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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…
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Pope Pius XI gave a defense of the traditional understanding of the sin of Onan through St. Augustine, a source he cites approvingly: 53. And now, Venerable Brethren, we shall explain in detail the evils opposed to each of the benefits of matrimony. First consideration is due to the offspring, which many have the boldness to call the disagreeable burden of matrimony and which they say is to be carefully avoided by married people not through virtuous continence (which Christian law permits in matrimony when both parties consent) but by frustrating the marriage act. Some justify this criminal abuse on…
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Rev. Thomas J. Herron made a persuasive case for dating the 1st Epistle of Clement to before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD.[1] The importance of this finding stresses an extremely early exposition of the authority of Rome. If the chronology is correct, Clement would have written his epistle before being made Bishop of Rome, adding an even greater understanding of early Christians who knew the apostles that the Roman church played a significant role in ecclesial affairs. Philip Schaff, the Protestant historian, writes: The first example of the exercise of a sort of papal authority is…
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Catholic Encyclopedia (1909) That, in the early Church, the faithful stood when receiving into their hands the consecrated particle can hardly be questioned…. The custom of placing the Sacred Particle in the mouth, rather than in the hand of the communicant, dates in Rome from the sixth, and in Gaul from the ninth century.[1] Eusebius (260-339) For I should not dare to renew from the beginning one who had heard the giving of thanks and joined in repeating the Amen; who had stood by the table and had stretched forth his hands to receive the blessed food; and who had…
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The filioque is a dogma of the Catholic Church. Filioque literally means “and the Son,” and refers to the Catholic statement: The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. A related term is per filium, which means “through the Son,” as in “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son.” The Catholic position is that filioque and per filium are the same truths, but the different wording places different emphasis on the relation of the Father and the Son in regards to the Holy Spirit’s procession. The filioque emphasizes the Son’s role with the Father in…
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Below is the FBI file on mobster Hyman Larner received from an FOIA request.
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JFK wrote a letter to his father in 1939 after a visit to Palestine.[1] He gives an outline of the historical situation and his experience there: 1939 Dear Dad: I thought I would write you my impressions on Palestine while they were still fresh in my mind, though you undoubtedly, if I know the Jews, know the “whole” story. It is worth while looking at it in its entirety. In discussing Palestinian questions one naturally goes back to before the war. Palestine was at that time under Turkey, inhabited by Moslem Arabs with a scattering of Christians. There were also…
Eclectic Anecdotes
Writings of all that is interesting