Liberalism in the Church ("Goodbye, Good Men" reviewed by Karl Maurer)

Amazon.com ^ | 09 August 2002 | Karl Maurer

[Antoninus]

Hey! I wrote a review on Amazon for GB,GM too. Doesn't my review get a separate thread?

At the very least, everyone with an Amazon account should go there and give each 5 star review a "helpful" vote...

:-)

[Antoninus]

Rose's book was generally good, but he made many mistakes, and refused to correct them when confronted. Instead, he threatened one priest with a lawsuit. He also, pointedly, never talked to one single seminary rector, using as his excuse "well, it would have been pointless." Let's hope he has more integrity in the pages of his next book.

Have you stopped calling him a liar? Funny, you bash Michael Rose as a man with no integrity, yet you defend Bishop Hubbard to the hilt.

You are a strange bird.

[Antoninus]

Integrity.

A subject you know little about, I fear.

He accused seminary authorities of laxities in admissions policies. Should he not allow them to explain themselves, or justify themselves?

If I remember correctly, according to Rose, he did contact many of them, but none or not many would speak to him on the record.

But the fact that you would attack Rose is not surprising. You were attacking him as a liar before you even read the book.

[Antoninus]

Is filing a lawsuit against Fr. Rob Johansen for disagreeing with some of his book, the actions of a man of integrity?

It is if the individual in question is slandering you and refuses to desist...

[sinkspur]

If I remember correctly, according to Rose, he did contact many of them, but none or not many would speak to him on the record.

Not true. He contacted no seminary rector; he admitted it.

I never called Rose a "liar."

Why would a Catholic author silence a priest-critic by threatening to sue his bishop?

[sinkspur]

It is if the individual in question is slandering you and refuses to desist...

Rose would not respond to requests from Johanssen to answer his questions. Instead, he threatened his bishop with a lawsuit.

[Antoninus]

He was not refused. The rector of Louvain took him to task over some of the statements made by the lone seminarian he interviewed. No less than the National Catholic Register sided with the rector of Louvain against Rose.

And New Oxford Review blasted the Register for falling for the rector's BS. There was a devastating follow-up in NOR by Michael Rose himself which effectively demolished the claims made by the rector.

As far as I'm concerned, Goodbye, Good Men is a litmus test for where people fall on the deconstruction of the Catholic Church. A lot of crypto-orthodox types were exposed by their desire to savage the book.

[Antoninus]

I never called Rose a "liar."

Sorry, you did. If you want, I'll go dredge up the post.

Why would a Catholic author silence a priest-critic by threatening to sue his bishop?

Are you saying that a priest has a right to slander someone? And of course, there's always the chance that this particular priest was acting under orders or at least tacit approval....

[sinkspur]

Are you saying that a priest has a right to slander someone?

He didn't slander. He took issue with some of Rose's facts, then asked Rose to respond. Rose did, with a threatened lawsuit.

And of course, there's always the chance that this particular priest was acting under orders or at least tacit approval

Oh. So smearing someone is OK, but slander is not?

BTW, Ninenot notes that the rector of Louvain who questioned Rose has just been hired by Abp. Dolan of Milwaukee in his diocese.

[Pyro7480]

BTW, Ninenot notes that the rector of Louvain who questioned Rose has just been hired by Abp. Dolan of Milwaukee in his diocese.

That doesn't surprise me at all.

[MegaSilver]

I don't even have to scroll down to see who will, doubtlessly, jump to this thread to defend the gentle special bishops, priests and deacons of the lavender mafia.

"Lavender mafia"??

LOL! Great one! I'm going to start using that.

[sinkspur]

That doesn't surprise me at all.

It doesn't surprise me either, as Dolan is a straight shooter, and the Louvain rector acquitted himself rather well in a rebuttal to Rose.

[narses]

What CONCLUSION do you perceive Rose to have made?

[sinkspur]

What CONCLUSION do you perceive Rose to have made?

Seminaries are loaded with gays.

The truth is, as Rose has to admit in his final chapter, the seminaries are largely cleaned up after the early 90s.

His book is about a phenomenon that occurred in the 70s and 80s.