[SusaninOhio]

Pope Benedict likes cats. That's enough for me - he must be OK.

[Stentor]

William Donohue.

Not a punch puller.

[NRA1995]

IIRC, the Church caved to pressure to admit homosexuals to the priesthood on the promise that they would remain celibate. Its biggest mistake was caving in to these butt rangers, its next biggest mistake was not flushing them out of the priesthood immediately when they were discovered molesting boys.

[NYer]

“Not only has the Pope not scapegoated the media, but as recently as Good Friday he drew attention to the ‘filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely’ to God,” Donohue says.

Donohue is referring to the Good Friday Meditations led this year by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger at the Coliseum. These are meditations on the Stations of the Cross. The one in particular that he is referring to is the 9th Station.

* * * * *

NINTH STATION
Jesus falls for the third time

V/. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum.

From the Book of Lamentations 3:27-32

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when he has laid it on him; let him put his mouth in the dust -- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults. For the Lord will not cast off for ever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.

MEDITATION

What can the third fall of Jesus under the Cross say to us? We have considered the fall of man in general, and the falling of many Christians away from Christ and into a godless secularism. Should we not also think of how much Christ suffers in his own Church? How often is the holy sacrament of his Presence abused, how often must he enter empty and evil hearts! How often do we celebrate only ourselves, without even realizing that he is there! How often is his Word twisted and misused! What little faith is present behind so many theories, so many empty words! How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much pride, how much self-complacency! What little respect we pay to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where he waits for us, ready to raise us up whenever we fall! All this is present in his Passion. His betrayal by his disciples, their unworthy reception of his Body and Blood, is certainly the greatest suffering endured by the Redeemer; it pierces his heart. We can only call to him from the depths of our hearts: Kyrie eleison -- Lord, save us (cf. Matthew 8: 25).

PRAYER

Lord, your Church often seems like a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. In your field we see more weeds than wheat. The soiled garments and face of your Church throw us into confusion. Yet it is we ourselves who have soiled them! It is we who betray you time and time again, after all our lofty words and grand gestures. Have mercy on your Church; within her too, Adam continues to fall. When we fall, we drag you down to earth, and Satan laughs, for he hopes that you will not be able to rise from that fall; he hopes that being dragged down in the fall of your Church, you will remain prostrate and overpowered. But you will rise again. You stood up, you arose and you can also raise us up. Save and sanctify your Church. Save and sanctify us all.

All: Pater noster …

Eia mater, fons amoris,
me sentire vim doloris
fac, ut tecum lugeam.

***

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[righttackle44]

This Southern Baptist boy agrees with Mr. Donohue.

[LibFreeOrDie]

I'm awaiting Scheer's explanation for the epidemic of teacher-student molestations occurring in public schools, especially the female perps. Last time I looked, schools and teachers weren't particularly sexually repressed.

[MEGoody]

“It is not the Catholic Church’s emphasis on sexual reticence that gave us the scandal, it was morally delinquent priests who jettisoned the Church’s teachings on sexuality,” he says.

Exactly. And the Catholic Church isn't the only Christian religious organization that has experienced this kind of thing.

[Alia]

Ping! :> Kudos to Mr. Donohue! He's laying the truth right there for all to see.

[kellynla]

Irish Catholic Bump for Donohue!

[siunevada]

Los Angeles Times op-ed writer Robert Scheer has distorted the truth

Reference his opinion on virtually any subject under the sun.

[Unam Sanctam]

Donohue also corrects Scheer’s statement that the Pope had said that homosexuals are evil. “What the Pope said when he was a cardinal is that homosexual behavior is ‘intrinsically evil,’ thus reiterating Church teaching,” states Donohue.

Thank you, Mr. Donahue, for correcting this oft-heard slander by the gay activists.

[topher]

Ping -- don't know if you were pinged on this one...

[A CA Guy]

Yep the writer is quite the ass, isn't he.

They can't get past the priest not marrying.

A large part of it is that Priest take a vow of poverty, and though they may serve in some large buildings, they don't own them and often live in quaint poor surroundings which would not work for a family guy.

Plus the Catholic Church can not support families, be bothered in divorce courts or be wanting to go through trials where ex-wives attempt to attach Church property for support.

It's all a dumb idea.

Also, the church never wanted homosexual predators in the church taking vows they never intended to keep.

[MaryInSacto]

Scheer's stock in trade is the most irresponsible sort of bombthrowing. He the perfect example of a bedwetting Marxist scribe who thinks solely in terms of rights, not responsibilities. IMO he's one of the top 5 poster children for licensing "journalists" and "commentators."

[Fruit of the Spirit]

""It is not the Catholic Church’s emphasis on sexual reticence that gave us the scandal, it was morally delinquent priests who jettisoned the Church’s teachings on sexuality,” he says. "

That's not true! Priest attend orgies (in Italy) quite frequently. They aren't eunuchs yet the church asks them to forego their natural instincts.