More on Father Newman

Michael Paulson's article here. Father Newman's complete letter is in the article. It's a keeper.

His bishop is, as one would expect, frantic about the money this will cost him and is hurling the snowballs.

By the way, what's a crystal clear indication that a shepherd has taken on the dynamics of a wolf?

He's thwarting Rome.

But bishops differ on whether Catholic lawmakers — and voters — should refrain from receiving Communion if they diverge from church teaching on abortion. Each bishop sets policy in his own diocese. In their annual fall meeting, the nation's Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights.

There's only one problem with these bishops, their "beliefs". Including their apparent belief that McCarrick was the real pope.

The bishops however, had not been given the whole story at their Denver retreat. Cardinal McCarrick withheld the text of a definitive memorandum from the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith not only from the public, but also from the bishops themselves. In that document Cardinal Ratzinger said that pro-abotion politicians, after appropriate warnings, "must" be refused
communion. Bishop Vasa confirmed that the crucial instruction from Rome, which had been written expressly for the Denver meeting, was not given to the bishops.

Vasa said, "As I recall, Cardinal McCarrick made reference to some letter, but I did not see a copy of the letter at the meeting. I don't know if the committee writing the 'Statement,' entitled 'Catholics in Political Life,' was given a
copy of the letter." However the Interim Report, presented to the bishops for their use in drafting the statement suggested the opposite, warning against refusing anyone communion.

A recent letter from the Vatican's Cardinal Ratzinger verified his leaked memorandum was authentic and in fact Church Doctrine. The letter also noted that the memo was "very much in harmony with the general principles" of his
memorandum. The Ratzinger letter did not however condone the misleading slant of the Interim Report which strongly favored never denying communion. The Catholics in Political Life Statement while it did leave the decision to deny communion up to local bishops, clarified that that must be done "in accord with the established canonical and pastoral principles." Of note, Cannon 915 states that those "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion."

Is this confusing? "The Catholics in Political Life Statement while it did leave the decision to deny communion up to local bishops, clarified that that must be done "in accord with the established canonical and pastoral principles." Of note, Cannon 915 states that those "who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion."

These poor clueless Bishops have translated this as the Church saying they must comply with Canon 915 unless of course, they don't want to.

Take off your tin foil hat.

What the Church is saying is, if there is a situation where a soul has expressed private repentance and made a vow to amend their lives and does not further work the proabortion agenda, discretion is of course, applied, in spite of the fact that the public may not have yet seen the fruit of this conversion.

Another example of this golden parachute would be a young man and woman living together prior to marriage, whom the priest has guided and worked with and they finally agree to live as brother and sister until they can arrange to move back with mommy and daddy. Everyone in the congregation may not be privy to this conversion and the priest uses his discretion as he is in conversation with them and they are open to his counsel.

Kralis asked Bishop Vasa why McCarrick might have given conflicting information to the bishops. "Do the U.S. bishops now teach that it is correct for one Bishop to deny John Kerry the Eucharist while another Bishop, perhaps in a diocese just 10 miles away, mandates his 'ministers of Holy Communion' to give Kerry the Eucharist?"

Vasa replied, "I answer to the Holy See, I don't answer to the USCCB. The June memorandum of Cardinal Ratzinger should have a greater impact on the decision of individual bishops in their own dioceses than the 'Statement' of the USCCB, which seems to give broader latitude to the judgment of the bishops."

Bishops who are differing on whether voters and lawmakers should refrain from receiving Communion are not in communion with the Catholic Church, and one ought to mosey on down the road if they are at all interested in their own salvation and that of their children.

Guess who's back!!! The Ghost of Thwarting Catechism Past.

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said she had not heard of other churches taking this position in reaction to Obama's win. A Boston-based group that supports Catholic Democrats questioned the move, saying it was too extreme.

"Father Newman is off-base," said Steve Krueger, national director of Catholic Democrats. "He is acting beyond the authority of a parish priest to say what he did. ... Unfortunately, he is doing so in a manner that will be of great cost to those parishioners who did vote for Sens. Obama and Biden. There will be a spiritual cost to them for his words."

Steve Krueger, of the peculiar (and now defunct) "Voice of the Faithful". (Now I get the "no room at the table" sound bite. Steve went out in a blaze of glory when he repeated that he wanted "a seat at the four-sided table" until it was too weird to process, even for VOTFers.)

A man who has attended St. Mary's for 18 years said he welcomed Newman's message and anticipated it would inspire further discussion at the church.

"I don't understand anyone who would call themselves a Christian, let alone a Catholic, and could vote for someone who's a pro-abortion candidate," said Ted Kelly, 64, who volunteers his time as lector for the church. "You're talking about the murder of innocent beings."

By the way, 90% of Father Newman's flock seeks the Sacrament of Confession if their soul is not in a state of grace. Ninety percent.

This is a priest and a spiritual father that loves Christ more than he loves himself. A rare jewel.