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Koan for Easter Sunday [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-04-28
The usual Easter koans in the Catholic Church are the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. I like Commandment #2: “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and the Good Samaritan. But we have another just this week, from Pope Francis.
AP: Pope says some 'backward' US Catholic conservatives have replaced faith with ideology
Pope Francis has blasted the “backwardness” of some conservatives in the U.S. Catholic Church, saying they have replaced faith with ideology and that a correct understanding of the church envisages doctrine developing over time.
In particular,
AP: Vatican notes ‘exchange of opinions’ over migrants, prisoners in meeting with Vance
VATICAN CITY (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican’s No. 2 official amid tensions over the U.S. crackdown on migrants, with the Holy See reaffirming good relations but noting “an exchange of opinions” over current international conflicts, migrants and prisoners. Vance, a Catholic convert, met with the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and the foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, in the Apostolic Palace. There was no indication he met with Pope Francis, who has sharply cut back official duties during his recovery from pneumonia.
Cardinal Parolin was sent to lecture Vance on compassion.
“There was an exchange of opinions on the international situation, especially regarding countries affected by war, political tensions and difficult humanitarian situations, with particular attention to migrants, refugees, and prisoners,” the statement said. “Finally, hope was expressed for serene collaboration between the state and the Catholic Church in the United States, whose valuable service to the most vulnerable people was acknowledged.” The reference to “serene collaboration” appeared to refer to Vance’s assertion that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was resettling “illegal immigrants” in order to get federal funding. Top U.S. cardinals have pushed back strongly against the claim. Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement, viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings, that is often called “postliberal.” Vance had defended the administration’s America-first crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as “ordo amoris.” He has said the concept delineates a hierarchy of care — to family first, followed by neighbor, community, fellow citizens and lastly those elsewhere.
Jesus wept.
In his Feb. 10 letter, Francis appeared to correct Vance’s understanding of the concept. “Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extends to other persons and groups,” he wrote. “The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘Good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”
There you go.
Vance has acknowledged Francis’ criticism but has said he would continue to defend his views. During a Feb. 28 appearance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Vance didn’t address the issue specifically but called himself a “baby Catholic” and acknowledged there are “things about the faith that I don’t know.”
x Pope Ghosts JD Vance at Vatican, Sends Top Cardinal to Lecture VP on Compassion
https://www.europesays.com/2009702/ Pope Ghosts JD Vance at Vatican, Sends Top Cardinal to Lecture VP on Compassion Pope Ghosts JD Vance…
[image or embed] — Conflicts (@conflicts.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 3:45 PM
There doesn’t seem to be a transcript of Cardinal Parolin‘s lecture.
Just BTW, many think that Cardinal Parolin is in line to be the next Pope.
BBC: Who will be the next Pope? Key candidates in an unpredictable contest
Top candidates: Pietro Parolin Nationality: Italian Age: 70
Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle Nationality: Filipino Age: 67
Fridolin Ambongo Besungu Nationality: Congolese Age: 65
Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson Nationality: Ghanaian Age: 76
Notes: This story is appearing a week late, because I was on a timeout all last week over a forbidden word that I used inadvertently, meaning to say “MAGAtroids”, and the DK story editor threw away the first draft of this koan story. I will have more to say about the DK timeout system in another story today.
This was meant to be published before Pope Francis died, of course.
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