The Danger Of Criticizing Priests And Bishops

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Proud2BCatholic139' post='1606076' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:18 PM']Take it up to Jesus. The priest represents Him![/quote]

The priest represents Jesus...on behalf of the Church. If he fails in that duty then he should be gently and firmly reminded.

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Lil Red' post='1606047' date='Jul 23 2008, 11:44 AM']+J.M.J.+
just asking. like aalpha just read the part that i quoted, and didn't go to the link provided and read the whole thing. no worries.[/quote]

Yeah, I thought the post was asking for general comments on the topic.

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1606044' date='Jul 23 2008, 11:41 AM']St. Maximos the Confessor publicly criticized Patriarch Pyrrhus during the Monothelite controversy.[/quote]

As did St. Vincent Ferrer with Pope Benedict XIII and Fra Girolamo Savonarola did with Pope Alexander VI (both going so far as to consider them deposed)

and of course St. Catherine of Siena

and St. Hildegard of Bingen who criticised bishops. Plenty more no doubt but those are off top of my head.

[goldenchild17]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1606082' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:22 PM']Doesn't it depend on what the priest did?
There is a big difference between liturgical abuse and public sin.[/quote]

Possibly. But in the case of St. Vincent Ferrer there was no heresy involved. The reigning pope simply refused to cooperate in ending the Schism and by that Ferrer publicly confronted him and considered him no longer pope. So it probably depends on the case, but it varies.

[CatherineM]

St. Catherine had more guts than I do. I can't imagine sending a letter to the Pope pointing out something he was doing wrong.

[CatholicCid]

I think a good rule of thumb would be that, if the scandal or error is taught publicly, then there is public scandal and it needs to be address publicly in a charitable manner to resolve the scandal.

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1606156' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:33 PM']The priest represents Jesus...on behalf of the Church. If he fails in that duty then he should be gently and firmly reminded.[/quote]
agreed

[quote name='Madame Vengier' post='1606158' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:34 PM']Yeah, I thought the post was asking for general comments on the topic. [/quote]
yes, it was, but i don't like to post whole articles (makes the topic really long and people aren't as apt to read it), when i can post snippets of the article. but it's still helpful to read the whole article.

God bless, Lil Red

[Barbarus]

I don't think it's possible to have a hard and fast rule about when criticism (public or otherwise) is appropriate. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't, and it depends on a variety of factors, not the least of which is the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Regardless, one should always have the utmost respect for those who have care of us.

[Deb]

[quote name='Apotheoun' post='1606036' date='Jul 23 2008, 12:35 PM']But only if the asparagus is served in garlic butter.[/quote]

I actually prefer it grilled with a little olive oil and then just a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Satan eats the hinds of his minions, raw.