Wednesday, March 07, 2007

My favorite non-catholic Catholic...

...Paul Cella, defends Pius XII:

...socialism did not lose its cachet until recently. It is ironic that in the almost 20 years since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the focus of many American commentators has been fixed not on the crimes of the socialist bloc, but on the supposed "silence" of Pius XII. Even as former leaders of Soviet puppet parties move smoothly back into power throughout Eastern Europe, the Catholic Church — which under Pius XII successfully rescued some 700,000-800,000 Jews from Hitler, according to Jewish historian Pinchas Lapide — is still the target of choice. Writers such as Sartre (and in America, Lillian Hellman) who backed Josef Stalin all through his purges and genocides are still considered respectable, and Marxism is still treated as a legitimate analytical tool in universities — even as the last traces of Christian influence are systematically purged from public life.

...And yet, as a Christian, I find something comforting in this fact. The Nazis and the Communists knew deep down that the Church was their most implacable foe. Stalin’s famous sneer “How many divisions does the pope have?” has been answered. The silent artillery of time will in the end reduce all heresies and expose all falsehoods.

If you're a Catholic catholic, you ought to read it.

6 comments:

TS said...

Cella can flat out write. Thanks for linking.

William Luse said...

Hopefully he will see your praise.

William Luse said...

I'm channeling Paul Cella, who has sworn off blog commenting for Lent. He assures me by email, which he has not sworn off of, that he is grateful for the compliment.

Lydia McGrew said...

Since you say Cella is your favorite non-Catholic Catholic, I'm really curious: What is he? Evangelical, Greek Orthodox, Presbyterian...?? I probably should know the answer to this but don't, so this is the easiest way to find out. And, yes, he is a wonderful writer.

William Luse said...

I can't answer that in public. And he's sworn off blog commenting, so he can't answer either. However, I will notify him by email, which he has not sworn off of, and see if he'll let me channel him one more time.

William Luse said...

Cella says: expect an email. Which he has not sworn off of.