Diocese of Richmond says "No" to Pax Christi Chapter
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - The newly-formed Virginia Chapter of a more than 50-year-old Catholic peace movement, Pax Christi, was refused access to Holy Family Church in Virginia Beach for their organizational meeting in the Diocese of Richmond as they were not a diocesan organization.
Retired Richmond Bishop Walter Sullivan, a former president of the international movement, was one of the featured speakers. He, along with Marie Dennis, the global-concerns director for Maryknoll, a Catholic religious community of priests, nuns and laypeople, keynoted the event, which was held at Virginia Wesleyan College.
Asked Tuesday by Steven Vegh, a reporter from the Virginian Pilot, why the event was rejected, Vincent Sansone, the diocesan theologian stated that Pax Christi is not a diocesan organization.
Bishop Sullivan and other chapter organizers expressed surprise at the decision of the diocese.
The "Guidelines for Speakers in the Richmond Diocese" state that those "from outside the diocese must be approved through the Office of the Diocesan Theologian. Keep in mind that the approval process must be completed and the proposed speaker must be approved before an invitation is extended to the speaker."
According to the qualifications instituted shortly after the installation of Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo in 2004, speakers must be in good standing in the Church, possess proof that they have taken a course regarding child abuse, provide their curriculum vitae and a letter of confirmation regarding their orthodoxy from a bishop or pastor. [reference]
Well considering the dubious orthodoxy of so many in Pax Christi this decision is not surprising. Pax Christi concentrates on a subset of social justice issues and has been know to support contraception and homosexual acts. It is also not surprising that Bishop Sullivan is associated with them.
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Pax Christi has a long history of orthodoxy problems, especially in relation to abortion, women's ordination, sodomy, and I'm sure others.
Funny...I've never seen any Pax Christi folks protesting outside an abortion clinic...just sayin'.
Fr. Philip, OP
Wow - the new Bishop refusing to let in a group that includes his predecessor! I used to live in the Diocese of Arlington and can attest that our sister diocese to the south was a mess. I guess the new (as of 2004) Shepherd is taking a firm approach to orthodoxy - Amen.
Yep, Dan, I can second your notion! I've lived in the Arlington diocese, the Richmond diocese (while in grad school at the Uni of Virginia), and also in Hawaii, from whence came Bishop DiLorenzo. Richmond was truly damaged as a diocese under former Bishop Sullivan, and Bishop DiLorenzo (we missed him in Hawaii, but we also received an excellent prelate after him) came in and had much to clean up from his predecessor. From what I hear, he's done wonders there, thank God! Almost makes me want to visit a parish there again...
Pax Christi is a wonderful organization that does many wonderful things. Bishop DeLorenzo's policy is repulsive and he should have his faculties removed for obstructing any such meeting.
Pax Christi is a wonderful organization that does many wonderful things.
They can do as many wonderful things as they want, but if they are in fact doing any heretical things like supporting contraception or homosexual acts, they are off the table. There are too many Catholic organizations that do wonderful things and DON'T contradict Church teaching. As they say, a drop of wine in a bottle of sewage is still a bottle of sewage, but put a drop of sewage in a bottle of wine, and you get a bottle of sewage.
As a member of the Richmond Diocese (living in Richmond, no less) I'm relieved to see something positive about our diocese in the news, even if it's actually negative (poor Bishop Sullivan, he's a confused man). It's a shame that our diocese suffered so long with no orthodox leadership, but we love Bishop DiLorenzo! Kevin, please visit St. Benedict if you're in Richmond anytime soon...