Patriarch of Moscow affirms common ground with Pope

Russian Patriarch sees close accord with Catholics on public issues -Catholic Culture

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow has drawn the attention of Russian Orthodox bishops to the need for partnership with the Catholic Church in defending traditional Christian moral principles.
"We have similar positions on many problems facing Christians in the modern world," the Patriarch told a February 2 meeting of the Russian hierarchy. "They include aggressive secularization, globalization, and the erosion of the traditional moral principles."

In contrast, Patriarch Kirill noted, many Protestant groups have moved steadily away from Christian traditions.

The Spirit blows where it wills.

Belgian government denounces archbishop for being Catholic

‘Belgian Ratzinger’ named nation’s primate; government blasts choice -Catholic Culture

Pope Benedict on January 18 named Bishop André-Mutien Léonard of Namur, a member of the International Theological Commission, as Archbishop of Malines-Brussels. Succeeding the influential Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop Léonard is known for his forthright defense of Catholic moral teaching and his support for Summorum Pontificum, Pope Benedict’s motu proprio on the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Deputy Prime Minister Laurette Onkelinx condemned the choice. "Church and State are separate in Belgium, but when there are problems in our society, all the social partners sit down around a table, including representatives of secularism and of religion,” she said. “Cardinal Danneels was a man of openness, of tolerance and was able to fit in there. Archbishop Léonard has already regularly challenged decisions made by our parliament."

"Concerning AIDS, he’s against the use of condoms even while people are dying from it every day," she continued. "He is against abortion and euthanasia … The Pope’s choice could undermine the compromise that allows us to live together with respect for everyone."

"The Pope’s choice could undermine the compromise that allows us to live together with respect for everyone."

Behold the thinly veiled threat. The dark lords of secularism warn that "respect for everyone" demands a "compromise" in which no one dares to challenge the government or blaspheme the sacraments of the Culture of Death: Holy Contraception, Holy Abortion, and Holy Euthanasia.

Things that Pope Benedict XVI will never do

Although Cardinal Ratzinger was elected the Successor of Peter not even two days ago, the media predictably has already begun foaming at the mouth with criticism of our new Holy Father, and with speculation about whether he is or is not too "rigid" to allow certain "reforms".

In response to some of the hot-button issues that are being bandied about in the media, the following is a short list of things that this Pope -nor any future Pope- will ever do. He will never change Church doctrine in order to give acceptance to:

elective abortion or euthanasia (or any other form of murder of the unborn, the elderly, the sick, the unwanted);
artificial birth control;
ordination of women;
human cloning;
fornication, adultery, or masturbation;
homosexual acts or same-sex marriage.

The Pope does not have the authority to declare something acceptable that is in fact intrinsically evil or contrary to the divine constitution of the Church. All of the above items have been clearly condemned infallibly by the Church as intrinsically immoral, except for the ordination of women. However, ordination of women is impossible because, as the Church infallibly teaches, the Church has no authority to ordain women because doing so is irreconcilable with the way Jesus constituted His Church.

One may or may not find persuasive the reasons offered to explain and defend any of these doctrines, but that's not really relevant. The fact remains that the Church holds these postions not as opinions, but as solemn doctrine. True Catholics willingly believe the solemn teachings of the Church.

To reject any of the Church's doctrines is to place oneself above the Pope, to whom Jesus gave final authority to decide doctrinal questions. To do so is to defy Jesus, Who gave final doctrinal authority to the Successor of Peter, and not to You and me. To reject this and still consider oneself "Catholic" is nonsense, and simply betrays a rejection or misunderstanding of the Catholic faith.

Believing something because it is persuasive does not require faith. Faith requires belief in what God has revealed precisely because God, Who is perfect Truth, has revealed it. God deserves our belief, even though His revelation can seem at times hard to understand. Because God is perfect Truth, the smartest, most logical thing in the world is to believe what He has revealed through His own Church.

The Catholic faith is not a buffet, where one can pick and choose the more appealing tidbits and reject those we find inconvenient or difficult to accept. One either accepts it whole and entire, or one does not. In between total acceptance and rejection is a no-man's land where truth can not abide, a land in which one can not offer God the total "yes" of faith which makes possible complete union with God.