The American Bishops speak....
WARNING!!! Harsh language alert.
OK... by now we all know about Nancy Pelosi's diabolical statement that “I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins”. What bullshit.
OK... by now we all know that a bevy of Catholic honchos, the likes of Cardinals Egan and Rigali, Archbishops Chaput and Wuerl, Bishop Lori, etc, have been "correcting" Nancy Slice and Dice. And to a lesser degree (as I've already posted), Joey Hairplugs has been "corrected". What bullshit.
Here's the bottom line, fellow Bloglodytes, nothing will happen to either Nancy S&D or Joey Hairplugs. Nothing.
Archbishop Wuerl has a well documented history of smiling and looking the other way while "pro-abortion Catholic" politicians in Washington, DC receive Holy Communion. Hell, but the same goes for the vast majority of the American Bishops.
And yes, I'm very familiar with Archbishop Chaput's longstanding policy that pro-abort Catholics shouldn't receive Holy Communion. Or is that really what he said? No... it isn't. Want to know what he really said? Click here. But here's the gist of it; (Emphasis mine)
Not doing so would be "seriously wrong," he said.
"I certainly presume his good will and integrity and I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for Communion if he supports a false 'right' to abortion," the Catholic leader added.
Anyhow, don't count on things improving anytime soon. Not as long as we have gutless priests who say things like;
Pelosi and Biden have NEVER been refused Holy Communion... PERIOD. And they never will be, either. Not as long as we have "leaders" who are filled with sound and fury, but signifying nothing.
And how sad that one of the few American Bishops who has a functioning set of balls, Archbishop Raymond Burke, is now in Rome. And for those that didn't know, Abp Burke is now saddled up with something call The Apostolic Signature, which is roughly the Catholic Church's Supreme Court. Here's what he said on the subject;
The day ANY American "pro-abortion Catholic" politician is publically denied Holy Communion, is the day I'll publically apologize to that particular Bishop.
In the meantime... it's all bullshit.
Orthodox bishops have NO problem "imposing" their views on heretics, except for Greek democrats. Met. Phillip of the Antiochian Archdiocese is known for defrocking priests, closing down houses of heresy and and excommunicating people. He even called out Black Bart (that's Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople).
ReplyDeleteI'm optimistic that, now that Burke is higher up the ladder, he'll be able to "persuade" the American Bishops to do the right thing.
ReplyDeleteCall it bullshit if you wish, but these statements by the bishops would never have been said in the not too distant past. Instead of them we would have been fed some mealymouthed pap about "seamless garments" and other idiocies.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't perfect but we're seeing progress.
I am a bit more optimistic (naive?) on this matter, but I can't help but noticing that a rather impressive number of bishops are commenting on this (and I think more will soon) wheras usually stuff like Pelosi's comments (and worse) goes by without any statement from the Bishops.
ReplyDeletePerhapes this is what one might call the "Raymond Burke effect"?
Don't get me wrong, my first reaction was, gosh I really wish Burke was still in St. Louis, but I have a feeling that Burke in Rome has pretty good access to B-XVI and at last some of the wheels are getting into motion.
In trying to argue with the Bishops Pelosi is just making this worse.
I think at this point the Bishops are still terrified that excommunication would be considered to "political" in an election year.
As I understand it there are two schools of thought on the communion issue. The Burke notion which is that the Church has a duty to withhold the sacrment and the Wuerl notion that we need to educate people and ask them (ever so nicely) to please refrain from taking communion when they shouldn't.
Now I'm with Burke on this one and in a perfect world, we'd all be. The sad reality though is that in addition to Nancy Pelosi and Joe Bidden, the vast majority of Catholics who will take communion this Sunday probably shouldn't.
Furthermore our Parish priests (or uggh the "Eucharstic ministers") can't vet every person who comes up to them as to weather or not they are in a state of grace.
Maybe the Bishops are worried that if Pelosi was excommunicated for being so vocally pro choice and such a liar, your average rank and file Catholic will assume that as long as they aren't formally excommunicated they are in the clear. Sort of like a situation where "well I haven't been to confession in three years, I missed a few holy day of obligation, etc, but I haven't done anything REALLY bad like Nancy Pelosi? I mean I am, kind of, pro-life..."
Etc, you see what I mean? The bishops must think that with excommunications thay have to either use them hardly ever or conversly really go on the warpath (an option they won't like because it will have a back-lash.)
I understood that she was refused communion in Denver this week by Bishop Chaput. Did I hear wrong? I wouldn't downplay this, because the response is spreading to other bishops who have never made the news on this important issue.
ReplyDeleteVSO,
ReplyDeleteThat's a broad brush you paint with! I just saw an Orthodox Bishop give the Invocation at the Defeatocrat Convention.
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Sunvet,
Yeah, I do call it bullshit. Nothing's been done... other than words. Talk, talk, talk.
It's bad enough we have to put up with ass holes like Biden and Pelosi, but now that horseshit that Monsignor Rebman said? Open defiance to his Bishop, and you know what'll happen to him? Nothing.
That qualifies as "bullshit" to me.
But you're right. This is light years ahead of where we were not all that long ago.
But until something concrete happens, it's still all bullshit.
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FD,
As you stated "or conversly really go on the warpath (an option they won't like because it will have a back-lash."
Hell, I say it's time TO go on the warpath!! And as far as a back-lash is concerned, if it means that the weak-kneed Roman Protestants finnaly do haul ass... that works for me!
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Micheal,
I hope you're right!! Do you happen to have a reference?
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RTS,
I have to rhetorically ask, why does he have to "persuade" anyone? When will we start seeing some censures, if not straight-shooting excommunications?
I'm sure the pro-abort pols would be denied in the diocese of Lincoln.
ReplyDeleteBishop Bruskewitz said he would deny Kerry back in '06. He has denied Holy communion to at least one of the Call To Action clowns after he excommunicated the bunch.
The CTA leader said Bruskewitz recognized him when he approached and the Bishop pulled back the ciborium, raised the back of his hand to him and kind of swatted him away. (like at a pesky fly)
If Biden tried to receive in Lincoln the only thing he would taste would be the back of a hand.
I do want so badly to see an imprint of the Bishops' rings on the face of Pelosi, Biden, and the like.
ReplyDeleteI fear if we do not make a stand and solidify the belief of Catholics in this country we will lose the country all together. Make no mistake about it the ONLY group of people that can save this country from itself are devout practicing Catholics. May God give us the strength to do so and may Saint Michael protect us!
Tim,
ReplyDeleteI have no reason to disbelieve your telling of Bishop Bruskewitz actually denying Holy Communion to a member of CTA.
And even though he certainly sounded as if he meant it... we'll never really know if he actually would deny the same to John Kerry, simply because Kerry never presented himself in that particular diocese. But that leads to another interesting point of conjecture... would the denial be ONLY from the Bishop, or from ANY priest in the Diocese of Lincoln? As we've already witness out of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, priests are openly defiant to their bishop.
Anyhow, I'll stick by my initial assertion: Mark my words... Archbishop Burke will be ignored by EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN BISHOP.
The day ANY American "pro-abortion Catholic" politician is publically denied Holy Communion, is the day I'll publically apologize to that particular Bishop.
In the meantime... it's all bullshit.
"an Orthodox Bishop give the Invocation at the Defeatocrat Convention"
ReplyDeleteI did not see this, but I am sorry to hear it, esp. considering Clinton, Albright, Wes Clark, Hillary, and other leading lights of the Dem. Party bombing the Serbs on Orthodox (and Catholic) Easter.
VSC,
ReplyDeleteBruskewitz was clear when he said Kerry could not receive in the diocese of Lincoln. He said Kerry and any other pro-abort politicians were forbidden to receive holy Communion there.
When his Vicar general (or maybe it was the chancellor) was asked about gauging the intentions of a politician with a pro abort rep the diocesean V.G. said THEY WOULD ERR ON THE SIDE OF REVERENCE FOR THE EUCHARIST AND DENY COMMUNION and if the person who wanted to receive later demonstrated that they were not pro abort or had a change of heart before attempting to receive communion then they would publicly apologize for denying them Communion.
AS for speculation about the loyalty of Lincoln priests to their bishop, you'll be more likely to find a marine who'll ignore a direct order than a priest in Lincoln who'll ignore Bruskewitz.
I have great admiration for both Bishop Bruskewitz and Archbishop Burke. Bruskewitz just seems to have a little less tolerance for dialogue than Burke. While then bishop of LaCrosse Burke was in private dialogue with pro aborts like congressman David Obey, Bruskewitz was publicly excommunicating the heretics in Lincoln.
Tim,
ReplyDeleteI'm familiar with Bp Bruskewitz stated positions, and I know that he more than likely meant what he said about Kerry. But it's an academic argument, seeing that Kerry never presented himself in that particular diocese. So we'll never really know.
But I must ask.... there's not a single "pro-abortion Catholic" politician in the Diocese of Lincoln? Isn't that city the State Capitol?
After viewing the following website (http://www.catholicdemocratsofnebraska.org/), I'm having a hard time believing that not a single one of these "pro-choice" Catholics that either live and/or work within the Diocese of Lincoln has ever been publically denied Holy Communion.
Excommunication would be in order... but I just want to know if any priest in that diocese has ever publically denied Holy Communion to any member of Nebraska's government, or for that matter, any politician from Nebraska... state or federal, period.
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FD,
I believe his name is Archbishop Demitrious (sp?). I'm sure you could find it with a quick internet search.