Steve Bannon carries battles to another influential hub: The Vatican

[bardegaulois]

The New York Times today reports on what might be a growing alliance between Steve Bannon and Cardinal Burke. The usual weasel words and phrases are in evidence ("archconservative," " the website that is popular with the alt-right, a far-right movement that has attracted white supremacists"), but it's good to see some commentary like this in the closest thing the US has to a newspaper of record by someone other than Ross Douthat.

Has anyone any insights into this?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/world/europe/vatican-steve-bannon-pope-francis.html

[Amppax]

Just one: Steve Bannon is not our friend, contra Austin Ruse.

[Ash Wednesday]

Here's an article that gives a pretty good critique of what the Times has written. Cardinal Burke never struck me as being concerned of issues of the world and the Church in the same manner that Bannon is -- at least in a way that they would form some kind of "alliance". The author explains it better than I ever could.

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1202

[Amppax]

I was just coming to share the article Ash posted, and this one: https://ethikapolitika.org/2017/02/07/16420/

Note: I think, theologically, the author is all over the place. He doesn't really seem to have much of a grasp of the nature/grace debates, and he uses the phrase "reform of the reform" pretty bizarrely; it seems like he's referring to Kaspar, et. al. However, his analysis from the political side is, I think, of some value. 

Also, the contra Austin Ruse comment was in reference to this article. I'm very much troubled by the hero worship being accorded to Bannon/Trump by some Catholics. 

 

Edited February 8, 2017 by Amppax

[PhuturePriest]

3 hours ago, Amppax said:

I was just coming to share the article Ash posted, and this one: https://ethikapolitika.org/2017/02/07/16420/

Note: I think, theologically, the author is all over the place. He doesn't really seem to have much of a grasp of the nature/grace debates, and he uses the phrase "reform of the reform" pretty bizarrely; it seems like he's referring to Kaspar, et. al. However, his analysis from the political side is, I think, of some value. 

Also, the contra Austin Ruse comment was in reference to this article. I'm very much troubled by the hero worship being accorded to Bannon/Trump by some Catholics. 

 

Not to surprise you, but Ruse is buddies with our friends in Detroit.

[Nihil Obstat]

5 minutes ago, PhuturePriest said:

Not to surprise you, but Ruse is buddies with our friends in Detroit.

Henrik Zetterberg?

 

[Ash Wednesday]

I was thinking Yzerman.

 

P.S. NPR picked up on the New York Times story. *facepalm*

[Nihil Obstat]

3 minutes ago, Ash Wednesday said:

I was thinking Yzerman.

 

P.S. NPR picked up on the New York Times story. *facepalm*

Me too, but now he is in Tampa.

[Amppax]

23 hours ago, PhuturePriest said:

Not to surprise you, but Ruse is buddies with our friends in Detroit.

I AM SO SHOCKED. 

Also, check yo fb messages, your comment reminds me that I gotta talk to you aboot that. 

[Ice_nine]

anyone wanna give me the sparknotes version of this. Too lazy.

[Ash Wednesday]

11 hours ago, Ice_nine said:

anyone wanna give me the sparknotes version of this. Too lazy.

Bannon visited with Cardinal Burke in 2014 and the Times recently wrote an article that implies that the two are cut from the same cloth and have the same worldview objectives -- and somehow both could work together to form some kind of counterweight against the pope. 

They are making a pretty big deal out of their meeting, and Burke out to be far more of a political figure than he really is. Their meeting was long before Trump, Laeticia Amoris, or the Dubia even happened.

Maybe we can get our hands on Burke's calendar to see who else he has met with, and see what other news stories we can come up with! 

Quote

Has (Burke's) criticism of Pope Francis become more pronounced recently? Yes, certainly. But that criticism is centered on a matter of Catholic doctrine—the teachings on marriage and the Eucharist—rather than on the political issues that are Bannon’s primary interest. 

 

[Amppax]

Another good piece from Catholic Culture: http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1204

Quote

A bizarre conspiracy theory has arisen, suggesting that the mounting tensions within the Church are the result of a right-wing conspiracy against an innocent Pope. The theory involves inaccurate characterizations of three people: in one case absurd, in another case delusional, and in the third case vicious.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2017 by Amppax

[bardegaulois]

On 2/10/2017 at 6:51 AM, Ash Wednesday said:

Maybe we can get our hands on Burke's calendar to see who else he has met with, and see what other news stories we can come up with! 

 

It looks like The Guardian beat you to it: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/05/us-cardinal-raymond-burke-stokes-papal-tensions-by-meeting-nationalist-in-rome

And moreover, the other day MSNBC, with their typically ignorant commonplaces and truisms, decided they'd delve a little into (or fabricate further?) a conflict between Bannon and Pope Francis. That's bad enough; what makes it worse is that well-known Jesuit Fr James Martin is giving their speculations credence:  http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/steve-bannon-vs-the-pope-875631683817

An unrelated side-query: when I try to add a period to the sentences ending the links above, it makes the links unfollowable. Is there a way in which I can still post links like so and remain grammatically correct?

[Amppax]

And now, the article we all (okay, maybe just me) have been waiting for - Ross Douthat comments here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/opinion/the-trump-eras-catholic-mirror.html. Unfortunately, it seems that my other favorite commentator, Rod Dreher, hasn't touched the story yet, which seems strange. For know, we'll just have to make do with Douthat. 

[Ash Wednesday]

On 2/13/2017 at 8:07 PM, bardegaulois said:

I That's bad enough; what makes it worse is that well-known Jesuit Fr James Martin is giving their speculations credence:  http://www.msnbc.com/am-joy/watch/steve-bannon-vs-the-pope-875631683817

 

 

Quote

James J. Martin S.J., also called Jim Martin, is a Jesuit priest, a writer, and editor-at-large of the Jesuit magazine America.

Eaux Righty Then. 

Quote

Joy Reid and her panel discuss a shocking New York Times report alleging that Steve Bannon is aligned with a radical sect of Catholics opposed to the progressive stance of Pope Francis, which includes welcoming refugees and fighting climate change. 

 

Not sure I'll be able to watch the video. Maybe as a penance or with alcohol.