Date: August 10, 2005 4:06:39 AM PDT
Subject: [ctrl] Novak?s Sect Appeal
Novak’s Sect Appeal
Does Bob Novak owe his uncanny capacity for secrecy to the right-wing Catholic sect
Opus Dei? While his Network-like turn on CNN last Thursday seemed to suggest a
man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the columnist has so far managed to
ignore persistent demands that he reveal his involvement in the Valerie Plame
leak—a feat of rare internal fortitude that some say is a hallmark of the shadowy
Christian group.
Members of the 76-year-old sect are known for self-flagellation and wearing spiked
metal garters underneath their clothes as forms of penance—the kind of extreme
self-discipline that’s said to have also appealed to one of Opus Dei’s most infamous
initiates, ex-FBI agent and convicted Russian spy Robert Hanssen.
Despite the controversy that’s dogged it from its inception, the sect has emerged as
one of the most conservative and influence-seeking wings of the Catholic Church
and is said to enjoy a uniquely close relationship with the Vatican. Though Novak’s
adherence to Opus Dei has never been confirmed—as a policy, the organization
doesn’t reveal its rolls—D.C. insiders have for years noted the pundit’s close
relationship with Father C. John McCloskey III, an eminent member of the group who
helped baptize the Jewish-born Novak into Catholicism in 1998. McCloskey is also
believed to have brought other high-profile Washington conservatives into the group,
including book publisher Alfred Regnery, Republican Kansas Senator Sam
Brownback, and Novak’s former CNN colleague, Larry Kudlow. No prominent
Democrats are known to be members of Opus Dei, a fact that makes the
organization’s donkey mascot more than a tad ironic.
But while Novak appears to have adopted the sect’s cloak-and-dagger affectations,
some accuse him of discarding the underlying themes of fellowship, humility, and
charity that were stressed by Opus Dei founder Saint Josemaria Escriva, who
preached that people should do “small things with great love.” (An axiom quoted by
George W. Bush in his first inaugural address.) Following Novak’s conversion, the
late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan reportedly cracked, “Now that Novak’s become a
Catholic, I wonder when he will become a Christian.”~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Alamaine
Grand Forks, ND, US of A
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font></FONT>
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
www.ctrl.org
DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER
==========
ctrl is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis-directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought.
That being said, ctrl gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. ctrl gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply.
There are two list running, [EMAIL PROTECTED] and
CTRL@listserv.aol.com, [EMAIL PROTECTED] has unlimited posting and is more for discussion.
CTRL@listserv.aol.com is more for informational exchange and has limited posting abilities.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
Omimited posting abilities.
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector.
Om
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
