Punditry

The embattled pastor of St. Sabina Roman Catholic Church told radio show hosts Tavis Smiley and Cornel West this weekend that he would look outside the Catholic Church if offered no other choice but to work at a Catholic high school.

The Rev. Michael Pfleger also said on the “Smiley & West” public radio program that he had been banned from speaking at events in the archdiocese and blamed pressure from conservative Catholics and the National Rifle Association for his most recent clash with Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George.

“I want to try to stay in the Catholic Church,” Pfleger said. “If they say ‘You either take this principalship of [Leo High School] or pastorship there or leave,’ then I’ll have to look outside the church. I believe my calling is to be a pastor. I believe my calling is to be a voice for justice. I believe my calling is to preach the Gospel. In or out of the church, I’m going to continue to do that.”

In an interview with the Tribune, Pfleger clarified that he feels called to preach and push for social justice in a Catholic context. He said he loves the Catholic Church and prefers to stay there. But going to Leo full-time would not happen, Pfleger said.

“I’ve always said I could not do something that I don’t feel called or equipped to do,” he told the Tribune. “A full-time position at Leo is not something I’m equipped to do. I think Leo has made it clear they don’t see any need for me to come there. For both sides this would be a lose-lose. [source]

Well I would agree with half of that lose-lose.

I seem to be under some misunderstanding. I thought bishops directed where their priest went. Diocesan priests don’t make vows, they make promises to their bishop and one of those promises is obedience. Obedient priests don’t go on television questioning where there bishop is going to send them and they especially don’t talk about going outside the Church if they don’t get their way. Fr. Pfleger had developed a cult of personality over at St Sabina and his past antics have not served that congregation well.

In diocese with a bishop of a more liberal-bent they have no problem with priests faithful to the magisterium. They can ship them off to small country parishes knowing they will not complain in the least and I can think of circumstances where this has happened. Priests like Fr. Pfleger though seem to think it is all about them and there abilities and obedience only comes into play if they agree with what the bishop wants.

Earlier when I had read of Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George considering a new job assignment for Fr. Pfleger I thought this rather odd. Sending up seeming trial-ballons is out-of-place. The Cardinal should simply have made the assignment and while I can understand his pastoral approach with Fr. Pfleger considering his record, he must also consider the damage this priest does.

(CNSNews.com) – A Catholic priest who works with a group that advocates “full equality” of homosexuals would not say whether he agrees with the Catholic Church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Equally Blessed, which describes itself as “a coalition of faithful Catholics who support full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people both in the church and in civil society,” held a Mar. 30 briefing on Capitol Hill.

An oxymoronic description in the way they mean it. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people already have full equality in the Church and are called to holiness and chastity just as every single other person in the Church. What this group wants is not equality, but Animal Farm equality where some are more equal in that the sin of homosexual acts is to be accepted while everybody else’s sins are to be repented of.

…CNSNews.com asked Rev. Massingale, “Section 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that ‘homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.’ That’s a quote. So, from your presence here today, is it safe to say that both of you disagree with this portion of Catholic law?”

Rev. Massingale said, “First, we have to become clear about, that it’s not Catholic law, it’s a Catholic teaching. It’s a distinction and a difference there. So let’s phrase your question more precisely –” at which point CNSNews.com asked, “Do you disagree with Catholic teaching on that?”

A distinction and a a difference and total nonsense.

Ah yes as an associate professor of moral theology at Marquette University getting that exactly backwards is to be expected there. A law is an ordinance and while Catholic teaching has various levels of assent it is always more than just a law. Canon law for examples follows Catholic teachings and corresponds with it. A dogma is not a law but a formally revealed truth concerning doctrine.

He then follows this with a bunch of mumbo jumbo that he would call nuance. I have more respect for dissidents who say they support homosexual acts than those who crouch their dissent in the language of equality. Exactly why on they campaigning on Capitol Hill? Exactly what law condones unjust discrimination on those with same-sex attraction? Exactly what rights are they being denied? This of course is all about same-sex marriage and not the phony pretenses that Rev. Massingale, STD dances around.

Oh and what “faithful” groups started “Equally Blessed”?

Well Call To Action, DignityUSA, Fortunate Families, and New Ways Ministry combined to create this advocacy group.

[Source]

Well I guess it was too much to hope for that Fr. Bourgeois would repent of his support of women’s ordination. Though really it was something to pray and hope for.

He has written a letter to his superior affirming his support for women’s ordination.

As you would expect it didn’t take him long to bring up the priestly abuse scandal as if this justifies his support of women’s ordination. Over 75 percent of teachers are women yet teacher sexual abuse is an epidemic. For example 2,570 teachers were punished for sexual misconduct from 2001 to 2005 alone, for actions that ranged from fondling to viewing child pornography to rape.

He advances arguments that are rather lame and shows he has no idea what the actual reasons for the Church’s teaching.

1. Implying that an all mail priesthood makes a statement that women are inferior is like saying men not being able to be mothers make them inferior. Hasn’t he ever read St. Paul and how the Body of Christ has different organs while still remaining part of the Body of Christ? Are men inferior to women because the only human person to be born without original sin and to remain sinless is Mary?

2. “How can we, as men, say: “Our call from God is authentic, but your call, as women, is not”? ” Simply because it was Jesus’ will. He asks “Who are we to reject God’s call of women to the priesthood?” I would ask who are we to say that God is calling women to the priesthood? Does Fr. Bourgeois have an authentic call detector. If so he would be useful to screen out seminarians.

3. He gets around to answering why Jesus didn’t select women as apostles. Fr. Bourgeois actually says “As we know, Jesus did not ordain anyone.” What!!! Did he receive his clerical collar in a box of Crackerjacks? It doesn’t take much thinking to point to the Last Supper and the establishment of the Eucharist. The Eucharist is an act of sacrifice and requires a priest. The instructions Jesus gave instituted the priesthood and the center of the priesthood the Eucharist. This understanding has always been present with the Church and to make such a casual statement such as “As we know” is to either show extreme ignorance or deception.

Council of Trent said: “If anyone says that by the words ‘Do this in remembrance of me’ (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11: 24) Christ did not establish the apostles as priests or that He did not order (ordinasse) that they and other priests should offer His body and blood, let him be anathema”.

He goes on to talk about how St. Mary Magdalene was the first witness to the resurrection. So exactly how does that relate to the ministerial priesthood? He then writes “Mary Magdalene became known as “the apostle to the apostles.” A phrase that first appeared in the tenth century and not from early Christian writers as many have said. Hippolytus (170-236) did refer to Mary Magdalene as a female apostle, but not individually but as part of a whole group of women sent by Jesus. The word Apostle now refers to the men Jesus ordained, but the word itself generally means “commissioned by another” so would not automatically refer to priesthood. It is obvious Hippolytus uses it in strict sense with his writing of the details on the the martyrdom or death of the Twelve Apostles He uses it in a another sense in his list of seventy apostles which are all bishops. If Hippolytus thought “female apostles” were ordained it would be rather strange that of seventy apostles he lists no women.

4. He then pulls out the chestnut  that “A 1976 report by the Pontifical Biblical Commission, the Vatican’s top Scripture scholars, concluded that there is no valid case to be made against the ordination of women from the Scriptures.”  Well that is not exactly correct.  What the Pontifical Biblical Commision did say was:

“It does not seem that the New Testament by itself alone will permit us to settle in a clear way and once and for all the problem of the possible accession of women to the presbyterate,”

Plus it is a silly argument for a Catholic to take a Sola Scriptura approach and not mention Sacred Tradition and a no time from the early Church on was women’s ordination anything other than condemned.

Another argument of his is “Lutheran, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian and other Christian churches, God’s call of women to the priesthood is affirmed and women are ordained. Why not in the Catholic church?” Well in those same churches we also have acceptance of contraception, abortion, homosexuality. Why not the Catholic Church? Because the Catholic Church is the one true Church protected from error and those other churches aren’t.

5. The final lame argument is “in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither male nor female. In Christ Jesus you are one.”.” And does it prove that women can be ordained? No, we are all one in Christ. We are all loved by him, graced by him, given everything we actually need from him. Is the fact that as a man that I am not a priest mean that I can not be one in Christ? What his argument would mean if taken seriously is we are not one unless everyone of us is ordained. His final argument is “Furthermore, the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on The Church in the Modern World states: “Every type of discrimination … based on sex. .. is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.”” But the document goes on to say “rightful differences exist between men” and of course Pope John Paul II wrote in Ordination Sacerdotalis

“Furthermore, the fact that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, received neither the mission proper to the Apostles nor the ministerial priesthood clearly shows that the non-admission of women to priestly ordination cannot mean that women are of lesser dignity, nor can it be construed as discrimination against them. Rather, it is to be seen as the faithful observance of a plan to be ascribed to the wisdom of the Lord of the universe.”

Plus if Fr. Bourgeois is going to quote Vatican II how about Lumen Gentium and the fact that as a minimum the ordinary papal magisterium requires “Religious submission of intellect and will” and really this teaching requires the assent of faith being part of the ordinary and universal teaching of the Church.

Later, as you would expect, he brings up the primacy of conscience which is not in conformance with the Catechism and Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium says “That discernment in matters of faith is aroused and sustained by the Spirit of truth. It is exercised under the guidance of the sacred teaching authority, in faithful and respectful obedience to which the people of God accepts that which is not just the word of men but truly the word of God.(112) Through it, the people of God adheres unwaveringly to the faith given once and for all to the saints,(113) penetrates it more deeply with right thinking, and applies it more fully in its life.” A well-formed conscience has a voice that tells us how to conform our will to God’s will. A conscience that rejects the magisterium is not a well-formed conscience.

Well at least Fr. Bourgeois did not say the reason only Jesus choose male Apostles was because of societal pressure. I do wish that for once that supporters of female ordination would actually address the arguments made by those faithful to the Church. Instead they talk as if bringing up equality should be enough to win the argument.

No doubt soon we will see the response by the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers which has little choice but his expulsion. Though I must admit being surprised to see them actually remove somebody for heterodoxy since so many in the order are infected with dissent. Maybe their hand is forced in this case or even better obedience to the Church.

One of my blog policies has been that whenever some item is found in Israel that is suppose to date from the time of Jesus, is to not post on it and wait a week.  That has held me in good stead since they always turn out to be fakes that oddly turn up only during Lent/Easter.  This time 70 thin lead books have shown up along with the hype about what it could mean concerning Jesus.  As of today I was able to still find plenty of stories about this find.  This is despite the fact the Bibliobloggers called them fakes on Friday.  Via Michael Barber:

While media reports have sensationalized the story, academic bloggers have been slowly picking this apart. Mark Goodacre has an excellent round up. See also James McGrath’s post.

How do we know the discovery is a fraud? Well, for one thing, as Peter Thonemann at Oxford has pointed out, the Greek text was written by someone who apparently doesn’t know the Greek alphabet! Most amusingly, the writing mixes up the Lambda (the Greek “L”) and the Alpha (the Greek “A”). Not a very promising sign of authenticity!

So. . . we can all move on now. Of course, don’t hold your breath for the retractions.

The media always hopes for that bit of evidence to prove Christianity false despite the fact that the Crucifixion and Resurrection were historical events that were documented to some extent outside of Christian sources.  Really I wish they would find some authentic document of that time period.  When it turned out to attest to the historicity of the times boy would they be bummed.  I can just see their sour faces.

Yes it is getting harder to do parody.  Here is another instance of Prophetic Parity.  First the real news story.

Terry Brown
From: Herald Sun

SINFUL drivers can repent on the run with the opening today of Australia’s first drive-through confessional.

The pray-as-you-go service is to become slicker, with a sin-selection board to be installed by Easter and a smartphone app on the way.

South Melbourne Catholic priest Fr Bob McGuire said yesterday that the move brought the church up to speed with modern life.

“Everybody drives past this place but no one comes in,” Fr McGuire said.

“Now they can stop at the window, open their window and confess their sins. Then I’ll reassure them that they’ll be right.”

Do you think the drive-through confessional is a good idea? Tell us below

The 60-second car wash for the soul includes a symbolically refreshing spray of rose water.

A flashing green light will signal when a driver’s sins have been forgiven. “When you’re driving out you’ll be clean as a whistle,” Fr McGuire said.

The seven cardinal sins – lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy and pride – will be numbered on a sign, Chinese menu-style.

Father Z has comments.

This is treating Confession like a joke.

This is Father McGuire – what the heck is he wearing?  Not exactly a purple stole.

A picture of Father McGuire in action with his sprayer.

On 7 September 2009 Maguire announced on his blog that he had been contacted by church authorities and asked to tender his resignation on his upcoming 75th birthday. He replied with a public announcement that he would leave the decision of whether he should stay or go to his congregation.

His bishop wrote a column on why McGuire must retire, yet ended up leaving him in the parish till 2012 with the resulting public outcry.  What he is doing now goes beyond embarrisment and must be stopped by Archbishop Hart.

Now for my previous parody:

The question though is what is the best method to get American to frequent the confessional? In this fast food culture maybe we could appeal to a fast food idea like drive thru confession. I propose a new company called Jiffy Shriven after the Old English term to go to confession.

Here would be my logo.

And a sample drive thru.

And to easily remind people when to return to confession, the following sticker could be placed on the driver side windshield.

While your there they could also check your holy water font or holy water bottle level to see if more fluids need to be added. Though you won’t have to worry about them trying to hawk other sacrament while there. You won’t hear “I noticed you are not looking so well. We can give you final unction as part of a package deal.”

Norma Jean Coon recently announced on her site.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has lifted any canonical sanctions that I incurred by attempting ordination as a deacon. A letter from Bishop Robert Brom states that I may now return to the full practice of our Catholic faith. I have been very touched at the remarkable support of my actions and the prayers offered in my behalf during this trying time. I wish to thank all those who have prayed for me and for my family. The prayers and masses have been deeply appreciated. May Lent and Easter hold many blessings for you and your family.

Sincerely in our Lord,
Norma Jean Coon
March 25, 2011

Maybe Norma Jean Coon could get in touch with Father Bourgeois.

The excommunicated founder and leader of annual protests against U.S. military training for Latin American soldiers—protests in which Jesuit and other Catholic universities have played a major role—has been ordered by his Maryknoll superior to recant his vocal support of women’s ordination.

In a letter dated March 18 but disclosed yesterday, Roy Bourgeois, who has been automatically excommunicated and then laicized following his participation in a 2008 ceremony to “ordain” a Catholic woman, was given 15 days to recant or he will be formally dismissed from the Maryknoll Fathers.

Via Campus Notes

Please pray for Father Bourgeois that he will repent.

So if you were accused of indecent exposure, assault and five counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and plead guilty on one count how do you get a book deal? Simple just be a priest who was laicized and excommunicated and has a bone to pick with his faithful bishop. Life Teen founder Dale Fushek has a book out.

Similarly Father Cutie who broke his promises as a priest and had a secret affair also got a book deal where he attacks his bishop.

Both men not only left the Church but started up again as Protestants and complain about how they were treated. Fushek started a Praise and Worship Center – you know one of those open and non-judmental churches where of course you wouldn’t want to make a judgment about Fushek “flicking” of a young man’s genitals.

These of course are the exceptions since there are plenty of books by priests faithful to the Church who have good things to say about their bishop who got book deals – oh wait.

I have also wondered why is it that usually when the founder of a movement goes so much awry that the movement they started is reevaluated or ended, yet Life Teen just goes on.

Though I am biased in this regard since I consider Life Teen masses totally wrongheaded. You don’t get teens to learn to love the Mass by presenting a different Mass with secular overtones. If they start going to Life Teen Masses because they like the music, will they keep going as adults? I am very curious if any study has been done showing if members of Life Teen keep going to Mass as adults?

My bias is based on the fact that as a teenager I went to Mass with my mother at a parish with rock music where popular songs were used and people held hands and swayed almost like a wave. I even sang in the small ensemble. They really reached out for youth and even as a young atheist I could put up with going to Mass because of the music. That the year I sang for that parish I got no doctrinal content is no surprise or that the two priest there later left the priesthood. I might not have been open to the truth of the Church at that time, it just would have been nice if they had made an effort towards actual catechesis instead of feel good worship that didn’t make an atheist uncomfortable.

Via Creative Minority Report

(Gothamist) — After they heard that the latest translation of the New International Version of the Bible will now use gender- inclusive language such as “he or she” instead of just “he”, PETA saw an opportunity to change one other thing.

The organization has petitioned the Committee on Bible Translation to suggest that its next translation remove ”speciesist” language, by referring to animals as “he or she” instead of “it.”

You just have to wonder if perhaps they didn’t read the book of Leviticus or really many parts of the Old Testament. Yes just before the blood sacrifice and offering the animal as a burnt offering we should refer to the animal as she or he. Yeah that’s the ticket.

“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; and he shall kill it on the north side of the altar before the LORD”

Now the Petafied version.

“If his gift for a burnt offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he shall offer a male without blemish; and he shall kill her on the north side of the altar before the LORD.

Wow that is so much less speciesist. Here is another Petafied verse.

And the priest shall bring it to the altar and wring off its head, and burn him on the altar; and his blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar; and he shall take away his crop with the feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes; he shall tear him by his wings, but shall not divide it asunder. And the priest shall burn him on the altar, upon the wood that is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.