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How I Met the Bishops’ Deep State
Church Militant ^ | March 28, 2019 | Christoper Manion

Posted on 03/30/2019 8:14:09 PM PDT by ebb tide

How I Met the Bishops’ Deep State

Blase Cupich key member of 'Lavender Underground' for 40 years

During the Reagan administration, I served as staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere. I spent most of my time dealing with Latin American policyespecially the Communist subversion going on in Central America. Visitors came by my office to lobby all the time, among them representatives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). One of them was a Franciscan friar who is now the cardinal-archbishop of Boston, Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. 

Other "Catholic" groups, lay and religious, came by as well, predominantly on the Left. Some of them were professional agitators. That was not uncommon — I was on Capitol Hill, after all. I recall one priest from North Carolina bragging with a laugh that he only wore his collar when he was lobbying Congress or buying a car. 

And I saw nuns — lots of nuns. They flooded Capitol Hill. They always wore habits and were usually accompanied by a male minder. Many of them were sent to me by Senate staffers on both sides of the aisle, grateful that I'd meet with them. 

Their brother bishops in the United States were on the wrong side of the ongoing wars, even siding with the Communists. Tweet

Word got around pretty quickly that I would be glad to talk to all the holy rollers who wanted to complain about Reagan's policiesso they became part of my daily routine.

America's Bishops Stiffarm Their Brothers to the South 

Central America was always on the policy agenda, and I traveled there often. Each time, I made it a point to speak with every religious group I could findEarly on, I was surprised to discover that I was the only American official who had met every bishop in El Salvador. The visits were sometimes difficult, but worth it.  

Again and again, throughout the regionbishops had one observation in common. They said that their brother bishops in the United States were on the wrong side of the ongoing wars, even siding with the Communists. 

Moreover, America's bishops wouldn't listen to their fellow bishops south of the border. When asked why our bishops would be so callous, Cdl. Obando y Bravo of Nicaragua wryly said, "Maybe they aren't getting their mail."

Image  Cdl. Obando y Bravo

The cardinal later told me he had to sleep in a different house every night because Nicaragua's communist Sandinistas were trying to kill him.

Finally, I decided I'd heard enough, and I did what I thought any layman in my position should do. I called the office of the apostolic nunciature in Washington, D.C. and made an appointment to meet with the nuncio to tell him what I'd seen and heard. 

When I arrived for the appointment, an American priest, the nuncio's secretary, met with me (the nuncio was "not available"). He listened respectfully, stone-faced, scarcely saying a word. He then showed me to the door. 

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After that visit, things changed — but not like I thought they would. Suddenly, I had no visitors from the bishops' conference. At the time, of course, the bishops were in high gear attacking Reagan's policies, and their lobbyists were "working the Hill" all the time. But they never lobbied me — a Catholic staff director of the most vital Senate committee dealing with the issue. 

When Bishops Refuse to Act, the Laity Have To 

When I saw that nothing was going to change, I coordinated with a foreign policy think tank to sponsor visits to Washington by bishops from all over Central America. Democrats, as well as Republicans, met with us and expressed their gratitude — and often, their surprise. Liberal Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas congratulated me after one emotional meeting.

"Let's work together on this," he said, shaking my hand. 

Folks, that kind of thing didn't happen very often. After all, Tsongas and my pro-life boss, Sen. Jesse Helms, were seldom on the same page.  

We took one of our visitors, Msgr. Freddy Delgado, the president of El Salvador's bishops' conference, to meet with Baltimore Abp. William Borders in his chancery officeWhen we finally said, "Your Excellency, we've got to go to the airport," the archbishop told us, "I'll take him myself. I need to find out more. My staff hasn't told me any of this before!"

In fact, that was a very common reaction to our visits. Only recently have I found out why. 

The diplomatic priest-secretary with whom I had met at the nunciature in Washington that day was Fr. Blase Cupich. 

Welcome to the Lavender Underground 

Image Cdl. Joseph Bernardin

Who was running the bishops' conference in those days? Well, Chicago Cdl. Joseph Bernardin, and he was the most powerful prelate in the country. His ally, Robert Lynch, had started working at the National Council of Catholic Bishops (today's USCCB) in the early 1970s.

When I visited the nunciatureLynch was serving as an associate general secretary of the bishops' conference. Heventually assumed the top spot and ran the conference until Cdl. Bernardin died in 1996. A year later, Lynch was made bishop of St. Petersburg, Florida, where he had to pay an adult male employee in excess of $100,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit. 

Put the pieces together: Gay-friendly Cdl. Bernardin and Fr. Cupich; radical liberal and homosexual Fr. Lynch at the USCCB. I'm convinced that Cupich didn't tell the nuncio a thing.

I'm convinced that Cupich didn't tell the nuncio a thing.Tweet

Instead, I think he got on the phone to Lynch at the conference as soon as I walked out the nuncio's door, warning him: "Keep clear of this guy. He's trouble." So what if I worked for the most pro-life senator on Capitol Hill? That wasn't nearly so important to the sodomite syndicate as pushing their left-wing agenda was. 

In the years that followed, our office never had another visitor from the U.S. bishops' conference. The bishops' "Lavender Underground" had an agenda then, and they have one now. And Blase Cupich has been a key player for some 40 years.


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: blasecupich; communists; cupich; francischurch; josephbernardin; obandoybravo; robertlynch; seanomalley; usccb

1 posted on 03/30/2019 8:14:09 PM PDT by ebb tide
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To: Al Hitan; Biggirl; Coleus; DuncanWaring; ebb tide; Fedora; Hieronymus; irishjuggler; G Larry; ...

Ping


2 posted on 03/30/2019 8:15:55 PM PDT by ebb tide (We have a rogue curia in Rome")
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To: ebb tide

SPJNK.


3 posted on 03/30/2019 8:17:14 PM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: ebb tide

Not a bit surprising.


4 posted on 03/30/2019 8:20:18 PM PDT by NorthMountain (... the right of the peopIe to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed)
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To: NorthMountain

There fore I pose the Question, “should Catholic Priests be allowed to get married to female human beings if they are both heterosexual?”


5 posted on 03/30/2019 8:32:46 PM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
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To: ebb tide; MadMax, the Grinning Reaper

This article puts some important pieces together. Along these lines, I once knew a fairly prominent Jesuit in the U.S. order who was gay but trying to be celibate, and had previously been a liberal but had turned conservative. He told me that he had joined other Jesuits in supporting Allende in Chile in the early 1970s, but became disillusioned with Allende’s supporters after seeing their real, Marxist agenda.


6 posted on 03/30/2019 8:33:01 PM PDT by Fedora
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To: ebb tide

I have to post the quote:

“I expect to die in bed, Cardinal George

my successor will die in prison — Cupich

and his successor will die a martyr — We don’t know who this is yet-—— in the public square.

His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, — and lots of prayers for this Archbishop/Cardinal — as the church has done so often in human history.”
~ Cardinal Francis George


7 posted on 03/30/2019 8:46:24 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Here it is without my interjections:

“I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.”
~ Cardinal Francis George


8 posted on 03/30/2019 8:48:42 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

Read that many years ago.

Seems prophetic in retrospect.


9 posted on 03/30/2019 9:10:15 PM PDT by rdcbn
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To: ebb tide

Interesting piece. Man, do I miss Manion’s boss, Jesse Helms. As a Senator, he was the best of the best. Such a great American. R.I.P.


10 posted on 03/30/2019 9:13:42 PM PDT by irishjuggler
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To: rdcbn

It is prophetic!


11 posted on 03/30/2019 9:15:35 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Trumpet 1

And then again, if the Catholic Priest was gay and married a Lesbian Woman just to pretend to be heterosexual would anyone in the Catholic Community notice the corruption of the truth. Or would they welcome the corruption as part of the on going gay mafia which is the Catholic Church?! Jesus Christ is the Truth. Jesus Christ is the Way to God. Lies are the realm of Satan. The Catholic Church should decide which side it would on.


12 posted on 03/30/2019 9:23:27 PM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
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To: Trumpet 1
Because being married to a woman cures communist sympathies? I don't think so.

The problem is a lack of orthodox faith, not lack of a wife.

13 posted on 03/31/2019 4:36:43 AM PDT by Campion ((marine dad))
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To: Trumpet 1

If the answer was “Yes”, how would that improve the situation?


14 posted on 03/31/2019 4:39:17 AM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: Campion

Married heterosexual couples would have their own family children to care for. The family unit is the responsibility of the parents. Such is a full time job. Same sex homosexuals will still want children to care for and therefore the way to be parental in the mind is to go with altruism. In other words, Communism.


15 posted on 03/31/2019 6:06:06 AM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
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To: Trumpet 1
No!

Homosexual behavior does NOT derive from lack of a female partner.

What would having married Priests change?

Dating Priests, philandering Priests, divorced Priests...???

If you are not committed to your vows of chastity or marriage, the infidelity to your vows are the problem.

16 posted on 03/31/2019 7:15:37 AM PDT by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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To: DuncanWaring; Campion; Trumpet 1
In answering your eminently fair question I will sidestep the theological basis for celibacy in the clergy. Let's just say the Catholic Church is following in Jesus' footsteps.

Celibacy hasn't been a "problem" on this magnitude since the beginning of the Church. Yes, there have been priests that had children etc. over time. But it wasn't a huge thing.

Clearly, many priests nowadays are not being celibate. But just because many people drive through red lights doesn't mean we should make that legal. I believe the underlying problem is that of obedience to the faith, to God, to Jesus. That won't be cured by letting priests take a wife. In fact it'll probably make it worse.

Let's treat the disease and the symptoms will go away.

17 posted on 03/31/2019 7:30:45 AM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: G Larry

Priests on eHarmony, CraigsList and Match.com?


18 posted on 03/31/2019 4:59:08 PM PDT by Marchmain (free exercise)
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To: ebb tide

See this POS:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Drinan


19 posted on 04/01/2019 3:23:40 AM PDT by US Navy Vet (Trump Train!!!)
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To: ebb tide
Back when I was in the Air Force I did a lot of thinking about nuclear weapons and the Just War Doctrine, inasmuch of my work dealt with missiles with nuclear warheads. After I retired, the Catholic bishops in the U.S. came out with a pastoral letter that completely ignored all previous Catholic thinking on morality in warfare. It was a blatantly pacifist letter. I decided I couldn't sit idly by. I wrote a book applying Just War Doctrine to the use of nukes, arguing that within certain limits their use would satisfy the Docrine.

I sent the manuscript to a Catholic publishing house, that accepted it for publication. The priest who headed the house suggested that I submit it to my Bishop for his Imprimatur.

That was the Archbishop of Cincinnati, successor to Cardinal Bernardino, who had been moved "upstairs" to Chicago

I did submit the manuscript to my Bishop, who returned it with the comment that his Imprimatur wasn't needed. Technically, that was true. However, I wanted it so my Catholic readers would know that here was nothing in it contrary to Catholic doctrine.

The publisher and I went ahead without the Imprimatur, since it really wasn't needed to allow publication. The book sold reasonably well, although it got some bad reviews from the usual pacifist Catholics.

A Fighting Chanceis still available from Amazon, if anyone is interested.

20 posted on 04/06/2019 6:33:44 PM PDT by JoeFromSidney (Colonel (Retired) USAF.)
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