Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

I'll excommunicate you: (Australian) archbishop
The Australian ^ | November 3, 2008 | Andrew Fraser

Posted on 11/03/2008 11:42:37 AM PST by NYer

THE Brisbane parish of St Mary's looks set to be excommunicated after the local priest, Peter Kennedy, said yesterday he would not change his ways despite being warned to do so by church authorities.

Father Kennedy was speaking after the inner-city parish received a letter from Brisbane Catholic Archbishop John Bathersby, who has given the parish until the end of the month to change several of its practices.

The South Brisbane church openly gives communion to gays, regularly has women giving the homily, and has a style of baptism that is not within the rules of the Catholic Church.

Neither Father Kennedy nor the other priest at the church, Terry Fitzpatrick, wear traditional priest's vestments.

The archbishop wrote to the parish in September drawing attention to practices that placed St Mary's "not in communion with the Catholic Church", and giving them until the end of the year to respond.

But in a letter last week, Archbishop Bathersby said several undertakings had not been honoured and that "games are still being played, as they were in the past".

"I am prepared to wait until December 1, but no longer. After that I will begin a formal process to address the situation," he said.

While the parish still has the rest of the month to respond to the archbishop, Father Kennedy indicated yesterday that the local people would not be changing their practices.

Father Kennedy said the practices at St Mary's had evolved over the years from the community. He strongly criticised what he called the hierarchical approach of the Vatican in dictating what should be said in every parish in the world.

He said St Mary's had been "white-anted" by people who were not regular members of the church and found some of the practices there offensive.

(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Current Events; Worship
KEYWORDS: australia; brisbane
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last

1 posted on 11/03/2008 11:42:38 AM PST by NYer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Salvation; narses; SMEDLEYBUTLER; redhead; Notwithstanding; nickcarraway; Romulus; ...

Why wait ... they have been repeatedly warned. Shut them down.


2 posted on 11/03/2008 11:44:28 AM PST by NYer ("Run from places of sin as from a plague." - St. John Climacus)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I don’t understand, isn’t it a hierchial system. Why excommunicate the entire parish instead of just change the leadership and excommunicate the errant priest.
(just my Southern Baptist opinion)


3 posted on 11/03/2008 11:50:12 AM PST by DannyTN (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

I don’t understand, isn’t it a hierchial system. Why excommunicate the entire parish instead of just change the leadership and excommunicate the errant priest.
(just my Southern Baptist opinion)


4 posted on 11/03/2008 11:50:18 AM PST by DannyTN (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

This guy sounds like he deserves excommunication based on the invalid baptisms alone. However, “openly gives communion to gays” seems a funny charge. Being homosexual is not a sin, but a disorder. It is only homosexual activity that is sinful, and if engaged in with full knowledge of its sinfulness and consent, would be a mortal sin. Therefore, withholding communion would not necessarily be appropriate for someone who was apparently or claimed to “be gay” unless, as with the rainbow sashers, individuals were publicly and unrepentantly dissenting from Church teaching on homosexuality.


5 posted on 11/03/2008 11:50:41 AM PST by Unam Sanctam
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DannyTN
The parish would not be excommunicated.

The parish could be placed under interdict - i.e. forbidden from celebrating the sacraments until order is restored in the parish.

Only individual persons can be excommunicated.

A similar situation occurred in St. Louis, where the local bishop excommunicated the former pastor and the members of the parish council who personally endorsed his behavior.

When the parish did not remove the council and continued to engage in the pastor's activities, the parish was dissolved and the faithful members of the parish invited to join nearby faithful parishes.

6 posted on 11/03/2008 11:57:08 AM PST by wideawake (Why is it that those who like to be called Constitutionalists know the least about the Constitution?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: DannyTN

Sometimes, the whole parish is a problem.
This happened in my Diocese when a new priest was put into a parish going in the wrong direction

http://www.strene.com/


7 posted on 11/03/2008 11:57:29 AM PST by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: NYer

Goodness.

How can I bear it?

Agreeing with you yet again!


8 posted on 11/03/2008 11:58:11 AM PST by Quix (GLOBALIST PLANS FM 1900 ON #76 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2031425/posts?page=77#77)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: NYer
Wonder what these priests would have changed back in Sodom and Gomorrah days to "reflect the changing community"?

Father Kennedy, 71, who has refused all media interviews until the weekend, said he was making a stand on behalf of what he called "recovering Catholics".

If I join the Catholic Faith, then consider me a resurgent Catholic! One who sees the value in holding on to at least SOME traditions.

9 posted on 11/03/2008 12:00:50 PM PST by Clock King (By any means neccessary...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

If a homosexual is not having sex, can they receive the sacraments?


10 posted on 11/03/2008 12:05:16 PM PST by nufsed
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer
Why wait ... they have been repeatedly warned. Shut them down.

*********************

Agreed. Every day they are leading Catholics astray. Their behaviour may also inspire confusion and enmity in others, who may not be Catholic.

11 posted on 11/03/2008 12:10:33 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: netmilsmom
What happened? The link is to a letter from disgruntled parishioners, who don't make clear exactly why they're upset -- did the priest try to turn them back towards orthodoxy, or was it the other way around?
12 posted on 11/03/2008 12:24:38 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse - TTGS Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother

>> did the priest try to turn them back towards orthodoxy,<<

Yes! and let me tell you, sometimes taking the power away from the laity can cause mushroom clouds.

The Priest has a tough row to hoe there. But they have a great perpeual adoration chapel and I think Our Lord is guiding them.


13 posted on 11/03/2008 12:28:46 PM PST by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: nufsed

>>If a homosexual is not having sex, can they receive the sacraments?<<

If ANYONE who is unmarried is having sex, that person may not receive the Holy Eucharist. If he/she goes to confession with a humble and contrite heart, he/she is forgiven.

Even homosexuals are welcome, no matter what the MSM says. But the sin of homosexual sex is actually no worse than unmarried heterosexual sex. Both are sins.


14 posted on 11/03/2008 12:32:34 PM PST by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Quix

Come on. You secretly like some of us. XD

Hugs my FRiend!!!


15 posted on 11/03/2008 12:34:04 PM PST by netmilsmom (Digg for America - Ask me how!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: netmilsmom; nufsed
I think the problem comes in because homosexual activists want to insist that what they are doing is not wrong or sinful.

Generally, unmarried folks who are sleeping around know that they are doing wrong, repent, and struggle against their temptation. If they don't feel that it's wrong, they go find another church, they don't agitate to receive the sacraments anyway.

The in-your-face homosexual activists aren't really interested in repentance, they are on a political campaign (which of course is incompatible with genuine repentance and intent to amend, even if one falls short repeatedly).

The real problem with this priest and this parish is that they are loudly insisting that what the Church teaches to be sin, is not sin, and that they are proud of it. That's incompatible with calling oneself a Catholic parish.

16 posted on 11/03/2008 12:38:05 PM PST by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse - TTGS Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: netmilsmom

OH, DEAR!

That was supposed to be highly classified info.


17 posted on 11/03/2008 12:40:40 PM PST by Quix (GLOBALIST PLANS FM 1900 ON #76 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2031425/posts?page=77#77)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: NYer

“Father Kennedy said the practices at St Mary’s had evolved over the years from the community. He strongly criticised what he called the hierarchical approach of the Vatican in dictating what should be said in every parish in the world.”

Idiot, what part of Caholic Church don’t you understand?


18 posted on 11/03/2008 12:58:10 PM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NYer

“Father Kennedy said the practices at St Mary’s had evolved over the years from the community. He strongly criticised what he called the hierarchical approach of the Vatican in dictating what should be said in every parish in the world.”

Idiot, what part of Catholic in Catholic Church don’t you understand?


19 posted on 11/03/2008 12:58:59 PM PST by lastchance (Hug your babies.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Quix; netmilsmom; NYer

Not after she got her Opus Dei secret decoder ring!

On subject:
Y’all are right, they should be shut down!


20 posted on 11/03/2008 12:59:25 PM PST by Jaded ("Eloquence is no substitute for experience" -Joe Lieberman)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-32 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson