Friday, August 30, 2013

Do we need Fr. Longenecker?



Until now, I have kept quiet on the self-appointed celebrity priest Fr. Longenecker. However, today I read this piece where he 'exposes' Michael Voris, whom he disparagingly calls a 'self-appointed prophet'.

It's not necessarily a bad thing to hold people accountable, however there are serious problems with the way Fr. Longenecker made his criticism and I must be blunt!

First of all, he asks 'what status does Voris have as a Catholic watchdog' and 'who appointed him as policeman for Catholic apostolates'.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think Fr. Longenecker was ignorant of the credentials of Baptism. Baptism gives any and every Catholic the standing to carry out any and every action codified in Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Since he isn't ignorant, it's hard not to conclude he is willfully and deliberately marginalizing the fiat and power of the Sacrament of Baptism.

The Catholic Church has canonized lay people who corrected the errors of misguided Catholics and apostates.

Fr. Longenecker then asks 'whether the financial situation of Al Kresta and Catholic Answers is any of Voris' business'

Actually, yes.

The point of the video was to point out the fact that people who earn a living reporting Catholic news are turning a blind eye to episcopal and presbyteral corruption.

I like Al Kresta and all - but he DOES coverup corruption by refusing to report the corruption. I Like Carl too, but it's pretty clear he's let his apostolate be used to tarnish and attack faithful Catholics in who attend the Latin Mass. I don't read Catholic Answers, but it's clear he's insulted a number of faithful Catholics who are now shunning his apostolate. He is now reaping the consequences.

Voris is 100% right on the money. No pun intended!

Just like the mainstream media isn't covering the ethnic cleansing of Catholics - just like the mainstream media didn't cover what was going on in Auschwitz and every other concentration camp -- just like the mainstream media did not cover what actually took place in Benghazi or in the Obama administration -- Al Kresta is a player in the Catholic journalist blackout of corruption. So isn't Carl. The National Catholic Reporter, EWTN - etc., etc.

If one is 'taking money' for reporting Catholic news, one has the duty to be impartial and report the facts, irrespective of the identity of a person. If a whistleblower comes and reports corruption and has the facts to back it up, if the corrupt person is a priest or bishop and they bury the story, they are an accessory to the damage being done. Their silence is an intentional act to protect a person who is harming other people.

It has been going on for a very long time. It has in the past caused Catholics their salvation and sometimes, even their very lives. Catholic journalists do not give a damn about it or they do but the cash cow they have going for themselves is more important to them than the lives and souls of their brothers and sisters.

It's a tough and embarrassing thing to face and say but it is the truth.

Consequently, the fact that Catholic journalists take money for reporting Catholic news is a perfectly reasonable fact -- and I would argue necessary - in reporting the craven and selfish practice of covering up corruption.

Fr. Longenecker then states he learned things as a protestant.

A word to the wise.

Fugghetttabout the stuff you learned as a protestant. The man you knew with the bulldozer who quietly tithed is irrelevant. I'll say it again: The moral of Voris' story is about Catholic journalists who take money to report Catholic news and then protect corrupt people with their silence.

Nobody cares where their royalties are coming from. Nobody is saying they shouldn't get a fair wage.

Fr. Longenecker makes good use of his emotions to build straw men and distractions.

Again: The fact that they earn lots of money to report Catholic news and then refuse to report corruption -- that is something reasonable and impartial people get disgusted about.

It is a wrong and righteous people try to right it.

Then there is folks like Fr. Longenecker who try to undermine and discredit the people who are reporting corruption.

Most people don't want to be discredited or shunned by a priest or a bishop or the entire USCCB!

This kind of conduct wields it's own power. They used same weapon used against people who knew priests were raping children.

There are relatively few people in this world who will choose to serve Christ no matter what the price. It's clear, at least to me, that Fr. Longenecker knows he isn't one of them and is lashing out at a person who is.

I see what he is doing and it is pathetic.

The next problem with Fr. Longenecker is that he contradicts scripture.

First, he mischaracterizes the content of Voris' video to do a character assassination. Check the section where Scripture describes the content on the Tablet Moses carried down from the mountain.

Next, he questions whether Voris sat down with Keating and Al to talk about their covering up corruption.

Is he serious?

How about the fifteen years we have approached Catholic journalists with the goods on the corruption?

Is fifteen years worth of trying good enough?

You know what whistelblowers got in return from folks in the Catholic Church like Fr. Longenecker?

Even when a bishop goes so far as to hire subcontractors to kill unborn children and force Catholic doctors, nurses and pharmacists to go along with the murders whilst he sits at arms length from it all in the peace and quiet of his rectory?

Cover ups and character assassinations, bullying, threats and intimidation.

It's fair to say we have given up on Catholic journalists who run the spin machine for corrupt priests and bishops. We have found our own ways of doing God's work.

I'll tell you something else. You know what got this crowd crazy about Boston Catholic Insider? They couldn't retaliate. They couldn't slander. They couldn't bully and threaten and intimidate. They couldn't damage and hurt the whistleblowers. It drives them absolutely wild. They can't execute retaliation.

What kind of a priest has convictions about 'lunatics' and 'loons'. Is that how he attracts people who are scandalized and hurt back to the Church?

Moreover, a man wearing a roman collar who tries to claim the moral superiority of keeping gripes private because that's what scripture tells him to do, then proceeds to violate it himself, doesn't have very much credibility.

Father also tries to use sedevacanists to slander people who attend Latin Masses in complete communion with Christ's Church - "if they are not careful" they're next.

Quite the screed.

But whatever you do, don't jump to conclusions.

Fr. Longenecker doesn't want to be misunderstood as not liking Michael Voris.

Heavens no. Why that would be preposterous.

Father said it is just that Michael has the kind of personality that is never happy. Voris is the kind of person who is always looking for an enemy. Voris is insecure and paranoid and thinks "everyone" is a heretic and apostate. He thinks he's so good, all smug and warm in his own little group attacking his next enemy in his smug little self-righteousness. He's a sicko that one.

One last thing: Fr. Longenecker's ending is page right out of Mark Shea's phony attempts at humility.

He's a sicko himself dontcha know. He's sought to remove the speck out of Voris' eye before his own and for this he repents unconditionally.

Does he actually think we don't know that any sincerity in that statement would have caused him not to publish this piece of trash?


Voris' excellent rebuttal HERE.


Cyril's excellent commentary HERE


Janet's HERE.

Connecticut Catholic Corner HERE.

The Connecticut Catholic Corner notes something else: What kind of a priest would author a piece on the intranet naming a faithful Catholic in good standing saying the person is not needed in the Catholic Church?

If Fr. Longenecker was trying to assist Catholic Answers fundraising efforts, it has backfired on him, here's another post at Ars Orandi that is disgusted with him.

David Werling gives Fr. Longenecker the benefit of the doubt that he just didn't comprehend what Voris was saying. It is charitable, but I don't buy into that at all.

Fr. Longenecker's piece is so riddled with mischaracterizations, it is impossible to believe it is a good-faith misunderstanding.

Werling points out the obvious purpose of Fr. Longenecker's malicious piece: He has the pins for the Latin Rite community.

As I point out above, it is that and more. Fr. Longenecker has chosen his cash cow over being an impartial Catholic journalist who reports the truth and own selfish motives have driven him to envy those who put Christ and His Church above anybody and everything.

Werling writes to Fr. Longenecker: Your moral, ecclesial and theological credibility is nil among traditionalists.


It's bigger than that. He has lost his credibility with anyone who loves justice and truth.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Twerking attracts jerks whose mothers didn't teach them to run from skanky women. LOL



Billy Ray Cyrus: My family is under attack by satan



On the Feast of St. Augustine

Said he is scared for his daughter Miley.

Heartbreaking. This poor man, clearly a father who

The priest mentioned the women who put on a display on the MTV awards that are clearly in need of conversion. He reminded us of St. Monica's witness to perseverance with prayers of conversion - how it took 16 years to hit pay dirt.

He said we all have people we know personally who are in need of conversion and prayer and to be sure to add people in the public domain who can be a witness to so many people.

Never, ever, ever give up.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Joseph Bottum, et al

A round up of the reaction to the unraveling of Joseph Bottum can be found here.

Whether acquaintance, neighbor, friend, relative, we all know and love people who are sexually attracted to the same sex, or know somebody who does.

The teachings of the Church and our convictions are difficult and painful for them.

They may distance themselves, confront us and we may even lose those relationships.

We are supposed to be witnesses to the love of God.

In that witness, the LAST thing we can ever do is witness that acting upon their attractions is not sinful.

That is an outlandish lie.

It is difficult for most of us reading here to imagine wanting anything badly enough that you concoct a lie to persuade them to do something that would rob them of their salvation.

Every one us who are living the dream of keeping ourselves in a state of sanctifying Grace every day or every hour, sins.

Most of the time, they are impulsive sins that are symptoms of our weaknesses and character flaws.

If we don't stay on top of those and take them to the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist, the effects of those sins eat away at Sanctifying Grace and the tools that help us resist temptation and sin.

Living in this state, we graduate to mortal sin. Knowing something is sin and instead of calling upon Christ, Mary, the angels, saints - we commit a sin that just involves us.

Maybe we miss Mass on Sunday.

Then we graduate to hurting or tempting others.

That's what Joseph Bottum is doing and what he is instructing others to do.

That's what the Fr. Unni's and Garritys and Flemings and Coyne and Josomas do.

They are causing people to sin.

That is a hell of a lot more serious than falling into the trap ourselves.

Christ says several things to people who hand over or cause other people to sin.

He told Pilate - who actually sentenced him to Crucifixion - that the people who handed Him over were the people guilty of the greater sin. The Chief Priests and Judas.

He said people who cause others to sin would be better for them to have never been born off or to have a millstone around their neck at a bottom of a river.

In today's Gospel, He tells them all the 'good works' they did - teaching and feeding the poor or whatever have you - He has no recollection of them, calls them evildoers and to get away from Him.

Acting on sexual attraction outside of marriage (and for Catholics that means the Sacrament of Marriage) is a behavior. It doesn't matter who you are and what you are attracted to - it is a sinful behavior.

As Catholics, we can't tell anyone, anything that contradicts Church teaching.

It is a delicate walk.

When confronted in anger or in question, IMO, the best approach is to humble yourself as one who struggled and struggles with sin to explain the context of the teaching.

I usually have plenty of ammunition. LOL.

e.g.

Women who take contraception have the exact same reaction homosexuals do to the teachings of the Church. I know because I was once one of them. It was my waterloo. It pained me to know that the Apostles saw me as an unworthy person and my actions as an obstacle to my salvation. It caused me to put great distance between Christ and His Sacraments and myself. I know I said things about the old goats and know nothings who don't have sex, don't have to earn a living, don't have to put food on the table or a roof over their children's heads - etc., etc.

I explain how I read the Humanae Vitae and John Paul II writings - and I asked to please let me see and know the truth because above all else I did not want to hurt Him.

I thought I was fighting a battle against people who were hurting His Church. I turned over every rock on the teaching of the Church on contraception. And, the more I read, the more I knew I was the one hurting His Church and people.


I have yet to have a person become unglued when I come from this perspective.

Bottum's asinine thesis was bought and paid for by the same people who fund SEICUS. His actions are reprehensible.

If you are struggling with what to say in this period in the history of our Church, there are gentle ways to stand firm in the witness.

Everyone has a story they can share with a struggling person. Put yours together and have it ready.


Friday, August 23, 2013

Joseph Bottum - What happened?



Theological and spiritual immaturity kept me from reading First Things, but I was surprised to read Joseph Bottum's shill from an obvious abyss.

A decent fisking of the macabre incident at First Things.

Whoah.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Pope Francis Side Appointments



This is a story by the nuns on the bus media apostolate CNA, but does anyone know the history behind these appointees?

The nuns on the bus crowd are unnerved by the picture it paints but would like to hear from our resident sleuths.


Archbishop Pozzo was a player behind efforts to unite SSPX, so I assume this is a good appointment.


I recognize Msgr. Camaldo of course (and presume the rochet signals a good appointment), but would like confirmation of his loyalty to the teachings of the Church, its fiat of salvation and the sacredness of the Liturgy.

What is taking so long to replace Bertone?

Is there a world-wide search to find a trustworthy heterosexual?

I went over to sniff out the National Catholic Birdcage to see if they were breaking open any bottles of champagne.

There was this all-hat-no-cattle story about an American Jesuit appointed to the office of SoS, but there is no indication they will be hitting the sheets guilt-free anytime soon.

As an aside, I found this fun story about the cirque du soliel sisters' meeting with Archbishop Sartain.

Same old, they said and they are frustrated, fatigued and disappointed.


They were 'preached to' about Mary's submission to God.

Then, they were muzzled.

They were put in a room with locked guards outside of the doors and given the accusations that stand against them and given their marching orders. They were then told they were not to reveal the substance of the meeting with anyone.

These are the conditions of the revolution, they say.

They are stuck between two churches.

They are being forced to surrender the prophetic voice that saved the church from itself.

The LCWR are showing signs of demoralization, they say.

Hurray! The strategy is working!





Saturday, August 17, 2013

Obama's Islamic State in Egypt



This is a well-written story about the government Obama was trying to put into power in Egypt.

The story claims Christians would be 'protected'-which is a blatant lie and the author speaks of a 'brutal crackdown' against the tyrtants, but the government the president was funding is spelled out in black and white.

Egypt is threatening to outlaw Obama-funded 'muslim brotherhood', which a thinly-veiled name for al queada.

My curiosity on how it all went south is killing me!

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Obama-Backed Morsi Army Burns 7 Catholic and 15 Orthodox Churches




Burning of Virgin Mary Monastery in Deir Mawas, Minya, Bishop Tadros Monastery in Fayoum and Sohag Diocese’s services building.
Brotherhood supporters continue to demolish and burn Atfih Diocese in Giza [Greater Cairo], a large number of churches in Minya [Upper Egypt], Fayoum, Assiut, Suez, Arish [Sinai], Luxor [south Egypt], the Bible Society headquarters in Cairo, and the Franciscan school in Suez.


I have been praying all day for the safety of Christians in Egypt and beg you to also pray.

I am amazed by the force behind the defeat of Obama's Egyptian terrorist regime.

The camp — once a bustling site where the protesters read the Quran, talked of politics and demanded the military reinstate Morsi — was destroyed before their eyes. Wooden tent frames that held up roofs of blankets and tarps were ruined. Posters of Morsi were torn down, people said....

Mohammed Ibrahim, who is in charge of the Cairo police, said security forces cleared the Rabaa camp following international levels of self-restraint, with minimal causalities. He said Morsi's supporters stormed 21 police stations and damaged or torched seven churches nationwide.

At the end of the day, al-Ashry sat — dejected — at a mosque near the Rabaa sit-in. He didn't know where the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood were, where to find the leaders of Gamaa Al-Islamiya — an Islamist group he supports — or anyone leading those backing Morsi.

"No one knows what happened," al-Ashry said.

On this blessed day when an army of angels carried the body of their Queen to Heaven, I think I do.

This is a very interested article, obviously written from the perspective of empathy for Obama's jilted Islamic forces in Egypt.

Cry me a river.

Check out the placement of quotations marks:

On July 11, Ottawa raised just such a pipsqueak “concern.” Stephen Harper’s government was more emphatic as it condemned the shooting death of a Coptic Christian priest near El Arish. “The targeting of religious leaders is unacceptable.” Following the second massacre, July 27, in which about 80 protesters were gunned down, Ottawa was “deeply concerned and appalled” — and fixated on its clarion call for respecting “religious minorities,” namely Coptic Christians...


respecting “religious minorities,” namely Coptic Christians.


Barack Obama was also mostly silent about the two massacres. So was David Cameron. So was much of Europe. They had refused to call the July 3 military coup a coup. In fact, John Kerry passed the perverse judgment that in toppling the elected president Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian army was “restoring democracy.” American annual aid of $1.3 billion was to continue.


It’s only now after Wednesday’s bloody massacre of pro-Morsi protesters that Obama stirred himself to shed crocodile tears.

Feel the love.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Breaking News: Pope Issues Edict for Holy See to Stop Financing Financial Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction



Fr. Z has the breaking news.

That's groovy.

I think I'd put this one in the category of I don't want to know the details.

The comments on Fr. Z's post are priceless.

"One of the greatest weapons of Mass destruction: Felt banners.

LOL.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Remember the Bishops' Village People Liturgical dance in Rio?

According to this report, the dude who led them is a Brazilian porn star for magazines that foster promiscuous sex among our homosexual brothers and sisters.

Ooooooohhh, I get it....it was a reality show.


In the same linked story comes news the organizers put the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ in plastic cups for consumption. Plastic cups that are thrown into the garbage.

It's Isaiah 53

Brings me to my knees.

Come on Lord.

Nothing is impossible for You.
Nothing.
You hold my world in Your Hands.





Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Monsignor Arthur Coyle has a rough weekend


He was arrested on Monday for soliciting a prostitute for oral sex behind a Lowell Cemetery.

I feel sorry for the man. There is a desperation in the recklessness of the act.

I continue to believe that the Archdiocese is negligent in its duty to teach and procure the harvest of holiness and celibacy, how to recognize when one of their own is floundering and take the appropriate actions.

Instead, it is a spin machine that practices deception.

The fruit is manifesting itself everywhere.

Prayers for Monsignor Coyle and his feckless and incompetent superiors.