Of Archbishops and Palliums

Archbishop Jose Gomez will receive his Pallium on June 29, the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul. Incidentally, this is the same day that I find out my LSAT scores, and is the Feast Day of my patron saint (Peter). Archbishop Gomez isn't new to the Pallium or the liturgy that goes on around it. His Eminence previously received one as Archbishop of San Antonio, but now that he is in charge of a different Ecclesiastical Province (a group of Dioceses in the same geographic area), he needs to get a new one to signify this new location.

Vatican Launches Three-Pronged Attack on Culture of Death

The Vatican has signed an agreement with NeoStem for its first ever commercial agreement with an outside company. NeoStem is a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical firm that advances ethical research into stem cells. The Catholic Church approves of adult stem cell research, but not embryonic stem cell research which results in the loss of life (the embryo). Dr. Robin Smith (CEO of NeoStem) pointed out that "there are no current therapies using embryonic stem cells today but there are over 70 treatments available using adult stem cells including anemia, leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma."

Why Does the Catholic Church Discourage Bible Reading? A Protestant Answers, and I Answer Back

A commenter recently wrote the following on one of my posts (Why Does the Catholic Church Discourage Bible Reading?) I've corrected his or her spelling and given a better citation for the Trent citation. I've also assumed that the Commenter is speaking about accurate or justifiable interpretations of Scripture, and not unsupported or crazy interpretations:

Furthermore, in order to restrain petulant spirits, It decrees, that no one, relying on his own skill, shall,--in matters of faith, and of morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, --wresting the sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to [interpret] the said sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church,--whose it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures,--hath held and doth hold; [Page 20] or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers; even though such interpretations were never (intended) to be at any time published. Contraveners shall be made known by their Ordinaries, and be punished with the penalties by law established.
[Trent, Session 4, "Decree Concerning the Edition, and the Use, of the Sacred Books"]. The priests (mother church) [are] necessary for interpretation according to [Rome] and the laity is not allowed to interpret on their own.

Validity and Liceity

It's been a while since the last post. Quite a few things have happened here in the South that has caused me to neglect the blog: the storm that blew through in late April; preparations for the LSAT; thesis work; and many other things that have kept me from blogging. It's a big shame, too, because a lot happened in Catholic news! Off to the post:





Questions often arise about the validity of particular Sacraments, like Masses, Baptisms, Confessions, etc. Going further, liceity goes hand-in-hand with validity.This question is particularly relevant for our own time, when the laity is faced with priests that try and change the liturgy. Is a Mass valid if the priest doesn't believe in Transubstantiation? Is a Confession valid if a priest doesn't provide a penance? Is a Mass valid without the Nicene Creed, with a female priest, or with something other than wine? These questions all relate to the validity and liceity of the Mass, which paints a larger picture of what makes a Sacrament licit and/or valid, and what the difference is between these two terms. For the remainder of this post, I'll explain the difference between validity and liceity, with a follow-up post(s) on what makes particular Sacraments valid or invalid, licit or illicit.