Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Progressive Catholic Defends Rick Santorum ( Sort of ) - Opus Dei Oh My (Updated)

Update- Morning Minion Responds here. - Responding to Criticism - I should not like I did below that the point that Rick Santorum has a overly Protestant and not Catholic view of Bible and Tradition is still not shown by examples.

This post at VOX NOVA Santorum and Opus Dei is making the rounds.

While "Morning Minion" is quite damning of Rick Santorum elsewhere , I do thank him for trying to put this Opus Dei and Rick Santorum nonsense to rest. I grow tired of it too. As one person said in the comments:

Although the word can be used variously, I would not call Opus Dei traditionalist, as that term tends now to be used, somewhat vaguely, to cover those in the Church who find the expressions liturgical, theological, and otherwise of a more centennial or millennial nature to be better suited for the communication of the Gospel than those of more recent origin, and so understand even more recent things of the Church in light of these forms of older and longer-lasting vintage. Opus Dei, by contrast, is notably modern in its outlook, even if not especially liberal (as liberalism and modernity are not convertible), and is marked by the emphasis on the laity, especially the coming to sanctification in and through one’s place in the world (family, business, labor, etc.) by judicious use of the sacraments, devotions, spirituality, and for some, ascetical practices of the Church.
Even so, how tiresome for the most recent incarnation of la leyenda negra to rear its ugly head
!

Now I quibble with a good bit of the rest.

...Santorum, on the other hand, is a classic American right-wing liberal, picking and choosing his Church teachings, and with a spirituality that seems far more evangelical than Catholic. It is no accident that Santorum’s core support comes from right-wing evangelicals, not Catholics. Opus Dei has a vaguely “foreign” feel in the United States. Nobody could possibly say that about Santorum!...

I am not sure what a "spirituality that seems for more evangelical than Catholic " means.

I often think, though I don't think Morning Minion means it this way, that many take it as oh goodness he sweats the details on all this mumbo jumbo.

Regardless when Catholics start talking about things evangelical I generally find they are pretty ill informed ,and don't see the diversity even within more conservative camps. Ask them to name the top 5 Evangelical writers that are hot , and usually one gets a blank stare.

Morning goes on to a list of thinks that purports to show Rick is not really a person of the Catholic tradition. I am not going to get into that. I think for some listed there different valid viewpoints, and on others maybe places for Rick to have to room to grow.

It also fails to mention , as we all fail to mention as too our opponents, good things about Santorum. For instance Santorum's support of the Bush Administration foreign policy on HIV and AIDS in Africa could not be called pro death.

I guess what I am a tad more irked than most will be in this list of Rick Santorum supposed non Catholic attributes is this:

Santorum defines his theology as stemming from the bible (Protestant) as opposed to the single sacred deposit of the Word of God comprising sacred scripture and sacred tradition (Catholic).

I am not sure at all where that comes from. It does seem a pretty curious charge to just throw out there , and I never got the indication that Santorum is a BY SCRIPTURE ALONE CATHOLIC.

Though as one other Catholic noted as all Catholic believes ( or should) it is materially sufficient. Also as the Pope reminds ,and indeed the International Theological Commission just noted and we Promote Priority of Scripture in Theology.


For all the problems here I do appreciate some effort to suggest not to go off the rails on the Opus Dei stuff. It is as he puts it "silly talk".

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