Replies

I think the priest who wrote you is the priestly equivalent of slime.

Maybe I shouldn't be sharing these private discussions in public, but I feel the laity need to know exactly what we are up against, besides the fact that its all driving me nutz and I need to share it with others to see if my own perspective is somehow wrong. And I want to encourage them to network with other orthodox Catholics locally and initiate their own investigations, and put on the pressure in whatever way they deem necessary. Locally we have used newspaper ads, letters to ed, we have initiated multiple newspaper investigative stories, we have appeared on local TV news, and we have used multiple billboard ads t promote the talk by Michael Rose here next week, which we initiated to educate the laity and combat the diocesan spin on the mention of our diocese in Rose's book.

However, this priest's attitude is what's so darn frustrating! This priest is one of our best priests, holy, pious, orthodox, with strong Marian and Eucharistic devotion.

Every day points out to us that the laity are on their own, in uncharted waters. The priests, even the good ones, are too timid to act, too worried still, even now, of scandalizing Joe six-pack in the pews, or violating the "rights" of homosexuals!

Here's a little more of our subsequent "discussion":

Brian, Thank you for your response. First of all I must say, I do not fear Joseph Adamec, nor am I afraid of losing my facilities, my pension or my heath benefits. You are welcome to take them all. Pigs we all must be!!

And, what does Fr. Silvan [my own spritual director--Polycarp] say about all of this -- that I would like to know. I would respect his view. Your letter is overwhelming and sweeping in it's accusations As I have felt with so much of this situation I am shocked. And, it is true that we have not been able to truly be responsible for and to police our own. We are pigs!!

Again, however, you miss my point!!! Action is required. Moreover, action by the laity is required, but I am afraid that your tact and you tone will only divide and destroy, not built up. That's it. That's all I'm trying to say. I'm sure I will read portions of the book, and I will read Dr. Hildebrand's intro.

I guess we are all responsible for our actions -- myself included. We are all playing a dangerous game. And,if I have missed the movement of the Spirit in my own life in all of this, (which is very possible) then may God have mercy on my soul.

Father

Dear Fr. Mark,

"I am afraid that your tact and you tone will only divide and destroy, not built up."

OK, lets look at this rationally. I too am very upset about this, as you can obviously see. A pedophile had access to my son. I have too much subjective involvement to be 100% objective and rational. I openly admit this.

And my private correspondence with you is in no way indicative of my public words or action. I am much more "open" with you in private correspondence than I am in public in any forum. And I'm sorry if it seems I'm "taking it out" on you personally. That is a mistake on my part, a grave mistake.

However, which part of our public tact and tone, exactly, are you referring to? Please be specific.

We have been begging the bishop to act regarding Brown's public statements, as well as the statements of other priests in this diocese, for 4 years now, quietly, behind the scenes, with calm charitable correspondence through the proper canonical channels.

At every single turn we have been rebuffed, ridiculed and belittled by a diocesan hierarchy mired in theological dissent regarding homosexual issues.

Now, on top of all that, we find that there are active pedophiles still serving in the local Church, the bishop is lying about it, we have legal proof of his lies, there are MANY active homosexual priests here, nothing is being done, the diocese is misrepresenting Church teaching in the local media, and local priests simply will not unite to fight this.

Yet all you offer is scorn regarding our tact.

Offer something constructive to do, for those of us who have done everything possible already through the "normal" and "proper" channels.

You say "action by the laity is required."

Be specific. You obviously think our action is gravely flawed. But what we are acting against is pederasty of our children, and in this type of battle I fail to see how our tact is wrong, compared to any other tact that has been tried.

Please illustrate for me any other lay Catholic activism that has forced this bishop to address our concerns regarding the priests STILL SERVING in this diocese who are pederasts. Frankly, I doubt you are even aware of the cases for which we have obtained documented proof.

Why did it take the laity to find these cases??? Why have not the priests of this dioocese done anything about these cases themselves? Almost every priest we have spoken to admits there are numerous homosexuals in our local diocesan priesthood, and almost all of them can guess who the active pedophiles are.

So why have they gone on in their positions where they could continue to prey on our children???

And why are you more concerned about our Tact than the criminals in your midst???

"There will be a lot more innocent wounded (my opinion) as we try to destroy each other"

Just who do you think is trying to destroy who here???

The bishop calls us diabolical. Becker calls us cowards. Brown calls us Nazis, Taliban, homophobes, and bigots. When we place ads simply quoting the CCC and Cardinal Ratzinger regarding making homosexual orientation a civil right in State College, Sr Parks [diocesan spokesperson] and Adamec and the other priests in State College publicly state that these excerpts from the Catechism and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith are not true Church teachings, but that "Always Our Children," a document that carries ZERO authority, is binding magisterial doctrine, and that Adamec's pastoral letter on homosexuality, which uses the same reasoning for which Sister Gramick and Fr Nugent were silenced by the Vatican, is the bottom line.

This diocese has been actively trying to destroy the voice of faithful orthodox Cathoilics for years, but all you can see is your perception that us loose canons are trying to "destroy" others, and that somehow our efforts will scandalize the faithful in the pews.

This is maddening! There is nothing, NOTHING, us laity can do that could hurt the faithful in the pews more than the misfeasance and malfeasance of the hierarchy and priests that lead, over the last 4 decades, to this point.

We're not trying to "destroy" anyone! We're trying to defend the faith and protect our children.

And all I see from you right now is your scorn for us conservative, activist Catholics.

I never see any scorn from you for the real problems here. Maybe you just have not shared it with me. Maybe you are naive. Maybe you have so much subjective involvement being "inside" THE SYSTEM THAT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT SEE the Truth of what is going on in this diocese.

But I've been painfully aware for years now of your scorn for me and those I work with, by your comments and comments you have made to friends. I'm tired of it. We are not the enemy. We are not the problem. But you seem to expend an inordinate amount of energy worrying about us "conservatives" and our "approach" and not nearly enough about the real problems.

Again, It is the inaction of the bishops, and code of silence of the priests, that has thrust the duty of cleaning up this mess on the shoulders of the laity.

And there is nothing, NOTHING, us laity can do that could hurt the faithful in the pews more than the misfeasance and malfeasance of the hierarchy and priests that lead, over the last 4 decades, to this point.

Brian