Posted on 05/04/2019 12:49:18 AM PDT by robowombat
Notre Dame fire represents a Church that must finish burning and ‘finally die’: priest
CHESTNUT HILL, Massachusetts, May 3, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – A Chilean priest caused outrage when he commented on the Notre Dame cathedral fire, saying the destructive event represents how the Church has become “insignificant” and needs to “finish burning and dying.”
"What a prophetic beginning of Holy Week!” wrote Fr. Nemo Castelli, SJ on Facebook in Spanish. “I know that it is a marvelous heritage of the humanity of the 12th century, that it took almost 200 years to build it, that it is the most visited in Europe and that it is horrifying to see it being consumed.”
"But it can represent a type of Church that has to finish burning and dying: a Church more like a museum, insignificant in the daily life of the people, that conceals and cares for the institution before the justice of the Kingdom and whose norms and style end up distancing the youth from God," he added.
Castelli thought enough of his opinion to publish it on Twitter.
Again proclaiming the disaster “a prophetic beginning of Holy Week,” the Chilean priest wrote in Spanish:
“I know that it is a marvel of 12th-century humanity's heritage, but it can represent a type of Church that must finally die: that which is like a museum, insignificant in one's life, that cares for the institution and whose norms distance it from God.”
After an outcry, Castelli apologized on Twitter to those who love the venerable cathedral.
“And I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I didn’t mean to offend the faith of those who have found comfort for centuries in Notre Dame, nor to the Paris community, which together with thousands of us mourn this accident,” he wrote.
“I just think it's an image that can make us reflect as a church.”
Castelli, a native of Chile, is currently associated with Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. Last month, he gave a Spanish-language interview in which he said Chile’s young people are disenchanted with organizations, including the Catholic Church.
“There is widespread disenchantment with institutions and collective organizations,” he said.
“Given this, there are particular features in the case of the Catholic Church that aggravate this sensation. In the first place, there is a growing gap between people's lives and Catholic doctrine, especially in the area of sexual morality. It no longer seems that there exists a way to humanize this area of life.”
He added that the “inconsistency” of Catholics makes “our way of life” lack credibility, and also that people “are tired of being told what to do and think, without respecting the autonomy of their conscience and their capacity for self-determination.” Finally, Castelli believes the Chileans are disgusted by the revelations of clerical sexual abuse.
In terms of young people, the priest believes that they and the Church have “decoupled.”
“There is a complete decoupling,” he said.
“The Church is not successful in working with those who are searching, and with the language and the culture that are emerging. Associated with this, the main mistake we make as Church is to blame the goats because we do not understand their culture and they do not ‘get’ us, and we conclude ‘it is that the young are not like before,’ ‘it is that the youth are so bad, so uncommitted, so individualistic, so consumerist, that they forget God.’”
Castelli called this assumption “the second mistake,” saying the young are looking for “the transcendent.”
“If you look at the numbers of religious studies, what is happening is that young people continue to believe, but their religiosity is changing. And when they go to the Catholic Church they don't find or don't tune in to its proposal, so they are looking elsewhere.” he said.
Castelli proposed that the Church learn from these young people.
“The first thing is to take young people seriously, to learn from their sensibilities that are different from ours and to tune in to their searches,” he said.
“For example, they find God more easily in nature and simplicity; they integrate corporality and pleasure better in life; they understand that truth has to do with authenticity and coherence between what I say and what I do; they are more realistic in demanding a heroism that accepts their own and others' vulnerability; they are more open to accepting diversity in every sense, and they value the autonomy of the subject very much.”
Catholic philosopher and author Peter Kwasniewski suggested that Castelli does not speak for all young Catholics.
“I'm sure that some young people fit Castelli's description, but that is primarily because they have been abandoned by the very authorities to whom they should be able to look for guidance: their biological parents in the family and their spiritual fathers, the bishops and priests, in the Church,” Kwasniewski told LifeSiteNews.
“Most young people are cast adrift into secularizing schools that fill their heads with garbage and malform their consciences. Churchmen, for their part, instead of offering the youth a challenging and inspiring countercultural message, just offer them a stale, second-rate version of contemporary culture,” he continued.
“No wonder the youth feel bored and uninterested in the Church; it has nothing to offer them. If Castelli's advice were taken, it would only further secularize and dilute the Catholic Church, until it simply merged into the background of the rest of society.”
In 2010, the Church in Chile was plunged into a massive scandal over homosexual predation by members of clergy and its cover-up by bishops. The outrage surrounding the crimes of Fr. Fernando Karadima was exacerbated in 2015 when Pope Francis appointed Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, who had close ties to Karadima, to the See of Osorno. It flared up again when the pontiff said the Catholics of Osorno were suffering because they were “dumb.”
In a gesture of repentance for the Chilean scandals, all of Chile’s bishops tendered their resignation to Pope Francis in 2018. This March, the pontiff accepted the resignation of Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, the cardinal archbishop of Santiago, Chile.
Cardinal Ezzati has been implicated in a cover-up of abuse committed by Fr. Oscar Muñoz Toledo, the former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santiago. Muñoz is alleged to have seven victims, five of them his own nephews. Ezzati denies that he was involved in a cover-up.
Ezzati was replaced by Bishop Celestino Aós who, last month, refused Holy Communion to worshippers because they knelt to receive the sacrament.
LifeSiteNews attempted to reach out to Castelli on social media but was not successful.
I wish I had daily access to a sanctuary such as Notre Dame or, more specially for me, Chartres Cathedral, to seek the peace of Christ and the Salvation which comes only through Him.
Man is fallen and Jesus the Christ is our only Salvation. This “priest” has lost his way—as have many.
While I differ on Castelli’s views on drawing younger people perhaps, I do think his use of the Notre Dame fire is fitting for the state of some churches. Notre Dame was primarily a museum, a tourist attraction. That is not what “church” is about.
I thought the second to the last sentence was also an interesting statement, and points to what some churches are like, and why some churches are dying:
“Ezzati was replaced by Bishop Celestino Aós who, last month, refused Holy Communion to worshippers because they knelt to receive the sacrament.”
I’m not Catholic - but I thought Catholics DID kneel? Regardless - that sort of attitude by a church leader imho is ALSO what church is not about. Kneeling, standing - whatever.
What an insufferable little jackass this ‘man’ is ! :-/
The Church has really fallen hard since Pope John Paul II wan pontiff.
Oh for the glory days of John Paul/Reagan/Thatcher...sigh
Pope Marx is a pox that needs to be excised.
What kind of apology is that?
I'm getting sick of the non-apology apologies.
*I'm sorry you didn't like what I said*, is NOT apologizing!!!
No, it's been like that for a long time.
With Frank it's just been exposed for what it is.
Frank would not have gotten elected if the rot had not spread far and deep long before.
He sounds like another Communist in a cassock because he is talking materialism.
The church is in retreat because it has fallen to materialism and the feel good philosophy of the 1960s instead of preparing the people of the Church for eternity.
He talks about “a heroism that accepts their own and others' vulnerability; they are more open to accepting diversity in every sense” and what he means is surrendering to the desires of the flesh (specifically of accepting homosexuality). When he should be speaking of conquering the desires of the flesh.
He then talks about “they value the autonomy of the subject very much” when he should be teaching that we must surrender to God’s will and in doing so conquer our fears and gain eternal life.
You know - I couldn’t understand all of his “explanations” I guess that should have clued me in that in was a liberal.
And THAT imho is why churches (Catholic and Protestant) are declining.
So the answer is Socialism?. I may agree that a prophetic question may be taken from the burning of Notre Dame I do not agree with his solution. God is alive. Seek to follow Him
Interesting article... not because of its content, but because of its impact.
Will this be labeled as an “anti-Catholic thread” and thereby, rightfully, get pulled by the owner?
Right or wrong, is a “Priest” qualified to complain about his “Church”?
Should anyone read about it and be informed?
Unless they’re able to get ride of that Socialist Pope and replace him with Cardinal Sarah, he won’t have to wait very long, probably just a few years.
Has there ever been a Catholic Christ loving Jesuit in the past 100 years?
The early church had no grand edifices. Believers met in homes and private remote outdoor spaces. For nearly 300 years, many Christians persecuted by Rome met in the catacombs. Again, they did not need all the trappings of a medieval or modern church building. Their faith was not in the beauty or craftsmanship of a building. Their faith was in the living God, the Word shared among them and the Holy Spirit who lived in them. The CHURCH was them!
Now is this to say there is no place for a cathedral or modern church building. Absolutely not! Cathedrals (old and new) and modern church buildings allow a large group of Believers to gather in one place. Art work of various kinds can transmit the gospel. I think of the Stations of the Cross we see in Catholic churches. They communicate the story of Christ's passion.
I know my Catholic and Orthodox friends will disagree but if we venerate art work, buildings and relics and fail to understand that the church is the body of Believers - we are missing it. The church is Christ in us. If we've elevated 'things' to be our 'church', again we are missing it!
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. " - 1 Peter 2:5
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,” - Acts 2: 46
He spoke the truth. That people don't want to hear it is not his fault.
Jesus Christ is the most radically different figure who ever walked on earth. He challenged everyone to depart from the secular way of thinking. Nothing has changed. This priest adopts secular absorption rather than radical transformation.
Are there conservative Catholic and Christian churches that are growing and thriving in place of the liberal Catholic and Christian churches? As far as I can tell, the only churches I see growing are non-demoninational megachurches the size of basketball arenas that have rock bands playing on stage. Are these churches bedrocks of conservative Christian values? I honestly don't know. I go to a Russian Orthodox church. It's small. No rock band.
James Schall, SJ.
Raymond Gawronski, SJ.
Robert Spitzer, SJ.
Loyola and Xavier- type Jesuits, straight guys and solid Catholics all.
I used to have a much bigger list, but Google is now hiding the results of self-search for me, (under the name of "Mrs. Don-o" plus search terms pertaining to a particular post) so I can't locate my own FR articles posts going back 14-15 years anymore..
Grrrrr....
IIRC there was a big system failure at FR about 15 to 16 years ago with a re-build and much was lost then. check with Jim to see if my facts are correct.
But I will differ from the false dichotomy implied in this sentence:
"I know my Catholic and Orthodox friends will disagree but if we venerate art work, buildings and relics and fail to understand that the church is the body of Believers - we are missing it."
I have had the privilege of knowing both church-builders and artists who glorify God and serve Him diligently with their arts which honor His goodness, truth and beauty.
If one risk is of making physical, tangible beauty an end in itself, the opposite but equal risk is to denigrate God by implying that He does not deserve the best we can give.
Don't forget that when a woman anointed the feet of Jesus with rare perfumed oil, Jesus accepted that as just: and the only one who was clearly annoyed with it was Judas the Thief.
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