"Springtime of Vatican II"
Update

Not Even Liberal Catholics Welcome In EU Government

by Christopher A. Ferrara

       When I read that Rocco Buttiglione has been nominated by the Italian government to serve as the European Union’s Justice and Human Affairs commissioner, I had a hard time believing that he would ever be seated. This is because Buttiglione has actually said things that offend against political correctness — for example, that he believes homosexual conduct is a sin.

        Now Buttiglione, like any good post-conciliar pluralist Catholic, assured EU officials during his confirmation hearing that he would never — no, never — allow his beliefs to influence his official judgments: "I may think that homosexuality is a sin, and this has no effect on politics, unless I say that homosexuality is a crime." He further stated (as AP reported) that "He vowed to defend the rights of gays …" The rights of gays? And what "rights" would those be, exactly? You know, their rights — whatever those "rights" are in the EU, Buttiglione will defend them. Yes sir, no questions asked.

        So, Buttiglione was quite willing to sever his "personal" morality from his "public morality" — precisely what the "Catholic" politician John Kerry is doing here in America, along with every other modern politician who adheres to the Dogma of Pluralism. But Buttiglione’s capitulation wasn’t good enough for the European Parliament’s Justice Committee. As AP reported on October 12, "the committee voted 27-26 not to recommend Buttiglione, officials said." AP further reports that "the vote caused a political storm in Italy, with politicians on the right coming to Buttiglione’s defense and many on the left attacking the government’s choice of candidate."

       AP further reveals that during the confirmation hearing "Buttiglione, who is close to the Vatican, faced a barrage of hostile questions over his conservative views." So, you see, someone who holds conservative "views" is unacceptable to EU officials even if he vows that his "views" will have no bearing on his policy decisions. In the emerging EU pluralist superstate, one who wishes to serve in its government must not even think that evil is evil. As AP notes, "Buttiglione is the only commissioner-designate to be rejected by an EU assembly panel so far."

        But it isn’t over yet. For, as AP notes, "Under EU rules, the 732-member parliament cannot reject individual candidates, only the entire incoming commission." That is, the EU must either accept the entire commission as nominated, and Buttiglione as the commission’s head, or else reject the entire commission. So, Buttiglione might be seated after all.

        Not that it will make any difference. For if a Catholic politician promises he will act as if he were an atheist when exercising his political office, then it matters not whether he is a Catholic. Once again the Dogma of Pluralism is allowed to trump the Law of God. And yet the Vatican has hailed the emergence of the EU as a great step forward for Europe, thus cheering on the very forces that will soon lead the Church’s persecution in the years to come. Such is the crisis in the Catholic Church today.