Infallibility

Do I seem to be making a large claim in behalf of the Vicar of Christ? Does not every one who rejects the living voice of the Church virtually make the same claim for his sect and for himself? He disclaims infallibility, but he is confident that that he is in the right: that the Catholic interpretations of the Scriptures are erroneous, and his are certain. Churches that are fallible, it seems, never err, at least in their own esteem; and all the multiplication of their perpetual contradictions fail to bring them to a sense of their aberrations

- Cardinal Manning, quoted by Father Alvin Kimel, who asks of his blog, "Does Pontifications have a future?"

I hope it does, because I have finally gotten around to adding to my sidebar the blog of this convert from Anglicanism.

Father Kimel posted Cardinal Manning's quote in response to an ad hominem attack from a particularly obnoxious self-styled "Confessional Lutheran" blog (think "South Park Conservative" gets religion). This blog causes me to reconsider the generally positive opinion I have of the denomination I grew up in.

[link to post via A conservative blog for peace]

UPDATE: Here is the post from the "Confessional Lutherans" that I alluded to above: Sunday, July 10, 2005.

The blog, Here We Stand, has 11 members. "Josh S" (be sure to check out the sacriligious "icon" he made of himself), is the poster who leveled the ad hominem attacks against "ol' Ponty" and left this question in his post:

On a related note, here's a 90% serious question for any papists who might read this: what's it take to not be "invincibly ignorant?" Seriously, I'd rather be told I'm going to rot in hell for my heresy than be told I'm ignorant.

I left a brief, but politely worded response that given the tone of the post and the blog, the blogger might consider being more concerned with pride than ignorance. My comments were deleted immediately. This explains why among the 100 comments left there are none by a "Papist."

[To add insult to injury, one of the bloggers goes as far as to impugn the reputation of Francisco Franco! ]

I learned an appreciation for the Liturgy from the same LCMS some of these guys attend. Reading their blog, I'm glad I got out when I did. Having to maintain the untenable position that the Holy Spirit was silent in the Church as a body for 1500 years until an infallible Augustinian monk came along might make me equally bitter, hostile, and defensive.

If these "Augsburg Evangelicals" are in anyway indicative of what the 19th Century reformers were like, they serve has a helpful reminder for Catholics of the great heresy that was the Protestant Reformation.