The May 2010 Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Newsletter can now be found at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/Newsletters/Newsletter108(May2010)(RGB).pdf Bill C-384 was soundly defeated by a vote of 228 to 59. Check how the Members of Parliament voted at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/HowTheyVoted.pdf On June 5, 2010, we are co-hosting the US/Canda Push-Back Seminar at the Radisson Gateway Hotel at the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. The overwhelming defeat of Bill C-384 proved that we can Push-Back the euthanasia lobby in the US and Canada and convince people that euthanasia and assisted suicide are a dangerous public policy. Register for the Seminar at: http://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca/2010SeminarFlyer(RGB)(LetterFormat).pdf The Schindler family are being attacked by a Florida television station and Michael Schiavo. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition is standing in solidarity with the Schindler family. My blog comments: http://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2010/05/att
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.
I find your site Fr. Tim very informative but it is a information overload for me. That is just me. I am glad you do have this site. It is great to have an outlet to speak about current issues.
ReplyDeleteI find it hard where to place my comments at times. I just wait for a headline topic to put what I think. At times I just agree with a poster like this Cye guy poster said at another website I visited:
"I read in the newspaper today that Pope Benedict met with victims of child sexual abuse in Malta (approx. 25 of them). The Pope is said to have wept and prayed with these victims and promised that the Church would do better in the future to protect the welfare of children in the care and control of the church. Many victims described him as compassionate and humane.
I'm glad the Pope has promised to do much better to protect children from predatory priests. However, his complicity in the cover up of sexual abuse in the past is far from clear. The cynic in me can't help but think that the Pope has become passionate and caring, only after these claims became public and difficult to ignore. If change comes out of this latest scandal, then all the better for the Church and its congregation. However, whatever role the Pope may have played in the covering up of sexual abuse claims, must also be brought to light for him to retain any credibility."
I may add that goes for all the clergy that cover up the crimes!
Have a great day Father Tim! I got to go and rake the yard!
Lina
Lina,
ReplyDeleteIf I may add, if history is any indication, it is doubtful the Pope will ever acknowledge an orchrestrated cover-up from the Vatican even though it is widely suspected.
An interesting read is a book called "Vicars of Christ- The Dark Side of the Papacy" by Peter de Rosa, a former Jesuit. This bold book tells about the 1800 years of "cruelty, simony, nepotism, despotism, and sex in all forms, places and positions that left the viewer gasping".
If one is thinking the current scandals is something new, they should read this book and see what has been going on for the last 1800 years. If the RCC has survived what has happened in history, it is likely that it will weather the current crisis, unless the Lord returns soon. However, these scandalous events in history do nothing to lend credence to the claim it is the true church or to the claim that the papacy is biblical ordained by God.
I would also like to add to Small town Guy's comment about "sex in all forms", that for a church which teaches chastity, love, the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of all human life, all this sex in all forms is abusive in nature. The child abuse issues are coming to light as they are horrendous crimes, but this is still only the tip of the iceberg. Priests' affairs with mostly vulnerable women are swept under the carpet as consensual. In most cases the priests have no genuine intentions and this in itself is abusive behaviour. The Church deals with this as "slap on the wrist" material. Ok, we are all sinners, but how can we take the Church seriously when too many of our priests seem to have "gutter morals" which go against everything the Church is supposed to stand for? Something needs to change.
ReplyDeleteSilent: You set an impossible standard if you demand perfection from priests... or anyone else! It goes without saying that even one offending priest or one victim, is one too many. To state 'many' priest practice 'gutter morals' is an unsupported supposition when we know that the overwhelming majority of priests live constructive and blessed lives as celibates.
ReplyDeleteWill some fail? Absolutely! Is this an offense against God and humanity? Most certainly. Just as are the children damaged through the infidelity of their parents to a commitment to each other and to God. We are not arguing a question of species or sub-class of humans who uniquely harm others through their sinful and destructive behavior.
So, as much as I disagree with your initial premises, I am curious as to what change you would suggest?
Fr. Tim