Robert Kumpel of St John's Valdosta had a forthright post the other day following up on the story on LifeSite News about the statement of Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg, Canada.(See: Answering the anti-blogger Bishop.)The Archbishop has been annoyed by the internet coverage of the Canadian Bishops' official agency Development & Peace, which has been accused of funding numerous radical leftist organizations that promote a pro-abortion and pro-contraception ideology. Archbishop Weisgerber has said that an investigation has found that there was no evidence that Development and Peace has been involved in such funding. LifeSite News continues to insist that there is incontrovertible evidence, referring to its two earlier articles: MUST READ: All the Evidence of Development and Peace Pro-Abortion Funding …So Far and Mexican Pro-Life Leader Confirms: Groups Funded by Development and Peace are Pro-Abortion
In response to this controversy, the Archbishop has attacked Catholic bloggers, saying
"These bloggers who claim to be more Catholic than anyone - I think first of all they're not part of the church, they're not Catholic in the sense that they have no mandate, they have no authority, they have no accountability. And they speak very, very definitively about what it means to be Catholic, and they're followed by so many people."Robert Kumpel quotes Apostolicam Actuositatem n.10. One might also add the Code of Canon Law:
Can. 211 All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.As to accountability, bloggers know that they are very quickly brought to account if they say something untrue or misleading, and their opinions can be speedily quoted, analysed, supported or refuted by others.
Can. 212 §3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.
Many do indeed speak definitively about what it means to be Catholic, very often quoting the teaching of the magisterium which is also quite definitive on the matter. One wonders that the preferred alternative might be: speaking ambiguously about what it means to be Catholic? One should also remember the many personal stories of faith that are to be found in Catholic blogs, telling of the struggles of witnessing to the faith at work, at College, in the family, and on the streets.
When sweeping negative statements are made about Catholic blogs, I instinctively turn to the New Liturgical Movement blog with its excellent articles, painstakingly and carefully written, mainly by lay people, for no material reward, purely for the love of God and His Holy Church.
Robert concludes his article with this pointed observation about what the real problem is here:
With the internet, everyone is more accountable. Bishops are now accountable (well, at least a bit MORE accountable) about how they spend our money. Priests, bishops, nuns and catechists are now more accountable for what they say, teach and preach. One stupid remark from the pulpit on any given Sunday can be all over the blogosphere on Sunday night. This is one of the reasons that the rupturistas who have lied to us about Vatican II for the last 40 years aren't getting away with it any longer.Perhaps it would be a bit harsh for one stupid remark from the pulpit to be splashed over the internet; but the internet does come in handy when those stupid remarks are repeated week after week, and there is no adequate response to complaints from the faithful. Likewise when people are refused Holy Communion because they kneel down, when there is a Halloween Mass with people reading the scriptures or giving out Holy Communion in witch and devil costumes, when there is a "doner kebab" Blessed Sacrament procession, then some accountablity kicks in, thank God.
BTW - Robert Kumpel's blog St John's Valdosta is well worth having on your blogroll and in your feed aggregator. It is a favourite of Sir Dan of the Blogosphere who alerted me to this story.
23 comments:
Canadian Bishops *^&**>##!!!!!
Methinks this is a classic case of the 'pot calling the kettle black'.
Thanks for the post. I think I read recently that the Pope said it was a good idea to use the internet to spread the faith. It is a great way to engage secular society.
I wish these so called leaders of the Church would leave God to rule- how dare they fear the wrathe of God's people- I wish more people could experience the virbance and openess of the Church in Melbourne, Australia- Our Archbishop is truly a man who lets God rule
always reminds me of the old maxim never argue with a liberal
The Canadian episcopal conference has more or less been in schism with Rome after their infamous Winnipeg statement response to Paul VI's Humanae Vitae. Along with the German, Austrian and French episcopal conferences, are where the real "schism" lies - not with some Fraternity of traditional priests who have carried on doing with the church has always done.
What on earth would these bishops know bout being "Catholic" anyway?
Thank you Father. I appreciate your support.
I have been following Catholic blogs for a couple of months now and cannot tell you what a difference that makes for my faith. However, there is a lot of rubbish out there and I believe that was the target of his accusation.
Can. 212 §3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.
I don't think this bishop understands his peril by ignoring the above canon. Backlash, I suspect, is only a matter of time coming...
''Not part of the church''? I have never heard of such absurd arrogance before!
This waffle from Winnepeg reminds me of dreadful earlier dissent - I allude here to the anti-humanae vitae 'Winnepeg Statement' of 1968.
Fr John Corapi SOLT made reference to this on a recent EWTN Live interview. It's well worth watching the video clip EWTN have posted via Facebook as it gives an excellent exposition of abortion as
genocide, the problems of leadership within the Church on these issues and the pivotal impact of the rejection of Humanae Vitae to the pro-life battle.
2009 Fr Corapi video
There's a great moment around 06.30 mins where Fr Corapi refers to 'Oxygen thieves' - that to me seems an apt term for liberal dissenters (including some who are in positions of authority within the Church) who wish to restrict the faithful Catholic voice of orthodox bloggers such as you Fr Tim ---- keep on blogging !
Fr,
I am surprised that Catholic bloggers have not highlighted the public and institutional support given by the Catholic Bishops of Southwark, Arundel and Brighton and Portsmouth for the Cabrini Children’s Society which now opposes Church teaching on the family and the right of children to have adoptive mothers and fathers i.e. not gay adoptive parents. The formerly Catholic Children’s Society willingly accepted the Sexual Regulations of the Equality Act in January this year. The aforementioned bishops resigned from the board of trustees but have continued to publicly support its work. The bishop of Arundel and Brighton is even attending a public dinner of celebration of the Cabrini Children’s Society, has it advertised in the diocesan directory and has an annual collection for it. If we support such an organisation what does it say of us? This is under our noses and nothing appears to be said. What do you think, Father?
The archbishop in question sounds like a typical hippy generation leftist loser. So afraid to be challenged with the facts. Can't control everything, so has to whinny more than a batty old grandma 3 sheets to the wind on gin and tonic. "Oh, hush, grandma, and have another belt."
"They" can't control bloggers, because bloggers are only answerable to the public, as you point out - not to traditional media outlets whom the left-wing has in their pockets.
By that do you mean he does nothing? ;¬)
fidelisjoff - do use the blog's search box & google before saying that nothing has been said. On this blog, see the following:
post 1
post 2
post 3
Those post have links to other Catholic blogs. (The news was originally broken by a Catholic blogger in May 2008.)
Father,
I do follow Robert's blog. [sometimes he even visits mine!] though having learned from what happened to him, I prefer to remain anonymous.
An outspoken friend once told me he was going for "excommunication, defenestration, and castration. (not in any specific order)". Though that might be a badge of honor were it to come from the likes of some our bishops, that is not my bag!
btw, I have a little article on Bishop Schneider's Sunday sermon in Germany after ordaining some new FSSP priests.
K. C.
Fr thanks for the links on your blog
My concern was really that the Cabrini childrens society issue has faded following it's compliance with the Equality Act in January this year
The active fundraising has gone ahead with little said I wanted to raise this problem as I believe links must be severed at all levels to end an unfortunate scandal
Thank you for your excellent blog Father your work is truly appreciated
fidelisjof
I am not sure that is fair. The bishops were placed in an awkward position by the legislation. This may have been the intent of its framers.
How many gay adoptions has the society arranged? Possibly none.
I think that the bishops made the wrong choice but I have some sympathy with their position.
It would have helped if they had more clearly opposed the legislation and agreed a united approach with Lancaster and Westminster. Well done P O'Donoghue for setting out clearly Church teaching.
Many do indeed speak definitively about what it means to be Catholic, very often quoting the teaching of the magisterium which is also quite definitive on the matter.
Such exquisite understatement, Fr. Finigan!
John Adams, in defending the (innocent) British soldiers at their trial over the Boston massacre: "Facts are stubborn things."
fidelisjoff - apologies for my slighty testy comment. (Lame excuse: I was blogging in an internet cafe on a very hot day in central London.)
You're right that the issue does need to be kept alive.
Father, I went to the blog you recommended and in a post dated 24 June 2009 it stated that Cardinal Mahoney has proclaimed homosexuality as God's "gift" to the Church. Further down I found the source for the comment http://www.traditioninaction.org/HotTopics/a01o_Pedophilia_Mahoney.html
The comment, according to Marian T. Horvat, came from a video funded and produced in 1993 by Cardinal Mahoney. The source for the comment was Atila Sinke Guimarães, Vatican II, Homosexuality & Pedophilia, (Los Angeles: TIA, 2004), P 87-88.
I have been unable to locate a copy of the video on the internet and my search on Youtube came up with nothing so I was unable to verify this rather serious allegation.
The website Tradition in Action seems to disapprove of anything that has happened in the Church since Vatican II. Pope Benedict is referred to as “Pope Ratzinger”.
I am not an admirer of Cardinal Mahoney; his Masses and his cathedral make me cringe but when a rather serious allegation is made against cardinal and supported only, it would seem, by such a website I am rather wary of the blog which reported the allegation.
Peter,
the position the bishops were placed in was:
1 accept the legislation and and call an end to Catholic adoption services OR
2 fight the legislation win or lose OR
3 accept the legislation and pretend it is acceptable to support organizations that oppose Catholic Teaching
Unfortunately option 3 one the day in A&B, Portsmouth & Southwark . I have amemory some years ago that the CCS was already placing children with "single" parents regardless of sexual orientation and what their future lifestyle choices may be. The idea of a Catholic family placement was, perhaps, long gone. I also wondered if any faithful Catholic working with the CCS reacted against the change or was CCS seen, I suspect, as not a place for those faithful to the Church.
Victoria:
I double-checked the info and made the correction on my blog. I do not proclaim infallibility and when my sources are a bit "outre" I usually include some caveat.
However, if you know anything about Cardinal Mahony and the laundry list of heretics he invites to speak on behalf of his diocese in the name of "religious education" every year, it is not a stretch to say that he is very tolerant of homosexuality.
I hope my blog has not offended you, that was not my intent.
Thank you, Fr. Finigan, for including that quote about Canon Law. I have just begun to blog, myself. The section from Canon Law only reinforces my resolve to continue blogging.
I can only speak for myself, but, I am blogging about liturgy because I love the Church. In my diocese, there is a dearth in liturgical formation of the faithful and, sadly, the clergy (to a certain extent). What I write about are things that I have experienced in my own corner of Texas. I only hope that my blog will help to educate folks about what should and should not happen during the Mass.
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