Tea at Trianon: What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Monday, May 3, 2021

What Does It Mean to Be Catholic?

From Return to Order:

Throughout his political career, including the 2020 general election, Mr. Biden has favored the legalization of procured abortion. In more recent years, he embraced same-sex “marriage,” officiating at one while vice president.

Post-inauguration, his administration issued a statement specifying its support for abortion and contraception, not only in America but around the world:

In the past four years, reproductive health, including the right to choose, has been under relentless and extreme attack. … The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to codifying Roe v. Wadeand appointing judges that respect foundational precedents like Roe. We are also committed to ensuring that we work to eliminate maternal and infant health disparities, increase access to contraception, and support families economically so that all parents can raise their families with dignity [sic]. This commitment extends to our critical work on health outcomes around the world.¹

Regarding homosexuality and “transgenderism,” the pro-LGBT sentiment of his cabinet and cabinet-level appointments is well-known. Mr. Biden also signed an executive order affirming that his administration’s policy is that “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”² Likewise, he reinstated “transgenderism” in the Armed Forces,³ and, according to Antony Blinken, his now-confirmed Secretary of State, “he plans to swiftly appoint an LGBTI envoy, [and] allow embassies to fly the pride flag.”⁴ (Read more.)