A corporal work of mercy.

A corporal work of mercy.
Click on photo for this corporal work of mercy!
Showing posts with label Synod on the Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Synod on the Family. Show all posts

Monday 6 August 2018

Father James Haley - A priest persecuted for exposing the filth in the priesthood

Vox Cantoris has been banned from posting on Twitter until August 9, 
please Tweet my posts.

This post was originally published on March 16, 2015. It is timly to repeat it.

This post has nearly 4,500 direct hits and still receives comments. People obviously search for Father Haley on the Internet and end up here. Perhaps he will read this post or those who know him will read it. Perhaps it will be a means for people to reach out and assist him. Perhaps it may encourage him to fight again and expose those who covered up the filth.

The history of abuse is primarily a homosexual problem. The erudite such as Marie Collins and those behind the John Jay Report and the secular and most Catholic media will not admit this. 

Every bishop that covered up this filth must be outed. Priests and former priests and even existing seminarians must come forward.

Other links:


Father James Haley, Bishop Loverde and the Boy's Club - a story retold

March 16, 2015.

Please pray for Father Haley. I've been in touch with someone that knows him. His faith has been shaken and he needs to know that Catholics care what happened to him and are praying for him!
A recent post on the persecution of priests lead to a comment about Father James Haley, formerly of the Diocese of Arlington. I had not heard of this case prior until now. I have heard today from someone who knows Father Haley; he is still "suspended" and has been shaken by this ordeal. He is living in a trailer near a nursing home where his elderly father resides. He picks up odd jobs where he can to support himself. 

Let us pray for him and that God will bring justice to him and restore his priesthood to him and bring good out of this evil.


All of us need to understand the intricate connections of what is happening now with the Synod and those who manipulate and undertake machinations, including what Edward Pentin called on Saturday, a stacking of the deck." The roots of the last October's Relatio by Archbishop Bruno Forte with the full knowledge of the Bishop of Rome as confirmed by the Secretary of State run deep. One can only recall the admission of Bella Dodd and conclude that we are living in the School of Darkness.


I am sure that John Vennari at Catholic Family News won't mind this reprint from the Daily Catholic where permission was once given for its publication.  What struck me was that one of the priests which Fr. Haley had complained about to Bishop Loverde was later removed because his collection of pornography was discovered.

Image result for bishop paul loverde
Originally posted at The Daily Catholic the Editor's notes include: We have received the gracious permission of John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News to reprint various articles that have appeared in his publication that would be of interest to our readers. We urge you to subscribe to John's excellent monthly publication for only $20 a year by calling 1-905-871-6292 or e-mail them at CFN.


Bishop Paul Stephen Loverde turns seventy-five in September and will submit his 
resignation to the Bishop of Rome. This story was covered significantly in its day. It is a story worth retelling lest any of us think that the infiltration into the heart of the Church is not well-established and very, very deep. Let us pray that his successor in Arlington will bring justice to Father Haley and the have the courage to do what needs to be done there. The article below does not make for easy reading, but it is necessary reading to further highlight the struggle that we are in to preserve our own faith and protect our families and to fight for our Holy Mother, the Church.



Father Haley and "The Boys Club" 
by Mark Fellows


For years governments have had laws protecting whistle-blowers, These laws shield from retaliation those employees who come forward with evidence of illegal or immoral practices within their agency. The case of Father James Haley makes it evident that the Catholic Church in America offers no similar protection to its priests.

Father Haley, a priest in the diocese of Arlington, Virginia, has been permanently suspended by Bishop Paul Loverde for testifying in a legal deposition about the immoral practices of his fellow diocesan clergy. In a formal notice to Haley, given on October 28, 2002, Bishop Loverde stated that Haley was guilty of violating an order for him not to publicize priestly wrongdoing in order "to avoid scandal, to maintain ecclesiastical discipline and to protect the reputation and privacy of both the faithful and priests of this diocese." 1. As quoted in The Washington Times, November 13, 2002.]

In fact Father Haley never went public with any of his incriminating information. For years he went privately to Bishop Loverde, not just with his complaints, but with indisputable evidence of clergy immorality in his diocese. Bishop Loverde's reference to Haley "publicizing priestly wrongdoing" concerns deposition testimony given by Father Haley pursuant to a law suit brought against Bishop Loverde and his diocese by a parishioner, James Lambert. The suit alleged diocesan negligence in failing to remove an obviously unfit priest who had given public scandal for years. 2. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed for failing to comply with the statute of limitations.

After failing to get a judge to keep the contents of the deposition sealed, the Arlington diocese claimed Haley was not legally required to give testimony, but did so voluntarily. This, according to Bishop Loverde, meant that Haley had violated a "no talk" rule the Bishop imposed upon him a year previously. But the deposition, which is reproduced in its entirely on the Roman Catholic Faithful website, 3. See www.rcf.org. In addition, Father Haley's attorney, Greg Murphy, has sent me a copy of the original subpoena requiring Father Haley to testify. Although the Arlington diocese publicly maintains Haley was not subpoenaed, in their legal efforts to seal his deposition testimony diocesan lawyers admitted that Father Haley was testifying "in response to this subpoena." Letter to Bishop Loverde, from Greg Murphy, Esq., January 3, 2003, p. 5. clearly reveals that Father Haley was subpoenaed. 4. Deposition of Father James Haley, conducted by Gregory L. Murphy, Esq., on July 24, 2002, pursuant to the civil lawsuit Lambert v. Bishop Paul Loverde and the Diocese of Arlington, p. 4. (Hereinafter cited as "Deposition, p. __"). This means he was legally required to answer questions under oath about certain priests and practices in his diocese. Consequently, even if one considers deposition testimony "publicizing", Haley did not do so voluntarily. Since Haley was legally and morally obligated to tell the truth, Bishop Loverde's treatment of Haley strikes many as retaliation.

The Outsider

Although Father Haley has been silenced, his story is told in his deposition testimony. Here we learn that James Raymond Haley was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1987 at St. Thomas More Church in Arlington, Virginia. "Homosexuality within the priesthood is something that I did not know about when I was ordained," the forty-six year old Father Haley testified, "but from my very first assignment at Saint Mark's (in Vienna, Virginia) became more and more aware of." Haley "started to see associations between those who were exhibiting homosexual behaviors and friendships." Homosexual priests supported each other, and adopted "a defensive attitude towards anyone who might threaten them." 5. Deposition Testimony, p. 139

Haley was also troubled by what he heard about the homosexual priest network in the confessional, but the list of priests he could confide in was getting shorter. One of his seminary classmates was also a priest in the Arlington diocese. He told Haley about entering the rectory at St. Mary's and finding his pastor having anal intercourse with the maintenance man, and the time he visited another parish where the priest had an eighteen year relationship with another homosexual man. Haley's former classmate complained to the diocese, became depressed when they did nothing, and left the priesthood. 6. Deposition, p. 146.

Determined not to leave the priesthood, Haley sought out Bishop John R. Keating, then bishop of the Arlington diocese. Over the course of many meetings Haley recounted to Keating "a whole list and litany" of homosexual activity in the diocesan clergy. Like the "extraordinarily gay-looking masseuse" who regularly came to the rectory to give closed door massages to Haley's pastor. Or the event that occurred a week after Haley began his first parish assignment. There was a knock on the back door. A man asked for Haley's associate, calling him by his first name. Haley knocked on the pastor's door. The priest, expecting his friend, surprised Haley by answering the door naked. Haley told him a man was downstairs, and the priest said, "Send him up." 7. Deposition, pp. 141-142.

Bishop Keating confirmed Haley's alarm over the homosexual network in the Church. According to Keating the problem went higher. "He indicated a problem existed even among the bishops and cardinals, naming some that surprised me," Haley testified. 8. Deposition, p. 140. Although he was sympathetic, in the end Keating was no help. According to Haley, Keating said "he could not do anything about homosexual priests or their activities." 9. Ibid

Haley was stunned to learn that  "A bishop would knowingly ordain a homosexual man…I thought that they would want to know that a man or a seminarian or a priest was homosexual. And they couldn't care less, so I started to feel like the outsider, like maybe I was the unique guy. That it wasn't the gay men that were unique, it was the straight men that were unique." 10. Deposition, p. 144.
 
Adding to his discomfort was what he was hearing in the confessional: "I was becoming aware of some significant sexual problems among our priests, which I could not say to anybody." In 1995 Haley began seeing a psychologist, "to help me deal with the emotional burden of knowing what I did not want to know about my fellow priests through confession." 11. Deposition, p. 118.

"The Boy's Club"

In 1997 Father Haley was transferred to All Saints Church, the largest parish in Virginia. He joined two other associates to Pastor Jim Verrechia, an up and coming priest who seemed destined for bigger and better things than parish life. Father Verrechia was on the Board of Directors of Catholic Charities and St. Mary's Seminary; a Judge on the Diocesan Tribunal; a frequent columnist for the Arlington Catholic Herald; the Bishop's Master of Ceremonies, and so on. 12. See Arlington Diocese Racked By Sex Scandals, by James Bendell, Esq., www.rcf.org. He also liked to visit homosexual pornography cites on the Internet, a fact Father Haley discovered while using the rectory computer. 13. Deposition, p. 18. Another discovery was over three hundred e-mail letters Verrechia had written to a married female parishioner.

This last discovery was less a surprise than Verrechia's appetite for homosexual pornography. Father Verrechia had for some time conducted a very public romance with Nancy Lambert. The two spent hours together, sometimes socially, like the parish party where they sat together in a hot tub drinking wine, Verrechia's arm around Nancy. Other time was spent privately, like the time Haley ran into Nancy coming out of Verrechia's bedroom very late at night. It was called "the Father Verrechia show," and was a source of scandal to All Saints parishioners, and a source of pain for Nancy's husband and children, who were also parishioners.

"It was a full-blown scandal by the fall of 1998," Haley testified. 14. Deposition, pp. 211-212. Numerous parishioners and one of the associate pastors complained to the diocese about Father Verrechia and Nancy, but nothing changed. Bishop Keating died in 1998, and in 1999 Pope John Paul II appointed Paul Loverde as Arlington's diocesan bishop. That same year Father Haley presented to his new bishop indisputable evidence of Verrechia's misconduct: he downloaded Verrechia's letters and visits to gay porn sites onto compact disc, and presented it to Loverde. According to Haley, Loverde told him he was going on vacation and didn't have time to look at it. 15. Deposition, pp. 70-71.

Haley stressed the importance of the situation, and Loverde repeatedly said he was going on vacation first. According to Haley, Loverde did not seemed surprised by anything Haley told him about Verrechia, and was not happy to receive hard evidence concerning the bad priest. Haley testified that when Loverde finally found time to look at Haley's evidence, he suggested that Haley authored the e-mails. When Haley laughed aloud at the idea that he had composed hundreds of e-mails, Loverde implied that Haley had "doctored" the e-mails.

Word got back to Verrechia far more quickly than Loverde got back to Haley. The day after he delivered the evidence to Loverde, Haley discovered that Verrechia had deleted all his e-mails to Nancy Lambert from the rectory computer. Shortly after this Haley was transferred to St. Lawrence Church in Alexandria.

Here he met Father Erbacher. One of the first activities the two priests shared was Erbacher going through the St. Lawrence picture book and showing Haley "the boys of the previous pastor." 16. Deposition, p. 145. By this he meant altar boys the former pastor had paid $500 or $1000 to continue as his altar boys, a duty that included, among other things, vacations at the pastor's beach home. 17. Deposition, p. 153, which includes a similar story concerning a different priest. Erbacher was either very careless or very confident, for he also told Haley how he regularly embezzled funds from collection baskets. The trick to embezzlement, according to Erbacher, was that "you have to be consistent" in how the money is taken. According to Haley, "there were conversations that indicated Father Erbacher had been trained by certain priests of the diocese on how to handle and obtain money." 18. Deposition, p. 149-150. Some of the stolen money was used to increase Erbacher's collection of homosexual pornography, which featured young boys. 19. Deposition, p. 225-226. Pictures of much of this evidence were marked as Exhibits at the deposition. In addition to evidence of embezzlement, there are also photos of a large pornography collection. One of the titles is "Merry Christmas."

Erbacher also voluntarily revealed to Haley many more of the homosexual priests in the Arlington diocese. He called the gay priest network "the boy's club." Erbacher's chattiness may have come from the security of being well connected to "the boy's club." One of Erbacher's best friends was Chancellor of the Arlington diocese, and rumored to be, like Erbacher, a homosexual. This did not stop Haley from presenting to Bishop Loverde:  "pictures of his (Erbacher's) homosexual pornography collection of basically young boys, very similar to what Father Verrecchia had been looking at, but much more extensive…And so I had gone to Bishop Loverde and told him he had a significant problem at Saint Lawrence. That there was immoral and criminal activity occurring and that it was very obvious and that he needed to go and see it." 20. Deposition, pp. 155-156.

Bishop Loverde did not visit St. Lawrence. The only immediate change in the parish was Father Haley's transfer, to St. Mary's parish in Fredericksburg. Two months later word of Erbacher's activities was leaked to the media. After Father Erbacher's activities became public knowledge, Bishop Loverde immediately removed Erbacher and ordered a financial audit of St. Lawrence. The Washington Post reported that Fr. Erbacher stole approximately $320,000 from parish collection baskets. 21. Washington Post, December, 28, 2002.

Father Haley had noticed a pattern. He was being transferred shortly after each conversation he had with Bishop Loverde about immoral priests. Upon arriving at St. Mary's, Haley testified that the parish priest, Father Daniel Hamilton, was "involved in extraordinarily graphic and incredibly disturbing sadomasochism, sexual torture, cross-dressing, transgender pornography that involved she-males. He (Hamilton) was completely addicted, daily immersed in this kind of sexual horror." 22. Deposition, p. 183.

In September 2001 Father Haley went to Bishop Loverde again. He asked Loverde for a leave of absence "to find a place in the Church outside the diocese of Arlington, where a true respect for priestly holiness and morality and some sort of policy against homosexuals and homosexual activities was to be found." 23. Ibid After requesting leave to find another diocese, Haley also mentioned that there were "problems at St. Mary's." According to Haley, Loverde replied "he was tired of me telling him these vague references to people - priests with problems - and unless I gave him substantial, credible information he couldn't do anything about it." 24. Deposition, pp. 184-5

Haley had presented Loverde with substantial, credible evidence concerning Fathers Verrecchia and Erbacher. Loverde's response with Father Verrecchia was to suspect Haley of manufacturing and doctoring the evidence. While Loverde stated he had told Verrecchia to stop seeing Nancy Lambert, Verrecchia was not suspended or evaluated for his unpriestly behavior. His relationship with Lambert - and the public scandal it caused - continued until Spring of 2000, when Verrecchia voluntarily and abruptly left the Church to marry the newly divorced Lambert (on Holy Saturday), after impregnating her earlier that year.

Bishop Loverde was equally ineffectual with Father Erbacher. He never visited St. Lawrence's parish to investigate the evidence Haley had given him, and only acted after Erbacher's activities were publicized. Loverde appeared more effective at transferring good priests than disciplining bad ones. "It seemed," said Father Haley, "that the only person that was getting into trouble was me."

The trouble continued one week later, when, in response to Bishop Loverde's complaint that he couldn't do anything without evidence, Haley presented to the bishop evidence of Father Hamilton's perversity. "At the end of that meeting," Haley testified, "which was basically a slide show of the pictures of his (Hamilton's) incredible collection, the bishop told me that I had better watch out, that I did not know what he (Loverde) was capable of doing." 25. Deposition, p. 190.

One week later Father Haley was summoned to the chancery. Loverde handed him a letter of resignation and told Haley to sign it. Haley refused, and asked Loverde what he was going to do about Father Hamilton. Loverde thrust forward another piece of paper, which according to Haley, read: "I hereby instruct you to get out of Saint Mary's parish by 7 o'clock this evening." 26. Deposition, p. 192. Haley persisted in asking about Hamilton, and Loverde said Hamilton was being told of Haley's allegations. He did not say that Hamilton was being investigated, evaluated, or suspended. 27. The Washington Post article (previously cited) reported that Bishop Loverde ordered Hamilton to undergo treatment. Father Hamilton resigned from St. Mary's parish in August, 2002, and appears to have left the priesthood. The Post article is interesting for the fact that it scrupulously referred to "pornography" rather than homosexual pornography that was beyond stomach turning. Then Bishop Loverde produced another piece of paper, which Father Haley describes thusly:

"If you tell anybody by any means what has happened to Father Hamilton or anybody you will be immediately suspended from the priesthood without any warning. And (Loverde) gave me a further document that (sic) if I said anything about any priest, past, present, or future, in any behavior (I suppose it would include criminal behavior or child rape), that I would be suspended. And I said you mean I'm going to get suspended if I tell the truth to anyone but you, but if I tell you the truth you don't seem to do anything about it. So he took away my faculties, he took away my ability to preach." 28. Deposition, pp. 193-194.

Diocesan spokeswoman Linda Shovlain confirmed that Haley's right to celebrate Mass and administer the sacraments was revoked in October, 2001. 29. The Washington Post, December 28, 2002. Bishop Loverde has referred to this episode as granting Haley a requested "period of discernment" to discover whether he had a vocation to the priesthood, but very few priests in the history of the Church have begun a period of discernment by being stripped of their priestly faculties, forbidden from any type of pastoral ministry or preaching, and slapped with a (seemingly immoral) penal precept of silence. Loverde's period of discernment sounds more like a prison sentence.

Moreover, according to his sworn testimony, Haley had requested a leave of absence to find another diocese to be a priest in, not to decide whether or not to be a priest. He claims he told Loverde "emphatically, that I have never in the whole course of my priesthood asked to leave the priesthood." 30. Deposition, p. 206. In a June 14, 2002 letter, Haley told Loverde: "I have never requested a departure from the sacred priesthood." 31. Letter to Bishop Loverde by Greg Murphy, p. 4.

In spite of this, in all the letters Loverde has addressed to Haley since imposing a "period of discernment" upon him, the Bishop repeatedly writes: "Since it is your intention to leave the priesthood…I am more than happy to help you in your laicization from the priesthood." Haley believes that Bishop Loverde "is trying to strangle me out of the Church." 32. Deposition, pp. 205-206. He maintains Loverde has insisted that Haley enter treatment before he can regain his priestly faculties. He also states that Loverde "indicated to me in the letter of June 28th that on his part, he would not give approval for a transfer to any other bishop. So even if a bishop would want me, Bishop Loverde will not allow me to be transferred." 33. Deposition, p. 209. Father Haley presently subsists on a modest stipend from the Diocese of Arlington, which has required him to relocate several times. In January of this year he was back in Arlington, trying to meet with Bishop Loverde. His perseverance is noteworthy, particularly in light of his testimony concerning bishops and "boy's clubs":

"If everybody in these stories (about homosexual priests) gets together we're going to find out one little center and it always is the bishop in the diocese…they seem to know, but they will protect every single other person from knowing what they know." 34. Deposition, p. 173.
Bishop Loverde

Paul Loverde was born in Massachusetts in 1940, and ordained in the diocese of Norwich, Connecticut in 1965. He earned a Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America. Father Loverde was an instructor in Canon Law and Bishop's Delegate for Clergy, as well as Chairman of the Presbyterial Council and Diocesan Pastoral Counsel. He became Auxiliary Bishop of Hartford in 1988, and was Bishop of Ogdensburg, New York, when Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of the Arlington Diocese. 35. From the USCCB Office of Communications announcing appointment of Bishop Loverde to the Arlington Diocese, January 25, 1999 (http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/99-005.htm).

Bishop Loverde cannot be blamed for the condition of the diocese he took over. His predecessor appears to have allowed "the boy's club" to become firmly entrenched before Loverde arrived. In these circumstances it is understandable that a new bishop might, in prudence, take some time to familiarize himself with the homosexual order in the diocesan power structure. In this respect Loverde appears to have been very prudent. Initially, however, his actions pleased Arlington Catholics. Shortly after his installation the new bishop held prayer services outside several abortion clinics. Over 400 Catholics attended, and Loverde led small groups in the recitation of the Rosary. 36. Arlington Catholic Herald, April 8, 1999, reproduced online at www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/4152/loverde.htm". Loverde also canceled an event at a Dominican retreat house when he learned that radical feminist speakers, including Mary Hunt, had been invited to speak to retreatants. 37. Arlington Catholic Herald, reproduced at http://www.petersnet.net/browse/2581.htm. In his decision Loverde quoted Mary Hunt referring to herself "as a Catholic feminist liberation theologian, pro-choice and lesbian."

But under Bishop Loverde the Arlington diocese was also home for many "mini-Assisi" events, like the inter-faith prayer service Loverde hosted in February 2001, where care was taken to present the Bishop as an equal among equals with his separated Protestant brethren. 38. Arlington Catholic Herald, February 1, 2001, which features a picture of Loverde in the background, while in the foreground a Protestant minister leads a "Litany of Thanksgiving" at St. Bernadette's Catholic Church. I am in the possession of numerous other flyers and parish bulletins indicating that the insipid and dangerous drivel known as post-conciliar ecumenism - including inter-faith Good Friday services and petitions "For the Jewish people to enjoy a New Year" - is flourishing in the Arlington diocese. 39. These materials, too numerous to cite here, were provided to me by RCF attorney James Bendell.

Then there is the apparent belief of Bishop Loverde that unity in liturgy bars kneeling to receive Communion. This was enforced in his Cathedral during the same week Loverde permanently suspended Father Haley. The Cathedral rector not only refused Communion to Virginia Delegate Richard Black, he chased Black to the back of the Cathedral, shouting that Black was "a conservative idiot" and a "liar." 40. This incident was widely reported in the electronic press. I am quoting from an eye-witness, Joseph Strada, who wrote Loverde a letter of complaint. This lesson on how unity at all costs only causes disunity appears unheeded. 41.The Director of Seton School in Manassas, for instance, has declared that the custom of receiving Communion standing is "the custom and posture in every parish in the Diocese…we should avoid confusion and disunity…The fostering of unity in the Diocese of Arlington is one of Bishop Loverde's hopes since his arrival…" Sentinel, Thursday, January 25, 2001. Also unheeded is a Vatican statement declaring that "any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful…" 42. Statement of The Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, Responses to Questions on Kneeling, published in the November-December 2002 edition of Notitiae.

As miserable as these anecdotes are, they only support the remarkably unremarkable conclusion that Arlington Catholics are victims of the usual post-conciliar muddle. But Bishop Loverde's treatment of Father James Haley has definitely raised the bar. Instead of acting like a shepherd by promptly investigating Haley's evidence in order to protect his flock, Loverde disbelieved Haley's proofs, transferred him twice, failed to give him promotions due a priest of his tenure, threatened him, stripped him of his faculties, publicly discredited him, blocked his transfer to another diocese, and permanently suspended him. Some of his public statements appear knowingly false, like his claim that Father Haley was not subpoenaed. The diocesan attorneys knew this, and surely Loverde either knew this as well, or should have investigated the matter before making his public statement. It is very probable that he also knew that diocesan lawyers tried repeatedly to postpone Father Haley's deposition, then declined to appear at the deposition to question Haley. 43. Deposition preamble by Greg Murphy, Esq.

Bishop Loverde appears unmoved by the protests of Arlington Catholics over his treatment of Father Haley. He maintains that he has acted properly in disciplining Father Haley, and in his treatment of the priests Father Haley exposed as unfit. "I expect every priest to live a virtuous life in keeping with his sacred calling, including his commitment to celibacy and chastity," he affirmed recently. 44. As quoted in Whistle-Blower Priest In Trouble With Diocese, ABC News Report, December 2, 2002.

This public statement conflicts with testimony Haley gave concerning statement Loverde allegedly made to him regarding homosexual priests. According to Haley, Loverde told him "there was nothing wrong" with homosexual priests, that "he never asks" if a priest is homosexual: "He said 'I have no right to ask.'" 45. Deposition testimony, pp. 157-158, p. 187. If true, this is a curious attitude not only for a bishop, but for the NCCB Chairman of the Vocations Committee, another position Loverde currently holds. 46. See U.S. Catholic Bishops, Secretariat for Vocations and Priestly Formation, Interview With Bishop Paul S. Loverde, at http://www.usccb.org/vocations/ordination/loverde.htm.

"When he consecrated the Sacrament, his voice would just tremble with emotion," a parishioner said of Father Haley. "We were bitterly sorry to lose him." 47. ABC News, Whistle-Blower Priest In Trouble With Diocese, December 2, 2002.

In the upside down world of the American Catholic Church, it appears that to have a vocation to the priesthood is grounds for suspension, and questioning whether a priest is a homosexual is morally abhorrent. As the rays of sunlight from the New Springtime of the Church fail to provide warmth, as we behold bare branches unadorned by the green leaves of renewal promised from the "New Pentecost of Vatican II," may Father Haley and other faithful Catholics gain consolation from the prophet in Wisdom:

"For the creature serving thee, the Creator,
Is made fierce against the unjust for their punishment…
Afflicted in a few things,
In many they shall be well rewarded,
Because God hath tried them,
And found them worthy of Himself…"
"The souls of the just are in God's hands,


and the elect find grace and mercy."

Friday 9 September 2016

"Stormed and humiliated." - The rebuilding of the Institute John Paul II by Francis and the "sexual revolution in the Vatican"

Pope Francis "cleans" since Pontifical John Paul II Institute. For Studies on Marriage and Family for "Amoris Laetitia"


On Line translation

(Rome) The theologian Andrea Grillo, a staunch Bergoglianer, revealed in a comment "the plan behind the incredible appointments" (Il Timone) at the head of the Pontifical Institute John Paul II For Studies on Marriage and Family, which was carried out on Wednesday by Pope Francis.

The reshuffles mean a realignment of the John Paul II established international center, which for 25 years has been the guardian and supporter "of the authentic Magisterium of the Church" in the area of marriage and family. The intervention of Pope Francis is "the application of Benedict XVI's hermeneutics of rupture 'of Vatican II to that institution and to the moral theology in general, and in particular to overcome the doctrinal heritage of sexuality, life and family of Paul VI and John Paul II," as written in the Catholic monthly magazine, Il Timone .

"Familiaris Consortio" was yesterday, today is "Amoris Laetitia"

The serious human intervention suggests that not only touches to the post-synodal letter Familiaris Consortio of John Paul II, but also to the prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae of Paul VI, is to be replaced by Amoris Laetitia.

Pierangelo Sequeri was appointed as the new director and Curia Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia on the new Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Institute. On outstanding representatives of Catholic marriage and family teaching as Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, Cardinal Angelo Scola and Msgr. Livio Melina, who passed since the founding of the Institute in succession, now follows Sequeri. "The transition is big, strong and surprising, especially because it is carried out in parallel with some general developments in recent years," said Grillo.

The John Paul II Institute

Founded in 1981, the same year in which Familiaris Consortio was published and is directly related. It was founded at the request of the then Pope to deepen the study of theology and philosophy of marriage and the family, which was visible as a priority of the pontificate of John Paul II, 

The headquarters is located at the Lateran University in Rome. Five additional offices in the United States, Benin, Brazil, India Mexico, Spain and Australia.

In these 35 years, thousands of theologians, bishops, priests, professors and pastors were in the area of "theology and anthropology of marriage" formed. The approach by Grillo had been very "classic", but quickly developed a strong apologetic profile and experienced by the encyclical Veritatis Splendor of 1994, the "gradual accentuation of moral maximalism, who coined strongly the work of the past 20 years."

Conflicting positions between Pope Francis and the Pontifical Institute

For the most recent development, however, was decisive. In the past three years since the end of the pontificate of Benedict XVI the tones between the willed by Pope Francis' Church and the Institute were always rough.

The culmination of the tensions began with the preparation of the Synod of Bishops on the family when at the Institute prevailed the conviction that Pope Francis share the theses of Cardinal Kasper and the course began to make a change in Catholic moral teaching.

Professors of the first rank of the institute were open against Kasper "openings" position. The result was that Pope Francis did not appoint representative of the Institute as synod members or as observers. The most qualified "in-house" experts on marriage and family were excluded from the Synod. The marginalization by the pope reinforced the already existing fears. It did not escape even outside observers and those transitioning through saw this as a direction decision of the Pope in favor of Kasper-theses.

Grillo must dig deep into their rhetorical tricks to find a "small scandal", which should serve as knitting for the previous director. The priest and moral theologian Livio Melina, since 2006 at the head of the Institute, had shortly before the official presentation of the post-synodal letter Amoris Laetitia written a critique of the papal document by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn and distributed to the students of the Institute. Following the publication of post-synodal letter on April 8 followed several courses that are critical to the controversial Exhortation concerned. The Institute was represented at positions in open contradiction to the papal "openings". An attitude that is certainly not arrived well at the highest level.

"To maximalist"

Msgr. Melina, who at the Gregoriana did his doctorate under Cardinal Caffarra and several years under the direction of Cardinal Ratzinger at the CDF has worked before at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute.Was appointed, is one of the world's most important Catholic moral theologians and bioethicists. His positions appear in the Vatican but no longer in demand.

Bergoglianer Grillo turned up already in the past two years, nosing in on the institute because it is "too maximalist" and that Familiaris Consortio regarded as "Pillar of Heracles". 

To justify the papal intervention, Grillo then accused the Institute that adherence to Familiaris Consortio have adopted in terms of theology of marriage "in recent months, an almost pathological form".

The defense of the marriage sacrament and the Church's moral teaching was not only reviled by him as a "quasi-pathology" but also as shown as an "aberration." The appointment of Pierangelo Sequeri "rightly puts an end: said Grillo literally: "It symbolically opens after a period of 35 years, which began with Familiaris Consortio, a few months after Amoris Laetitia a new phase. Not without continuity with the good that has been done, but not without a break with all limitations of this experience. "

The new director

The new director Pierangelo Sequeri comes from the clergy of the Archdiocese of Milan. 

Ordained in 1968, Sequeri is older than the detached from him Melina. The fundamental theologian Sequeri was primarily known as a musician, including through its cooperation with the music group Gen Verde the Focolare Movement. Since 2010, he is part of Benedict XVI's international Medjugorje inquiry commission and was the rector since 2012 of the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy. 

The expectation of this new director, is evident in the anthology "Family and Church" (Famiglia e Chiesa, LEV, 2015). The new Grand Chancellor, Archbishop Curia Vincenzo Paglia had, in his capacity as Chairman of the spring 2015 Pontifical Family Council conducted three seminars on the Synod of Bishops. The speakers were in the narrow and broad sense invariably Kasperianer. Your presentations should underpin the "holes" in view of the crucial Synod of Bishops in October 2015 and were published as a collection by the Vatican publishing. The defenders of the Church's moral teaching, whether or Cardinals Synod had to seek publishers for their publications themselves.

Sequeris contribution includes "a small, large program, at least for the next 20 years of the Institute," said Grillo pleased. "It changed course, leaving the harbor, sailing on the open sea. The captain knows the route and is not afraid. It will not only attract the ecclesiastical but also the secular family culture benefit from having him perhaps as necessary. Even to this culture to speak, has suddenly re possible. "With these words Grillo celebrates the papal engagement with the Francis a" fortress of the marriage sacrament and moral teaching "(Cardinal Caffarra), which had withstood 35 years old, with a stroke of the pen dragged.

Il Timone says that Pope Francis the Pontifical John Paul II Institute. For Studies on Marriage and Family"stormed and humiliated" had to enforce "the sexual revolution in the Vatican." The real "revolution" of Pope Francis takes place through appointments .

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: MiL


Tuesday 13 October 2015

Father Thomas Rosica protégé accuses Cardinal Burke of living in an "Ivory Tower"

Originally published on October 22, 2014. Much of what occurred during and after the Synod in 2014 is as relevant today as part II continues. Ironically, this Salt + Light assistant appeared on a program called "The Agenda!"

Salt and Light attacks Card. Burke: sticking to the ideal instead of ministering to people

Father Thomas Rosica's network Salt + Light's broadcaster Alicia Ambrosio harshly and unduly criticized Cardinal Burke as living in an "Ivory Tower." 


"Lauding the Vatican’s Synod on the Family as “huge” change, a producer from Canada’s Catholic TV network Salt and Light, headed by CEO Fr. Thomas Rosica, has criticized outspoken champion of orthodoxy Cardinal Raymond Burke, suggesting that he is in an “ivory tower” and “sticking to the ideal” instead of ministering to people — such as homosexuals and the divorced — caught up in the “messiness of life.”
“There’s finally a realization that maybe the way we’ve been approaching things doesn’t help, or it’s not taking into account that that’s an ideal and real life is messy and we have to be able to deal with the mess, not the black and white,” said Alicia Ambrosio, producer and host of Vatican Connections on Salt and Light Television, to the host of TV Ontario’s The Agenda program last Friday evening, Oct. 17. (Click here to watch the video) "
The Executive Producer of Salt + Light, is Thomas Rosica, CSB, the same Fr. Rosica that was the English language media spokesman at the Synod in Rome last week and said to heretic Gregory Baum in an interview that "you have been for me and continue to be a real model of hope." 




http://tvo.org/video/programs/the-agenda-with-steve-paikin/alicia-ambrosio-vatican-values

The transcript follows:

http://tvo.org/transcript/2231372/video/programs/the-agenda-with-steve-paikin/alicia-ambrosio-vatican-values

Piya says THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
APPEARS TO HAVE SOFTENED ITS
RHETORIC ON PREMARITAL SEX,
HOMOSEXUALITY AND DIVORCE.
JOINING US NOW TO HELP US
DISCERN WHAT THE CHANGES REALLY
ARE INDICATIVE OF, WE WELCOME:
ALICIA AMBROSIO, PRODUCER AND
HOST OF “VATICAN CONNECTIONS” ON
SALT AND LIGHT TELEVISION.
WELCOME BACK TO
THE AGENDA.

Alicia is a woman in her late thirties. She has brown short hair in a bob and wears a vibrant red blouse.

Alicia says GOOD TO BE
HERE.

Piya says THERE HAS BEEN
SOMETHING CALLED VATICAN SYNOD
THAT'S BEEN GOING ON THE PAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS.
WE'RE NEARLY AT THE END OF IT.

Alicia says CLOSE TO
THE END.

Piya continues WHAT IS A SYNOD?

Alicia says A SYNOD IS
BASICALLY A PERMANENT STRUCTURE,
A PERMANENT COMMITTEE OF BISHOPS
THAT MEET EVERY FEW YEARS TO
DISCUSS DIFFERENT TOPICS.

A caption reads ‘Alicia Ambrosio. Salt and light television.’ Then it changes to ‘Vatican values. Summarizing the Synod.’

Alicia continues POPE PAUL VI CREATED IT.
THEY SAID WE NEED TO BE MEETING
REGULARLY, NOT JUST ONCE EVERY
BLUE MOON, ONCE EVERY CENTURY,
TO DISCUSS THE ISSUES THAT THE
CHURCH IS FACING.
SO SINCE THEN THE SYNOD HAS
MET -- I THINK THEY MEET EVERY
KIND OF TWO TO THREE YEARS,
SOMETIMES EVERY FOUR YEARS, AND
THERE'S USUALLY A SPECIFIC TOPIC
THEY FOCUS ON.
SO THE PREVIOUS SYNOD WAS ABOUT
THE NEW EVENTUALIZATION. HOW TO
TRANSMIT THE FAITH IN THIS NEW ERA.
BEFORE THAT IT WAS ABOUT THE
MIDDLE EAST.

Piya says WHO DECIDES WHAT THE
TOP OF THE AGENDA IS?

Alicia says BASICALLY
THE POPE.
IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE CENTRAL
COMMITTEE OF THE SYNOD THAT KIND
OF SETS OUT WHAT THE TOPICS
SHOULD BE, BUT THIS TIME IT WAS
POPE FRANCIS WHO SAID, YOU KNOW
WHAT?
I'M HEARING A LOT OF STUFF FROM
BISHOPS AND PEOPLE WRITING TO
ME, THE FAITHFUL, AND THEY'RE
TALKING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT
ISSUES THAT ARE AFFECTING THEIR
FAMILY.
WE URGENTLY NEED TO DISCUSS THE
CHALLENGES TO THE FAMILY TODAY.

Piya says OKAY.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO MEET, THIS
GROUP OF BISHOPS.
THEY COME OUT WITH THIS
PRELIMINARY REPORT, WHICH WE'LL
TALK ABOUT IN JUST A SEC,
THEY'LL COME OUT WITH A FINAL
REPORT, I GUESS.
THEY MAKE THESE STATEMENTS.
WHAT IMPACT DOES THE SYNOD HAVE
ON THE DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE
THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD?

Alicia says NOW, THIS
IS AN INTERESTING QUESTION
BECAUSE UP UNTIL NOW, YOU ASK
ANYONE WHO HAS COVERED A SYNOD,
WHO HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THESE
SYNODS, IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE
THERE'S NOT MUCH.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BIG CRITIQUES
IS THAT THERE'S THIS TWO-WEEK,
SOMETIMES THREE-WEEK MEETING OF
BISHOP, THEY PICK A TOPIC AND
DISCUSS IT FROM DIFFERENT
ANGLES, THEY PUT OUT THIS NICE
FINAL DOCUMENT WITH
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
AND REFLECTIONS AND THEN IT
DISAPPEARS.
NOTHING GETS DONE.
IT'S JUST A BUNCH OF REALLY NICE
THOUGHTS.
I THINK ACTUALLY THE POPE SAID
THIS: NICE THOUGHTS, BEAUTIFUL
REFLECTIONS, AND THAT'S ABOUT
IT.
BUT THIS TIME, BECAUSE IT'S SUCH
A CONCRETE TOPIC AND IT'S
SOMETHING THAT, FROM THE GROUND
UP, I'M HEARING PRIESTS, I'M
HEARING PEOPLE WHO WORK IN
MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH SAYING, I
REALLY NEED THEM TO TELL ME WHAT
TO DO WITH THIS SITUATION AND
THAT SITUATION.
I THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME WE'RE
GOING TO SEE A SYNOD THAT, MAYBE
NOT RIGHT AWAY BUT DOWN THE ROAD
WILL RESULT IN PASTORAL
GUIDELINES BECAUSE ONE OF THE
PROBLEMS THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IS
THAT PRIESTS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
WORKING WITH FAMILIES AND YOUNG
PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO IN
CERTAIN TRICKY SITUATIONS IN
LIFE.

Piya says OKAY.
YOU SAID THE SYNOD -- I THINK
YOU SAID IT WAS A CONCRETE
TOPIC.
IT'S ALSO A VERY CONTROVERSIAL
ONE.
THE SENIOR CLERICS THAT ARE
TAKING PART IN THIS REVIEW OF
CATHOLIC TEACHINGS OF THE
FAMILY, I THINK IS HOW THEY
DUBBED IT, BUT IN ADDITION TO
OPENING THE DOOR TO DIVORCE AND
COHABITATION, ONE OF THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL CONCLUSIONS FROM
THIS PRELIMINARY REPORT HAS TO
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE.

A new caption reads ‘Vatican values. A subtle or seismic shift?’

Piya continues I WANT TO READ PART
OF WHAT THE
STATEMENT HAS SAID COMING OUT OF
THE SYNOD SO FAR...

A slate on screen reads ‘Opening the doors?’ and Piya reads
HOMOSEXUALS HAVE GIFTS AND
QUALITIES TO OFFER TO THE
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY…OFTEN
THEY WISH TO ENCOUNTER A CHURCH
THAT OFFERS THEM A WELCOMING
HOME. ARE OUR COMMUNITIES CAPABLE
OF PROVIDING THAT, ACCEPTING AND
VALUING THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION,
WITHOUT COMPROMISING CATHOLIC
DOCTRINE ON THE FAMILY AND MATRIMONY?
Quoted from ‘Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. October 13, 2014.’

Piya continues OKAY, ALICIA.
SOUNDS LIKE A STERN STATEMENT.
WHAT CAN WE TAKE AWAY FROM WHAT
IT SAYS?

Alicia says WE NEED TO
BACK UP HALF A STEP AND LOOK AT
WHAT THAT MIDTERM REPORT WAS.
IT'S ACTUALLY NOT A PRESCRIPTION
FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, IT'S
ACTUALLY MORE OF A SUMMARY OF
WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN SAID IN THE
HALL, BECAUSE THERE'S ABOUT 260
PEOPLE IN THE SYNOD HALL.
EACH ONE GETS A CHANCE TO TALK.
AND YOU CAN IMAGINE AFTER A WEEK
OF HEARING PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
THESE DIFFERENT TOPICS, YOU
FORGET WHAT'S BEEN SAID.
SO THE FUNCTION OF THAT MIDTERM
DOCUMENT WAS REALLY: HERE'S THE
SUMMARY OF WHAT YOU ALL HAVE
SAID.
IT'S LIKE A MIRROR BEING HELD UP
TO THE BISHOPS.
HERE YOU GO.
THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE TALKING
ABOUT.
IT'S NOT EXACTLY A PRESCRIPTION.
THESE ARE THE TOPICS YOU TALKED
ABOUT AND THESE ARE THE KEY
POINTS YOU MADE ABOUT THESE
TOPICS.
SO IT'S TELLING THE BISHOPS, YOU
SAID THIS.
WHEN I HEAR THAT STATEMENT
REALLY WHAT I'M HEARING IS FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN THAT ROOM
BISHOPS WERE TALKING ABOUT THE
REALITY OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN
SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS WHO WANT
TO COME TO CHURCH AND HAVE NOT
FOUND THEIR PLACE IN THEIR
PARISHES AND THEY'RE ASKING:
WHAT DO WE DO?
WHERE DO WE FIND THE BALANCE?
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER ALSO THAT
THE CHURCH HAS A VERY SPECIFIC
DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE AND OF
FAMILY AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE
CHURCH IS TRYING TO BE BOSSY AND
DON'T DO THIS, DON'T DO THAT.
IT COMES OUT OF A VERY SPECIFIC
VIEW OF THE HUMAN PERSON AND
WHAT THE HUMAN HEART AND THE
HUMAN SOUL NEEDS, AND HOW DOES
THE HUMAN PERSON FUNCTION BEST?
AND THERE'S FINALLY A
REALIZATION THAT MAYBE THE WAY
WE'VE BEEN APPROACHING THINGS
DOESN'T HELP OR IT'S NOT TAKING
INTO ACCOUNT THE FACT THAT
THAT'S AN IDEAL AND REAL LIFE IS
MESSY AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO
DEAL WITH THE MESS, NOT THE
BLACK AND WHITE.

Piya says OKAY.
SO ON THE ONE HAND, AS YOU PUT
IT, THIS IS LIKE WE GOT
TOGETHER, WE HAD THIS MEETING.
HEY, THIS IS WHAT YOU GUYS WERE
DISCUSSING.
WE PUT OUT THIS REPORT.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I MEAN, WE
DON'T HEAR THESE KIND OF
STATEMENTS COMING OUT OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
SO IS IT A CHANGE IN CATHOLIC
TEACHING?

Alicia says NO.
BUT IT IS A CHANGE IN TONE.
AND THE CHANGE IN TONE, I
BELIEVE, FROM WHAT I'M SEEING,
AND JUST BECAUSE I'M HEARING IT
COMING NOT JUST FROM THE TOP BUT
FROM THE BOTTOM UP, THAT'S GOING
TO RESULT IN ON THE GROUND IN
PARISHES A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE, A
CHANGE IN -- YOU KNOW WHAT?
MAYBE WE DON'T HAVE TO TELL
PEOPLE THEY'RE WRONG.
MAYBE WE CAN WORK WITH THEM AND
FIND A WAY TO WELCOME THEM INTO
OUR COMMUNITY EVEN THOUGH THEY
MIGHT NOT BE PERFECT IN OUR
EYES.
SO THAT'S GOING TO BE HUGE.

Piya says IT IS HUGE.
TONE WILL CHANGE, AS YOU SAY, IT
WOULD BE A HUGE SHIFT FROM WHAT
WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST.

Alicia says MM-HMM.

Piya continues THIS COMES UNDER POPE
FRANCIS, I DON'T NEED TO TELL
YOU, HIS REPUTATION IS OF A
PROGRESSIVE POPE, A LOT OF
PEOPLE HAVE SEEN HIM AS A
FORWARD-THINKER AND HOPEFULLY TO
THEM ANYWAY OF BEING ABLE TO
CHANGE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
YOU SAID WHO AM I TO JUDGE IN
REFERENCE TO GAY PEOPLE A WHILE
BACK --
HOW MUCH IS THIS ABOUT THE MAN
WHO LEADS THE CHURCH, ABOUT POPE
FRANCIS.

Alicia says I HAVE A
COUPLE OF THOUGHTS ON THIS.
THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS
WE CAN SAY ABOUT THIS.
FIRST, I THINK IT'S UNFAIR TO
SAY THAT HE'S PROGRESSIVE
BECAUSE, IT'S NOT ABOUT -- I
MEAN, THAT IMPLIES THAT THERE'S
SOMETHING BEHIND THE TIMES, AND
WHAT HE IS REALLY IS REALISTIC
BECAUSE HE'S THE ONLY -- NOT THE
ONLY, BUT ONE OF THE FEW POPES
WE'VE HAD IN RECENT TIMES WHO
HAS ACTUALLY WORKED IN THE
TRENCHES, SO TO SPEAK.
THIS IS THE MAN WHO AS
ARCHBISHOP DIDN'T GO TO THE RICH
PARISHES TO MEET PEOPLE BUT WENT
INTO THE SLUMS TO MEET PEOPLE
THERE AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE
WERE A LOT OF REALLY POOR PEOPLE
IN THESE SLUMS WHO HAD A LOT OF
FAITH BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF
THEIR LIVES WERE MESSY AND THEY
COULDN'T LIVE UP TO WHAT THEY
SAW AS THE CATHOLIC IDEAL.
SO HE'S REALISTIC, MORE THAN
ANYTHING.
HERE'S WHAT WE'VE GOT ON PAPER.
THIS IS WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN
THE WORLD.
LET'S OPEN OUR EYES AND BE
REALISTIC HERE.
NOW, IS THIS HIM TRYING TO PUSH
THE CHURCH IN A NEW DIRECTION?
HE IS AND HE ISN'T.
HE'S TRYING TO GET THE BISHOPS
TO DO IT THEMSELVES.
HE MADE ONE COMMENT, ONE
STATEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE SYNOD AND THE CRUX OF IT WAS
REALLY: I WANT YOU ALL TO SIT
HERE, SPEAK OPENLY, SPEAK
FREELY, DON'T BITE YOUR TONGUE
BECAUSE YOU THINK I WON'T LIKE
WHAT YOU SAY.
GO.
HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.
AND THAT'S ALL HE'S REALLY SAID
ABOUT THIS.
SO IT'S ALL BEEN THE BISHOPS AND
THE CARDINALS AND THE LAY
EXPERTS WHO HAVE BEEN INVITED
THEMSELVES SAYING, WELL, I SEE
THIS.
I SEE THAT.
THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S A
PROBLEM.
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS?
THIS IS COMING FROM WITHIN.
THIS IS NOT HIM LEADING ANYONE
BY THE NOSE.

Piya says I SUPPOSE IT'S LIKE
ALMOST ANYTHING IN THE WORLD
WHERE YOU SEE OR HEAR WHAT YOU
WANT OUT OF WHAT SOMEONE IS
SAYING.
CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICS HAVE
SPOKEN OUT AGAINST THIS MESSAGE
OUT OF THE PRELIMINARY REPORT
AND I WANT TO READ WHAT CARDINAL
RAYMOND BOURQUE, A CONSERVATIVE
CARDINAL SAID, RAYMOND BOURQUE,
HERE'S WHAT HE SAID...

A new slate on screen reads ‘Open to change?’ 

Piya reads
WHILE THE DOCUMENT IN QUESTION
PURPORTS TO REPORT ONLY THE
DISCUSSION, WHICH TOOK PLACE
AMONG THE SYNOD FATHERS, IT, I
N FACT, ADVANCES POSITIONS
WHICH MANY SYNOD FATHERS DO
NOT ACCEPT AND, I WOULD SAY,
AS FAITHFUL SHEPHERS OF THE
FLOCK CANNOT ACCEPT.
Quoted from ‘The Catholic World Report by Cardinal Raymond Burke. October 14, 2014.’

Piya continues HE SAID THAT I THINK
14TH, A COUPLE DAYS AGO.
IF THIS IS JUST, AS YOU SUGGEST
IT IS, A TONAL CHANGE IS NOT A
TEACHING CHANGE, WHY HAVE WE
BEEN SEEING THAT KIND OF
REACTION OUT OF MORE
CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICS?

Alicia says WELL, I
MEAN, IT'S KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU
SEE IN POLITICS AS WELL LEFT AND
RIGHT, NO MATTER WHAT THE OTHER
SIDE SAYS, THIS SIDE IS GOING TO
FREAK OUT.
CARDINAL BURKE COMES FROM A
STREAM THAT DOESN'T BELIEVE WE
SHOULD EVEN BE HAVING THIS
CONVERSATION, THAT THIS IS THE
TRUTH, THIS IS WHAT SHOULD BE
HAPPENING.
IF YOU'RE NOT MEETING UP TO THE
TRUTH, IF YOU'RE NOT LIVING UP
TO THIS IDEAL, YOU'RE WRONG, AND
THERE SHOULD BE NO CONVERSATION
ABOUT HOW TO BEND TO WELCOME
PEOPLE IN BECAUSE THEN YOU'RE
BENDING ON THE TRUTH.
SO IT'S REALLY -- IT'S A MIND
SET AND DISCUSSIONS I'VE HAD
WITH OTHER JOURNALISTS AND OTHER
CATHOLICS, WE'RE REALLY
WONDERING, WHAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN TO CARDINAL BURKE AND
OTHERS OF HIS ILK AFTER THE
SYNOD?
BECAUSE IF THIS CONVERSATION
GOES DOWN THE ROAD THAT THEY
CAN'T ACCEPT, THEN WHAT?

Piya says ARE THEY OUT OF
TOUCH?

Alicia hesitates I THINK --
I THINK --

Piya says YOU MADE THE CASE
THAT WE HAVE A POPE THAT IS, YOU
KNOW, REFLECTING WHAT HE SEES IN
REALITY.
THAT STATEMENT FROM CARDINAL
BURKE SEEMS TO SAY MAYBE HE
DOESN'T GET WHAT THE POPE AT
LEAST IS SEEING ON THE GROUND.

Alicia says YEAH.
AND FROM WHAT I KNOW OF CARDINAL
BURKE'S BACKGROUND, THE LAST TEN
YEARS OR SO HASN'T BEEN IN
PASTORAL WORK, IT'S BEEN RUNNING
AN ARCHDIOCESE, SO THERE HASN'T
BEEN THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO GET
IN THE TRENCHES AND SEE THE
MESSINESS OF LIFE.
IT'S LIVING WITH A BELIEF THAT
THIS IS WHAT WE TEACH, THIS IS
THE TRUTH -- STICK WITH IT.
OTHERWISE, YOU'RE OUT, AND WE
SHOULDN'T BE DISCUSSING WHAT
THAT TRUTH IS BECAUSE THEN WE'RE
CHANGING WHAT WE ARE COMPLETELY.
SO I THINK, JUST LIKE I COULD
SAY THAT POPE FRANCIS IS
REALISTIC AS OPPOSED TO
PROGRESSIVE, I THINK STATEMENTS
LIKE CARDINAL BURKE'S ARE COMING
FROM A PLACE OF -- MORE OF BEING
IN AN IVORY TOWER AND, YOU KNOW,
JUST LIVING WITH THE IDEAL,
STICKING TO THE IDEAL.

Piya says IN THE PAST,
ARGUABLY, THE VOICE FROM THE
IVORY TOWER WAS HEARD QUITE
LOUDLY.
HOW MUCH IS THAT CHANGING IN THE
CHURCH?

Alicia says WELL, THE
POWER STRUCTURES HAVE CHANGED.
JUST LOOKING AT THE VATICAN,
WHICH IS MY SPECIALTY, IN THE
PAST, EVEN THERE, IT WAS A GAME.
IT WAS KNOWING WHO TO PLEASE TO
GET YOUR OPINION HEARD, TO GET
YOUR POSITION PUT FORWARD, AND
TO GET THE BOSS' FAVOUR.
THAT'S ALL CHANGED.
AND I'VE BEEN TOLD FROM PEOPLE
WHO ARE LIVING AND WORKING
THERE, EVEN IF YOU SEE SOMEONE
MEETING WITH THE POPE ON A
WEEKLY BASIS, ON A REGULAR
BASIS, THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY
MEAN THAT PERSON HAS THE POPE'S
EAR OR THE POPE'S CONFIDENCE.
SO THAT'S CHANGING, AND IF IT'S
CHANGING AT THAT LEVEL, IT'S
CHANGING ON THE LOWER LEVELS AS
WELL.

A caption reads ‘Vatican values. A Cardinal divide?’

Alicia continues WHAT I'VE SEEN,
YOU KNOW, IN
VARIOUS PARTS OF THE CHURCH IN
PARISHES, THE LAYPEOPLE FINALLY
FEEL LIKE THEIR VOICE IS BEING
HEARD, THEIR LIVES ARE BEING
REFLECTED IN WHAT THIS POPE IS
SAYING AND THAT'S HUGE.
SO WE'RE GETTING THAT CHANGE
FROM THE TOP DOWN AND FROM THE
BOTTOM UP BECAUSE NOW, TO BE
CREDIBLE TO THE LAYPEOPLE, TO BE
CREDIBLE TO THE FAITHFUL, IT'S
NOT JUST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, BEING
REALLY HOLY AND BEING REALLY
PRAYERFUL AND GIVING A GOOD
SERMON, IT'S ABOUT WALKING THE
WALK.

Piya says THAT ON THE OTHER
HAND IS THE CHALLENGE PUT FORTH,
IF I CAN PUT IT THAT WAY, BY
MORE CONSERVATIVES FROM THE
CHURCH.
I WANT TO READ SOMETHING FROM
FRANCIS DEBERNARDO WHO IS HEAD
OF THE NEW WAYS MINISTRY WHO
CALLED IT “SIGNIFICANT” WHAT
HAPPENED AT THE SYNOD SO FAR...

Piya reads a new slate titled ‘Real change?’ She says
IT’S NOT JUST A CHANGE OF TONE.
NEVER BEFORE HAS THE CHURCH
TALKED ABOUT LESBIANS AND GAYS
HAVING GIFTS TO OFFER. NEVER
BEFORE HAS THE CHURCH ACCEPTED
THAT THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATION
HAS SOMETHING POSITIVE TO OFFER.
Quoted from ‘The Independent by Francis De Bernardo. October 16, 2014.’

Piya continues WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
THOSE COMMENTS?
HERE'S SOMEONE SITTING THERE
SAYING: WAIT A MINUTE.
THEY NEVER EVEN SAID WE HAVE
GIFTS TO GIVE!

Alicia smiles and says WHICH IS
TRUE.
AND PROBABLY IN THE PAST, YOU
KNOW, IF A PASTOR DID FEEL THAT
THE GAYS IN HIS COMMUNITY HAD
SOMETHING TO OFFER TO THE
PARISH, IT WAS SAID QUIETLY AND
IT WAS KIND OF, THEY WERE
WELCOMED INTO THE PARISH QUIETLY
AND HUSH HUSH AND NOT IN EVERY
PARISH.
I MEAN, I THINK ALSO THERE'S A
TENDENCY WITH GROUPS LIKE NEW
WAVE TO REALLY MAYBE HOPING FOR
A LITTLE BIT TOO MUCH, HOPING
THAT DOCTRINE WILL BE REWRITTEN,
THAT CHURCH TEACHING WILL BE
REWRITTEN.
BUT THAT SHIFT IN TONE IS BIG.
I THINK HE'S RIGHT, THAT IS BIG
BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IT
MEANS THAT ON THE GROUND LEVEL,
IN THE PARISH, IT'S SUDDENLY --
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE
TO OTHER FAITHFUL, IT'S NOT
GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO
EXCLUDE SOMEONE WHO HAS A
SINCERE THIRST FOR GOD AND WHO
HAS A SINCERE DESIRE TO PRACTISE
THEIR FAITH BUT IS EITHER IN A
SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIP OR IS
DIVORCED AND REMARRIED.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE
TO EXCLUDE THAT PERSON ANYMORE,
AND THAT'S HUGE.

Piya says I SUPPOSE THE
ARGUMENT IS THAT THERE IS A LONG
ROAD BETWEEN ACCEPTANCE AND
INCLUSION, AND YOU'RE SAYING
THAT THIS IS THE FIRST STEP
TOWARDS -- ON THAT JOURNEY.

Alicia says YES.
BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT -- WE'RE
NOT GOING TO SEE -- I CAN'T
REPEAT THIS ENOUGH.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE CHURCH
TEACHING CHANGE AND SAY SUDDENLY
IT'S OKAY TO BE DIVORCED AND GET
REMARRIED OR THE CHURCH IS GOING
TO PERFORM MARRIAGES BETWEEN
COUPLES OF THE SAME SEX.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE THAT.
BUT WE ARE GOING TO SEE THAT THE
PARISH DOORS OPEN AND THESE
PEOPLE WILL FIND A PLACE TO LIVE
THEIR FAITH, BECAUSE I THINK THE
ASSUMPTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IF
YOU'RE IN ONE OF THESE
SITUATIONS THAT THE CHURCH
CONSIDERS IRREGULAR, THEN
CLEARLY YOU MUST HAVE LOST FAITH
AND ABANDONED THE CHURCH.
AND THE REALITY IS, THAT'S OFTEN
NOT THE CASE.
IT'S THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
IT'S PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES
IN A SITUATION THAT THE CHURCH
DEEMS IRREGULAR OR NOT ALLOWABLE
THAT ACTUALLY STRUGGLE BECAUSE
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT THEY'RE
STILL VERY FAITHFUL PEOPLE BUT
THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN
ALIENATED BY THEIR CHURCH AND A
LOT OF TIMES THAT'S THE ONLY
COMMUNITY THAT THEY'VE KNOWN.
THAT'S BEEN THEIR COMMUNITY MORE
THAN THE WIDER CIVIC COMMUNITY
AND THEY FEEL ALIENATED.
I MEAN, I THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK
AT IT FROM THAT ANGLE.

Piya says I WANT TO LOOK AT IT
FROM ONE MORE ANGLE, AND THAT IS
POPE FRANCIS, COMING TO BE A
CELEBRATED POPE.
WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY VALUES,
THERE'S LOTS OF DISCUSSION
BETWEEN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
NORTH AND SOUTH.
WHEN IT COMES TO FAMILY VALUES,
HOW IS THAT RIFT WHEN WE COMPARE
THE GLOBAL NORTH TO THE GLOBAL
SOUTH?

Alicia says THE
CHALLENGES ARE DIFFERENT.
THE VALUES ARE STILL THERE.
BUT THE CHALLENGES ARE
DIFFERENT.
SO IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH, YOU'RE
LOOKING AT POVERTY IS REALLY
YOUR MAJOR CHALLENGE TO THE
FAMILY.
WHAT I'VE HEARD FRANCIS TALK
ABOUT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IN THE
GLOBAL SOUTH, YOU'RE STILL
SEEING PEOPLE WHO HAVE A DESIRE
TO FORM A FAMILY, WHO HAVE A
DESIRE TO BE IN A PERMANENT
RELATIONSHIP, BUT THE CHALLENGES
ARE DIFFERENT.
IT'S NOT -- IT'S NOT THAT THEY
CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE THEIR
CHURCH DOESN'T ACCEPT THEM,
BECAUSE THEIR PARTNERS OF THE
SAME SEX OR BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN
DIVORCED AND REMARRIED, THE
CHALLENGE THERE IS: WE JUST
CAN'T AFFORD IT.
SO WE'RE GOING TO LIVE TOGETHER
BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD TO HAVE
A WEDDING.
AND WE HAVE THESE CHILDREN AND
WE'RE GOING TO RAISE THEM THE
BEST WE CAN EVEN IF THE CHURCH
SAYS WE'RE KIND OF WRONG, BUT WE
CAN'T AFFORD ANY OTHER WAY.

Piya says THAT IS SO
INTERESTING.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD OVER THE
LAST 10, 15 MINUTES TALKING
ABOUT THIS TONAL SHIFT AND I
THINK THIS IS A BIT OF AN UNFAIR
QUESTION BECAUSE I'M GOING TO
ASK YOU TO SORT OF STEREOTYPE A
COMMUNITY OF MILLIONS AND
MILLIONS, BUT DO CATHOLICS WANT
TO SEE A MORE OPEN TONE FROM THE
CHURCH, AND IF SO, WILL THEY BE
ACCEPTING OF IT IF IT DOESN'T,
DOWN THE ROAD, MEANS IT MAKES NO
CHANGES?

Alicia says I THINK --
OKAY, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S
KIND OF UNFAIR TO STEREOTYPE
SUCH A LARGE GROUP.
THERE ISN'T ANY ONE ANSWER TO
THAT BECAUSE WITHIN THE
CHURCH -- AND HERE I CAN ONLY
SPEAK MOST OF THE NORTH AMERICAN
CHURCH, THAT'S WHAT I LIVE,
THAT'S WHAT I SEE MOST.
THERE'S A POLARIZATION.
THERE'S A LEFT AND RIGHT
POLARIZATION.
SO WE WILL SEE CATHOLICS WHO ARE
VERY HAPPY WITH THE TONAL
CHANGE, WHO ARE VERY HAPPY THAT
FINALLY WHAT WE'RE HEARING, AT
LEAST ON THE PASTORAL LEVEL,
REFLECTS REALITY AND WE'RE GOING
TO SEE CATHOLICS WHO WILL, YOU
KNOW, COME OUT AND SAY THAT THIS
WHOLE CONVERSATION THAT'S BEEN
HAD AT THE SYNOD JUST SHOULD NOT
HAVE HAPPENED AT ALL AND THE
CHURCH IS CAPITULATING ON THE
TRUTH AND WE'RE GOING TO HELL IN
A HAND BASKET AND WE ALL NEED TO
GET DOWN OUR KNEES AND PRAY FOR
SALVATION AND APOLOGIZE NOW.
SO THERE ISN'T GOING TO BE ONE
REACTION.
YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THE TWO
STREAMS CONTINUE.

Piya says WE WILL SEE WHAT
COMES OUT OF THE SYNOD AS
THERE'S A MORE FINAL REPORT
TOMORROW.

A caption reads ‘Vatican values. theagenda.tvo.org.’

Piya concludes NO DOUBT PEOPLE WILL
BE WATCHING
TO SEE WHAT CHANGE IF ANY THIS
HAS DONE THE ROAD.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Alicia says IT'S BEEN
A PLEASURE AS ALWAYS.