THE INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSE

FROM THE HEART

Michael Voris does a great job of explaining why the Catholic Church is what it is and why so many of us feel compelled to defend her.

ARIZONA SAYS IT'S ILLEGAL TO BREAK THE LAW-HOW DARE THEY!

Now, I'll admit I'm not often accused of being the sharpest pencil in the box but, to my simple mind anyway, it appears that the bishops are upset because Arizona has made it illegal to break the law.

Besides, wasn't it already a crime to be in the state illegally?

"In a statement released April 27, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) denounced a recently signed law in Arizona which criminalizes undocumented immigrants, calling the legislative move “draconian” and saying it “could lead to the wrongful questioning and arrest of U.S. citizens.”

Writing on behalf of the USCCB, Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the U.S. bishops' committee on Migration noted that he joins the Arizona bishops in “strongly opposing” the implementation of SB 1070, which was signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer last Friday.

According to ABC news, the new Arizona law makes it a crime to be in the state illegally and allows police to arrest and question suspected individuals about their status without a warrant. It also criminalizes transporting illegal immigrants anywhere in Arizona, even if by family members.

“This new law, although limited to the State of Arizona, could have impact throughout the nation, in terms of how members of our immigrant communities are both perceived and treated,” Bishop Wester said."
Catholic News Agency

THANK YOU, BROTHERS

Despite our vast theological differences it's time for all people of faith in the God of Abraham, Moses, the prophets and the Church to draw together in common defense. Our differences are substantial and important; they need to be discussed in the light of truth. Later.

Right now Christianity is under attack unlike anytime in its modern history. Any Christian that is honest with himself must recognize the importance of the Catholic Church. She is the Mother Church to all the different forms of Christianity that have come after Her. If the forces of evil manage to destroy, or at least significantly weaken Her, the other branches of Christianity will be next. And in all honesty, if evil can take the Catholic Church off the stage of history, what chance do the Baptists, Methodist or Lutherans, much less a tiny storefront Pentecostal church have?

So circle the wagons, boys. We'll drink a beer and argue the finer points of theology later. Right now we have a common enemy that we must defeat if we intend to survive. We have to put aside our differences and stand shoulder to shoulder in our common belief in the power of Jesus Christ and defeat the forces of evil.

Or we will be destroyed; all of us together.

"The misdeeds of a few priests who have committed “atrocities” should not overshadow the “great deeds” done by priests and religious of the Catholic Church, two leading African American ministers from St. Louis have said.

Writing in the St. Louis American were Pentecostal Bishop Alphonso Scott of the Lively Stone Church of God and Bishop Jesse Battle of the House of Deliverance Church. They are respectively president and vice-president of the Ecumenical Leadership Council, which represents hundreds of predominantly African American churches in Missouri.

Noting the headlines about sexual misconduct and abuse by Catholic priests, they said those truly convicted of “such atrocities” should at minimum no longer serve in any clerical capacity.

“However, while emotions are rightfully vested in anger, the membership of the Ecumenical Leadership Council would ask the public to remember that the Catholic Church has been a leader in relieving pain and suffering in the world, and in St. Louis,” they continued.

“Their worldwide generosity has all too frequently been the difference between a significant number of the world’s poor going hungry and homeless, and having a warm meal and secure shelter.

“We believe that the misdeeds of a few should not be allowed to cast a shadow on the great deeds done daily by the priests and nuns of the Catholic Church.”

The two Protestant bishops noted that Catholic Charities had raised $82 million last year to help the less fortunate in St. Louis. They reported that the Catholic Archbishop of St. Louis Robert J. Carlson has reached out to bridge racial divides through dialogue with organizations like the Ecumenical Leadership Council.

“We strongly support the healing that obviously must occur in the Catholic Church. We acknowledge the alleged abuses of imperfect priests; however, we also know that imperfection is a human condition to which all humans are susceptible.”

The two clergymen said they look forward to working with Archbishop Carlson and the Catholic clergy of St. Louis to continue their missions of spiritual guidance and leadership for worshipers of their respective faiths."
Catholic News Agency

"SOCIAL JUSTICE" CAN GET SOMEBODY KILLED ALONG THE BORDER

I just don't get it. People from other countries come here, break the law, avoid taxes, use the public services they don't pay for, take jobs from legal citizens by working for slave wages and yet, we are supposed to turn our backs. Many of these same people are involved in the drug trade, complicit in murder, extortion, kidnapping and all sorts of felonious activities and we're supposed to turn our backs.

WHY??!!

Because of some misplaced religious concern for the welfare of criminals that completely overlooks the very real threat posed by these same criminals to the welfare of the law abiding citizen, regardless of ethnicity.

Families may be separated; true enough. Families are separated every time a criminal is sentenced to prison. Yet, I don't hear an outcry from these same religious leaders to abolish prisons and set the felons free to maintain the cohesion of the family structure. Why?

Witnesses may be afraid to come forward. Again, true enough. The real and complete truth is that they are already afraid to come forward because they know that the drug gangs have the power along the border. If anyone is found to have reported criminal activity they will be killed along with their family. So tell me bishops, how does refusing to allow law enforcement to do it's job protect anyone from drug gang coercion? And who are you more afraid of; the American law enforcement officer that is controlled by the force of law or the Mexican drug gangster that controls by the gun?

We must absolutely control our borders before any other discussion takes place. Murder is a greater sin than separation of families and until immigration is controlled and our borders are secured murder will be the way of life along our Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and California border. The bishops have let a false sense of compassion blind them to evil. They've accepted this idea of a seamless garment; that all sins are equal, abortion and murder equivalent to a perceived denial of "social justice".

Common sense and our faith tell us this is a lie.

"Arizona’s three Catholic bishops and other religious leaders in the state have issued a statement calling on Gov. Jan Brewer to veto recent legislation targeting undocumented immigrants. They warned the bill would separate families and discourage crime victims and witnesses.

The Arizona Senate passed SB 1070 on Monday by a vote of 17 to 11. It requires state and local police to determine the immigration status of people if there is “reasonable suspicion” they are illegal immigrants. They must arrest those unable to provide documentation showing they are in the United States legally.

The religious leaders’ April 19 letter voiced “common serious concerns” about the bill. Bishop of Gallup James S. Wall, Bishop of Phoenix Thomas J. Olmsted and Bishop of Tucson Gerald Kicanas were signatories to the letter, as were leaders from Protestant denominations and a rabbi with the American Jewish Committee.

They warned it could classify as felons not only dangerous criminals, but also undocumented immigrants who came to the United States at “a very young age” and have “no familiarity” with any other country."
Catholic News Agency

HOMOSEXUALITY IS THE MISSING LINK IN THE PRIEST ABUSE SCANDAL

It'll be interesting to see if the New York Times publishes anything from the story below, right alongside all their other coverage of the Catholic sex scandal.

For all of the left's concern for "the children", my guess is that their overriding desire to support sexual licence and immorality will trump any of their outrage at the sexual abuse of minors or anyone else. Because all of their screaming and howling about Catholic sex scandals isn't about protecting anyone; it is designed and directed at destroying the Church, the one institution left standing in the way of the "New World Order".

So there won't be any reporting from any mainstream media outlet about the proven link between homosexuality and sexual abuse by those in a position of power. No, all we'll hear is the continued drumbeat meant to inflame the passions against the Church. That's why there is no reporting of any consequence about all the others being abused in the schools, Protestant churches and synagogues. The damaged and abused children and adults are just pawns in a larger game.

The ends justify the means. Never let a good crisis got to waste.

"Following Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone’s comments in Chile about a link existing between homosexuality and pedophilia in cases of clerical sexual abuse, both Church officials and secular figures clarified his statement. But Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, a psychiatrist with experience treating sexually abusive priests, told CNA that the cardinal's statement is accurate.

...Many gay rights organizations reacted vehemently to Cardinal Bertone’s statement, leading Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press office, to assert that “it obviously refers to the problem of abuse by priests and not in the population in general."

...However, a U.S. psychiatrist with experience in treating priests with pedophilia disagrees that there is no link between homosexuality and sexual abuse of children. “Cardinal Bertone's comments are supported completely by the John Jay study report and by clinical experience,” Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons told CNA. “In fact, every priest whom I treated who was involved with children sexually had previously been involved in adult homosexual relationships.”

Fitzgibbons, who has been the director of Comprehensive Counseling Center in West Conshohocken, Penn. since 1988, has worked extensively with individuals suffering from same sex attraction (SSA) and priests accused of pedophilia. He also presently serves as a consultant to the Congregation for the Clergy at the Holy See.

...When asked what sort of new information has become available since the publication of the letter, Fitzgibbons put an emphasis on narcissism. “This epidemic personality weakness in the west predisposes individuals to excessive anger, the worship of self, rebelliousness against God and His Church particularly in regard to sexual morality and sexual acting-out,” he said."
Catholic News Agency

HANS KUENG CALLS FOR NEW SYNOD AND DISOBEDIENCE TOWARDS POPE

"Dissident theologian Hans Kueng urged bishops on Thursday to push for reforms in the Roman Catholic in defiance of Pope Benedict XVI.

Kueng, an 82-year-old former colleague and friend of the pontiff, said the church was now in its deepest crisis since the Protestant Reformation after recent revelations of sexual abuse by clergy caused an erosion of trust.

In an editorial published Thursday in daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and other publications, Kueng said bishops should call for a new synod to discuss reforms."
Google/AP

It's interesting to note that while this article trumpets the call for a new synod by Kueng and plays up his association with Vatican II, it never once mentions this:

"Reverend Father Hans Küng (born March 19, 1928, in Sursee, Canton of Lucerne), is a Swiss Catholic priest, controversial theologian, and prolific author. Since 1995 he has been President of the Foundation for a Global Ethic (Stiftung Weltethos). Küng claims to remain "a Catholic priest in good standing",[1] but the Vatican has rescinded his authority to teach Catholic theology. Though he had to leave the Catholic faculty, he remained at the University of Tübingen as a professor of Ecumenical Theology, serving as Emeritus Professor since 1996. In spite of not being allowed to teach Catholic theology, neither his bishop nor the Holy See has revoked his priestly faculties."
Wikipedia

Kueng is presented in this article and others as a voice of authority within the church when in reality he is on the margins of true Catholicism. He supports the call for women priests and he rejects the infallibility of the Pope. While apparently Kueng is not a heretic his teachings and beliefs put him well along the path.

"Therefore heresy is a species of unbelief, belonging to those who profess the Christian faith, but corrupt its dogmas."
St. Thomas Aquinas
Summa Theologica (II-II:11:1)

WAR IS IN THE AIR

"The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has issued guidelines for procedures in cases of sex abuse by priests, reiterating that local bishops have the first responsibility to protect young people and to monitor the behavior of their priests.

Under the guidelines posted to the Vatican website on Monday, the responsibility to investigate accusations of abuse by clerics is first that of the local diocese. If it is found that an allegation has “semblance of truth,” then the case, with all documentation, is to be referred to the CDF, whose remit sex abuse allegations have been since 2001.

The guidelines, that dealt only with canonical repercussions of sex abuse allegations, also repeated a point that has always been standard Vatican policy, saying, “Civil law concerning reporting of crimes to the appropriate authorities should always be followed.”

The local bishop, however, is still responsible for putting into place measures to protect the community. The CDF notes, “Indeed, the local bishop always retains power to protect children by restricting the activities of any priest in his diocese.”
Life Site News

There is something in this article that I think is poorly understood by most people, Catholic or not, about the nature of the Church. It is not a "top down" organization.

Because of it's understanding of subsidiarity the Church functions from the bottom up. The Bishop is responsible for his diocese. Most of the time the parish Priest is responsible for dealing with the day to day problems of his parish. Only when something exceeds his authority our ability to resolve it does it move up the chain.

Subsidiarity and the proper structuring of power is found in the Bible in Matthew 18:15-17:

"But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.

And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican."

The groups that are working against the Church are, for the most part, based on the ideas of Modernism and Relativism. Most of these groups have more in common with Marx than Aquinas. Their idea of government revolves around a strong central power that issues edicts to its subjects. Because they view the world through this Satanic distortion of the truth they cannot understand the way the Church really functions. So they attack the Pope for the sins of the Bishops, the Priests and the people.

I suppose that as an American and a history geek this is easy for me to see. The United States, under our Constitution, is structured in many way just like the Church. If you view the dioceses of the Church as states you'll see what I mean. Each diocese is a mostly sovereign unit of power, designed to stand on it's own. Each diocese can make it's own rules and regulations under the leadership of the local Bishop as long as those rules don't violate the laws of God and His Church. This is where the Vatican comes in.

Just like our federal government the function of the Vatican is to act as buffer against abuse of the people by the diocese and the outside world. It makes sure that the diocese does not violate our rights as Catholics. It does this through establishing basic guidelines that all Catholics must follow and by issuing rulings, just like our Supreme Court, when problems arise that involve the whole Church.

It is also the international face of the Church. One of the primary reasons for the American Constitution was to create a federal body that would allow the individual states to come together as a group to deal with foreign powers and to make treaties that would bind them all. Because we all belong to the same group, with the same interests it is sensible that we have a central clearing house, if you will, to deal with problems that involve us all and are to big to be dealt with at a local level. The Vatican, as a city state, functions precisely this way in the U.N. and in other international functions. The individual dioceses could not do this even though they have a vested interest in many of these groups and the laws they attempt to pass.

Because of the way that the Church and the United States are ordered it is very difficult for the people at the top to exert a whole bunch of pressure on the people at the bottom, unless of course the people at the top assume power they were never meant to have. Obviously this is the case now in the U.S. and has been the case many times in the history of the Church. But, when everything is working as intended, the individual diocese or states are the real authorities in the lives of the people.

Because of this the people have real power and real responsibility. In the end, it is the people that are truly responsible for letting this sex abuse problem get out of hand. Somebody, somewhere knew what was happening and did little or nothing about it. Some parent was paid to hush up or threatened with eternal damnation if they said anything. Just like politicians, the Priests and Bishops that were involved in this used their power to cover their trails.

If a citizen knows that a politician is involved in an illegal action they should alert the authorities. Of course, since the authorities are the ones that are doing the illegal things the complaint may not go anywhere. Or, the citizen may be approached to see if a deal can be worked out. Maybe they refuse. The politician can threaten to bring the power of the state against them in the form of audits or licencing problems or whatever. Is this any different than what has happened in the dioceses with the sex scandals?

So the citizen decides to take the complaint higher, maybe to the federal level. Since the boys at the fed probably know the guys the complaint is being made against so they may not act or may try to cover for them. Maybe the citizen gets more threats or promises of a pay off.

This is exactly what has happened in the Church. Because it is our responsibility to protect our Church from "all enemies, foreign and domestic" we've let the smoke of Satan enter because we have allowed ourselves to be intimidated and in some cases to be bought off by the corrupt leaders that have done so much damage. And this all started at the parish level.

I think, based on things that I've been reading lately, that the Vatican is laying the groundwork for a major overhaul. It seems that in statements such as the one above the Vatican is making a case to begin to exercise the power it has to protect the people and the Church from the damage being done by a minority of Priests, Bishops and Religious groups that have refuse to follow the guidelines established by the Church. I think it is moving deliberately so that it can remove the problem without destroying the Church by working within the legal framework established over 2000 years of history.

Back to American history, again. The War Between the States started because the avenues of argument were shut off. Both sides had said all they had to say and war was forced upon the country by a President that saw no other viable option. Whether he was right or wrong is an argument for another day. I think that the Church finds itself in much the same position.

The Church, at least here in America, has split into two opposing camps. On the one side you have the Traditionalists and on the other the Modernists. I realize this is a simplification but I think it is accurate in its generality. Both sides have said all that needs to be said. The traditionalists follow Rome and the ancient teachings of the Church while the Modernists turn whichever way the wind blows, chasing one heresy after another. These two diametrically opposed systems of belief can never be reconciled. War is in the air.

I believe that Rome is well aware of this and is attempting to position itself in a way that might avoid the mistake made by Lincoln, forcing two opposing sides to live under one flag through a massively destructive war when peaceful separation is possible.

I think that in the near future the people of the Church in America, and probably the world, will be given a clear choice; whether to follow Rome or to leave. I think that the Vatican is paving the way for formal separation from those that refuse to follow her teachings. I think that the Church is well aware of the lessons of history and will try to do this peacefully because full blown war is not the answer. But, things cannot be left as they are.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 1858

"And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." Matthew 12:25

BERTONE SPEAKS THE UNSPEAKABLE

"The Vatican's second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Roman Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, made the comments during a news conference Monday in Chile, where one of the church's highest-profile pedophile cases involves a priest having sex with young girls.

"Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true," said Bertone. "That is the problem."
Yahoo

It's interesting that as the truth is spoken the apologists for the gay community immediately point to ONE case where a priest abused a young girl. I think that its reasonable to presume that, just as in the general population, there are some men in the priesthood with a disordered interest in young girls. This does not change the fact that the vast number of cases in the Church sex scandal have involved homosexual sex. Truthfully, the majority of cases have not involved children per se, but young adults. The appellation of pedophilia has been used in this instance to purposefully confuse the truth of homosexuality and it's corrosive effect on the nature of the priesthood.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

BISHOP TOBIN DENOUNCES CHA

Let's hope this is just the beginning. The Bishops need to make sure that any "Catholic" group that supported Obamacare pays a price and either asks forgiveness and repents publicly or is disassociated from the Church. This is the first and absolutely the most important step in beginning to bring the members of the body back into communion with the head. And if any part of the body refuses to do as the head commands:

"And if thy right eye scandalize thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee. For it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell.

And if thy right hand scandalize thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is expedient for thee that one of thy members should perish, rather than that thy whole body be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29-30
Bible.com

"Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, recently denounced the Catholic Health Association (CHA) for causing “scandal” with its endorsement of the health care bill and asked that a local diocesan Catholic hospital be removed from its membership list.

In a March 29 letter to Sr. Carol Keehan, director of CHA, Bishop Tobin wrote that he was “very disappointed that the Catholic Health Association, under your leadership, publicly endorsed the recent health care legislation that was passed and signed into law.”

“This action was taken,” the bishop lamented, “despite the fact that the legislation will very possibly provide additional public funding for abortion and threaten the freedom of conscience of Catholic individuals and institutions.”

“Your enthusiastic support of the legislation, in contradiction to the position of the Bishops of the United States, provided an excuse for members of Congress, misled the public and cause serious scandal for many members of the Church,” Bishop Tobin charged.

“Accordingly,” he added, “I am writing to request that St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island, sponsored by the Diocese of Providence, be removed from the membership list and mailing list of the Catholic Health Association.”

Bishop Tobin further stated that “even the association with CHA is now embarrassing, and for that reason I request that our name be removed.”

The Rhode Island bishop concluded his letter telling Sr. Keehan he hopes “that the future of the Catholic Health Association will review its mission and will find new opportunities to renew its commitment to human life, including that of unborn children. I also hope that the Association will clearly support the teaching mission of the Church as expressed by the Bishops, whose obligation it is to preach the Gospel of Christ and apply the teachings of the Church to the important moral issues of our time.”
EWTN News

1970 PROPHECY FROM CARDINAL RATZINGER

I don't know what the future Pope had in mind when he spoke these words but I would have to say they bear reflection. I think this is the future of the Church. It will be broken, nearly destroyed and forced to rebuild itself. This is part of a process of purification necessary to prepare it for the role it will assume in the future. We're still in the beginning of this process; the Church is suffering, being scourged, but the crucifixion is still to come.

"From today’s crisis, a Church will emerge tomorrow that will have lost a great deal. She will be small and, to a large extent, will have to start from the beginning. She will no longer be able to fill many of the buildings created in her period of great splendor. Because of the smaller number of her followers, she will lose many of her privileges in society. Contrary to what has happened until now, she will present herself much more as a community of volunteers... As a small community, she will demand much more from the initiative of each of her members and she will certainly also acknowledge new forms of ministry and will raise up to the priesthood proven Christians who have other jobs... There will be an interiorized Church, which neither takes advantage of its political mandate nor flirts with the left or the right. This will be achieved with effort because the process of crystallization and clarification will demand great exertion. It will make her poor and a Church of the little people... All this will require time. The process will be slow and painful."...+Joseph Ratzinger, 1969 lecture on Bavarian radio."
Vox Cantor

ABUSE-IT'S NOT JUST FOR CATHOLICS ANYMORE

Do any of the articles below sound familiar? Of course they do, with one vital difference; they are about sexual abuse in the Baptist Church. We never hear about this in the mainstream media even though it is just as bad as the abuse in the Catholic Church. Why is that? The victims are just as traumatized and their lives are just as damaged. Aren't the journalists that cover these stories of abuse inside the Catholic Church doing it out of concern for these victims? Or, is there perhaps another reason for their pogrom?

Pray for all the victims of abuse, whether Catholic, Baptist, other faiths or none at all. We all need to clean our houses and prepare the Church for what is coming. These abuses point out a deep and systemic rot inside Christianity and other faith communities. This rot exists at the very core of the leadership in all churches and needs to be revealed and addressed in an honest and forthright manner.

The Catholic Church is well on it's way to ending this problem, mainly because of reporting done by those who look to harm her. It looks as though God is using their hatred against them by using it to clean out His Church.

The press needs to turn its focus on other faiths now. If they can expose the corruption elsewhere they will be doing the work of the Lord, whether they want to or not.

This must be about the victims, not about vendettas.

All of the stories referenced below were found at Stop Baptist Predators.

"Perhaps Thomas is uninformed about the preachers who prey on children in the Southern Baptist Convention in particular and the Baptists in general, a scandal that has been exhaustively covered on EthicsDaily.com with well over 100 articles. He is certainly unfamiliar with Christa Brown, founder of Stop Baptist Predators and Baptist coordinator for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who has tirelessly sought to rip off the cover of secrecy within Baptist life and to press Baptists to reform their practices.

If Thomas is uninformed about the Baptist child-abuse scandal, then Baptist denominational leaders have successfully kept the shameful, systemic problem off the national media's radar.

Protecting the Baptist denomination and churches from public humiliation and discrediting has been a higher priority for many Baptist leaders than protecting children from the predatory ministers – ministers who move from church to church, state to state, without punishment, only to harm again.

One Baptist state convention even dismissed a staff member after his reporting on a preacher predator in an apparent effort to protect the preacher and the organization."
Ethics Daily

"Sex abuse in the church is not a Catholic crisis alone. A skeptical public repulsed at news of a priest abusing 200 deaf boys lumps local church leaders into the same putrid pot.

All Christians are stained in the sweep of the same broad brush, but a Baylor University School of Social Work study released last fall suggests that tainting is not without foundation. The study found just over 3 percent -- or seven women in a typical congregation with 400 adult members -- have been victims of clergy sexual misconduct since they turned 18.

American Catholics have instituted rules that immediately and forever remove a man from the priesthood who is shown to be guilty of abuse. The pope apologized for the sexual abuse of minors and pledged that pedophiles would not be allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church.

The Vatican even instituted reforms to prevent future abuse in the U.S. by requiring background checks for church employees and issued new rules disallowing ordination of men with "deep-seated homosexual tendencies."

Sex-abuse cases also rock Baptist churches. Individually they are just as bad, and collectively we are doing a lot less than the Catholics about resolution.

Southern Baptists as a national entity have nothing in place to prevent abusers from carrying their satchels of pain to another church or to yank credentials from an abusive clergyman."
Associated Baptist Press

"An angry population of abused Christians and those who love them and advocate for them is demanding that churches of all types stop the child sexual abuse in their midst. While many other structures of modern life have heightened the protections offered to children, the churches have lagged behind -- with disastrous consequences. The Baptist situation
may be no better than the Catholic, only shielded more deeply from view. This situation demands reform, immediately, for the sake of the vulnerable and abused children among us -- not to mention for the sake of the gospel witness, so desecrated by the abuse behind our stained-glass windows."
Associated Baptist Press

REMBERT WEAKLAND-CORRUPT ARCHBISHOP OF MILWAUKEE

"Many orthodox Catholics have wondered for weeks why the sex-abuse scandal has hit America's more conservative bishops — Law of Boston and Egan of New York — hardest. Not any longer: Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee, the most liberal bishop in America, has been disgraced by the revelation that he paid $450,000 in hush money to buy the silence of an apparent former male lover.

...The alleged ex-lover, Paul Macoux, is calling his decades-old encounter with Weakland "sexual abuse," but from what we know now, that's not the case. Macoux, 54, was at least in his late 20s when he began a relationship with Weakland, and from an 11-page, handwritten 1980 "Dear Paul" letter Weakland wrote to Macoux, it appears that the archbishop and his paramour had a consensual relationship, one that Weakland ended when he decided to begin honoring his vow of celibacy.

The letter reveals Weakland, archbishop of Milwaukee since 1977, to have been in "deep love" with Marcoux, who comes off as a manipulative grifter who looked to the archbishop, 21 years his senior, as a sugar daddy. Responding to Marcoux's apparent request for more money to fund a personal project, Weakland tells him that the $14,000 he had already given Marcoux "is really my personal limit."

"I feel you are putting me in an impossible situation here," the archbishop wrote. "I consider all that Church money as a sacred trust; it represents the offerings of the faithful and I must be accountable to them for how it is all spent. There are hundreds of requests on my desk for funds for worthy causes, for inner-city projects, to the elderly, to the handicapped, etc."

Yet 18 years later, facing the threat of a civil suit by Marcoux, Weakland directed his archdiocese to fork over $450,000 to buy Marcoux's silence. On Thursday, Milwaukee County Attorney Michael McCann told reporters Weakland had confessed to him that he had had a "troubling" relationship with an adult male, and was afraid he was going to be extorted because of it. McCann now says he will consider appointing a special prosecutor to find out where the hush money came from.

..."The best compliment I received, then, came from a religious superior in Rome who said: 'Rome does not know what to do with Weakland. He is a free man.' I feel I have been able to maintain my own dignity and identity through it all."

Here's a tiny portion of what the Free Man of Milwaukee has meant for the Church in his city: He directed Catholic schools there to teach kids how to use condoms as part of AIDS education, and approved a graphic sex-education program for parochial-school kids that taught "there is no right and wrong" on the issues of abortion, contraception and premarital sex. He has advocated for gay rights and women's ordination, bitterly criticized Pope John Paul II, denounced pro-lifers as "fundamentalist," and declared that one could be both pro-choice and a Catholic in good standing."
National Review

"Weakland also writes about his failures to stop sexually abusive priests. In a videotaped deposition released last November, Weakland admitted returning guilty priests to active ministry without alerting parishioners or police.

"Any deposition is just a part of a whole picture and that picture has not been painted yet. And anybody can take out of that any sentence they want," Weakland said in the interview.

"I try to deal with this, I hope in an honest way, admitting my weaknesses in not being able to see this earlier, but at the same time doing what I could confront it."

Advocates for abuse victims said that Weakland's cover-up of his own sexual activity was part of a pattern of secrecy that included concealing the criminal behavior of child molesters."
Huffington Post

I thought that perhaps, in light of the current sex scandal in the Church, and particularly the problems surrounding Father Murphy and the media's attempt to tie the Pope to them, it would be good to take a look at the then Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland. Much has been made of the two letters sent to Rome by the Archbishop in 1996, 19 years after he took over the archdiocese and forty years after the abuse started. The media, and the New York Times in particular, have attempted to portray Weakland as a crusader for the children, as a man acting in a selfless and holy manner, only to be rejected by Rome or, more importantly, by Cardinal Ratzinger himself.

In reality Weakland was a corrupt, homosexual modernist that did nothing about Father Murphy or the kids he harmed for 19 years as Archbishop. It was only when allegations of abuse in the confessional surfaced that the case was forwarded to Rome because the authority to deal with this abuse lies in the CDF. Weakland could no longer contain it.

Weakland was a darling of the leftist media in this country because he was one of them in political inclination, lifestyle and in the way he managed his archdiocese. In the stories that have been published of late he is treated as some sort of hero instead of the sexual degenerate he was. We see no reporting on his history as Archbishop or his payoffs, from Church funds, to his gay lover. We only see the saintly Archbishop fighting against the oppressive powers of the evil Cardinal Ratzinger in Rome.

The excerpt from the article below comes from the New York Times and is written by Laurie Goodstein, who, and I'm sure this is just a coincidence, is one of the writers, along with Maureen Dowd, at the Times that is currently heading up the pogrom against the Pope. Note the sympathy shown Weakland in the article below. Goodstein glosses over the payoff to his gay lover while focusing on Weakland's loneliness, his intellectualism and his belief that the teaching of the Church on homosexuality is wrong (couldn't the case for a conflict of interest be made here?).

The modernist, progressive, Marxist bent of the media, especially the at the Times, can no longer be tolerated. It has become a weapon of destruction aimed at the institutions that support our society. It is being used by those that seek a Marxist Utopia to weaken and eventually eradicate all that can create a barrier to their Satanic dreams. The entire paper has become an editorial, with reporting designed to sway opinion, not convey fact.

Since we have freedom of the press, that's OK. They can do what they want. Let the market decide. Unfortunately, since the Times is the paper of record, the dribble it publishes is passed on as fact through so many other media outlets that the story becomes gospel through sheer repetitive power. And since most professional journalists today either can't or are not allowed to do their job, balance is nowhere to be found.

"Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee was one of the Catholic Church's most venerable voices for change until 2002 when he resigned amid revelations that he had used church money to pay a $450,000 settlement to a man with whom he had had a relationship years earlier.

Archbishop Weakland, who had been the intellectual touchstone for church reformers, has written a memoir scheduled for release in June 2009. In it he speaks out about how internal church politics affected his response to the fallout from his romantic affair; how bishops and the Vatican cared more about the rights of abusive priests than about their victims; and why Catholic teaching on homosexuality is wrong.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" in 2002, the man the archbishop had fallen in love with 23 years earlier said the Milwaukee archdiocese paid him $450,000 years before to keep quiet about the affair.

Archbishbop Weakland said he had been aware of his homosexual orientation since he was a teenager and suppressed it until he became archbishop, when he had relationships with several men because of "loneliness that became very strong." He said he was probably the first Catholic bishop to come out of the closet voluntarily."

HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE TEACHINGS OF THE CHURCH

This is absolutely the best thing I've seen written on the teachings of the Church and human rights. In light of all the misstatements on this subject that have emanated from the media, the government and not least of all the USCCB, this critique of the Catholic understanding of rights should be required reading for all of us that comment on this vexing issue.

"Now the Church definitely rejects the radical libertarian position that government can never, even in principle, justly intervene to help even the neediest citizens to acquire services of this sort. Catholic social teaching affirms the principle of solidarity, according to which we have, by nature, positive obligations to one another that we did not consent to and that the state as a natural institution can in principle step in to assist us in fulfilling when necessary. But the Church also firmly rejects the leftist tendency to regard governmental action as the preferred or even the only appropriate means of fulfilling our obligations to others. And she firmly rejects too the egalitarian tendency to regard our obligations as extending to all other human beings in an equal way. Contrary to what the libertarian supposes, the individual is not the basic unit of society; contrary to what socialists, communitarians, and many liberals suppose, “society” or “the community” as a whole is not the basic unit either. The family is the basic unit, and it is to our family members that our obligations are the strongest and most direct, with positive obligations to other human beings, though deriving from natural law rather than consent, becoming less strong and less direct the further they are from the family. Hence my obligations to the local community are stronger and more direct than they are to the nation as a whole; and my obligations to the nation as a whole are stronger and more direct than they are to the community of nations.

This approach is enshrined in another central principle of Catholic social teaching, the principle of subsidiarity, according to which the needs of individuals, families, and local communities ought as a matter of justice to be met as far as possible by those individuals, families, and communities themselves...

...There can be no question, then, that while the Church allows that government can legitimately intervene in economic life and in other ways come to the assistance of those in need, she also teaches that there is a presumption in justice against such intervention, a presumption which can be overridden only when such intervention is strictly necessary, only to the extent necessary, and only on the part of those governmental institutions which are as close as possible to those receiving the aid in question. This surely follows from the principles of subsidiarity and the priority of the family. And it surely rules out not only libertarianism but also the sorts of policy preferences typical of socialists, social democrats, and egalitarian liberals."
Edward Fesser
H/T Musings of a Pertinacious Papist

A LITTLE BALANCE IN THE MEDIA

Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal writing about the sex abuse scandal in the Church:

"There are three great groups of victims in this story. The first and most obvious, the children who were abused, who trusted, were preyed upon and bear the burden through life. The second group is the good priests and good nuns, the great leaders of the church in the day to day, who save the poor, teach the immigrant, and, literally, save lives. They have been stigmatized when they deserve to be lionized. And the third group is the Catholics in the pews—the heroic Catholics of America and now Europe, the hardy souls who in spite of what has been done to their church are still there, still making parish life possible, who hold high the flag, their faith unshaken. No one thanks those Catholics, sees their heroism, respects their patience and fidelity. The world thinks they're stupid. They are not stupid, and with their prayers they keep the world going, and the old church too."

GOOD FRIDAY, SUFFERING AND THE CHURCH

"As Christians begin their celebration of the Easter season, the Catholic church seems stuck in Good Friday."
ABC News

I would say this is a fair evaluation of the state of the Church today. Just as Christ suffered and died so must the Church. And just like Christ she will rise again, in glory.

And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.

Who said to him: Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.

And he said: I say to thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, till thou thrice deniest that thou knowest me. Luke 22:31-34

History spins in circles as Peter is once again being tested.

"And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were sitting about it, Peter was in the midst of them.

Whom when a certain servant maid had seen sitting at the light, and had earnestly beheld him, she said: This man also was with him.

But he denied him, saying: Woman, I know him not.

And after a little while, another seeing him, said: Thou also art one of them. But Peter said: O man, I am not.

And after the space, as it were of one hour, another certain man affirmed, saying: Of a truth, this man was also with him; for he is also a Galilean.

And Peter said: Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, as he was yet speaking, the cock crew.

And the Lord turning looked on Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he had said: Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

And Peter going out, wept bitterly." Luke 22:55-62

I am starting to believe that we will see this whole scene played out again. Just as Peter was weak so is the man sitting on his seat. He is, after all, only human. This will be seen as a victory over the Church by its enemies. But it isn't. Just as in the Bible Peter will repent and eventually reemerge to lead the Church into a new age.

But between this new age and now lies the three days of darkness. The Church will be scourged, mocked, torn to pieces and crucified. It will be wrapped in a shroud and put into the earth. Peter and the Apostles will think all has been lost. Many that believed will turn their backs and walk away. Only a handful will be left, crushed, despondent and dismayed.

But just as long ago, Easter morning will dawn. Those that remained faithful will see the dawn of a new world. As for the rest, I don't know. I assume many will be lost and some will be converted. All we can do is pray.

That was enough happiness for one day. Pray that you remain faithful through the coming storm. I truly believe it is upon us now. I hope I'm wrong.

POINTLESS FUROR OVER HOLOCAUST

"At a solemn Good Friday service, Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher likened the tide of allegations that the pontiff has covered up sex abuse cases to the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism." But within hours, facing a storm of criticism at the comparison, the Vatican felt it necessary to distance the pope from the preacher's remarks.

Both Jewish and victims' groups responded that it was inappropriate to compare the discomfort being experienced by the church leadership in the sex abuse scandal to the violence that culminated in the Holocaust. The Vatican has been on the defensive in recent days, saying the church has been singled out and collectively stereotyped for the problem of pedophilia, which it says is a society-wide issue."
Fox News

Six million Polish citizens were killed in the Holocaust—three million Jews and three million Catholics. Poland was the only country where the Germans gave official death orders for any Pole who helped a Jew. And more Poles were killed for helping Jews than anyone else in the world. The current Broadway play, “Irena’s Vow,” is a dramatic production that accurately tells how Polish Catholics risked their lives to save Jews.

The SS did not take note of the religious affiliation of its prisoners, with the exception of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. But this does not justify dismissing Catholic victims. After all, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum pays tribute to Polish Catholics, and so should all memorials.

To put all Holocaust victims on an equal plane with Jews is wrong, but it is equally wrong to pretend that Catholics, especially those of Polish descent, weren’t among Hitler’s many victims.
Catholic League

So, if somebody really wanted the Pope's preacher to say something to get everybody even more pissed off could they possibly come up with a better way to do it? What about a joke about child molestation? You know, something like, " So, a priest and a rabbi walked into a day care center...". Could the Vatican maybe sell one painting to get together enough money to hire a good P.R. guy?

Look, I understand that the Jews own the Holocaust, and for good reason. But, they weren't the only ones affected by it. Millions of Catholics were killed, too, along with Gypsies, political dissenters and anyone else that achieved a certain level of inconvenience to the state. A big percentage of my friends growing up were Jewish and I knew people with the numbers tattooed on their forearms. I'm completely aware of the price paid by the Jews and I understand the awareness that the experience built into them.

It's this awareness that prompted the letter to Father Cantalamessa. His words were based on a letter he received from a Jewish friend regarding the current attacks against the Church and their similarity to the attacks against the Jews prior to the beginning of their long, dark night.

"Cantalamessa, in his reflections for the pope on the Catholic church's most solemn day, said he was inspired by a letter from an unidentified Jewish friend who was upset by the "attacks" against Benedict.

Jews "know from experience what it means to be victims of collective violence and also because of this they are quick to recognize the recurring symptoms," said Cantalamessa, a Franciscan priest.

Quoting from the letter, Cantalamessa said his Jewish friend was following "with indignation the violent and concentric attacks against the church, the pope and all the faithful of the whole world."

"The use of stereotypes, the passing from personal responsibility and guilt to a collective guilt remind me of the more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism," he said, quoting from the letter."
Fox News

I believe that the person that wrote the letter is right. We are witnessing a demonization of the Church with the intent of destroying her. In that regard this is a replay of not only the Holocaust but so many other times in history where the groundwork is laid before the war begins.

Somebody, somewhere, would love to see another Kristallnacht, but this time directed at the Church and her people. I know this sounds extreme but I believe it is coming. And after the Catholic Church they will go for the rest of Christianity before moving back on to the Jews once again. We are in the midst of an epic, final battle against the forces of evil. And we're all in this together. Satan knows this so he is fighting a campaign to divide and conquer.

Pointless spats such as the furor that has been generated over this comment by a priest serve the ends of the enemy. We must start focusing on the real enemy and avoid these useless distractions. If we play by the rules of our enemy we will lose the war.

MORE OBJECTIVE REPORTING REGARDING FATHER MURPHY

"The archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, apologized repeatedly Tuesday night for the way his archdiocese handled an abusive priest and he defended the Vatican which has come under fire for not disciplining or defrocking the man.

"Mistakes were made in the Lawrence Murphy case," said Archbishop Jerome Listecki at the end of a special holy week mass at St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee.

"The mistakes were not made in Rome in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The mistakes were made here, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, by the Church, by civil authorities, by Church officials, and by bishops. And for that, I beg your forgiveness in the name of the Church and in the name of this Archdiocese of Milwaukee."

The now-deceased Murphy is believed to have molested up to 200 boys.

The Vatican says it did not know about the abuse until 20 years after civil authorities investigated and later dropped the case.

However, a recent New York Times story alleged that top Vatican officials, including the future Pope Benedict XVI, failed to act despite warnings from several American bishops.
Jeff Anderson, a lawyer who obtained internal church paperwork, said it "shows a direct line from the victims through the bishops and directly to the man who is now pope."

In his comments Tuesday night, Listecki attempted to shift the blame away from the Pope.

"The Holy Father does not need me to defend him or his decisions," he said. "I believe, and history will confirm, that his actions in responding to this crisis swiftly and decisively and his compassionate response to victims (and) survivors speak for themselves."

Listecki added that measures have now been put in place in his diocese and across the country to protect children from predatory priests.

"Still, we know it is not words, but actions that will demonstrate our resolve," he said. "And, in some ways, regardless of what I say tonight or any other time, our critics will say it is not enough.

"But that cannot and will not prevent me from making every possible effort at moving forward toward healing and resolution with those who have been harmed, and determined to make sure nothing like this can ever happen again."
CNN

It looks to me as though, while CNN wants to appear objective in their reporting, they have failed the test once again. As evidence I offer the quotes from the story posted below:

"However, a recent New York Times story alleged that top Vatican officials, including the future Pope Benedict XVI, failed to act despite warnings from several American bishops.
Jeff Anderson, a lawyer who obtained internal church paperwork, said it "shows a direct line from the victims through the bishops and directly to the man who is now pope."
In his comments Tuesday night, Listecki attempted to shift the blame away from the Pope."

The New York Times can allege anything it wants. The question is whether the allegations are true. The statement in the article is misleading because it does not address the question of veracity, it just prints the accusation with no follow up. Then it goes a step further. To lend credence to the accusation from the Times it prints another accusation, again with no follow up. I've read the papers this attorney is referring to and they don't paint the clear and unassailable picture of papal guilt that he would like us to believe they do. You can read them yourself here.

"These priests have been allowed to abuse children for years. And with the man who is now the pope knowing about what Father Murphy alone was doing, and not doing anything about it? He needs to resign. He has no business being in the position he is in," said Donald Marshall, who said he was abused once during one of Murphy's regular visits to the Lincoln Hills School, a juvenile detention center in Irma in northern Wisconsin.

CNN prints an emotional outburst from someone that claims to have been abused as a child accusing the Pope of complicity in a crime that hasn't been proved, and further, by the accounts of those involved and the document trail, he was only tangentially involved in the whole process. His involvement resulted in the case against Father Murphy being reopened by suspending the statute of limitations required by Church law and clearing the way for further action. That was about all he could do. Unless, of course, one believes that the accused in any trial should be considered guilty and then forced to prove his innocence. If you believe that then I suppose you would expect the Pope to act unilaterally and condemn the man. But that isn't how justice works.

It seems to me that, as is usual in these abuse cases, the ones claiming abuse demand justice and expect it to be carried out by the most unjust of methods. They can't have it both ways.

Another question. How come when I watch the news or read the paper I never see the name of the accused splashed all over until an indictment has been handed down. The media seems to always go out of their way to protect the rights of the accused. But not this time.

The media and the attorneys are trying to convict the Pope and by extension the Church in the courtroom of public opinion. They don't really care if there is an indictment or a trial. They are not looking for justice, rather for the destruction of the one institution that stands in the way of complete moral decay.

RESTORATION NOT REFORMATION

Restoration, not reformation. This is the key to achieving our goal. We must stay loyal to the Church while we work to restore her to the authoritative teaching Church she once was. Groups like SPPX and SPPV have the goal of creating a parallel church, believing that they have the authority to go it on their own. This is wrong and extremely dangerous, putting the souls of many at risk of damnation. We must stay with Peter.

"And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven." Matthew 16:18

This same power was foreshadowed in Isaiah 22:22: "And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open." Isaiah tells of the future time when King Hezekiah will lose his power and the keys (authority) to the Kingdom of David (foreshadowing the Kingdom of Christ) will be passed on to another.

It is this authority that Jesus gives to Peter and his successors through the keys. The rightful authority of Christ is tied, forever, to the office of the Pope. It is the reason our destiny as Christians is and will always be dependent upon the successor of Peter. We must stay with him.

Without that simple promise the Church would have no more authority than any other. With it, the Church carries the authority of God. For through this promise and the power to bind and loose the Church is protected from error.

We are not reformers. We will restore the Church and hold tight to Peter.

"We are not reformers:we are restorers". I wonder where I saw that just the other day?

MORE NEWS ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE SEX ABUSE CASE

Head on over to the Telegraph and read this story. It looks like I'm not the only one that just doesn't trust the motives of the New York Times.

Thanks to Dan Collins for sending me the link to this story.

"In the early 1990s, when I was religious affairs correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, I reported on the American Catholic Church’s terrible failure to address allegations of child abuse. I think I was one of the first journalists in Britain to write about the way pervert priests were being shuffled around US parishes by bishops. So don’t accuse me of being an apologist for the culture of secrecy and cowardice that enabled wicked men to go unpunished.

But something smells fishy about today’s New York Times story implying that Pope Benedict XVI was complicit in the cover-up surrounding the crimes of a Wisconsin priest, Fr Lawrence Murphy, who abused children at a school for the deaf between 1950 and 1974."