Posted on 01/27/2012 6:52:07 AM PST by marshmallow
Noting that “American Catholics have in recent decades become remarkably passive even in the face of relentless hostility from the media, the entertainment industry, and now from some politicians,” Bishop Daniel Jenky of Peoria has issued a pastoral letter on secularism. The letter, issued on January 8, received a wider audience when it was published in the January 26 issue of Origins.
“The Catholic Diocese of Peoria now exists in a political reality that is increasingly secular in outlook and today is often specifically hostile to the convictions of our Faith,” he said. “Atheists and secularists have long realized that the Church of Rome is perhaps the largest single institution that still stands in the way of a completely secularized society. In Illinois where politics are notoriously corrupt and whose governmental agenda is so singularly ineffective, intrenched political power happens to be concentrated in a single region that for generations has been immune to reform. This situation has given determined special interest groups a unique opportunity to impose their views on everyone else as they endeavor to exclude faith from any role in the public forum.”
Bishop Jenky continued:
As your Bishop, I now believe it is critically necessary to raise an alarm among the faithful regarding growing threats to our religious freedom due to theincreasing steps toward radical secularization taking place in Illinois. Beside the abrupt exclusion of Catholic Charities from childcare and adoption services and increasing attempts to intimidate Catholic healthcare, I am also concerned about possible future moves that could be made against the independence of our Catholic schools and other public ministries of our Diocese. Eventually it may come to pass that our fidelity to the Gospel of Christ and to Catholic tradition may place us in direct conflict with recent legal definitions of the............
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicculture.org ...
Bullies will always be bullies. They take great delight in preying on the RCC at home and abroad because the Church is seen to be weak and without the will to strike back.
American Christians, like the good bishop has, need to realize that our government is no longer friendly to the cause of Christ.
In fact we need to wake up and understand it’s us vs. them now. No holds barred spiritual warfare is what is required. Either the state will rule our children or Christ will.
American Christians, Bishops especially, need to understand that this latest outrage is no more outrageous than taking our hard-earned dollars through taxation and ALREADY supporting abortion and contraception. This is nothing new! I'm certainly glad it's awakened some people who were asleep, but we needed to clean out Washington long before they threatened our healthcare plans.
So sadly true yanke.
We are collectively engaged in the greatest genocide in history fully funded around the world by our tx dollars.
2 million murders in just our own country every year. Home of the free? The first freedom is life.
Where is the leadership? I think I may need to start applying pressure my own church leadership to be more vocal in condemnation of abortion.
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