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January-February
1998 Roman Catholic Faithful, P.O. Box 109,
Petersburg, IL. 62675
(217-632-5920) (Fax
217-632-7054)
|
INDEX:
[Of what use is authority if no
one is willing to exercise it?]
[More Witnesses Emerge in Bishop Ryan Case]
[In the Dead of Winter]
[A Disordered Archdiocese: Cardinal Mahony
and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles]
[Rev. George Parker Addresses Immaculate
Conception
chapter of CUF at dinner honoring Stephen Brady]
[Bullies Finally Identified]
[Jan 22, 1998, Day of Infamy25 Years
of Abortion on Demand]
[Letters]
Of what use
is authority
if no one is willing to exercise it?
by Stephen Brady
On May
15, 1996, Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF) was
incorporated in the State of Illinois to combat
the heretical teachings and liturgical abuses
being forced upon the laity within the
Springfield Diocese. At that time the board of
directors had no idea RCF would grow to its
present size and strength with members in fifty
states and nine foreign countries. While RCF is
small in numbers compared to many organizations,
it has expanded to an international organization
because of the Faith and determination of our
members.
RCF has
found that heresy is tolerated in many parts of
the country. A Bishop of any diocese must take
responsibility for what goes on within his
diocese. If the documented abuses are brought to
his attention and he still refuses to, or is
unable to correct the situation; then, the bishop
is the problem. The life of the diocese, often
times, is a reflection of the lives of its
administrators, and prudence would dictate a
close scrutiny of their lives.
Unfortunately
RCF has found that heresy does not seem to
trouble many within the hierarchy, in fact, many
bishops themselves are responsible for the
wholesale loss of faith in many parts of the
country. The Papal authority should correct any
situation that might exist within a diocese. So
what can RCF do at a time when the Holy See seems
unable to exercise her authority?
At this
time, RCF is concerned mainly with two dioceses.
Springfield, Illinois, which is the home base of
RCF, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
California. The former small and near death; the
latter, much larger and dying.
Bishop
Ryan of Springfield, Illinois, is the problem in
his diocese. In this issue of AMDG, Dr. Droleskey
reports on recent events unfolding in
Springfield, Illinois.
When it
comes to Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, CA, RCF
has no idea what he believes or why he does what
he does. Based on the letters RCF has received
from the priests and laity and based on the
speakers Mahony brings to his Religious Education
Congress each year, RCF can safely say that
Cardinal Mahony must not be in control of his
Archdiocese or must not know what goes on in his
Archdiocese. In either case, No TRUE prince of
the Church would place a soul at risk by allowing
known dissenters to educate his flock as does
Mahony at his education congress. (More in
Stephanie Block?s article "A Disordered
Archdiocese.")
AS RCF
MOVES INTO L.A.
At the
last Marian apparition of Akita, the Virgin Mary
said, in part, The work of the devil will
infiltrate even into the Church in such a way
that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals,
and bishops against other bishops. The priests
who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by
their confreres. Churches and altars will be
sacked. The Church will be full of those who
accept compromises, and the demon will press many
priests and consecrated souls to leave the
service of the Lord.(Akita)
And the
following from the apparition of LaSalette,
Priests, my Sons ministers, priests,
by their evil life, by their irreverences and
their impiety in celebrating the holy mysteries,
love of money, love of honor and pleasures,
priests have become sewers of impurity. Yes,
priests call forth vengeance, and vengeance is
suspended over their heads. Woe to priests, and
to persons consecrated to God, who by their
infidelities and their evil life are crucifying
my son anew! The sins of persons consecrated to
God cry to heaven and call for vengeance; and now
here is vengeance at their very doors, for no
longer is anyone found to beg mercy and pardon
for the people. There are no more generous souls.
There is now no one worthy of offering the
spotless Victim to the Eternal on the
worlds behalf! (LaSalette)
I do
believe the Blessed Mothers words could
very well describe the situation today.
We at
RCF have made our intentions known to all who
care to listen. Our tools are Faith, prayer and
action; and as a last resort, litigation and
public exposure. What you are about to read in
this newsletter is shocking to say the least.
Name the darkness...we cannot defend
our Faith if we do not know what we are up
against!
Heavenly
Father, we ask Your blessing on our efforts. Show
us the way to spread the Truth of the Catholic
faith in the midst of error and infidelity. Fill
our hearts with authentic love for our priests,
bishops, and all the clergy-a love that moves us
to unceasing prayer for their souls and to
constant exhortation to faithfully fulfill their
sacred task of preaching the Whole Truth of the
Catholic Faith without compromise.
Grant us
wisdom in our deliberations, courage in promoting
the truth, prudence in exposing error, and
Charity in all the things we do. Bless our Holy
Father the Pope by granting him loyalty and
fidelity from the bishops and all the clergy of
the church.
We ask
these things through the intercession of our Holy
Mother Mary.
The
courage of two people, Frank Bergen and Sandra
Elraghy, is about to open a new chapter in the
history of the Catholic Church in America, a
chapter that many within the hierarchy would
rather keep closed. As you read Frank and
Sandras story remember; It is not an
act of charity to allow ones neighbor to
run headlong into Hell. God help us all if
we fail to help those in need. That includes
Bishop Ryan and other bishops and priests who
seem to have lost their way. Ask yourself or your
Bishop two questions: Why are so many priests,
seminarians, and laity calling RCF for help? Of
what use is authority if no one is willing to
exercise it?
The following letter is a typed copy of
a hand written statement by Frank Bergen.
Monday, January 12, 1998
Subject: The Catholic
Church in Central Ill.
My name is Frank Bergen.
I am a 30 year old male currently incarcerated in
the State of Ill. I am writing this letter and
making the truth be known in order to clear my
conscience of the abuse that was done to me and
my faith, and the faith of countless others. And
to help those involved seek help for their
wrongs. I'm in no way seeking to be a gold
digger or trouble maker.
For the last 14˝ years
of my life I have been a male prostitute and an
abuser of illicit drugs. Thanks to God's grace I
have found sobriety in the 13 months.
In 1983 I ran away from
home in central Ill. I was almost 16 years old. I
had no money, no job, and an attitude of
indifference. I wound up in downtown Spfld at 4th
and Washington at the Amtrak Station turning
trick (or selling my body for money) in order to
have the basic needs of life. In that time frame
I heard of a good date that paid well, called
"The Bish." who was supposed to pay
good, have simple sexual taste meaning no
intercourse, and would be a regular if he found
you desirable. I finally met and dated this man
called the "Bish." I being Catholic
knew immediately who it was. It was Bishop Daniel
Ryan the Bishop of Spfld (Springfield, IL). He
liked to give and receive back rubs, to grab your
face and kiss you, sometimes would like o___ sex
preformed on him, he would kiss the h___ of your
p____ and for the finale would lay upon you and
rub till he ejaculated (And the other prostitutes
called this easy). Then would pay between 50 and
150 dollars, buy you clothes, take you to eat,
and buy groceries, pay rent, and pay utilities if
asked and he was in a good mood. These drunken
sprees of his continued with me and others till
his going into alcohol drug treatment in the late
80's. During the period from 1983-1994 I met and
dated other priests as well. In 1984 I met
Father______... who I dated till my incarceration
in 1992. exchanging m____ m______. In the Early
90s I met Father_____... who took me back to his
room at the rectory where we m______ m_________,
this was a one time thing. The on the Christmas
Season of 1994 met a man who was drunk downtown
looking for company (sex) for money. It was
Father____... We went back to the rectory of
St.___ and we m____ m______. This was a one time
thing also. During the encounters with priest I
told each and every one of them that I was dating
or had dated Bishop Ryan for money. I also told
Bishop Ryan of my encounters with each and every
one of these priests mentioned. I often used to
go with Dan Ryan up to his apt above the
Cathedral where sex and drinking prevailed.
Sometimes after a sexual encounter with the
Bishop I would have confession where I was
absolved of my sins, and he would tell me
"Christ sent me to love you." Do I need
to mention his foot fetish, or his like of Johnny
Walker, or he took his male companions to eat at
Red Lobster in Spfld or when he was drunk he was
at times forceful or that I can describe his apt.
above the Cathedral or his sexual organs and
other distinguishing marks. The only reason I
came forward was to stop the abuse of position by
this man and others, and to finally once and for
all clear my conscience Before making this
statement I was able to find a priest who heard
my confession so I could say this with a clean
heart. I hope the Church of Central Ill
strengthens it self out of all this as it's time.
I was not paid, forced or coerced into making
this statement. I am also not the only one who
did this, there are at least 6-10 other people I
know by name who dated Bishop Ryan too. To them I
say please come forward and stop what's
happening. Some of these where also minors too.
In my back ground you will find I was an addict
and a convicted felon. Please don't let this
cloud you as this is the truth. I say this with
my right hand to God and affirm with my dying
breath. To Bishop Ryan and the others. I'm sorry
I had to do this, but it has to stop for the good
of all. For those that wish to slander me and to
cover this up or plain don't want to believe this
could ever happen we are all human with all its
problems. Sometimes a wolf does come in sheep's
clothing.
Sincerely, Frank Bergen
[top]
More Witnesses Emerge
in Bishop Ryan Case
by Thomas A.
Droleskey
Nearly fifteen months have passed since
Stephen Brady, the President of Roman Catholic
Faithful, wrote to Springfield, Illinois, Bishop
Daniel Ryan to inform him that two priests had
come forward to charge him with sexually
harassing them. And one of the priests making the
accusation said that Ryan had threatened to send
him to a psychiatric center when it became
apparent to him that the priest had talked to
others about his conduct.
After it was learned that the Papal
Nuncio, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, had
provided Ryan with confidential statements made
by the two priests, Brady decided to hold a press
conference on February 3, 1997, to publicly
reveal the charges. The Wanderer
interviewed both of the priests involved in the
case, although the interviews were not printed so
as to permit a prominent American priest to
pursue his contacts in the Vatican to affect
Ryan's quiet removal.
The prominent American priest
subsequently took one of Ryan's priest-accusers
to Rome in late February of last year. A
high-ranking curial official listened to the
evidence presented against Bishop Ryan. Although
there were reports that the Vatican later made
three requests of Ryan to resign as ordinary of
the Diocese of Springfield, Ryan remained in
power, continuing to deny all of the charges made
against. him. The priest-accuser who had gone to
Rome last year was later given protection by the
Holy See, which informed Ryan that he could not
contact his accuser. The priest continues to
insist that his story is accurate, but he is not
willing to come forward publicly at this point.
Above and beyond the salacious charges
brought by the priests against Bishop Ryan, the
real story in this matter has always revolved
around Ryan's abuse of his episcopal power and
how the Vatican has ignored the pleas of both the
clergy and the faithful in the Springfield
diocese to correct the situation there by demanding,
not requesting, Ryan's resignation. The faithful
were told by the prominent American priest who
had gone to Rome to be patient, that the Vatican
would act to remedy the situation. But nothing
happened. Ryan remained in power, although he
continued to be dogged by Stephen Brady whenever
he appeared publicly in the Springfield diocese.
Things came to a head in December of
1997, however. A priest in Lincoln, Illinois,
which is located in the Diocese of Peoria, was
accused of having molested several young men over
the course of a twenty year period. The secular
press, which had buried the Ryan story, mentioned
the charges against Ryan while running accounts
of the Lincoln story. When asked to comment on
Stephen Brady's accusations about Ryan's personal
and ecclesiastical conduct, Kathleen Sass, Ryan's
spokeswoman, told The Daily Pantagraph
(Bloomington, Illinois) that Brady's comments
"are based in ignorance of good church
teaching."
Sass's comments caught the eye of one
Sandra Elraghy, a resident of Springfield who had
never met Stephen Brady. A student at Springfield
College who works at a laundromat in Springfield,
Elraghy had been a prostitute in the Illinois
capital until 1990. She was thoroughly familiar
with the street life of that city, and telephoned
Brady to inform him that she had been in a car
with two male hustlers on several occasions when
they were picked up by "the bish," that
is, Bishop Daniel Ryan. She provided Brady with
extensive information in an audio-taped interview
with him on Friday, December 12, 1997.
Elraghy named Frank Robert Bergen and
Kent "L." as two of the male
prostitutes who had been hired by Ryan to provide
him with sexual favors for money. The information
Elraghy, who is now taking instructions in the
Catholic faith, provided about the bishop's
sexual trysts corroborated the stories by the two
priests interviewed by The Wanderer last
year. It also substantiated the information that
Brady had received from a number of independent
sources, including an anonymous letter he
received last year which listed a number of male
hustlers who were known to be consorts of Bishop
Ryan.
Elraghy did not know where to find Frank
Bergen, but believed that he could be found in an
Illinois correctional facility, which turned out
to be the case. He agreed to cooperate with Brady
on one condition: that Brady find him an orthodox
Catholic priest to hear his confession. Armed
with this new information, Brady sent out a press
release to announce a press conference to be held
in Springfield on Tuesday, December 30, 1997. He
notified both the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop
Cacciavillan, and the Archbishop of Chicago, the
Most Reverend Francis George, of the pending
press conference.
To Brady's surprise, a representative of
Archbishop George contacted him, requesting him
to postpone the December 30 press conference. The
representative, Jimmy Lago, said that the
archdiocese would conduct a thorough
investigation of the matter. Brady, who had
postponed a press conference in January of last
year so as to provide the Vatican with more time
to digest the information he had sent them about
the priest-accusers, was more than a little
skeptical. However, he agreed to postpone the
press conference after Lago assured him that a
serious investigation of the matter would be
conducted by the archdiocese.
The press conference was scheduled to
deal with the new evidence of Ryan's homosexual
behavior, as well as developments in the Lincoln
case. Brady was receptive to not discussing the
Ryan situation at that conference if Lago
attested in writing that he represented
Archbishop George, and that the archdiocese was
conducting an investigation into the matter.
Brady says that he made it clear to Lago that he
would distribute the statement to members of
Roman Catholic Faithful and to members of the
press as a means of explaining why the new
evidence would not be presented at the press
conference. Brady kept his part of the bargain
and did not mention the evidence possessed by
Sandra Elraghy or Frank Robert Bergen.
Lago, however, appeared to double-cross
Brady and James Bendell, RCF's attorney. He made
a statement to The Daily Pantagraph,
published on January 6, 1998, that "There's
a lot of allegations, but no proof. Nobody is
willing or able to even step forward at this
point." Lago knew that two priests had made
accusations in 1997, and he was aware of evidence
possessed by Elraghy and Bergen. Lago had even
spoken to Elraghy personally. Brady and Bendell
considered Lago's remarks to be evidence of bad
faith. Bendell wrote Lago a letter that same day,
January 6, 1998, telling him that "RCF must
now consider relations between us as totally
broken, and we are proceeding with our campaign
to remove Ryan, including the rescheduling of the
press conference with the woman mentioned
above."
Lago told The Wanderer on January
7, 1998 that he did not give permission to Brady
to distribute his statement to the press. He said
that he stood by his statement to the Pantagraph,
that he personally knew of no one who had
evidence who was willing to come forward at that
point. When confronted with the fact that there are
people who have come forward with first-hand
information, Lago stuck to his published
comments. He insisted that his investigation was
a serious one and that he would make no further
comments to the press. He did not respond when
asked why he could not have given a simple
"no comment" or "this matter is
under investigation" when questioned by the
secular press.
Brady told The Wanderer that he
did tell Lago that his statement attesting to the
seriousness of the Archdiocese of Chicago's
investigation would be given to the press. He
believed that Lago was not serving as an honest
broker in the matter, and therefore rescheduled
the press conference to reveal the Elraghy and
Bergen charges on Thursday, January 15, 1998.
Entreaties were made by high-ranking
ecclesiastical officials to convince Brady to
cancel the press conference. One such official
admitted that the Vatican had known all about
Ryan's homosexual activity for many years. He
said that it would take time to remove Ryan, but
assured Brady that Ryan would be removed. Another
prominent cleric, the one who had gone to Rome in
1997, argued that the good of the church demanded
that Brady cancel the press conference, that it
would be unseemly for the new charges to become a
matter of the public record. This priest went so
far as to telephone Brady's wife, Joanne, to say
that the press conference, if held, would be an
example of pride and anger, not fidelity to the
church.
Brady listened to all of the entreaties.
However, it was his judgment that the information
had to be revealed publicly, especially in light
of the fact that the Vatican had known about
Ryan's activities all the time. Too much harm had
been done to the state of the church in
Springfield to permit this new evidence to
languish in the Vatican bureaucracy for another
five or six years. The press conference,
therefore, went on as scheduled on Thursday
evening, January 15, 1998.
Attended by over seventy people,
including four reporters from the secular media
(and one woman who claimed to represent the
Vatican in the matter, a woman who has
ghost-written articles about the Springfield
diocese in The Wanderer), the press
conference began with a moving statement by Jo
Ann Brady.
Mrs. Brady made a point-by-point
rebuttal of the accusations levelled against RCF
by the prominent priest who had telephoned her
the day before. Looking straight at the woman who
has served as a conduit of information for this
priest, Brady said that the press conference was
being held out of love for the church, out of a
concern for the salvation of the souls of her
children. She went on to say that arriving at the
decision to hold the press conference was not
easy, but that it became easier when it was
learned that the Vatican had known that a
practicing homosexual was serving as the ordinary
of a diocese. Her comments were echoed by Pamela
Bultmann, a board member of RCF.
Stephen Brady then read a letter sent to
him by Frank Robert Bergen. The letter stated the
nature of the charges he was making against
Bishop Ryan and three other priests, one of whom
has been dead for several years. The charges were
identical in nature to those made last year by
the two priests. Bergen went on to explain his
reason for coming forward:
"I am writing this letter and
making the truth be known in order to clear my
conscience of the abuse that was done to me and
my faith, and the faith of countless others. And
to help those involved seek help for their
wrongs. I'm in no way seeking to be a gold
digger or trouble-maker.
"For the last fourteen and one-half
years of my life I have been a male prostitute
and an abuser of illicit drugs. Thanks to God's
grace I have found sobriety in the [last]
thirteen months.
"In 1983 I ran away from home in
central Illinois. I was almost 16 years old. I
had no money, no job, and an attitude of
indifference. I wound up in downtown Springfield
at 4th [Street] and Washington at the Amtrak
station turning tricks in order to have the basic
needs of life. In that time frame I heard of a
good date that paid well, called 'the bish. . .
.'" Bergen went on to describe Bishop Daniel
Ryan's conduct, explaining that he would
"pay between $50 and $100, buy you clothes,
take you to eat, and buy groceries, pay rent, and
pay utilities if asked and he was in a good mood.
These drunken sprees of his continued with me and
others until his going into alcohol drug
treatment in the late eighties." He also
described his illicit activities with other
priests. And he wrote that Ryan heard his
confession and absolved him of his sins each and
every time he had a sexual encounter with him. If
this is so, Ryan has excommunicated himself. And
it is reserved to the Holy See alone to remove
such an excommunication.
Bergen, who is dying of AIDS, wrote,
"The only reason I came forward was to stop
the abuse of position by this man and others, and
to finally once and for all clear my conscience.
Before making this statement I was able to find a
priest who heard my confession so I could say
this with a clean heart. I hope the church of
central Illinois strengthens itself out of all
this. I was not paid, forced or coerced into
making this statement. I am also not the only one
who did this, there are at least 6-10 other
people I know by name who dated Bishop Ryan too.
To them I say please come forward and stop what's
happening. Some of these were also minors.
In my background you will find that I
was an addict and a convicted felon. Please don't
let this cloud you as this is the truth. I say
this with my right hand to God and affirm with my
dying breath. To Bishop Ryan and the others, I'm
sorry I had to do this, but it has to stop for
the good of all. For those that wish to slander
me and to cover this up or plain don't want to
believe this could ever happen, we are all human
with all its problems. Sometimes a wolf does come
in sheep's clothing."
Brady said that Bergen was exploring his
legal options with James Bendell, who now
represents Bergen with respect to the possibility
of the bringing of a civil suit against Ryan.
There is also the possibility that the state's
attorney's office in Sangamon County will be
given evidence for the purpose of pursuing
criminal charges against Ryan for having sexually
abused a minor.
Brady then introduced Sandra Elraghy,
who explained why she had come forward to present
her evidence against Bishop Ryan (a typed
transcript of her December 12, 1997 interview
with Brady was provided to the press).
"The only reason I have agreed to
come here tonight to attest to Bishop Daniel
Ryan's corruption is because of the intercession
of the Holy Spirit and, lest we forget, the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Church,
who must be very sorrowful at the sins of her
beloved people."
"We are all sinners who fall short
of the grace of God, but we can be filled with
goodness, not evil. The only way is by turning
back to our roots, the Holy Roman Catholic
Church. For all of this I have agreed to come
forward to what I know to be the absolute truth.
. . .to help gather lost souls for Christ."
"I
know, of course, that I am nothing to many
worldly people, but the Holy Ghost, through the
intercession of the Queen of Peace, Mary, Mother
of God, our only hope, has chosen not only me but
others like Frank Robert Bergen to come forward
with their knowledge of the church's corruption
in the Springfield area. I have only given a
small portion of information, and hopefully
others will come forward with their own
knowledge. I feel I have been chosen to begin
something that creates scandal, when really the
church should have taken care of this long ago.
It is a pity to know that so many have been
deceived, that so many are not being truly
faithful to God. The atrocities, hypocrisies,
lies, deceptions and deceit of Satan must be
uncovered. I hope that by somehow making my small
gesture, as Frank Bergen, my friend and brother
in Christ, is making, that others will be
inspired in Godly manners. Only then will the
true foundation of the Church be restored."
In a detailed statement which took her
four drafts to complete, Elraghy concluded by
saying, "By all the faithful joining
together, only then will the Church's restoration
begin. By doing this perhaps we can be an example
to others throughout the world. And God will look
upon us with mercy."
"Many people know not only of
Bishop Daniel Ryan's abuse of young male
hustlers/prostitutes, but of his sexual
harassment of his own priests. Truly, the
vileness must be eradicated. The fox is truly
guarding the henhouse around here and it is about
time somebody spoke out about the truth. Why me,
you may ask? Because I have everything heavenly
to attain. I pray that by speaking out changes
will be made."
"I began my journey by calling
Stephen Brady of RCF because I had read a Springfield
State Journal-Register newspaper article
where a spokesperson for Bishop Ryan's office had
said "The RCF is basing their issues on
ignorance." Therefore, I can no longer
remain silent. I hope and pray by telling the
truth that I shall be set free of my own human
bondages, and that others will also be blessed.
As Christ said, "The truth shall set you
free."
Brady then asked this reporter to make a
brief statement. I stressed the fact that the
evidence presented by Bergen and Elraghy
corroborated the stories told last year by the
two priests. And I then read excerpts of comments
made about the serious nature of sodomite
behavior on the part of bishops and priests. One
such quotation, from the Third Lateran Council
(1179) will suffice:
"Anyone caught in the practice of
sin against nature, on account of which the wrath
of God was unleashed upon the children of
disobedience, if he is a cleric, let him be
demoted from his state and kept in reclusion in a
monastery to do penance; if he is a layman, let
him be excommunicated and kept rigorously distant
from the communion of the faithful."
The secular press had a number of
questions for Brady, Elraghy and this reporter.
Many of the questions centered on the credibility
of Bergen and Elraghy. I reiterated what I had
said during my brief remarks, that both Bergen
and Elraghy corroborated the stories told by the
two priests in 1997. Brady said that he had other
information, which he was not yet ready to
release, which also verified what had been
revealed at the press conference. The questioning
of the witness's credibility became so pronounced
at one point I said, "Look, you are
reporters. You have the names of two people who
were part of the street life of this city. They
have said that there are others who have
knowledge of all of this. Do your job as
investigative reporters. Go to the streets of
this city and get the information that is there
for you to get."
A reporter from WMAY Radio in
Springfield asked me if these charges could be
considered academic if Bishop Ryan stopped his
homosexual behavior after going into an alcohol
treatment program in the late-'80s.
"Assuming for the moment that he did stop
his behavior at that time," I said,
"you still have the problem of his
threatening to send a priest in late-1996 and
early-1997 to a psychiatric center because he
knew the priest had information about him. This
is an abuse of his episcopal power, and that is
what makes this story relevant even if he has
stopped his homosexual activity." Others
pointed out that he has never admitted any of his
activity, indeed, has continued to protest his
innocence of all of the charges made against him.
If the charges are true, as one person in the
audience noted, then he owes a public apology for
the abuse of his authority. As Sandra Elraghy
noted, "Weakness is one thing. We are all
weak. Abuse of power is something else."
A layman named Mark Thomas told the
reporters that they were treating Sandra Elraghy
the same way the press in Washington had been
treating Paula Jones. Each woman is accusing a
man who has been protected by the press. It is
interesting, he asserted, that the weak and the
powerless can be trashed by the media without any
serious investigation of the charges they make
against the mighty and the powerful. Another
woman said that St. Paul and St. Mary Magdalene
were among the greatest sinners in the history of
the Church, and they proved themselves to
be rather credible once they had reformed their
lives. This woman also asked about the status of
priests ordained in the diocese if Ryan had
indeed excommunicated himself by absolving Bergen
of the sins he had committed with him.
Brady thanked everyone for coming to the
press conference. Once again, however, the
secular media buried the story. And the woman who
claimed to be representing the Vatican let it be
known quite publicly to several people after the
press conference that it was Archbishop George
who had telephoned Stephen Brady to plead with
him not to have the press conference. Brady
himself had kept George's identity confidential;
however, the woman ostensibly working for the
Vatican at the behest of a prominent American
priest, couldn't resist the opportunity to let
people know that she had "inside
information: about the events that led up to the
press conference.
Brady told The Wanderer after the
press conference that he believed it was
important to have held it in light of the fact
that the Vatican has known about the situation in
Springfield for years.
The Wanderer attempted to interview
Bergen at the Jacksonville, Illinois,
Correctional Facility on Friday, January 16,
1998. However, I was denied permission for the
interview; the warden said that I had to get
permission from the central corrections office in
Springfield before gaining admission to the
prison. Attempts will be made to interview Bergen
by phone.
Bergen did write another letter to
Brady. Dated January 13, 1998, he said:
"Every human being has desires and
lust, but when powerful people use it to help
destroy the weak, you have to expose the problem.
Unfortunately in Springfield it got out of hand
for many years. Why didn't I expose this years
ago? Because I lost my faith due to years of
abuse, and how do you say openly with any dignity
that, yes, for years I had sex for money with
priests because the devil held my hand through
the guise of chemical dependency and eventually
caught AIDS and will die? I need for myself and
others for the record to be set straight as I'm
done hurting myself and want those that hurt me
to STOP!. . . .Being a priest is a lifestyle in
itself. Having a double identity is like having a
split personality and I want no one comforting me
or absolving me who has a hidden agenda."
He said that "The best thing I've
gotten out of all this so far is the cross I wear
around my neck. The feeling I get from it is one
of a great love for me. He died for us no matter
what the costs."
Although questions are raised in an
editorial on page 4, one can be raised now: What
price is the Holy See willing to pay to keep
Bishop Daniel Ryan in power? The silencing of
Frank Bergen and Sandra Elraghy? Time will tell.
[top]
The following is a typed copy of the
second letter
I received from Frank
Tuesday, January 13, 1998
Dear Stephen,
Each new day bring a new
twist. After reading the article you sent, I feel
the press, church, and public is going to crucify
me. So be it! I'll need for Mr. Bendell to call
Warden McEvers and the Chief of security here Maj
Betts informing them of the severity of these truths
stated!
The best thing I've
gotten out of all this so far is the cross I wear
around my neck. The feeling I get from it is one
of a great love for me. He died for us no matter
what the costs. As Christ also knew his own
people would deny his love for them and call him
a liar and heretic. We see who won!
If anyone ever asks about
my commitment and reason for doing this please
let them read my letters to you (Xerox) and let
my words and actions speck for themselves. It's a
shame that people throughout the Centuries have
always denied the truth and persecuted those that
speak it.
Little do they know is
that death comes as a comfort for me and they can
throw all the sticks and stones that they want!
My family is my greatest worry thru all this as
they did nothing or said nothing to bear the
blunt of the sword that the people of deceit
shall swing.
They are simple people
caught in confusing times. I pray w/all my heart
and soul that people just see the error of their
ways and seek help and eventually repent of their
sins. I forgive what Dan Ryan, Frs _____,
______, ____ and the rest of them for what
happened. It was a 2 way street, but what people
have to realize is that they drove the car. I
didn't seek these people out. They sought out me
for one sole purpose. SEX. This wasn't a soul
saving part of their ministries.
Every human being has
desire and lust, but when powerful people use it
to help destroy the weak you have to expose the
problem. Unfortunately in Spfld it got out of
hand for many years. Why didn't I expose this
years ago? Because I lost my faith due to years
of abuse, and how do you say openly w/any ease or
dignity that yes for years I had sex for money
w/priests because the devil held my hand thru the
guise of chemical dependency and eventually
caught AIDS and will die. I need for myself and
others for the record to be set straight as I'm
done hurting myself and want those that hurt me
to STOP !!! If this goes to court, I'll have
everyone subpoenaed!
Let's see if they'll lie
about it to ?
When I was on the street
I used to be scared a lot of all the unexpected
things that would or could happen.
I'm not scared anymore
nor worried about living life to it's fullest! To
fulfill my life I have to do this and everyday
remind myself that the past is past and each new
day is a blessing from God! I pray for the Bishop
and the others because I know the ways of sin,
every time I pray I thank God I'm not like that
anymore and hope his love brings them around to
be humble as it did I!
Being a Priest is a
lifestyle in its' self. Having a double Identity
is like having a split personality and I want no
one comforting me or absolving me who has a
hidden agenda! Well I've rattled enough for now
and hope to see you Thursday w/Dr. Droleskey.
Love
In Christ Jesus, Frank Bergen
For
those RCF members who wish to write Frank
Bergen or Sandra Elraghy write:
Frank B. / Sandra E.
C/O Roman Catholic Faithful
P.O. Box 109|
Petersburg, Illinois 62675
|
In
order to continue our work RCF needs your
financial support. Please consider a
monthly donation if you can.
I wish to
thank all of you for your past prayers
and financial support. The letters we
receive are very much appreciated.
If you
need a written response to your letter,
please let us know. Thanks so much. S.
Brady
RCF, P.O. Box
109, Petersburg, IL 62675
ph: (217) 632-5920 / Fax: (217) 632-7054
|
[top]
editorial
In the Dead of Winter
by Thomas A. Droleskey
Much has been made about the
postconciliar era being the "springtime of
the Church." However, anyone familiar with
the actual state of the Church at present knows
that we are in the dead of winter. While there
are encouraging signs here and there of a revival
of the faith as a result of the formation of new
religious communities and as a result of the
wider availability of the Tridentine Mass, the
truth of the matter is that most Catholics in
this country live in an ecclesiastical situation
which more fully approximates the dead of winter,
not the springtime.
This is especially the case in
Springfield, Illinois. The doctrinal and
liturgical abuses in the diocese headed since
1983 by Bishop Daniel Ryan are well-known. They
have been reported extensively in the last two
years by The Wanderer. And the
ecclesiastical winter there has turned into a
deep freeze in the last year as Ryan, protected
by a secular media not interested in pursuing the
truth, has stonewalled serious allegations made
against him by two priests that he had sexually
harassed them. The deep freeze has intensified
into something worthy of Antarctica as a result
of the way that new charges have been handled by
ecclesiastical officials and the secular media.
What is most appalling about the Ryan
case is that the Vatican has known about his
activity for years. If this is so, and Stephen
Brady was told it was by a high-ranking
ecclesiastical official, then the real scandal
involving Bishop Ryan is not his sexual
perversion. The real scandal is the fact that the
Vatican has permitted this man to corrupt his
diocese so thoroughly while he denounces as
"divisive" any effort to bring the
truth of his perverted behavior to light. The
real scandal here is that Ryan has been permitted
to abuse his episcopal office for so long, long
enough so as to be bold enough to threaten a
priest-accuser with psychiatric confinement.
Several sources have informed The
Wanderer that Ryan is being supported by a
clique of between six and twelve bishops, perhaps
even more. These men have urged Ryan to stand
firm in the face of the charges made against him.
These men are not at all concerned about the
possibility that the charges are true, that Ryan
has abused his priests, that he has corrupted
minors, that he has abused his episcopal
authority. No, what matters is solidarity in the
ranks. The "radical" Brady must not be
given a scalp, even if it means that an
unrepentant sinner who may have excommunicated
himself by absolving Frank Bergen of the sins he
committed with him will remain in power until he
reaches the age of retirement.
The information that American bishops
have known about Ryan's activities does not come
as a total surprise. One of the priests
interviewed by The Wanderer last year said
that his spiritual director had informed both the
late Archbishop John May of St. Louis and the
late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin in the late-1980s
of Ryan's proclivities. And there is a report
that Bishop Joseph Imesch of Joliet, Illinois,
was called to the Vatican last year to be
reprimanded for having recommended the ordination
of a known homosexual, Ryan, to the episcopacy.
yet both Imesch and Ryan are permitted to remain
the ordinaries of their respective dioceses.
One wonders what it will take for the
Holy Father to remove men who engage in and/or
support the practice of perverted sexual
relations. Although some Vatican apologists state
that there needs to be "hard evidence"
in order to remove a man like Bishop Ryan, the
current information we have suggests that the
Vatican has had evidence in this case for a long
time. Everyone thus far has buried it, and
this includes Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan,
who did not even conduct an investigation of his
own before sending Ryan the confidential
statements of the two priests who made the
initial accusations against him last year.
Indeed, a prominent curial official
actually met with one of those priests in the
flesh last year. The evidence this priest
presented must have been compelling enough to
afford him the Vatican protection he now enjoys.
It may even have been compelling enough to have
led to three separate requests for Ryan's
resignation. The evidence against Ryan is
mounting. But these simple facts were not enough
for Cardinal-elect George's hand-picked
investigator, Jimmy Lago, to have treated the
matter with the seriousness it deserves when he
was questioned by the secular press. Is it any
wonder that Sandra Elraghy and Frank Bergen did
not believe that their stories would have any
impact on the investigation being conducted by
the Archdiocese of Chicago at present?
Evidence? There is plenty of it in the
Ryan case. Both Elraghy and Bergen are ready to
take a lie-detector test. Although not admissible
in a court-of-law, such tests have proven to be a
good gauge. I do believe a chap named Simpson
failed his polygraph rather dramatically.
Both Elraghy and Bergen tell a tale that is
thoroughly consistent with that told by the two
priest-accusers last year.
Evidence? Forget about Bishop Daniel
Ryan for the moment. What kind of additional
evidence is needed to remove Rochester, New York,
Bishop Matthew Clark? This man has openly called
for the Church to find a way to "bless"
homosexual unions. Isn't that prima facie
evidence demanding his immediate removal as
ordinary of Rochester?
What about Saginaw, Michigan, Bishop
Kenneth Untener? This man has consistently defied
the Church on a number of issues. He may not even
believe in the sacerdotal priesthood of Jesus
Christ, thereby vitiating the validity of the
ordinations he has conducted during his
episcopacy. Why is he permitted to destroy
the faith in Saginaw. And while we are at it, how
come Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland is permitted
to stay on in Milwaukee? What type of
"evidence" does the Holy See need to
remove bad men who are corrupting faith and
worship in their sees?
Although a lot of the American bishops
talk rebellion when they meet in Washington, the
strategic removal of between six and twenty of
their number in one fell swoop would be enough to
get a lot of bishops back in line in a big hurry.
Sure, such a move might expedite the de jure
schism. Far from being something to be avoided,
however, the formal schism would prove to be a
healthy thing for the survival of the faith in
this country. For the Church here cannot survive
if she is under the domination of moral cowards
and sexual perverts intent on remaking the faith
in the image of the false gods they serve so
loyally.
The Ryan case has become a focal point
in the battle for AmChurch. His removal or
survival will tell us whether we are in the dead
of winter or whether there are more
tangible signs of a January thaw than we can see
at present with the feeble eyes of the body. The
case raises a number of intriguing questions:
1) Has Ryan excommunicated himself?
2) If he has, what is the status
of the men he has ordained to the priesthood?
3) Will he, as Pope St. Pius V Demanded,
be turned over to the secular authorities for
having corrupted minors if there is enough legal
evidence to sustain such a charge (there is no
statute of limitations in Illinois on a Class I
felony charge)?
4) How can it be that the Vatican has
known about these charges for years without
seeking to come to the assistance of the faithful
in Springfield?
5) What efforts will be made to repair
the damage Ryan has done by his actions? One of
the priest-accusers has actually left the Church
and has started his own schismatic sect, one that
caters to practicing homosexuals. He did so
because of the way Ryan treated him. How is this
damage going to be undone?
6) What actions will be
taken against the other priests of the Diocese of
Springfield named by Frank Bergen and others?
Will the network of homosexuals that runs from
Joliet down to Springfield be rooted out and
eradicated?
7) What measures will be adopted to
assure that other homosexual bishops and
those who promote homosexual behavior will
be removed posthaste?
These are serious questions. They need
answers. A failure to answer them will be an
indication that we are still in the dead of
winter, suffering the effects of a frostbite
inflicted on us by the unwillingness of
ecclesiastical officials, both here and in the
Vatican, to own up to the truth.
While we know the Church will last until
the end of time, is it too much for us in the
laity to seek a redress of the problems which
beset us from within the Mystical Body of Christ
at present? For until the Church is willing to
face these problems squarely and take firm
disciplinary actions, her ability to evangelize
the world will be greatly impeded.
May Our
Lord have mercy on each of us. And may His
Blessed Mother pray for us, that we will not be
silent in the face of the cover-ups which are
destroying the faith in this country and around
the world.
Christ or Chaos,
Dr. Thomas Droleskey, Editor
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|
[top]
A Disordered Archdiocese
Roger Cardinal Mahony and
the Archdiocese of Los Angeles
by Stephanie Block
Roger Cardinal Mahony has
served the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1985,
first as Archbishop and then as Cardinal. As
pastor of the Archdiocese, final responsibility
for the spiritual health and welfare of the
episcopate fall on Cardinal Mahonys
shoulders. During that tenure, however, a number
of serious problems have developed that place the
Archdiocese at variance with Catholic moral and
doctrinal teachings, as well as at variance with
the traditions of the Church:
|
Situation in Los Angeles
Archdiocese
Liturgy:
1. Cardinal Mahonys
First Pastoral on the Liturgy: Ten years ago,
with Cardinal Mahonys "ecclesiastical
approval" the Los Angeles Archdiocese
produced a document called "The Mass: Our
Celebration." The document states that
"
The Mass is the Christian
familys dinner party
" and later,
"Learning to celebrate means learning to
bring our gifts to the community. Inside of all
pew-sitters there are readers and singers, bakers
of bread and makers of banners, dancers and
welcomers, and organizers struggling to get
out
"
|
Position of the Catholic
Church
Liturgy:
1.
"The liturgy is the summit toward which the
activity of the Church is directed; it is also
the font from which all her power flows."
[Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #1074]
|
2.
Cardinal Mahonys 1997 Pastoral on Liturgy:
Recent "Gathered Faithfully Together: A
Guide for Sunday Mass," pastoral letter by
Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles,
published in the archdiocesan newspaper, The
Tidings, September 5, 1997. The final document is
far more tactful than its draft versions, which
openly belittled the pre-Vatican II Mass and
erroneously attributed "changes" to
Vatican II which are nowhere to be found in
Vatican II documents. However, the pastoral is
still highly flawed: |
2.
Cardinal Mahonys 1997 Pastoral on Liturgy:
Although the pastoral contains parenthetical
references to the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, and occasionally even quotes from it, the
pastoral does not appear to understand the Mass
in the same way as the catechism. |
*
Concept of Mass as Sacrifice is missing. While
there are numerous references to the awe which
the liturgy should evoke, the reasons given are
vague, such as "the mystery of God."
The assembly, in the vision of the pastoral, will
no longer kneel at consecration, and "can
talk about the way the Holy Spirit is invoked to
transform these gifts and themselves. And so they
are talking about the presence of Christ in the
simple gifts of bread and wine, and in the
mystery that is this Church." [Part I, Pg.
8, "Liturgy of the Eucharist."] The
assembly, as just described, could be almost any
Christian congregation
|
*
The Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes
that the Mass is a sacrifice [CCC #1356 - 1372]. |
*
Concept of "priest" is replaced by
concept of a "presider." In the
pastoral letter it appears to include not only
priests, but also others who may find themselves
with "responsibility for the Sunday
liturgy." [Opening of Part II] |
* The
Catechism of the Catholic Church does use the
term "presider" to describe one
function of the priest. "It is in
representing [Christ] that the bishop or priest
acting in the person of Christ the head (in
persona Christi capitis) presides over the
assembly." [CCC #1348, emphasis in original]
|
*
Levels actions of the "assembly" to an
equal plane with the "presider."
"Know the awesome responsibility you share
for making this liturgy!" the
"assembly" is exhorted. [Part 1, pg.
10, sec. 3, "At the Liturgy, be the
Church."] |
*
While the Catechism of the Catholic Church
reminds the faithful that all have their own
active parts to play in the celebration [of the
Eucharist], the sacrifice of Christ and the
sacrifice of the Eucharist, which are one and the
same, are offered through the ministry of the
priests. [CCC # 1348 & #1367] |
*
The concept of repentance appears to be missing.
No mention is made of calling to mind ones
sins, nor of any salvific action of the
liturgys. The "fruits" of the
liturgy appear limited to the Body of
Christs awareness that, even apart from
liturgy, it is "always in communion with one
another." [Part 1, pg. 10, sec. 3,
"Apart from the Liturgy, Be the
Church."] |
* The
Catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes the
fruits of Holy Communion, which include
augmenting the recipients union with
Christ, separation of the recipient from sin,
commitment of the recipient to the poor, as well
as unity of the recipient with all the faithful.
[CCC # 1391-1398] |
*
The pastoral says that "to preside, a person
must live from the rich ambiguity of symbolic
reality." The Sunday Eucharist (which is
understood by the reader to mean the Eucharistic
presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species) is
described as a "
symbolic deed done
with power and reverence
" [Part II,
pg. 13 "The presider respects symbol."]
|
*
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that
the Eucharistic presence of Christ is not
symbolically real, but substantially real [CCC
#1376 - 1378]. |
3. Kneeling:
The Archdiocesan newspaper, The Tidings,
announced that liturgical changes would include
removing all altar rails in the archdiocese and
ending the practice of kneeling during the
consecration, so as to allegedly fulfill the
liturgical reform called for by Vatican II. |
3. Kneeling:
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that
the Eucharistic presence of Christ is to be
worshipped. [CCC # 1378] While it is certainly
possible to worship in positions other than
kneeling, kneeling has been the traditional and
customary attitude of the people of God in all
cultures before the Eucharistic Presence. Canon
Law 214 says that "the Christian faithful
have the right to worship God according to the
prescription of their own rite approved by the
legitimate pastors of the Church
"
Continually disturbing the tranquillity of the
faithful with frivolous liturgical
experimentation is a serious infringement upon
the faithful. "In past years,
there has been some confusion about the proper
posture for the congregation during the
Eucharistic prayer. Recently, the bishops of the
United States have reaffirmed the American
adaptations for the Sacramentary in this regard.
These norms call for all the congregation to
kneel during the Eucharistic prayer from after
the Sanctus through the "Amen" of the
final doxology as an appropriate sign of
reverence in our American culture."
[Archbishop Justin Rigali, Clergy Online.]
|
4. Latin
Mass: Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei
newsletter, July 1997 quotes from a letter of
Roger Cardinal Mahony: "As our Holy
Father
has told me on various occasions, he
has given permission for the Tridentine Mass with
the very clear understanding that only those
people who were alive and actively attending the
Tridentine Mass up to the year 1965 were the ones
for whom this permission was intended
.Our
Holy Father is appalled that some people are
bringing children and young people to the
Tridentine Mass in strict contradiction to what
he intended and what he has permitted." |
4.
Latin Mass: Letter of His Eminence Paul Augustine
Cardinal Mayer, OSB, January 31, 1997 with
permission for publication by Una Voce America:
"In recent times it has been affirmed that
the allowances given for the celebration of the
Tridentine Mass have been granted
with provisions that only those who were familiar
with the preceding forms of the Roman liturgy
would be allowed to benefit from these
concessions.
"During my time as President of the
Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei such
limitation was never mentioned by the authorities
involved. In this regard it should be mentioned
that the Commission has used the faculty of
erecting religious institutes which would benefit
from the Roman Missal of 1962 and the other
liturgical books in force at that time. Evidently
it was understood that young recruits would be
admitted to such communities and would benefit
from such concessions made to them. Hence, one
cannot speak of an age limit."
|
Education:
1. Annual
Los Angeles Religious Education Conference:
Designed to help Catholics grow in their faith,
the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference
has become an annual event. It has been met with
annual protests from concerned Catholics.
Due to such protest in 1994, Cardinal
Mahony canceled the talks of admitted pedophile,
Father John Aurelio, and pro-abortionist Daniel
McGuire who had both been scheduled to make an
appearance. The Cardinal wrote: "I will not
abide the presence of any speaker
who
teaches anything contrary to the full teachings
of our Catholic Church."
Despite such comforting promises, and
despite the tireless efforts of Los Angeles
Catholics to provide Cardinal Mahony with
adequate information on the proposed Religious
Education Conference speakers before each
conference convened, subsequent conferences have
featured a rash of speakers whose positions are
very much contrary to the teachings of the
Catholic Church. A sampling of these include:
|
Education:
1. Annual
Los Angeles Religious Education Conference:
|
1995 - Father John Heagle
and Sister Fran Ferder, who have taught that
homosexuality is not a deviance, but a healthy
alternative lifestyle. |
"Basing itself on
sacred scripture, which presents homosexual acts
as acts of great depravity, tradition has always
declared that homosexual acts are
intrinsically disordered." [CCC #2357] |
Father Walter Burghardt,
S.J. who has publicly challenged Humanae Vitae. |
"Each and every
marriage act must remain open to the transmission
of life." [Humanae Vitae, 11] |
Sister Jose Hobday, who
is a disciple of Matthew Fox and his creation
spirituality. Hobday said in her keynote address
at the 1990 Catholic Educators Convention
in New Orleans that Catholic teachers
"should forget about any church doctrine
prior to twenty years ago
cut the spiritual
and emotional umbilical cord to the Church and
start in a new direction." |
"What Christ
entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on
by their preaching and writing, under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all
generations, until Christ returns in glory."
[CCC #96] |
Richard Reichert, who is
a dissenter from Humanae Vitae, and author of the
New Creation sex education program. |
"Unfortunately,
I am well acquainted with the NEW CREATION
SERIES, published by the W. C. Brown Company of
Dubuque, Iowa. As a matter of fact, the Holy
Father is also informed about the matter. Despite
repeated warnings of the Holy See, both the
editors and teachers continue to use and spread
this Series. Only if families unite and join in
battle against this travesty of sex education
will the battle be won." [Letter of Edouard
Cardinal Gagnon, President of the Pontificium
Consilium Pro Familia] |
1996 - Diana Hayes, whose
remarks at the Womans Ordination Committee
included, "to ordain women into the
Christian Church as it is presently constituted
is to make them part of the oppressive structure
which abuses and distorts its power and authority
. Dismantling the entire house [the Church]
is needed, from within and without, using tools
of our own creation." |
"Priestly ordination, which
hands on the office entrusted to Christ to his
Apostles of teaching, sanctifying and governing
the faithful, has in the Catholic Church from the
beginning always been reserved to men
alone
.Wherefore, in order that all doubt
may be removed regarding a matter of great
importance, a matter which pertains to the
Churchs divine constitution itself, in
virtue of my ministry of confirming the brethren
I declare that the Church has no authority
whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women
and that this judgment is to be held by all the
Churchs faithful." [John Paul II,
Ordinatio Sacerdotalis1 & 4] |
Bishop Kenneth Untener,
who has said, " If you ask my opinion, I
think we should (ordain women). Does that make me
a dissenter? I suppose so." |
"The apostles
entrusted the "Sacred deposit" of the
faith (depositum fidei), contained in Sacred
Scripture and Tradition, to the whole Church.
"By adhering to [this heritage] the entire
holy people, united to its pastors, remains
always faithful to the teachings of the apostles,
to the brotherhood, to the breaking of bread and
the prayers. So, in maintaining practicing, and
professing the faith that has been handed on,
there should be a remarkable harmony between
bishops and the faithful." [CCC # 84,
citing Dei Verbum 10:1] "It is sometimes
claimed that dissent from the Magisterium is
totally compatible with being a good
Catholic and poses no obstacle to the
reception of the sacraments. This is a grave
error that challenges the teachings of the
bishops of the United States and elsewhere."
[John Paul IIs response to Archbishop
Quinn, Our Lady Queen of Angels Minor Seminary,
September 16, 1987.]
|
Kathleen Chesto, who told
the 1994 Religious Education Conference that she
rejected the All-Good, All-Powerful, All-Loving
God of Catholic teaching. Instead, she proposes a
limited process "god" who suffers with
people, but cannot help them. |
"I am the Lord Thy
God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage, Thou shall not have
strange gods in my sight." [Deuteronomy
5:6-7] |
Father Raymond Brown, who
has written: "We have no way of
knowing
that Jesus was virginally conceived
and born at Bethlehem." [Mary in the New
Testament, pp 12-13, edited by Raymond Brown, et.
al., 1978]. |
"In this Church,
adhering to Christ the Head and having communion
with all His saints, the faithful must also
venerate the memory above all of the glorious and
perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of our God and Lord
Jesus Christ." [Lumen Gentium #52; see also
CCC #496-507, emphasis added] |
Tom Zanzig, who has
written: "We have made the mistake of
thinking of sin in terms of specific individual
acts or thoughts or attitudes that were in and of
themselves sinful
.Today we realize that sin
is not so much a breaking of specific rules as it
is a breaking of relationships." [Sharing,
Zanzig, Vol. II, p 183] |
Pope John Paul II writes
in Veritatis Splendor [1993] "The separation
of fundamental option from deliberate choices of
particular kinds of behavior
involves a
denial of Catholic doctrine on mortal sin." |
Jeanne Cotter, who
composed the ritual hymn to the "goddess
Sophia" for the World Council of Churches
1993 "Re-imaging God" Conference. |
"Idolatry refers not
only to false pagan worship. It remains a
constant temptation to faith. Man commits
idolatry whenever he honors and reveres the
creature in place of God, whether this be gods or
demons (for example, satanism) power, pleasure,
race, ancestors, the state, money, etc."
[CCC #2113] |
Father Richard Gula, who
has written: "The choice of married couples
to use artificial contraception is a prudential
judgment. It should not be confused with
sin." |
"[E]very
action which, whether in anticipation of the
conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the
development of its natural consequences,
purposes, whether as an end or as a means, to
render procreation impossible is
intrinsically evil." [CCC #2370, citing
Humanae Vitae 14] |
1997 - Roger Cardinal
Mahony, addressing the 1997 Annual Religious
Education Congress pushed for acceptance and
support of the late Cardinal Bernardins
Common Ground Project. He said, "Many times
[when people bring up dissent] it is just varied
approaches to pastoral care." |
"The Church already has
common ground. It is found in Sacred
Scripture and Tradition, and it is mediated to us
through the authoritative and binding teaching of
the Magisterium." [Cardinal Bernard Law of
Boston, responding to Cardinal Joseph
Bernardins Common Ground Project.] |
Father Richard
Sparks talk was titled "Doctrine,
Dissension, and Dialogue: Can We Talk Rather than
Condemn?" "The Church cant admit
or face up to the fact that members dont
believe the teachings of the Church
" |
"a-pos-ta-sy n.
Abandonment of ones religious faith.
Gk.apostasia, desertion." [The American
Heritage Dictionary] |
Father Richard Rohr, author of
several books on the new age Enneagram, presided
at an October 1996 "wedding" between
two lesbians. Father Rohr referred to God as
"She" during his talk. |
"The Catholic Church
believes that marriage is a faithful, exclusive,
lifelong union between one man and one woman
joined as husband and wife in an intimate
partnership of life and love
.Homosexual
acts are taught to be sinful, based on the Bible
and on tradition
.Same-sex marriage would be
harmful for the institution of marriage, and it
would also be placing approval on activities that
the Church considers morally wrong."
[Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of the Archdiocese
of Santa Fe (where Father Richard Rohr runs his
Center for Action and Contemplation), "Same
Sex marriages: Where Does the Church Stand?"
People of God, Archdiocesan newspaper, March
1997.] |
Father Thomas Rausch used
his talk to deride apologist Karl Keating for
interpreting "the biblical Petrine texts as
the literal, historical words of Jesus, or in
discussing the Eucharist, he takes the Bread of
Life discourse in John 6 as the historical words
of Jesus, rather than the Eucharistic theology of
the Johannine community." 1998 - Several past
speakers have been invited to speak again: Sister
Fran Ferder and Father John Heagle, Father
Richard Rohr, Bishop Kenneth Untener, Father
Richard Sparks, Kathleen Chesto among them. Also
scheduled to speak will be:
|
"The Church holds
firmly that the four Gospels, whose
historicity she unhesitatingly affirms,
faithfully hand on what Jesus, the Son of God,
while he lived among men, really did and taught
for their eternal salvation, until the day when
he was taken up." [CCC #126.1, citing
Dei Verbum 19] |
Father Michael Crosby,
(another veteran of the Congress) who has written
"We have inherited a set of images of Mary,
reinforced by current forms of private revelation
and private devotion
.I pictured
God
getting ready to fire away at the whole
world. Who was holding back Gods arm? Mary.
Now thats dysfunctional family stuff. The
father of the house is really angry at the kids,
but mother is going to protect the kids from the
rage-oholic father
.My critics at the Los
Angeles Religious education Congress
misunderstood me. It is these images, not the
whole Marian piety, that I call
dysfunctional." |
"By her maternal
charity, Mary cares for the brethren of her Son
who still journey on earth surrounded by dangers
and difficulties, until they are led to their
happy fatherland. Therefore the Blessed Virgin is
invoked by the Church under the titles of
Advocate, Auxiliatrix, Adjutrix, and
Mediatrix." [Lumen Gentium 62] |
Father Donald Senior, who
has also been a speaker at the first Women in the
Church conference in 1986. When asked by a
reporter there why so many priests
"ignorantly" supposed that Jesus had
instituted Holy Orders, Senior responded that
"If youre going to have a conversion
of viewpoints, or updating, more is
involved" than mere clerical reeducation.
Despite years of protest from area
Catholics who have complained that the Los
Angeles Religious Education Congress is strongly
biased against the Magisterium, Cardinal Mahony
continues to defend the work of the Congress and
to permit heterodox speakers an archdiocesan
platform.
|
"Adhering to
the teachings of the Holy Scriptures, to the
apostolic traditions, and to the
consensus
of the Fathers, we profess
that the sacraments of the new law
were
all instituted by Jesus Christ our
Lord." [CCC #1114, citing the Council of
Trent] |
Catholic Schools:
a.
Objectionable sex education programs are used in
Los Angeles Archdiocesan Catholic schools. For
example, Cardinal Mahony has approved use of the
sex ed. program, In Gods Image, by Patricia
Martens Miller. Millers program provides
detailed descriptions of morally objectionable
behavior and has the students debate whether, in
certain instances, they should follow Gods
law.
|
Catholic Schools:
a. The 1995
Pontifical Council for the Family Guidelines,
"The Truth and Meaning of Human
Sexuality," stress that young people should
not be given the idea that the moral code is
something relative or created by man [section
#140]. The document also emphasizes that sexual
information should be provided each child on an
individual basis. |
b.
The Office of Religious Education and the
Department of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese
of Los Angeles have fostered heterodox opinions
among archdiocesan educators. Besides the annual
Los Angeles Religious Education Congress that
consistently uses speakers associated with Call
to Action and other dissident movements, these
Church bureaus regularly sponsor workshops by
these speakers. For instance, Dr. Thomas Groome
was brought in to address pastors, directors of
religious education, and school principals in
1993. Groome is a promoter of inclusive language
and was a speaker at the second Women in the
Church Conference, which convened to promote
womens ordination, changes in the
Churchs position on homosexuality,
abortion, contraception, and sexual monogamy
reserved to marriage, as well as various brands
of "feminist theology." |
b.
Canon #229 states that lay persons have the right
to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine
"so that they can live in accord with that
doctrine, announce it, defend it when necessary,
and be enabled to assume their role in exercising
the apostolate." The use of dissident
teachers thwarts that right. |
3.
Seminary Training: A basically wholesome place,
St. Johns Seminary has nevertheless hired
non-Catholics and dissenters to instruct its
seminarians. The Los Angeles Catholic Mission
reported that in March 1995, for example, Fr.
Charles Nguyen taught his Scripture class that
there was no physical resurrection of the body of
Christ. Nguyen dismissed Catholic doctrinal
expressions of physical resurrection as
"fundamentalist." |
3.
Seminary Training: "Even when faced with the
reality of the risen Jesus the disciples are
still doubtful, so impossible did the thing seem:
they thought they were seeing a ghost. In
their joy they were still disbelieving and still
wondering. Thomas will also experience the
test of doubt and St. Matthew relates that during
the risen Lords last appearance in Galilee
some doubted. Therefore the
hypothesis that the Resurrection was produced by
the apostles faith (or credulity) will not
hold up. On the contrary, their faith in the
Resurrection was born, under the action of divine
grace, from their direct experience of the
reality of the risen Jesus. [CCC #644] |
Morals:
Abortion:
a.
Supporting pro-abortion politicians: In 1988, Los
Angeles Knights of Columbus held an internal
trial against member Edward Roybal, a California
Congressman. Congressman Roybal had an abysmal
pro-abortion legislative voting record. Under the
Knights Constitution, Roybal merited
expulsion for failure to uphold Church teachings.
Then Archbishop Mahony, however, was
quoted by Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant has
supporting Roybal. He said that Archbishop Mahony
told him the "Congressman Roybal is a
faithful Catholic, one of our best examples of an
Hispanic Catholic in public office who is not
afraid to live out his Catholic life with
pride."
At the "trial," Roybal
defended his pro-abortion positions, saying
"I dont believe everything the
Catholic Church teaches."
During the years, the Archdiocesan paper
has carried a number of articles and photos of
pro-abortion legislators. In 1990 [April 6] a
front page, color photo showed Cardinal Mahony
walking arm-in-arm with pro-abortion Zev
Yaroslavsky. Yaroslavsky personally supervised
the arrest and rough handling of 900 Catholic and
Protestant rescuers during a 1989 Holy Saturday
demonstration.
b.
Supporting abortionists: Dr. McMahon, an
abortionist who admitted to performing 1,200
abortions annually, and who specialized in
partial-birth abortions, was given last rites and
a Catholic burial at Los Angeles Holy Cross
Cemetery. Shortly before his death, in 1995,
McMahon established the James McMahon Fund at the
National Abortion Federation to "support
access to safe and legal abortion." Cardinal
Mahony defended the abortionists burial in
a Catholic cemetery: "Do you think we should
start judging everyone who is buried in the
cemetery?"
c.
Supporting the "culture of death:" In
the spring of 1997, California held hearings for
a statewide bill [SB 102] to ban partial-birth
abortions. The bill had to be passed through the
Senate Health Committee and onto consideration by
the full senate before it could become law.
Senator Haynes, who introduced SB 102, attributed
its quashing to the three Catholic legislators
who voted against it, and to Cardinal
Mahonys failure to attend the hearings,
despite every effort having been made to arrange
the hearings around Cardinal Mahonys
schedule.
|
Morals: Abortion:
a.
Supporting pro-abortion politicians: The
Declaration on Procured Abortion [1974] states
that no Christian can vote for "a law which
would admit in principle the liceity [sic]
abortion.
Moreover, he may not collaborate
in its application."
|
2.
Birth Control: The Los Angeles Catholic Lay
Mission weekly [September 1997] noted that the
San Miguel Medical Center, the major advertiser
in the Los Angeles Archdioceses official
Spanish language newspaper, offers sterilization
services and a wide range of birth control
methods at its six sites, all of which target the
Latino population the city. The editor of the
archdiocesan paper, on being informed of the
lay-Catholic investigation of the clinic and its
findings has stated that "Clinica Medica San
Miguel has signed the required statement swearing
that they do not perform abortions or
sterilizations and that is all the newspaper
requires of them." The paper continues to
run the clinics advertisements.
According to the National Catholic
Reporter ["Mahony is a Big Man in
Church," NCR, November 12, 1993, interview
with an unnamed priest], "On condoms
[Mahony] said at first it was okay to use a
condom or to teach about condoms in AIDS
prevention programs as long as you put the
emphasis on abstinence. Then Washington [the
Vatican Embassy] got on to him."
|
2.
Birth Control: "The first lesson of Humanae
Vitae is that contraception is a symptom of the
social disease of selfishness, even as the family
is a sign of selfless love, which is the best
evidence of the moral health of a society."
[Fr. John Hardon, "Humanae Vitae - Charter
of the Family and the Catholic Faith,"
Messenger, October-December 1989] |
3.
Homosexuality:
a. The
film, A Journey for Understanding: Gays and
Lesbians in the Church, was partially funded by
the Los Angeles Archdiocese and features
interviews with Cardinal Mahony, Bishop Stephen
Blaire, and various homosexual activists,
including ACT-UP co-founder, Jim Fouratt. The
film was recommended for archdiocesan elementary
and high schools and its television showing on
June 23, 1993 was advertised in a number of
parish bulletins. The film speaks frequently of
"gay gifts" while failing to mention
that homosexuality is an objectively disordered
condition. This skewed emphasis leaves the viewer
with the misconception that there is little
tension between being actively homosexual and
being Catholic, and that the problems associated
with homosexuality are simply due to mutable
cultural conditioning. One homosexual says, for
instance, "We dont expect John Paul II
to come out and say, Its O.K. for you
to be gay and practice. Thats not the
point and I dont think we need that
anyway."
The Archdiocesan director of Pastoral
Ministry to the Lesbian and Gay Community, Fr.
Peter Liuzzi, wrote: "I want to recommend
Rick Flynns video, A Journey for
Understanding
.[it] suggests that there is a
new attitude coming to birth in various quarters
of the Church. The viewer is left with hope and a
new vision." [letter of March 16, 1993]
|
3.
Homosexuality:
a.
"Nevertheless, increasing numbers of people
today, even within the Church, are bringing
enormous pressure to bear on the Church to accept
the homosexual condition as though it were not
disordered and to condone homosexual activity.
Those within the Church who argue in this fashion
often have close ties with those with similar
views outside it.
The Churchs
ministers must ensure that homosexual persons in
their care will not be misled by this point of
view, so profoundly opposed to the teaching of
the Church." [Letter to the Bishops of the
Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of
Homosexual Persons, Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, 1986.]
|
b.
In September 1997, the Los Angeles Archdiocese
hosted its fourth annual Conference of the
National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian
and Gay Ministries. Dignity, a homosexual
organization which challenges the Churchs
mandate to abstain from sexual intercourse
outside of marriage was permitted to distribute
literature stating: "[T]he Catholic Church
also teaches solemnly that people are obliged to
form their own consciences carefully and
responsibly and to follow it as the bottom line
in every moral decision." Cardinal Mahony
celebrated Mass for the Conference and
distributed communion to all participants who
approached him, including those wearing T-shirts
identifying them as members of Dignity.
One speaker, Father Kenneth Waibel, told
participants that "the only authentic
spirituality is gay spirituality." According
to one reporter, he stated that "this
concept, coupled with the current understanding
of homosexuality, will lead to changes in the
institutional church." [LA Lay Catholic
Mission, October 1997] Waibel also said that
"Heterosexual men cannot fall in love with
Jesus because of their own homophobia. Jesus
wants us to be erotically in love with him and
thats not possible with homophobes."
Another speaker, Sister Kathleen
Schinhofer "complained about the problem of
the Churchs insisting on celibacy for gays,
leaving them no valid expressions of their
sexuality. She became tearful, saying, I
beg Gods forgiveness for our smallness in
this." [The Wanderer, September 18,
1997]
Father Peter Liuzzi, director of Los
Angeles Ministry with Gay and Lesbian
Catholics, described celibacy as an ideal.
"We esteem it because it was the way Jesus
interpreted his gift of sexuality. No human being
was ever more sexual, more intimate, or more
generative than he." Father Liuzzi
criticized those, however, who insist that gays
must be held to that standard of perfection. [The
Wanderer, September 18, 1997]
c. The Los
Angeles Ministry with Gay and Lesbian
Catholics, directed by Father Peter Liuzzi, was
created to welcome and to respond to homosexual
Catholics with "a calm and prayerful
concern." However, Father Liuzzi has
permitted the presentation of non-traditional
Scripture interpretations as part of his
ministry. For example, at a Gay and Lesbian
Outreach meeting [St. Dominics parish,
October 13, 1996], participants were instructed
that Jonathan and David, as well as Ruth and
Naomi, were homosexual lovers.
At the 1997 Los Angeles Religious
Education Congress, Father Gerald Coleman made
the case for passing out condoms to homosexuals.
This implies, of course, sexual activity.
|
b.
In 1986, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith issued a Vatican-approved letter
which exhorted pastors to disallow homosexual
organizations that did not embrace the full
teachings of the Church. "All support should
be withdrawn from any organizations which seek to
undermine the teaching of the Church, which are
ambiguous about it, or which neglect it entirely.
Such support, or even the semblance of support,
can be gravely misinterpreted
.To some,
permission to use Church property may seem only
just and charitable; but in reality it is
contradictory to the purpose for which these
institutions were founded, it is misleading and
often scandalous." The organization Dignity,
although not mentioned by name, was widely
understood to be included among the objectionable
groups described by the letter. Many bishops,
therefore, including Cardinal Mahony, ordered
Dignity chapters off Church property. |
4.
Hollywood: The Los Angeles Archdiocese under
Roger Cardinal Mahony has sent extremely
ambivalent signals to the media industry over the
years.
Early in 1992, the Archdiocese of Los
Angeles issued a statement calling for a more
stringent film-rating code. When Hollywood
expressed its disapproval, Cardinal Mahony
disavowed the original statement, assuring the
movie industry that reviving the old decency
codes was "the last thing I wish to
do." Instead, Mahony presented a pastoral
letter which was met by Hollywood with
undisguised relief and praised for its
"restraint." Consultants for the
pastoral included Lew Wasserman from Universal
Studios (which produced the "Last Temptation
of Christ") as well as several other
presidents of the various writers and directors
guilds.
At the 43rd annual Communion breakfast
for Catholics in the entertainment industry
[1993], Cardinal Mahony oversaw the Catholics in
Media Award to the television program
"Picket Fences." Cardinal Mahony
praised the Catholics in Media as a
"valuable and important" step toward
encouraging Catholics in that industry with
"a sense of mutual support which is so
needed
"
"Picket Fences" has attacked
the Churchs teaching on contraception, put
anti-Catholic sentiments into the lines of some
of its characters, and contained highly immoral
material, including a priest with a shoe fetish.
The Cardinals presentation was
defended on the grounds that he had not seen
"Picket Fences" himself and that the
Catholics in Media Award made no claim to
represent the Catholic Church.
On June 28, 1997, Eve of the Solemnity
of Saints Peter and Paul, Cardinal Mahony faxed
priests around his diocese news about the
"acting debut" of Fr. Michael Rocha in
the R-rated film Face/Off. "Since the film
is R-rated," the Cardinal wrote, "I
cannot recommend that you see it. However, your
spiritual director may give you a dispensation to
see the movie with the primary goal of seeing one
of your brother priests in his acting
debut
.As you might imagine, Msgr. Lloyd
Torgerson and all of St. Monicas Parish are
just thrilled with this stupendous news! What
pride fills the parish at this moment!"
The Cardinals spokesman later said
that the letter was written tongue-in-cheek, as
an example of the Cardinals sense of humor.
|
4.
Hollywood: "There must be no weariness in
combating whatever contributes to the lessening
of peoples sense of decency
.This is
an obligation which binds
the bishops."
[Pope Pius XI]
John Paul IIs Council for Social
Communications calls for "ethical
codes
which respect the common good and
promote sound human
development
[particularly] for
television."
|
5.
Clerical Abuse tolerated by the Los Angeles
Archdiocese:
Father Curtis Bryant, formerly Director
of Inpatient Services at St. Luke Institute,
Maryland was recently hired by the Los Angeles
Archdiocese to conduct prevention and education
projects for the archdiocese clergy as well as to
participate in an "intervention team"
for priests and to conduct psychological
evaluations. Father Bryants Maryland
license was suspended in 1995 due to ethical
violations. According to the LA Lay Catholic
Mission, "Bryants colleagues
complained that Bryant was abusive to the
therapists he supervised, displayed erratic,
explosive behavior, and permitted homosexual
relationships between patients at the
institute." [February 19, 1997]
At least two lawsuits in 1995 criticized
Cardinal Mahony for his knowledge of the criminal
activity of specific pedophile priests and his
subsequent failure to take adequate steps to
prevent their further molestation of children.
[Larry Stammer, "Molestation Suit Names
Priest, Stockton Diocese," LA Times, July
22, 1995]
|
5.
Clerical Abuse tolerated by the Los Angeles
Archdiocese:
Editors
note: The real question with regard to
"Clerical Abuse" is not so much
the "Churchs Position"
but the position of the Church leadership
in this country and the willingness of
the Holy See to enforce the Churchs
position.
The
Holy See, Papal Nuncio, and the Chicago
Archdiocese, have known of Bishop
Ryans (Springfield, IL) homosexual
activity for some time. Not one person
within the hierarchy showed any interest
in this situation until it became obvious
that great shame and negligence on the
part of the hierarchy was about to be
exposed. RCF was offered a relationship
with certain members of the hierarchy if
we kept our mouth shut and let them
handle it quietly. RCF is not interested
in a "Relationship" with any
member of the hierarchy if that means
ignoring the cries of the faithful and
allowing a cover up.
This
situation with Ryan speaks volumes
concerning the Faith and priorities of
some Catholic hierarchy. The salvation of
souls does not seem to be very high on
the list. As long as Ryan is left in
control of this diocese, RCF will
continue to investigate regardless of
where that investigation leads. It is
time to expose all!
|
|
Dissent:
Call to Action: According to Cardinal
Mahonys spokesman, the Cardinal holds
no position on Call to Action.."
["Dissent in the Archdiocese," Los
Angels Lay Catholic Mission, September 1997,
quoting Father Gregory Coiro.]
|
Dissent:
Call to Action: Concerning the
organizations of Freemasonry, Catholics for a
Free Choice, Planned Parenthood, the Hemlock
Society, the Society of Pius X and Call to
Action, Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz degreed that:
"Any Catholics in and of the Diocese of
Lincoln who attain or retain membership in any of
the above listed organizations
are by that
very fact under interdict and are absolutely
forbidden to receive Holy Communion." Bishop
Bruskewitz said, "membership in these
organizations is always perilous to the Catholic
faith and most often is totally incompatible with
the Catholic faith."
|
a. We Are
Church petitions have been distributed around the
diocese. We Are Church petitions are an
initiative of the dissident Call to Action. The
petition demands that the Church change her moral
positions on matters of contraception,
homosexuality, and divorce as well as a host of
other dogmatic and disciplinary principles. We
Are Church petitions were made available at the
1997, 4th Annual Conference for the National
Association of Catholic Diocesan Gay and Lesbian
Ministries, where Cardinal Mahony celebrated Mass
and attended the main banquet.
Call to Action chapters operate around
California. The Archdiocesan paper, The Tidings,
carried a promotional article about the
CTAs first West Coast Conference, held in
August 1997, which featured:
|
|
Michael Crosby, who
challenges priestly celibacy and the papacy. |
"Celibacy is a sign
of this new life in the service of which the
Churchs minister is consecrated; accepted
with a joyous heart celibacy radiantly proclaims
the reign of God." [CCC# 1579; also
Presbyterorum Ordinis] Lumen Gentium and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church both affirm that
the papacy "is the perpetual and visible
source and foundation of the unity both of the
bishops and of the whole company of the
faithful." [CCC #882] |
Dr. Patricia Martens,
whose sex education materials provide children
with detailed descriptions of morally forbidden
behavior, using values clarification techniques
to guide the child in making moral decisions. |
In the technique of value
clarification "young people are given the
idea that a moral code is something which they
create for themselves, as if man were the source
and norm of morality
values clarification
method impedes the true freedom and autonomy of
young people at an insecure stage of their
development
.tends to be closely linked to
moral relativism, and thus encourages
indifference to the moral law and
permissiveness." ["Truth and Meaning of
Sexuality," Pontifical Council for the
Family, 1995, section #140] |
Sr. Jeannine Gramick,
co-founder of New Ways Ministry, who promotes
official Church acceptance of homosexual
activity. |
"There is
a
clear consistency within the Scriptures
themselves on the moral issue of homosexual
behavior. The Churchs doctrine regarding
this issue [that homosexual actions are
intrinsically disordered and
able in no case to be approved of -
section #3] is thus based , not on isolated
phrases for facile theological argument, but on
the solid foundation of a constant Biblical
testimony. ["On the Pastoral Care of
Homosexual Persons," Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, 1986.] |
The CTA Conference
featured a "liturgy" at which God was
referred to as "Mother and Father," at
which the words of the consecration were said by
the entire assembly, and at which the female-lay
homilist accused the Vatican of
"withholding" bread from homosexual
persons. |
"
[N]o
sacramental rite may be modified or manipulated
at the will of the minister or the community.
Even the supreme authority in the Church may not
change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the
obedience of faith and with religious respect for
the mystery of the liturgy." [CCC #1125] |
2.
Tolerating Dissent: At a May 16, 1993 address,
Cardinal Mahony stated that "Only in the
faith-filled search for a common good can dissent
be meaningful and productive, both within the
church and for the sake of society." In the
case of a believer, the Cardinal said, dissent
begins with an intuitive trust in God, and takes
the form of a prayerful attempt to
"reconcile the powerful truths of faith and
reason." Dissent within the church was
"part of the shared conversation of
faith," and ought to be offered first for
the critique and review of others, and not as an
independent judgment over and against the fuller
authority of the church. ["Cardinal Mahony
Says Dissent OK if Its the Right
Kind," National Catholic Reporter, May 28,
1993; also "Cardinal Mahony Encourages
Faith-Filled Dissent," The
Tidings, May 23, 1997.]
In March 1997, Cardinal Mahony gave the
closing reflection to the Common Ground
Initiative Conference in Mobile Alabama.
|
2.
Tolerating Dissent: "The Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith has the function of
promoting and safeguarding doctrine on faith and
morals throughout the catholic world. In
accomplishing this purpose, it renders a service
to the truth, by protecting the right of the
People of God to receive the Gospel message in
its purity and entirety." ["Regulations
for Doctrinal Examination," Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith, June 29, 1997, article
1] |
Political Action:
Radical Endorsements: The Archdiocesan
paper [June 29, 1990] carried a front-page
invitation to Catholics to attend a rally for
South Africas Nelson Mandela. Human Life
International Special Report No. 71 points out
that Mandela promised free abortions and
contraceptive distribution when he attained power
and that he has claimed that Communism is best
for Africa.
|
Political Action:
Radical Endorsements:
"No one can at the same time be a sincere
Catholic and a true Socialist." [Pius XI,
Quadragesimo Anno, 1931]
|
On April 14, 1994 the
Archdiocesan paper carried a front page article
and photograph of the Clintons being greeted by
Cardinal Mahony as they left a Palm Sunday
liturgy at St. Vibianas Cathedral. Clinton
was permitted to address the congregation and
spoke for about two minutes, exhorting them to be
ready to "rescue" the needy. Critics
felt that this was Clintons opportunistic
pre-election ploy to garner favor with California
Catholics. Photographs and news coverage of the
event, showing Cardinal Mahony warmly speaking
with the Clintons, appeared in the LA Times and
in El Nuevo Herald. |
A distressed Catholic
wrote to the Archdiocesan paper "I am
absolutely shocked and dismayed to have read that
President and Mrs. Clinton were greeted with a
standing ovation when they attended Palm Sunday
Mass at Vibianas Cathedral. Were not the
parishioners aware that these two people are the
biggest enemies of the pro-life movement?
.What is happening to our church? Do we no
longer have the courage to stand up for our
beliefs even if it means being unpopular with the
politicians?" [The Tidings, April 28, 1995] |
Elected Mayor of Los
Angeles, Richard Riordan, was given a private
mass in 1993. Cardinal Mahony celebrated it and
Riordan received communion. Riordan was quoted
during the campaign as saying that he looks at
ultimate goals without worrying about the means;
he has been married twice and is separated from
his second wife, while "keeping
company" with a married woman; he is openly
"pro-choice."
The Riordan Foundation has given
hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
archdiocese as well as to other Catholic causes.
Interviewed after the inaugural Mass, Cardinal
Mahony told a reporter from his archdiocesan
paper "We need a [mayor] who can keep his
spiritual values and principles strong. And I
believe Mayor Riordan is that type of
person." [July 12, 1993]
|
"Sometimes the woman
is subjected to such strong pressure that she
feels psychologically forced to have an abortion:
certainly in this case moral responsibility lies
particularly with those who directly or
indirectly obliged her to have an
abortion
.[R]esponsibility likewise falls on
the legislators who have promoted and approved
abortion laws." [Evangelium Vitae, section
59] |
2.
Industrial Areas Foundation: The California IAF,
which receives funding from the Catholic charity,
The Campaign for Human Development, as well as
from many individual Catholic parishes, recently
made national headlines for its apparent
orchestration of a massive naturalization drive.
The trouble with this drive was that it included
hundreds of invalid naturalizations, with people
evidently driven straight from receiving their
citizenship papers to the polling booths. In
November 1996 California elections, due to these
tactics, pro-life Congressman Robert Dornan lost
to a IAF-backed, pro-abortion candidate. The IAF
candidate, Loretta Sanchez, was provided
supportive coverage in the Archdioceses
Spanish newspaper, Vida Nueva, after her
election. |
2."The
first and principal duty [of a subject] is to
obey the just laws of the State." [Reverend
E. Cahill, The Framework of a Christian State, p.
498; see also Immortale Dei, section 18] |
Attention
Catholics
Roman Catholic Faithful,
Inc. is an organization made up of orthodox
Catholics committed to defending the whole truth
of the Catholic Faith and restoring the integrity
of the hierarchy of the Church. We have members
in all 50 states and 9 foreign countries.
We are currently
investigating whether there may have been
instances of clergy misconduct in the Los Angeles
Archdiocese during the years 1985 to 1998. If you
have any information regarding clergy misconduct,
please call or write R.C.F. at:
RCF, P.O.
Box 109, Petersburg, Illinois 62675
Ph: (217) 632-5920 Fax:
(217) 632-7054
|
 The
ad to the left needs to be placed in your local
newspapers. If you or someone you know can afford
to do so-please call RCF. The name of the Diocese
and the dates can be replaced with the name of
your diocese. We (laity) can no longer wait for
the hierarchy to correct the many abuses or
replace Bishops. The following is a partial list
of dioceses where these ads need to be placed.
Los Angeles, Joliet, Albany, Rochester, (all New
York Dioceses), Saginaw, Detroit, Milwaukee,
Davenport, Santa Fe, Newark.
|
[top]
William Conlon,
Kieran McGuire, Katherine McSweeney, Maureen
O'Shaughnessy, and Arnold Pilsner, the Board of Governors
of The Immaculate Conception Chapter of Catholics United
for the Faith, (CUF) Announces its ANNUAL DINNER to be
held at 6 p.m. Sunday, December 7, 1997, at which Mr.
Stephen Brady, founder of Roman Catholic Faithful, will
be honored as Catholic Layman of the Year 1997. Past
Honorees include Sen. Jeremiah Denton, Rep. Henry Hyde,
Joan Andrews (in absentia while imprisoned for pro-life
activities), Denis Dillon, William E. May, Rep. Peter
King, Frank Russo, and Dr. William A. Donohue.
Featured
Speaker: The Reverend George
Parker, who having been removed from his parish by his
bishop after his courageous confrontation with
pro-abortion "Catholic" U.S. Senator
Christopher Dodd, now works with Human Life
International. CUF 74 Carman Avenue East Rockaway, NY
11518
Immaculate Conception
Chapter of CUF,
Seaford, New York
EVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
(Featured Address, December 7,
1997)
by Reverend George H. Parker
Members of Catholics United for
the Faith; Fellow Disciples of Our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ; My Brothers and Sisters who are striving to
answer the Lords call to holiness, the grace of Our
Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Through our Baptism, we have all
been recreated and consecrated to follow Our Blessed
Lord. In Baptism, we were made justified, that is,
pleasing in the eyes of Almighty God. When we were
brought to the Baptismal font, most of us as infants,
some of us as adults, there existed between us and
Almighty God and infinite chasm, an endless gulf that
could never have been bridged by any-thing we might have
done or that anyone could have done in our behalf. As
cuddly and as innocent as we might have appeared to our
parents, because of the original sin of our first
parents, we were not pleasing in the eyes of God. As in
all sacraments, a great miracle took place, though not
visible to the physical senses. We were transformed; we
were made a new creation; we were born again. We were
sealed with the Holy Spirit and received our call to be
followers and disciples of Jesus Christ. The Holy One of
God, the only-begotten Son of the Father at that precious
moment called us to holiness.
To follow anyone implies and
demands going where he had gone. Our Blessed Lord clearly
sets forth the conditions for discipleship in the Gospel
of Saint Luke (9:23-26)
Then Jesus said to them all,
"If any want to become My followers, let them deny
themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.
For those who want to save their life will lose it, and
those who lose their life for My sake will save it. What
does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but
lose their souls in the process? Those who are ashamed of
Me and My words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed
when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father
and of the holy angels."
Following Jesus clearly requires
a cross. Being a disciple of the Lord implies sacrifice.
Answering affirmatively the call to holiness demands a
virtual death to self and our petty selfish interests.
Jesus tells us:
"My yoke is easy, and my
burden is light." (Matthew 11:30)
There is a yoke in following the
Lord. There is a burden in the pursuit of holiness.
However, because of the merits of Jesus Christ, the yoke
is easy and the burden is light.
There are many heresies rampant
in the Church today. There is widespread dissent,
contumacious disobedience, and denials of many of the
doctrinal and moral teachings of Christ and His Church.
The darkness of New Age relativism and self-gratification
has swept through the Church. It is difficult to rank
errors and heresies. In my opinion, the greatest heresy
afoot today in the Church is that of universalism. Some
would have us believe that we are all locked into some
gigantic love boat bound for the Kingdom of Heaven and we
could not get off that boat if we tried. There are no
crosses, no crucifixes on that mythical boat. There are
only shrines to self-gratification. I assume if you walk
around that ship, youll find Hitler sipping a drink
in the lounge and Judas as the first mate. That boat is
the Titanic of the spiritual life.
All of us are equally called to
discipleship. Not one of us is any less called to be a
disciple of Jesus Christ than John Paul II, the bishops,
the priests or the religious. Pope John Paul and the
bishops in union with him have been called to exercise
that discipleship in a much more dramatic and visible
manner, but we are all equally called. We are all members
of the Mystical Body of which Jesus Christ is the Head.
Only Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. In Him
there is no darkness.
"What has come into being in
Him was life, a life that is the light of all people. The
light
shines in the darkness, and the
darkness did not overcome it." (John 1:4-5)
Who is called to holiness? What
is holiness? Holiness is that state of justification,
that state of being "pleasing in the eyes" of
God the Father, that we received in our Baptism. We used
to call it the State of Sanctifying Grace. In that state
of grace, the gate of Heaven is opened wide; without that
state of grace, none of us can make it through the gate.
Jesus tells us that if we are to
enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must become holy, as His
Heavenly Father is holy. Left on our own, that would be
an impossible goal. We are flawed, broken, sinful,
imperfect. How then can we ever hope to become holy, as
the Heavenly Father is holy? Jesus clearly told us:
The disciples who heard it said
to Jesus: "Then who can be saved?" Jesus
replied: "What is impossible for man is possible for
God." (Luke 18:26-27)
The Call to Holiness is
universal.
"All authority in heaven and
on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded
you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of
time." (Matthew 28:18-20)
There are no exceptions of this
call. No one is exempt. The young and the old are called
to holiness. Those highly gifted and those not so highly
gifted are called to holiness. The good, the bad, the
ugly are called to holiness. Those with addictions, be
they chemical, psychological or sexual are called to
holiness. Those with negative compulsive desires are
called to holiness. Those with dishonest impulses are
called to holiness. Those with homosexual attractions are
called to holiness. Bishops, priests and deacons are
called to holiness. Those who are sinners, and the
sinners are every man, every woman, every child, are
called to holiness.
"For just as by one
mans disobedience all were made sinners, so by the
one mans obedience all will be made
righteous." (Romans 5:19)
Again, what is holiness? Is it a
place? Is it New York? Is it Boston? Is it Rome? Is it
some new organization? Is it a novel movement? Is it the
product of a referendum? Is it the result of dialogue? Is
it a consensus?
It is none of the above. Holiness
is a person. What person? Jesus Christ, Who is Lord. He
alone is the holiness of God. Saint Paul states that in
the sense of believing, "No one can say, Jesus
is Lord, except in the Holy Spirit."
Our baptismal robes, originally
white as the purest driven snow, must be washed again and
again in the blood of the Lamb. Who is the Lamb? Jesus
Christ is the Lamb of God.
How do we wash our baptismal
robes in the blood of the Lamb? We wash those precious
robes in the blood of the Lamb by our constant pursuit of
holiness, in the worthy reception of the sacraments, in
the Sacrament of Penance and in the worthy reception of
the Most Holy Eucharist the Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Jesus Christ. In a world being more and more
immersed in darkness, each one of us must remain in the
light of Christ.
To be in the light of Jesus
Christ, we must name the darkness. If we do not name the
darkness, we enter into that darkness. As ordained
teachers of Gods word, if we do not name the
darkness, we not only enter into the darkness; we lead
the souls of those who have entrusted themselves into our
care into the darkness. If we as disciples of Christ
flirt with the darkness, we run the awful risk of
entering into that darkness. Once we have lost the light
of Christ and entered into the darkness, we run the
frightful danger of never again finding the light. There
must be a full naming of the darkness. A merely partial
or selective naming of the darkness is not enough.
Saint Paul said it ever so simply
and yet so profoundly:
"Am I seeking human
approval, or Gods approval? Or am I trying to
please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would
not be a servant of Christ." (Galations 1:10)
Another heresy in the Church
today is that the teachings of Christ and His Church are
a matter of personal comfort and selection. The faith is
not a smorgasbord from which to pick and choose. Truth is
not relative or the result of popular democratic
sentiment. The faith is everything revealed by God,
everything that Christ said and taught, and everything
that His Church teaches.
As I said earlier, following
someone implies going where he has gone. Some today would
have you believe that there is a magic shortcut in
following Jesus, that somehow, we can avoid the cross and
catch up with Jesus at the entrance to the Kingdom. That
is a blatant invitation to step into the darkness.
Ignore the voices calling us into
the darkness regardless of their rank, regardless of
their academic degrees, regardless of their robes,
regardless of their popularity. These subtle and
not-so-subtle invitations into the darkness must be
answered by each one of us loudly and clearly. We must
respond by naming the darkness. We can not make the cross
more comfortable, more easy to carry, less of a burden by
only partially naming the darkness, by fudging the truth,
by sugarcoating the requirements of discipleship, and
certainly not by dissent.
There is no common ground between
those who accept the Church as the Mystical Body of
Christ and those who recognize the Church merely as a new
and evolving human organization that Christ would have
founded if He knew as much at those who are New-church or
the Am-church or the We are church. The Church is the
Mystical Body of Christ Christ is the Head and we
are the members. It is not the other way around. We are
not the church to which Christ is merely a fellow member.
Christ was and is not a milk toast or a good-goody
religious leader bound by the time frame in which He
walked the earth. To assert that proposition is to deny
loudly and clearly that Jesus Christ is Lord. Listen well
to the testimony of the Holy Spirit through Saint John on
Who Christ is:
In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things came into being
through Him, and without Him not one thing came into
being. What had come into being in Him was life, and the
life was the light of all people. The light shines in the
darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.
And the Word became flesh
and lived among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory
of a Fathers only son, full of grace and
truth." (John 1:1-5,14)
Remember the old catechism answer
to the question: Why did God make you? "God made me
to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him in this world and
to be happy with Him forever in Heaven."
To know God is to love Him. How
do we come to know God? Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord
Who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
How do we know Christ? We can not love what we really do
not know. We come to know Christ through the Scriptures
and through the magisterial teaching of His Church
not some of them but all of them. When we know and love
Him, we will want to serve Him. How do we serve Him since
He is no longer present among us as when He walked the
earth. Thanks be to God, He is present in the Most
Blessed Sacrament, but I can not see Him; I can not hear
Him; I can not touch Him. Jesus tells us how in His
simple but vivid description of the Final Judgment as
found in the Gospel of Matthew (25:31-46). Whatever we do
or dont do to our brothers and sisters, we do to
Him. Clearly then, we serve him in our brothers and
sisters.
When we tear down another human
being, we tear down Jesus Christ. When we gossip about
another person, we gossip about Jesus Christ. When we
hurt another person, we hurt Jesus Christ. When we use
another person as a sexual object, we use Jesus Christ as
a sexual object. When we abort the infant in the womb, we
abort Jesus Christ. When we build up another human being,
we build up Jesus Christ. When we speak well of another
person, we speak well of Jesus Christ. When we commit
ourselves in Holy Matrimony, we commit ourselves to Jesus
Christ. When we save the life of an unborn infant, we
save the life of Jesus Christ.
The measurable barometer of our
holiness is our treatment of all others, those we like
and even those we do not like. That is what Jesus meant
when He enunciated what He called the greatest of all the
commandments:
"You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your mind. This is the greatest commandment. And
a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets."
(Matthew 22:37-40)
These are not two separate
commandments in the sense that you master the first, and
then begin to work on the second. The second flows from
the first. If you do love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul and all your mind, you will
love your neighbor as yourself.
Loving God, loving your brothers
and sisters, naming the darkness that is holiness!
Never giving up the struggle against sin and against your
fallen nature that is holiness! When you fall, and
you will fall, picking yourself up and reconciling
yourself with the Lord that is holiness! Always
trying as best you can to walk in the light of Christ
that is holiness! Naming the darkness that
is holiness! Trying honestly and faithfully to discern
Gods Will and pursuing that Will with an informed
conscience that is holiness!
On the feast of the Annunciation
in 1995, Pope John Paul II issued his encyclical letter
Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life). It was not a new
gospel, but rather a remarkable synthesis of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. The Vicar of Christ, to whom has been
entrusted the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, teaches that
the sanctity of life, from the moment of conception until
the moment of natural death is at the heart of the
Gospel. In other words, for one who does not hold the
sanctity of life, for that person the Gospel is dead. And
if for any person the Gospel is dead, they are eternally
dead and lost in the never-ending darkness.
In March 1984, Cardinal Bernard
Law in his installation homily as Archbishop of Boston,
stated the following profound truth:
"To be the light of Christ,
we must name the darkness. Nowhere is the shroud of
darkness heavier in the contemporary world than in the
sin of abortion. We deal out death through abortion to
the most innocent of human beings. This is the primordial
sin of our time."
Can we be holy and be silent
about the primordial evil of abortion? No, we must name
the darkness! Can we be holy and be quiet about
artificial contraception? No, we must name the darkness!
Can we be holy and be hushed about promiscuous sexual
activity, be it heterosexual or homosexual? No, we must
name the darkness! Can we give into the pressure of our
secular society and be politically correct? No, we must
name the darkness! Can we be holy and yet remain passive
about the permeating culture of death that is all around
us? No, we must name the darkness! Can we be holy and put
ourselves and our desires first and God second? No, we
must name the darkness! Can we be holy and make our
individual consciences the objective norm of moral
behavior? No, we must name the darkness! Can we be holy
and cry out: "I will not serve," or "I
will serve only on my own terms"? No, we must name
the darkness and cry out: "I will serve!"
Remember, if we do not name the darkness, we enter into
the darkness!
Let no one doubt that there is in
progress at this very moment in time a mighty battle
between good and evil; between life and death, between
light and darkness, between the Prince of Darkness and
the King of the Universe. As clever as he is, Satan is
wont to tip his hand. At last years Call to Action
(I call it the Call to Apostasy), Diane Neu, one of its
organizers and a self-proclaimed liturgist, author of a
liturgy to affirm women who are contemplating or have had
an abortion, made the following statement that seems to
almost flirt with the satanic:
"There is a power in
darkness. There is a womb-life in darkness. There is a
power in darkness as there is a power in light. We, as
liturgists, need to be careful not to speak of the
darkness as negative. It is a positive."
Is not Sacred Scripture replete
with who and what is the power of darkness?
"This is the judgment, that
the light has come into the world, and people loved the
darkness rather than the light, and do not come into the
light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.
Those who do what is true come to
the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their
deeds have been done in God." (John 3:20-21)
If I may a personal note. I
became a priest late in life at the age of fifty-three
because I want to one day see the Face of God. As a
priest, if I do not clearly, resoundingly and completely
name the darkness, I will never see the Face of God. No
feelings of human respect or false charity should ever
lead us to risk the loss of one day beholding the face of
God, and even more. St. John tells us that not only will
we, who are holy, see God, we shall become like Him. It
is utterly mind-boggling. I can not explain it. Even the
great Saint Paul could not. He said: "The eye has
not seen; the ear has not heard; nor has it even entered
into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who
love Him." (1 Corinthians 2:9)
As disciples of Jesus Christ
answering His call to holiness, we must be His witnesses.
We must please only God. We must accept the full truth.
We must preach the complete Gospel. We must proclaim from
the housetops that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD! Then and only
then can we hope to see the Face of God.
In our modern day church, in the
church in America, there are three aspects of the
darkness that, for so many, seem highly difficult to
name. I refer to contraception, abortion and
homosexuality. In his prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae,
Pope Paul VI stated that if a contraceptive mentality
were adopted, the evil of abortion and even euthanasia
would inevitably follow.
We can not refuse to name parts
of the darkness with an eye on the collection plate,
because we do not want to make people uncomfortable, or
because we are intimidated by statistics. There was a
time when the heresy of Arianism swept the Church. A
majority of the bishops were Arians. It was the laity
that saved the Church then and it is the laity that will
save the Church now. Among the bishops of England, only
Bishop Saint John Fisher refused to take the oath of
supremacy to Henry the VIII as head of the church.
It has been my uneasy observation
that when our government politicizes a moral issue, such
as artificial contraception, abortion, homosexuality and
now assisted suicide, our leaders, particularly our
shepherds, become very nervous and fear the possible loss
of the churchs tax exempt status. This will not
endear me to our leaders, but I truly feel that when the
day dawns that we lose our status as tax exempt, it will
be the greatest day in the history of the Catholic Church
in the United States. Then with Martin Luther King we can
cry out:
"Free at last, thank God
Almighty, Free at last."
On that day, with authentic
Catholic unity, we can begin to preach the full Gospel of
Jesus Christ, the Gospel of Life, totally unfettered and
without looking over our shoulder at Big Secular Brother.
On that day we can stop mollycoddling those
self-proclaimed Catholic politicians who have abandoned
the Gospel for the sake of this world and are evil
impostors of the worst kind.
Contraception is not the cure for
the prevalence of abortion in our culture, as some even
within the Church assert. Rather contraception is the
very gateway that leads to abortion, and abortion is the
doorway leading to euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Once the purpose of sexual
intimacy is torn loose from procreation and the family,
then logically anything goes and the darkness becomes
virtually enveloping; sexual intimacy becomes merely
recreational; teen-age pregnancies and abortions
sky-rocket; the birthrate falls; ethnic cultures are in
danger of annihilation; the homosexual agenda rears its
ugly head; our very young and not-so-very young
increasingly engage in irresponsible sexual activity; and
abortion becomes the chief means of escaping the unwanted
result a child of God.
It is often asked: How can a
loving and merciful God condemn anyone to an eternity
without Him? He doesnt. We are making that choice
everyday of our lives by either our positive response to
or our rejection of the Call to Holiness. We alone make
that awful choice and God will honor that choice for all
eternity. That alone is the only authentic "freedom
of choice."
"Your attitude must be that
of Christ:
Though He was in the form of God,
He did not deem equality with God
something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself
and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness
of men. He was known to be of human estate, and it was
thus that He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even
death, death on a cross!" (Phil. 2:5-8)
God, how I love Saint Paul! It is
so easy to become discouraged. It is true, I am sure, of
Catholics United for the Faith and it is true for those
who work back at Human Life International. We fight so
very hard, we run so far and yet, from a human point of
view, little seems to be happening. We may not seem to be
making a dent. Things may seem to be getting worse. Some
will say that abortion is now such an ingrained part of
our culture that it is here to stay. Institutionalized
slavery was once part of our culture. Now it is gone. We
may not see victory in our lifetime. It would be so
wonderful, but it is not necessary. What is necessary is
that we never give up the fight. Remember what Saint Paul
said as he was nearing the end of his life:
"I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.
From now on a merited crown awaits me. On that day the
Lord, just Judge that He is, will award it to me."
(2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Note that Saint Paul did not say
he won the fight or that he had won the race, only that
he had fought the good fight that he had finished the
race. The only victory that counts is the victory we will
celebrate in the Kingdom of Heaven for all eternity. Keep
fighting the good fight and keep on running the race. The
finish line is the Gate of Heaven.
My Brothers and Sisters in
Christ! Fellow Disciples of Jesus Christ! Let us continue
to strive to answer the great Call to Holiness given each
one of us by a God that loves each of us with an infinite
love. Let us continue to join hands with one another;
Catholics united for the Faith, Roman Catholic Faithful,
Roman Forum, Americans United for the Pope, Opus Dei,
Human Life International, Priests for Life, Deacons for
Life, Wanderer Press, Ignatius Press, Saint Joseph
Communications, Eternal Word Television Network,
Christendom College, Franciscan University at
Steubenville! Let us go forth from this place and,
without any compromise or fear, name the darkness! There
will certainly be a price. With great joy pay that price
that bargain for the Kingdom of Heaven.
"Blessed are you when they
insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of
slander against you because of Me. Be glad and rejoice,
for your reward is great in heaven." (Matthew
5:11-12)
May Almighty God give each one of
us the grace of final perseverance! One day may each one
of us be in that huge crowd, seen by St. John and
recorded in the Book of Revelation, that huge crowd from
every nation and race, people and tongue with our robes
washed clean and made white in the blood of the Lamb! And
may we cry out in a loud voice: "Salvation is from
Our God, Who is seated on the throne, and from the
Lamb." (Rev. 7)
To Him, Who gave each one of us
the gift of life and the gift of faith, be honor and
glory! Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever! Amen.
Human Life International
4 Family Life
Front Royal, VA. 22630
Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc.
P.O. Box 109, Petersburg, IL 62675
Ph: (217)632-5920 / Fax: (217) 632-7054
Write
or fax RCF to receive this newsletter (AMDG) and
become a member. Your financial contributions are
much appreciated and needed.
|
A Special thank you goes out to Ray
& Carol Hancy. The Hancys mailed us a 3
by 8 Roman Catholic Faithful banner
complete with a logo. This hand painted banner
will be displayed at some of our RCF meetings.
The Hancys have offered to do the same
for others for the cost of materials.
Ray & Carol Hancy
843 Silverbrook Rd., Randle, WA 98377
ph/fax (360) 497-3470
|
[top]
Bullies Finally
Identified
At the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops (NCCB) semi-annual meeting held in
Washington D.C. in November, NCCB President, Bishop
Anthony Pilla fumed about those, "who claim to be
Catholics and at the same time act like bullies."
Unfortunately, Bishop Pilla did not give us the names of
these bullies. Subsequent events, however, have made it
clear that one of them is Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles.
Cardinal Mahony became apoplectic
when Mother Angelica of EWTN dared to criticize
Mahonys bizarre Pastoral on the liturgy for L.A.,
and Mahony demanded an apology. Mother Angelica
apologized, but Mahony was not satisfied with
Mothers apology and follow-up explanation. He has,
therefore, demanded the intervention of the Vatican in
the administration of the Eternal Word Television
Network.
Meanwhile, as readers of the Wanderer
are now aware, Mahony became incensed when a pro-lifer
attempted to challenge Mahonys pro-life record at a
recent public forum. While the pro-lifer was attempting
to speak into the microphone, Mahony wrestled it from him
and managed to whack him in the face during the process,
drawing blood.
Were not sure if this meets
Bishop Pillas definition of a bully, but we could
offer this advice to all Catholicsif you must
criticize Cardinal Mahony, then for your own safety,
please do not use a microphone. (James Bendell, RCF)
"At Respect Life
Conference..."
"Cardinal Grabs Microphone, Bloodying Lip Of
Pro-Lifer"
That is the headline of
an article that ran in the February 5, edition of
the Wanderer.
Dennis Rudmin, a local
pro-lifer, received a lacerated upper lip when
Cardinal Mahony grabbed the microphone in an
effort to keep Rudmin from speaking. All this
took place in front of nearly 1000 people at Los
Angeles Omni Shoreman Hotel during The
third Annual Memorial Commitment to Life
Conference. Rudmin was reading statements from a
flyer distributed by Concerned Roman Catholics of
America. A portion of the flyer is printed below.
For the complete flyer contact:
Concerned Roman Catholics
of America
P.O. Box 8095, Anaheim, CA 92812-8095
Tel./Fax: 714-772-7729
Email: fisher-jmj@compuserve.com
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Jan 22, 1998, Day
of Infamy
25 Years of Abortion on Demand
A few years ago Cardinal Mahony
stated "there is no such thing as a Catholic
'pro-choice elected or appointed official - all Catholic
office holders have an obligation to work for the repeal
of laws permitting abortion."
So ask why
..........................?
1. When Clinton appointed Leon
Panetta as his chief of staff; the Aug. '95 Tidings ran a
big star-spangled article enthusiastically proclaiming
"A Catholic in the White House!" Congressman
Panetta had a consistent pro-abortion voting record.
2. The Cardinal is very favorable
toward Los Angeles Mayor Riordan:
* Riordan is pro-choice &
pro-homosexual
* The Cardinal said a Mass to
celebrate Riordan's election
* At the ground dedication,
Riordan added that the Cathedral was for people of
all sexual orientations
* Riordan along with
pro-choice politician Pete Wilson placed
congratulating Cathedral ads in the Sept.19 Tidings.
3. The L.A. Archdiocese followed
the advice of its law firm and ordered that voter guides
no longer be distributed in the parishes; these guides
told whether candidates were for or against abortion. The
archdiocese also followed advice to ban OPERATlON RESCUE
in the parishes...
5. The Cardinal joined in
applause for the nation's No.1 partial birth abortion
advocate (Clinton) at Our Lady of Help of Christians
School in Lincoln Heights even allowing him to speak from
the pulpit. The president is trying to stem violence in
and around schools, NOT in and around the womb.
6. The Aug. '97 Tidings
advertised the Aug. 8-10 Call-to-Action conference.
Call-to-Action is a "Catholic" organization
pressuring to eliminate or loosen church teaching on
birth control and abortion (among other radical
changes)....
10. A July '97 news item
describes how pleas to the cardinal for support for a
California law banning partial-birth abortion were to no
avail; he couldn't make it that day. They offered to
re-schedule the hearing to any time convenient for the
Cardinal, but he still "couldn't make it."....
13. Vida Nueva (Spanish
Version of Tidings) featured a front cover and a
non-critical multi-page article about pro-choice
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez after she defeated Catholic
Congressman Robert Dornan who is outspokenly pro-life
14. The infamous developer of the
infanticide of partial-birth abortion, James T. McMahon
was given a Catholic funeral and burial in consecrated
ground of a Catholic cemetery in Culver City.....
* Distributed by Concerned Roman
Catholics of America
P.O. Box 8095
Anaheim, CA 92812-8095
Tel./Fax: 714-772-7729
Email: fisher-jmj@compuserve.com
* Source documents available on
request
We at RCF pray that Cardinal Mahony will
answer the cries of the Faithful of the Los
Angeles Archdiocese.
We must pray for the Cardinal and ask
Our Lord to guide him.
If Cardinal Mahony cannot:
1. defend the Holy Father and the
teachings of the Catholic Church
2. instruct his priests not to allow
individuals or groups of individuals access to
Catholic schools, churches, and Church property
to promote any belief, teaching, or idea contrary
to Catholic teaching as defined by the Holy
Father and the Magisterium of the Holy Roman
Catholic Church
3. require every Catholic Priest to
follow the Disciplines of the Catholic Church as
they promised to do
4. do all he can to safeguard the
souls of our children by exercising his authority
to insure proper teaching within Catholic Schools
and Parish Religion Programs
5. prevent any Priest from treating
the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as his personal
possession by adding, changing, or removing any
part of the Mass on his own authority
6. "provide pastoral care in
full accord with the teaching of the Church for
homosexuals persons (in his) diocese."
("No authentic pastoral program will include
organizations in which homosexual persons
associate with each other without clearly stating
that homosexual activity is immoral.") Letters
to Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral
Care of Homosexual Persons.
then the Faithful of the Los
Angeles Archdiocese will not owe Cardinal Mahony
their financial support or obedience!
Stephen Brady
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Letters
Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed thirty
dollars American to enable me to continue receiving your
excellent newsletter during 1998.
I hope you dont mind but I
have made photocopies of the newsletter and sent it to
appropriate leading lay persons in New Zealand during
last year.
Thank you, Yours faithfully. Mary
in New Zealand
RCF
Thanks for all you are doing. Our
prayers & support are behind you. Thank God someone
has the nerve or willpower to do this.
When one sees families falling
apart-its hard to take.
God Bless, Jo in Missouri
Dear Steve,
I sure would like to give more,
but a retired priest does not have the resources of the
active priests, much to the discredit of our bishop. But
then hes got other priorities on his mind!
Im glad to help out in this
way, I/we thank you, Steve for all that you are doing to
bring sanity and Faith back to the diocese. Many will
reject your work, and will blast you. But remember, these
are the Faithless followers of a Faithless bishop.
Its nice to see the gutless
Church leadership running scared.
Keep on their trail!, Sincerely,
Father
Stephen,
We just received your newsletter.
(RCF has been busy)
Use the enclosed check where
needed...
Thank God for orthodox
"militant" Catholics and their
"Generals". You are truly appreciated & are
doing a terrific job.
Have a great 98. God Bless you.
Christine (Ohio)
P.S. Keep Stephanie
Block...Shes a gold mine!
Dear Steve,
Congratulations- job well done!
On the December 97 issue of Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam! Your
newsletter is getting better and better all of the time.
I really appreciate all the contributions-yourself,
Stephanie, Mary Ellen Eckleberg, Eleanor Sobolewski, Tom
Droleskey, Msgr. Vincent Foy and all the behind the
scenes folks who add their information and input. Long
live RCF!
God bless and protect you and
your beloved family. Arlene.
Dear Stephen,
Count me as one of your greatest
fans. If we could multiply you, the Church in America
would reflower overnight. As you well know, the Church
has been overtaken by a clan of ecclesiastical gangsters.
When the whole story is completely told, the few ghastly
facts which the faithful possess will pall in comparison.
The present leadership (with few notable exceptions) hold
the Catholic people in contempt and do not intend to
ameliorate their assault on the Faith. They only fear
those who know the truth and are willing to publicize it.
Bad publicity and diminished cash supplies are their only
enemies.
Persevere. Become stronger. Let
no one dampen your enthusiasm. One day I hope to meet
you. Until then, let us pray for one another. Wishing you
all the blessings of the Christmas season, I remain.
In Christ Our King, Father______
New Blockbuster Book Out!
CALL TO ACTION OR CALL TO APOSTASY?
How dissenters plan to remake the
Catholic Church in their own image
Written by Human Life
Internationals Dr. Brian Clowes, this
important new booklet takes aim at the liberal
movement that threatens the heart of the Holy
Mother Church.
A necessary tool for RCF members!
The price is $6 each, or two for $10
To order, call HLI at 1-800-549-LIFE
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