Why what a piece attacking Archbishop Dolan for defending Bill Donohue. See from Catholics United Archbishop Dolan defends Donohue and the Never Ending Culture War.
Wow so much to say. However this made me laugh!!
...........In order to understand why Dolan’s comments are so unfortunate, one should consider why Donohue is simply bad for Catholicism. Donohue personifies that white older male constantly at odds with the changing world around him. He’s like the Catholic version of Archie Bunker, only with fax machine and a $350,000 salary. But the worst part of Donohue’s shtick is that his message has no semblance to the teachings of Jesus Christ, who spent his time forgiving sinners and healing lepers, not complaining about art....
..Our nation is in the worst economic recession of my lifetime. More than nine percent of our workforce is unemployed. Millions of households are dealing with foreclosure or underwater mortgages. And in this Advent season, we have families that can’t afford a full tank of gas, let alone gifts for the Christmas tree
This is why Dolan’s attitude is so disappointing. By defending a manufactured controversy during a time of great suffering, he trivializes the meaning of Jesus’ birth: to bring good news to the poor. And the worst consequence of this behavior is that it is driving young Catholics away from the church. So as Dolan and the bishops get to work on their evangelization strategy, I suggest they spend less time following in the footsteps of Bill Donohue and focus more on Jesus.
Wow HOW AGEIST!! Also it is funny that Catholic United headed by two "young" white guys plays this silly racial card. Also maybe they can talk more about this horrible white older male "constantly at odds with the changing world".
They do exist!! Catholic liberals are full of older white guys that have not quite got into their heads the Church is not stuck in the 70's show.
Let me say that I have mixed feeling about Donahue and I have not always agreeded with him. However this attack is bit too much. On the whole Donahue does good work.
First off yes Jesus did not talk about "art". However does Catholics United really want to go down this road?
I mean Jesus did not talk about the environment a great deal. Jesus did not talk about Roman miltary ndustrial complex. Jesus did not talk about how the Roman authorities should be ensuring a living wage and health care. Jesus did not talk about unjust war to my knowledge. Jesus did not talk much about state execution. Do you get my drift?
Of course maybe Jesus did not talk about it!! We are "By Scripture Alone" Christians as they should know.
I am not saying the Church should not be involved in all that. In fact I think they should. However just because Jesus did not talk about art does not make it unimportant. I think any Catholic half his salt should know that.
Perhaps Catholic United should review Pope Benedict's comments recently!! All made while we are in the middle of hard economic times worldwide!!
See Meeting with artists in the Sistine Chapel (November 21, 2009)
...this gathering I wish to express and renew the Church’s friendship with the world of art, a friendship that has been strengthened over time; indeed Christianity from its earliest days has recognized the value of the arts and has made wise use of their varied language to express her unvarying message of salvation. This friendship must be continually promoted and supported so that it may be authentic and fruitful, adapted to different historical periods and attentive to social and cultural variations...
...I also recall how on 7 May 1964, forty-five years ago, in this very place, an historic event took place, at the express wish of Pope Paul VI, to confirm the friendship between the Church and the arts. The words that he spoke on that occasion resound once more today under the vault of the Sistine Chapel and touch our hearts and our minds. “We need you,” he said. “We need your collaboration in order to carry out our ministry, which consists, as you know, in preaching and rendering accessible and comprehensible to the minds and hearts of our people the things of the spirit, the invisible, the ineffable, the things of God himself. And in this activity … you are masters. It is your task, your mission, and your art consists in grasping treasures from the heavenly realm of the spirit and clothing them in words, colours, forms – making them accessible.”.....
.... Unfortunately, the present time is marked, not only by negative elements in the social and economic sphere, but also by a weakening of hope, by a certain lack of confidence in human relationships, which gives rise to increasing signs of resignation, aggression and despair. The world in which we live runs the risk of being altered beyond recognition because of unwise human actions which, instead of cultivating its beauty, unscrupulously exploit its resources for the advantage of a few and not infrequently disfigure the marvels of nature. What is capable of restoring enthusiasm and confidence, what can encourage the human spirit to rediscover its path, to raise its eyes to the horizon, to dream of a life worthy of its vocation – if not beauty? Dear friends, as artists you know well that the experience of beauty, beauty that is authentic, not merely transient or artificial, is by no means a supplementary or secondary factor in our search for meaning and happiness; the experience of beauty does not remove us from reality, on the contrary, it leads to a direct encounter with the daily reality of our lives, liberating it from darkness, transfiguring it, making it radiant and beautiful....
Read it all
Oh dear that Archie Bunker of a Pope we have talking about art in these hard economic times. I can quote many other. Such as from this year CONCERT IN HONOR OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI ON THE OCCASION OF THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH, HIS PATRON SAINT
But Jesus did not talk about music since he was healing lepers!!
I could on and on about their "culture war" charge. The fact is Catholics United main concern is not "art" but they just don't like the guy.
They could have saved us a lot of time if they just said that instead of giving us faux Theology on how Jesus (and by implication) Christians should not care about art but instead feed the poor.
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