tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19183217.post3663280427255389192..comments2009-10-31T10:43:42.025-07:00Kozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10189908975460475812noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19183217.post-83837755672280762082009-10-31T10:43:42.025-07:002009-10-31T10:43:42.025-07:00I&#39;m planning to work through these encyclicals as objectively as I can, just to see what they say. I think that the idea wrt to specific policies is that politicians and the political process should be considered to have more expertise than bishops; the role of the Magisterium is not to make plain what should or should not be done in particular instances, but to rule as out-of-bounds certain general possibilities. I think that we can say that socialism is out-of-bounds; I think that much of what passes for health care reform is socialism, plain and simple. I will read the Abp Dolan bit and see if that&#39;s what he is advocating.Boethiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17180297046163021684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19183217.post-87963710377554799012009-10-30T07:46:16.142-07:002009-10-30T07:46:16.142-07:00If there are problems with the bishop-centered Church, at least wrt health care, the faithful-centered Church is not bed of roses either.<br /><br />Rep. Kennedy is among other things a member of the most prominent Catholic family in America, to the point where for a while the Kennedys were regarded as synonymous with American Catholicism. For some people Rep Kennedy is at least as authoritative in speaking with the Church as Abp Dolan anyway.<br /><br />My problem with both of them is that trying to wrestle with a vague Magisterium seems to be the wrong approach. Let&#39;s figure out health care on its own, in secular terms, and work from there.Kozhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10189908975460475812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19183217.post-49488872275818248072009-10-29T16:14:42.255-07:002009-10-29T16:14:42.255-07:00I was gratified recently to read Cardinal George arguing that the tendency for Catholics is to be a bishop-centered Church, rather than a Christ-centered Church. I&#39;ve suggested in the past that this is a weakness in the arguments Koz makes in the areas of economics. I won&#39;t deny that certain bishops say this and that, and perhaps get it wrong, perhaps often. I believe that the bishops are in error if they belief that the Democratic health care goal is for the best of our nation. And I believe this precisely because I believe that this advocacy is unintentionally at odds with the actual Magisterium, and not because &#39;the Church&#39; is wrong in its social doctrine. Hopefully, I will be able to prove that.Boethiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17180297046163021684noreply@blogger.com