The Times today carries an article called Blair will be welcomed into Catholic fold via his ‘baptism of desire’, a title which provides further justification for John Allen and Jimmy Akin's remarks about religious reporting in the British press (see John Allen on the British Press).Fr Michael Seed is cited as authority for the prediction that Blair will "declare himself a Catholic" upon leaving office. Then apparently he also expressed doubts as to whether Blair would be "formally" received into the Catholic Church.
Gledhill et al. provide some obfuscation at this point showing that they have heard of the RCIA but have no idea what it is:
"To do so he would have to take part in a ceremony called the rite of Christian initiation for adults, followed by confirmation and taking the sacrament of Holy Communion."Errr, no. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults includes the celebration of the sacraments of initiation. Before that there is a process of catechesis (sometimes limited to "faith sharing" as recently criticised by the Holy Father) and this is sometimes referred to as the RCIA. This process is not a "ceremony".
But the best bit is the "another Church source" who says that many of the early saints and martyrs were not baptised and were held to have a Baptism of desire. Yeees - but where is this going? Oh Lord, no!
He said that Mr Blair was a Catholic by desire and that this did not necessitate a formal conversion.Just to clear up a little bit if anyone needs me to: the "desire" that is spoken of is a desire for Baptism and all that Baptism involves. You know, believing the creed, the teaching of the Church, living publicly in accord with that teaching, that sort of thing. (A desire for reception into formal communion would involve the same things.) Such a desire does necessitate a formal conversion. In the case of the martyrs mentioned, the rite of baptism was not possible on account of their being eaten by lions, set on fire, dying in squalid prisons or other similar pressing circumstances.
Fr Anonymous continues:
“He is an ecumenical Catholic,” said the source. “He is a liberal Catholic. In terms of his private life, he is a Roman Catholic.”If this is a fair portrayal of Mr Blair's "catholicism", a good RCIA course might help him to understand that being received into the Catholic Church involves a formal profession of faith in the teaching of the Catholic Church. After professing the Nicene Creed, those being received into full communion with the Catholic Church state publicly:
I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.Some things that might be thought necessary in terms of preparation for such a public avowal of the faith could include the recognition that:
- Abortion should not be allowed up to birth for disabled babies because all children have a right to life from conception
- It is profoundly evil to allow experimentation on human embryos since all human life is sacred
- Catholic legislators should oppose laws introducing homosexual civil unions and should insist on the right of conscientious objection
31 comments:
Indeed I'm not holding my breath waiting for Blair to become a publicly professed Catholic.
I remember many people suggesting how good it would be to have Blair in the Catholic fold. Well, while it is great for any additional soul, given his current track record on the aforementioned issues, I think this is someone we'll survive without.
It isn't Holy Mother Church that needs you Mr Blair, however you might realise sometime in the future that you might need Holy Mother Church, and She has eternal patience.
"Declare himself a Catholic"
Hmmm...I wonder if it works in the accusative case as well as the 1st person singular nominative.
I mean, if one can ust "declare" oneself a Catholic, I wonder if one can declare some other thing a Catholic too.
I wonder if I can get my hats declared Catholic. I'm very fond of them and would hate to think I will be deprived of the enjoyment of them in heaven forever just because of their status as inanimate.
Gosh, think of the possibilities. You could just go around declaring things Catholic all over the place.
Why don't we start with Salisbury Cathedral?
Or heck, why think small. Let's declare England Catholic and while we're at it, we can declare it free of the insidious sovereignty-destroying international agreements under the EU.
Of course, the idea of "declaring" someone or something Catholic more or less presupposes that we can just go around altering objective reality by personal fiat. What's to stop us from starting to declare all sorts of other things as well on the same principle: I mean, if Catholicism can be acquired by simple declaration, what other external realities can we effect by our suddenly omnipotent will?
Any number of things need to be fixed by an act of my omnipotent will, let me tell you! Let's start with the abolition of humid weather in Toronto in the summer.
I declare it to be so. Ah, much better.
Now, what else...let's see...
Oh! I know, what about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms? ALl the legal acts of Canadian independence from Britain since the Trudeau revolution?
I declare Canada to be a colony of the United Kingdom and all her "citizens" to be British Subjects.
Good.
Now, moving on: let's put the nix on all of Tony Blair's legislation in the last ten years that has undermined traditional English common law. Starting with the Mental Capacity Act. Moving on to the banning of fox hunting.
Now, the SOR's.
I declare it to be so.
THings are looking up already. Why didn't I think of this before?
In the meantime, I would like to declare myself to be as beautiful as Grace Kelly and as rich as the sultan of Brunei, as holy as St. Philip Neri, and as wise as Socrates and Solomon combined.
all rolled into one. And I want a pony too.
Hey! This "declaring" things business is great fun.
You should try it.
Well..you know we are The Church for sinners.....;0)
BTW Fr Tim I visit your blog several times a week and love it, though i must admit to feeling a bit like a lurker so if you've nothing better to do and want a bit of trivial tut here's my blog
www.pixiebits.blogspot.com
Well said Fr Tim BUT if your Tony Blair you don't have to 'go through' an RCIA programme.........there are always 'EXCEPTIONS' and here we have........God forbid it.
Maggie- loved your post on training course attendees!
Hilary - way to go! I'm just thinking what I might declare my cigarette to be :-)
I'm just thinking what I might declare my cigarette to be :-)
In that case, could you in good conscience burn it? ;-)
Fr Tim are you a smoker? Under new government regulations you could be banned from church!
I was thinking about how appalling it would be if the bishops received into the Church someone so publicly dissenting from Church teaching...and I thought, maybe this article is warming up the public for Blair's latest attempt to play Catholic without actually repenting and asking for reception into the Church...because he knows the bishops in fact wouldn't sink that low?
Atlantic - yes, I suspect this is indeed the purpose of the article.
Sadie - I was thinking of putting up a shrine to St John Kemble, open on three sides, as our outdoor smoking area.
Fiorella - I was considering declaring my cigarette to be a heretic.
...baptism was not possible on account of their being eaten by lions, set on fire, dying in squalid prisons or other similar pressing circumstances
Let's not give anyone any ideas... now, Guy, where did I leave my gunpowder?
But if Mr Blair were admitted without repenting for his voting record on abortion et al, then at the instant he became a Catholic, he would be excommunicated: the celebrant-bishop would be obliged to refuse him Communion.
I think it would be a good game to start counting the number of significant errors in Gledhill articles about catholicism. There are at least five in this one:
1) "declare himself a catholic"
2) "ceremony" of RCIA
3) "desire" renders formal conversion unnecessary
4) relevance of "baptism by desire" for (presumably baptized) "member of Church of England"
5) conversion would represent a "triumph for the Catholic Church".
Any more offers?
I think it's worth pointing out that if Mr Blair is a baptised Anglican he is NOT a candidate for the RCIA.
The "Rite of Admission of One Validly Baptised into Full Communion with the Catholic Church" says expicitly that "Any confusion between catechumens and and candidates for reception
should be absolutely avoided." Moreover, there is the decree of Vatican II on Ecumenism, which says the Church desires (n.18) "...to impose no burden beyond what is essential" - quoting the Acts of the Apostles, of course.
The Rite of Admission was published as an Appendix to the RCIA, but is not a part of it in any sense. Nor is the fact that Mr Blair will need to be confirmed any excuse for confusing him with a catechumen. The "Rite of Admission" includes Confirmation.
Of course sometimes it might be judged prudent to include the baptised and unbaptised in the same instructions before Baptism / Acceptance, but the confusion of the two - and the widespread use of the RCIA indiscriminently for those already baptised - is pastorally damaging, ecumenically insensitive and flatly opposed to the law of the Church.
Mr Blair should be warmly welcomed, strongly encouraged, properly instructed (both spiritually and doctrinally) and, if he is ready to embrace the faith, received, confirmed and admitted to communion without any fuss.
Father,
Might I venture to suggest you declare your cigarette a convenient form of incense? That way no one can be scandalised by the smoking shrine -- which, coincidentally, might be modified to also honour Bl Pier Giorgio Frassati and all the pipe-smoking saints.
Whether the Queen's first minister
goes through RCIA or not, whether his reception into the Holy Roman Church is formal or not, please, please have him! Traditional and Catholic Anglicans are fed up with him for exactly the reasons that you don't want him...as specified by Fr Tim; please show charity and true ecumenism, and give us a break.
Does anyone really believe that the spinmeister himself would not have put this story out to see what the reaction would be?
The arrogance of it!
"Declare himself a Catholic", indeed!
A walk in sackcloth up Whitehall and out to Victoria where the canons of the Cathedral could then administer a few lashes in the Piazza might make a good start - then a public renunciation of his record on civil unions, embryo research, abortion and SORs might not go amiss.
Then he might be permitted to start some rigorous catechesis for a decade or so....
Blair's declaration of Catholicity:
(comes out of No 10 much like Jesse - the Fast Show - comes out of his shed, shuffles around, adjusts the string holding up his trousers and says),
'This week, I 'ave been mostly desiring to be an ecumenical catholic'.
In my mind the greatest sadness in all of this is the feeling that dissent in UK Catholic Church is such that Blair does not need to change. There are others out there already Catholics who have been 'reassured' by their pastors that as long as their individual conscience tells them 'it's ok' then that is fine. There are many who operate under similar banners as Blair including the false compassions that goes with this (how could anyone deny the great virtue of equality ? etc etc) Many of such mind are Catholic Pastors who whilst appearing 'so approachable', 'so understanding', 'so welcoming' lead souls astray......
While in practice, at least here in the USA, those who seek full communion are lumped in with those seeking baptism into RCIA, the fact is that for the already baptized RCIA is not required. Therefore, he needs to make a "profession of faith" -- roughly the same thing as "declar[ing] himself a Catholic" -- and be confirmed. It can happen any time of the year, and is not limited to Easter. For Blair to enter the Catholic church now or next month or in six months would be normal, and not irregular as suggested.
I repeat the words of John Smeaton of SPUC in an interview earlier this year:
"Tony Blair has personally championed destructive experiments on cloned human embryos. In general, there is virtually no area of pro-life or pro-family ethical concern which has not been made worse by the Blair government."
It were better for him, if that man had not been born - Mark 14: 21
No doubt he will convince Card MO'C
he never really believed in the policies he forced through parliament.
In due course the English Bishops can nominate him for Westminster and he can lead them in Praise of Folly.
Father,
When did the Holy Father criticize "faith sharing"? A reference could come in handy.
But how can Tony possibly repeal all the anti-Catholic/family legislation HE'S sanctioned, (Notably the SOR's, the single most hostile law against Christians since Henry V11 behaved liked the Taliban and smashed up our churches) all by June 27th ? And won`t Cherie need to stop seeing soothsayers while we`re at it ?.....
Tony Blair had a great opportunity to be a force for good for Christianity, to be a profoundly good Christian leader to be remembered for all time for his good actions. Sure he may have started his Premiership with the best and most admirable of intentions, but he has failed miserably. I am ashamed of him being called a 'Christian' and now he seems to have seen the light by wanting to be a Catholic Christian? (so reports say) There is something fundamentally wrong with this man who has listened attentively and served the Devil not God, for so long. He has bought into, promoted and glorified a culture of death. Make up your own minds about this man. I have.
Is this another case of not what you know, but who you know? We mere peasants will have even less influence in our church if Blair gets his way!
Does Blair know that the Holy Father actually sanctions us having priests who want to and do run businesses rather than meet the needs of the faithful; is that why he wants in?
Perhaps he will be the next PR man for the Vatican and not run the World bank.
What next; once he is in, will he declare himself Pope?
Keeping you all in my prayers and hoping that our Church really makes it clear what we are supposed to be about.
Our parish and parishioners are suffering!
God Bless you
As a thought; what is the latest on Eucharistic Minsters; do they still have a role to play?
Fr. Tim,
Maybe Tony Blair would be a more suitable candidate for reception into the Catholic Church if he hadn’t been so strongly influenced by the vacuous modernism of his “devoutly Catholic” wife (as the religiously illiterate media keep referring to her). Let’s face it, in a marriage where a Catholic is married to a non-Catholic, the Catholic spouse has a special responsibility to live an authentically Catholic life, and hold faithfully to the teachings of the Church in order to evangelize properly.
If received into the Church, Tony Blair would in all likelihood become like his wife: a noisy, big-tent, politically correct, anti-magisterial activist (“we want women priests, optional celibacy, gay marriage, contraception, condoms to fight Aids, intercommunion…”) ─ precisely the sort of person who should be advised against becoming a Catholic if ever they were so inclined.
I do wish the cocktail party-frequenting, trophy convert-hunting high society priests in London would stop trying to get Tony Blair to convert, when his actions and interior disposition are ample proof that he is ineligible IMHO.
From what I've read about Fr Seed over the years I sometimes wonder how much of the Catholic faith he understands himself.
See Fr Guy Nicholls' article in the weekly Parish Bulletin re Mr Blair on my blog....
We must always becareful when we judge others not not worthy of being x or y. Do we all think we could be better Catholics than Blair? I doubt. The faith journey is a long one, and if we believe (or 'have faith')for wrong reasons God alone can purify us and give us true faith (The Faith that He calls us to). i believe that only God is a Judge.
Why do we like to judge others so much? If we think we could be better Catholics than Blair than good for us, but we have no right to judge him unworthy. It is God who calls.
anon and phumlani - this is a common concern when people speak about a public figure. It is not a question of judging someone's personal conscience. That is for their confessor and ultimately for God.
What is at issue here is public action which we are entitled to judge according to objective criteria and the teaching of the magisterium. As is pointed out increasingly by Bishops around the world, some public actions are not compatible with the public act of receiving Holy Communion.
There is often a misunderstanding here. People sometimes think that receiving Holy Communion is a purely personal matter. For Catholics it is a public affirmation of faith in the Church's teaching and of communion with the Catholic Church.
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