I read the "Catholics" for choice twitter feed. made it sound like since Catholic women were having abortion, then their group should be "inside" the church for discussions. If this group promoted empathy, healing, etc for those affected by abortions, I say of course, let them help! But good job Bishop Gregory on his response.
A question--does the church own the trademark "Catholic" or can they do anything to strip this group of the name??
Our gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands, pulling of hair during this time of testing our Church can benefit from St. John Paul II's admonition, "Be not afraid!" I think.
The Synod on Synodality is a joke. This is a classic move out of the ecclesiastical bureaucratic playbook: call a bunch of meaningless and useless meetings to act like you are actually listening, care and will do something as a smokescreen to distract the faithful or as a butter-up to ask for money. It's a setup, folks. Just wait for it.
Synod on Synodality. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
It seems to me that the relationship between the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement is at a crossroads. We have a situation in which a stridently pro-abortion president alleges that the Roman Pontiff told him he's a "good Catholic." We have priests like former House chaplain Fr. Pat Conroy asserting that the freedom to choose abortion is consistent with Catholic values. We have prominent theologians like Massimo Faggioli repeatedly express exasperation about America's "culture wars," and brag about how the Italian hierarchy has no quarrel with legal abortion. We have up-and-coming bishops like McElroy of San Diego deny that abortion is the pre-eminent moral issue of our time. Sister Jeannine Gramick, who's on record as favoring taxpayer funding of abortion maintains a warm penpal relationship with the Holy Father. What does all this mean? I don't know. I don't want to say that the Catholic Church, as an institution, is close to pivoting to the "pro choice" side, but it should be obvious to one and all that the pro-abortion 5th column within the Church has never been as strong as it is right now, and that worries and sickens me.
I pray for a day that our history of allowing abuse and cover up of abuse of our own Catholic children draws as much prayer and attention. I just keep praying...
Well, it's not either/or. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can denounce sexual abuse by clergy AND still oppose abortion. 60 million dead babies since Roe v. Wade is a huge elephant in the room. If your point is the pro-abortion argument that Catholics should shut up about abortion until X, Y, Z other problems are solved first, thank you, but I reject that. The right to life is the most basic right, and those of us on the pro-life side are never going to shut up about it... whether we have the Church as our ally in the fight or not.
I pray for and suggest those who disagree with Pope Francis to take it up with the Holy Spirit whose influence gave us the Pope. With that my comments are exhausted as am I.
I am glad that Cardinal Gregory has found some moral courage. It is about time. Yet, he will not countenance anyone in his archdiocese calling out the Catholic-for-Choice-in-Chief or his minions, who are little different than the vandals. In many ways, the Biden/Pelosi/Cuomo cabal has done far more damage than the fools at Catholics for Choice ever could. The latter is a marginal group mostly relegated to the occasional full-page newspaper ad or appearance on CNN/MSNBC. The former have not only their bully pulpits but also control the law and how it is implemented. Yet, Pope Francis and Cardinal Gregory provide legitimacy and succor. Would that they would be just as ambiguous in their condemnations. Their silence is shameful and unworthy of their respective offices.
Secondly, the WOC and their fellow travelers at New Ways Ministries are transparently heretical. They are marginalized because they have chosen to adopt fringe and heretical ideas. Further, nobody who is paying attention is shocked that these saboteurs are being invited into the Church. This is just the latest episode in "Pope Francis Makes a Mess of the Church." In a mystical body weakened by decades of corruption and poor catechesis, it is like swallowing poison. Even if it does not kill the body, no good will come of it and the recovery will take even longer.
So, Eugene Franciso's Mini rejects not only the Magisterium but the canonical norms and structures of the Church. She (?) has created her own version of "Jesus" that sees the differentiation of roles in the Church as "eliminating one half of society and marginalizing them." Is that a private revelation? Or is based on a view of the Church as simply a historically conditioned social phenomenon rather than a divinely established society with Christ as the head, guided by the Holy Spirt and governed the Successors of the Apostles. Like the vision embraced by the WOC, this view is a worldly view that distorts the Gospel and desires that the Church conform to modern political ideologies. It is a radical and ultimately faithless view that wants to make the Catholic Church into the Episcopal or Methodist church. No thanks. I'll still with Christ's one, true Church.
My comment is directed to the rebuff of the WOC.So interesting to me to hear that the synodal process is all about the Bishops and hierarchy. THAT is the problem!!! WHEN will that become clear enough?? Pope Francis sees this and wants to hear from all of us. He said so. If women are not marginalized, I am not sure who is. Maybe church law prohibits what WOC stands for but that is NOT Jesus’ law. Church law can and has been changed,we just need a Bishop,Pope or someone to understand that eliminating one half of society and marginalizing them would NEVER be what Jesus would do. Someone needs to be knocked off their ecclesial horse. Let’s see how Jesus will intervene. I’m waiting!
To paraphrase my bishop, the synod is NOT about changing dogma. Jesus Christ established a male priesthood. The Church does not have the authority to change that and has spoken on that repeatedly.
Women can participate in parish councils, lay boards at the diocesan level and at the Vatican, leading religious orders and other organizations. Women can't be priests or deacons, but they have plenty to offer the Church (see, for example, St. John Paul II's "Letter to Women"). The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Mary Magdeline, Sts. Martha and Mary, St. Agnes, St. Therese of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux (who one pope called "the greatest saint of modern times"), St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Servant of God Dorothy Day, and countless other holy women found fulfillment and sanctity through their vocations--they followed the Church and made significant contributions to the world through their holy lives.
Andrew, yes to paraphrase your Bishop…. These women are stalwart examples of holy women who made significant contributions and there is another cadre waiting to do the same.
That's not what WOC is fighting for. They're fighting for a change in the dogmatic teaching on the priesthood. They are injecting secular, modernist gender ideas into something sacred. The Church is already offering them a path to holiness and fulfillment, the path that many women have found and followed over the past 2000 years.
Come on guys... I am thinking you may be way over thinking the WOC thing. I mean, last weekend at my local synod meeting, we were instructed where and how to direct our thinking. They were very clear... "NO PERSONAL AGENDAS". Hmm, okay, I thought I came to tell MY thoughts and MY feelings. We were also told to keep things positive and "NO LOOKING BACKWARD.... THINK FORWARD". Okay then, so we are all just gonna act like attendance is down and giving is down because of the current and forward... nothing to do with the past. Yeah, I think we have much bigger issues with the Synod than outside group, I think our issues are again... with our current leaders.
I hadn't thought of it that way. I think that you're on to something; "our issues are again... with our current leaders." As I wrote that I had the thought, "Yes that's true. It isn't The Church that is so foul and inept these days but her leaders and that will in time pass." That is something that I knew before but your post just crystalized it for me. Thank you.
There can be no productive discussion of anything if only topics pleasing to current leaders can be discussed. Putting the current bishops in charge of what can be raised will kill the entire project, and turn it into what it sort of looks like already, student government.
Putting WOC and New Ways Ministries or other malcontents in charge of what can be discussed will turn the entire project into a sophomoric free-for-all of emotion-laden diatribes, grievances, and heterodox--possibly antinomian and/or schismatic--solutions.
I read the "Catholics" for choice twitter feed. made it sound like since Catholic women were having abortion, then their group should be "inside" the church for discussions. If this group promoted empathy, healing, etc for those affected by abortions, I say of course, let them help! But good job Bishop Gregory on his response.
A question--does the church own the trademark "Catholic" or can they do anything to strip this group of the name??
Our gnashing of teeth, wringing of hands, pulling of hair during this time of testing our Church can benefit from St. John Paul II's admonition, "Be not afraid!" I think.
The Synod on Synodality is a joke. This is a classic move out of the ecclesiastical bureaucratic playbook: call a bunch of meaningless and useless meetings to act like you are actually listening, care and will do something as a smokescreen to distract the faithful or as a butter-up to ask for money. It's a setup, folks. Just wait for it.
Synod on Synodality. War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.
It seems to me that the relationship between the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement is at a crossroads. We have a situation in which a stridently pro-abortion president alleges that the Roman Pontiff told him he's a "good Catholic." We have priests like former House chaplain Fr. Pat Conroy asserting that the freedom to choose abortion is consistent with Catholic values. We have prominent theologians like Massimo Faggioli repeatedly express exasperation about America's "culture wars," and brag about how the Italian hierarchy has no quarrel with legal abortion. We have up-and-coming bishops like McElroy of San Diego deny that abortion is the pre-eminent moral issue of our time. Sister Jeannine Gramick, who's on record as favoring taxpayer funding of abortion maintains a warm penpal relationship with the Holy Father. What does all this mean? I don't know. I don't want to say that the Catholic Church, as an institution, is close to pivoting to the "pro choice" side, but it should be obvious to one and all that the pro-abortion 5th column within the Church has never been as strong as it is right now, and that worries and sickens me.
I pray for a day that our history of allowing abuse and cover up of abuse of our own Catholic children draws as much prayer and attention. I just keep praying...
Well, it's not either/or. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. We can denounce sexual abuse by clergy AND still oppose abortion. 60 million dead babies since Roe v. Wade is a huge elephant in the room. If your point is the pro-abortion argument that Catholics should shut up about abortion until X, Y, Z other problems are solved first, thank you, but I reject that. The right to life is the most basic right, and those of us on the pro-life side are never going to shut up about it... whether we have the Church as our ally in the fight or not.
"that worries and sickens me." As it does me as well.
I pray for and suggest those who disagree with Pope Francis to take it up with the Holy Spirit whose influence gave us the Pope. With that my comments are exhausted as am I.
I am glad that Cardinal Gregory has found some moral courage. It is about time. Yet, he will not countenance anyone in his archdiocese calling out the Catholic-for-Choice-in-Chief or his minions, who are little different than the vandals. In many ways, the Biden/Pelosi/Cuomo cabal has done far more damage than the fools at Catholics for Choice ever could. The latter is a marginal group mostly relegated to the occasional full-page newspaper ad or appearance on CNN/MSNBC. The former have not only their bully pulpits but also control the law and how it is implemented. Yet, Pope Francis and Cardinal Gregory provide legitimacy and succor. Would that they would be just as ambiguous in their condemnations. Their silence is shameful and unworthy of their respective offices.
Secondly, the WOC and their fellow travelers at New Ways Ministries are transparently heretical. They are marginalized because they have chosen to adopt fringe and heretical ideas. Further, nobody who is paying attention is shocked that these saboteurs are being invited into the Church. This is just the latest episode in "Pope Francis Makes a Mess of the Church." In a mystical body weakened by decades of corruption and poor catechesis, it is like swallowing poison. Even if it does not kill the body, no good will come of it and the recovery will take even longer.
So, Eugene Franciso's Mini rejects not only the Magisterium but the canonical norms and structures of the Church. She (?) has created her own version of "Jesus" that sees the differentiation of roles in the Church as "eliminating one half of society and marginalizing them." Is that a private revelation? Or is based on a view of the Church as simply a historically conditioned social phenomenon rather than a divinely established society with Christ as the head, guided by the Holy Spirt and governed the Successors of the Apostles. Like the vision embraced by the WOC, this view is a worldly view that distorts the Gospel and desires that the Church conform to modern political ideologies. It is a radical and ultimately faithless view that wants to make the Catholic Church into the Episcopal or Methodist church. No thanks. I'll still with Christ's one, true Church.
My comment is directed to the rebuff of the WOC.So interesting to me to hear that the synodal process is all about the Bishops and hierarchy. THAT is the problem!!! WHEN will that become clear enough?? Pope Francis sees this and wants to hear from all of us. He said so. If women are not marginalized, I am not sure who is. Maybe church law prohibits what WOC stands for but that is NOT Jesus’ law. Church law can and has been changed,we just need a Bishop,Pope or someone to understand that eliminating one half of society and marginalizing them would NEVER be what Jesus would do. Someone needs to be knocked off their ecclesial horse. Let’s see how Jesus will intervene. I’m waiting!
To paraphrase my bishop, the synod is NOT about changing dogma. Jesus Christ established a male priesthood. The Church does not have the authority to change that and has spoken on that repeatedly.
Women can participate in parish councils, lay boards at the diocesan level and at the Vatican, leading religious orders and other organizations. Women can't be priests or deacons, but they have plenty to offer the Church (see, for example, St. John Paul II's "Letter to Women"). The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Mary Magdeline, Sts. Martha and Mary, St. Agnes, St. Therese of Avila, St. Therese of Lisieux (who one pope called "the greatest saint of modern times"), St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Servant of God Dorothy Day, and countless other holy women found fulfillment and sanctity through their vocations--they followed the Church and made significant contributions to the world through their holy lives.
Andrew, yes to paraphrase your Bishop…. These women are stalwart examples of holy women who made significant contributions and there is another cadre waiting to do the same.
That's not what WOC is fighting for. They're fighting for a change in the dogmatic teaching on the priesthood. They are injecting secular, modernist gender ideas into something sacred. The Church is already offering them a path to holiness and fulfillment, the path that many women have found and followed over the past 2000 years.
We are all made sacred by our Baptism Andrew. We are baptized PRIEST,PROPHET and KING. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, we're baptized priest, prophet, and king, but that is different from the consecrated, ministerial priesthood.
Come on guys... I am thinking you may be way over thinking the WOC thing. I mean, last weekend at my local synod meeting, we were instructed where and how to direct our thinking. They were very clear... "NO PERSONAL AGENDAS". Hmm, okay, I thought I came to tell MY thoughts and MY feelings. We were also told to keep things positive and "NO LOOKING BACKWARD.... THINK FORWARD". Okay then, so we are all just gonna act like attendance is down and giving is down because of the current and forward... nothing to do with the past. Yeah, I think we have much bigger issues with the Synod than outside group, I think our issues are again... with our current leaders.
I hadn't thought of it that way. I think that you're on to something; "our issues are again... with our current leaders." As I wrote that I had the thought, "Yes that's true. It isn't The Church that is so foul and inept these days but her leaders and that will in time pass." That is something that I knew before but your post just crystalized it for me. Thank you.
There can be no productive discussion of anything if only topics pleasing to current leaders can be discussed. Putting the current bishops in charge of what can be raised will kill the entire project, and turn it into what it sort of looks like already, student government.
Putting WOC and New Ways Ministries or other malcontents in charge of what can be discussed will turn the entire project into a sophomoric free-for-all of emotion-laden diatribes, grievances, and heterodox--possibly antinomian and/or schismatic--solutions.