{"id":7103,"date":"2004-02-05T12:42:39","date_gmt":"2004-02-05T17:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8888\/2004\/02\/05\/church-of-the-moment\/"},"modified":"2004-02-05T12:42:39","modified_gmt":"2004-02-05T17:42:39","slug":"church-of-the-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.splendoroftruth.com\/curtjester\/2004\/02\/church-of-the-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"Church of the Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following is from a story about Fr Tim Ryan, a Toronto priest, who released a statement saying that he stands in direct opposition to a recent document from the Vatican that condemns homosexual unions.<\/p>\n

…Ryan, 67, who could not be reached for comment yesterday, has one of the “sharpest theological minds” in the Scarboro Missions, said a member who asked not to be named.<\/p>\n

It’s funny how it is always the “sharpest theological minds” that come up with opinions opposite to the faith. This type of sharpness is like the sharpness that results in a paper cut. Not really much behind it, yet it is still annoying. Sometimes we need to be dull. Dull enough to reflect on the deposit of faith and possibly to grow deeper in the understanding of it. Dull enough that you don’t come up with your own personal deposit of faith. Though there is nothing dull about the full reality of theological truths.<\/p>\n

One of his most successful innovations was to open the community of priests to include lay people in missionary work. “He tried to create something totally new in a church that tends to be hierarchical. … And it’s still going on, though not in the numbers we’d hoped,” the member said.<\/p>\n

I like how the sentence began “successful innovations” and ended with “though not in the numbers we’d hoped”; that’s success for you.<\/p>\n

“Tim has always taken the side of those whose rights are not recognized.”<\/p>\n

Tom Reilly of the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops said the Church understands that people make mistakes. “In the judgment of the Church at the moment, Fr. Ryan is wrong.”
[Full Story<\/a>]<\/p>\n

This statement “Church at the moment” is unbelievable, especially for the General Secretary of the Ontario Bishop’s conference. Are we now relying on a Holy Ghost focus group to poll morality and stick a divine finger in the air to see if the Church’s understanding has change. It’s Friday, what is our position today? In the confessional will they need a moral day planner since what was a vice one day is now a virtue.<\/p>\n

…Leaders of the Scarboro Missions had only recently learned of Ryan’s affidavit. It had been on an equal marriage Web site for some months, along with statements from other clergy supporting same-sex marriage, but this week appeared on a pro-life, family Web site.<\/p>\n

Ryan was acting without the knowledge or approval of the society, said Vicar-General Mike Traher. “The Scarboro Missions does not in any way endorse any other position than the official teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the definition of marriage.”<\/p>\n

Ryan’s work in the gay and lesbian community, he said, was a “personal ministry, not something we assigned.”<\/p>\n

I wonder if that is bureaucrat language for “we don’t need to discipline him, he didn’t do it officially.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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