Grand silence.
The Cardinals, that is.
I can't wait. (Trying not to be cynical.)
The C-9.
The six present for the September meeting were: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state; Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, Honduras; Sean P. O’Malley of Boston; Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India; Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany; and Giuseppe Bertello, president of the commission governing Vatican City State.
The three who were absent were: 85-year-old Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, retired archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who is facing questioning over his handling of abuse allegations; Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kinshasa, Congo, who turns 79 in early October; and 77-year-old Australian Cardinal George Pell, who currently is on trial in Australia on sex abuse charges. - Catholic Herald
I wonder if Maradiaga will have anything to say about his seminarian scandal? What a group.
Like I said, I'm trying hard not to be cynical.
In an interview, Cardinal O’Malley, speaking about sexual abuse survivors stated: “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” He was talking about listening to abuse survivors and how the Church wants to insure it doesn't happen again, and so on. Hopefully they will begin with the proper formation of priests and who is admitted to seminary. With Maradiaga on the Council of Cardinals, I wonder how that will go? The focus on issues of abuse and survivors is one thing, hopefully they won't use it to deflect attention away from the corruption, which has been exposed by the McCarrick revelations, not to ignore the seminary scandals in Honduras and elsewhere over the years.
The Holy Father wants us to be silent and pray. I will try.
As John of the Cross said, "Controlling the tongue is better than fasting on bread and water."
Have you seen this article? Any thoughts?
ReplyDeletehttps://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2018/09/10/clergy-sex-abuse-not-about-gay-priests-top-psychologist-says/
Or how about this one? Vapid commentary from the Chicago Cardinal:
Deletehttps://chicago.suntimes.com/news/blase-cupich-catholic-sex-abuse-scandal-we-have-bigger-agenda-than-be-distracted-tells-mundelein-seminarians/
Hard not to be cynical in these times but I'm tryin!
Yaya, did you read the article I linked to? It has nothing to do with the statements made by Cupich. The Crux article is about a psychologist who has treated priests for more than 30 years.
DeleteYeah, I read that article a few days ago. Mine had nothing to do with your link. I simply posted it in reference to how (imo) some in the hierarchy may not be inclined to take this serious issue of sex abuse so serious.
DeleteMary - I did see that and commented on it on my FB page. It was a good article, but I take issue with the minimizing what I consider the real corruption as exemplified by McCarrick's control and the incredible homosexual influence in the seminaries and so on. I used a parallel story of a teacher from my area who groomed his teen students. He and his husband used them - teen boys - for sex. I included that to demonstrate it is a part of LGBTQ culture which is denied these days. I don't have a lot of time, but I may repost it here. My concern is not about sexual abuse of minors, which appears to be in decline and many cases in the Grand Jury reports seem to be decades old. My concern is the flaunting the rules in seminaries and the gay culture therein. Again that may be on the decline, but the Honduras scandals suggest it may be only coming to light now. McCarrick and his ilk cultivated an open admission policy over the decades. StP/MPLS has had a history of gay priests - some good - some bad - several left ministry or were laicized - a few convicted for things such as lewd conduct or seducing teen boys. Some gay men go after teenage boys and very young men. What I wish I could convince people of is this behavior is 'normal' for some gay men. LGBTQ groups seek to sanitize the image of the equality movement.
DeleteMary - this is my commentary on FB:
DeleteFirst let me say that what this Dr. says here is what I have been saying all along:
"Plante also stressed that sexual harassment, perpetrated by a number of clerical superiors against seminarians, should be distinguished from child sexual abuse."
Second,they say it isn't about 'gay-ssa' priests - but it really is about gay priests. Bishops are priests. It is a matter of homosexual clergy - exerting power and control. It really is - and you can believe that without scapegoating gay-ssa lay people and priests. We all know McCarrick and his cocktail party playmates - meaning those in power who exploited the young men in seminaries, colleges, and parishes, were gay. Big flamers. They are clericalists, to be sure - and the negative culture they created is gay. That is decadence and corruption. So don't let any expert, Cardinal or Jesuit media personality convince you otherwise. Corruption includes a multiple number of sins and disorders, tolerated by whatever group who happens to be in control. In this case it is gay men. (Yes there are priests with ssa or homosexual inclination who are faithful, devout, and holy men. I'm not talking about these guys here.) Normal men, straight or gay, do not go around trying to take sexual advantage of others.
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DeleteThanks for your response, Terry. I am coming to the conclusion that the problem is seminaries. All young men - whether gay or straight - are driven by their sexual desires. Women are driven by sexual desires as well, but I think it is much, much stronger in men. It is normal and natural. That is how God created us.
DeleteSeminaries are filled with young men who are "discerning" a vocation to the priesthood. They have not made a commitment to the priesthood, and yet they are expected to live as if they had. That is asking way too much of them.
Further, to isolate young men with raging hormones in seminaries where the only people they really interact with on a day-to-day basis are each other is just asking for trouble. Seminaries were started after the Council of Trent. They need to be ended now.
One of my uncles went to seminary as a young boy back in the 40's. According to my mother, he said that the boys there "were all in love with one another." Is it any wonder? They were not given healthy ways to deal with their growing sexuality. They are dealing with their sexuality in the only way they can.
Let men discern their priestly vocations the same way deacons do. Let them live in the real world. Don't isolate them. Don't have all these young men living together and not expect disastrous consequences. If there is a "homosexual network" in the Church, I believe the unhealthy atmosphere of seminaries is the root cause.
Seminaries are artificial and unhealthy environments. There were never seminaries before the Reformation, and I think they should be ended now. They are the breeding ground for much of the filth and corruption in the priesthood.
Some seminaries have been breeding grounds for filth. But certainly not all. The one I attended, though having its problems with the odd student and staff member over the years (not with gay stuff, I might add), was a place that many good men were formed, and more importantly, where great friendships were formed. This helped us in getting through the seminary and now supports us in our priesthood. You have a lot of laughs.
DeleteMaking friends and having a lot of laughs is all fine and good. But I think the purpose of seminary is to teach men how to serve God and His Church through the priesthood. Certainly we have had many good priests come out of seminary. But there are too many bad priests, and I am not just talking about sexual abuse. There are too many priests who view the priesthood as just as a job and not as a calling from God. They don't really seem to care about the laity at all. In that sense, the seminaries have been a colossal failure.
DeleteWell, yes, that is its primary purpose. Assuming that's taking place - which we would presume is happening even if men are living in parishes or elsewhere during their formation - but the fact that you pray together, eat together and socialise and take up recreation together allows for strong friendships to emerge. Which is the part you wish to do away with. It's not perfect, but no system is. The men who I witnessed see it through to ordination are by far and wide prayerful, generous priests. If you've seen little evidence of this then you've been rather unfortunate. I should say I've only been ordained a few years. I think the new generation of priests have a far greater supernatural outlook than that of 20-30 years ago.
DeleteI'm not cynical. I'm realistic. Unfortunately, realism leads to pessimism. I'll pray that the Lord will be able to heal His Church in spite of all the cardinals.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too. I also hope they don't take forever to respond and when they do they do not dissimulate.
Deletehttp://usccb.org/bible/readings/091018.cfm
ReplyDeleteThe readings have been powerful.
Deletehttp://unveilingtheapocalypse.blogspot.com/2018/09/our-lady-of-knock-jacobs-laddar-and.html
ReplyDeleteGod is in control. I know that you are familiar with this blog Terry. The timing and location of all that has occurred recently is not random.
I haven't read his latest yet, but will. I know it's not random. Thanks.
DeleteSanta Barbara CA Priest
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/the-sermon-that-cost-a-brave-priest-his-job/
Heres a "few" more cases
ReplyDeletehttps://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/12/german-catholic-church-3677-sex-abuse-cases-over-decades-spiegel/1276667002/