Thursday 19 February 2009

The Suppository Has Spoken...

As I mentioned before, Elena Curti of The Tablet (aka The Bitter Pill, or, occasionally, The Suppository) has tried to do a hatchet-job on Fr. Tim.

The article is inaccurate in several respects: Fr. Tim has done a fisk á la Fr. Z. in which he points out the many, many mistakes. I agree wholeheartedly with Fr. Zuhlsdorf's analysis: this garbage is not going to stop Fr. Tim, so it's clear that it was written with the sole intention of intimidating and discouraging any other Parish Priests who might be considering implementing Summorum Pontificum in their own parishes. The whole tone (once you get past the barbed comments and little snide innuendoes) is one of fear: the liberals have had their day, and they're on the way out.

In addition to Fr. Tim's fisk, the eminent Fr. Z has also given Ms. Curti's work some analysis. Fr. Dwight Longenecker has added a few of his thoughts, while, closer to home, Fr. Ray Blake (another wonderful priest who wishes to make the Extraordinary Form of Mass available to his parishioners) has a few words of encouragement. Damian Thompson is of the opinion that Elena Curti's article is so ineptly written that Fr. Tim's fisk has turned it round on it head.

There are more posts around the Blogosphere: this attack on a good and holy priest has really stirred people up. The comments are really pouring in, and they are all supportive of what Fr. Tim is doing.

Some people may be regretting their actions already. I hope that, as a parish community, we can put this episode behind us, and move forward.

7 comments:

Joe said...

Whilst I have every sympathy for the difficult position in which Fr Tim finds himself, and the difficulty that this creates for the parihs, all of the comments of unqualified support for the situation in Blackfen make the assumption that the implementation of Summorum Pontificum is to be equated with more celebrations of the extaordinary form. As I have suggested at my own blog, I do not think this is the case. In most parishes the implementation of Summorum Pontificum will relate to the enrichment in the celebration of the ordinary form - and it is the failure to do this that represents, in my view, the most serious failure in the implementation. A deliberate promotion of the extraordinary form is not, in my view, envisaged by Summorum Pontificum or by the letter to Bishops that accompanied it.

Patrick Sheridan said...

Mac, you and I both know the real nature of the article - the petty, and nasty, whinging of someone who has lost the argument - the hubris of the defeated if you will.

Ches said...

My own modest raspberry back at Curti:
http://thesensiblebond.blogspot.com/2009/02/omnis-comparatio-claudicat.html

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry "they" are doing this to your parish. Prayers for you all; God bless Father Tim.

Et Expecto said...

I suggest that all readers never buy another copy of the Tablet.

Elizabeth said...

I totally agree with you Mac, let Father Tim carry on with his wonderful work, we, that is all eleven of us (that's just my family in the parish) are totally behind him, this is only a minor hiccup to show Father the real support that is behind him (never mind the Angel of God before him). God never allows bad to happen if good is not to come from it.

The battle is won, we just have to decide which side we want to be on. I will follow our Mother the Church and holy priests like Father Tim till the day I die.

Thank you Father, you are in our prayers.

PeterHWright said...

I couldn't agree more.

This is a real apercu, something I had not fully considered. Fr. Tim is unstoppable, but not necessarily all other priests.

The Tablet article could indeed deter many priests from implementing Summorum Pontificum in their parishes. Yes, I can see the intention.

Thank you for very much for your support for your PP, Fr. Tim. There is little I can do, living so far away, except offer my prayers for this kind and generous and good priest.

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