Punditry

Diogenes puts it succinctly.

So the Knights of Columbus won’t go further than the bishops go. If the bishop hasn’t excommunicated Senator Mengele, the Knights won’t suspend his membership. If the bishops say it’s OK, it’s OK with the Knights.

So if the K of C had been active in England in the 1530s, following the same policies, would they have followed their bishops’ lead in accepting the title of King Henry VIII as legitimate head of the Church in England? Or would they have supported a lonely layman who rejected that claim?

Thomas More, you will recall, was a Knight– although not of Columbus. Today he’s generally known by another title, having gained membership in a still more elite fraternity

A woman who challenged a Catholic ordination ban has died. The Catholic church will not allow her to be buried at a Catholic parish.

Janine Denomme was ordained a priest in April by a group called Roman Catholic Womenpriests. She had been battling cancer and yesterday she died in her Edgewater home.

The Catholic church never recognized Denomme’s ordination. The Archdiocese of Chicago says Denomme automatically separated herself from the Church when she participated in “the simulation of the sacrament of Holy Orders.” The diocese says she knowingly and willingly participated in the simulation and brought excommunication upon herself. And because of that Denomme is denied a Catholic funeral. The Archdiocese says Denomme would only be allowed a Church burial if she gave “some sign of repentance before death.”

Denomme’s funeral mass will be held at First United Methodist Church in Evanston.

She could have avoided this problem if she had chosen to become an influential pro-abortion Senator instead. Then she could have had a televised Catholic funeral. To be fair this case is much more cut and dry compared to a case where a bishop would have some prudential decision made as to the sign of repentance of in regards to a pro-abortion Catholic politician.

This case though does make me rather sad and I pray for her and for that matter her lesbian partner Nancy.

Father Z

The results are in.

Because of the priestly abuse scandals we so often hear that the problem is priestly celibacy. That not having sex causes you to abuse children and teens. That it is unhealthy and unnatural for us not to have sex.

Well if they truly believed this then we need a whole new set of laws.

For example what about socially awkward and extremely shy men? Obviously their unwanted state of celibacy will cause them to abuse children. How about marriages that have grown to be sexless because of one spouse being tired of sex? They too will look for children to abuse by this reasoning. What about people not having sex before marriage and still have not found the person they want to marry?

So what we need are a new form of Temple Prostitutes. Yes government prostitutes and I am not talking about politicians. The government should monitor people’s sex life and determine when a person has been without sex for a specified period to be determined. The celibacy cycle must be monitored to prevent abuse.

Plus who knows when this sets in so maybe the government should force people to get married at a younger age or ensure that government appointed prostitutes make visits for preventive maintenance. By this logic we know that a period of celibacy can cause lifelong problems. We know this because priestly abusers often go on to more and more abuse. So they are no longer celibate yet they have steady sex via their abusive relationships. Those that abuse children often go on to abuse more and more children throughout their lifetime. So the celibacy causes abuse logic would dictate that it is not the psychological sickness of the individual, but the often short period they were actually celibate before abusing children and predominately teenage males. Funny how celibacy causes abuse that targets teenage males. I guess the lack of sex makes men all of sudden choose victims of a certain age and gender since it can’t possibly have anything to do with same sex attraction don’t you know. Just one of those odd quirks that come from being celibate for a period of time.

So you parents that believe celibacy causes abuse out there – make sure your male children either get married early and that they have a continuous sex life or that you buy them prostitutes until the government steps in to help. Plus keep ignoring the fact that most child abuse occurs within families and to a lesser extent public schools. Celibacy is the problem, facts be damned.

I was wondering recently what has happened to Fr. Greeley since the accident he experienced. He is back with some advice on how to attract young men to the priesthood. No it’s not allowing priest to marry, but allowing priests to sign up for a time and then reenlist like they do in the military.

He reminds us he has been doing sociological research on the priesthood for 30 years. His previous sociological expertise told us in a column that America was too racist to elect Obama.  I wonder if Fr. Greeley has met with President McCain yet?

We are all aware of course of the scriptural passage “A priest part-time like Melchizedek.” Plus of course the scriptural example of the Apostles putting in a couple of years and then kicking back in another profession. Some people actually think St. Paul was executed when really he just went back to just being a tentmaker. Of course the priesthood is just a job, not an actual vocation from God don’t you know. Plus six years in seminary is just not enough time to discern the call. Diocese would be so happy to pay for six years in the seminary and for a priest after five years to move on to civilian life as Fr. Greeley suggests. Plus don’t we all want a priest not actually committed to the priesthood? It is much more inspiring to have a priest who is in a tour of duty and just might re-up if he feels like it.

Of course why stop there. What Fr. Greeley says about the priesthood applies equally to marriage. There are people miserable in marriages just like in the priesthood and so instead of those guidelines from that idealistic Jesus about marriage being indissoluble we can sign up for five year hitches instead. Or maybe seven year hitches until the seven year itch sets in. After all the priesthood and marriage are just sacraments and they can be as temporary or permanent as you want them to be. Why sacrifice for Christ – just do things until you get bored and are no longer happy.

Fr. Greeley asks “Who are we, in other words, to question where the Spirit leads a person?” Because everything we do can be attributed to following the Holy Spirit. Be a priest for a while – that’s the Holy Spirit calling you. Leave the priesthood to go do something else – why once again that’s the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit must seem rather fickle to liberals. Feel like being a preist again later on – well that’s also the Spirit calling.

Neither the church nor its people nor the priesthood itself is well served by a miserably unhappy priest. What are some of the reasons a man might want to leave? His parishioners get on his nerves; he can’t stand teens; his fellow priests make him chronically depressed; he wants to begin a family of his own; the work is oppressive; he’s bored and he shudders at the thought that he will be doing the same things for the next half century; he has served under three bishops, all of whom have been fools, and he can’t take the folly anymore; he’s exhausted, worn out, bone tired. Permission to return to the lay life as one who has finished his commitment to active service enables both him and the church to cut their losses.

Pick up the cross daily when you want to.  Parishioners getting on your nerves of couse is not something you could use towards your sanctification.  The heck with the offering it up stuff – that’s for people actually committed to Christ and his Church.  Again what about a miserable unhappy spouse – just wait till the marriage tour is over and don’t re-up.

What Fr. Greeley is trying to do is make the exception to the rule be the rule.  Priests already can be laicized for serious reason.  Sure there is a stigma attached to this, but it is not exactly like anyone goes into the priesthood blindly and without sufficient time to reflect on their vocation. Besides why is the answer for a miserably unhappy priest be that he leaves the priesthood as if this is the only option.  Father Groechel  who has worked with a lot of priests who left the priesthood would certainly not agree that this be the best solution.  He has also worked with returning priests who found their problems did not go away upon leaving the priesthood.  Certainly there are other underlying causes that might be looked at.

The final argument is that if the church is faithful to its commitment to permanent celibacy, God will provide priests for us. Thus we do not and even should not consider modifications. This is one of the favorite cop-outs of bishops and conservative laity: Blame God.

Can’t say I have ever heard clergy or conservative laity blame God for the lack of the number of priests.  God still calls men to the priesthood, but that does not mean they all answer the call.  It is also not God’s fault that we are having much smaller families.  The contraceptive worldview and lack of openness to life is not exactly God’s idea.  There are plenty of reasons in the current culture that makes it difficult to young men to answer the call.  Though this lack is area specific since parts of the world have plenty of men answering a vocation to the priesthood.  The growth of the Catholic Church in Africa is not caused by Africans allowing men to sign up for a tour of duty as a priest.

Fr. Greeley thinks that there must be modifications made of this type to bring in young men.  No explanation for why during the history of the Church that we have not had a problem with men answering the call for the most part.  What has changed is the culture and the modifications that must be made is not the term of the priesthood, but how we work against a culture that works to silence the call.  Caving into the culture never inspires anybody.

I believe Fr. Greeley is making a good faith attempt at a solution to the priestly shortage problem.  I just think his solution is worse than the problem.

Fr. Greeley does at least make a good point in regards to celibacy.

…I think that celibacy is a positive good, and my research shows that it is. It does not interfere with happiness for most priests and may contribute to it.

…Those who bother to discuss my proposal tend to be bitterly against it. For many liberal Catholics (lay and clerical), it is a matter of absolute faith that celibacy is the critical weakness in the church. They think it is the cause, for example, of sexual abuse in the priesthood, though the problem is virtually the same among married Protestant clergy. Nonetheless, they say, celibacy has to go.

Creative Minority Report

Does anybody know who the admin is for this Facebook fan Page?

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI

The fan photos are out of control.

Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord you heavens:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord you angels of the Lord:

bless the Lord all you his hosts;

bless the Lord you waters above the heavens:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord sun and moon:

bless the Lord you stars of heaven;

bless the Lord all rain and dew:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord all winds that blow:

bless the Lord you fire and heat;

bless the Lord scorching wind and bitter cold:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord dews and falling snows:

bless the Lord you nights and days;

bless the Lord light and darkness:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord frost and cold:

bless the Lord you ice and snow;

bless the Lord lightnings and clouds:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

O let the earth bless the Lord:

bless the Lord you mountains and hills;

bless the Lord all that grows in the ground:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord you springs:

bless the Lord you seas and rivers;

bless the Lord you whales and all the swim in the waters:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord all birds of the air:

bless the Lord you beasts and cattle;

bless the Lord all people on earth:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

O people of God bless the Lord:

bless the Lord you priests of the Lord;

bless the Lord you servants of the Lord:

sing his praise and exalt him for ever.

Bless the Lord all you of upright spirit:

bless the Lord you that are holy and humble in heart.

The Diocese of St. Petersberg is having a conference on the “Living Eucharist” this month.  People will fondly remember Bishop Lynch of this diocese , the protector of Terri Schiavo – well in a multiverse this was bound to have happened somewhere.  Also this is the Bishop who restricted perpetual Eucharistic Adoration saying that it was not a “normal pattern” of the Church and would require his permission for a  dispensation.  Though it appears at least now that a couple of parishes did receive that dispensation.

So you know a conference on the Eucharist in this diocese should be something special.  To be fair the Bishop’s previous Pastoral letter “Living Eucharist: Gathered, Nourished, Sent”  is a fairly decent letter on the Eucharist.  Though the title of it annoys me with the tone of the Eucharist being about the congregation more than about Jesus.  But I usually quibble too much.

So for a congregation on the Eucharist who would you pick for keynote speakers?  Well I am sure your short list would include:

• Reverend Timothy Radcliffe, OP Best known for known for writing in favor of gay priests, saying Masses for dissident homosexual groups, and for encouraging people to read gay novels and watch gay-themed movies such as Brokeback Mountain.

Cardinal Mahony was once asked about Fr. Radcliffe and what he was teaching at the L.A. Religious Conference.  The Cardinals first reply was “Well, why are you asking me? Ask him.” and followed up with “Do you know how many speakers we have here” and complained that there was no way to know in advance what a speaker would say.  Of course this is only a real concern when you have dissident speakers.  Plus of course Fr. Radcliffe was invited back again to the conference even after the Cardinal was made aware of this.  Strangely I get the feeling we would get the same type of answer from Archbishop Lynch.

• Fr. J Glenn Murray as director of the diocesan Office for Pastoral Liturgy for Cleveland implemented changes to the Liturgy and Communion Rite that went against both what the U.S. Bishops and the Vatican had rejected.  For example standing after Communion.  Not surprisingly, also a fan of liturgical dance
• Fr. J. Bryan Hehir One of the early dissidents opposing Humanae Vitae saying the Church should be silent on contraception.  When it comes to questions of sexual morality he is also known to hold views outside of the Church. A supporter of the idea of seeing Vatican II as a rupture from the past along with supporting homosexual adoption in connection with Catholic Charities. His influence was certainly felt in Boston where Catholic Charities was indeed adopting Children to homosexuals until ironically the State said they had to do this.

Well they are only the keynote speakers.  Surely the presenters at the conference will be just fine.  For example Rev. Lawrence Mick whose book on the sacraments was reviewed by blog friend Rich Leornardi. Oddly Rich only gave it one star for teaching a “horizontalized, incomplete picture of the sacraments at odds with what the Church teaches.”

In two days full of conferences in a conference dedicated to the Eucharist you will certainly find a lot of classes on the topic.  That is if you went to a different conference on the Eucharist than this one.  I could not find one class actually on the Eucharist and the theology of the Eucharist.  Pretty much every other subject though especially in the social justice arena including the pro-life movement.

There I am quibbling again and being downright petty thinking a conference on the Eucharist be about Jesus in the Eucharist.  One of the goals of the conference is:

• Develop a greater consciousness of ourselves as the Body of Christ

Because when it comes down to it, worship is all about us.  So lets sing Here I am Lord until God realizes how lucky he us to have us.

<a href=”http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/jesterHat.png”><img title=”jesterHat” src=”http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/jesterHat.png” alt=”” width=”26″ height=”16″ />Thanks to the reader who sent this in.</a>