The Devil is more than a symbol
In his column for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia website, Archbishop Charles Chaput told a story about the scholar Leszek Kołakowski. Kołakowski was giving a lecture at Harvard on “The Devil in History”. The mood in the room became restless: the distinguished audience “couldn’t figure out where he was going with his lecture”, Archbishop Chaput wrote.
“Present that day were the historians Tony Judt and Timothy Garton Ash. About 10 minutes into the talk, Ash leaned over to Judt and whispered incredulously: ‘I’ve got it. He really is talking about the Devil.’ And in fact, he was.”
Archbishop Chaput said the moment reflected “the little bigotries of our intellectual class”, who would like to forget that the Devil really exists. “Kołakowski (unlike some of our own Catholic leaders who should know better) was not using the word “Devil” as a symbol of the darkness in our own hearts, or a metaphor for the bad things that happen in the world. He was talking about the spiritual being Jesus called ‘the evil one’ and ‘the father of lies’ – the fallen angel who works tirelessly to thwart God’s mission and Christ’s work of salvation.”
The philosopher who challenged atheism
At firstthings.com, William Doino Jr celebrated the Protestant philosopher Alvin Plantinga, winner of this year’s Templeton Prize for his contribution to religious thought.
Plantinga is best known for his trilogy in defence of theism, the first volume of which was begun in 1966, a year after Time magazine famously asked on its cover: “Is God dead?” In 1980 Time admitted that God had made a comeback among academic philosophers – thanks, above all, to Plantinga.
One of Plantinga’s arguments was that “belief in the existence of God was rational, just as belief in other minds is. Arguments for the existence of other minds cannot be proven with certitude, yet most everyone accepts them as a given fact.”
His arguments can sound simple, but “Plantinga worked them out with great intricacy and depth, and his book moved many sceptical minds toward belief.”
Plantinga, said Doino, had sparked a “global renaissance in Christian philosophy”.
Christians and Muslims rebuild Iraq
Catholic News Agency reports that Iraqi Muslims and Christians have united to rebuild a damaged monastery. The monastery was smashed up by ISIS during their three-year occupation of Mosul. Militants “vandalised the monastery – smashing windows, damaging the church’s dome, and discarding its cross”.
But a Facebook page for Iraqi Christians has posted photos in which “young Muslims from the northern neighbourhood joined Christians at the Monastery of St George, participating in cleaning and repairs”.
The Christians are Chaldean Catholics, who are in communion with Rome.
✣Meanwhile…
✣ A handwritten note from St Pius X has been found in an attic in Yorkshire. Norman Hazell, who discovered the note, said it had probably been there for 40 or 50 years.
The blessing had been sent by St Pius X in 1908 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Young Men’s Society in Wakefield. He had responded to a request from Fr Timothy Courtney, the director of the society at the time.
Mr Hazell, president of the Catholic Young Men’s Society for more than 50 years, said the blessing probably came into his possession in the late 1950s or 60s. It has now been handed to St Austin’s Church in Wakefield.
Mr Hazell told the Wakefield Express: “Pops Pius was a wonderful pope, a good pope … [Fr Courtney] must have been amazed when the pope wrote back in his own hand. I was delighted when I refound it.”
✣ A ‘robot priest’ has been unveiled at an exhibition marking the Reformation’s 500th anniversary in Germany.
The robot, called BlessU-2, offers blessings, recites verses and shoots light beams.
Stephan Krebs, of the Protestant Church of Hesse and Nassau, said the robot was intended to create a debate rather than provide pastoral care. “We don’t want to robotise our church work,” he said.
✣The week in quotations
The violent crimes you perpetuate are abhorrent. But you are loved Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos Press statement on terrorists
Saying we need to rely on coal and oil is like saying the Earth is not round Vatican official Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo criticises Donald Trump La Repubblica interview
Today … we became orphans Archbishop Shevchuk on the death of Cardinal Husar Press statement
A shepherd must be ready to step down Pope Francis Morning Mass homily
✣Statistic of the week
56 Percentage of Ukrainian Orthodox who would accept a Catholic in their family Pew Research Center
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