Voris is hard hitting on this one.
The thing is, he's right. The man has real courage.
"Today we can ask the Holy Spirit to give us all this Apostolic fervor and to give us the grace to be annoying, when things are too quiet in the Church, the grace to go out to the outskirts of life. The Church has so much need of this! Not only in distant lands, in the young churches, among people who do not know Jesus Christ, but here in the cities, in our cities, they need this proclamation of Jesus Christ. So let us ask the Holy Spirit for this grace of Apostolic zeal, let’s be Christians with apostolic zeal. And if we annoy people, blessed be the Lord. Onwards, as the Lord says to Paul, ‘take courage!' " - Pope Francis
Joseph McCarthy.
ReplyDeleteThat ought to make lots of people happy.
I really have a hard time with this, Terry. I've been listening and reading a lot of Venerable Archbishop Sheen lately. He was truly the greatest evangelist of our time, and at no time did he ever make any ad hominem attacks in the church. Gay clergy are not anything new. My uncle went to seminary in the 40's, and he saw it then, so you can be sure Archbishop Sheen saw it.
ReplyDeleteVoris may be speaking truth, but there are some things that should not be discussed in public. Ephesians 5:15 says, "It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret." These things definitely need to be addressed by the Church, and we should be bringing it to our Lord in prayer and certainly to the Church hierarchy, but it is not up to the laity to air the Church's dirty laundry. We don't have the knowledge or the authority. I could be wrong, but I don't think any of the saints ever reprimanded Church authority in public.
I don't think Voris has courage as much as he just enjoys fighting and being controversial.
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our Bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious” Bishop Fulton J. Sheen
ReplyDeleteI know that quote very well. But I don't think it means going public with other people's sins, not even a bishop's or a priest's sins. I think it means prayer, possibly confronting the prelate and taking it through the channels of authority in the Church. As I wrote, I don't see the practice a pattern of saints publicly castigating priests and bishops.
DeleteHi Catholic in Brooklyn - I know sometimes Voris can get worked up over domestic prelates and their tolerance of Catholic politicians who disregard Church teaching. But in this case I really see Michael adressing a very public situation in a reasonable manner. I know the books and the research by the Polish priest Voris refers to in the context of the report very well. In one case, it is research that has been ignored or brushed aside for decade (Homosexual Network) - therefore, I have to agree with just about everything he says here.
ReplyDeleteI say he has courage in this because he is up against decades of secrecy and coverup regarding the issue. If rumors be true, a couple of'truth-tellers' like Voris have been murdered for less than what Voris is saying. I say if rumors be true, since the cases I am thinking of have never been solved. But I digress.
Anyway, I really believe Voris fits ight in with the quote I took from Pope Francis - if he annoys people in his apostolic zeal - God bless him.
Adrienne's Sheen quote is fitting as well.
I'll pray for Voris that Our Lord will perfect the good work he has begun in him - and bring good fruit from it.
God bless you too - it's always good to have someone disagree with me. I thank you for your honesty.
Thom - I just saw your comment - LOL. At first I thought it was from Joseph McCarthy.
ReplyDelete