The Grinches at Catholics United

Hope your Christmas day was filled with joy, laughter, love and the presence of our newborn King.    We had a great day here at Camp McKinley.      I don't know about you, but I'm not psyched up for this 'blizzard'.   I don't know how to operate my snowblower.  :O)    Guess today's the day I'm going to learn!

Meanwhile, here's something to warm the cockles of your heart...

I somehow missed this, but apparently Chris Korzen and James Salt of Katholycs United responded to Bishop Olmsted's stripping of Catholic status and excommunication over the abortion at St. Joseph's Hospital by asking him to reverse his decision and saying he's too much of a hardliner and out of touch with many Catholics.

In a nutshell, they do a convoluted jig around the 'moral analysis' relied upon to perform the abortion.   The teaching of the Church is that it is never permissible to perform an abortion no matter what the circumstances, even when the abortion would improve the health of the mother.   If a pregnant woman is in a health crisis, medications, operations, procedures that will improve her health are permissible, even if those procedures risk the life of her unborn child, but never an abortion.

It's a tough teaching in the circumstances these individuals were in, but it is the teaching.     The administrator of the Catholic Hospital was there to uphold the teaching.  You tell her we'll do what we can to stabilize the situation until the baby can survive outside of the womb, give her the best medical care available, get the prayers and novena's going.  If the pregnant mother of four made the choice to pursue an abortion, we don't chain people to their hospital beds and she has the option of arranging a transfer to a non-Catholic hospital.

This is why you see a dance around calling the procedure an abortion in their 'moral analysis', as in this Condomweal piece here.

 “ “The procedure performed at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center on November 5, 2009, cannot properly be described as an abortion. The act, per its moral object, must accurately be described as saving the life of the mother. The death of the fetus was, at maximum, nondirect and praeter intentionem. More likely, the fetus was already dying due to the pathological situation prior to the intervention; as such, it is inaccurate to understand the death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention.”

There are numerous flaws in this analysis.  The procedure was an abortion with the direct intention of killing the child.   The child in utero was not dying and saying 'more likely' that it was is 100% conjecture.  But the most compelling observance of their moral poverty was their description of the 'death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention".

When dilating the woman's cervix, inserting the vacuum to the living child within her womb and tearing the child into small enough pieces to go through the tubes and into the jar, they approached the procedure with the intention of permitting the child to live.  In the course of this medical intervention, the dead child was an unintended accessory consequence and therefore, it is 'bogus' (as Korzen calls it) to describe the procedure as an abortion.

The hospital has the support of the Catholic Health Association, the U.S. Catholic community foremost healthcare authority, Catholics United says. Gotta love that.    (They also have the support of the reliable contradictors of Catholic teaching .  The crew at the National Catholic Reporter.   James Martin conveniently gathers the links of the people adrift from One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church at Condomweal here.  Vox Nova here.)


Taking a quick glimpse at other press releases at "Catholics United", it's quite a peculiar focus for a Catholic group.  In fact, I couldn't find anything that actually defended Catholic teaching.  When they "unite", they "unite" behind people people who procure and legislate abortion or pour ants over the Catholic Crucifix to blame Catholic teaching for the HIV caused by irresponsible sex.

I doubt they were edified with Bishop Olmsted's response --

The Phoenix Diocese issued the following statement: "Unfortunately, St. Joseph's hospital and 'Catholic's United are not in union with Bishop Olmsted and have no claim to being considered authentically Catholic, nor do they speak for the church in any way."

Why don't they just use the take away the right of "Catholics United", the "National Catholic Reporter" and the "Catholic Health Association" to use the name "Catholic" to set up an alternate 'magisterium'?  

Take the ax to the root.

Here's something you won't see at Condomweal Magazine, Vox Nova and America Magazine

The Vatican has issued a clarification on the mess made out of the Pope's statements on condom use.

It is comprehensive in addressing every inanity by theorists proposing this was the green light for people having irresponsible sex. The focus of Christendom, society and the State is liberating people chained to immoral and sinful practices.

The response of the entire Christian tradition – and indeed not only of the Christian tradition – to the practice of prostitution can be summed up in the words of St. Paul: "Flee from fornication" (1 Cor 6:18).

The statement also affirmed that the Pope was not separating the unitive and procreative meaning of human sexuality.

So much for irresponsible priests like Fr. James Martin who claimed the Pope's statements are a "game changer".

My favorite part was addressed to the luminaries who were frantically asserting the teaching of abstinence was now trumped with the 'pastoral approach' of the "the lesser of two evils":


S

ome commentators have interpreted the words of Benedict XVI according to the so-called theory of the "lesser evil". This theory is, however, susceptible to proportionalistic misinterpretation (cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis splendor, n. 75-77).

An action which is objectively evil, even if a lesser evil, can never be licitly willed...


In conclusion, in the battle against AIDS, the Catholic faithful and the agencies of the Catholic Church should be close to those affected, should care for the sick and should encourage all people to live abstinence before and fidelity within marriage.

I'm very relieved the Holy See responded to the pandemonium so thoroughly.

Interesting Day Post Mortem

I'm still trying to process the backlash from the detractors and the fantastic round ups of bloggers.

On the one hand we have dissenters who have been using Cardinal Bernadin's diaper for 40 years to undermine the seriousness of killing infants who are behaving rather badly.

I don't want to get specific, but I had an exchange with somebody whose name rhymes with Snarlson where we were characterized as disobedient ecclesial campaigning crowing pride-filled egotistical superior mocking sedevanasit gossip slandering mongerers lacking humility and taking credit for what happened.  Satan prevails in the Church sometimes and we are confusing pollitical rehtoric for religious sentiment and politically smearing and dragging bishops through the mud.   But the worst part was his contemptible mischaracterization of Bp. Dolan as having the same poor judgment as Bp. Kicanas when it comes to sexual abusers.

I can't tell whether prudence was thrown out the window when I invited him to be tarred and feathered and thrown under the bus or when I called his sore looser attack on Bishop Dolan despicable.  Why doesn't Henry just put on the proabortion and sexual immoralikty sash and be done with the intellectual dishonesty.   Have convictions and be a man about them instead of hiding your dissent behind these silly tortured campaigns to try to shut people up who are whistleblowing about internal corruption.

It has got to go.

Don't miss MSW.  It is a must read for those of us in Boston who have been building the whistleblowing Church Militant crusade.

There is one other aspect of the story that I alluded to yesterday and which was confirmed for me by several bishops. The attacks on Bishop Kicanas in the last week before the election worked. These attacks focused on Kicanas’ service as a seminary rector, when he recommended for orders a man who went on to be a child molester. Kicanas had answered the charges at the time and there was nothing to them, but on the eve of the election, when the CNN ticker had an item about “Top bishop denies promoting child molester,” I knew there was trouble for Kicanas. Survivors’ groups unwittingly did the bidding of the most conservative bishops by joining in the attacks. If that were not enough, the gay activists in the Rainbow Sash movement sealed Kicanas’ fate when they “endorsed” him, a classic case of failing to anticipate the opposition. Still, I had anticipated there might be a sympathy backlash for Kicanas, not least because – whatever the bishops intended – some on the right now think they possess a “heckler’s veto” over USCCB elections. Throw enough mud at the last minute, and they can stop someone they do not like from winning. They sent text messages to bishops. They called the bishops’ rooms at the hotel. It was ugly. But, no bishop wanted to return to his diocese and be pummeled with questions about Kicanas’ treatment of a sexual abuser. There was enough smoke to suggest a fire, and the bishops have no desire to be burned on that score anymore.

Someone we don't like...for no good reason.   (rolling eyes)

Pardon me, but aren't these the people who wanted to lay people to be more vocal and Bishops more responsive and who just spent the last ten years whining about pedophile enablers?

Congratulations.  The chicken has come home to roost.

Like everyone else, I found the Rainbow Sash statement fascinating.   Note they mention a 'hard right' toward...the Republican party and Tea Party.  Evidently, the Pope is no longer even in the picture to the picture to them. I will say one thing for them - they at least have the decency to be honest and forthright about their convictions.

Here's Grant Gallicho's end game:

I wonder whether Rainbow Sashers knew exactly what they were doing, and are happy to use Kicanas’s loss to raise awareness–and money.

But what about the rest? Text messages? Phone calls to bishops’ hotel rooms? The attacks from conservatives may not have been the only thing that torpedoed his candidacy, but do the bishops who voted against Kicanas because of that smear campaign recognize they just caved in to the swiftboating of a brother bishop–and it could happen to them?

Everyone I think saw what happened to Cardinal Law and are acutely aware that dissenters have had them by the spines.  What happened was when orthodox Catholics also rose to hold them accountable, they had nothing left to loose and they simply just did the right thing.

Catholic World Report has a fabulous piece about the unraveling of the seamless garment which our friends from BHE have posted with commentary HERE.

The media casts Kicanas’ defeat and Dolan’s win as a “traditionalist” victory. But that is overstating it. For one thing, Dolan—though he sees himself walking in the footsteps of John O’Connor—is far from a confrontational conservative. According to the media’s telling, the “moderate” lost and the “conservative” won. But it is more accurate to say that the moderate won and the liberal lost. In reality, the immediate outcome of the USCCB election has to do primarily with the slow unraveling of the “Seamless Garment” and the aftershocks of the abuse scandal. Bernardin’s dream of the USCCB as a Vatican-resistant body of progressive political opinions was simply overtaken by the nightmare of clerical corruption.

BTW - do not miss the spectacular BHE trip down memory lane that notes the devastating effects of the Bernadin/Hehir seamless garment.

There are many who will try to tell you that Bernadin meant well by defining the failure to shut lights off in your home to save energy or littering on the same level of seriousness as executing unborn children in the womb.  I don't buy into it.  The fruit of the tree is just too rotten.  It was long past time to take the ax to the root

Speaking of which - do check out our blogging friend Tim who is working on an unfaithful schools blog.  He's got some reading on Boston College that is quite informative.

Bishop Kicanas President? Hope Not...

Matt Abbot has joined the growing chorus of voices raising the alarm about the election of Bishop Kicanas.

Matt points out the concerns expressed by Tim Drake and also quotes an Illinois private investigator who is dedicated to exposing sexual predators, Thomas Hampson.   Hampson points out the inconsistency in Kicanas conflicting statements that there was no "evidence" that the priest in questions had really raped the children but he concluded that the "activity" of raping children was something the priest would get out of his system eventually:

"It was an open secret that McCormack was involved with boys during the time he was in seminary. On the one hand Kicanas said there was no 'credible' evidence against McCormack. On the other he said that McCormack's involvement with two adult males and a minor, 'was a developmental process and he had learned from the process.' [A 2007 Chicago Sun-Times article] also reported that Kicanas sent McCormack to counseling for a drinking problem. What did he do about McCormack's involvement with the minor? Such involvement would have been a crime! Was he in the habit of overlooking criminal conduct that was brought to his attention? So, was there no credible evidence, or did he just consider it a developmental issue?"

I don't know how to say this charitably, but there also seems to be a problem with Kicanas' honesty.

Matt also links to concerns raised by Mary Ann Kreitzer, our efforts here in Boston, and Tom Roeser.

Catholic Culture has also picked up the story.

It is noteworthy to keep watch on the Commonweal crowd.

All their hooey about the 'sex abuse crisis" was really never about the children after all.    

It is about how sizing up the situation to see who the “conservatives” are and take a strategy position based on how much damage can be done.  Even if it means advancing a man who sees raping children as learning experiences that will eventually work itself out.

You know what's even crazier?   When the USCCB Bishops were looking for some savvy advice to lecture them about how to handle the aftermath of pedophile enabling in the US Conference of Bishops, they summoned Commonweal's Peter and Margaret Seinfels.  

Check back again later today when the Boston Catholic Insider will have a special announcement on the Kicanas election.


UPDATE - BISHOP KICANAS RESPONDS - HERE. 

"RED ALERT" ON THE ELECTION OF BISHOP KICANAS

Boston Catholic Insider has issued a 'RED ALERT' on dissuading the USCCB election of Bishop Kicanas.


Please stay tuned to this very important action item today.


The National Catholic Register has picked up the righteous efforts of Catholics.  I applaud them for their leadership and integrity.    I hope other Catholics will join our efforts.


Bishop Kicanas is on the record saying ordaining seminarians who rape children would be a 'gross injustice', that raping children is some kind of kink in somebody's sexual maturity that would work itself out and there was nothing he could have done any differently.


His history disqualifies him for any type of leadership position going forward.    He should have the decency to acknowledge this and recuse himself.


If the Bishops go forward to elect him, there is going to be an well-organized campaign to de-fund "Bishops' Annual Appeals" nationally - starting in Boston.


Nothing has changed about the dynamic of writing letters to Bishops about scandals which they ignore and throw into the trash.  A concerted effort by Catholics of good will to contact their Bishop and let know the people in the pews will hold them accountable as a body of bishops for any majority vote that elects Bishop Kicanas and the de-fundings shall commence in 2011.


The message they would send by electing Bp. Kicinas would be a terrible blow to the trust of Catholics who have believed in their sincerity.  This election would be a mockery to that trust and we must do everything we can to stop it.


***UPDATE
GETTING VERY INTERESTING OUT THERE...


Commonheal Magazine has posted a response to Catholic outrage of the pederast enabler that gives some insight into how the Paul Shanley's of the Catholic Church were protected for so long.   Conservatives vs. Bishop Kicanas.


When pedophiles or pedophile enablers are lurking, the doctrinal compass somehow comes into play and if anyone on any side of scandal is doctrinally sound, they circle the pedophile and/or their enablers to protect them.


Paul Shanley was a big hit with the Catholics who wanted to "change the teachings of the Church" until they wanted to swing like a monkey to dethrone a Cardinal who was keeping dissent from flourishing.


The Commonweal folks actually lie to cover up the scandal.  Check this out:

In 2007, Kicanas told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was aware of three allegations of “sexual improprieties” against McCormack, but that they were not “credible,” therefore it would have been unjust to deny him ordination.

 Kicanas' conclusion was not at all that the three allegations were not credible.   Kicanas in fact said that the sex with children was a glitch in his sexual development that he thought would work itself out.   He referred to it as "activity".   Kicanas concluded the sex with children indeed did happen:

“There was a sense that his activity was part of the developmental process and that he had learned from the experience,” Kicanas explained... ”I don’t think there was anything I could have done differently.”

When you look back over 23 victims and can still say pedophiles just need time to develop and there's nothing that he could have done differently, the discretion of this man would bring outrage from lovers of children and justice.


My experiences over the past two weeks is that this is sadly not the case.  


Curiously, rather than look at the quackery of Bishop Kicanas, they bring the claim that Cardinal George did not accept an interim recommendation that the priest be removed from ministry which is true and this is disturbing but the record shows that they did not give the evidence to Cardinal George.  Even if this were not the case, Cardinal George is not on record saying pedophile perversion is experimentation that works itself out and he doesn't see what should have been done differently.


David Gibson actually goes on in the comments section to imply the journalist who expressed concern at the National Catholic Register is some kind of nefarious pedophile enabler:

1. David Gibson 

   
   

   11/11/2010 - 9:12 pm

   
   
   

    SUBSCRIBER

   Um, isn’t this a bit rich coming from the NCRegister? Their legac of scandal and covering for child rape is pretty legendary, and well-documented.

   
   
   I'm not feeling very rational, so you'll excuse me when I ask  this:
   
   
   Exactly what kind of _______s are these people?

   
   

   It is a new low to paint Tim Drake as some kind of pedophile enabler while making excuses for the real pedophile enabler.   
   
   
   The moral of the story is prelates can get away with anything so long as the person raising a concern is viewed as orthodox.  
   Further, I have been for two weeks trying to get Bishop's Accountability to get involved and they have ignored the situation.  I found out today that they're not interested in doing something about the cult of the good old boy pedophile shuffler network to protect children, they see the election of Kicanas as a golden opportunity for some new some publicity stunts for themselves.

   
   

   What a disappointment, I thought they were sincere but had gotten snarled up in the line with the VOTF crowd.
   

   
   

   The kind of arrogance it takes to say it would have been grossly unfair to hold a man back who would eventually get raping children out of his system and he doesn't see his mistakes is only compounded by the enemies of Christ's Church who exploit the corruption for their own means.

I Desire Mercy - UPDATED

The ongoing discussions about Rachel Zoll's article have flushed out publicly the thrust of the theological problems we have been facing inside of our parishes, schools and community.

Discussion with Elizabeth Scalia sheds decent light on the counterfeit church being erected.  The theology she is using to warehouse her gig is "I desire Mercy", from St Faustina.   I wanted to dissect it so we can be armed for future discussion.

So you'd have to believe that Scalia, who desires mercy, picked up the article written by Zoll and draws the conclusion she needs to tell the world that Zoll is a bigot.

For the record, Zoll is not a bigot.  She in fact expressed to me that as a religion reporter, she is reading with interest and has has gained more perspective on orthodox Catholics and this has been an insightful and pleasant experience.

Scalia, completely out of tune with the spirit of the article, decides she's going to give her readers her judgment call about Zoll and the new breed of nasty, hateful Catholics who want their religion taught to them.

While trying to explain to Elizabeth Scalia that her clouded judgment is inciting the malice against Christ's Church that is intimidating people into proclaiming the teachings, she said that wasn't her intention but she was standing by her words.

Yes, there are a handful of extreme Catholic bloggers to whom Jesus might say, “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy. . .’.”

And, because they are extreme types, they will each assume that that line is meant for the “others”—

the ones against whom they burnish the swords of righteousness; the ones they lampoon, often, unto snotty incoherence"

That one line from St. Faustina can get played over and over in some heads.  But lampooning innocent people and their intentions to make Christ's Church and Her teachings look like hateful things said by nasty people  isn't exactly what St. Faustina was talking about.    It is taking away the teachings that inspire us to seek the Sacrament of Confession and the Divine Mercy St Faustina was talking about.   This is why the Sacrament of Confession is an essential part of the feast day of Divine Mercy when we granted indulgences and Divine Mercy.     You won't be seeing people Elizabeth Scalia is spiritually forming lined up on Divine Mercy Sunday because they are instead going to her to get kindness.  

Elizabeth wants to emulate kindness, humility and gentleness and we need this spirituality in the Church.   Each of us is animated with gifts we are perfected and sponsored and prayed for by great Saints who had these gifts when they were alive and served Christ's Church with them.

None of us are perfect with these gifts, she admits, but she wants everybody to have the same gifts she is perfecting and mocks others

There are also many great Saints who carried swords.  The next time you run into a Bush basher, remind them that St. Joan of Arc not only carried a sword, she led an army of people who lampooned people with them in a thing called just war.   People who use mercy as the symbol of their spirituality ought not to be mocking other Catholics whose gifts and symbols of those gifts are not the same as her own.

What St. Faustina meant by "I desire Mercy", was Christ's reminder that in our personal lives, when people malign, insult and hurt us,  we apply the virtue of "charity" to nurture mercy in our heart.

If you read the thread, you will see a comment by "Bender" that really demonstrates how backwards the unsound theology is.

In the scenario they are proposing, "wrong lessons" are taught to our children and "right lessons" are withheld from the person espousing the "wrong lessons". This leaves both people in these circumstances ignorant of the truth.   What is astounding to me is that they see this as the sign that they are doing God's work. This is impossible.

Maybe a little parable will help put things into better perspective.

There was once was a father who taught his children and his servants the moral theology of the Catholic Church. He brought his children to Our Lady of the Puppets because it said "Catholic Church" and it was animated with lively music and entertainment for teenagers.  He sent them to CCD where they learned the teachings of the Church are antiquated.  Everyone has sex as teenagers and if they need condoms or an abortion their god desires mercy so call 1-800-Caritas Christi or Partner's Health Care and the Cardinal and Jack Connors will fix you right up.  They helped many people at Our Lady of the Puppets to understand that they can vote for people who legislate abortions.   They desire mercy.  His eldest son, let's call him Prodigal, started visiting the local brothel, being licentious, drinking, partying, etc.   The other children in the house started to wonder if this was okay and thinking it looked like fun.  After repeating moral laws of God, the son was getting madder and madder at his father.

There was another 'family' who lived next door who was always out in the public square saying this man was mean old snooty curmudgeon.  Other people in town started being mean to the father.   Prodigal loved the woman next door.  She was so kind, he thought.  Prodigal kept comparing this woman to her own father.  Prodigal grew angrier and angrier at his own father until finally one day he did not want to hear what he was doing was wrong and left his father's house.

The woman next store was wild.  She went to the local church and gossiped about how the father purged Prodigal from his own house.   She tarred and feathered the father until he was no longer welcome in his community.  There is no joy and love in people like this, she told everyone in cyberspace.   Other parents who also teach their children the morals of the Catholic Church were afraid to say anything because the woman had influence and they did not want to be tarred and feathered like the father at Our Lady of the Puppets.  

One day the priest at Our Lady of the Puppets was transferred and the new priest was all fired up for leading souls to the Sacrament of Confession and Divine Mercy St. Faustina was talking about.  He dusted off the Catechism started teaching the people moral theology in it and about Humanae Vitae and about God's Mercy in the Sacrament of Confession helps us to amend our lives and be better prepared to understand the truth when it is spoken to us because it awakens our consciences.    Father noticed more and more people asking him for the Sacrament of Confession.  He was pleased.  But the woman was very upset with Father and told everyone in the parish that father was cold-hearted snotty extremist and he has to learn the meaning of  "I desire mercy".   The more and more the woman complained about Father, the mobs in the pews started swearing at him and telling him they were not going to give him any more money.   The mobs called the local Bishop, lets call him Cardinal Spineless, and telling him they were not going to give any more money to the Cardinal's Appeal.  Cardinal Spineless and his chancery bureaucrats told Father that he couldn't teach that kind of stuff anymore but to teach people how to rely on the woman for kindness.

People stopped coming to church because they can be kind in the grocery clerk and they can be kind to trees and plants.     They hung quarts around their necks for energy and power and they drew circles in their yard and walked around in circles thinking about the peace they are creating on the planet and how Jesus must be so pleased with them.

They link to the faith of Stephen Colbert and John Lennon.  

Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if you try.  Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too.  No need for greed or hunger.  A brotherhood of man.   You may say they're dreamers.  But they're not the only ones.  They hope some day you'll join them and the world will live as one. 

They didn't intend to whip up malice to shut people up and they don't know how that all happened.  They're just trying to be nice and the father of Prodigal and the priest who teaches the Catechism who is making people hate the teachings of Christ's Church and keeping them away from the mercy of the women at church. 

See anything familiar with Elizabeth's Scalia idea of "I desire mercy"?

The prodigals are being keeping from conversion by whipping up a frenzy against our priests and prophets.    They have replaced God in the hearts of His people.

Elizabeth and others seem to think we are trying to get them to go back on their 'words'.  They think we are upset and angry and have hurt feelings about the names they are calling us.   That used to work so well.

But they better pull out the Book of Revelation to see where it's going.   We no longer have attachment to whether they accept or reject what we are saying or ridicule or mock or slander.  We're doing it because our eyes on on Our Beloved.

n.b.  Before anyone reads the parable and sucks on their charity crack pipes starts to throw around slanderous assertions about my children - for the record - all of them have done none of the things described in the story of the prodigal.  I was referencing the story in the Bible.       Your poor judgment has caused enough people anguish, especially Our Lord.

Good day to you, ma'am.