Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 8:11pm

Jesuitical 5: Obama as "the Spirit of Vatican II" President

John O'Malley

The fifth installment of my series pointing out the follies of some Jesuits in this country.  Father John O’Malley, SJ, of  the theology department of Georgetown has a piece in America, where else?, in which he hails Obama as a President who embodies something called “the Spirit of Vatican II”.  Actually I think Obama really embodies “the Spirit of Jesuits Trapped in ’68”.    Father Z does the necessary fisking of the article here.  Carl Olsen has some pointed comments on the same subject here.  Rich Leonardi of Ten Reasons points us to thoughts about the meaning of Vatican II by the late, and very great, Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ, which appeared in America in 2003.

The memory of Cardinal Dulles reminds us that there are orthodox Jesuits still.  However,  I wonder who really is the Pope for most Jesuits in this country, Benedict or Obama?  I wonder also how many parents realize that while they slave to send their kids to Catholic Colleges and Universities their offspring, all too often, receive Leftist political indoctrination with only the sheerest patina of Catholicism to disguise it?  O’Malley’s article has much to do with his political preferences and almost nil to do with Catholicism.

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Matt McDonald
Matt McDonald
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 8:47am

This is amusing, while the article is based on “style” as substance in which there are legitimate comparisons between the Council language Obama’s rhetoric at times, it wholly ignores Obama’s rhetoric at other times which is entirely different.

While Obama gives some speeches that are “civil” he gives many others in which he demonizes the opposition in sometimes insidious but often openly contempt fashion. That is not civility. To speak one way about pro-lifers in a Catholic college, but in an opposite way at a DNC rally, or even to the mainstream media, that is the height of contempt, not only for the opposition, but for everyone, treating us as the proles of Communist countries were.

Gerard E.
Gerard E.
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 8:56am

No institution is doing a better job of spreading the post-Christian virus than GTown. No Catholic religious order is more zealous in this mission than our Society of Jesus. Thus the Theology Dept. of this once fine institution is a host body. As I value my daily time only the fisking from Mr. Olsen was worth my view and a worthy one it is. Confirms my belief that when folks unhinge themselves to One True God, they hook up with other gods, the most popular one being Gummint. As O’Malley chooses to make a strange god of Dear Leader, he only expresses what many of his D.C.-based libs believe in their heart of hearts. But perhaps his words of worship are already stale. This past weekend, read something from noted lib Ted Rall already calling for Dear Leader to step down from the throne. Gitmo Angst and other stuff made him unhinged. Perhaps Theology Professor O’Malley should read this essay and update his theories. False gods often have limited shelf-lives.

ron chandonia
ron chandonia
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 10:51am

Today the Commonweal blog is casting Obama as St. Francis of Assisi. Better than making him Jesus, I guess. But these people have a sad awakening coming.

jh
jh
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 10:54am

This article was the most silly thing I have read ever in America magazine. WHich is saying a lot

These line floored me

“Is it not ironic that not a bishop but the President of the United States should today be the most effective spokesperson for that spirit”

Breathtaking just Breathraking. Can one imagine the yelling and wailing if a conservative journal implied that Bush was a better spokeman for American Catholic than the U.S. Bishops

Foxfier
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 12:53pm

Isn’t “The Spirit of Vatican II” that anti-orthodox priest in Japan?

Donna V.
Donna V.
Thursday, June 4, AD 2009 6:54pm

Yes, foxfier, that would be Fr. O’Leary. (An “O'” usually denotes the bearer of a fine Irish name, but I’m beginning to be wary of “O’s” with an S. J. after their Celtic monikers.)The last I saw of O’Leary, aka “The Spirit of VII,” he was telling the VN posters that abortion, including late-term abortion, is justifiable in some circumstances. He got that pearl of wisdom from Andrew Sullivan’s blog. O’Leary, like O’Malley, delights in telling us we should really forget all that stodgy old Vatican stuff and just get cool with the progressive program.

john calhoun
john calhoun
Saturday, June 6, AD 2009 9:04am

In August 2004 I saw first hand modern Jesuit thinking and its hideous anti Catholicism. Taking my daughter to freshman orientation at the University of San Francisco, the openning convocation was full of self (false) praise of the value of Jesuit education. What it lacked was single prayer for hope, encouragement, or thanks to our Lord. As I told the assistant Dean of Students while leaving, that I a lay person and the product of a good Marian education would have gladly offered one if the Jesuits were too embarassed to offer even one. But the next days Mass for students and family was even more hurtfull by these non-catholic humanists. During the homily, a young woman just graduated actually gave a speech on how she lost her faith and possibly her eternal happiness with Jesus as she was inspired by her Jesuitg education to convert from Catholicism to Islam. I am not afraid of the truth, those are facts and that is what is tolerated in the Jesuit community under the guise of being secular and seeking justice.
I always thought that seeking Jesus, the way, the truth, and the light was what we humans were about.

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Wednesday, June 10, AD 2009 6:39am

[…] segment in my series on the follies of modern Jesuits, with no slight intended to the orthodox Jesuits who soldier on under often grim circumstances.  […]

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Friday, June 19, AD 2009 7:48am

[…] political left, constantly embarrassing themselves by such over the top rantings as declaring Obama the emodiment of the Spirit of Vatican II, attacking the Bishops who spoke out against Obama being honored by Notre Dame and providing a […]

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Saturday, January 16, AD 2010 7:12am

[…] to Midwest Conservative Journal.  The latest in my on-going series on the follies of some modern Jesuits.  Proving yet again that they have the charism of being impervious […]

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Thursday, July 22, AD 2010 4:30am

[…] 5.    Jesuitical 5: Obama as “the Spirit of Vatican II” President […]

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