Editor's Note: The second in our series justifying why "One-Hand Dan" must undergo conditional consecration in addition to conditional priestly ordination.
Some of our correspondents have argued that even if Dannie had not been validly ordained a priest, his subsequent episcopal consecration makes everything hunky-dory. They must think he's so important that he deserves a pass on prudent Church practice in cases such as his. (Never would've happened in the past!) You see, Dannie's enjoying the "Novus-Ordo Bonus" -- things are so bad now that nobody knows which way is right, so fine points are allowed to slide.
As we showed last week, real theologians were divided on the question of whether a man can leap to the episcopacy without intermediate valid priestly ordination. Everyone knows we've staked out the safe side of the question, but since it's just opinion, like so much in this dispute, it merits full consideration. For today and the next two weeks, we'll briefly explore other authors' opinions on the matter.
As we showed last week, real theologians were divided on the question of whether a man can leap to the episcopacy without intermediate valid priestly ordination. Everyone knows we've staked out the safe side of the question, but since it's just opinion, like so much in this dispute, it merits full consideration. For today and the next two weeks, we'll briefly explore other authors' opinions on the matter.
Today, let's look at what Marcelino Zalba, S.J., wrote in 1958:
It is disputed ... whether [the episcopate] contains in an eminent degree the priesthood, such that if anyone should pass over by a leap from the diaconate to the episcopate, his consecration would be valid albeit gravely illicit, just as an ordination to deacon carried out with suitable ceremony upon an acolyte not promoted to the rank of subdeacon would be valid. The negative opinion, which once was the more common, is now no longer held by certain persons of great name [with a footnote quoting Lennerz].*
Our answer is simple: while to manic culties this may look like a slam dunk for Dannie's motley team of religious and social misfits, we must draw everyone's attention to the all-important phrase it is disputed.
In the face of a disputed point in theology, the only recourse is the safer way. There's nobody so important as to induce any Catholic to risk spiritual danger just to avoid wounding Wee Dan's feelings.
"One Hand" should have rectified the problem 20 years ago with his consecrating bishop instead of dispatching the habitually erroneous Blunderer to jump into waters way out of his depth. The Bonehead's ignorance of Latin and his lousy scholarship have made the situation worse. Any reasonable man must gasp in contempt at both the author and the effort of the Cheeseball's discredited monograph in defense of priestly orders conferred with one hand.
For the umpteenth time, we repeat: in the crisis, no one can know for certain whether priestly orders conferred with one hand are valid. However, we do know for certain that one-handed orders are at least defective in light of the infallible teaching of Sacramentum Ordinis.
The only recourse, then, is to follow the hallowed and safer practice of the Holy Office in cases of doubt: conditional ordination and consecration.
WEE "ONE HAND DAN" ISN'T IMPORTANT, BUT THE SACRAMENTS ARE. GET DANNIE FIXED AND THEN FIX THE 14 OR SO MEN HE'S "ORDAINED"!
In the face of a disputed point in theology, the only recourse is the safer way. There's nobody so important as to induce any Catholic to risk spiritual danger just to avoid wounding Wee Dan's feelings.
"One Hand" should have rectified the problem 20 years ago with his consecrating bishop instead of dispatching the habitually erroneous Blunderer to jump into waters way out of his depth. The Bonehead's ignorance of Latin and his lousy scholarship have made the situation worse. Any reasonable man must gasp in contempt at both the author and the effort of the Cheeseball's discredited monograph in defense of priestly orders conferred with one hand.
For the umpteenth time, we repeat: in the crisis, no one can know for certain whether priestly orders conferred with one hand are valid. However, we do know for certain that one-handed orders are at least defective in light of the infallible teaching of Sacramentum Ordinis.
The only recourse, then, is to follow the hallowed and safer practice of the Holy Office in cases of doubt: conditional ordination and consecration.
WEE "ONE HAND DAN" ISN'T IMPORTANT, BUT THE SACRAMENTS ARE. GET DANNIE FIXED AND THEN FIX THE 14 OR SO MEN HE'S "ORDAINED"!
* Theologiae Moralis Compendium, II (BAC ,1958), p. 704. Disputatur...num [episcopatus] presbyteratum eminenter contineat; ita ut si quis per saltum a diaconatu transiret ad episcopatum, eius consecratio esset valida etsi graviter illicita; sicut valida esset ordinatio in diaconum rite peracta super acolythum non promotum ad subdiaconi gradum. Sententia negativa, quae olim fuerat communior, nunc a quibusdam magni nominis non jam sustinetur.
No comments:
Post a Comment