Posted on 06/30/2002 10:49:00 AM PDT by Polycarp
| |
| Angered by information leaks, Bishop Joseph Adamec abruptly canceled planned transfers of priests this week, The Tribune-Democrat has learned. The cancellation affects a Centre County priest who has publicly disagreed with the bishop’s stance on homosexuality in the priesthood, and whose brother is a conservative Catholic activist and harsh critic of the bishop. Both brothers declined to comment, and Adamec was tight-lipped about his orders, issuing only terse written responses to a reporter’s questions. The cancellations appear to be the latest tear in the widening fissure between Adamac’s administration of the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese and his conservative critics. Events leading up to the cancellations began June 18, when Altoona businessman George Foster’s laity group sponsored a visit by conservative author Michael Rose, whose book “Goodbye, Good Men” is critical of the Altoona-Johnstown diocese. Several priests attended a reception for Rose, and there were conversations of pending transfers and moving arrangements. On June 19, the Centre Daily Times newspaper carried a front-page story about Foster’s brother James, a Bellefonte priest, being reassigned next month to another parish, and diocese officials denying political motivations. On June 21, Adamec wrote to all parishes, telling priests that “a number of transfers scheduled to take effect on July 10, 2002, have been put on hold. There are several reasons for that, including breaches of confidentiality.” A new list of transfers was developed last week, but dated for release on June 28. Foster’s transfer was not included in the new list. In his letter, Adamec apologized to “those not contributing to the situation. “I am sorry that this places an unexpected inconvenience on those who were prepared for a move on July 10,” he wrote. When a reporter asked what motivated the letter, Adamec replied with a short, written answer: “It’s in the letter.” When asked if a copy of the transfer list obtained by The Tribune-Democrat early last week, but dated June 28, was a complete list, Adamec replied, “I don’t know.” Reassignments announced by the diocese on Friday were: Sister Mary Parks, spokeswoman for the diocese, declined to comment on Foster’s situation. But Adamec and Parks have clashed with the priest in the past over the issue of homosexuality. Some dioceses, such as Philadelphia, will not accept homosexuals as priests, and the Vatican bans homosexual priests. The homosexual lifestyle has been the subject of an ongoing debate at Penn State University in State College. Foster voiced his conservative views and was chastised by the diocese. That debate began in October 2000, with a Penn State ceremony titled, “A Service of Affirmation of the Human Dignity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People.” Hlublik then wrote an essay saying: “Fortunately, with a few positive thought-provoking images of gays portrayed on television and movies and maybe even encounters with gays in our own lives, it is becoming common enough to be a topic of discussion.” Conservative Catholics, including priests like Foster, were outraged. Foster wrote a response calling Hlubik’s statements “false teaching.” Then Parks wrote back, rebuking Foster: “It is highly inappropriate for a Catholic priest to criticize publicly one of his brothers. [but its OK for a feminist nun to publicly criticize a priest--Polycarp] It is canonically inappropriate for a priest to suggest publicly that the diocese (ergo his Bishop) is somehow colluding to lead souls astray.” Foster’s brother, George, who is president of the Lay Stewardship Foundation, since has been engaged in a public war of words over the way the diocese has handled sex scandals. Both Parks and Adamec declined to discuss James Foster’s future as a priest, or any other transfers that might be made. |
VOA, those only exist in the fevered imagination of Fr. Hlubik and others who wish to dilute the faith to match their proclivities. FWIW, you may be interested to read what the Catholic Church officially states on the topic of Chastity and Homosexuality. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Part 3, Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 6, SubSection 2, Heading 5
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, 141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." 142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
These and other sections may be viewed on line at THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH maitained by the Knights of Columbus.
Yes. And there is more from Pope John Paul II and others that put the onus of governance on the Bishops and Priests by virtue of their consecration.
This I have always believed and never denied. I do believe, however, that we should look at ourselves as co-members of the Catholic Church along with them.
Maybe some of those I've pinged can help clarify this.
Maybe we should call a Baptist--they are generally up on ALL of scripture.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The walls of hell are lined with the skulls of bishops." Saint John of the Cross
I agree with you completely. We are all baptized into the body of Christ in and through which we are to find our salvation. Praised be Jesus Christ!
Read it AGAIN???
Look, I am 50+ years old, male, in good health. Have guns (hunt and personal protection.) Know how to use them. Have two sons (and several daughters.) Sons are larger than I and healthy. No reason to worry, right?
THAT BOOK SCARED THE BEJABBERS OUT OF ME THE FIRST TIME I READ IT--
....because it just MIGHT be true...
The facts are that multiple Catholic diocese and their agents across the country have engaged in a massive coverup of multiple acts of child rape, and then paid out money in order to quiet the victims.
The Catholic Church has operated with all the efficiency of the Mob with regards to these crimes.
Personally, I hope someone brings a RICO suit and wins a few billion in damages.
Maybe then the Catholic Church can be rebuilt on the ashes.
Believe me, I know the facts.
L
I did find the three following close matches for other authors:
1) Ostervald has observed, 'Hell is paved with the skulls of unfaithful ministers.'
3) THOMAS WATSON
It is indeed, sad to think, that hell should be paved with the skulls of any of our children;
Then there is this attribution to Athanasius
The floor of Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. --St. Athanasius (ca. 296-373), but without proof.
And Google turned turned up the following odd quotes:
St. John Eudes tells us: 'The road to Hell is paved with the skulls of bishops'.
Daily Catholic even has a reader response poll: poll results
The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops. It was said by:
Saint Augustine 12.88%
Martin Luther 24.54%
Dante 25.15%
Saint John Chrysostom 37.42%
I doubt this will be resolved with any certainty. It appears many have got it wrong, and no one has any proof of their particular attribution. It seems a lot of well intended heresay.
So a simple billboard with white sans serif letters on a black field could read:
Hell is paved
with the skulls of bishops.
But something tells me that is too stark, and we really should see a billboard that is addressed to us all:
Yes, perhaps we need a "Chesterton Project" and put quotes from the great man himself on billboards across the land.
Oh, I dunno...the border and background could be some nice flames and glowing embers...then it wouldn't be so stark.
Last fall, my son broke his wrist. We took him to Conemaugh's ER, where it was determined that he had a badly displaced fracture. From there he went to the OR so that the fracture could be set, and he returned to the ER bed where he recovered from the anesthesia before he was released home. As a doctor on staff at Conemaugh, it was very satisfying to note the superb care he received from all involved.
While my son was recovering in the ER he was visited by a priest who chatted with him, brought him soda and snacks, and gave him a blessing. I had never met this priest but as a practicing Catholic I was very pleased with his pastoral concern for my child.
Two months ago I met up with an old friend. We played parochial league basketball on the same team many years ago in Altoona. In the process of catching up on old times, I mentioned that I was involved with a group of lay Catholics trying to investigate claims of priestly abuse in our diocese.
"We gotta talk!" was his answer. It turns out that this man, as a young teen, had repeatedly been sexually assaulted by a priest of our diocese.
I was shocked.
I believe this friend's story. He showed me the hand signed letter from our bishop, dated almost a decade ago, in which the bishop promised to pay for his counseling, and further assured him that the priest involved would never again have access to young boys.
The priest who abused him was the same priest who made that pastoral visit to my son in Conemaugh's ER last fall.
My emotions quickly passed from shock to utter rage.
Sadly, the bishop lied to my friend. The same priest who abused him was in the ER with my own young son, and I'm sure many other parents' young sons over the years, while serving, at Bishop Adamec's orders, as a hospital chaplain. I subsequently contacted the patient relations office at Conemaugh. Apparently this priest has been placed on "medical leave" by Bishop Adamec recently. Unfortunately, the hospital is as much an innocent victim of this bishop's policies as my friend was a victim of that priest years ago.
Recent articles in the Tribune Democrat pose many troubling questions. Obviously, bishops shield abusive priests and cover for their crimes by transfers and hush money, and law enforcement agencies have not aggressively prosecuted such criminal behavior in the past. Therefore, how can our secular institutions possibly fulfill their duties to protect those they serve by proper criminal background checks, often required by state laws to protect patients, students, clients, etc.?
But the most troubling aspect of our local crisis is the vindictive and punitive attitude displayed by our bishop in the Sunday Tribune Democrat's front page article. This bishop seems obsessed with punishing those priests he deems to have "leaked" information or "broken" the confidentiality of diocesan parish assignments.
Where is his concern for the victims of the pedophile priests that are still serving in his diocese? Numerous victims have come forward with claims that presently serving priests abused them in the past.
Where is his concern regarding priests and employees of his diocese who publicly and repeatedly undermine Church teachings on homosexuality? Furthermore, some of the priests this bishop has elevated to Monsignor or has otherwise awarded choice positions in diocesan offices or parishes have known histories of active homosexuality since receiving Holy Orders. Such histories are found in the Luddy trial transcripts as well as interviews with local law enforcement agents, lawyers, judges, priests and others. These facts are all well known to Bishop Adamec, but he chooses instead to persecute the good outspoken faithful priests instead of promoting true Catholic teachings on moral theology and removing, as Canon Law requires, all priests violating the Sixth Commandment.
Finally, at a recent meeting with some of his priests at Sacred Heart Church in Conemaugh, Bishop Adamec again said he was angry about leaks and the fact that several priests attended Michael Rose's talk in Altoona. Adamec stated that for attending this author's talk on the homosexual infiltration of the US seminary system, he intends to "get them!" This is his attitude towards those faithful priests trying to learn more about the real roots of the crisis in the Roman Catholic Church in order to work towards healing the pain. The Vatican too has repeatedly stated that the roots of the current crisis lie in rampant dissent and a falling away from orthodoxy in moral theology, especially regarding homosexuality, and for following the Vatican' s lead it appears these priests are going to be persecuted.
Bishop Adamec needs to understand that the laity are angry, and we simply will not tolerate his open persecution of good faithful priests like the outspoken critics of the homosexual agenda. More importantly, such persecution occurs even while he coddles active homosexual priests, employs open dissidents, hides pedophile priests, and otherwise allows the Catholic Church's beautiful teachings regarding human sexuality to be undermined and mocked.
Bishop Adamec must understand that enough is enough. He should start acting like a Catholic bishop, or resign.
St. Athanasius had haunting words about bishops that shirked their duties to the Faith that Bishop Adamec would do well to heed: "The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops."
BTW, it does look like their are faith quotes also.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.