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."
Now, I'm not a cradle Catholic, and I didn't go to a Catholic Parochial School (but I did attend a Lutheran Parochial School), and I used to be a Lutheran. Angela Bonavoglia can take my place as a former Lutheran and I'll just take hers as a Roman Catholic.
Just what part of Catholicism does "our theology must reflect what people think and feel about church teachings" fall under? I can't locate that in my Catechism.
ROFL! Their good friends, the Sisters of St. Joseph are right up there with them. They did not waste one second to doff their habits following VCII. One of their Provincial Houses is down the road from where I live. Their ranks have shriveled up to the point of near extinction.
Last year, on Good Friday, they offered the laity in my (now former RC) parish, the opportunity to commune with them in a lenten reflection. They gathered at the Provincial House to reflect on seeds emerging from Mother earth. I passed on this, opting instead to reflect on the final hours of Christ's life by watching The Passion of the Christ at the local movie theater.
Next week, they're running a golf championship. Reflections on teeing off or sinking the ball?
Totally agree with you ..If you dont like the rules of the Catholic Church , then don't be one..I still dont get the problems with these people.The Church has it's laws and rules//No one HAS to join or stay in the Church.If you disagree , leave.Why is that so complicated.Dosen't the church have the right to set its own rules ?
I'm amazed they still exist at all. My late mother went to an all girl's school in San Diego run by the Sisters of Saint Joseph. This was back in the late 40s and early 50s. She loved them, but that generation of sisters are gone now (gone on to their reward I suspect). Sadly this new bunch bears little resemblance to the happy sisters in "The Bells of Saint Mary's" or "The Sound of Music"...
They gathered at the Provincial House to reflect on seeds emerging from Mother earth.
It's like we've gone backwards in time. These "sisters" are like pagan vestal virgins. Goddess worshipers. What next? Are they going to sacrifice virgins to get better crops?
Apparently not. These people won't be happy if there is a traditional Catholic left on Earth. The same can be said of the liberal feminists who are trying to infiltrate Orthodox Judaism. Rather than join a left-wing synagogue, they're insisting that the Orthodox movement ordain women and perform gay marriage ceremonies. They just can't stand the fact that some people want to practice religion in a traditional manner. So much for freedom of choice.
Oh dear, you got 'em too, huh? I think you're right about them just not being able to stand the fact that traditionalists are out there. I can't think of any other explanation for their determination to infiltrate our traditional churches and synagogues. It's as if they are demanding that their ideas be not just tolerated, but affirmed.
BTTT
Yep, it's not enough to practice their own...ahem..."religion," they've gotta shove it down everyone else's throat. "You WILL use birth control, sanction gay relations and ordain women whether you like it or not! WAAAAAAH!"
You got it. They want us to affirm them in their sin. We're all sinners, but the difference between a traditionalist and these types is that the traditionalists recognize that they are sinners.
"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."
The early church had these types too... I liked heretics better than "cafeteria Catholics", from the Greek 'airesis i' = "to choose".
"Abuse" has become something of a stretchy verb in the last 10 years.
There are many instances of priests who have had sexual affairs with women. Far, far fewer of priests who have had affairs with teenaged girls, and virtually none with sub-teen girls.
MOST of the abuse claims are a result of homosexual priests who were 'chickenhawking'--strictly speaking these were ephebophilia complaints, NOT pedophilia.
Affairs with women were consensual (and wrong, BTW.) Now, of course, this is looked at as "abuse" because the priest 'abused' his position, just as some MD's and former Presidents did.
Our last child was born with severe and fatal problems. The Catholic hospital infant-ICU doc asked if we wanted him to be fed--rather indirectly, all couched in very floral MD language.
After I'd deciphered his flapjaw, I emphatically told him that the child would be fed, period.
The IHM's? Good one...
They disappeared from California after they got into the psycho-babble, right?
Good luck squashing those termites...
One hint: being "reasonable" with them does not work. Never. Not at all.
As soon as they have ANY position of authority, their cancer-cells spread. Your children will come home from Hebrew school with all kinds of inane ideas, and pretty soon they will be convinced that Melchisidec was a hermaphrodite, or a homosexual, or some such.
Best course of action is to change the locks. Don't let them in!!!!
This right here is the problem. Idiots like this who think they know better than the Pontiff.
America's Catholics are swiftly becomign heretical, and to be honest, I wish our Pope would just excomunicate these people so we can get on with being Catholic. Let them rot in their delusions, they will NOT destroy the Holy Catholic Church as is their aim.
This is one of the things that has begun to seriously disgust me about this country, and it pains me to say it. But truly, this incredibly selfish attitude we, as a nation seem to have that it HAS to be our way or else is absolutely sickening, worse that it is now sliming it's way into God own Church. Well these fools will be in for a big surprise. God have Mercy on us all.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.