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PAR 35: As the press release of these excommunicated schismatics states: This conflict is over. Their willful rebellion against legitimate Church authority is manifest despite repeated warnings by Archbishop Burke and despite his best generous efforts to bring them to heel. He is in charge of the parishes and religious life of those parishes in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. The rebellious excommunicati are not. This is the Roman Catholic Church and NOT some anarchic congregatonal church. May God bless Archbishop Burke for administering exemplary ecclesiastical justice to these willfully disobedient ecclesiastical thieves and schismatics.

If any among them are willing to put aside their sins of pride, disobedience, defiance and scandal and come groveling back in abject humiliation, certainly Archbishop Burke will consider entertaining individual pleadings. The rebellious priest, Mark Bozek, should be defrocked, never to be restored, as an example to others in other schisms of recent note.

Solitas: When Catholics need your opinion as to how OUR Catholic Church should be governed, we will be sure to ask.

While ONE of Webster's definitions of "catholic" has an eccleastical application, another is purely objective: "broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests" which seems in opposition to your ideals...

Individuals are free to accept or refuse the opinions of others; to deny them their right to express them is listed as one of the definitions of another word.

I've not implied that other's arguments are not wanted here, or told anyone to shut up, or go away, or keep quiet.

Now it is time to go finish stacking wood. Merry Christmas; even to you. :)

IIRC, once the penalty of excommunication is imposed, only the Pope may remove it. Prayers for the Archbishop in this very serious and severe aspect of his episcopal ministry, and prayers for these schismatic parishoners, that they may come to realize their error and work to return to the Church.

I have the highest respect for the ecclesiastical authority and do believe it comes from Christ. However, this particular quarrel followed by an "excommunication" over material property of a 120-years-old parish does not reflect maturity of Burke. He is not acting as a shepherd. John 10:27- "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." Obviously, these sheep smelled a rat.

I don't believe that this property-related "excommunication" is worth anything at all. I hope it will be immediately appealed to the Holy See and they will stay in communion with the Church.