Priest defies Vatican same-sex stand

The Globe and Mail ^ | August 6, 2003 | Daniel Leblanc and Kim Lunman

[dsc]

What can be done, though?

To awaken people to the horrors of abortion one can show them pictures of murdered babies. But you can't really show them pictures or movies of a grown man...doing what they do...with a teenager.

[wlansberry]

Does the Catholic church still excommunicate folks? Could a preist be excommunicated for defying the Pope's decree or would this call for a slap on the wrist?

[dsc]

Excommunication is still in canon law, but I don't know what a person would have to do to bring it down on himself. Apparently popping little boys in the butt isn't sufficient.

The Church heirarchy seems to reserve its punishments for priests who hold fast to the faith and resist the attempts of the modernists to destroy the Church.

[RobbyS]

Well, you could do it in a closed session to a select audience, say renting gay porno films in a church basement or just dowloading the sites that were linked to this guy's "outreach." page. As theoretically outraged as many conservatives are, they don't wha kinds of things that these guys do.

[RobbyS]

The basic problem is that there are an unknow number of bishops still in the closet. I am increasingly convinced that there are a substantial number. But they won't show themselves unless they gain the sort of power in the Catholic Church that the gays have in the Episcopal Church.

[dsc]

"renting"

Well, no, it's not morally right to do that either, because at least two people were degraded in the making of any such film, and in renting it you become complicit in that.

[RobbyS]

The intent is what matters. You are doing no more than gathering evidence.

[dangus]

Catholic High Schools and colleges are, in my opinion, the greatest evangelists for agnosticism and heresy ever found. Minions of skeptics, heretics and dissidents flock to teach in such schools, where their students believe that they represent the Catholic faith. After having been to a state University and a catholic college, I'd much rather send my kids to the state university, where at least they associate the drugs, alcohol abuse, frat parties, sexual objectification, anti-Americanism, anti-clericism and promotion of abortion, gay sex and promiscuity with an attack on their upbringing.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

As I read what he wrote about sexual teachings, I see some of my family member's opinions. It is so sad. We must all pray.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

I am going to assume (no offense) that was a while ago. I went to a Jesuit High School and the textbook for our class on the sacraments, said there should be sacraments of abortion, divorce, among others. In my humble opinion, the Jesuits are no longer Catholic.

[madprof98]

He said he is fully supportive of the Catholic Church's positions on poverty and against the war in Iraq, but that he believes the Vatican's views on issues of sexuality need to be modernized.

Liberals have no problem with the Church speaking out against somebody else's failings (or, really, nobody-in-particular's failings), but they hate it when the message gets close to home.

[Conservative til I die]

I graduated from HS in 1995. Make of that what you will. Honestly, I wasn't very political then, so I really can't remember how the teachers were. The priests were cool, although they did take more of a "Let's be pals" stance. I'm not implying anything sexual by that, mind you.

A mixed breed. Some were a little more kooky. One was most definitely queer. Some were more orthodox. I do chalk it up to them understanding we were all very intelligent guys and teenagers, so they weren't too stern with us and our views.

I went on a few retreats and they were great, but more of a literal retreat than theological, more spiritual cleansing than spiritual teaching, although it all did have a very Catholic underlining to it.

I don't remember being taught anything that was outright heretical.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

I was just wondering. I graduated from a Jesuit High School in 2001. I did find the retreats enriching, though sadly they didn't teach enough. The Jesuits definitly had the "let's be pals" stance, and like you, I found nothing wrong with that. But I did find their basic world view to be heretical (very liberation theology, very Marxist). That and the book on the Sacraments I have seared into my memory (Sacrament of Abortion -- what was the author on?).

[Conservative til I die]

Yeah, honestly, outside of what I posted I can't remember anything else regarding how they taught theology or history. Eight years can be hell on the old memory.

I can remember that we had two teachers there, one a Jesuit and one a lay person that definitely were on the liberal side. The Jesuit was a guidance counselor and I remember her never wore the clerical outfit to school. Always wearing a tweed jacket with a sweater. It was almost bizarre seeing him at the monthly Mass in the procession with the robes on or consecrating the bread and wine.

The other teacher was a woman, English teacher. Apparently she wasn't even Catholic, and was even an ordained Lutheran minister. But that was just the rumor. She was a bit artsy fartsy and the rumor also was that she was gay, husband killed himself, so who knows. Most likely just urban legend.

Oh yeah, and we also had an art teacher who was a Jesuit. Older guy. Real wacko. Liked to yell and do weird stuff like make like he was gonna get in your face. He died just after I graduated. I think he wrote a book before he died, some sort of Catholic meditational stuff. I have no idea if it was real New Agey Jesuit stuff or more orthodox.