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Friday 5 March 2021

Now, is the "appropriate time" Cardinal Collins? Now? A year after the fact? Four months after you shut down the Mass?

Hinting just a week ago that he would threaten to get the laity riled up to write General Secretary Ford of the Ontario Politburo about the abrogation of religious freedoms, Cardinal Thomas Collins has today, after missing it for the last twelve months, hit the broad side of the barn. Let us all rejoice and be glad. Playing on a scriptural theme, according to Collins, "Now is the acceptable appropriate time for us to respectfully amplify our concerns."  

No Eminence, the acceptable and appropriate time was four months ago, even twelve months ago when this abomination began. On February 27, I wrote:

"The Cardinal, in a letter earlier this week, seemed to threaten that he might, in a rare moment of courage, just perhaps, possibly could just might actually, consider and actually may beg, plead or ask, Comrade Ford and the Ontario Politburo to relent. He then had the temerity to ask the good people of the Archdiocese of Toronto to engage in a letter or telephone campaign to implore, beg, cajole, beseech and otherwise grovel to our politburo masters if we could "please, Sir, may I have some more," Mass when it was he, himself, that shut it down."

Addressing the laity in Doug Ford style salutation, "My Dear Friends," Collins has just discovered that the public worship of God is more "essential" than renting out a church hall to a group of fifty for a movie crew.
"A few days ago, a movie scout contacted one of our churches to inquire whether the basement hall could be used to feed a crew of 50 people. “We have dispensation from the province and strict protocols will be enforced.” Later in the week, the priest presided at a funeral in the same church, limited to 10 people inside (including himself).

Which of these do we consider more essential?" Card. Collins
How ironic. How hypocritical of the man who shut down the public celebration of the Mass after the Feast of Christ the King last November. Four months ago. He did that. Not the ignoramus Ford. Collins did it. Collins has sat by watching this abomination of the Ontario government and only now, four months later, has decided to rile up the laity. It won't' happen. The people are depressed, disheartened and beaten from spiritual and psychological warfare and abuse. Ford's diktats removed the already limiting thirty percent occupancy to ten persons. Rather than fight this unconstitutional attack on religious freedom or join with courageous evangelical protestant pastors in their protests and court challenges, Cardinal Collins did nothing and even went so far as to exceed the province's actions, shutting down public Mass entirely, limiting the Sacraments and shuttering churches. He can whine that he asked priests to open churches and reach out, many did, many did not. He asked, he did not order and now regrets it. He went along with the Premier and his so-called, "virtuous" public health officials and now has buyer's remorse. "I do not believe that our elected officials and medical officers of health consciously intend to supress (there typo) religious freedom," wrote Collins. 

In the letter, he urges the laity to write to the Premier which can be done on this web page link provided by the Cardinal in his letter. A Place to Worship

"The province has relaxed restrictions in Grey (Lockdown) regions, with retailers permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity. Yet places of worship, regardless of whether they seat 100 or 1,000 people, must remain at a hard cap of 10 people. Next week, a funeral at St. Michael’s Cathedral (capacity 1,500) will be capped at 10 people, while around the corner dozens can enter the local liquor store and thousands will visit the Eaton Centre. This makes no sense."  Card. Collins

Good grief, Your Eminence, has this writer not been telling YOU this for four months? 

Tell me, Your Eminence. Why would you expect Doug Ford to respond to us, or to listen to us, or to respond to our letters or needs when you yourself refuse to do so? You have ignored the pleas of the laity and now you expect the Premier to do otherwise. 

A second Holy Week is on the chopping block, Your Eminence. And you did it. 

I can hear the Premier laughing at you already.



13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Again, we ought to support the Cardinal *in what is right* Saying "I told you so" may be true, but at this point, I would suggest your first priority would be to do whatever you can (which may or may not be much) to help out, especially now that you have the ordinary on your side. Yes, Ford may laugh at Collins, but all the more reason to fight harder.


Happily, I'm up in a diocese that has managed to keep Masses going the whole time. Discretion was left to the priest as to how to handle it. Usually, there were 10 people in the Church, and 10 in the Parish Hall, and 2 Masses per day. One broadcast by radio to cars outside.



Vox Cantoris said...

You are assuming that I have not written to General Secretary Asshat of the Ontario Politburo at least two to three times per week.

Too little, too late.

I've done my duty for four months. No, twelve.

Glad to see he put down the gin long enough to clutch his pearls.

Phineas said...

The movie scout anecdote is proof that today, appealing to reason and logic will get you nowhere. It is not a bug, but in fact a feature of our anti-truth governments - locally, provincially, federally and the world over. They tell you 2+2=5 with a straight face and expect, and usually get, your assent.

His Eminence needs to play the Charter card in support of an immediate re-opening, while respecting legitimate health precautions. Those in power have demonstrated they intend to rule by arbitrary will, not reason.

Johnno said...

Cardinal Collins: "Pwease, Pwease, Pweaase, Pope Ford, Pwease let us go to Mass again!"

The campaign would mean something if at the end of it he said, "We're opening up by X Date whether you like it or not. This is just an opportunity for you to save face by saying you're going to stop acting like a commie tyrant anymore."

That Alberta Protestant minister rotting in jail right now for standing by his principles has more balls and faith than the entire Canadian hierarchy.

For all this talk about Church/State separation, it's funny how the Catholic Church just seems like another branch of the communist Canadian government.

Anonymous said...

Ford still needs to win the next election. The Cardinal’s response represents a major change to the government. It only takes a few percentage changes in how the public vote can turn a majority government, to a former Premier.

Anonymous said...

You believe that Ford laughs at the Cardinal, okay.

If that is so, Then what does he do when, in your own words, “You are assuming that I have not written to General Secretary Asshat of the Ontario Politburo at least two to three times per week.”

Ford doesn’t even know you exist!

At least The Cardinal has a flock he can mobilize! Get behind him.

Anonymous said...

Vox, leave Cardinal Collins alone. For this is God's will for us because Masses have been basely profaned. Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap.
Who is that person? Everyone of us who bows down to Christ and to Bergoglio at the same time in the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass. They are two contrary spirits: the spirit of God and the spirit of AntiChrist. If we want our Church to be opened again, we should practice Medieval Penance with tears and affliction of the heart. And when the Bride of Christ is restored, never again accept a Communion offered with the spirit of AntiChrist. Does it make sense?

Tom A. said...

It is foolish to expect a modernist Vatican 2 Novus Ordo cleric to behave in a Catholic manner. They are two completely different religions. Yes, they call themselves “catholic” and occupy what were once Catholic properties, but they long ago renounced the Catholic Faith for their new V2 religion of Man. You waste your time trying to get them to change. Find a true Catholic mass said by true priests who have nothing to do with the apostates in Rome.

Vox Cantoris said...

Anonymous Anonymous said...
You believe that Ford laughs at the Cardinal, okay.

If that is so, Then what does he do when, in your own words, “You are assuming that I have not written to General Secretary Asshat of the Ontario Politburo at least two to three times per week.”

Ford doesn’t even know you exist!

At least The Cardinal has a flock he can mobilize! Get behind him.

Vox says:

Is this a joke. What have you done other than hide behind anonymity and then come here to question what I've done. So, I do the heavy lifting and you clutch your pearls.

Is this you, Neil?

Anonymous said...

Box, we don’t agree on most things, but I will give you credit. You do not hide dissenting opinions to your own.

Interesting the number of folks saying time to move on with the attack on this Shepherd.

Anonymous said...

“Ha Ha Ha”. Ford

Barona said...

Anonymous 1:04 You call Cardinal Collins "Cardinal", but Pope Francis "Bergoglio". I think you have outstayed your welcome in a reasoned debate.

Anonymous 9:39 Vox Cantoris and Toronto Catholic Witness were probably the only Toronto based blogs that were truly behind Cardinal Collins from day one: we were both pushing him to re-opeon, to stand up to Ford and the godless apparatchniks. We are not his problem, time has proven us correct. Just comb through our blogs over the past year. The tragedy is, the Cardinal has been listening to the wrong advice from some very aggressive power brokers in the chancery and Archdiocese.

Is it too late? It is never too late to announce he is re-opening the churches. Rather than waste time of letter campaign, why not just announce "dear faithful Mass is now available effective immediately". Our oafish Premier will quickly back down.

Anonymous said...

Barona, truly behind Cardinal Collins from day one.

“What is truth?”