CARDINAL TIMOTHY DOLAN’s appearance Friday at Fordham University with the comedian Stephen Colbert was one more public humiliation of the Church by the grovelingly buffoonish Archbishop of New York. You know it was bad when the New York Times describes the event as “the most successful Roman Catholic youth evangelization event since Pope John Paul II last appeared at World Youth Day.”

Colbert, who calls himself Catholic, said to the Cardinal at one point: “So many Christian leaders spread hatred, especially of homosexuals. How can you maintain your joy?”

According to the Times,“Cardinal Dolan responded with two meandering anecdotes — one about having met this week with Muslim leaders, and another about encountering demonstrators outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”

Laurie Goldstein reports, “Mr. Colbert’s response was quick and unequivocal. ‘If someone spreads hate,’ he said, ‘then they’re not your religious leader.'”

At the Remnant, Christopher A Ferrara has a blistering appraisal of the Cardinal’s invitation to Barack Obama to the Al Smith Dinner on Oct. 18. The invitation, he writes, “demonstrates the total surrender of the Catholic Church to the Zeitgeist and the powers that be in America.”

—— Comments ——

Brad C. writes:

No reference to Cardinal Dolan is complete without an accompanying photo of the “Cheesehead” vestments.

Vincent C. writes:

As I wrote earlier (August 21), when Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Archbishop/Cardinal of New York City, refused to disinvite the most viscerally anti-Catholic President of the United States in our history, he showed his theological bona fides. I expected further suprises, and have not been disappointed.

After being invited to the GOP Convention to give the final Invocation, Cardinal Dolan said that he would, but in the name of “fairness,” do the same, if invited, to the Democratic conclave, which again shows his unwillingness to draw distinctions between the two parties on the matter of Faith, something a thoughtful and Traditional priest would not do. In short, this cardinal “pol” didn’t want to offend anyone; no matter that the Democratic Party platform, and many of its putative Catholic officials openly oppose the teaching Magisterium of the Church. But there is another issue here: fifty years ago, would a high- ranking prelate of the Church have appeared in any medium just to curry favor with the people? I, for one, doubt it.

What both Colbert, who appears to be a practicing Catholic, and Cardinal Dolan are exemplifying in their comedy routine is their underlying belief that if the Church does not appeal to all, it will wither on the vine. I submit that what has happened to the Church (membership in Europe has declined…again) worldwide is precisely the results of such policies and practices; it has stopped being a supraspiritual institution in exchange for being “of this world.” But also very important in this outlook is that the Catholic prelate must, above all else, be loved. Yes, love conquers all; except, of course, it does not.

Since you linked to Chris Ferrara’s critical review of Cardinal Dolan’s refusal to disinvite President Obama to the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner, I should also point out that Ferrara has also written an insightful commentary on the late Pope John Paul II: he was loved, but he was not feared.

Cardinal Dolan’s effort at seeking a comedic routine at a (formerly) Jesuit institution to engage and influence students will, I suspect, bear little fruit. He may have amused them with quick comeback comments, along with Colbert, but few, if any, students that night left fearing for the state of their souls.

SJF writes:

SJF adds:

You wrote:

Colbert, who calls himself Catholic, said to the Cardinal at one point: “So many Christian leaders spread hatred, especially of homosexuals. How can you maintain your joy?”

According to the Times,“Cardinal Dolan responded with two meandering anecdotes — one about having met this week with Muslim leaders, and another about encountering demonstrators outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.”

Laurie Goldstein reports, “Mr. Colbert’s response was quick and unequivocal. ‘If someone spreads hate,’ he said, ‘then they’re not your religious leader.’”

This seems to be a theme in the postconciliar Church: lots of gaseous pontificating and hand-wringing, very little substantive response to legitimate questions or pointed criticisms. In fact, it is everywhere in the Church. I have yet to meet even a single seminarian or man with holy orders who speaks with clarity and forcefulness; always, uniformly, without fail, their thoughts are muddled, disoriented, and confusing to follow. It was the norm in my RCIA class last year, which people consistently left befuddled and unhappy, even when the speaker was a layperson from the diocesan chancery. In fact, they all speak the way postconciliar documents read; tortured, ugly, ambiguous, equivocating, managing to talk at length without actually saying anything worth remembering.

What is the source of this clerical dyslogia?

Laura writes:

This lack of clarity is the fruit of Vatican II and its ideas. It is not easy to articulate the articles of faith in a climate of ecumenism and a catastrophic watering-down of Catholic truths.

Fortunately, there are still men who speak with clarity and forcefulness. For two examples see the writings of Rev. James Jackson at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Littleton, Colorado [read the Sunday bulletin inserts on a wide range of subjects, including marriage, friendship sentimentality, popular culture and recommended reading] and Fr. Chad Ripperger of Sensus Traditionis. Also the Institute of Catholic Culture has some very good lectures which are free.

Please follow and like us: