Stephen Hand & The Zwicks

Thanks to Stephen Hand, editor of TCRNews.Com ("Traditional Catholic Reflections and Reports" who posted this qualified endorsement of the Ratzinger Fan Club to his front page today:

While we disagree with not a few things found at this marvelous website and blog...we agree with virtually everything said about its hero and the creed...

A little too "NeoCon," it would appear for our tastes, and downright wrong when it comes to Mark and Louise Zwick and the Catholic Worker witness in general, it nevertheless remains a "must visit" website if you appreciate Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, as we do. One thing is certain, this website is an important resource for admirers of Cardinal Ratzinger, and it's always written intelligently and with the verve of faith.

Stephen may find me a little "too far right," but in spite of our political differences, he has been gracious enough to link to my website, and I'm more than pleased to do so in return. TCRNews is an excellent resource -- one of the first Catholic websites I discovered on the web, and one which I return to on a regular basis, confident that I will always encounter something new and spiritually-enriching to read (and in that sense, establishing a good example for my own blog to follow). Likewise, Stephen demonstrates how one can esteem Catholic tradition without being compelled to denigrate the Pope and the Church, unlike other self-styled "traditionalists."

As far as the Zwicks are concerned, last year I had objected to what I thought was a hatchet job they did on Michael Novak and Fr. Neuhaus. Whether my critique (of their critique) was correct or "downright wrong," I'll leave to the discernment of my readers.

However, I'll reiterate what I have said about the Zwicks: it is inspiring to see a couple devote their daily lives to the Works of Mercy and assisting the least among us. While I can disagree with the Zwick's opinions on economic matters and "neocons" Neuhaus and Weigel, judging from what I've read in their newspaper, I daresay they accomplish more in the way of love and charity in a day than many of their critics will do in a lifetime, and they are a model of what "any average Catholic or non-Catholic" can do with God's grace.