For the sake of their future

this may well be a good idea...

Legion leadership may step down at next General Chapter

It could be a good idea for no other reason than to clear the air of any perception that a party who may have known about Fr. Maciel is still in some leadership position. It's been pretty clear that the people in leadership in the Legion have been almost destroyed by the discoveries about their founder and are trying to salvage what they can and follow the directives of the Vatican in the process. We need to pray for them...

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The story is this:

Fr. Corapi placed on leave after misconduct accusation

- with some intelligent reporting and some good comments.

What we know and don't know is this:

36 Hours after Corapi-Stormfall – UPDATES!

- with a very good column by Elizabeth Scalia and comment by Mark Shea.

Plus an interesting piece by another well-known priest who is only one step below Fr. Corapi in recognition:

Priests and Pedestals

"Having tasted a little of the reality of celebrity priesthood, Fr. Longenecker warns, "Putting your trust in a priest -- no matter how wonderful he is -- will always be a let-down.""

I'ved always personally felt that the Church's response to accusations (Pope Benedict's response to the abuse crisis), by it's very process, leads people to presume guilt without proof, and even if a priest is found innocent, it destroys them in the eyes of the public forever.

I don't know about him myself, I tend to favour the Fulton Sheen public approach to the Corapi public approach, the Sheen technique was persuasive because of kindness, gentleness and intelligence rather than Corapi's persuasiveness by intelligence and assertiveness, but there's one really good thing said by Ms. Scalia in her article:

"What we do know: Old Scratch has his hand in all of this, because — whatever the real story is — someone is lying, so the Father of Lies must be a part of it, in any case. And it’s Lent."

Amen. Please pray for the Church...

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Journalists

who rely on the internet for their sources really need to go back to journalism school.

Richard Cohen Smears Priests

Unless they're now teaching that everything you read on the internet is true, of course. That would take the onus of them for checking their sources...

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Sure, blame the Church

Fr. Cutié: The Ex-Catholic Priest on His Marriage

It'll help him sell books, anyway. Anything that takes shots at the Catholic Church is a best-seller these days...

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The embattled...

...Pope.


Amid Church Abuse Scandal, an Office That Failed to Act

I hope that those in other positions of authority - police, education, media, etc. - take note of what is happening in the Catholic Church, by both haters and media. Eventually they will turn on them, as well. Once their hatred of the Catholic Church is sated, if ever that occurs...

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They're taking a stand

German bishops’ conference confirms it sent file to Rome on Bishop Mixa

Interestingly, the article seems to equate 'homosexual advances' to sexual abuse. I don't know what was in the document, but if this is the case, it doesn't bode well for a lot of people out there as any advance could now be construed as sexual abuse. It's like any type of physical event is now considered abuse. I've read of accusations of 'physical abuse' from teachers that are actually instances of common assault, but are now reported as 'abuse'. Nothing gets abused as much as language...

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It makes sense

that

Another Predictably Stupid Miss USA Scandal

would follow another predictably stupid Miss USA Pageant...

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Sin has always been the problem

"Sin within the Church" threat to Catholicism: Pope Benedict

It does threaten the Church corporately, though.

Sin has always been the problem, but today, holding only a moral sway over the people, if the church isn't behaving in a moral way, why should people pay attention to it? That's the issue. 'Do what I say, not what I do' doesn't work in our modern world. However, having said that, the Church recognizes that sin exists within it, but I think there really is an attempt by some people to smear the Catholic Church in any way they can to make whatever point they're bent on making...

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In the spirit of

their usual 'stick your head in the sand' attitude...

Accused Catholic priests left in legal limbo

First the Church ignored or protected guilty priests when they were accused. Now those who have been accused but are found innocent (or not proven guilty) are being ignored. The Catholic Church just can't get it right. And they expect obedience and love from the people they ignore. No wonder they have a hard time attracting vocations...

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I'm not at all surprised

Practicing Catholics unfazed by abuse scandals; Pope’s popularity increasing

While polls and statistics are always to be viewed with a certain amount of suspicion, I think the important word here is 'practicing'.

People who aren't active Catholics but still categorize themselves as Catholic have likely stopped practicing for a reason, and it's much easier for them to be critical and suspicious of, and angry toward, the Church and the Pope. Those who are practicing might take a more moderate stance. It stands to reason...

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I hope

that this is true.

Pope will make historic apology for abuse

"Vatican hopes unprecedented act of penance at June jamboree will defuse anger over worldwide claims"

I do hope that he has something substantial to say about it and not an apology that glosses over things. The Vatican and the Pope have been silent about this for too long, I think hoping that the local diocesan churches could deal with it. They can only deal with their own diocesan members, though, not the media, the non-Catholic public and those who were abused and have left the church. I hope a lot for this apology...

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Some people

who are meeting the Pope themselves, are disagreeing with so much of the media and the Western attitude toward Pope Benedict...

Abuse victim in Malta: Pope Benedict XVI is a 'saint'

Those who want to blame the Pope for everything aren't going to like this...

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A good article...

Seven Ways the Bishops Should Respond to Sex Abuse

The bishops have been hiding or commenting under the guise of solidarity, or 'we'll do our own house cleaning' for too long. They need to comment loudly and definitively, if anyone is to even listen to them. Their current behaviours (though I'm generalizing) have been too little, too late...

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Great.

In sermon, E. Longmeadow priest calls on Pope Benedict to step down

"Says only truth can heal church in abuse scandal"

And Fr. Scahill knows the complete truth?

Now priests are getting dragged along by a biased and prejudiced media. Well done, Father.

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Just another day

with Conservative politicians...


Ottawa glamour couple Guergis and Jaffer plummet into PM's purgatory

They don't seem to care about the behaviour, they only care about the behaviour being found out. They're really finding that their belief in their divine right to rule has its downside...

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I wish

that more people in the Church would say this, backing their statements up with 'facts and figures.'

Sins of priests cannot be applied to entire Church, cardinal says of abuses

The Church needs to counter the anti-Catholic media barrage that is spewing from some Western news agencies...

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It's not gossip


Catholic Cardinal rejects sex abuse 'gossip'

"A senior cardinal has said the Roman Catholic faithful will not be swayed by "petty gossip" about child sex-abuse allegations."

But the media is making more of it than should be (given the rate of abuse in society in general and other professions in particular) in an effort to discredit the Catholic Church for some reason...

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I can agree with this

Sexual scandals are a call to return to God, remarks Spanish cardinal

They're a very painful reminder, not just to ordained clergy but to all of us, that we need to work, pray and fast to make our behaviour match our beliefs, that our belief in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God requires us to put off our old person, like removing an old suit of clothes, and make ourselves into that which we preach.

It's not an easy thing, if it were we'd all be working miracles every day. But we have to do it.

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Not in communion with Rome,


this is, as it has named itself, the Reformed Catholic Church.

Catholicism offshoot dissolves after scandals

They're not doing so well in their reforms, I guess...

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"Willful ignorance, thy name is America."


Spank me, then let's do lunch

"How many hypocritical Republicans can dance on the head of a sex scandal?"

A very good op-ed piece. A must-read for anyone jaded about the whole political system (and particularly the right-wing, family values politicians), in order to fan the flames of their discontent...

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