Pope Makes Historic Ecumenical Bid to Woo Eastern Rite Catholics

January 9, 2010

artintel wrote:

Russel: V2-RC has many priests retiring but not enrolling - the priesthood statistics show an alarming drop. V2-RC attempts to reverse the trend – e.g., the EWTN initiative, which tries to address those who gravitated towards protestant horizons. The new potential converts recognize that V2-RC has become ‘protestant’ compatible and New Age with its interdenominational and religious outlook (the Modernist Ecumenical Council). The original pre V2-RC qualities (ecclesiastical and canonical) are now non-existent. Clearly this is a ‘post-Christian’ orientation. Those who reject Vatican II dropped out or were filtered out during the first 25 years.

Regarding your question regarding EWTN’s ‘people being "either mixed Jews or ex-Protestant," this should be taken in context. If you examine EWTN’s schedule of programs and watched/heard the content, you would have noticed that the amount of ‘mixed Jews and ex-Protestant’ has been increasing vs. traditional RC content – particularly on Wednesdays. Groeshel – the popular broadcaster, constantly mentions his semi-Jewish origins as if it should add some extra V2-RC credibility. Numerous guests similarly emphasize their Jewish ‘roots’ etc. The problem lies in the lack of proportion – the two thousand years Christendom or 1000 years of traditional RC are slowly being replaced with a V2-RC Jewish emphasis promoted wherever it can be. Is this what the Orthodox Church wants to see once it unites ecumenically?

Your view of EWTN is understandable. Several years ago I crisscrossed all of the USA while on a job assignment (conducting management development), I used Satellite Radio and EWTN was the most interesting radio station – all kinds of subjects with all rounded views with on-radio Q&A follow-ups. Mother Angelica was a positive driving force. Today, it is a totally different EWTN, I can’t recognize it. It is increasingly becoming a Jewish Catholic station. It would seem that the RC cannot exist without it’s Jewish component.

Russel – your questions were anticipated. If not you, than someone else would ask the ‘innocent’ questions that you did. Clearly you haven’t listened to the EWTN recently; otherwise you wouldn’t have asked your questions.

I agree that there is some connection between mandatory celibacy and the shortage of priests in the RCC. I believe there are also other issues. In the past, Catholic families would foster vocations to the priesthood. Relatives would actively support the person in becoming a priest or religious brother or sister. It was a great honor to have a priest in the family. I think this situation is much reduced.

On the ex-Protestant/Jewish concentration on EWTN, I believe that a significant part of the problem is that non-Catholic scholarship is being too readily absorbed into Catholic theology, while traditional (\"passed down\") views are considered antiquated, not fit for modern times. When I studied Catholic theology at university, I saw it all the time. For example, the well-known Dr. Scott Hahn has taken the covenant theology of his Presbyterian background, and made it into the mainstay of his understanding of Catholic theology. This is not to say that the covenants are not important, but it appeared to me that for him everything Catholic was to be understood through covenant theology. I saw then that the Fathers interpreted Scripture differently.

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