Wednesday, July 07, 2004

Here I stand...corrected

Old Oligarch's critique of Cardinal Dulles's First Things commentary on Catholic pro-choice politicians has won me over. Having taken a course w/Dulles in div school, I've got a soft spot for the American master of Catholic thought that's perhaps too soft. OO overcomes two of my previous concerns: doubts over the pragmatics of refusing Eucharist to individuals in a manner commensurate with the dignity of the Mass, and doubts over canonical precedent. He actually makes my concerns look pretty dumb. His critique may also call into question Ratzinger's distinction between "formal cooperation" and "remote material cooperation" in evil, which may be (mis?)interpreted as relieving the lay Catholic voter from having to maintain a strict perichoresis between political morality and Eucharistic discipline. Other than that, OO and Ratz seem to be of one mind.