Monday, October 1, 2012

Thoughts On the New York Times " Roman Catholic " Women Priest Photo Gallery

Let us say you are a professor at  the Columbia University/ Journalism School . One day you are informed that you have been let go. However you keep telling everyone that you areare teacher and member still of one of the most prestigious Journalism schools in the country that being Columbia University .

Columbia I suspect would not be happy with that. Your response is that does that matter. To you Columbia University represent the  par excellence  and  ethos of journalism and they can't stop you from saying I am Columbia University Prof.

Most people would say that person would be nuts.

Which leads us today to some rather well done photographs by Judith Levitt that up at the New York Times of " ROMAN CATHOLIC " womanpriests.

As you can tell by her commentary not only does she use the word priests and bishops as she speaks to their ordination , but she in the bios she does call them Roman Catholic womanpriest. Now to be fair to Levitt she is consistent with adding womanpriest in most cases to the terms ROMAN CATHOLIC.. That is she does not just the word priest for the most part except for one area.See page 12.

However as to the womanpriest movement I really am amazed how words and realities do not matter. That the can be turned on their head.

There is actually a interesting history and debate among some if we should call ourselves Catholic or Roman Catholic. Regardless of past history where the term Roman Catholic was used as a sort of smear the fact is that Catholics took that term and decide to own it themselves. In fact this past history makes the use of the term Roman Catholic even more ironic. Roman Catholic at the very least denotes being in the communion with the Bishop of Rome. Therefore it does seem that the Bishop of Rome has some say in what qualifies in being in communion with him and his See. Just like Columbia University has a say.

These women are excommunicated and are no longer in communion with the See of Rome. To be quite honest since they are in such profound disagreement with the See of Rome on Doctrine I am not sure why they want to be in communion with him.

Regardless this playing with the use of words sole purpose is to to try to create an universe where another alternative reality of what ROMAN CATHOLIC or CATHOLIC means as to the usage that is being done here.

If these people wish to call themselves a Church that is fine. However they are not in communion with the Bishop of Rome. In fact they oppose him on quite a few matters.

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