The Holy See Press Office'd Explanatory Note on Benedict's Document Motu Proprio Data, "Summorum Pontificum."

EXPLANATORY NOTE ON MOTU PROPRIO "SUMMORUM PONTIFICUM"

VATICAN CITY, JUL 7, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office today issued an explanatory note concerning the Motu Proprio "Summorum Pontificum". The most important paragraphs of the note are given below:

"The Motu Proprio 'Summorum Pontificum' lays down new rules for the use of the Roman liturgy that preceded the reform of 1970. The reasons for such provisions are clearly explained in the Holy Father's letter to bishops which accompanies the Motu Proprio (the two documents have been sent to all the presidents of episcopal conferences and to all nuncios, who have arranged to distribute them to all bishops).

"The fundamental provision is as follows: the Roman liturgy will have two forms ('usus'):

Read on ...

The Case Against Global Warming

Has global warming become more polemical politics than science? That is the case made by filmaker, Michael Durkin. I am not a good judge of how accurate his argument is, but his review of recent paleoclimatic ages is great.

The video is supplied by Google.

The Great Global Warming Swindle

1 hr 15 min 56 sec - Mar 9, 2007
Average rating: (3171 ratings)
Description: Are you green? How many flights have you taken in the last year? Feeling guilty about all those unnecessary car journeys? Well, maybe there's no need to feel bad. According to a group of scientists brought together by documentary-maker Martin Durkin, if the planet is heating up, it isn't your fault and there's nothing you can do about it. We've almost begun to take it for granted that climate change is a man-made phenomenon. But just as the environmental lobby think they've got our attention, a group of naysayers have emerged to slay the whole premise of global warming.

Grandma and Censorship

Peggy Noonan gets to the heart of the issue when she argues that "Our political discourse needs less censorship and more self-discipline. " Today's column addresses the week's two flaps: Ann Coulter's suggesting John Edwards is a "faggot" and Bill Maher's saying we would have been better off with Dick Cheney dead.

Wielding her usual scalpels, words of pith and clarity, she cuts through the hypocrisy of political polemics. Specifically, she uses grandma's "That's not nice" to cut to the heart of the issue.

"We should forbid less and demand more." Read on.

Justin Martyr

April 14th is the traditional feast date of Justin Martyr. It is currently celebrated June 1st in the Roman rite.

He was the first great Christian apologist: a rhetorician for Christ.

Rhetoric is the art of speaking persuasively using logic and appealing to the emotions to persuade your audience. Its end should be the truth. It contrasts with polemic, the use of emotional speech to rally one's supporters and excoriate one's opponents. A polemicist does not care to persuade his opponents.

Rhetoric is the art of free men: it is a necessary ingredient of a free republic. Polemic is the art of demagoguery; its prevalence is the symptom of empire, where men are no longer free.