Take Back the Church? (dissenting catholic organizations)

Catholic Exchange ^ | August 21, 2006 | Brian Saint-Paul

[VidMihi]

Just for your information I am opposed to the ordination of women, (but am not opposed to a discussion about it - it just is not my interest ) and I do think the homosexuality of the clergy has been destructive to the Church in many ways. Let me offer an example of Catholics behaving like obedient little children and not taking responsibility.
Catholics in parishes for over 25 years have been aware that more and more of their new priests were gay, there was an obvious problem developing, but they said nothing. Most guilty, it seems to me were the Knights of Columbus, and the women who thought the gay priests were "just wonderful". The knights hobnobed with the bishops with their swords but never really sat down with him to discuss what was going on. We all know the results, and now because most straight men were turned off by what was going on in the seminaries, we now have very few Americans being ordained and our priests speak Polish or whatever - and is the answer lets seriously face this issue and try to solve it as adults - no most likely we are asked to "pray" and I am sure some will think I am against prayer. Oh well - I still think adult discussion and action, not giving in to the crazies
who want to change everything is the answer. If you don't think there are problems ask your own relatives and friends about birth control and annulments. Being willing to discuss these issue does not mean one favors abortion or some other crazy idea.
And furthermore attacking the Episcopalians who admittedly are in a mess,does not excuse us from being honest with ourselves. The Church is a divine institution but it is a very human organization and we are the "grown up" humans who are responsible or should be. One liners or pointing to single issue extremes do not help solve our very real problems but honest give and take discussion could be a start.
Check out the numbers attending Mass on Sunday in comparison to years ago. Talk to your Protestant friends and discover that up to one third of their church membership are fallen away Catholics. and check the reductions of the number of Catholics in South America and Africa. Some would say - good - Let them all go to hell - but would those be the words of Jesus. I say again, though some may not like it - lets all "Grow up".

[Barnacle]

If someone is going to take back our church, I hope it includes taking it back from those who condone illegal immigration, or more accurately - foreign invasion.

[tmbrrr]

If by "grow up" you mean take responsibility for holding members of the Church accountable when they teach error or create scandal, I wholeheartedly agree. The Church in America is truly in crisis and individual lay people and those in Catholic fraternal organizations need to take proactive steps to prevent the further erosion of our faith. However, you ask how Jesus would respond about those who leave the Church. Well, He did respond. He told the disciples to go and preach the Gospel, but if the people of a town refuse to listen, they were to brush off the dust from their feet and move on. It is far more important to expel those who would subvert the Church than to fill the pews. Pope Benedict has expressed this sentiment. The Roman Catholic Church requires fidelity to its fundamental teachings. A Catholic, by definition, is one who not only follows the Magisterium, but BELIEVES it! So, to "grow up" is to learn the Faith, practice it, and then pass it on.

[Unam Sanctam]

In the Vatican II documents, the role of the laity is to bring the Gospel message to the greater society. It is not to determine by majority vote the teachings of the deposit of faith, which constitute divine revelation through Scripture and Tradition and are expounded and interpreted by the authentic magisterium founded by Christ, i.e., the successor of Peter and the apostolic college of bishops in communion with him. If one wishes to rewrite the teachings of the faith, in a free society like ours, one should join or create another religion, and I think the modern American Episcopal Church might just fit the bill for these dissenters.

[ichabod1]

There IS an American Catholic Church. It's diabolical. That's why when you read that "75% of American Catholics favor abortion" or whatever, you have to be sure of who they're talking about.