In the words of Willy Wonka, "The suspense is terrible. I hope it lasts."
Posted on 11/10/2005 5:35:52 PM PST by Mrs. Don-o
Marc Balestrieri, the Catholic canon lawyer who has brought canonical lawsuits against John Kerry, Mario Cuomo, and half a dozen other Catholic pro-abortion politician on charges of heresy, reports that, after a long and complicated effort, the suits are making headway in Rome. One of them may be quite near an official judgment.
The FAQ page for the lawsuit is probably the best source for current information.
Balestrieri is struggling to press these lawsuits despite having been fired from his former job as a canon lawyer employed by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He needs prayers.
This is a good opportunity to perform a Spiritual Work of Mercy. Or rather, several Works at once: instruct the ignorant, correct the sinner, counsel the doubtful, comfort the afflicted.
And, of course, afflict the comfortable.
I am honestly concerned. above all, for the salvation of the souls of these wayward politicians who are both so misled and so misleading. Seen in gthis light, the canonical lawsuit is an important effort at clarification and thus not "vindictive" or "political" at all, but a crucially necessary charitable act. A loving act.
Even if you pray only one Hail Mary on your Rosary for this effort, I have it on good authority that Jesus is a genius in getting the maximum out of mustard seeds and widows' mites.
Please ping your lists.
The Catholic Church has structures in place to deal with the nonsense. Here is a man that is working it. Help him.
Thanks for this news. It is most nauseating for people to call themselves religious and then speak and act aggressively against eternal religious principles. Better they should just be honest. But that way uneducated people who think the label "Catholic" means REAL Catholic wouldn't vote for them.
It seems I posted a non-working link. You can cut-and-paste this to get to the De Fide FAQ page. Thanks.
http://www.defide.com/faq.html?PHPSESSID=4bd58c3bf1ff0bfc3d6fe86297f339b3
Will be pinging later tonight or tomorrow.
Lost my nerve the last couple of days. Sometimes it gets to me.
Good. Just for once in my life, I'd like to see a real true-to-life excommunication of somebody who is blatantly and publicly flouting the laws of the Church - while still claiming his membership privileges are just fine. They're not, and since said member is not enough of a gentleman to leave quietly, somebody has got to kick him out. Letting him stay is scandalizing everybody else and magnifying the effects of his sin.
There was a time in this country when men were called out of their professions to assume a position in government, because of their beliefs. Once their task was completed, they stepped down and returned to their original work.
Today, men are called out of their professions to assume a position in government, because of their clout. Once ensconced in a government position, they alter their views to conform to society and rarely return to their original work. Essentially, politics is now a profession and its leaders are shills for lobbyists who fill their coffers.
Thank you for posting this updated information. It has been quite a while since I've heard anymore about Ballestreri's cause. Yes, he does need prayers! He has already lost one job. In his effort to gun down the big players, he is up against their protector, Satan. There will be hell to pay, if he succeeds.
For those unfamiliar with Mr. Ballestreri's work, follow the link posted by Mrs. Don-o. And please pray for this man and his cause. He represents ALL of us!
Hang in there!
IIRC one of the saints cautioned against too much melancholy, and his antidote was a hot bath and a strong drink. Maybe that's all you need!
But seriously, I totally hear ya' and often feel the same way. We must lift each other up.
Interesting. Thanx for the post.
You did it! Congrats.
I'm in!
btt
May the Holy Spirit guide and counsel the gift of wisdom to Mr. Balestrieri.
Thank you for your kind words. I did the hot shower, and my strongest drink is tea with 2 tea bags and a shot of vanilla and milk. Yum.
Encouraging words from sincere souls is the best restorative, after prayer and contamplation on the words of God!
Moral Absolutes Ping.
Some people are fighting the good fight. This one is taking place from within the organization of the Catholic Church. Why should anyone - especially "leaders" who influence so many others with their votes and their decisions - get to call themselves "Catholic" when their words and their decisions are in direct opposition to the tenets of the Catholic faith?
Freepmail me if you want on/off this pinglist.
This affects all social conservatives, whether they're Catholic or not. Supporting and promoting the universal moral absolutes that are the same in every religion is more important than haggling about which denomination is the right one. If the leftists/liberals/ACLU/professional atheists/etcetc have their way, we'll all have to discuss theology in the Gulag, in whispers.
If there be any justice in Canon law I hope it reveals itself now.
"Headway in Rome" usually translates realistically to somthing like 5-10 years. By the time these are resolved it's likely that none of the "defendants" will be in office any longer. It's not as if their Catholic affiliation has ever had any significant impact on the number of votes they have received.
On the other hand, if the matter is adjudicated, does anyone honestly think that the Kerrys and the Kennedys are actually going to change their political positions or behavior, merely because thy will no longer have the name "Catholic" appended to their resumes? In the real world of American politics, pragmatism will always trump faith.
This will be a hollow victory at best in terms of the purported objective. It's not as if the Catholic Church in America has a stronghold on the moral high-ground, given the rampant clericalism which now characterizes its presence.
I foresee the mountain roaring and bringing forth a massive yawn amongst the populace. But it should succeed in becoming a "talking point" for about 16-20 hours.
I'll go one further. I'll wager the mountain issues a vague meaningless missive, and consigns the issue to perpetual study.
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