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Mariolina von Melon's avatar

I think the greater population forgets the Pope is just a man. (Hopefully) more credentialed than the rest of us but still susceptible to errors and sin. I will always have great love and reverence for the papacy, but I definitely feel the need to discern truth in every written and oral declaration made against the resources I trust.

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Greg Cook's avatar

The hyperpapalism you decry reminds me (on a different order of magnitude, but still similar) of the Muslim belief in Allah. He can do anything at all to the extent that the action could be contradictory or nonsensical, but if he wills it, it is so. It's not to say that the true God is always understandable (just ask Job), but He doesn't contradict Himself. It'd also telling that, to my knowledge, there's no mention of Allah loving people/creation. And wouldn't a pope who acted in a hyperpapal manner also be unloving?

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Peter Kwasniewski's avatar

Yes! The Regensburg Address notes the difference between voluntarism and belief in the Logos, in the God who is supreme truth and always acts consistently with that truth, for the good of His creatures.

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Isaac J.C. Arelllano's avatar

This is a pathos argumentation that I tend to use when dealing with orthodox friends who seek to convert me. How can I possibly leave my heritage? How can I be someone I’m not? I am so western to core I can never be eastern. Most of my orthodox friends are born in the US with no trace of eastern ancestry. They were either raised Catholic or Protestant and eventually gave up on the West for a Utopia belief of Eastern Orthodoxy.

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David McPike's avatar

Vintage stuff here, Peter. Thank you. And I loved the Thomas Pink article you linked. You are wont to disparage 'neo-Scholasticism,' but to my mind Pink is a neo-Scholastic and his depth, clarity, and precision is just the kind of medicine the Church needs.

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Peter Kwasniewski's avatar

Thank you. I agree that Thomas Pink is a treasure. But note that while he enjoys knowledge of all the sources, he writes fluently in prose and not in the "more geometrico" manner of the manuals.

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David McPike's avatar

I wonder whom (a work) you would take as a paradigm example of this vicious manner? I would say 'more geometrico' is obviously a matter of degree and certainly can't be meant or attributed (with any honesty) literally. And so I would say that Pink does argue relatively 'more geometrico.' He carefully weighs and measures both sides of the question and delivers a clear verdict in his response to it.

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EtVerbumCaroFactumEst's avatar

Such a timely article, especially considering the tragic cancellation of the TLM in the Diocese of Knoxville (neighboring Charlotte) that was just announced.

Dr. K, it would be great if you could do a line-by-line response to the "humiliating" homily given to TLM attendees there over the weekend. Unfortunately, it seems even celebrants of the TLM are not immune to this hyperpapalist attitude.

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2025/10/traditional-latin-mass-annihilated-in.html

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Peter Kwasniewski's avatar

Yes, that was a very humiliating and ill-informed homily.

I have refuted all those things so many times, I'm not sure I could stomach doing it again.

People who want a refutation of his false notion of obedience should read my short book "True Obedience in the Church," which happens to be on sale at Sophia now for $5 (usually $14.95):

https://sophiainstitute.com/product/true-obedience-in-the-church/

His claim about Christ the King misunderstands the problem with the change in feast from Pius XI to Paul VI:

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/10/should-feast-of-christ-king-be.html

The claim that splashing in some Latin and chant to the Novus Ordo will somehow overcome its inherent limitations has been refuted here:

https://onepeterfive.com/latin-novus-ordo-not-solution/

and

https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2019/11/on-fiftieth-anniversary-of-novus-ordo.html

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John Seiler's avatar

Also, the Eastern Orthodox, although against abortion, accept two divorces and contraception.

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Al Fieds's avatar

I would hope so

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Scott Styles's avatar

I am a Pelican subscriber based in U.K. I am not happy: 1. It is impossible to download the app in U.K. from Apple Store. 2. One can find the website which is full of sales pitches and ways to buy a subscription but no link for existing subscribers. 3. I cannot access the materials.

PLEASE FIX! I feel I have been conned out of my money which of course is not the case! Not everyone lives in the US of A!

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Peter Kwasniewski's avatar

Scott, I'm sorry this has been frustrating for you. The team is working out various kinks that are bound to arise in a new project of this magnitude. They are working especially on the European access, which is harder and slower to get than American.

As I mentioned in a couple of posts, I will be sending you an email with a link for existing subscribers so that they can get their subscription transitioned and certainly not with any loss of money.

Also, EVERYTHING will continue to be published here until December 1, so you won't lose access to any of my content.

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Scott Styles's avatar

I have already lodged my complaint with your feedback team and been ignored. I know the devil is in the tech detail but having an app that cannot be downloaded is more than a detail: it’s a fundamental flaw.

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