Of Medals, Seamless Garment, And Corruption

I posted the above from Father West for he says eloquently what I've been trying to say to those Catholics who not only refuse to acknowledge the evidence of Pope Francis' misdeeds but who lash out (in fits of obvious denial of reality) at those of us who are trying to shine much-needed light on these situations.  At one time I thought that these friends were simply too trusting and a bit simplistic in their views on the papacy.  Given their increasingly vitriolic reactions to our efforts, I must wonder if there is some intellectual dishonesty influencing them.

Let's look at two things.

Last week we learned that the pope gave a medal that is only given to a Commander of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory to a rabidly pro-abortion Dutch politician.  Now they've gone into "damage control" according to Austin Ruse.  Perhaps the "control" should be rendered "augmentation".  We read that "the medal was no more than part of a protocol exchange".  Really?  I'm sure the Vatican has engaged in many, many protocol exchanges with other visiting dignitaries over the past centuries.  When, oh when, has the Vatican ever given such medals in the past as part of "protocol exchanges"?

Then the article says, "In recent months, the Vatican has played host to a steady stream of speakers who stand in public opposition to Church teaching on a whole host of issues including Governor Jerry Brown of California."  Now hold this thought for a moment while I bring up a related matter.

Today the annual March for Life occurred.  In addition to the main march in Washington DC, similar marches occurred elsewhere at the same time for the sake of those who were unable to make the journey to DC.  Such was the case in Little Rock, AR.  The local marches there were first organized by local bishops.  However, this year, Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Diocese of Little Rock boycotted the march because the local pro-life organizations had booked as a speaker someone who supports the use of the death penalty.  The speaker is Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, whose pro-life credentials seem to be totally in line with traditional Catholic morality as opposed to the "seamless garment" caricature of the same.  Bishop Taylor, in ascribing capital punishment the same status as baby-murder, is dissenting from Catholic moral teaching.  I've posted before why the move to eliminate the use of all capital punishment may well be its own heresy.  But the death penalty is not today's main consideration.

Consider both of the preceding paragraphs.  One the one hand, you have rabid pro-aborts being wined and dined and even given medals by the pope. These pro-aborts, though, are good little progressives who whine about capital punishment, climate-change junk-science, immigration.  On the other hand, you have a bishop snubbing a march for life because another speaker doesn't toady to the progressive talking points on capital punishment.  A consideration of both these scenarios together buttresses my suspicions that the so-called "seamless garment" yak is nothing more than a smokescreen for pro-abortion infiltration of the Church.

By the way: Eccles and Bosco have some pointers in giving out medals.