Moderate Voice

but how about some compassion for the victim also?

You immoderate radical.

I've just finished reading Raymond Arroyo's bio of Mother Angelica and Bishop Lynch doesn't come out of that smelling like roses. Come to think of it, none of the bishops come out of that smelling like roses.

Billy,

I thought the same thing at first, but he was referring to a different Bishop Lynch since this happened before he was ordained a Bishop.

Two Bishops Lynch? I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.

How odd that there would be two bishops named Lynch in Florida though.

Lynch seems to be a common last name. My high school was named after a former bishop (1911-1954) of Dallas... Bishop Lynch. Now it's typical (sadly) of most Catholic schools out there.

In other words, he is "personally opposed" to evil, but doesn't want to force his beliefs on anybody else... sounds vaguely familiar...

Why don't our Bishops who say they want to be like Jesus complete the sentence? Jesus says, "Your sins are forgiven you. NOW GO AND SIN NO MORE" Why is the "sin no more" so difficult for them?

It is impossible to have true compassion (for those who do evil) and deceive (them) at the same time. True love and complassion are rooted in truth and honesty, not lies. So, if being compassionate is his goal, he has failed. Not much of a shepherd, is he.

Pam, I totally agree. Why did they even accept the promotion to Bishop? We can tolerate a quiet priest who just serves his parish and doesn't get involved in "sensitive" issues. But a bishop is pastor of his flock, and an apostle. Supposed to be ready to spill his blood for the truth. Why won't they throw down once in a while?

Pam

That was a great post , so true, they are teaching our children "Jesus Loves you" Jesus Loves you" but they forget that Jesus taught Love the sinner but hate the sin and that if you continue to fall into the same sins over and over without expiating your sins, and not only confession hell or pergatory is awaiting you. So many children and adults think they can live a life of sin and then when they are 70 go to confession get some liberal priest and say all is forgiven and forget that you must expiate those 70 years of sin

He's just a spineless tool.

Technically speaking, you can't really force anyone to believe anything; faith, after all, is a gift and as with any gift, you can accept it or reject it. That said, it's still a weenie-ish position to say that one's refusal to teach the truth equates to "not wanting to force my beliefs on anyone."

"In other words, he is "personally opposed" to evil, but doesn't want to force his beliefs on anybody else... sounds vaguely familiar..."
Andrew, you wouldn't happen to be referring to Canadian politicians, would you?

Bishop Lynch's comments are akin to "I my self would never have an abortion, but if someone else has one who am I to stop them?" and then you have the other side of the coin. "I myself would never blow up an abortion clinic, but if some one else want's to, who am I to stop them?"

I wonder which statement Lynch would object to? Both? I rather doubt it. Some how I think the clinic would upset him the most. You know, lost jobs, stress, community impact. (Tragic).

Stupid successors to the Apostles! We should all ignore what they have to say...wait isn't that what we criticize Kerry for?

If we put down the bishops, we are just as anti-clerical as the liberals. We should criticize the actions of a bishop without taking the next step that all the bishops are corrupt. Otherwise, we may as well just go and become congregationalists.

Fr. Dennis, thank you for your criticism. Were not there Arian Bishops? I agree that we should give the successors to the apostles our obedience, despite the way liberal bishops have abused our trust (especially the trust of children) over the last generation. I often argue on behalf of the authority of these bishops, but when they themselves will not stand up for the faith... how can I?

I find myself representing Catholicism at the same time that my nearest cardinal is pushing a vague Unitarianism. A deacon recently told me I was out of step with the local church for opposing giving communion to Rainbow-sash wearers... or anyone who wants communion despite their state. Am I out of step? Should I keep quiet?

PF, I say stand out! tell them to wake up! if they want to act like Episcopalians then I guess they can, but they should go join that church first. You are Roman Catholic and sometimes you have to remind some of the so called "faithful" of who they are and proclaim to be. Not boarder line Episcopalians.

Okay I'm having a problem here... sometimes peoples feet need to be held to the fire... but let's not forget God called bishop Lynch to that role not you or me. So while we can say "I would have..." we must also accept that may be the very reason we were not called to that role.

You can't start the road to conversion by telling the sinner they're wrong. You must always start with I love you. and I agree with the Fr. above. When we criticize bishops like that then we are indeed being anti-clerical. As a shepherd he has his reasons for guiding his flock the way he does.

I don't know. I think sometimes you do have to tell somebody they're wrong first. With all the respect in the world to Bishop Lynch's cloth, he's running headfirst toward putting his neck through a millstone.

Bishops are men. Sinners like us, but they have received the indelible spiritual character of Holy Orders. They are charged to teach, offer divine worship, and perform pastoral governance over the Chruch.

As fellow Christians, we owe it to our bishops to pray for them, to honor their priesthood, and to obey them.

But we also owe it to them to tell them the impact on us, the faithful, when their teachings are confusing;

the result on us, the faithful, when dissent is openly practiced (and apparently approved of) in divine liturgy;

the result on us, the faithful, when pastoral rulings seemingly defy Church teachings.

Gee, Curt Jester, I DIDN'T see you or any other NORTHERN bird down here Protesting or the like.

Most of y'all get your news about here second hand. How about coming down here and participating AND changing things BEFORE COMPLAINING.

But I guess you like snow better. It gets you and the rest of those who pray in a perfect 90 degree angle inTO HEAVEN FASTER. RIGHT?

I am not defending any bishop. I am just telling you to fast and pray for them before you shoot your typing mouths off.

Jeanne,

How about considering first whether I have in fact prayed and fasted for Bishop Lynch before shooting my "typing mouths off."

St. Catherine of Siena rebuked the Pope. Now, before everybody jumps down my throat saying that I'm no Catherine of Siena, remember that she didn't go to Avignon and force her way into the papal presence because she was aware of splendid qualities in herself that uniquely fitted her to argue with the Supreme Pontiff. She did it because somebody had to, and nobody else was doing it. Telling off bishops when they go wrong is a practice securely enshrined in Catholic history.

Jeff, do you get much snow in your part of Florida?

Elinor,

Snow? Well I have heard of it.

Before you tell him off, just get your frozen booty down here on the next plane. I'll pick you up from the airport.

Nah, you won't do it. I mean come down to live here and well, you won't do that either.

Y'all are a bunch of holier than thou northern chicken livers who really don't care about what really happens here in the day to day, except if it is going to make you look good.

Now, I do yell at our "Bish". Ask God what happened inside in the Spirit about a year ago.

It's real folks like listen inside.

You've got a live one there, Jeff.

If no one cared about the day to day dealings of "Lynchville" we wouldn't be talking about it, or questioning it. Do you really think you have the corner on questionable Bishops? Haul your mint juleped kiester up here and you may just find the same thing only worse. We're all in the same boat at times with some of our shepherds. lt helps to talk it over, and at times vent a little in the process.

We don't drink mint julep in Florida. We drink OJ or grapefruit juice or fair trade coffee.

But you should know that...

Go to my blog: http://findmeinfloridaagain.blogspot.com

I will inform the powers that be here of my blog. They already know that I am not a "base board cleaning God kisses Republicans only." God is not Dem or Republ.

I thought you all had perfect dioceses up there where you all speak and read Latin, homeschool perfectly and never go to a guitar mass? O yeah, and you take 90 degree prayer lessons.

What is she talking about? Is there something intransigently hiberneal about Latin? I don't think there is anything to stop a Floridian homeschooling. And this bizarre harping on "ninety-degree prayer" - what's the deal with that? It sounds like the sort of thing Call To Action types say when they want to put down some particular stripe of Catholicism, like for instance orthodox Catholicism. I was under the impression, furthermore, that Florida was not anxious to increase the number of Yankees living there.

No we don't have perfect dioceses up north. But you know that. We just work our frozen bootied, Chicken livered butts off to see to it that the liberal Good Old boys/American Bishops don't take the Church to hell in a hand basket, or since your from Florida, an orange bushel hand basket. (= 4 pecks)

Jeanne:

Just saw your blog...you're a part-time student at FUS?

Fascinating...

Where in the world do you frozen booty people live? No beach no where?

No I won't homeschool when I adopt because we have state standards here that must be adhered to in the strictest sense.

What I am saying is that I have lost three people since Thanksgiving that are close to me. It was a hell of a Christmas. Grief does weird things to you and the stress of it, well I understand how and why a person would sin like this. I am very pro=life. I make no apologies for cult-like Catholic "I am more holier than you and pray in a perfect Latin annunciated 90 degree angle." I am for real an alum as well, Class of 1985 and soon to be 2007 or 2008, as well.

But I have lived here for 20 years in the heat of this stuff here.

YOU DON'T. You won't and you more than likely never will.

I am off to the beach this weekend. My message machine is turned off and tell Amy Wellborn that, she'll laugh AT YOU. She is a reluctant former Floridian.

Where is thy sense of mercy, so this man never sins again?

I still can't make out what she's talking about. Is she saying that Lynch is HER bishop, and we should stick to criticizing our own bishops? It doesn't make any sense, and I'm furthermore unaware of any aspect of Church teaching that restricts the faithful to dumping on only their own particular bishop.

So Jeanne you're saying....You all just dont' know. You don't know! You all think you're better than us, but you're not. You just don't know what it's like to go through the holidays after loosing someone close to you. You all just think your latin reading lives are so much better than ours. You just don't know....
Well we do now. But then did you ever think that you aren't the only one who lost someone during the holidays? That somehow this is all just crap and venting is a good thing? Gee, I don't get to run off to the beach and turn off my life. Lucky you....Oh, where's the mercy? Very little when it comes to leading the flock down the right path, and sheltering it from harm. When you choose to look the other way and your flock is screaming at you, and the liberal flock is whispering and nodding, there's a good chance you have missed the mark.

I bet any northern lotto that you all have never been here. Yet you criticize everyone else.

Come on down here and join the fight. Plain and simple. Otherwise don't criticize. Show your face. You are not just a nameless person on the internet.

Do you really want to help? Or are you the prideful Catholic who is not listening to the devil calling you a "dog". Remember that idiot stuffs our ears before he says "this dog is crazy. Does this dog think she is the only one who has ever lost someone. Then you would hear screaming in the spiritual realm. LISTEN FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST JESUS. But I question your compassion and ability to really help or want to get things done down here.

We are not all like you think we are here. I have lived here 36 years and well, it is plain and simple. If you want to make a difference, stay here.

We have our own Catholic radio station, run by our diocese.

Mark this: when our bishop screws up, I let them in the chancery know "in the spirit". When they really messsss up, they can hear my yelling loud and clear.

I live near the beach. I lie not.

I live 10 minutes from a main bridge on Tampa Bay. It is 72 deg here today. We wear shorts.

Do you know what really goes on here or are you a bunch of prideful Catholics who come down here to live?

We have a word for y'all: PHarisees who know not what they say. Remember those guys complained but never lifted a finger and all of them went on hearsay.

Oh and at St Paul's in Tampa they have ALL NIGHT ADORATION EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT. This is a real all night. 5 p.m to 7 am in the MORNING.

NOW, I know a Latin Traditional parish that doesn't even have that.

Trust me. Shall I call you on the carpet for the rest of the stuff that you all accuse us of. I bet they don't even have that at your parish. Goshy blarney. How mean that (devil speaking) dog is ... I hate that dog for saying that..."

He shouldn't even be quoted but I have to say what I have to say.

I sounds to me like you are in a lot of pain, and in that pain you are doing what you have accused us of. Ya, but we.....ya but we....oh and we got...hey we do that too.....I bet you don't....

I think you're comfortable in your pain. Oh, wait, I mean you would like it to be your private pain. Don't let the others talk about your problems down south if they can't storm the doors of the Church with you, cause we're just prideful Catholics. Um, I think you have that turned around.

I am not a prideful Catholic.

This is Florida. You don't have the guts to live here.

I am not in pain. I am disgust of how y'all operate.

Right back at'cha all. You don't have the guts to back your mouth, or your actions. Just name calling. Florida? Don't have the guts to live there? Please......you don't know what it means to rough it at all. You're like a Catholic Country Club who's been asked to go work at a Catholic camp for the disabled and all you want to do is send a check,

I have worked at disabled camps, Special Olympics, and at least 10 handicapped schools. That's where I was the day Terri died: taking care of my family when my friend, Terri died by working with the Profoundly Handicapped.

Ask God it is the truth.

I provide for my family by working and not being a busy body. Smell the burning wood? Ask God what that means too. It is not incense.

You completely missed the point of my statement. So you work with the disabled. So do I. That is my job in life, along with being a wife and mother of 3 wonderful kids. I'm not looking to get into a pissing match with you. I didn't say you weren't a good person here. But you aren't giving anyone else credit for loving Christ in the tradition of their Church. There are those who do find things about liberal Catholics to be weak or watered down. But did anyone say you love Christ any less? I don't think so.

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