ryanmeyersmusic Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 priests are priests because God called them to be, who are we to say because their faith is weak in a certain area that they shouldn't respond to that call? if you can honestly say that you don't struggle with a single one of the church's teachings you either don't know the church very well, don't know yourself very well, or should definitely teach us all your secrets... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
credo Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 priests are priests because God called them to be, who are we to say because their faith is weak in a certain area that they shouldn't respond to that call? if you can honestly say that you don't struggle with a single one of the church's teachings you either don't know the church very well, don't know yourself very well, or should definitely teach us all your secrets... I have to agree here. Calling for a Priest to be reduced to the lay state is not called for. Especially when we do not have the whole story here. 'You are a Priest forever' says our Lord. We are not in the position to judge a Priest, the media does that enough. Pray for the Priest, pray that our Lord opens his heart. Let his Bishop deal with him, it is he alone (and the Pope) who has the authority to do so. We are not in the position to judge him, we are only in the position to pray for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hyperdulia again Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I was told to say three hail marys whene'er i saw a priest mis-behave and keep my mouth closed. kinda ol' fashioned, but i like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary's Knight, La Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 two things from me: 1. Leave priests alone. The only one fit to pronounce any judgement on them is Christ the model and standard for them. nuff said. 2. The media doesn't find dissident "Catholics". Dissident "Catholics" find the media. Trust me the people responsible for programming at the TV stations could have their eyes closed and probably bump into dissidents who think they have something to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Considering how dissident "Catholics" and the media always manage to find their way to each other and how both always act like most Catholics reject Church teaching on whatever teaching is at hand, it really makes me wonder as to the validity of certain surveys that claim a majority of Catholics reject any given teaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 priests are priests because God called them to be, who are we to say because their faith is weak in a certain area that they shouldn't respond to that call? if you can honestly say that you don't struggle with a single one of the church's teachings you either don't know the church very well, don't know yourself very well, or should definitely teach us all your secrets... I don't think anyone said that this priest's faith is weak. What was observed is that he appeared publicly defying a statement issued by the National Catholic Conference of Bishops. In other words, he publicly acted in a disobedient manner, which brings scandal to the Church, and gives encouragement to others with dissenting viewpoints. Yes, we could just leave it alone because the man who made these statements is a priest, but the saints wouldn't have. Priests are human; they err. This priest erred publicly and therefore he has invited commentary on it. Is it truly virtuous to be silent when Holy Mother Church is being misrepresented publicly? St. Catherine of Siena deliberately told popes, queens and kings how to behave.... Priests deserve our respect by virtue of their Sacrament of Holy Orders. If one is being derelict in his duties to the Church, the Faithful needn't allow it to go unchallenged. (That's not a call to jump on the bandwagon every time a priest makes a mistake, but this is rather grave.) I don't wanna sound prideful here, I've struggled with Church teachings in the past. But rather than run to my nearest tv or radio station, I ran to the confessional or my pastor. Teach us your secrets? It's called Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence. His Church cannot err; we can. It's just that simple. Pax Christi. <>< Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littleflower+JMJ Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 amen anna amen!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanmeyersmusic Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 i'm not saying that the thing to do is sit and be silent, but i am saying that laization of a priest isn't something that we have any say in, and for good reason. there was a time in history when the church just excommunicated anyone who said anything contrary to the teaching, rather than convincing them of the truth (unless you consider torture and such a method of convincing). i hate to see us revert back to that mentality of "if you can't agree, get the heck out of here" our job is to pray for this priest, and if we're in situation where it's possible to rebuke him lovingly. not to call out for his "defrocking" on a message board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
God Conquers Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Never, ever speak badly about a Priest, imagine how tough it is in our day and age. We do not need more detractors from that glorious vocation because we can't keep our mouths shut and not gossip about our priests. If they've done something bad, well they muct answer to that. But don't talk around, it just makes it worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Sorry, but priests and bishops are not above reproach or criticism. We are called to judge actions, God determines final destinations. If a priest is publically sinning in anyway, he can and should be called to account. We are our brothers' keepers, even if they have a roman collar around their neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
credo Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 I don't think anyone said that this priest's faith is weak. What was observed is that he appeared publicly defying a statement issued by the National Catholic Conference of Bishops. In other words, he publicly acted in a disobedient manner, which brings scandal to the Church, and gives encouragement to others with dissenting viewpoints. Yes, we could just leave it alone because the man who made these statements is a priest, but the saints wouldn't have. Priests are human; they err. This priest erred publicly and therefore he has invited commentary on it. Is it truly virtuous to be silent when Holy Mother Church is being misrepresented publicly? St. Catherine of Siena deliberately told popes, queens and kings how to behave.... Priests deserve our respect by virtue of their Sacrament of Holy Orders. If one is being derelict in his duties to the Church, the Faithful needn't allow it to go unchallenged. (That's not a call to jump on the bandwagon every time a priest makes a mistake, but this is rather grave.) I don't wanna sound prideful here, I've struggled with Church teachings in the past. But rather than run to my nearest tv or radio station, I ran to the confessional or my pastor. Teach us your secrets? It's called Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence. His Church cannot err; we can. It's just that simple. Pax Christi. <>< Like ryanmeyersmusic said, we are not in the position to demand that a Priest be reduced to the lay state. Find me one Saint who ever did anything remotely close to that. Also, statments of the USCCB are far from binding. Do you agree with their statement on the Passion? (Which accuses it of being Anti-Semetic, and not of Catholic thinking). What the Priest did do was defy a teaching of the Sacred Magesterium. Yes he was wrong (if he even did as what was said). llrddvl@stpius did after all ONLY CATCH the end of the show. Maybe what was said was taken out of context. Don't you think since we don't have ALL OF THE FACTS we should give the Priest the benefit of the doubt? The media does have ways of manipulating words, and making one thing look another. If you have a problem with something a Priest did, (a Priest you do not know), it is not your job to go around slandering him. You should report it to his Bishop, if that gets no where, go to the Papal Nuncio, if that goes no where go to the Congregation for the Clergy. You are not in the position to pass judgement on the Priest, you are not in the position to call for him to be removed from his priestly ministry (unless you join liberal Voice of the Faithful of course ). And that is all that has been going on in this thread. What you should be doing is reinforcing Catholic teaching on homosexuality amoung those who watched the show. Faith, Prudence, Humility, and Charity are your best guides in this case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke2219 Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Sodomy laws are silly and un-enforceable. perhaps I missed something, but i didn't see the openly gay part. is he keeping his vows? Now that sodomy laws have been overturned, the law of the land is that what goes on behind closed doors is protected by the 'right of privacy.' What is there now to stop prostitution, or incest between consenting adults? Also, now we are one step closer to allowing sex with minors or minors having sex with each other. Yes, the government should not be coming into our bedrooms and it is silly to think that a law that would require that is enforceable. If the sodomy laws were just about homosexuality, it would be silly. That issue can and should be dealt with in other ways. I was told to say three hail marys whene'er i saw a priest mis-behave and keep my mouth closed. kinda ol' fashioned, but i like it. That sounds like good advice. I'll take it. However, I do wonder sometimes why more people aren't excommunicated. Not for saying an errant thing here and there, but when they are consistently claiming to be the voice of the Church and they preach in error, I would like to hear something official from the Church condemning that person's views. Attach that person's name to it, and the media is more likely to pick up on it. They are out to make money, which means they will say what the people want to hear. "Senator So-and-So Excommunicated." "Father Disident Disciplined by Rome." Also, statements of the USCCB are far from binding. Do you agree with their statement on the Passion? (Which accuses it of being Anti-Semitic, and not of Catholic thinking). No, in the strict sense, they are not binding. But the Bishops are the shepherds of their flock and the ordinary magisterium. We should be especially mindful of what they have to say. I think that the USCCB with regards to The Passion was not saying that it IS anti-semitic, but that it could arouse anti-semitism. That I think is certainly true. This movie could very well be more fuel for those who are already bent that way. Nevertheless, I believe it is a worthwhile endeavor and should be required viewing for all Christians. We, for our part, should be aware of the possible anti-semitism that may arise from it and respond accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lil Red Posted July 27, 2003 Author Share Posted July 27, 2003 Like I said, I was hoping that ABC News would update their website once the show was over but they still haven't. I am reserving judgment until I can read/watch the whole show on whether or not the priest is totally out of line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mzanghetti Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 Two things to further add heat and not much light to the conversation: 1. Even if it sounded like he was defying the teaching of the church, did they edit what he said? I have been interviewed before and with careful editing you can twist the words of even the most devout catholic. 2. Given #1 above any call for laicization is incredibly premature, the process is extremely complex and the indiviual is given numerous occasions to retract and reform what he has taught that is in violation of church teaching. We should do the same and give this priest every benefit of the doubt. 3. Hyper, I like your idea of the three hail mary's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winchester Posted July 27, 2003 Share Posted July 27, 2003 St. Catherine of Siena, not laity, but also not clergy, told the Pope (!) to go back to Rome. We are certainly in a position to correct priests. They are not above our reproach any more than any other Catholic. Now, I believe in being careful about pronouncing judgment. I do not believe in remaining silent about priests by virtue of their office. Nor bishops, for that matter. I cannot imagine laicizing a priest for one such occurence. The Church typically acts carefully in these situations. Everyone strays at some point, and instant and extremely predjudicial actions are not the Church's modus operandi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now