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Cardinal John Henry Newman articulated his understanding of the case of Pope Honorius in his typically erudite manner. He wrote: I will not pass from this question of History without a word about Pope Honorius, whose condemnation by anathema in the Sixth Ecumenical Council, is certainly a strong primâ facie argument against the Pope’s doctrinal infallibility. His case is this: — Sergius, Patriarch of Constantinople, favoured, or rather did not condemn, a doctrine concerning our Lord’s Person which afterwards the Sixth Council pronounced to be heresy. He consulted Pope Honorius upon the subject, who in two formal letters declared his…
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Eastern Orthodox scholar Marcus Plested has done much work in correcting historical errors that have been a cause of dispute between Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Surprisingly, he has noted that there was a positive reception and influence of Augustine in the work of Gregory Palamas. He writes: Reinhard Flogaus and John Demetracopoulos have separately put together a persuasive case that Palamas made frequent use of Augustine, drawing directly and at time verbally on the translation of De Trinitate made by Maximos Planoudes in the late 13th century. Gregory’s encounter with Augustine is especially evident in Chapters 34-37 and 125-135 of the One Hundred…
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Cardinal Sarah is an extremely well-read and insightful prelate, who has displayed his brilliance in books like The Power of Silence and God or Nothing. He was born in northern Guinea, which as of 2020 has an average IQ of 67.[1] Yet, he is a man who speaks three languages fluently, has degrees in theology and Sacred Scripture, and has distinguished himself by his orthodoxy. He began seminary training at the age of 12 and has continued to avidly learn since then. It is evident that Catholic education is a powerful tool for developing the mind into an industrious intellect…
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Basil “But the divine nature is too exalted to be perceived as objects of enquiry are perceived, and about things which are beyond our knowledge we reason on probable evidence. We are therefore of necessity guided in the investigation of the divine nature by its operations.” “The operations are various, and the essence simple, but we say that we know our God from His operations, but do not undertake to approach near to His essence. His operations come down to us, but His essence remains beyond our reach.” “And His operations, what are they? For majesty ineffable, and for numbers…
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Dietrich von Hildebrand, the great Catholic philosopher and theologian, was one of the earliest and most vocal defenders of Pope St. Paul VI’s encyclical Humane Vitae. Hildebrand provides a coherent defense of natural family planning and condemnation of contraception in his book, The Encyclical Humanae Vitae: A Sign of Contradiction: An Essay on Birth Control and Catholic Conscience. Below is the relevant chapter from the book in which he distinguishes these practices: 15. Why artificial birth control is sinful but the rhythm method is not The distinctions we have made above between the two concepts of nature shed new light…
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In his extensively documented book, The Jewish Century, New Edition, Yuri Slezkine lists in great detail the disproportionate success of Jews in nineteenth-century Russia in the economic sphere. Whether it be banking, financing, railroads, or the oil industry, Jews were able to excel in these business areas, even while being treated as strangers to the Russian populace. As for how they were able to do so, Slezkine writes: Jewish enterprises tended to find more uses for by-products, produce a greater assortment of goods, and reach wider markets at lower prices than their competitors. Building on previous experience and superior training,…
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As proof of the ambiguity of the conciliar documents, Romano Amerio in Iota Unum cites Edward Schillebeeckx, who is quoted as saying: “We will express it in a diplomatic way, but after the council we will draw out the implicit conclusions.”[1] Supposedly this quote proves, that since Schillebeeckx was involved in the drafting of the documents, the documents were purposely written so as to allow competing interpretations. What Amerio doesn’t mention is that this quote isn’t Schillebeeckx opinion. Instead, Schillebeeckx is citing a theologian who he disagrees with. The quote in context reads: Read and study the third chapter of…
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Propaganda efforts have been made to condemn the Vatican in relation to the crimes of the Ustashe, going so far as to claim the Vatican was complicit in these crimes against humanity. Professor Ronald Rychlak’s research set the record straight: Croatia came into being during the war. On March 25, 1941, Italy, Germany, and Yugoslavia signed an agreement bringing Yugoslavia into the Axis. Two days later, a group of Serbian nationalists seized control of Belgrade and announced that they were siding with the Allies. As a result, Hitler invaded Yugoslavia. Croat Fascists then declared an independent Croatia. The new Croat…
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Clement of Alexandria “Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted. To have coitus other than to procreate children is to do injury to nature.”[1] Hippolytus “On account of their prominent ancestry and great property, the so-called faithful want no more children from slaves or lowborn commoners, they use drugs or sterility or bind themselves tightly in order to expel a fetus which has already been engendered.” Epiphanius “They (certain Egyptian heretics) exercise genital acts, yet prevent the…
Eclectic Anecdotes
Writings of all that is interesting