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Tuesday, December 31, 2019

VESPERS, TE DEUM AND BENEDICTION OF THE MOST BLESSED SACRAMENT

Yikes! Go to 1:45:40 and see the Holy Father lose it when an Asian woman grabs his hand, yanks him back and the Holy Father slaps her hand. He was really angry!

Monday, December 30, 2019

AN ANCIENT NEAPOLITAN POOR MAN’S DISH, EGGS IN PURGATORY, BUT DON’T SERVE IT TO PROTESTANTS BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN IT!


A very simple recipe, olive oil, garlic cloves, can tomato sauce, cup of water, eggs,  basil, parmigiana and salt and pepper. I added chicken and spaghetti, but should be served as is with good crusty Italian bread.  Eggs should be runny and bread dipped into mixture once it cools a bit. Purgatory is delicious!


IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CHURCH IN THE LATE 1960’S THAT HAS LED TO THE MISERABLE STATE OF AFFAIRS OF THE CHURCH OF TODAY, WATCH THIS ELVIS PRESLEY MOVIE TRAILER AS IT IS A SUPERB TIME CAPSULE OF THAT PERIOD AND TELLS THE STORY FROM THE MEDIA’S JOYFUL PERSPECTIVE!


IS THE ORDINARY FORM MASS'S FATAL FLAW THAT IT RADICAIZES NARCISSISTIC PRIESTS AND CONGREGATIONS AND FEEDS THE NEED FOR ENTERTAINMENT AT MASS RATHER THAN STAID AWE, WONDER, REVERENCE AND SAMENESS WHERE EVER YOU GO TO MASS?







This is more on the fatal flaw of the Ordinary Form Mass that enables the compromised, be they clergy or laity, to abuse the Mass for narcissistic, clerical or creative, entertaining purposes.

There have been so many corruptions of the OF Mass and it began with the vey first reforms of the EF Mass in the mid 1960's with the 1965 Missal. There is that Elvis Presley movie, Change of Habits, with Mary Tyler Moore, where folk music is sung an a 1965 Missal Mass, ad orientem no less and Elvis in the folk band singing and entertaining from the front. This movie even capitalizes on the changes in the Church at that period and two befuddled older parishioners wondering what's happening to the Church.

Fast forward to the destruction of classic church interiors and horrible new architecture. I posted photos of my interview of Santa Claus at a children's Mass in the early 80's which is exactly the kind of thing encouraged by liturgists at the time for children's liturgies. It is usually at a school Masses or children's liturgies that these bizarre kinds of things take place.

And what about the super creativity of nuns' Masses and seminaries and others with specialized Masses, puppet Masses come to mind.

And yes, the Ordinary Form Mass, feeds the narcissism of priests and congregations. They enjoy Mass as a form of entertainment and despise the reverence, awe, wonder and rigidity of the EF Mass--they simply don't want that, they want casual, friendly, entertaining type Masses and the OF Mass is designed for that and for narcissism and clericalism.

In fact the OF Mass places the clericalism of some priests, associated with narcissism, on steroids. 

https://youtu.be/sTvIfSKCKVg

THE POLITICIZATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS AND SOCIOPATHS


I am watching both FOX and CNN as they cover the two latest attacks on believers this past weekend, one at the home of Orthodox Jews and the other in a Christian Church in Texas.

Of course each network has political commentators giving their politicized view on why white people are being radicalized and then turning to violence. For CNN it all leads back to President Trump for FOX it all leads back to liberal democrats and their policies.

Let's face it, mentally ill men and women as well as sociopaths are being radicalized by the media. In almost every case of a Mass shooting be it a house of religion, a Mall or a concert venue, it is a mentally or socially compromised person doing the killing.

Where are we to assign blame? I would place it on social media and websites that mentally and socially compromised people are fed a steady diet of hate and uncritical thinking.

But most of all I blame 24 hour a day news networks who cover these horrible stories where the mentally ill and other sociopaths are giving their two minutes of fame by news coverage ad nauseum.

It doesn't take much to give mentally and socially compromised people a reason to act and feel in control. The media, especially the main line medias need to do some soul searching in their role in radicalized the mentally ill.

And while we are at it, let's talk about violent laden video games, movies and television shows. What about the "Walking Dead", the CSI shows, and others that show violent content to entertain people, not to mention the actual violence seen on shows like Live PD!

It dulls the senses of even normal people and gives license to the compromised. 

IS ARMED PARISHIONERS THE SOLUTION TO CUTTING DOWN ON DEATHS IN MASS SHOOTINGS IN CHURCHES AND OTHER RELIGIOUS SETTINGS

YES! DISCUSS!


WHEREAS POPE FRANICS AND I ARE ON THE SAME PAGE; HOW ABOUT YOU?

 



I am blessed to have grown up in a time where families did family things together especially on Sunday. Southern culture with its blue laws helped in this as stores were closed and Sunday was truly a day of rest by civil law.

My family went to Mass together in our Sunday best after having all taken a bath on Saturday night. When we got home from Mass, it was a time to prepare for our formal midday Pranzo or dinner with a properly set table and extra special main course.

Later in the day we did family things like going to the movies or taking a ride out into the country or some other kind of recreation like fishing, swimming or going to the lake (Clark Hill).

Pope Francis and I were on the same page for the Solemnity of the Holy Family:

This is what I wrote in my bulletin letter for The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph:

What makes a family strong? When Jesus Christ is at the center it, as He was in His own Holy Family. That's true of our families but also of every Catholic parish.

Strong families pray together at home and make their parish life and Mass attendance foundation because that makes Jesus foundational to the family. The family that prays together stays together.

Eating together at the family table for at least breakfast and supper is critical to making families strong. And ALL and I mean ALL, electronic devises should be off and banned from the table!!!! I mean it!

Finally keeping holy the Lord's Day each and every Sunday by going to Mass and refraining from servile work and shopping, will go a long way in strengthening families. Sunday should be a family day of worship, rest and relaxation. And Sunday's dinner should be extra special with a nicely, properly set table!

"I ask myself if you, in your family, know how to communicate or are you like those kids at meal tables where everyone is chatting on their mobile phone ... where there is silence like at a Mass but they don't communicate," the Pope said.
"Fathers, parents, children, grandparents, brothers and sisters, this is a task to undertake today, on the day of the Holy Family," he added. 
This is not the first time the Pope - who boasts more than 18 million Twitter followers - has chided his followers for spending too much time glued to their devices, especially during Mass. 
"At a certain point the priest leading the ceremony says 'lift up our hearts'. He doesn't say 'lift up our mobile phones to take photographs' - it's a very ugly thing," he said in 2017.
"It's so sad when I'm celebrating mass here or inside the basilica and I see lots of phones held up - not just by the faithful, but also by priests and bishops! Please!"

Saturday, December 28, 2019

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE ORDINARY FORM MASS AND PRIESTS AND CONGREGATIONS WHO CELEBRATE IT THAT MAKES ANYONE THINK THAT THIS OKAY AT MASS?

I don’t know what is worse, the priest who does this, or his groupies, I mean parishioners, who love him doing it and think that this is appropriate for a Catholic Mass.

It is unimaginable that this would happen after an Extraordinary Form Mass. What it is about priests who see themselves as entertainers at Mass which enable them to think they can do this kind of thing and congregations that enable his exhibitionist tendencies and desire for accolades?

Why is the OF Mass susceptible to this kind of thing and not the EF Mass?

I ask; you answer!

WHERE I AGREE AND DISAGREE


This is a quote from a longer article in Crux which you can read in full by pressing the title:

African bishops say Church polarization ‘more political than doctrinal’

“In Africa, we are brought up never to criticize our elders in public,” said Palmer-Buckle, adding that if he had a disagreement or a concern with his father, he would address it “behind closed doors.”

“This is what I could pray for American bishops, for German and other European bishops,” he told Crux. 

“When they step out in the public and create disaffection for the pope, they should not forget they are taking the carpet from underneath their own feet,” adding that bishops are undermining their own authority among the laity when they challenge the pope.

My comments: Part of the problem of the culture of abuse in the Catholic Church and society in general is this idea that the Africans still articulate that we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public or criticize those who are our elders and superiors even though they deserve criticism behind closed doors.

With all of the sex abuse scandals in the  Church, wasn't this one of the greatest causes that allowed it to fester and proliferate for so long?

And think of the disgraced bishop of West Virginia and Mr. McCarrick.  Shouldn't priests have outed them much sooner and yes publicly?

And if any pope, regardless of who it is and his religious orthodoxy or heterodoxy is spiritually abusing his high office with all kinds of polarizing nonsense, shouldn't that be challenged and publicly for God's sake? Isn't this the way to protect the Deposit of Faith and allow people to know what is kosher and not kosher coming from the lips and lives of our religious leaders in the Catholic Church? No one is above God's law and the Pope isn't God and can't change everything in a Gnostic way.

And shouldn't those who are challenged by their peers and publicly answer the questions directly and publicly?

I don't like all the polarization in the Church and it is on steroids since the election of the current pontiff. It's not entirely the fault of those going public against their elders.

NOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING, BUT JUST SAYING


Does your local secular newspaper have a religion section? The Savannah News Press does not seem to have a regular Saturday religion section. The Augusta Chronicle does and both newspapers are owed by the same corporation.

The Macon Telegraphy has a religion section on Saturday or at least did when I lived there.

In the 1990's the Columbus Leger as well as the Augusta Chronicle both had religion writers for local stories and that was their job to write about religion only. Augusta's religion reporter was Catholic and most of her stories were on Catholic themes and she got away with it.

But this is my complaint. Most religion sections are in Saturday's paper and the very last section and usually after the Pet Section!!!!

Shouldn't religious news be mainstreamed. For example, in this morning's Augusta Chronicle the article I post below on the three local Protestant pastors supporting President Trump is the front page news story, not relegated to the religion section and its fluff. And this front page story is on the top half of the paper.

Isn't that where religious news belongs and not exiled to the vey last section of the newspaper right before the want ads?

Friday, December 27, 2019

SHOULD PASTORS GET INVOLVED IN POLITICS

I was always taught not to discuss religion or politics in polite company. It seems these Augusta pastors are not following this sage advice!

3 area pastors signed pro-Trump letter


By Susan McCord, The Augusta Chronicle, December 27, 2019

Three area ministers joined religious officials nationwide in signing a letter opposing the recent Christianity Today editorial calling for the removal of President Donald Trump.
The pastors lead three large area congregations — David McKinley, of Warren Baptist Church; Marty Baker, of Stevens Creek Church; and C.T. Townsend, of Victory Baptist Church in North Augusta.
In the Dec. 19 editorial, editor-in-chief Mark Galli said even if Democrats have “had it out” for the Republican president since his election, evangelicals must look at the facts surrounding Trump’s effort to withhold foreign aid to Ukraine for his own benefit.
“The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents,” Galli wrote. “That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”
In response to the editorial, the three Augusta pastors along with dozens of other religious officials — “Focus on the Family” founder James Dobson, former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed, Church of God General Overseer Tim Hill, Jerry Falwell Jr. — called Galli an “elite evangelical” whose views attack not only Trump but the magazine’s readership.
The editorial “not only targeted our President; it also targeted those of us who support him, and have supported you,” the letter said.
“We are Bible-believing Christians and patriotic Americans who are simply grateful that our President has sought our advice” on issues such as abortion, religious freedom and support for Israel.
Founded by the evangelical leader Billy Graham in 1956, Christianity Today reports a circulation of 130,000.
Graham’s son, Franklin Graham, said his late father supported Trump and would be “disappointed” with the magazine’s views.
No officials with any of the three Augusta churches or other local evangelical leaders responded to messages seeking comment about the letter..
A pastor ordained in the Church of God, Aaron Snow, said he reacted with shock to seeing Hill, Baker and other Church of God leaders sign the letter.
“I don’t feel it is an accurate or proper representation of what I believe as a Christian and what I hope to believe as a minister,” Snow said. “You have to realize you represent more than yourself.”
Snow, who agrees with Galli’s position, said the response letter seemed an emotional, “knee-jerk” reaction consisting of the officials’ personal values and beliefs.
Dave Barbee, a longtime GOP official and political observer, said the evangelical community has been “infiltrated” by left-leaning or moderate Christians, but the editorial does not indicate support among Trump’s evangelical base is waning.
“They’re acting like they’re speaking for all evangelical people and that’s not true,” he said.
As with Moses, King David and Noah in the Old Testament, “God uses sinners,” Barbee said. “They came around and they did God’s work.”
Dante Stewart, an Augusta pastor who has written for Christianity Today and been involved with the white evangelical community, said he was surprised Galli came out so strongly against Trump, but added that it’s a discussion long overdue.
“White evangelicalism needs to deal with this,” said Stewart, a black Protestant who attends Tabernacle Baptist Church. “As black writers for Christianity Today or other evangelical spaces, we thought, ‘what took y’all so long?’”
The white pastors tend to appear neutral toward Trump, but condone the “bartering” that gets, for instance, candidates such as pro-life judges, he said.
Upsetting the congregation means losing the power and money the community has long held, while the divide over Trump may further polarize its fringes, he said.
“The reality is when someone comes out against that strongly the defensiveness usually lodges itself deeper,” he said.
Galli’s editorial continues that Trump has “dumbed down the idea of morality in his administration,” by hiring and firing people who are now convicted criminals, remaining proud of his immoral actions, both in business and his personal life.
His Twitter feed, a “habitual string of mischaracterizations, lies and slanders,” shows he is morally lost, Galli said.
“Can we say with a straight face that abortion is a great evil that cannot be tolerated and, with the same straight face, say that the bent and broken character of our nation’s leader doesn’t really matter in the end?” he asked.
However, the response to the editorial added that Galli was pretentious to judge with whom the church associates.
“We are proud to be numbered among those in history who, like Jesus, have been pretentiously accused of having too much grace for tax collectors and sinners,” it said.

CELEBRATING THE SOLEMNITY OF CHRISTMAS THE NIGHT BEFORE, ON DECEMBER 24 RATHER THAN THE 25TH


It seems that Christmas Midnight Mass is becoming a relic of the past. Very few churches in our diocese, including mine, bother to have it? Why?

Because our laity love early vigils some beginning as early as 4:00 PM. In fact if there is a 4 pm Christmas Vigil it will be the most packed of all the Masses of Christmas.

The schedule at my parish was 5 pm which was the Family Mass preceded by the children's Christmas Pagent. Our church seats about 1,000 and it was packed.

Our "Mass at Night" was at 9 pm. Not as packed but quite full.

Then we had Christmas Day Mass at 9 AM with about 400 in attendance.

In days gone by, but within my memory, the first Mass of Christmas was always on Christmas Day, at Midnight or 12 AM in the morning. It was the packed Mass. Why? Maybe people wanted to get it over with so as not to disturb their Christmas Day traditions of opening gifts and a nice breakfast?

To be quite frank, the early vigils on Christmas Eve killed the Midnight Mass. Even the Vatican since Pope St. John Paul has abandoned the Midnight Mass. This year it was at 9:30 PM I think.

What was your Christmas tradition prior to Vigil Masses being so early and the Midnight Mass abandoned?

Thursday, December 26, 2019

CHRISTMAS PAST



Midnight Mass at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in the late 1990’s. The late Deacon Ephriam Williams at chair. I use to preach from the center not the ambo/pulpit and without notes, neither of which I do now!

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

THE HOLY SACRIFICE OF THE MASS AT NIGHT WITH POPE FRANCIS



Pope at Christmas Night Mass: “Tonight God’s love is revealed”

The Christmas Night liturgy in St Peter’s Basilica began with the chanting of the Kalenda, the proclamation of historic events leading up to Jesus’ birth. Immediately afterwards, the Pope unveiled the image of the Christ Child at the foot of the altar.
By Vatican News
The Christmas Night liturgy in St Peter’s Basilica began with the chanting of the Kalenda, the proclamation of historic events leading up to Jesus’ birth. Immediately afterwards, the Pope unveiled the image of the Christ Child at the foot of the altar.

The grace of God has appeared

In his homily during the Mass, Pope Francis focused on the theme of God’s grace: “bringing salvation to all” and shining “on our world this night”.
The Pope described this grace as “divine love, the love that changes lives, renews history, liberates from evil, fills hearts with peace and joy”. This love is revealed to us as Jesus, he explained: “In Jesus, the Most High made Himself tiny, so that we might love Him”.
In a world where “everything seems to be about giving in order to get, God comes down freely. His love is non-negotiable”, said the Pope.

The gift of grace at Christmas

“Christmas reminds us that God continues to love us all, even the worst of us”, continued Pope Francis, because we are precious in His eyes. His love is unconditional; it does not depend on us. “How often do we think that God is good if we are good and punishes us if we are bad”, said the Pope. “Yet that is not how He is… His love does not change. It is not fickle; it is faithful. It is patient”.
”Grace is a synonym of beauty”, continued Pope Francis, and in the beauty of God’s love, “we also discover our own beauty, for we are beloved of God. In His eyes we are beautiful, “not for what we do but for what we are”.

Accepting the gift of grace

Pope Francis continued his reflections inviting us to “contemplate the Child and let ourselves be caught up in His tender love”. At Christmas, the question is: “Do I allow myself to be loved by God? Do I abandon myself to His love that comes to save me?”
Accepting this gift of grace means “being ready to give thanks in return”, continued Pope Francis. “Today is the right day to draw near to the tabernacle, the crèche, the manger, and to say thank you. Let us receive the gift that is Jesus, in order then to become gift like Jesus. To become gift is to give meaning to life. And it is the best way to change the world”.

The gift of our lives

Jesus did not change history with a flood of words, continued the Pope, “but by the gift of His life. He did not wait until we were good before He loved us”. In the same way, we should not wait “for our neighbours to be good before we do good to them, for the Church to be perfect before we love her, for others to respect us before we serve them”. “Let us begin with ourselves”, said the Pope. “This is what it means freely to accept the gift of grace”.

The greatest gift of all time

Pope Francis then related the legend of how, “at the birth of Jesus, the shepherds hurried to the stable with different gifts”, but there was one who was very poor and had nothing to give. Seeing that shepherd, embarrassed and with empty hands, Mary put the baby Jesus in his arms, continued the Pope.

POST VATICAN II MOMENTS FROM YOURS TRULY AT SAINT TERESA'S CHURCH, ALBANY, GEORGIA AROUND 1982 OR SO!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus or better yet, Saint Nicholas. At the Family Christmas Vigial Mass in 1982, some two years after I was ordained a priest, I decided that my homily would include and interview with Saint Nicholas. Please note he is dressed as a Catholic Bishop and looks oh so authentic, no?

In my interview, I asked him what it was like to celebrate Mass, be a priest in general and what his relationship to Jesus and the Church was like. Then we went to the church's crèche scene and we all sang Silent Night, as I asked all to kneel, including Saint Nick! But before that, a lighted cake was brought out and we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Yes, it was a post-Vatican II, spirit of Vatican II liturgy that many here will deride. I wish I could interview the kids at this Mass some 38 years later, most of them in the 40's, and ask if they still practice their faith and if that Christmas Mass was memorable to them.

What do you think?

What's stopping any priest to include me from doing this kind of homily at an EF Mass on Christmas? Of course, I'd have to take off my maniple and maybe chasuble, but it certainly resides in the arena of the possible, no?










EXACTLY!


While there are certainly rigid Catholics either orthodox or heterodox, there are also manipulative Catholics which is even more of a concern.

The quote of Christmas Eve Day:

A curial employee who spoke....under condition of anonymity said the pope seems not to understand that psychological imbalance is not the only reason why people resist specific changes. 
“That is, some of his critics might oppose his ideas or plans for religious, academic, or practical reasons,” he said.  
“They may be right or wrong, but to suggest that anyone and everyone who resists your plans have mental or emotional problems is unfair and unjust..."

Monday, December 23, 2019

BLASTS FROM THE PAST

This photo was taken in 1975 and was a vocations discernment retreat. Only three in this photo went on to be ordained, David Talley, Michael Roverse and me. Talley, in the center and my classmate, is now the Bishop of Memphis:


And this is a photo of the Savannah Deanery priests around 1987 or so. Can you pick out anyone?


SACRED HEART CULTURAL CENTER IN AUGUSTA RETURNED TO A CATHOLIC CHURCH FOR A DAY

In 2001, the Knox family, owners of the former Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Augusta, now Sacred Heart Cultural Center, allowed me to celebrate Solemn Sung Vespers for the 100th anniversary of the dedication of the building. We brought Sacred Heart’s candlesticks and crucifix, now used at The Church of the Most Holy Trinity, six blocks east of Sacred Heart, for this celebration:



MY CREATIVE USE OF THE CATHEDRAL’S MAGNIFICENT HIGH ALTAR

NOT THIS:


BUT THESE IN THE MID 1980’S, and please note my chasuble has an outside stole, not the gold one, but the purple one, and that I have not changed One iota over the years:





I DID NOT KNOW THAT THE TWO POPES ARE SYMBOLS FOR THE SCHISMATIC RIGHT AND LEFT IN THE CHURCH, DID YOU?

From the National Chismatic Reporter(NCR), the pot calling the kettle black:

After 'The Two Popes,' will the next movie be called 'The Schismatics'?






20191217T0915-32615-CNS-MOVIE-REVIEW-TWO-POPES crop.jpg

An advertisement in Italian for the Netflix movie "The Two Popes" is seen on a building near the Vatican Dec. 16. (CNS/Cindy Wooden)
An advertisement in Italian for the Netflix movie "The Two Popes" is seen on a building near the Vatican Dec. 16. (CNS/Cindy Wooden) 
Of course, the Netflix movie is a fiction, almost a caricature. Anthony Hopkins is Pope Benedict XVI and Jonathan Pryce is Pope Francis, the respective movie heroes of the right and of the left. The movie moves from the election of Benedict to that of Francis.
Predictably, Catholic "traditionalists" and "progressives" have taken sides.
The right complains about a Vatican-owned building displaying a "The Two Popes" poster because Netflix is streaming a Brazilian "gay Jesus" Christmas parody. So, they say the church has sold out. Not to mention their annoyance at the way Benedict is portrayed.
The left sees the same poster as criticism of Francis. They see drawn knives: The building houses "Propaganda Fide" — the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith — the dicastery to which Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle was recently named. And they rather like the pre-Francis Bergoglio, warts and all.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

O MY THE INTRIQUE OF THE ROYAL PAPAL COURT

The Pope's Latest Speech To the Cardinals Has a Backstory. That Was Supposed To Stay Secret

Curia




This is from Sandro Magister of Italy:

No Vatican news organization has so far mentioned this meeting. And yet it happened. It took place in the Vatican chapel of Santa Marta on the morning of Friday December 13, the fiftieth anniversary of the first Mass of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

The one who had suggested to Pope Francis that he celebrate this occasion with a Mass together with the cardinals residing in Rome had been, a few weeks earlier, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in his capacity as dean of the college of cardinals.

Francis had replied no. But Sodano had not given up, and thanks to a second effort by college sub-dean Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, he was finally able to overcome his resistance.

In sending to the cardinals the letter of invitation for the gathering, Sodano made mention of Francis’s initial resistance.

Who, however, only slightly attenuated his impulse of distaste. On December 13 the Mass took place, but in the most absolute silence on both sides. The pope did not deliver the homily and did not say a single word either before or after the ceremony. And even Sodano was unable to read the address of good wishes he had prepared, in the name not only of those present but of the entire college of cardinals. After the Mass Francis quickly greeted the cardinals one by one and left.

In the afternoon, both “L’Osservatore Romano” and “Vatican News” published the message of good wishes from Cardinal Sodano. But without covering the news or providing a single image of the Mass celebrated with the pope.

This, in fact, was the strict order of the pontiff: no news and no photos.
Needless to say, the cardinals who had come to Santa Marta were very much struck by the pope's coldness towards them. A coldness of which they did not understand the reason.

And this brings us to the pre-Christmas address to the curia on December 21. With the backstory just given.

Here is a link to the full text of the speech, which was followed on the same day by a papal “motu proprio” that gave news of Sodano's resignation from the position of dean of the college of cardinals.

> "Dear brothers and sisters..."
And these are some of its passages.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE:

IF THE CHURCH AND STATE WERE ONE AS IT ONCE WAS, MAYBE THE CHURCH COULD CONTROL ABERRANT BISHOPS AND PRIESTS, BUT THAT SHIP SAILED A LONG TIME AGO


In many secular newspapers, four days before Christmas, there is a story on the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), being overwhelmed with abuse cases from the past. In fact in the Augusta Chronicle’s syndicated addition, the full front page is a photo of the CDF’s building next to Saint Peter’s with a glaring negative headline.

Apart from defrocking a bishop or priest and turning criminal bishops and priests over to civil law enforcement, there is nothing that the Church can do about these bishops and priests once they are defrocked unless the defrocked are willing to cooperate with Church authorities.

The priesthood and religious life aren’t a cult. If I want to leave the priesthood or the Church kicks me out of the priesthood, I am a free citizen in the USA. I can go and live wherever I want and do as I please if no civil criminal charges are brought against me.

I have to cooperate with the Church if the Church is to supervise me once I leave or am kicked out of the priesthood and/or religious life, or simply censured, suspended or otherwise reprimanded to a life of penance, prayer and good works. There are bishops and priests who willingly abide by the Church’s mandate that they live a life of prayer and penance away from the public in a monastery setting, but that is the accused prerogative as the Church can’t enforce this on a bishop, priest or religious.

In fact I know first hand of a deceased bishop guilty of abuse who lived out his life in a monastery and was an exemplary “monk” and did the menial chores of the monastery and washed and ironed the laundry of the other monks. Criminal charges could not be brought against him and he agreed to Church sanctions. But he did not have to do so if he didn't’ want to do so.

Can the Church take away my pension? In civil law, I don’t think so because the money I paid into the pension fund was from my paycheck. Others, like lawyers, might know better than me.

So to SNAP and others, the Church has no power to supervise or control former bishops, priests and religious once they are cut free. That’s up to civil authorities if criminal charges can be brought against them. 

THE MORAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH IS UPHELD AND ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD THIS CHRISTMAS

IT’S ABOUT TIME AND THIS IS A GOOD MOVE AND EVEN MGSR. GUIDO SEEMS TO APPROVE!

WAS HIS HOLINESS THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS? I REPORT, YOU DECIDE!


Pope says ‘rigidity, self-preservation’ must not impede reform of the Roman Curia

ROME - In his annual end-of-year speech to the Roman Curia, Pope Francis Saturday outlined his top priorities for its reform, highlighting evangelization, communication and use of new media as well as the Church’s social agenda, and insisted that necessary changes not be bogged down by what he described as “rigidity” and a desire for “self-preservation.”
The agenda the pontiff sketched likely indicates the structure and mindset behind a looming apostolic constitution on the role and function of the Roman Curia, which Francis confirmed will be titled “Praedicate evangelium,” or “Preach the Gospel.”
The pope took the opportunity to again strike back against what he said is the temptation to an “attitude of rigidity” on the reform, saying this rigidity “comes from fear of change [and] ends up scattering fences and obstacles on the terrain of the common good, making it a minefield of incommunicability and hatred.”