The Huffington Post (I know, I know) dredges up this 2002 article by the gift-of-God-to-Obama better known as Santorum, and, yes, it’s worth reading, particularly this:
Like most American Catholics, I have followed the recent sex scandals in the Church with profound sympathy for victims, revulsion over priests who prey on minors and frustration at the absence of hierarchical leadership. Unlike most, I have been visited by the gift of hope; for I see in this fall an opportunity for ecclesial rebirth and a new evangelization of America. This “new evangelization,” advocated strenuously by Pope John Paul II, has the potential for restoring confidence in the priesthood while empowering all American Catholics…
It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning “private” moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm.
Nonsense, and disgusting nonsense at that.
And then there’s this:
Most importantly, I hope this crisis in the clergy will remind the laity of the call of Vatican II, a call the Pope has re-echoed throughout his incredible papacy. This is not just the hierarchy’s church; it belongs to all the baptized. Pope John Paul II reminds us time and again of Luke’s Gospel: “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” We are all called to be “fishers of men.” Both clergy and laity have mutually supportive and indispensable roles in the “new evangelization” through administration of the sacraments and proclamation of the Gospel and all Church teachings.
Even now we witness this “new evangelization” through many ecclesial lay movements such as Opus Dei, the Neocatechumenate, Focolare, Regnum Christi, Communion and Liberation.
I’ve never heard of most of these groups, but Opus Dei certainly rings a somewhat sinister bell.
And Santorum, it seems, is a fan.
Hey, at least he’s willing to use the term “moral relativism” in public, and knows what it means. If somebody asked Romney if he was a moral relativist, I’m not sure he would understand the question.
I wouldn’t be too hard on Santorum. He might very well be the GOP nominee. I found the entrance polls interesting:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/iowa-caucus-jan-3/entrance-polls
Romney is getting his support from the old “It’s his turn” and the rich “He’s one of us.” Santorum is getting his support from the middle aged, the middle class, Christians (of course), and conservatives. Paul is getting a lot of support from liberals and the young who like his antiwar, pro-drugs stance and have no clue just how libertarian he is on the proper role of government. He doesn’t even think sexual harassment should be illegal. They are free to quit, right?
Newt got a disappointing fourth. The onslaught of the elites brought him down. I think we may be missing a historic opportunity here. He has been the only major politician serious about holding down spending since Taft.
Perry got his support mostly from, well, dumb people. Bachmann hardly got any. Huntsman isn’t worth mentioning.
What now? If Santorum can organize quickly, it’s him vs. Romney. The fact that Romney got exactly 25% of the vote will hurt him. That number is widely perceived as his ceiling. He’ll do better in NH, but if he can’t get more in SC or FL, I don’t see him winning. If Santorum fades, I think Gingrich has the only chance left. Bachmann and Huntsman are done. And why vote for Perry when Santorum is pretty much the same except with 20 extra IQ points?
“I’ve never heard of most of these groups, but Opus Dei certainly rings a somewhat sinister bell.”
Good grief! Do you get all of your opinions from the movies?
The race only needs three candidates: Romney, Paul, and Gingrich-or-clone. That would cover the three Republican factions: state government, libertarians, and nutjobs.
Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the GOP does not nominate the latter for President.
Regnum Christi was a movement led by a very charismatic and influential pedophile:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcial_Maciel
I highly recommend Jason Berry’s book “Vows of Silence” which gets into a lot of the detail on this.
Divercity, did you look at the link I attached to that story from the Daily Mail? It’s hardly unique and it doesn’t owe anythig to the Dan Brown school of ‘history’.
Indeed I did. In fact, I read it when it was first posted here. The acolyte’s behavior nonetheless doesn’t strike me as particularly sinister. Irrational, sure. But not sinister. So, without more, I stand by my contention that calling Opus Dei sinister is to allow one’s conception of the organization to be colored by the Dan Brown school of history. 🙂