Bishop (Martino) takes stand on faith at forum (no longer supports Dem party!)

Standard Speaker ^ | October 22, 2008 | LAURA LEGERE

[NYer]

Local and national Catholics reacted Tuesday to statements by Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph F. Martino apparently discounting teachings of the national body of bishops during a political forum at a Honesdale Roman Catholic Church this weekend.

Martino arrived unannounced in the midst of a panel discussion on faith issues and the presidential campaign at St. John’s Catholic Church on Sunday. According to people who attended the event, the bishop chastised the group for holding the forum and particularly took issue with the discussion and distribution of excerpts from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ position on voting issues. The document defines abortion and euthanasia, as well as racism, torture and genocide, as among the most important issues for Catholic voters to consider.

“No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese,” he was quoted as saying in the Wayne County Independent, a Honesdale-based newspaper. “The USCCB doesn’t speak for me.”

Thomas Shepstone, a local businessman and Catholic who spoke about his opposition to abortion rights during the event, recalled Tuesday that Martino also told the audience that he voted against the U.S. Bishops’ statement and described it as a consensus document “written to mean all things to all people.”

According to participants, Martino expressed dismay that the panelists did not discuss the pastoral letter he directed all priests in the Diocese to read in place of their homilies on Oct. 4 and 5. In that letter, he called on Catholic voters to consider abortion above all other issues, except those he defined as having equal moral weight, like euthanasia and embryonic stem-cell research.

“The only relevant document ... is my letter,” he said at the forum, according to the Independent. “There is one teacher in this diocese, and these points are not debatable.”

According to the Independent, the bishop also said he no longer supports the Democratic Party.

A diocesan spokesman on Tuesday confirmed the bishop’s comments as reported in the Independent.

The spokesman, William Genello, also released a statement that noted the bishop attended the event because he “was concerned because of the confusion and public misrepresentations about Catholic teaching on the life issues.

“Certain groups and individuals have used their own erroneous interpretations of Church documents, particularly the U.S. Bishops’ statement on Faithful Citizenship, to justify their political positions and to contradict the Church’s actual teaching on the centrality of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research,” the statement said.

“When Bishop Martino heard how some of these issues were being presented at the forum, he determined that he must address the forum to fulfill his obligation as the authentic teacher of the Catholic faith in his diocese.”

Professor Douglas Kmiec, a Catholic constitutional legal scholar who advises Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, said Tuesday he respects Martino’s passionate speech about life and doubts the bishop intended to separate himself from the larger church.

“That said, we have to be faithful to the church as the church universal exists,” he said. “And the church universal exists in places other than Scranton. It’s everywhere. Its teaching is timeless.”

Participants at the event described a spirited exchange of ideas that was either interrupted or invigorated by the bishop’s arrival.

Gene Tagle, the moderator of the event, said the bishop “torpedoed” the forum, even though he had been told about the event as early as May 27 this year.

“If the bishop disapproved, it seems all he had to do was have his secretary pick up the phone, call our parish pastor and tell him not to go ahead with the forum,” he said. “Instead he came in at the midpoint of the meeting and totally surprised everyone.”

Tagle said the bishop criticized the resident pastor, Rev. Martin Boylan, for holding the forum and “seemed to justify his presence there by stating that he owned the building.”

He also described the bishop’s tone as “angry and admonishing” and said his words created a surprising level of emotion in the audience.

“When he left it was chaotic,” Tagle said. “He incited his supporters to wild applause and shouting. And some individuals were castigating others for supporting pro-choice candidates. It was pretty wild there for a while.”

The bishop left shortly after his remarks and many audience members — some put the number at two-thirds of the group, others say a quarter — left after him.

Shepstone, the panelist, was one who left.

“I left because it was singularly inappropriate to continue the meeting after the bishop had spoken,” he said Tuesday, explaining that the bishop had made it clear he wanted the meeting to stop.

“He spoke eloquently and he spoke forcefully and there was nothing else to be said.”

Wendell Kay, another panelist and a Wayne County commissioner, stayed for the scheduled question-and-answer session after the bishop left, despite being startled by the interruption.

“He’s my bishop and I accept what he says, but I was a little bit surprised at the turn of events,” he said, “and thought if there had been an objection from the diocese in advance we probably would not have held the forum.”

[NYer]

Bishop Joseph Martino

[NYer]

[pray4liberty]

Almighty God is separating the sheep from the goats, and He is using this election to do it. May the scales fall from all their eyes!

Praise the Lord.

[pray4liberty]

“He’s my bishop and I accept what he says, but I was a little bit surprised at the turn of events,” he said, “and thought if there had been an objection from the diocese in advance we probably would not have held the forum.”

That's why he crashed the party, you jerk. (not you NYer)

This is as similar and shocking as Jesus getting out a whip and throwing out the money changers from His Temple.

Pray for this courageous man of God.

[Westbrook]

Just WOW!

May all the SERIOUS churches join the Catholics in denouncing the DemonRAT party as the PARTY OF DEATH, the party of Communist indoctrination and servitude.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

Wow!

There comes a time when words must end & one must act.

God bless him!

[Ann Archy]

ANY catholic who is Pro-Choice or Pro-Euthansia is NOT a Catholic in good standing...PERIOD.

[trisham]

A brave and good man. May God bless him, and may his guardian angel protect him.

[wiley]

I love the part where he disses the USCCB, an organization that I think should be disbanded.

[seoul62]

God Bless Him./Just Asking - seoul62......

[pray4liberty]

FReeper friends, please get on the site and vote it up. It’s only a 3.5 / 10 right now.

[veritas2002]

This bishop is simply verbalizing what many of us Catholics have been thinking for quite some time...to hell with the USCCB

[vladimir998]

Quote from the article:

Professor Douglas Kmiec...said Tuesday he respects Martino’s passionate speech about life and doubts the bishop intended to separate himself from the larger church.”

So knowing the USCCB can be ignored (since it’s not an official part of the Church hierarchy) means you might be accused of separating yourself from the Church?

Fools.

[NYer]

May all the SERIOUS churches join the Catholics in denouncing the DemonRAT party as the PARTY OF DEATH, the party of Communist indoctrination and servitude.

So many Catholic bishops have spoken out - very vociferously - against the "party of death". But, where are the voices from Protestant and Jewish religious leaders?

[Miss Marple]

Wow! Our archbishop hasn’t really addressed the Life issue yet, although to be fair he is ill and I think is not really up to a fight.

I would have paid cash money to see this!!

[NYer]

I love the part where he disses the USCCB, an organization that I think should be disbanded.

I'm no fan of the USCCB but when they do something right, we should let them know. And yesterday, they did just that!

Breaking: US Bishops set the record straight in today's statement(Legal Protection for Unborn!)

[nickcarraway]

Yes, bishops can totally ignore Church teaching and the Pope, but not the USCCB.

[ethics]

This Bishop Martino is the perfect example of what a Bishop schould be.

In Atlanta, Archbishop Wilton Gregory is an Obama supporter. Wilton Gregory never talks about abortion as it applies to the Presidential Election.

Our pastor, Msgr Patrick Bishop of Transfiguration Church in Marietta Georgia on October 18, 2008 spoke from the altar during Mass and stated that Obama was Pro Abortion and that Palin was for Capital Punishment. Therefore, there was no difference between these 2 people and that he gave his tacit approval to vote for Obama, the Abortionist.

Msgr Patrick Bishop didn’t mention John McCain but instead Msgr Patrick Bishop brought up Sarah Palin.

This is an example of how Msgr Patrick Bishop is trying to destroy the reputation of Sarah Palin who has strong Pro Life Credential. Msgr Patrick Bishop is a strong supporter of Obama and practices politics during the Mass in clerical garb.

On March 31, 2008, during the homily following Msgr Patrick Bishop announced that he left the Republican Party because of Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter.

Archbishop Wilton Gregory lets Msgr Patrick Bishop practice politics during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The people of the Diocese of Atlanta would be happy to have Bishop Martino instead of Archbishop Wilton Gregory and Msgr Patrick Bishop...

[ethics]

Send a copy of this article at Raymond Arroyo of the WORLD OVER on Friday Nights on EWTN!!!

Encourage him to have Bishop Martino on his show!!

His email address is worldover@ewtn.com

[maryz]

as well as racism, torture and genocide

Gee, who's the one running on a pro-racism, pro-torture and pro-genocide platform? I know I don't always keep up, but surely I wouldn't have missed that! ;-)