www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall The Cardinal Ratzinger fanclub forum

Good morning Myles.

If you normally wouldn`t make that comment, then perhaps you should not have. Neil`s reply to you was very kind. You were quite rude in making your comment and you owe Neil an apology and not only for that comment, but for those which followed which seem to marginalize Neil`s comments since he belongs to a different sui iuris Church. If you took the time to read a sample of Neil`s posts, I don`t believe that you would have made those comments.

In a subsequent post, referring to Pope Benedict XVI, you wrote: "...he will use that German systematisers mind ...."

I must take exception to that comment. I dislike using stereotypes, whether meant for good or ill. I realize that you were attemtping to pay a compliment to our new pope, but please try to avoid stereotypes. They are a double-edged sword and what one may intend to be a complement can be read as an insult by another.

I wish you peace.

Charles

Its all good. I just became a forum moderator with the nice title 'Designated Doctrinal Enforcer'. Lets see if I can lay the smack down on heresy as well as His Holiness did when he was prefect for the CDF.

Good morning Neil.

Please keep on contributing your two cents worth. Your comments are worth much more than that. I shall miss your comments during next month`s visit to Rome. I am not taking a laptop since I want to concentrate on being a pilgrim-tourist. My one concession will be to check my e-mail periodically to make sure that all`s well with Mom.

Many years,

Charles

First of all Charles. I was blunt in what I said and for the form of my words I apologise but I will retain the substance. I dont think its right that people should invade the personal space of others. I would not go to a pro-abortion website and post hateful comments so I dont think its right that non-Catholics come to a Catholic website and do the reverse. I was hoping for agreement, I got none, such is life.

It has nothing to do with Neil's particular church membership. It has to do with how grateful Latin Catholics are for a man as orthodox as Benedict XVI. Most of us cant even get close to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church from our local priests. Thank heavens I have a good parish priest. However, I have encountered some other clerics who in the name and 'spirit of Vatican II' have proceded to teach me errors that have contributed to spiritual difficulties for me and many others. I think I am right in saying that the Melkites have not suffered from this problem and thus right to maintain that Neil doesnt appreciate how much we all love Ratzinger, even to the point of a personality cult as he said.

Benedict XVI is well known as a great systematic theologian and a good administrator. This is one case where the stereotype is the truth. The German efficiency of this great man will benefit the Church Universal tremendously, especially in cutting through layers of red tape.

Finally, I didnt tell Neil not to post. I told him I didnt value his opinion on this particular matter. I dont see how from my comments you included all of Neil's volumous posts. However, if I gave that impression once again I apologise.

Myles, I did not criticize the bluntness of your comments about the other website. What I did criticize was the tone of your comments to Neil. Your post began with a message to Neil about the value of his comments. They were not simply blunt, they were rude. If you did not appreciate his comment, you could have simply stated that - as I have done on other threads - but your choice of words was, IMHO, trite and rude.

And, if you were to read a sample of Neil`s previous comments, you would know that he has a good handle on the happenings in the Roman Patriarchate, including the role played by and the contributions made by Pope Benedict XVI.

How you could read into my comments that I implied that you told Neil not to post mystifies me!

As for stereotypes, there you go again: "The German efficiency ...."

Concerning personality cults, IMHO they are intrinsically foreign to Christianity.

I wish you peace.

Charles

Charles,

I recall a certain great personality who would undoubtedly verify your perspective. In fact about "personality cults" he wrote in the midst of his great ministry:

For what it's worth (two cents or otherwise), I perceive that Our Holy Father, Benedict XVI, Pope of Rome would wholeheartedly agree with this sentiment of the Apostle Paul, "Follow me, as I follow Christ."

(Charles, please remember this humble deacon and his family in your prayers during your sojourn to Rome.)

Myles,

I think you'll need to travel miles before you can boast, "Lets see if I can lay the smack down on heresy as well as His Holiness did when he was prefect for the CDF." Your caricature of the Holy Father's ministry at the CDF is shortsighted at best. No doubt the censures issued by the CDF against various theologians were instances of the last resort. And even through this all, it was in most instances that the censured or "silenced" theologians who made the action by the CDF public with fanfare.

Good morning Father Deacon John.

I shall indeed remember you and your family during my visit to Rome. My itinerary is fluid, but definitely includes St. Peter`s Basilica, St. Paul outside the Walls, and S. Giovanni in Laterano. I also hope to visit Santa Sofia, Patriarch Lubomyr`s titular church.

I will also be taking a day trip to Assisi. You and your family will be remembered in my prayers in each church that I visit.

Peace,

Charles

Ok, ok. For all my short sightedness and self-aggrandising comments, for my rudeness and lack of tact, for my blindness to the feelings of others and my seemingly cartoonish and sterotypical depictions that show a profound deadness to ethno-national sensibilities I truly and sincerely apologise. Hoping sincerely through the Sacred Heart of Jesus by the Immaculate Heart of Mary to be converted into being a simple soul of God given humilty.

Again, I'm sorry

Then, PLEASE, Myles, go over to that forum and lay down some "smack" on the trolls and flamers over there, instead of spending your time coming here and taking insult where none was intended! What Neil said to you was far nicer than the crap - excuse the french - that I see posted over there by non-Catholics and dissidents, and nobody seems to be disciplining them.

Tammy

Once again I offer my sincerest and humblest apologies to Neil and anyone else I have offended today on the Byzantine board. I came here after being there and brought my ill feeling with me. I was completely out of order to Neil and now I am in a better state of mind I am not surprised so many people have pointed that out.

Again my sincerest apologies to you Neil, your initial post and polite response were truly kind especially in light of how I addressed you. I do not deserve forgiveness, yet I ask for it anyway, rest assured I shall try my earnest to refrain from being so sneidy in future. As I have said it was out of turn, completely out of turn, and I can do nothing more than humble myself before you and beg you to accept my sincerest apologies.

I am sorry Neil and to everyone else for souring the tone of this thread.

Please forgive me
Myles

Myles,

It is very easy to let stuff get under your skin, and when you have to read a lot of hate mail/posts it kind of puts up your defenses. Glad to see you've deleted some of those flaming posts on the Ratzinger Fan Club. Now they can't get under anyone's skin! They definitely needed an "enforcer" over there and I'm glad they've got you now.

Tammy

Hmm, well I just hope whatever good I do there can go some way to atoning for my wrongs here. Once again I apologise.

Myles wrote:

Recently, the forum there has been swamped by secularists, fundamentalists and other individuals whose sole ambition it seems is to annoy, irritate and berate members of the forum. Some have resorted to direct attacks on the person of not only His Eminence Cardinal Ratzinger but also the late great Pope John Paul II. Some of the comments, particularly in the case of the latter, have been to my mind unreasonably distasteful.

Pope Benedict XVI must be just what God ordered or satan would not be so busy attacking. As with the Dessert Father who was so harrased by spirits they were driving him bonkers. 'He said to them, look at the town over there, there is only one spirit lying on the fence watching the town. Go bother them.'

'The spirit replied why, they are doing just what we want them to do.'

So the pope must really begetting ready to ruffle some feathers the good way and all for the glory of God.

Pani Rose

I heard that Cardinal Ratzinger was a frequent reader of this Byzantine Forum! In fact, he may have had a psuedonym here. We must watch, to see who now has less time for posting, it may have been him.

It has to be admitted that I never spotted the Cleric with a red Paper Bag on his head while I was in Rome.

Could he have been hiding from me ?