Texas Pastor Removed Over Latin Masses

Seattle Catholic ^ | July 4, 2003 | Peter Miller

[ultima ratio]

Maybe this priest got tired of waiting for hell to freeze over.

[ultima ratio]

"he could have said the entire Novus Ordo in Latin"

The Novus Ordo in Latin is still an abomination to anybody who understands the theology behind it. Do you think the objection to the New Mass is based only on language? If so, you need to do some studying. The New Mass, in whatever language, is designed to appeal to Protestants by suppressing Catholic dogmas in precisely the ways condemned by the Council of Trent. It emphasizes the commemorative meal aspect of the liturgy rather than the sacrificial aspect, and even its Consecration is placed in a commemorative mode, just as Trent prohibited; and it has eliminated expiatory prayers of propitiation so that both the dogma of the Real Presence and the dogma of expiation have been subverted. In other words, it is a profoundly unCatholic, pro-Protestant liturgy. Until you fathom this, you can't appreciate the scope of the crisis. Catholics the world over are becoming Protestant--even while the Pope writes encyclicals complaining, but does nothing to stop the process.

[k omalley]

"If he would have had a teenage male lover move into the rectory I wonder what his bishop would have done."

Probably nothing. But then saying an unauthorized Tridentine Mass is a far worse offense than pederasty. It's amazing how fast these bishops can act when they want to.

[k omalley]

Shame on those parents trying to figure out if the $30,000/yr they are about to shell out is going for the real McCoy. The nerve!

[ultima ratio]

from Traditio.com:

____________________________________________________________

Dear Fr. Moderator:

The latest spin from the diocese is that this presbyter pastor, who stopped saying the Novus Ordo service and went exclusively to the Traditional Latin Mass, has been put on "medical leave." The implication is that the presbyter must be mentally ill, or he would not being celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass. Nothing original about that. The Communists have used that tactic for decades. Anyone who doesn't follow the party line must be insane. Send them to Siberia for life.

Fr. Moderator Replies.

Indeed, it is an old tactic. Shortly after Vatican II, when nuns were given the "option" to wear their traditional habits or not, there was a noted case of one nun who chose to stay with her traditional habit. Her sisters taunted her mercilessly, but she stuck to her guns. Eventually, they had her committed.

A few years ago there was a case in Boston, in which a presbyter informed the bishop about some morally objectionable activities going on at the seminary where he taught. He thought (foolish man that he was!) that the bishop would take responsible action. Instead, he himself was illegally committed to an asylum until he had a court hearing and was freed by the judge. Some woman purporting to be a psychologist from the diocese signed the commitment papers; it turned out that she had no degree and no authority to do so. The presbyter entered a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the diocese.

These cases simply confirm the fact that the Novus Ordo cannot be negotiated with, compromised with, or even recognized as Catholic (which it is not). There are some conservative Novus Ordinarians around who delude themselves by saying: "If only the bishop knew." "If only the pope knew." They know: they're behind it all!

[Maximilian]

Prompted by years of liturgical research and studies which drew him toward the Traditional Latin Mass, Fr. Zigrang had requested on multiple occasions for the opportunity to offer a public Tridentine Mass in a parish. His most recent request came in January of this year when he sent a letter to Bishop Fiorenza requesting permission to convert St. Andrew's parish in to a traditional parish (dedicated to the practice of the Tridentine Mass and other sacraments) or start such a parish in another location. Six months later, he had still not received a reply.

Several posters said that Fr. Zigrang went about it the wrong way and shouldn't "have been in the bishop's face." But reading the article tells you that he tried for a long time, apparently for years, to get permission to offer the Latin Mass. Notice that the bishop didn't find time in 6 months to respond the priest's latest request, but somehow he found time the SAME DAY to kick the pastor out of his parish when he committed the unforgivable sin of believing and practicing the Catholic faith.

A few other points worth mentioning: 1. Decades are not too long a time for responding to the crisis of priestly pederasts. But a priest who dares to say the Latin Mass finds himself out on his ear the SAME DAY.

2. The "psychiatric evaluation" theme recurs in a large number of these stories. Anyone who won't go along with the program must obviously be crazy. Remember Fr. Haley, the priest from Arlington VA who blew the whistle on 3 consecutive pastors he served under? They tried to have him indefinitely committed to a mental hospital. He only got out by getting his own private psychiatrist to come down to the hospital and get him released.

Regarding Fiorenza's remarkable speed in dealing with a priest who dares to say the Latin Mass, in comparison with his speed in dealing with sexual predators, here are some excerpts from a 1997 article (apparently Fiorenza was on the cutting edge before the abuse scandal became big news):

Documents show bishops transferred known abuser

"In 1982, Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza wrote that he knew of Father Holley's "past difficulties" and stated: "With our shortage of priests, I am willing to risk incardinating him" - which means formally making him a priest of the Diocese of San Angelo, Texas.

At the time, Bishop Fiorenza headed that diocese. Today, he governs the Diocese of Galveston-Houston and, as vice president of the national bishops group, is expected to become president next year.

Bishop Fiorenza, 66, declined interview requests, saying through spokesman Ron Regan that he didn't want to revisit old traumas. "The church needs to move beyond this," Mr. Regan said Thursday .

Father Holley isn't the only child molester whom Bishop Fiorenza has allowed to continue working. After going to Houston in 1985, the bishop reassigned a priest caught in the act of abusing a girl and offered her no help, according to published reports that his spokesman doesn't dispute. The woman who discovered the abuse said the diocese pressured her not to tell police.

Here's another story from just last month:
Houston priest still working despite abuse accusation

The Rev. John T. Keller had allegedly let a deacon's teenage son drink wine on a trip two decades ago, then called the intoxicated boy into bed and fondled him. Questioned by the diocese, Father Keller denied abusing the youth but acknowledged he "crossed a proper boundary by holding you in a manner inappropriate for a priest," Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza wrote the deacon's now-grown son in January. For his actions, Father Keller would have to undergo counseling "to ensure he is not at risk for any future inappropriate behavior," the bishop wrote. His job was safe, though.

[k omalley]

I am as puzzled as you by the reaction of many of our bishops to the Tridentine Mass, like it is horrifying, something to be hidden in the back room. This was the gem and the pride of the Church until the last 30-35 years. I wish I could understand why they react the way they do. I'm sure they would say something about church unity or the mind of the church or some such but I think it goes deeper than that.

[k omalley]

Unfortunately, my fears and suspicions are verified by your post. I was hoping I was simply thinking the worst and being too harsh in my judgement of Fiorenza.

[RobbyS]

What I find abominable is the employment of mental health professionals. If there is anything certain it is that psychology is half-baked science.

[Loyalist]

The Soviets often sent dissidents to psychiatric hospitals on the basis that opposition to the regime was a symptom of mental illness.

Sigmund Freud believed that religious belief was itself a form of mental illness, as does much of the psychiatric profession.

The AmChurch bishops would not be so hostile to the Catholic faith as it was held for nineteen and a half centuries unless their true faith was a less venerable man-made creed.

[B Knotts]

This was not the right way to go about it.

I agree with you; the way the priest went about doing this was wrong. On the other hand, it is extremely insulting that the bishop strongly implies that he is insane, simply because he prefers the Tridentine Mass.

The way this should have been handled is: the bishop should have replied months ago when the priest contacted him, and he should have made some reasonable accomodation of his request, perhaps allowing a weekly Tridentine Mass, which would have been a small step towards a "wide and general application," as per Ecclesia Dei.

No, I'm not an ultra-trad; I've never even been to an Old Mass. I just tire of the antics of too many of our bishops.

[B Knotts]

Well, I didn't mean to make any judgment on the bishop's belief, or lack thereof, of God. I just find the implication of mental illness in what appears to be a good and faithful priest (if a bit intemperate) to be extremely unbecoming a man of his position.

[B Knotts]

You know...I wonder how quickly the bishop would have cracked down if, instead of committing the act of celebrating the Tridentine Mass, this priest had allowed "liturgical dance" during Mass?

[BlackElk]

Ping. Have to go to confession with kids. Be back soon.

[k omalley]

If I'm not mistaken, Fiorenza already allows liturgical dance. Wasn't it in his cathedral that the people were dancing around with baskets of bread? Anyone remember?

[sinkspur]

I wonder why the bishop thinks this priest is insane; maybe because the priest actually believes in God?

He's not insane, but he's just as selfish as Fiorenza is.

Fiorenza should have allowed a Tridentine Indult Mass, and Fr. Fig should have left the regular Sunday Novus Ordo lineup alone.

[sinkspur]

Sorry, Fr. Zig (he can't call himself that, though. I think Zig Ziglar has the servicemark on "Zig.")

[ultima ratio]

You are for a "universal indult"? This incident should put the lie to that. The American bishops, for the most part, are opposed to such an "indult" and would oppose it, regardless of what Rome decided. In fact, there is no need for any indult. The whole concept of an "indult" is a fiction--since the old Mass was never abrogated in the first place. But Rome would rather be dishonest and pretend such an abrogation has taken place than buck modernism by being truthful.