To: ninenot; narses
I am not as educated on these matters as most of you.
It may be that according to one interpretation of a church law, its ok for a catholic bishop to merely witness a methodist bishop installation. Maybe I am totally worried about nothing. I can easily see that many orthodox catholics could make the distinctions necessary. i fear that most ordinary church going catholics would see this as indifferentism. Given all the differences between Methodist and Catholic, some hugely important that Brusk excommunicated many and is likely warning them they risk hell if they disobey, for example (Eucharist, morality),
a catholic bishops presence easily could suggest that either of these 2 religions are valid and if one doesn't like RC rules, ok to join the Methodists. At a minimum, it will validate many methodists that, look, their religion is equivalent because "we have Bishop B here and we know what a hardliner he is."
Truly, why would a bishop so clearly committed to Catholic principles waste his time in a Methodist ceremony, at the installation of his supposed equal?
Why would a Ph.D. witness or participate in a ceremony where he knows a fraudulent Ph.D. is conferred? Wouldn't he have better things to do? I don't know, maybe Brusk succumbed to a pressure we don't know about or he saw somehow a greater good coming out. hardly the worst thing, what he did, but i bet he'd drop dead before going to an sspx ordination.
Yes, bishops be civil, come together to pool resources for the poor and find common ground on social services, by all means. In civil affairs, ok treat them as equals, I can certainly understand that. end of rant.
To: Piers-the-Ploughman
Ummmhhh--Bp. B. is NOT an 'indifferentist,' and for those Catholics who actually read his weekly column in the Lincoln Catholic paper, that's clear.
He gave an example of neighborliness. He did NOT "bless" nor "affirm" this ---whatever you call it---of the Methodist.
It's worth recalling that Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, and Methodists (and others) share some common agendas in the civil arena. Thus, there is a certain comity which should be in place when a matter of common interest arises.
Being present at a Prot service (as opposed to actively participating, or (horrors!) coming out with some statement of "validity,") is simply neighborly.
Be careful that you don't wind up with a tinfoil hat--where everything is a conspiracy--as do some others on this thread.
553 posted on
07/18/2004 9:28:54 AM PDT by
ninenot
(Minister of Membership, TomasTorquemadaGentlemen'sClub)
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