Posted on 05/20/2005 3:16:11 PM PDT by Coleus
Angela Bonavoglia won't let Catholic Church silence her
Angela Bonavoglia, the controversial speaker and author who was banned from speaking at the Catholic Jesuit Loyola Retreat in Morristown last week by Paterson Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, spoke before a packed audience at an alternate location instead - St. Mark Lutheran Church, also in Morristown.
Although clearly dismayed the bishop's decision ("They don't know me," she quipped), Bonavoglia gave her speech as planned on May 11 and talked about the "invisible" crime of sex abuse against females and the need for the church to reconsider its policies on female ordination and priest marriage. Both practices are banned under Catholic law.
"When the clergy sex abuse crisis exploded onto the scene in 2002, the abuse of girls by Catholic priests remained invisible or, at most, a footnote," she said. "Yet the crisis has never been only about the abuse of male minors."
Earlier this month, Serratelli had asked the event's host, the Catholic lay group Voice of the Faithful, to uninvite Bonavoglia from the meeting because her positions were not consistent with traditional church teachings, according to diocese spokeswoman Marianna Thompson. Bonavoglia is pro-choice and supports the ordination of women priests.
"We affirm the right of every person to free speech," the diocese said in a statement released on May 10. "We affirm the right of every person to speak according to the dictates of conscience. However, we also hold fast to the doctrines of the faith and its teaching. It is inappropriate to create a forum in a Catholic House of Prayer for those who speak against the Church's teachings."
VOTF has previously held more than 20 meetings in the Paterson Diocese and this is the first time since the organization's 2002 inception that the diocese has interfered with a meeting. The Archdiocese of Newark does not allow VOTF meetings in its churches.
Bonavoglia, who lives with her husband in Westchester County, N.Y., is one of a growing chorus of U.S. Catholics who threaten to be a thorn in the side of the new pope, Benedict XVI, a strict theologian. Like a majority of U.S. Catholics (according to an April CBS News poll), Bonavoglia supports a re-evaluation of certain church policies, such as the ban on priest marriage, female ordination and all forms of birth control.
Catholics who challenge the traditional Catholic doctrines are sometimes referred to as "cafeteria Catholics," because they seemingly pick and choose the portions of Catholicism they like and discard the rest. But most say that assessment is not true, and that they are simply trying to urge the church to become more accessible, accountable and modern.
Bonavoglia's talk focused on areas where she and others feel the Catholic Church could, and should, be stronger and she offered ideas on how the church can achieve those goals - primarily by focusing more on women in the church.
She told the audience of about 100 that studies, including one conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, have shown that between 19 and 30 percent of clergy-abuse victims are girls. She also told the wrenching stories of several alleged female victims of priest sex abuse, including Rita Milla, Nancy Sloan and Susan Gallagher, whom Bonavoglia interviewed for her book "Good Catholic Girls: How Women are Leading the Fight to Change the Church."
Those women's pleas for help, protection and responsibility from the church were not met with empathy or action, Bonavoglia said, but "secrecy, defensiveness and disdain." Many post-adolescent female victims of clergy abuse have even been accused of "enjoying making priests sin," she said. Because of that attitude, she maintained, the issue of clergy abuse against females has not gotten the recognition it deserves.
Conversely, while some women are clearly being harmed by the church, Bonavoglia said, it is also clearly women who are holding the church together as it faces a growing shortage of priests, which has resulted in the closing of parishes.
"It is well known that the number of Catholic priests is plummeting. Though women cannot be ordained, they have clearly stepped into the breach," Bonavoglia said, noting that 82 percent of paid lay parish ministers in the United States are women and that women also represent 70 percent of the members of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains. Because they are not ordained, however, these women cannot perform certain duties, such as celebrating the Eucharist or conducting baptisms, weddings and funerals.
"It is a horrific state of affairs, particularly in emergencies when the lay chaplain cannot reach the Catholic priest on call, or in parts of the world where there is no priest for miles and no mass for months at a time," said Bonavoglia.
Most of the people in attendance were receptive to Bonavoglia's talk - she received a rousing ovation at the end of her speech - and expressed disappointment, but not disbelief, at the bishop's decision to ban her.
"It's not unexpected," said 72-year-old retiree Bob Haim of Berkeley Heights. "It's a case of, the bishop has the power, and he said, 'You're threatening me and I'm not going to let you do it.' Power doesn't like when you speak truth to power."
"This is unfortunate," said Hawthorne resident Mary Jane Sawey, 50, of the diocese's actions. "People want adult conversation and the biggest crime is for anyone to feel silenced."
Valerie LeBlanc, 62, of Kinnelon agreed. "We cannot continue to silence half of the Catholic community. It's contrary to Christ's life teaching and example. There is no way you can condone it." Bonavoglia "is a very important and courageous woman."
Despite the controversy surrounding her visit, Bonavoglia said she plans to continue speaking out.
"A basic tenet of our church is the Primacy of Conscience - that we have an obligation to listen to our conscience - and our theology must reflect what people think and feel about church teachings," she said. "We need speech in our church. We need our church to end the silencing."
Bonavoglia said, noting that 82 percent of paid lay parish ministers in the United States are women and that women also represent 70 percent of the members of the National Association of Catholic Chaplains.
Yes, and heaven help the parishes that are run by these feminists nuns...
Many lay parish ministers are devout women, but alas too many are ultra feminists who teach our children nonsense, run services where we sing hymns to ourselves, and other nonsense.
Two anecdotes.
One hospital "chaplain" bragged to me that she had taken a bioethics class in Georgetown and went on to describe how they justified not feeding a child with Down's syndrome...she didn't appreciate when I said that perhaps instead they should have taught why we should see such a child as precious to GOd and to be protected...she also didn't believe in confession...when I asked how could we be forgiven our sins, she shrugged and said that few people really did bad things...duh. She should work in my office and see all the people who confess terrible things to me looking for forgiveness...
Second, I had one woman with cancer where the visiting nuns would do spiritual massage for her pain...when I pointed out that the appropriate thing was to tell me she was having pain so I could readjust her medicine, and to stick to religion, they were insulted...they thought a seven day conference made them doctors...
Finally, I stopped being an organist in one church when I refused to play a hymn celebrating our "diversity"...
And it would seem a little silly any way and impossible to refer to Angela as Father Angela.
I sincerely wish that those of her ilk would bolt the Church, as sincerely as I wish that those with an ACLU mentality would bolt this nation.
It's about as "invisible" as a day-glo rhino on a cell phone. You can't pick up a paper without a dozen stories on the issue.
If she's not happy with church teachings, she is free to leave and be 'liberated' from the 'oppressive' teachings she so despises. There are many protestant denominations that will welcome her and her family.
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Then this picture must be truly out of date.
Same face, same tired philosophies - different generation.
I wish someone would ask these people why they insist on hanging around. I suspect it's for attention. An epi saying these things wouldn't get her name in the newspaper (or be payed for giving speaches),now, would she.
She truly exemplifies what (then) Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger mentioned in his Pro Eligendo homily.
"How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking. The small boat of the thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism and so forth. Every day new sects spring up, and what St Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strives to entice people into error (cf. Eph 4: 14) comes true. "
Thanks to the "I'm Okay, You're Okay" generation, we are now sinless. Several years ago, trying to make sense of personal tragedy, I sought the guidance of a professional psychotherapist, a nun who is Director of Counseling for the Laity in this diocese. She determined that I was a "victim of the Catholic Church". My jaw dropped.
Wow, CBS News...that's credibility for ya (/sarcasm). There are lies, there are damn lies, then there are statistics....NOW THERE ARE ALSO POLLS. And add CBS News and NewsWeak to the list!
"Like a majority of U.S. Catholics (according to an April CBS News poll), Bonavoglia supports a re-evaluation of certain church policies, such as the ban on priest marriage, female ordination and all forms of birth control."
I always love these stats. Those who put down "Catholic" on a survey like this love to be Catholic for the moment for these purposes only. Put the same survey in front of "Practicing Catholics", meaning those who go to Mass at least once a week.
You don't need me to spell out those results.
Angela is clearly not a Catholic.
God bless you!
I would gladly give them California or, if they preferred, the entire Left Coast. They could call it "Ecotopia."
Agreed!
ROTFLMAO!!! Your post made my day.
Sure, any time :)
What the..? OMG!
when I asked how could we be forgiven our sins, she shrugged and said that few people really did bad things...
She's either crazy or high.
I had one woman with cancer where the visiting nuns would do spiritual massage for her pain...
Ewwww. Just the thought of being man-handled by these butch feminazi nuns makes me sick.
Whoa, hold on a minute there. You're just going to abandon good God-fearing Californians like myself to these freaks? Come on! I refuse to cede the Golden State to these people. They don't deserve it!
For every Mother Theresa there's ten of these man-hating nuns who have it out for the Pope. What the heck is it with these women? Personally, I think the worst of them are the IHM nuns (the Immaculate Heart of Mary). My sister and I had an IHM nun for a religion teacher in high school. We decided that IHM really stands for "I Hate Men".
Sister Mary Godzilla of the "I Hate Men" order was the last person in the world you would want to teach your children about Jesus.
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