Christian Bale Civic Hero

Recently, Christian Bale tried to visit the home and pro-life activist, Chen Guangcheng. Chen has been jailed for his efforts to document forced abortions of women in China. He was released, however he is under house arrest. Some reports state some of the charges may be trumped up.


Christian was roughed up by Chinese security guards who hold Chen under lockdown. Christian was inspired by Chen, and wanted to "shake his hand." Christian could not understand why the Chinese security guards would prevent him from seeing Chen, however, it is clear from China's human rights abuses why they would not allow such a thing.


This should be no surprise to anyone who follows China, that they have little respect for the human person. They have their own version of Gulags, and frequently lock up "dissidents" like Catholic bishops.


His Visit Will Not Go Unheard
Frequently the person under house arrest will hear of the attempted visit, and will take heart from it. Isolation is a big problem for the persecuted.  To think that no one knows your plight can cause depression.  This was the case with Nelson Mandela, who was allowed visitors only once every six months (Nelson Mandela, Memoirs).


For trying to visit a pro-life activist, Christian Bale showed civic heroism, though he has denied this. China is not your friendly neighborhood. It is far from it. So despite his protests, he demonstrated civic virtue in his visit, even if he may have been a bit impatient at times...but so have many.

Latin Mass Onliers

A schismatic tendency in Latin Mass Onliers has been a denigration of the Vernacular Mass. They present this argument as if it is objectively true that the Latin Mass is superior to the Novus Ordo. They get snarky, as one canon lawyer contemplated about himself, about the Latin Mass, as if it is obviously better.

This is fundamental disobedience. As the canon lawyer in this link, stated, as quoted by Fr. Z., the bishop can issue a decree forbidding the Latin Mass. However, even though he has recourse to the Congregation for Divine Worship, he has to stop the Mass (my comment). If he wins his recourse, he can continue it. This shows the Latin Mass is not objectively superior, since they Church would never stop such a good.

Moral Law
Unlike Canon Law, which in most part can be changed, Moral Law cannot. We are always obligated to follow the Moral Law (including the Ten Commandments) even should our death be the result. If this were true about the Latin Mass, we would be obliged to always attend it regardless of the circumstances or a bishops' decree.

As attributed, this Canonist says:

Perhaps at 3:00 p.m. [sic] in the afternoon, in a sidel chapel, after the heat in the church ahs been turned off, and while a janitor is cleaning the rest of the church with a loud buffer. (a bit too snarky?) [sic]

Yes, very snarky. Yet, a Bishop's Conference is obliged to consider:

The pastoral care of the faithful requires from every bishops' conference that their physical health is also taken into account (Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care Migrants and Intinerant Peoples).

The canonist above would not care for their physical health. What about the elderly? So Fr. Z. and the canonist would have the elderly suffering during Mass, possibly get pneumonia, since they want to attend the  Mass in English. This, of course would be a violation of papal teaching against the fourth commandment (i.e. doing harm).

Extremism
Of course, these are extreme examples of disobedience of Vatican Norms. However, they are very present, and people are being unduly influenced by them.

If this is the disobedience that the Latin Mass brings about in people, perhaps we should be done with it [ficetiously said]. We should abandon the Latin Mass because it causes disobedience [more facetiousness].

Or perhaps, we should respect the laity's desire to hear the Mass in their own language. Jesus did with his first Mass.

The Case of Schismatic Apologists

In case you did not know, several apologists seem to have stepped on the line of schism over the years. Some seemed to have stepped over. Gerry Matatics (see below) comes to mind, a fervent Catholic apologist who defended the faith, yet fell into schismatic traditionalism.

Schismatic Apologists Online
There are several schismatics (calling themselves Catholics) who perform apologetics online. This blog is not intended to be a laundry list of them, but to generally examine a couple of their positions.

Dimond Brothers
Michael and Peter Dimond have taken to debating with the Vatican, taking to attacking Vatican II, Current and past Post-Vatican II popes and other unpopular positions (to Sedes) such as the Novus Ordo (Post-Vatican II Mass).

Robert Sungenis
Currently Robert disagrees with the beatification of Pope John Paul II. He points to errors of judgement in his pontificate, saying they had to separate his pontificate from his cause for the first time in history.

Gerry Matatics
Gerry Matatics states that he believes in no salvation outside the Church. A strict position of "No Salvation Outside the Church" has been condemned by the Holy Office in condeming Fr. Feeney, who said Catholics cannot be saved:

“These things are clearly taught [in the Encyclical on the Mystical Body], in it the Supreme Pontiff clearly distinguishes between those who actually are incorporated into the Church as members, and those who adhere to the Church only by way of votum (will)...” (The Holy Office).

Sede Vacantism
I have address the Issue of Sede Vacantism in another blog. I will not get into it here.

I know Better
Sola Scriptura (using Scripture alone to interpret) and Sola Traditio (interpreting Tradition by personal judgement) cause these errors. In reading pontifical and papal-approved conciliar documents, we are not privately interpret them. We are rather to refer to other papal documents in interpreting such documents. This is because we individually have not been given infallibility, but it has been given to the pope, the bishops in union with the pope, or the Catholic Faithful as a whole.

No one knows better. Even the pope in his personal judgement does not know better. Rather, in view of his office as the successor of Peter, do we have a reliable interpretation.