Sunday, December 22, 2013

Detroit News column paints Francis as the dream pope of dissenters: Prof. Monica Miller responds

In response to a column by Marney Keenan, "Pope Francis a leader for the Catholics of today" (Detroit News, December 19, 2013), Dr. Monical Miller, professor at Madonna University, in Livonia (Metro Detroit) and head of Citizens for a Pro-Life Socity, writes:
Dear Editor:

Marney Keenan thinks Pope Francis fulfils many of her dreams for all that a pope should be but she apparently did not pay much attention to John Paul II. Keenan, waiting for the Church to give up the Faith, is falling all over Francis because his style and rhetoric seem to suit her, but she could celebrate the papacy of the pope from Poland for many of the reasons she likes Francis. John Paul II did more to take the Faith to the people than any pope in history. He traveled to nearly every country on earth, inspired millions of young people in World Youth Days, and was instrumental in the fall of communism, giving hope to millions of workers. He wrote three documents on the role and dignity of women in the Church. He's the one who coined the term “the genius of women." While Keenan is impressed that Francis invited homeless men to have lunch at the Vatican, JP II decades ago already embraced homosexuals afflicted with AIDS and Keenan forgets that it was JPII who met face to face with the very man who tried to murder him, offering Mehmet Ali Ağca peace and forgiveness! None of this matters to Keenan because, unlike Francis, JP II spoke with doctrinal clarity and thus did not provide the ambiguity she needs to advance her dissenting agenda.

Furthermore, Francis never said that “denying communion to those who are divorced and remarried defeats the purpose of the sacrament” and Keenan seems to think popes have authority to change teachings like contraception. In this she shows ignorance of Catholicism. Popes have about as much authority to make such changes as they do to command the sun to rise in the west.

Monica Migliorino Miller, Ph. D.
[Hat tip to M.M.]

3 comments:

Unknown said...
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Ralph Roister-Doister said...

Much as I love Miller, I'm having trouble getting her point here.

(1) If her point is that Marney Keenan is an ignoramus on the subject of Catholicism, well, that is a point hardly worth the effort of making.

(2) If her point is that JP2 is every bit as much a "dream pope of dissenters" as Francis, well, that is hardly a point JP2 would appreciate her making -- not that there isn't some truth to it.

(3) If her point is that neither man is a dissenter's heartthrob, and that both speak with exemplary "doctrinal clarity," then I will have to chalk up her letter to a good lady having a bad day.

Pertinacious Papist said...

I'm pretty sure about the bad day part. I think she's among those who have felt particularly slighted if not "thrown under the bus," by some of the rogue statements from the top.