A Courageous Priest Rebukes Derelict Bishops

Now that the president has told the tyranical governors to stand down, our bishops have no more excuses.  They should heed the words of this priest and remember that they are shepherds of souls first and foremost.

Two Bishops Throw Their Faithful Flocks Under The Bus To Appease The World

Many of us have heard of Patricia Jannuzzi, a theology teacher at Immaculata High School in Somerville NJ.  She had posted on her private Facebook page, defending true marriage and exposing the gay agenda for what it is - part of a push to extinguish western civilization.  Lepanto Institute saved her post, because the school demanded that she take it down before informing her that her contract would not be renewed.  As you read the post, do you find in there anything that is at variance with Church teaching?  Neither do I.  So why did her school fire her?

A former student of hers stumbled across it.  He was miffed to read it, as he himself is gay.  He also is the nephew of Hollywood left-wing Susan Sarandon.  So auntie got all the minions together and they started to blast the school - much like a similar bunch did to the Archdiocese of Washington three years ago when Father Guarnizo withheld Holy Communion to a flaming lesbian.  And like the Archdiocese of Washington, they abandoned their Catholic principles and displayed all the spinal fortitude of jellyfish.  The ease with which they cast aside their allegiance to the Teaching of Jesus Christ cause me to believe if such allegiance was really present; they were way too quick to evict from their midst a truly Catholic teacher who proclaimed true Catholic morality.

I'd suggest that we too make our displeasure known to the school and to do so repeatedly.  I will say one thing for the gay cartel.  They are tenacious and ready to drop everything and act for their beliefs, such as they are.  We on the other hand tend to be too demure, reserved, deferential in the face of those who need to hear the truth from us and even to be rebuked by us.  Here is the contact information for the school.  Please utilize it, but there is also one more step.

Jesus Demonstrates "Acceptance"!

The school's site posted a horrid statement by the local bishop, Bishop Paul Bootkoski of the Diocese of Metuchen.  I'll link to it as it appears on that diocesan site.  It is one along the apostolic line of Judas.  One line of his is that "the teacher's comments are disturbing and do not reflect the Church's teachings of acceptance".  I can only say that this is heresy.  The Church has never taught the acceptance of sinful behavior.  Ms. Jannuzzi most certainly did articulate the Church's teaching regarding sodomy.  Either the bishop is blissfully ignorant of basic moral teaching or some sugar daddies are threatening to cut off funds - or Sarandon sycophants are calling and saying mean things to hurt his feelings!  Well, like Lepanto and others, we must all contact Bishop Bootkoski ourselves and set the record straight.

So that's one bishop who betrayed a faithful Catholic.  Now onto another.  On March 3rd in the state of Idaho, a Catholic state senator, Sheryl Nuxoll, boycotted an opening prayer at a senate session that was conducted by a Hindu.  She correctly stated that hinduism is "a false faith with false gods".  She wasn't the only one, by the way; there were two others.  Rather than support her, or at least keep silence, Bishop Peter Christensen of the Diocese of Boise rushed to rebuke her Catholic witness, falsely claiming that Nuxoll did not "represent the opinions or teachings of the Roman Catholic Church."  Oh, really?  News flash!  Hinduism is idolotry!  Nuxoll is correct.  As you can detect in Christenen's screed, his thinking is infected with the syndrome known as "ecumenicide".  Here's contact information for that diocese; please call this treatment of Nuxoll into question.

Are you noticing a pattern?  Not only do these bishops refuse to speak truth to dissidents, lest they offend some deep pockets or rile some loud leftists, but when faithful Catholics within their dioceses do act like Catholics, these bishops pile on them!  Is it to keep those dollars flowing in, or the leftists from sneering at them, or is it something else?  Do they resent the faithful Catholics for displaying the faith and courage that they refuse to display?

Lame Excuses For Episcopal Cowardice

I'm on Facebook a bit and saw this on my wall.  I won't embarrass the individual who posted it by naming them, but will take the opportunity to pick this apart.  This may well be part of the "Francis Effect".  However, I recall the Holy Father encouraging us not to be afraid to "make a mess".  This person is not taking those words to heart.  Because I'm sure these erroneous notions are shared by many, I'll pick them apart.  First, here's the whole quote.

Catholics are not allowed to make demands that will only result in resentment against the Church. Our job is to do only those things which will bear good fruit. "Standing for principle" often results more in resentment than in good fruit. We must never sacrifice our principles, but at the same time we must not make demands of people that will cause them to resent us. Sometimes silence is better than standing for principle, in this regard. That is likely why so many of our bishops are silent on our principles. They seek to protect us from the backlash of hateful people who will respond by lashing out. Please keep this in mind before criticizing a bishop. They may or may not be making the correct judgment but it is not okay to just assume that they have bad reasons for silence.

First, we don't "make demands" in the sense that we spout only our ideas.  We are called to proclaim and witness to Jesus Christ and His sayings as promulgated through His Holy Catholic Church.  Some of Christ's words are demands.  For instance, there are the Ten Commandments.  There are Christ's teachings on life and its engenderment with all that it entails.  So yes, not only are we allowed to "make the demands" that originate in Jesus and His Church, we are positively commanded to do so.

Might such promulgation "only result in resentment against the Church"?  It might, depending on the disposition of the listener.  However, we can never say that will be the case for certain unless we make the attempt.  Who knows?  Perhaps that person will take our words to heart and come to saving repentance.  Even if we do, we have done what we are called to do.  Paul exhorts us to "preach the gospel in season and out of season".  Our Lord Himself, at the last discourse, reminded the Apostles that "if the world hates you, know that it hated me before you", and "as they treated the master so will they treat the slaves".  In other words, some resentment is part of the suffering we must endure.

Did the world resent Jesus?  Well, yes!  That's what motivated them to crucify Him.  Later that's what motivated the Romans to send the Christians to the coliseums, etc and has motivated persecution of Christians throughout the centuries.  I'm sorry, but this notion that "our bishops are silent on our principles..to protect us from the backlash of hateful people", while it's probably well-intentioned, is diabolical nonetheless.  Consider what Peter said to Our Lord in a weak moment and that Our Lord replied "get behind me Satan".

Truth be told, I wonder if the author of that "apologetics for cowardice" was trying to justify the Diocese of Charlotte's disgraceful treatment of Sister Jane Dominic Laurel?  I'll have more on this poor sister and how so many cowards threw her under the bus after she relayed Church teaching to Catholic high school students?  I'll have more on her in a future post.

Gay Clergy = Moral Cesspool = Souls Going To Hell

Michael Voris comments on a party where gay priests brought their "boyfriends" (i.e., accomplices in the mortal sin of sodomy) to a Christmas party.  What a way to blaspheme that Holy Day!  They will have to account for much, and for them - unless they repent and make good Confessions - their outcome is looking mighty dubious.  Pray for them and all those scandalized by them.

Of Clerics Who Won't Proclaim The Truth

In today's Vortex, Michael Voris takes to task those Church leaders who speak of moral issues only in light of contemporaneous circumstances without broaching the truths of God's laws.  Some might think Voris is being rather harsh towards weak clerics.  I on the other hand think that if Voris errs, he errs on the side of ascribing to many clerics too much nobility.  For instance, instead of speaking on moral issues at all, many clerics don't utter a peep regarding them.  They say not one word on the evils of contraception, but they'll rattle on and on about "social justice", "evil guns (not the gun owners, but the inanimate guns)", etc, etc.  Then there are those who "wine and dine" perpetrators of heinous evils simply because those perpetrators have worldly influence, money or power.

Some clerics, most notably bishops, not only maintain utter silence in the face of monstrous evils and lick the boots of powerful evil-mongers.  They'll punish other clergy who are Godly men and who do honor their sacerdotal offices by serving God and truth.  Witness the abysmal treatment meted out to Father Marcel Guarnizo by the Archdiocese of Washington last Lent when Father upheld the truth of morality and Church teaching.  I wrote extensively on that last spring; read here.

Important "aside": I know some of you are sick and tired of having Father Marcel's situation called to mind.  However, until the archdiocese sees the error of its way and issues an apology to Father and to all faithful Catholics insulted by their actions, I will continue to shine the light upon this disgraceful episode.  Get used to it.  I will not let this "go away"!  There will be no "healing" until justice is done here.  How can real authentic healing occur when the disease of cowardice and political correctness continues to run amok in the DC chancery?

Click here if you can't see embedded video.

Some more comments from the Vortex are in the clip below.  He rightly lays much of the blame for the demise of our culture at the feet of bishops who refuse to proclaim Catholic truth of faith and morals to the world.  I might add that not only do these bishops refuse to do so themselves, but they punish their priests who do speak out; think of Father Michael Rodriguez, Father Marcel Guarnizo, Father James Haley.  Click here if you cannot see embedded video.

Shame On The Bishops Of Mississippi!

It was announced today that Mississippi Initiative 26 failed to pass in a general vote today.  This measure would have amended the Mississippi Constitution to recognize personhood as beginning at the moment of fertilization. 

It failed by a rather narrow margin - 52% to 48%.  In this New York Times article, we see that among its opponents are the "usual suspects" - NARAL, Planned Parenthood, the ACLU.  That's so typical that it isn't worth the bother to comment.  However, once again National Right to Life disappointed grass-roots pro-life activists.  Sadly, it's no surprise and I learned long ago that National Right to Life is not to be taken seriously in terms of its political courage and resolve (or lack thereof).

However, the Catholic bishops of Mississippi have abysmally disgraced themeselves and their high offices by opposing the Personhood Initiative.  Yes!  The bishops joined ranks with NARAL et al to oppose the measure and thus throw babies under the bus!  It's not strategic, you see?  Their fears of it hindering "efforts to overturn Roe" (Efforts!??!  What efforts??!?!?!) are nothing more than lame excuses for cowardice (and I hope for nothing worse). 

Your Excellencies, if Initiative 26 would have been so harmful to the pro-life cause, don't you think the pro-aborts would have figured that out??  Instead of vociferously opposing the measure, they would have quietly let it pass - if what you said was true.

As noted before, the initiative failed by a thin margin.  Had the Mississippi bishops lent their support to this measure - or at least not opposed it - perhaps Initiative 26 would have passed.  Lame excuses to the contrary, I believe they failed the babies miserably and will answer for that, should they not change course.