Posted on 09/08/2018 3:20:34 PM PDT by ebb tide
Pope Francis’s characteristic tactic of running out the clock with his silence and evasion of critical issues of importance such as the Dubia have seemed to serve him well up to this point in his papacy. With support among the clergy increasing daily for the Vigano testimony and the latest news regarding legal investigations and the withholding of financial support for the Church, this strategy of evasion and silence will be more difficult to maintain and most likely start to crack in the days ahead.
The Associated Press reported Thursday, “New York and New Jersey launched new investigations into the Roman Catholic Church’s handling of clergy sex abuse allegations Thursday as the number of similar inquiries around the country continues to grow.”
Government intrusion into the Catholic Church will now be the norm as the states’ attorney generals start tripping over each other each trying to out-prosecute the other in the Churches’ ongoing sexual abuse scandal.
Also Lifesitenews reported last Thursday, “The highly influential Catholic business association Legatus has put its annual Vatican tithe “in escrow,” citing the current crisis in the Church. The amount withheld is $820,000, according to a Legatus spokesperson. The association has donated $18 million to the Holy See in the 31 years it has been existence. . .”
This is no small matter. As more and more people and organizations withhold their financial support for the Church, we are likely to see some positive results.
The silence and stonewalling in response to Archbishop Vigano’s allegations by the hierarchy are starting to accrue some serious unwanted ramifications for the Catholic Church and Pope Francis.
It is unfortunate and ironic that after years of unanswered questions by faithful Catholic laity, the threat of handcuffs and financial ruin might finally force the hierarchy to administer to their flock as they were called to do by God.
It will become more apparent soon, that silence will no longer be a refuge, as prosecution and financial difficulties become a reality for some in the hierarchy.
Joseph Matt – Publisher, The Wanderer
Ping
And this was my message to my bishop on his twitter feed today:
Running out the clock w/ silence & evasion of critical issues (the Dubia, the Vigano testimony) won't work for the Vatican in the future. Pray that all our Catholic leaders see the necessity of getting these doctrinal and moral infections into the open for Our Lord to heal them.
Again I urge: Find some outlet for your financial charity OTHER THAN your diocese. Keep your money OUT of the hands of those who use it to enrich themselves or cover up the crimes and misdeeds of perverts.
I think I remember reading that several State’s Attorneys General have been now implicated in this debacle because when citizens approached them regarding crimes that occurred, they refused to prosecute such crimes, telling them, “these crimes committed are beyond our jurisdiction, and these sexual assaults need to be dealt with internally.”
(paraphrasing)
The Pope will never answer and will never step down. He’s too ideological.
Step One:
Step One: Cut out or print off this article, fold it up, and put it in the collection plate at Mass, because these are the terms: NO DONATIONS UNLESS A PRIEST PUBLICLY TAKES THE OATH AGAINST MODERNISM AND BEGINS IN EARNEST TO LEARN HOW TO SAY THE TRIDENTINE MASS.
I agree, but I must acknowledge the truth that in my Diocese, many priests would openly protest such measures.
Two comments, and a warning.
1) Every Latin-rite priest and bishop present at the Second Vatican Council was trained and ordained in the “preconciliar Church”, and offered the Mass exclusively in Latin.
2) Much of the pederasty and child abuse revealed by various investigations happened before Vatican II. Much more of it was perpetrated by priests and bishops who were trained and ordained prior to the Council.
From this it follows that we cannot simply return to the 1950s (or whenever), as though that was some sort of “golden age”. It wasn’t. The Tridentine Mass is a good thing. We should return to it. Modernism is evil. We should reject it. But we must also learn and understand the strategic, tactical, pastoral, and doctrinal errors that led to the present disaster. We must understand that they began in hiding long before they erupted in public. And we must not repeat them.
“Recent” history suggests your plan may work.
The Catholic Church’s hostility to the US was moderated in the 1870’s as two things happened. 1 the Irish refugees of the 1840’s had become lower middle class and their tithes were a noticeable part of church income so catering to their whims was profitable, and the Irish Americans were very loyal to their country. 2 The generation of Church leaders who had come of age during the anti-clericalism of the French revolution and thus were Monarchists to a man were dead.
Now which of those two factors was more important will make for interesting discussion.
We’re diverting everything that once went the parish to a crisis pregnancy center a couple of miles away. We cut out diocesan giving a while back.
THAT’S what I’m talking about.
Of course there are many worthy Catholic charities, but the best way to do the procrastinators in the eye is to locate a diocese whose bishop is part of the solution (i.e. calling for DA's to look into their files, lobbying for openness, etc), and send the diocesan donation there.
There is not a thing that an "oath against modernism" or the Latin mass will change.
The long-term solution has to happen in priestly formation (i.e. seminary reform), and tighter lay oversight of the bishops (which appears to be happening, with websites specifically dedicated to the subject beginning to appear. I have no doubt that there are a very few homosexual priests who actually do live up to the Church's chastity requirements, but apparently most are incapable of doing so.
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