Popes Who Shook History

Professor Eamon Duffy, the Catholic historian who many know as the author of the brilliant study The Stripping of the Altars, is doing a series of talks for BBC Radio 4 called “Ten Popes Who Shook the World”.  He will be looking at Peter the Apostle, Leo the Great, Gregory the Great, Gregory VII, Innocent [...]

Read Full Post »

Technical question

Help! It seems that evil robots have taken over the archive to the old Pontifications blog. Does anyone know any way around this, or an alternative place where the old Pontifications may be archived? Thanks!

Read Full Post »

Baptism, Sacramental Economy, and St. Nicodemus

From an interesting post by Hieromonk Maximos over at the Anastasis Dialogue:
Why do some ultra-traditionalist Orthodox re-baptize Catholic converts to Orthodoxy? Because, in the name of Holy Tradition, they are heirs to the innovative notions of St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain in the 18th century … In trying to synthesize this exclusivist ecclesiology with [...]

Read Full Post »

Two from Mike

Dr. Liccione has posted two interesting articles recently:
Infallibility: An Infinite Regress? –
Just as one cannot be maintain the virtue of humility by reflecting on one’s humility, so one cannot maintain the virtue of faith by reflecting on the degree of certainty one’s faith enjoys. For the Catholic it suffices, and ought to suffice, simply to [...]

Read Full Post »

Report from Ravenna

Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church
Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority
Ravenna, 13 October 2007
Introduction
1. “That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us so that the world may believe that you have sent [...]

Read Full Post »

Russian prelate questions legitimacy of ecumenical dialogue

Vienna, Oct. 18, 2007 (CWNews.com) – A Russian Orthodox bishop said that talks between Catholic and Orthodox theologians cannot be productive if the Moscow patriarchate is not involved.
Bishop Hilarion of Vienna told the NG-Religii newspaper that the meeting of Catholic and Orthodox theologians in Ravenna, Italy last week could [...]

Read Full Post »

Ecumenism: Alive and Well

Dr. Liccione has some interesting thoughts on Roman ecumenism with the Traditional Anglican Communion on one hand, and the Orthodox Churches on the other.
My optimism about the Orthodox stems from the fact that they have held no council, of a kind even they would consider ecumenical, committing Orthodoxy dogmatically to rejecting the Roman communion as [...]

Read Full Post »

Primacy and Conciliarity (4)

Part I | Part II | Part III
Canon XXXIV of the Holy Apostles prescribes that the primate shall not “do anything without the advice and consent and approval of all.” But in the “Code of Canons” which John Paul II promulgated in 1990, we find the amazing claim that “Romanus Pontifex a nemine iudicatur” – [...]

Read Full Post »

Primacy and Conciliarity (3)

Part I | Part II
A perfect harmony between primacy and conciliarity may be an ideal that is unattainable in this world. But it remains true that each of these true attributes is essential for the Church. Even in our present condition, we must continue to strive to keep both of these attributes, primacy and conciliarity [...]

Read Full Post »

Statement From Catholic-Orthodox Panel

“They Commend Dialogue to the Prayers of the Faithful”
VATICAN CITY, OCT 15, 2007 (ZENIT.org).- Here is the text of a statement from the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between Catholics and Orthodox, released by the Vatican press office after the 10th plenary assembly meeting of the panel ended on Sunday. The meeting was held [...]

Read Full Post »