Nashville Priest May Face Canonical Discipline Over Heretical Video

LifeSiteNews.com -- Your Life, Family, and Culture Outpost ^ | August 5, 2010 | By Patrick B. Craine

[topher]

Thursday August 5, 2010

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Nashville Priest May Face Canonical Discipline Over Heretical Video

By Patrick B. Craine

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, August 5, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A priest of the Nashville diocese may be facing canonical discipline after putting out a video on the front of his parish website this week denouncing the Pope and various Church teachings such as those against divorce, contraception, women's ordination, and the married priesthood.

The video, titled 'The State of our Church', is staged as an interview of the priest, Fr. Joseph Patrick Breen, by one of his parishioners at St. Edward's Catholic Church.  It appears to be an attempt at reaching out to fallen-away Catholics.  The video was picked up Thursday by the blog Creative Minority Report.

"That's the way we are, and that's where the people are," Fr. Breen explained when asked by LifeSiteNews why he released the video.  "You gotta get the bishops to, the Pope to listen to the people - the voice, you might say, of the Spirit - and you see so many people, I do, that quit going to church because there's no response to the necessary changes that should be made."

Rick Musacchio, director of communications for the Diocese of Nashville told LSN Thursday that Bishop David Choby became aware of the video on Tuesday and "considers it a very serious matter."  "He's in the process of developing a response in light of the canonical disciplines of the Church, and is in the process of arranging a meeting with Fr. Breen to address the matter," Musacchio explained.

Fr. Breen, however, said he is not afraid of facing discipline. "I'm just telling them what the people think.  That's all I'm doing," he said.  "What the people believe, that's what I'm saying."

In the video, Fr. Breen claims the Church is facing "difficult times" because it has "little or no leadership" with "all the authority" being in Rome.  "We respect the Pope, but we owe no obedience as adults except to our conscience, to what we feel is the spirit of God," he says.

The Church right now is "under the domination of one person in Rome, surrounded by a group of maybe a dozen Cardinals who are not relevant to the needs of the Church at all," he adds.

Asked by the interviewer how active lay Catholics can help bring back those who have fallen away, Fr. Breen complained that there is "no opportunity in the Catholic Church to have laity and really priests involved in the decision making."

The priest calls for a petition drive to demand for the ordination of married men, and he urges laity to call the bishop and write letters.  "Be very committed to it," he says.  "Demand a change."

When asked about his dream for the Church in the next five years, he says he hopes the Pope will come out with an apology for the Church's stance on contraception and other issues.  Referencing Pope John Paul II's apology for the Galileo affair, he said, "we're not able to wait for this Pope or the next Pope to wait another hundred years to say 'we made a mistake on birth control' or the fact that we do allow women to be at least deacons in the Church" or married men to be priests.

He also expressed concern about the growing number of foreign priests, and cited "authorities in the seminary" to claim that that many of the men entering seminary today are "intellectually inferior to what the standards were in the past."

Creative Minority Report (CMR) reports that Fr. Breen had been silenced (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n7_v30/ai_14745811/) in 1993 by then-Bishop of Nashville Edward Kmiec for the same views.  In fact, the priest at one time sent a petition signed by 1,100 lay Catholics to Rome demanding an end to clerical celibacy.  In 2006, he presented (http://www.tennessean.com/assets/pdf/DN503101115.PDF) his various demands in a letter to Cardinal William Levada ("Cardinal Bill"), prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

CMR has called for the priest to be removed from his parish, where he has served for the last 26 years.

Deal Hudson, director of Inside Catholic, says that before being removed the priest should be given the opportunity to retract those remarks that specifically violate Magisterial teaching.  "If he refuses to make such a statement, he should be removed from his present position and given time to reflect," Hudson told LifeSiteNews.

Hudson noted that while Fr. Breen is "speaking his mind without any fear of consequences," the priest "is only saying in front of a camera what many clergy say privately."

"The faithful should not be discouraged that clergy say such things from to time, but they should be concerned if such opinions are widely held," he said.  "No doubt a significant minority of clergy think along similar lines, but it is the obligation of both the laity and the bishops to correct with charity such convictions when they are uttered."

Contact Information:

The Most Reverend David R. Choby
Bishop of Nashville
The Catholic Center
2400 Twenty-first Avenue South
Nashville, TN. 37212

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/aug/10080507.html

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[topher]

I imagine that:

Fr. Joseph Patrick Breen

and:

St. Edward's Catholic Church of Nashville

are in for some interesting time in the next few weeks...

They have a webpage at:

Saint Edwards Catholic Church -- Nashville, TN -- Webpage -- http://www.stedward.org/

[topher]

Link to the website for the pastor (Father Breen):

Pastor of St Edwards Catholic Church, Nashville -- Father Breen -- webpage for St Edwards

[Bryanw92]

>> “We respect the Pope, but we owe no obedience as adults except to our conscience, to what we feel is the spirit of God,” he says.

Welcome to the Protestant church!!

[mware]

This priest would do himself a world of good by taking this weeks Sunday readings to heart. He shouldn't be as worried about Rome as much as the Lord.

That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

[FlyingFish]

"listen to the people - the voice, you might say, of the Spirit - and you see so many people, I do, that quit going to church because there's no response to the necessary changes that should be made."

Somehow, I am reminded of the rich man that walked away from Jesus when exhorted to sell all you have, give to the poor and follow me." People leave the Church because they want the Church and it's teachings to exist on their terms as opposed to living life on God's terms. Leaving the Church is easy.

[topher]

I often ponder that particular quote from Jesus for this very reason.

I guess that is why the Pieta Prayer Book begs people not to criticize priest but prayer for them if they are in error.

Priests may suffer much if they do not heed those particular words of Jesus:

To one that is given much, much is expected...

I don't recall where I have come across this short version of what Jesus said, but I believe this condensed version might help people to understand this quote.

[topher]

ping — prayers for this priest (and his parish)

[mware]

During scrpture study this week. We discussed this passage at great length.

My own priest, has great concern for his own salvation because he takes that responsibility for his parish so greatly.

More than once he was told us during his homilies, a quote by Fr Corapi, "I love you all dearly, but I am not going to hell for you."

[topher]

Father Breen with Pope Benedict (from the Parish website):

Picture of Father Breen from Parish Website

[NewCenturions]

In the 19080s, I heard a sermon of Fr Breen’s where he announced he didn’t believe in hell. How sad that a priest doesn’t have the faith.

[NewCenturions]

10980=1980!

[SumProVita]

Thank you, Lord! This has long been needed....

[mware]

Does't believe in hell huh???

Prayers up he does before it is too late.

[topher]

You may recall the story of Jesus walking along, and wanted fruit from a fig tree.

The fig tree had no fruit.

At that point, Jesus caused the fig tree to wither and die (which disturbed his apostles), stating to his apostles that if one is not fruitful, they might expect the same.

A priest I know told me of another priest (that we both knew) that on the day that priest retired the priest dropped dead

The priest who told me this seemed quite disturbed by it (and rightly so!)

The priest who dropped dead I served as an altar boy, and I did not know of anything good to say about him when I knew him as an altar boy.

So it is possible that God had no more use for this person on the day he retired from the priesthood...

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Why doesn’t he just become a Protestant?

[mware]

Perhaps this priest will be luckier than the one you knew.

Wasn't there scripture where the owner of the farm told the manger to rip out the tree because it had not produced fruit, but the worker asked if he could have another year to nurture,and care for the tree.

If it still did not produce fruit he would pull out the tree.

Correction now may save this priest yet.

[topher]

Under Canon Law, the pastor of a parish has all authority over his parish.

To Father Breen is actually criticizing himself. The LOCAL BISHOP cannot override the decisions of a pastor (he can only replace the pastor).

I once put this question to Father John Corapi, SOLT.

And he confirmed it.

I had relayed the story of Father Leroy Smith of the Cincinnati area (and Our Lady of Lights).

In the video, the Bishop of Cincinnati was telling Father Leroy to remove the statues from the church, remove the communion rail, move the tabernacle from behind the altar, and do many things to protestantize that particular church.

Father Leroy responded that this could be done by another pastor of that church, but as long as he was pastor, he would not do it. He even went on to say that as Bishop, the Bishop could replace him as pastor of the Church if he felt that this needed to be done.

Apparently, the Bishop dropped the matter.

It was on a video I came across on Father Leroy and Our Lady of Lights. Apparently, the supernatural events of August 31 (years I don't recall) happened at this parish.

So there was a good reason to put this on the video...

[topher]

Note that Our Lady of Lights is the title given from events considered to be extra-ordinary in the Cincinnati area.

As I recall from this video I saw on this, Father Leroy relayed about how a Protestant woman, there at the time of event of Our Lady of Lights, commented about a statue.

The woman was asking Father Leroy how they put this statue of Mary on the very top of a tree. Father Leroy responded that he could not see a statue on top of the tree.

I imagine the woman might have been seeing an apparition of Mary, and not realizing it...

[topher]

I really believe that Father Breen means well.

And maybe God will give him more time for that reason.

If you are aware of the Book of Job, Satan often goes before God asking for favors.

So often a person may have two advocates before God -- Satan and Jesus/Mary/Guardian Angel (as well as Saints).

An example might be Adolf Hitler. There were attempts on his life. One of which resulted in the execution of Field Marshall Rommel.

Yet Adolf Hitler survived. Why? It might be possible that Adolf Hitler was someone important to Satan, and Satan advocated that Adolf Hitler be protected.

What I am saying does open a Nasty can of worms, but in the scheme of things, it should be considered.

One must remember October 13, 1884, which was 33 years to the DAY BEFORE THE MIRACLE OF THE SUN at Fatima.

On that day, Pope Leo XIII fell in a trance after Low Mass, and saw a vision about Satan and God, and how Satan demanded more power to destroy the Church on earth...

[Le Chien Rouge]

How many fallen Roman Catholics have left precisely because of the antics of Father Breen and because of the Social Justice garbage spewed by many left winged CINO’s??