Note: For those who are wondering, "Highlight" is where I feature another conservative/Pro-EF Catholic blogger's work and link to it, highlighting them as well as the issue at hand they are blogging about. If it wasn't important or what they wrote wasn't it important, why highlight it?
Hello Everyone,
Well, I'm late once again to the game, but hey, I finally got two days off between shifts and now had the time to really surf through the Catholic blogosphere. Unfortunately, I went down another rabbit hole again into dark trady-ville ... thankfully coming out unscathed, but I feel that it's important to bring this to light.
The "rabbit hole's" entry came in thanks to the blogging of Catholic Apologist (who has been associated in past with Catholic Answers or had his works featured in their online store)
Dave Armstrong. David is a blogger I follow, as in past I've read his articles for the purpose of archiving for apologetics, but also because recently, he too, has become fed up with the radical traditionalist wing of Catholicism. Today, he featured a post on a truly sad vein of poison that permeates the Rad Trads and misrepresents Traditional Catholicism and the EF Mass: Anti-Semitism.
For those who follow the SSPX-Vatican conflict/negotiations/whatever the state of things is at this point, this is no new thing. Ex-"bishop", Williamson, was expelled from the SSPX for his holocaust denial and
gross under-exaggeration of the amount of Jews killed in gas chambers. However, it didn't last long as Fellay, the head of the Society, came to my neck of the woods and unleashed an anti-Semetic comment in his "New Hamburg" speech at the end of December 2012, showing it was still prominent in the SSPX despite kicking Williamson. You could say that it's always lingered, but only dealt with recently (to save face for the SSPX) because it went public.
For those who don't get the connection between Anti-Semitis and Rad Trads,
David's post here highlights this pertinent problem that does considerable damage to the EF communities, as it makes us all look like Jew-hating hypocrites of our faith. This post also ties to a prominent post on the SSPX featuring, often dark ultra-right wing blog known as Rorate Caeli, whom I won't link to here. The post was a report, from an ally in Argentina about Pope Francis and his approach to the Latin Mass. Overall: The Latin Mass is not big in Argentina, or the Pope's formal diocese, Buenos Aires, and was mis-labeled (or bungled up depending on your take) by the church/priest assigned to do it, which was really a Latin Novus Ordo.
The Caeli post came from a Marcelo González. While it's great to have coverage from the ground, David reveals the reporter's extreme bias in his posting as well as his, at least,
allowance of Anti-Semitic sentiments and comments,
and most, support or blatant acceptance of Anti-Semitism, thereby discrediting him as a reliable source for reporting on Traditional Catholic Issues. Furthermore, David accounts other bloggers who have come to defend both true Glad Trads as well as the Holy Father on the internet, and combat this vitriol from that fringe with its powerful online presence, such as
Dawn Even,
Mark Shea, (also
here) and
Dr. Taylor Marshall (A great EF supporter and excellent find for me! He's on my feed now.). Connecting to my title, Dawn Eden's post is important, especially as 1) She reveals Gonzalez's bias as a Rad Trad AND also Anti-Semitic and 2) She is HIGHLY qualified by her education, and more importantly, as a
Jewish convert to Catholicism who attends FREQUENTLY (not occasionally as lied to us, by Gonzalez) THE EF MASS. In addition, after posting of said article, the comment boxes became filled with hatred, the very thing that all these commentators are striking out against, which only supports what these bloggers and myself are working so hard to fight against. Finally, David also posts how Rorate Caeli has responded to the whole fiasco, and it has been as constantly termed in David's coverage, a "non-apology apology".
I say once again, read the coverage here of
David's article, and the links within it. Let this serve as a highly important lesson in journalism, extreme Rad-Tradism, and
this, which I here as S.U.D. had already incorporated as part of my goals, and agree with Dave Armstrong
:
"It's high time for mainstream "traditionalists" (if they are to gain the respect they so (almost desperately) desire, to speak out loud and clear and often about this horrendous garbage that keeps appearing in its fringes.
If they don't do their own housecleaning, then we regular old [orthodox, magisterial] "Catholics" (cynically known by many other names in "trad" and radtrad circles) -- who actually have a great degree of sympathy for many aspects of mainstream "traditionalism" (wide access to the Tridentine Mass, high concern for orthodoxy, traditional morality, liturgical propriety, and reverence, detestation of liturgical abuses, etc.) will have to do it for them."
That's what we must do. We must do it by Two main means:
1)
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: We "traditionalists" (NOT RAD TRADS) must do it by participating in the life of both the Ordinary Form AND the Extraordinary Form rites, be they regular parishes, our dioceses (including working with officials), Catholic organizations
in theological and practical orthodoxy with the Catholic Church and its teachings, etc. If that means dividing our time between the two rites, so be it. Our contributions must not only be joyous and positive, they must have impact. Don`t like the catechesis being given? Go out, get the credentials (e.g. diocesan programs and certificates or if you are a professional teacher ...), and become the parish catechists. Don't like the music at mass, get a group of you Chant/Classic/Baroque-loving friends and start your own choir or get into an existing choir, and start performing special events for the parish. They might like you enough to want you in Masses! Liturgical or pastoral deficiencies? Stop being a whiner and get on the Liturgical/Pastoral councils! Further, and most importantly (
but not alone), show your parishes and diocesan organizations that being a trad is fun, charitable, and positive to the life of the Church. I believe that there was this thing called "servant leadership" which floored the disciples on Holy Thursday with the washing of their own feet?
And hey, I do realize that some people's strengths are more on the knowledge side of the faith than the practical doing side, especially among Traditional Catholics. So concentrate on your strengths, but throw in a practical thing to balance you out. Do give your gifts and talents to the area you are skilled at.
2)
KICK THE MONEYCHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE: No, I am not advocating a full blown Cristeros war with guns and a war general. What I mean is like these Catholic Bloggers mentioned above, we `Glad trads` and/or solid, "Orthodox" Catholics, should be adamant in our pursuit of proper justice for the EF communities, and what will help is by denouncing those actions that are of great spiritual harm or misrepresentation of who Traditional Catholics are. David, Dawn, Mark (with his trademark snarkiness), and Dr. Marshall, have given us examples of calling out of such volatile members of the RadTrad community who have misrepresented Tradtitional Catholicism/The EF. Likewise we should be making every effort possible
online AND in person to do so as well, so that the rest of the Church, especially the hierarchy, can see that administering to our needs is a true, positive, and charitable pastoral concern of each diocese, and should be given its due attention. We must make the Traditional/EF community a "Glad Trad/RadTrad-free" zone.
It will only be that much harder, despite Summorum Pontificum and Ecclesiae Unitatem, to convince prelates to allow
full-blown parishes to operate focused on Traditional Catholicism, or to support clergy/organizations administering the EF, when its "champions" or "big-name" bloggers are proponents or spoil sports for the rest of us, and this even includes those who are doing "doublespeak" as famously coined by the George Orwell novel, 1984 (You MUST read this book!).
"This guy is a typical radtrad: he talks out of both sides of his mouth. It's sort of "Clinton-speak" or Orwellian doublespeak: the ability to say contradictory things simultaneously, so that if ever called on the bad stuff, one can say, "oh but you're wrong, cuz over here I said x . . . "
Unfortunately, Pope Francis, does not seem to concerned with the EF and grand liturgy like Benedict XVI was currently, so more lukewarm/liberal minded clergy have an easy way out by saying "well Francis doesn't care, so why should we?" Benedict's abdication of the See of Peter meant losing an additional layer of support for the EF, because it was then easy to say :"Look what Pope Benedict is doing! And See, he released SP for the EF Mass." This is why
we absolutely must fight against detractors, slanderers, and two-faced RadTrads who make the rest of us look like Pharisees.
As a final note, generally, my generation and the millenials below me have been lost to "teh Interwebz." That's where they are spending much time today, among the Twitter(TM)-verse, Facebook(TM), Instagram (TM. for pictures), YouTube(TM), blogs, etc. If you want to reach the youth of my and the generation below me, you must get them where they are online. Unfortunately, if those of us who promote the EF, do so in a negative or uncharitable way as RadTrads, one of two things will happen:
1) They will abhor religion in general, their Catholic Faith, or at the least the EF and believe the lies that liberals have taught them, including their parents/grandparents with regard to the EF. They will see the RadTrad example and hate it. Not to mention that proponents of other faiths, and even agnosticism/atheism, or just plain hate of religious organizations are all vying for your youths' attentions.
2) They will become the new generation of RadTrads and spread the hate and the Anti-Semitism, or like some of my fallen-away friends, will become part of RadTrad societies, who can be cut off from the life of the Church, canonically and/or schismatically, without the graces and blessings of TRUE, VALID AND LICIT SACRAMENTS.
Do you seriously want our youth to drift away from the faith in an already turmoil-filled society, or to practice radical religious extremism contrary to the Spirit, Life, and even Docrtrine/Canon Laws of the Church, or to become haters of the EF? NO!
In summary, Mark Shea describes the behaviour of these radicals and their allies as,
" ... in the most exact sense of the word, scandalous. It brings the faith into disrepute, it causes honest and good people to stumble when they might enter in, it harms innocents like Dawn, and, worst of all, it even tempts new Catholics who think they are embracing “hard truths” but are, in fact, embracing ancient evil to become twice the sons of hell that the Trad anti-semite is. It is pure filth and every Catholic, but most especially every lover of the EF, should smash it flat ...."
Therefore everyone of the EF, readers of my blog, and even those who are pondering the EF or don't know two sides from what comes, please give Dave's article and the links here and within a thorough read. We must change the direction that things are going in the EF online and in person, should we ever want to see the full effects of the New Evangelization come to true effect.
Pax Tibi Christi, Julian Barkin.
P.S. I have found through other com-boxes and other postings on other blogs online, that Rorate Caeli and others, have been personally messaging people to redact their statements or make modifications on things they post about them. Let this be a message to them that regardless of how charitable the message is,
I will not by any means change this posting on any request you make. Your message/e-mail will be archived for my purposes, your comments not posted, and anything in future will not be posted. Based on what I have seen, it is "saving face" or trying to keep your "reputation" intact, which I will not be a part of. I would rather the truth of your stance be known and I will not cover up the truths revealed by these other bloggers, nor compromise myself at your request. In addition should you use other bloggers or allies to do your business on your behalf, I will ban them from posting too, keep their communications, and if necessary, seek legal/police counsel on the matter. The same treatment will apply to non-associated "heroes" or "allies" of yours who abuse my email or comment here. Go do your business in your own backyard.
P.P.S. I would like to link to this account of one woman who is now ex-SSPX. She was even part of their convent in Vichy, France. This post was quite interesting and ties into the title of this one:
http://pjmedia.com/blog/toxic-activism-is-politics-your-drug-of-choice/?singlepage=true
Update April 13, 2013
1) On Dave Armstrong's post that is the focus of this article, he had revealed that it seems Rorate Caeli, from main moderator/author, New Catholic, still displays a reluctance to retract their support for the author. They pin down the criticisms of Rorate Caeli`s RadTrad stances, on Vatican II types wanting to sell books (cough, Dave and Mark Shea, cough cough).
2) I just found this in my blogger feed as of checking it 7:17pm today:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/04/comments-registered.html. They are now moving to a registered comments policy, that is now only if you have an associated Blogger, Disque, etc. profile you can comment on Rorate. they state:
``
The main reason for this is that, because of the huge number of comments we had been receiving lately (hundreds daily), the moderators had not been able to exercise reasonable and timely control, and many unworthy comments ended up being approved, and good comments ended up being deleted by accident. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will see how this works in the next few days.``
Look, I have moderator control on my blog but at least I`ve had that from the beginning of S.U.D, knowing that there are internet/RadTrad trolls out there so I want to make sure that appropriate comments are displayed, and the trash is thrown out. However, seeing as they've done it recently and the boldfaced portion of the post above, my two questions: 1) You don't do this suddenly unless you are being trolled or want to tighten your control on your blog, and 2) Which comments were "unworthy" and which ones were "good comments ... deleted by accident?" Sorry but I can't see this recent move without explanation/apology, being devoid of specific motivations.
