Pope Admonishes US Bishops to Teach Laymen to Form Conscience According to Church Teaching

ROME, December 6, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope John Paul II, in meetings with some US bishops, said that the office of the bishop is one in which there is a 'clear duty' to instruct and encourage the laity to adhere to Catholic teaching "in every temporal affair." The Pope, quoting the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, said, "there is no human activity - even of the temporal order - that can be withdrawn from God's dominion."

Now that the electoral dust has settled, some bishops are saying that the issue of doctrinal adherence among the laity is not concluded. Pope John Paul has exhorted the bishops of the US to reacquaint themselves with their role as teachers. He referred to the "serious pastoral problems created by a growing failure to understand the Church's binding obligation to remind the faithful of their duty in conscience to act in accordance with (the Church's) authoritative teaching."

The US election laid bare the conflict that has been brewing in the US Catholic Church since the period of the civil rights movement, when most Catholic bishops became associated with the Democratic Party. Since then, the conflict between many bishops' partisan support of favorite Democrat economic and social policies and their duty as faith and morals leaders in the Catholic Church has become acute. With the Democrats' adoption of the abortion/euthanasia agenda as a key platform plank - followed by the candidacy for president of the nominally Catholic, stridently pro-abortion John Kerry - the conflict has reached a crisis.

The bishops' Kerry fiasco illuminated the lack of awareness, fostered by 40 years of what one bishop called 'failed catechesis,' that a Catholic's conscience, including that of a Catholic politician, is only as good as its formation. The Pope said, "There is urgent need for a comprehensive catechesis on the lay apostolate which will necessarily highlight the importance of a properly formed conscience."

There is reason to question whether the pope's message will hit home, however. In the October 10th online edition of the American Spectator, George Neumayr observed that Kerry's liberal politics coincided with that of most US bishops. "They have no problem supporting an open heretic like Kerry, because their faith in Catholicism is as ambivalent as his. Kerry is their idea of a good Vatican II Catholic - liberal on economics, avant garde on morality."

John Paul told the bishops in attendance that their mission was to teach the laity, including politicians, that "for the faithful Christian there can be no separation between the faith which is to be believed and put into practice and a commitment to full and responsible participation in professional, political and cultural life."

To read the full text of the Pope's address:
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/bulletin/news/...

Read American Spectator article:
http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=72...

George Neumayr observed that Kerry's liberal politics coincided with that of most US bishops. "They have no problem supporting an open heretic like Kerry, because their faith in Catholicism is as ambivalent as his. Kerry is their idea of a good Vatican II Catholic - liberal on economics, avant garde on morality."

Thanks to Jesse Housman for posting the following press release to another thread. This is from Roman Catholic Faithful RCF , led by Stephen Brady, who has almost singlehandedly led a campaign to advise catholics of corruption in the USCCB.

* * * * *

“MISERABLE SERPENT” BISHOPS JOIN WITH THOSE WHO CONDEMN MEL GIBSON’S “COURAGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL EFFORT”

TO: Cardinal William H. Keeler
    Bishop Arthur J. Seratelli (Paterson NJ)
    Bishop John J. Nevins (Venice FL)
    Bishop Gerald Walsh (New York)
    Bishop John Nienstedt (New Ulm)
    All bishops of the USCCB

FROM: The Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc.

Recently, at the conclusion of one of your endless series of committee meetings (The Challenge of Mixed Marriage in American Life is Major Topic of U.S. Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee), you issued the following statement:

The Consultation also discussed the state of Jewish-Catholic relations in the wake of the film, "The Passion of the Christ," which caused such deep and understandable concern within Jewish community world-wide. The film, it was noted, was in reality a modern version of the notorious medieval Passion Plays which so often over the centuries have triggered riots against the Jews of Europe. Happily, however, the film precipitated no such anti-Jewish violence. Rather, in many places it sparked discussions in which Catholics learned why Jews feared such dramatic depictions of the death of Jesus, and Jews learned that many Catholics today have taken to heart the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that the Jews collectively cannot be held responsible "then or now" for Jesus' death. It was noted as well that continuing work needs to be done among those who have not yet absorbed these official teachings of the Church.

Generally, we in the laity read your prodigious output of wordy, useless position statements and constant “pastoral” bloviating with a mixture of boredom and mild irritation. Occasionally, however, the U.S. Bishops come out with something that is so outrageous, so offensive, so truly malignant, that the laity cannot remain mute. And so it is with this, your latest piece of ecclesiastical drivel.

When we consider your words, we must reflect upon all that you have given the laity during the past several decades; to wit:

You have destroyed our precious liturgy and replaced it with a quasi-heretical and saccharine floor show.
You have corrupted our children with poisonous sex ed programs.
You have allowed our children to be raped by perverted monsters in the clergy and have done everything in your power to cover up these crimes.
You have destroyed our beautiful churches and Cathedrals and replaced them with ugly “churches” that resemble aircraft hangars or cement factories.
You have squandered billions of dollars on useless or harmful “ministries” that are little more than glorified havens for left wing activists.
You have persecuted holy and orthodox priests and nuns.
You have denied priests their right to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, a right which no bishop or pastor of the Church can ever take away.
You have destroyed the faith of millions by promoting false catechesis.
You have turned away worthy candidates for the priesthood because they accepted the perennial teachings of the Church or because they opposed homosexuality.

The collective evil committed by the American Bishops dwarfs any harm committed in the Enron scandal, yet none of you have been sent to jail.

And now, when a man like Mel Gibson comes along and tries to glorify Our Lord with a movie, when he risks his personal fortune and reputation because Our Lord is despised by the World, you miserable serpents not only do not support him, but join with those who condemn his courageous and beautiful effort. Well, to you bishops, and to all the bishops of the USCCB, the Roman Catholic Faithful responds:

The movie The Passion of the Christ has done more to uplift the human heart, to bring souls to Christ, to increase holiness, and to glorify Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, than all the USCCB committees, subcommittees, documents, pastorals, letters, faxes and speeches put together.

James Bendell
Roman Catholic Faithful

Pope John Paul has exhorted the bishops of the US to reacquaint themselves with their role as teachers. He referred to the "serious pastoral problems created by a growing failure to understand the Church's binding obligation to remind the faithful of their duty in conscience to act in accordance with (the Church's) authoritative teaching."

The Bishops visiting the Pope will shortly include the Minnesota Bishops (my own collection of sub par hierarchy):

Eleven bishops of Minnesota and the Dakotas, a delegation led by Archbishop Harry Flynn, will spend next week at the Vatican for their once-every-five-years official visit to the pope.
Flynn and Auxiliary Bishop Richard Pates will take with them a report offering not just an intimate glimpse into Minnesota church life but what amounts to a "state of the Twin Cities'' message encompassing the 12-county metro area.
* *
Flynn also wrote in the report that he did not anticipate major new archdiocesan programs in the next five years but would focus on carrying out those in place.

These comments should be personally read to them as well. Flynn absolutely refuses to lead this diocese anywhere. He is trying to rule by bureaucracy rather than by leadership. He tries to appoint decent people to offices when a vacancy arises, but that’s it. That’s all he seems to do. If there is already a crappy heretic in the office, he’s left there. If Joan of Arc wants to march in a gay pride parade, and basically ignore Catholic teachings, hey, who’s he to stop them? If Rainbow Sash wants to receive communion and make political statements in his Cathedral, what can he say about it?

The only good thing about Flynn is that he isn’t Roach (his predecessor, and the guy who put all the heretics in charge in the first place).

patent

The Pope, quoting the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, said, "there is no human activity - even of the temporal order - that can be withdrawn from God's dominion."

Unfortunatelyl, when the baby got tossed out the window with the bathwater this was lost along with everything else.

It causes some to think and speak thusly:

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. P.O. Box 109

Petersburg, IL 62675

Phone 217-632-5920

December 6, 2004

“MISERABLE SERPENT” BISHOPS JOIN WITH THOSE WHO CONDEMN MEL GIBSON’S “COURAGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL EFFORT”

TO: Cardinal William H. Keeler

Bishop Arthur J. Seratelli (Paterson NJ)

Bishop John J. Nevins (Venice FL)

Bishop Gerald Walsh (New York)

Bishop John Nienstedt (New Ulm)

All bishops of the USCCB

FROM: The Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc

. Recently, at the conclusion of one of your endless series of committee meetings (The Challenge of Mixed Marriage in American Life is Major Topic of U.S. Catholic-Jewish Consultation Committee), you issued the following statement:

The Consultation also discussed the state of Jewish-Catholic relations in the wake of the film, "The Passion of the Christ," which caused such deep and understandable concern within Jewish community world-wide. The film, it was noted, was in reality a modern version of the notorious medieval Passion Plays which so often over the centuries have triggered riots against the Jews of Europe. Happily, however, the film precipitated no such anti-Jewish violence. Rather, in many places it sparked discussions in which Catholics learned why Jews feared such dramatic depictions of the death of Jesus, and Jews learned that many Catholics today have taken to heart the teaching of the Second Vatican Council that the Jews collectively cannot be held responsible "then or now" for Jesus' death. It was noted as well that continuing work needs to be done among those who have not yet absorbed these official teachings of the Church.

When we consider your words, we must reflect upon all that you have given the laity during the past several decades; to wit:

* You have destroyed our precious liturgy and replaced it with a quasi-heretical and saccharine floor show.

* You have corrupted our children with poisonous sex ed programs.

* You have allowed our children to be raped by perverted monsters in the clergy and have done everything in your power to cover up these crimes.

* You have destroyed our beautiful churches and Cathedrals and replaced them with ugly “churches” that resemble aircraft hangars or cement factories.

* You have squandered billions of dollars on useless or harmful “ministries” that are little more than glorified havens for left wing activists.

* You have persecuted holy and orthodox priests and nuns.

* You have denied priests their right to celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass, a right which no bishop or pastor of the Church can ever take away.

* You have destroyed the faith of millions by promoting false catechesis.

* You have turned away worthy candidates for the priesthood because they accepted the perennial teachings of the Church or because they opposed homosexuality.

The collective evil committed by the American Bishops dwarfs any harm committed in the Enron scandal, yet none of you have been sent to jail.

The movie The Passion of the Christ has done more to uplift the human heart, to bring souls to Christ, to increase holiness, and to glorify Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, than all the USCCB committees, subcommittees, documents, pastorals, letters, faxes and speeches put together.

James Bendell

Roman Catholic Faithful -End-

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