popes of our time being too much in the limelight, which is a terrible distraction. The Bishop of Rome should be first and foremost bishop to his own diocese. I had never thought about this before, because in my lifetime all popes have been looked at as celebrities. He has a valid point here. Bp. Schneider suggest popes should only occasionally make public statements but otherwise be out of the limelight. This celebrity also infringes on the dioceses of all bishops world-wide. Many bishops look to Rome first instead of being about their own diocese first, about executing the office as successors of the Apostles in their own right.

Bp. Schneider only says that because he disagrees with what the current pope teaches

The pope has never been solely the bishop of his diocese. That’s not tradition.

Pedro wrote: "Bp. Schneider only says that because he disagrees with what the current pope teaches

The pope has never been solely the bishop of his diocese. That’s not tradition."

Bp. Schneider is a deep thinker, and he doesn't strike me as one to make superficial comments just to score points.

I didn't mean to imply that the pope doesn't have a church-wide role. He does. It is a question of balance. I do think there is an overexposure of the pope going back to at least Vatican II. Modern modes of communication and the expectations they elicit have their drawbacks. The very nature of faith is antithetical to the 24/7 news cycle.

Bp. Schneider has been very vocal on his criticisms about the pope, so I would take anything he says about papal authority with a grain of salt

Other than that, I don’t see why the office of the pope would be incompatible with the current media exposure. John Paul II did it masterfully, and so does Francis, if one takes care to look at coverage beyond Catholic media who dislike him.

I have, for work related purposes, had contact with the Vatican communications team and with Catholic communications organs. They do wonderful work, mostly in a hidden way that goes unacknowledged. This can be a wonderful tool of evangelization

In support of that Kerstin, Pope Benedict XVI did try to minimize papal exposure but I think in the end found it difficult. The press and media are just too persistent and invasive. It’s a very delicate balance, and he was certainly not the most beloved.

Manny and other members,
The Jesuits consider Karl Rahner, S.J. the greatest theologian of the 20th century. Would anyone like to comment on this? I have read some, but not a lot of Rahner's work. He had a wonderful intellect.

A long time ago I bought two booklets of Karl Rahner's writings in a German Catholic bookstore. I don 't remember of the top of my head what the subject matters were. Unfortunately I found him dry and esoteric, couldn't make heads or tails of what he was trying so say.

Kerstin, unconsciously, I smiled as I read this. Rahner was wordy.

You can read Rahner's Wikipedia entry, which includes a summation of his theology. See if it makes any sense.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ra...

It doesn't to me. I'll take Thomas Aquinas or Augustine of Hippo any day. Heck, I'll take Joseph Ratzinger.

US Bishops asking the faithful to pray a Novena in Memory of Pope Benedict XVI starting tonight. You can find the daily prayers here:

https://www.usccb.org/novena-pope-ben...

Thank you, Manny!

Sad news. Cardinal Pell has passed away.

https://mail.yahoo.com/m/folders/1/me...

Oh no. May God bless him!

That is sad news indeed.

Just my opinion but I think as Catholics we should stress evangelization. We need to welcome all groups into our faith. By limiting who we let in causes us problems and makes others think less of us. There are tenets of our faith that are non-negotiable but at least be open to talking to others.

Agreed Doreen. Nice to see you.

US Bishops advocate making St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the church.

https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/newm...

“By a vote of 240-2, the U.S. bishops voted last Wednesday to write a letter of support to Pope Francis, for an effort to see St. John Henry Newman named a Doctor of the Church.”

Three thoughts. (1) I didn’t realize we had 242 bishops in the United States. That’s a heck of a lot. Where are they? (2) Who the heck are the two that voted no? And why? It doesn’t say, unless it was a secret vote. (3) I totally endorse it! St. JHN is brilliant. We read his conversion story in his Apologia Pro Vita Sua here in the book club. I still want to read his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.

I read one of his sermons (or was it an essay, I can’t remember now) on the Virgin Mary and it was excellent. I think you can get most of his work for free on the internet. I definitely hope he becomes a Doctor of the Church. He’s got a wealth of writing.