Shocked, Shocked To Find Gambling Going On

by Michael Sean Winters

View Author Profile

Join the Conversation

Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor. Learn more

We all remember the scene in Casablanca when Captain Louis Renault, played by Claude Rains, pronounces him "shocked, shocked" to find that gambling has been going on at Rick's cafe, just before he collects his winnings. I thought of that scene when reading Janet Smith's article at First Things in which she asks who Pope Francis could be speaking about when he suggested that some Catholics are obsessed with certain moral issues to the exclusion of the fundamental proclamation of the Gospel. I can only recall the first meeting of young theologians with the USCCB doctrine committee a couple of years ago at which Dr. Smith spoke. The meeting was called to assess the intellectual tasks of the New Evangelization. Smith gave her standard stump speech against contraception. In fact, the words "New Evangelization" or, for that matter, "Old Evangelization" did not cross her lips until someone asked a question after her talk. It was appalling. Now, she is shocked to think that anyone she knows is obsessed. It is rich.  

Latest News

Advertisement

1x per dayDaily Newsletters
1x per weekWeekly Newsletters
2x WeeklyBiweekly Newsletters