sunburst, Thank you for posting this. Michael Voris appears to be very angry but I can't blame him, he and his family have been directly affected by the sexual abuse in the Church. I don't think that his demands will be met but I suppose that unless he makes these demands the Church will never truly come close to attempting to mend what has occurred. I share the same concerns that many others here have expressed when they wonder if innocent clergy may be wrongly accused and in turn will be hurt by the wrongful accusations. I think that this has already occurred in some cases. On the other hand, I believe that there are many clergy who have gotten away with sexual abuse of both minors and young adults for far too long. There are no easy answers except if none of us sinned. I came across the following site not too long ago and they still have Bishop Rueger listed in their table although they state what you have stated above. This site has also clearly confirmed that they excluded from their table and the database the allegations made against 4 other bishops (O'Keefe, Bernardin, Mahony and Egan) which they state were subsequently recanted or demonstrated to be incorrect. I wonder why they have not included Bishop Rueger with these other 4 bishops. http://www.bishop-accountability.org/bishops/accused/ I have not read through all of the information that this site has provided on Bishop Rueger and his accuser but I did notice that his accuser, Mr. Braio, died of natural causes in 2006 at the suspected age of 55 years old and I also found the following, "Mr. Braio dropped the suit in November 2003, as well as litigation against Monsignor Thomas Sullivan, the diocesan chancellor. Mr. Braio had filed an ancillary defamation suit against Monsignor Sullivan, charging that he had spread rumors that Mr. Braio had HIV." http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/07_08/2006_07_07_Kush_RuegerAccuser.htm It appears to me that some of the tactics that are used against good priests that were discussed in the articles which Dolours posted above have been used against some of those who accuse clergy of sexual abuse. What a mess.
Yes Carol, What a mess! Chances are this link you posted may be where Voris got his info,... at the same time those who may be innocent are branded Only God knows So much prayers are needed
i heard or read from a wise old seminary professor priest: every infidelity—every loss of faith begins below the belt. Recently I read a priests saying: when someone tells me they are not religious but they are spiritual they are really saying “I want a religion without sexual morality.” I think whether it is greed or lust or maybe any of the 7 deadly sins—first comes the embrace of the sin and then comes the loss of faith. And then the suspicion and dislike of those who hold on to “their medieval faith”
At bottom it is not praying. I bought a lovely little floating water pump and put it in a tub in my front garden. It works by sunlight. It was fine until it ran out of water and then it made the most horrendous clacking sound when there was no water. We are a bit like that; we need the water of prayer to operate. Otherwise we break down. I think often when you meet someone you can nearly sense if they are a person of prayer or not. One without prayer ; like my poor water fountain, tend to make loads and loads of noise and lack stillness, bringing forth no water. Those who pray hum along . No fuss, no nonsense, just a quiet hum and loads of lovely water. This is especially important for busy priests. How can the busy bee bring home honey if he never goes to the flowers that give it? Essentially the bad priest is very like a witch. The outwards forms of religion but inwardly demons. With similiar spooky behaviours. Next time you have the misfoturne to be near a bad priest take notice of him and see for yourself. Spooksville. John 4:14 '''but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
I was looking at the title of this thread, and the anguish beneath the question "why aren't our leaders standing up for us ? why are they not speaking out against what is happening in The Church at the moment ?" This is an important question/ I've been asking it for years as well. If we are perplexed and bewildered, how much more does God feel that anguish as well ? I came to the conclusion that The Church will end up being crucified. I thought of Jesus at his trial over Thursday night into Friday morning. For most of the time he pretty much said nothing. He kept his counsel and let the accusations fly around. They'd decided they were going to convict him anyway. It's the same today. Using words to defend our faith has become almost counter-productive because there is so much hatred for the Catholic Church and her followers. I don't blame the priests, bishops and Cardinals for largely remaining silent. After all, who wants to invite crucifixion ? But crucifixion is coming anyway.
Cardinals wear Red Silk as a reminder to them that they must be ever ready to shed their blood for Christ at a moments notice. it is in their job description. God expects it. All the Apostles went to martrydom. We might expect them to run away and stay quiet , I doubt if God will take such a lenient view. I doubt it very, very much. Few of them have to face death, just Fear of Human Respect. All Christans are expected to be prepared to die for our Faith; it is in our job descriptions as well. But if we cannot even face a little mocking how will we face death?
All that is true, Padraig. But our Church has become corrupt. We are not being led by Lions and martyrs, ready to lead by example and die for the faith. The leadership in our church at this moment in time is coming from those at the very bottom, not those clothed in red silk. (with a few notable exceptions, and they are having a tough time of it themselves). This is notso much a lenient view, as trying to understand why we are in such a mess. B
I shudder when I think of the Judgement of the prelates we have now. There was one saint who was made a bishop (or cardinal I forget which) and he went into great anxiety. When asked why he said something to the effect that he was going to be Judged much more severely now because of the great weight of duty and care of souls that had been placed upon him. How different from today when being made a prelate is a reason to throw a party
Absolutely right, and yet the key to our own peace and joy in these times is to focus on what God is doing, not on what the leadership is doing to lead the flock astray. Satan wants nothing more than for us to become discouraged. How do we become discouraged ? We only have to open a newspaper or read the online news to find out about the latest leadership scandal in the Bride of Christ. It can ruin your day. And I have let it ruin far too many days. God is asking us to lift up our heads, throw wide the gates and welcome Him in. False expectations of men clothed in red silk is not going to lift our spirits. They will face their judgement. But sobwill all of us. I suspect God is not going to say "So, Bella. what did you think of the Bishops and cardinals who led you all those years ?" His questions is much more likely to ask me how did I sow the gospel and bring others to faith with the talents he gave me. Seriously, it's a waste of time worrying about why our leaders are so inept and evil. They just are. Let's get on with sharing the gospel and growing in holiness. We're going to get crucified anyway, so we might as well do it joyfully.
I think this will vary from person to person. I agree that if someone is overwhelmed or despairing by the headlines and what is happening then they should avoid them and try to focus solely on praying and offering up sacrifices. Others though will read the headlines and become energized that something must be done. We all have different jobs. It's not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. True though despair is not what Our Lord wants from us. The great saints were very often joyful and/or hopeful, even in their pain and discomfort.
I never claimed that it was, actually. I was simply sharing my thoughts, which I do increasingly rarely on here.
Yes. Good analogy. I am currently reading/meditating/ praying my way through In Sinu Jesu. A priest being called to Eucharistic Adoration to repair for priests who don’t spend time with Our Lord. Very poignant. Even heartbreaking to hear Jesus speak of His priests. St Alphonsus says “ if you pray you will save your soul. If you don’t pray you will just as surely lose your soul.” Sobering words from a great saint.
This book has spread astonishingly quickly all round the world. You see it quoted everywhere. I must read it.
I think a bad priest generally is not like a bad layperson. There is a principle of moral theology that when the very good become bad they become very, very bad indeed. Because of the state they are called to if they become bad they become very, very dangerous indeed. So it best to avoid such people as much as possible. A bad Bishop or Cardinal even more so. They are dwelling places of many, many demons.
This is very true. Fr Palka’s Letter to his parishioners (from Dolours) illustrates this or as Hamlet says “now the time gives it proof.” A terrible reality to contemplate. But it might follow that good priests now become that much holier because of the dense darkness all around. “Where sin abounds there does grace much more abound”
As far as I can tell the greatest persecutor of good clergy , priests and religious appears to be the bad ones who pursue them ruthlessly. This appears to happen right from the seminary. A for instance is that young seminarians who have received their vocations at the Hands of Our Lady get flung out, if for instance, they show any sings of saying the rosary or an interest in pro life causes. Any signs of real hominess is a death sentence often to clerical advancement. But this is not a new thing altogether. I read a story about the Cure of Ars; one time he was invited to a dinner with the Bishop and all the other priests. A group of the priests began to make fun of the saint for a hat he was wearing. The Bishop stopped this by saying that if he had just a few more priests like the Cure of Ars he could convert the world. But you see this in the lives of all the saints. The devil raises bad clergy like dragons teeth against them . Look at St Bernadette her own Novice Mistress and Mother Superior roasted her. The might of the Vatican crushed Padre Pio. Her fellow nuns give St Margaret Mary a good beating. St Fautina was flattened...and on and on and on...
If you want to know if a priest, or anyone else is holy ask yourself if they are nailed on the Cross, for it is there, hanging on the Cross, spat on the face by men, that you will find them. The lowest of the lowly. 1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness";
