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It sounds like there is virtually no preparation for these Sacraments - thus there is no guarantee that the children involved will actually be practicing the Faith. The confirmations, which when administered by a priest require the priest to be given express permission from his bishop, are probably invalid.

Bringing Old Catholics into these celebrations suggests additional problems.

Certainly all of these Sacraments are illicitly given. Fr. Figueroa has reduced himself to a Sacramental vending machine, to the detriment of his and his parishioners' souls. That they protect him so fervently suggests that their Faith is empty as well - reduced to the quest for money.

"I'm portrayed as the worst priest in the world. Never!" Figueroa said. "I've never become a drunk or a priest that runs around with women. There are priests like that, you know. Drunks. Pedophiles. I've only tried to serve this community as best as I can."

Fr. Figueroa is sick at a deeper level than the priests who are drunks, adulterers, or even pedophiles - his pride, his utter disrespect for the sanctity of the Sacraments, and his refusal to teach along with conferring the Sacraments betray the depth of that sickness.

He is in my prayers.

There was not one, but two, very liberal Catholic Priests who served as Democrat Congressmen in the ‘70s. The famous one was from MA, that being Fr. Robert Drinan, who was about as leftist as they come, he served for 10 years (1971-1981). He would’ve continued to serve had, IIRC, an edict come down either forbidding or strongly urging all Priests to step down from holding elective office. He was succeeded by none other than Barney Frank.

The other was the much lesser known Fr. Robert J. Cornell (also a Jesuit). He was a history and poli-sci professor at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin, but was active in politics and became Chairman of the 8th WI Dist. Democrats in the late ‘60s (the 8th being centered on Green Bay). The district he was in was solidly GOP, but put up his name for Congress in 1970, getting the highest percent of the vote against 26-year incumbent John Byrnes. Byrnes retired in 1972 and Cornell faced Republican Harold Froehlich, a state legislative leader, but he performed exceptionally well, losing to Froehlich by just a 50-49% margin.

Fr. Cornell decided to run again in ‘74, and with the Watergate fiasco and the public’s desire for “morality in government”, he blew out Froehlich by a 9% margin. He amassed a very left-wing record (lifetime 7% from the ACU) and faced Froehlich for a 3rd time in 1976, winning by an underwhelming 51-47%. He ran again in 1978, but his voting record was clearly out-of-step with the district, and he lost 58-42% against Toby Roth. Had he prevailed in ‘78, he would’ve been bound as Drinan was to step aside in ‘80. He went back to his old job as a Professor after his defeat and died back in May of this year at the age of 89.

Interesting. I didn't even know the Pope had endorsed the gorebull warming scam. Well, it's like I said on another thread, this is why I consider myself a strong social conservative and a devout religious person, but NOT a member of the "religious right". I don't decide policy based on how my church officials feel about it. Period. It seems many anti-Catholic freepers still can't grasp that idea, and continue to believe Catholics blindly agree with whatever the Pope's opinion is. Besides the doctrine of papal infallibility is that the Pope is "infallible" when speaking on matters of faith and morals that can't be explained in temporal ways (for example, the afterlife). He's certainly NOT infallible when it comes to his opinion on current science, history, current political events, or the best sports team for that matter.

>> “While cannabalism is an important issue — and Obama supports human flesh access — the official added: “I don’t think you can let that be the one-and-only item.” “It was more than that,” Perry said, referring to McCain’s opposition to cannabalism. “It was everything, war and peace, the economy, health care — all of those things.” <<

Interesting thread with reference on how the bishops voted. The Catholic teachings on political issues, overall, tend to be socially conservative but economically liberal. My dad figures most of the bishops and Cardinal George probably skipped the presidential race on the ballot, seeing Obama as unacceptable because he supports infanticide, but not willing to vote for McCain because they weren't happy with McCain's stance on other issues like the war in Iraq and cutting down government handouts.

There was a Catholic priest elected to Congress about a generation back (maybe Fieldmarshaldj has an interesting story about that), who sadly was elected from Mass. and was a socialist loon. Incredibly, this "pro-life" priest voted in FAVOR of unrestricted abortion, arguing that abortion shouldn't be prohibited legally because it was prohibited morally. We were finally rid of him when the Pope issued a ruling barring active parish priests from simtanemously serving in high political office, so the priest resigned to comply.

>> Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry said he had the same kind of thought while voting for GOP presidential candidate John McCain in the general election. Well, here's at least one person who didn't vote for Obama because of the color of his skin (Perry's black). <<

Amen to that. All those folks talking about how St. Sabina's "Catholic" parish needs a leader who "understands" the black community should have THIS guy running the parish instead of the self-loathing Fr. Flakey, that wacko heretic priest who teaches his flock to hate whitey and that Obama is their savior instead of Jesus. I think Field said it best when he remarked "Chicago has a wigger priest? Now I've seen everything". If I was Cardinal I would defrock "Father" Flakey ASAP and replace him with a decent guy like Bishop Perry (are black Catholics really going to claim a black priest who grew up in poverty doesn't "understand" their community?), but alas Cardinal George is afraid to stand up to the looney Obama-loving wing of Chicago Catholics. Cardinal George has been very vocal and outspoken about pro-life issues. But I can understand why many conservative Catholics are fed up with him, especially when Chicagolady posted about George marching in the illegal alien rights rally.

(Of course as a personal aside, if any freepers have been paying attention, I'm a lifelong Chicago area Catholic who had enough with the archdiosese of Chicago. Last year I joined a new Catholic parish that is fully in communion with the Pope and located in the Chicago area, but is NOT under the jurisdiction of the archdiosese of Chicago. The priest there is very conservative and vocally against the Obama agenda. It's been a good fit for me.)

You are correct - the bill is horrible even aside from anything pertaining to abortion. Is it possible that this legislation may be the thing that will jolt our bishops out of their lock-step with the left?