At the apogee of nineteenth century Ultramontanism, W.G. Ward reportedly lusted for a papal bull to spice every breakfast.

Monday breakfasts in Boston regale on bull of a different breed (courtesy The Globe):

The God whom atheists aggressively deny (the all-powerful,all-knowing, unmoved Mover; the God of damnation, supernaturalintervention, salvation-through-appeasement, patriarchy, puritanism,war, etc.) is indeed the God enshrined in propositions of the Councilof Trent, and in its liturgy. But this God is also one whom more andmore believers, including Catholics, simply do not recognize as the Godwe worship.

Such people regard the fact that God is unknowable asthe most important thing to know about God. Traditional propositions ofthe creed, therefore, must be affirmed neither rigidly nor as if theyare meaningless, but with thoughtful modesty about all religiouslanguage, allowing for doubt, as well as respect for different creeds-- and for no creed.

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a longtime Commonweal contributor.

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