Habemus Papam!

AP photo of Pope BenedictPrior to becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Carninal Joseph Ratzinger said the following in a homily.

"Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and ‘swept along by every wind of teaching,’ looks like the only attitude acceptable to today’s standards."

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires."

Compare this to John Paul II’s 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor (101).

"In the political sphere, it must be noted that truthfulness in the relations between those governing and those governed, openness in public administration, impartiality in the service of the body politic, respect for the rights of political adversaries, safeguarding the rights of the accused against summary trials and convictions, the just and honest use of public funds, the rejection of equivocal or illicit means in order to gain, preserve or increase power at any cost – all these are principles which are primarily rooted in, and in fact derive their singular urgency from, the transcendent value of the person and the objective moral demands of the functioning of States. When these principles are not observed, the very basis of political coexistence is weakened and the life of society itself is gradually jeopardized, threatened and doomed to decay (cf. Ps 14:3-4; Rev 18:2-3, 9-24). Today, when many countries have seen the fall of ideologies which bound politics to a totalitarian conception of the world – Marxism being the foremost of these – there is no less grave a danger that the fundamental rights of the human person will be denied and that the religious yearnings which arise in the heart of every human being will be absorbed once again into politics. This is the risk of an alliance between democracy and ethical relativism, which would remove any sure moral reference point from political and social life, and on a deeper level make the acknowledgement of truth impossible. Indeed, ‘if there is no ultimate truth to guide and direct political activity, then ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. As history demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism’"

"Thus, in every sphere of personal, family, social and political life, morality – founded upon truth and open in truth to authentic freedom – renders a primordial, indispensable and immensely valuable service not only for the individual person and his growth in the good, but also for society and its genuine development."

As William Donahue said, "The Catholic League is delighted. Those who are not need to do some real soul searching.". Amen. Long live the pope!

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About Funky Dung

Who is Funky Dung? 29-year-old grad student in Intelligent Systems (A.I.) at the University of Pittsburgh. I consider myself to be politically moderate and independent and somewhere between a traditional and neo-traditional Catholic. I was raised Lutheran, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and joined the Catholic Church at the 2000 Easter Vigil. Why Funky Dung? I haven't been asked this question nearly as many times as you or I might expect. Funky Dung is a reference to an obscure Pink Floyd song. On the album Atom Heart Mother, there is a track called Atom Heart Mother Suite. It's broken up into movements, like a symphony, and one of the movements is called Funky Dung. I picked that nickname a long time ago (while I was still in high school I think), shortly after getting an internet connection for the first time. To me it means "cool/neat/groovy/spiffy stuff/crap/shiznit", as in "That's some cool stuff, dude!" Whence Ales Rarus? I used to enjoy making people guess what this means, but I've decided to relent and make it known to all. Ales Rarus is a Latin play on words. "Avis rarus" means "a rare bird" and carries similar meaning to "an odd fellow". "Ales" is another Latin word for bird that carries connotations of omens, signs of the times, and/or augery. If you want to get technical, both "avis" and "ales" are feminine (requiring "rara", but they can be made masculine in poetry (which tends to breaks lots of rules). I decided I'd rather have a masculine name in Latin. ;) Yeah, I'm a nerd. So what? :-P Wherefore blog? It is my intention to "teach in order to lead others to faith" by being always "on the lookout for occasions of announcing Christ by word, either to unbelievers . . . or to the faithful" through the "use of the communications media". I also act knowing that I "have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors [my] opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and [I] have a right to make [my] opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard to the integrity of faith and morals and reverence toward [my and their] pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons." (adapted from CCC 904-907) Statement of Faith I have been baptized and confirmed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I, therefore, renounce Satan; I renounce all his works; I renounce all his allurements. I hold and profess all that is contained in the Apostles' Creed, the Niceno- Constantinopolitan Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Having been buried with Christ unto death and raised up with him unto a new life, I promise to live no longer for myself or for that world which is the enemy of God but for him who died for me and rose again, serving God, my heavenly Father, faithfully and unto death in the holy Catholic Church. I am obedient to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. That is, I promote and defend authentic Catholic Teaching and Faith in union with Christ and His Church and in union with the Holy Father, the Bishop of Rome, the Successor of St. Peter. Thanks be unto Thee, O my God, for all Thy infinite goodness, and, especially, for the love Thou hast shown unto me at my Confirmation. I Give Thee thanks that Thou didst then send down Thy Holy Spirit unto my soul with all His gifts and graces. May He take full possession of me for ever. May His divine unction cause my face to shine. May His heavenly wisdom reign in my heart. May His understanding enlighten my darkness. May His counsel guide me. May His knowledge instruct me. May His piety make me fervent. May His divine fear keep me from all evil. Drive from my soul, O Lord, all that may defile it. Give me grace to be Thy faithful soldier, that having fought the good fight of faith, I may be brought to the crown of everlasting life, through the merits of Thy dearly beloved Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Behind the Curtain: an Interview With Funky Dung (Thursday, March 03, 2005) I try to avoid most memes that make their way 'round the blogosphere (We really do need a better name, don't we?), but some are worth participating in. Take for instance the "interview game" that's the talk o' the 'sphere. I think it's a great way to get to know the people in neighborhood. Who are the people in your neighborhood? In your neighborhod? In your neigh-bor-hoo-ood...*smack* Sorry, Sesame Street flashback. Anyhow, I saw Jeff "Curt Jester" Miller's answers and figured since he's a regular reader of mine he'd be a good interviewer. Without further ado, here are my answers to his questions. 1. Being that your pseudonym Funky Dung was chosen from a Pink Floyd track on Atom Heart Mother, what is you favorite Pink Floyd song and why? Wow. That's a tuffy. It's hard to pick out a single favorite. Pink Floyd isn't really a band known for singles. They mostly did album rock and my appreciation of them is mostly of a gestalt nature. If I had to pick one, though, it'd be "Comfortably Numb". I get chills up my spine every time I hear it and if it's been long enough since the last time, I get midty-eyed. I really don't know why. That's a rather unsatisfying answer for an interview, so here are the lyrics to a Rush song. It's not their best piece of music, but the lyrics describe me pretty well.

New World Man He's a rebel and a runner He's a signal turning green He's a restless young romantic Wants to run the big machine He's got a problem with his poisons But you know he'll find a cure He's cleaning up his systems To keep his nature pure Learning to match the beat of the old world man Learning to catch the heat of the third world man He's got to make his own mistakes And learn to mend the mess he makes He's old enough to know what's right But young enough not to choose it He's noble enough to win the world But weak enough to lose it --- He's a new world man... He's a radio receiver Tuned to factories and farms He's a writer and arranger And a young boy bearing arms He's got a problem with his power With weapons on patrol He's got to walk a fine line And keep his self-control Trying to save the day for the old world man Trying to pave the way for the third world man He's not concerned with yesterday He knows constant change is here today He's noble enough to know what's right But weak enough not to choose it He's wise enough to win the world But fool enough to lose it --- He's a new world man...
2. What do you consider your most important turning point from agnosticism to the Catholic Church. At some point in '99, I started attending RCIA at the Pittsburgh Oratory. I mostly went to ask a lot of obnoxious Protestant questions. Or at least that's what I told myself. I think deep down I wanted desperately to have faith again. At that point I think I'd decided that if any variety of Christianity had the Truth, the Catholic Church did. Protestantism's wholesale rejection of 1500 years of tradition didn't sit well with me, even as a former Lutheran. During class one week, Sister Bernadette Young (who runs the program) passed out thin booklet called "Handbook for Today's Catholic". One paragraph in that book spoke to me and I nearly cried as I read it.
"A person who is seeking deeper insight into reality may sometimes have doubts, even about God himself. Such doubts do not necessarily indicate lack of faith. They may be just the opposite - a sign of growing faith. Faith is alive and dynamic. It seeks, through grace, to penetrate into the very mystery of God. If a particular doctrine of faith no longer 'makes sense' to a person, the person should go right on seeking. To know what a doctrine says is one thing. To gain insight into its meaning through the gift of understanding is something else. When in doubt, 'Seek and you will find.' The person who seeks y reading, discussing, thinking, or praying eventually sees the light. The person who talks to God even when God is 'not there' is alive with faith."
At the end of class I told Sr. Bernadette that I wanted to enter the Church at the next Easter vigil. 3. If you were a tree what kind of, oh sorry about that .. what is the PODest thing you have ever done? I set up WikiIndex, a clearinghouse for reviews of theological books, good, bad, and ugly. It has a long way to go, but it'll be cool when it's finished. :) 4. What is your favorite quote from Venerable John Henry Newman? "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." 5. If you could ban one hymn from existence, what would it be? That's a tough one. As a member of the Society for a Moratorium on the Music of Marty Haugen and David Haas, there are obviously a lot of songs that grate on my nerves. If I had to pick one, though, I'd probably pick "Sing of the Lord's Goodness" by Ernie Sands.

8 thoughts on “Habemus Papam!

  1. Jerry Nora

    A good op-ed from the NY Times:
    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/20/opinion/20novak.html?ei=5090&en=94bf6b87f2fd8aac&ex=1271649600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&position=

    I’m glad that Benedict can take joy in seeing “C&E” come to church and wishes to always reach out and evangelize. I don’t want him to fudge on teaching in the name of getting more people to come, of course, but in the midst of maintaing orthodoxy, the Founder of our Church, Whose body we are now part of, was prophesied (Isaiah, methinks) that “the bent reed he will not break, the smoldering ember he will not crush”.

    Again, more evidence that Benedict is a far more dynamic, caring individual than we’ve been led to believe.

    Another good article with some insights into Benedict’s character, also via Drudge:

    http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/04/20/news/cardinals.html

  2. Tom Smith

    As Eric pointed out, the reason Ratzinger always looked like a hardliner was basically because his job was to tear heretics’ arguments apart. He did a fine job of it, too. John Paul II had a good public image because he basically leaned on the Holy Office and the other Curial congregations to do his dirty work, leaving himself above the trenches warfare.

    If anything, I’d say he’s done a great job of *not* being swayed by his surroundings; it’d be ridiculously easy for him to go out and say things that aren’t controversial.

  3. Kevin

    I have a great deal of hope for Pope Benedict XVI. I must admit I was suprised by the selection, espiecally considering his age I figured the Cardinals would want him to stay on CDF. But I have to tell you, the more I read about him, from CNN, Fox News, and the New York Times article that Jerry linked, the more I frankly really like the selection. He seems cut from the same cloth as John Paul II, and helped to craft much John Paul’s policies.

    I guess the biggest question mark about him is his ability to transfrom from a more behind the scenes man into the frontman of the church. Frankly, he must feel like Truman must have felt after FDR died. John Paul’s shoes are huge ones to fill, he was possibly one the greatest Popes the church as scene. As to how good a Pope Benedict XVI, only time will tell that one. As for now, I am extremely hopeful

  4. Sean

    I liked the way John Pall II stated his piece, I don’t agree with all of it but it makes me think and helps me understand where he is coming from, his compassion shines through. Whereas honestly Benedict XVI’s quote rubs me the wrong way to put it mildly. I’m being polite since I know you are celebrating, but if he had been elected Pope while I was still Catholic, I donÂ’t know how I would have reacted.

  5. alektra

    I think that there is a huge difference in a man who seems to be led by God inwardly (Pope John Paul II) and a man who seems to be swayed by his surroundings (Cardinal Ratzinger, since Pope Benedict XVI hasn’t had time to do much yet as Pope).

    Given the history of the two popes, I am praying that this Pope has a great deal of divine inspiration.

  6. Tom Smith

    I was overjoyed at the election of a new Supreme Pontiff. (Media people who might be reading this: simply calling the Pope *the pontiff* is too vague. The word pontiff comes from Latin, and just means *bishop*. One of the Holy Father’s titles is *Pontifex Maximus*.) It really didn’t matter who was elected, as I would’ve been happy to be out of the sede vacante, but finding out that it was the Ratzinator was the icing on the cake.

  7. Funky Dung

    Sean, I’d also point out that the bit I quoted from Ratzinger was from homily that was not published in full (to my knowledge). Homilies are by necessity much shorter and less fleshed out that encyclicals and this one was scavanged by the media for sound bites.

    Alektra, how is Ratzinger swayed by his surroundings any more than Wojtyla was? He strikes me as a man very much driven by inner convictions. It’s also worth noting that John Paul II trusted and respected him as a friend, a priest, and as head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Speaking of which, it was Ratzinger’s job as head of CDF to be JPII’s enforcer of orthodoxy in the Church. JPII had his wishes carried out while remaining a likeable guy. Now Benedcit XVI will have the same opportunity to give the role of enforcer to someone else. Anyhow, before you judge Benedict too harshly, remember that the things he did in the CDF were initiated, guided, and approved by John Paul.

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