Upon further review

Last month, the Vatican offered a glimpse into how it operates and showed how perceptions can change over the years.

On June 30, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with Pope John Paul's approval, lifted an 1887 Vatican condemnation of 40 proposals taken from works by Fr. Antonio Rosmini (1797-1855). That removed a road block to the possible beatification of Fr. Rosmini, a religious order founder and philosopher, whose thoughts on Catholic social teaching were reflected in many ways by Pope Leo XIII 50 years later.

In lifting the condemnation, the Vatican noted that Fr. Rosmini had not finished the works in question and did not have a chance "to explain the precise meaning of the expressions and concepts used." Plus, "the meaning of the propositions as understood and condemned by the decree in reality do not belong to the authentic position of Rosmini," but to conclusions drawn by others from reading his work.

The Vatican did not apologize and noted that if Fr. Rosmini had held the positions they thought he held, he still could be in trouble.