Posted on 09/25/2005 5:40:03 AM PDT by NYer
Washington DC, Sep. 23, 2005 (CNA) - A national Catholic advocacy organization says Roman Catholics for the Freedom to Marry is a dissident group that should not be allowed to describe itself as Catholic.
The group held a press conference yesterday, condemning the decision of Archbishop Sean OMalley of Boston to urge Catholics to sign a petition in favor of a state constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage. The group is organized as a project under the multifaith Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry.
"Such liberal groups should not be taken seriously by faithful Catholics who follow the teachings of the Church, said Fidelis president Joseph Cella. The Catholic Church's teaching on marriage pre-dates the Church itself, and cannot be changed based on the political preferences of the day.
"These people are destructive dissidents who should not be allowed to use the title 'Roman Catholic' in their identity, Cella continued. He said Fidelis is asking Archbishop O'Malley to consider ordering this group to cease referring to itself as Roman Catholic.
These groups are peddling an agenda that presumes that Catholic teaching on marriage is open for change," Cella stated.
In June, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the Churchs teaching on marriage, saying: "The various forms of the dissolution of matrimony today, like free unions, trial marriages and going up to pseudo-matrimonies by people of the same sex, are rather expressions of an anarchic freedom that wrongly passes for true freedom of man."
Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race. The possibility of using recently discovered methods of artificial reproduction, beyond involving a grave lack of respect for human dignity,(15) does nothing to alter this inadequacy.
CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS
Ping!
Can't we get some kind of international trademark on the name
"Roman Catholic"?
I'm sorry my eyes are still fuzzy this early morning.
O'Malley said Catholics SHOULD sign the petition???
Why isn't he removed?
I would think that this is plainly obvious.It is,after all,understood that Kerry and Kennedy (for example) aren't Catholic,regardless of what they might claim.
Well, practicing Catholics understand that these fools aren't actually "Catholic", but many among the rest don't understand that. These politicians call themselves Catholics because, well, did you ever hear anyone talk about how important the Episcopalian vote is?
We need bold, courageous and decisive Bishops who will fulfill the role of "good shepherds" by pointing out the wolves and then driving them away from the flock. I'm personally hopeful that Pope Benedict will provide the leadership for such a change. I don't care if the Church becomes significantly smaller if that's the price for a Church that's more faithful.
They are Kennedy Catholics, Kerry Catholics or Democrat Catholics.
Amen!
As I was writing my earlier post, I kept thinking about the verbal faux pas Pat Buchanan made on one of these cable talk deals where he said, "Benedict will be a great German shepherd". It is kind of fitting, though, in that he will, hopefully, identify and stop dangerous intruders in much the same way that many rely on the other kind of German Shepherds.
Jesus has already established Himself as the Trademark:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john10.htm
The reason why, as a Colombian priest explained to me, Jesus didn't speak out in his defense when He was handed over to men, was because He didn't need to defend Himself. He laid down His life and took it back again.
I think the same manner can be explained for the name "Catholic". Catholic sheep know enough to listen to the Shepard's voice as we don't follow a stranger nor trust a hired hand.
If you do NOT believe in the Canons of the Church - simple -you are NOT a member of the Church.
But then, in a country like this where even the most liberal socialist in NYC can call himself a republican and the GOP accepts it on face $$$$ value ....
Hmm. This group seems like a new and unimproved variant of the rainbow sashers.
I think the best way to handle these folks is not to give the lamestream media the opportunity to portray them as martyrs. That's the strategy here: to bait the church into smacking them down so they can rend their shirts in public about it.
A better approach I think is to simply state that the church's position, and to invite them to worship elsewhere if they find that untenable.
Excellent news. I'll ping the list in a while. Gotta get organized. Look like it's kicking butt and taking names time. (Excuse my impious expression!) :-)
>>
Have another cup of java ..... O'Malley said Catholics should signe the petition to ban same sex marriage<<
Okay, sucked down more coffee, went to mass, I'm better now.
O'Malley's position is orthodox, and supports a ban on redefining marriage to include same sex relationships.
We need to avoid the term same sex marriage, as it is a oxymoron.
Here's yet another explanation. In his book, Salvation is from the Jews , the author, Roy Schoeman (a Jewish convert) comments:
Both Matthew and Mark explicitly mention Jesus' silence as well as the underlying motive of envy. From Matthew 27:12-18:
"But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?" But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge; so that the governor wondered greatly ... For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up."
Mr. Schoeman points to the Lemann brothers (also Jewish converts) who made the touching point that Jesus' silence before the High Priest was motivated by His profound respect for the office of the Jewish Priesthood. Mosaic law forbids compelling a witness to testify against himself. It was because Jesus did not want to put the High Priest in the position of sinning against that law that He refused to answer the High Priest's questions even though beaten for it. (John 18:19-23) which he then quotes. Jesus acquiesced only when the High Priest ordered Him to answer in the name of God.
This is extraordinary! I am not familiar with Mosaic law and could never have figured this out. Can you imagine! Here is the sinless Son of God respecting Jewish laws so as not to cause his accuser to sin!
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