The sad thing is that Dionne isn't (generally) an idiot; this (anything to do with the positions of the reactionary Catholic hierarchy) just happens to be an enormous blind spot for him.
flarenut: not necessarily; Garry Wills is a good example of someone whose Catholicism is as liberal as his politics.
Dionne, unfortunately, has internalized two very illiberal ideas pushed by the reactionaries in control: that the institutional hierarchy, not the membership, is the church (and so mere members should defer to the hierarchy); and that Catholics are special (so people of other or no faiths should defer to them).
Has he even yet figured out that it's a power play? He seems to be still saying, "Gee, ya think it might be a power play?" YES, IDIOT.
ReplyDeleteFight the real enemy.
Yup, E.J. still has too many question marks in his prose on this issue.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that Dionne isn't (generally) an idiot; this (anything to do with the positions of the reactionary Catholic hierarchy) just happens to be an enormous blind spot for him.
ReplyDeleteNo, he's not -- just on this.
ReplyDeleteYou still take him seriously?
ReplyDeleteMy half "Indian" take isn't exactly "polite".
Being a liberal catholic at this point is kinda the definition of "blind spots", no?
ReplyDeleteflarenut: not necessarily; Garry Wills is a good example of someone whose Catholicism is as liberal as his politics.
ReplyDeleteDionne, unfortunately, has internalized two very illiberal ideas pushed by the reactionaries in control: that the institutional hierarchy, not the membership, is the church (and so mere members should defer to the hierarchy); and that Catholics are special (so people of other or no faiths should defer to them).