In Europe in the 19th century, everyone knew what politically "right-wing" meant: the defense of pre-Revolutionary royal, aristocratic, and ecclesiastical hierarchies. But somehow in the 20th century after the apocalypse of World War I it was apparently decided--ironically by both proponents and antagonists--that "right-wing" now meant practically anything anyone wanted it to mean...except for its original understanding. As an incorrigible monarchist who refuses to give up on those old hierarchies, I have wavered between attempting to recover that original definition and abandoning Right/Left nomenclature altogether. But whichever path we choose, we must stand firm in refusing to ever accept the abandonment of the old commitment to traditional monarchies, even if it means being dubbed "unrealistic" or "irrelevant." What was right in 1789 or 1848 or 1917 is right today, and what was wrong then is wrong today. (Right-wingers in Germany and Austria tried to "move on" after the fall of their monarchies. We all know what the result was.)
On a vaguely related note, I have
not been enthusiastic about Pope Francis, whose liturgical and
ceremonial sensibilities seem to be diametrically opposed to my own, but if
he's making the sort of Conservative American Catholics (TM) who imagine
Catholicism in the US to be virtually synonymous with Republicanism
uncomfortable, good for him. (Not that Catholics should be Democrats
either. They should, of course, be Altar & Throne monarchists!)
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I share your sentiments about Pope Francis. To my "Conservative" friends, I'm a crazy nutjob for not being super-happy with Pope Francis' liturgical praxis (even though I say nothing to them about it -- attending the mass that my ancestors did is enough), and thus must be schismatic at heart, but they can criticize him all they want about politics where it deviates from the GOP talking points, whether that be on social or economic issues.
I sincerely don't understand how one can be a thinking Catholic and not be a monarchist. It simply doesn't compute to me any more.
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