Posted on 04/10/2002 1:39:57 PM PDT by HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity
Edited on 04/13/2004 2:07:41 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
The Catholic Church's most reliable supporters, conservatives who have traditionally leapt to defend the institutional hierarchy whenever its practices have been questioned, are increasingly irate over the church's handling of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Commentators William J. Bennett, William F. Buckley,Jr., and Patrick Buchanan have harshly criticized Cardinal Bernard F. Law. Self-described orthodox Catholics are denouncing the church's bishops. "We spend our time monitoring and fighting anti-Catholicism wherever it exists in American society, but I have always had a disdain of intellectual dishonesty, and if I sat on the sidelines I'd have to be accused of that myself," said William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a group that fights anti-Catholic bias. "I don't know of single Catholic priest or layman who isn't furious about the sex abuse scandal, in terms of tolerance they [the hierarchy] have had for intolerable behavior and the way they've played musical chairs with these miscreant priests. I've never seen such anger."
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I have read that the seminaries which feed into the traditional movement (Latin Mass--Society of St. Peter?) are packed full of applicants and students.There are a couple non-schismatic traditional orders, I think you are referring to the The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), and they are overflowing with applicants. Many of the seminaries in the more conservative dioceses, e.g, Nebraska, are also overflowing even though they are Novus Ordo. The SSPX of course is schismatic.
patent
Well, I checked out that link, and what's still left unexplained is how all this could go on under the noses of the Old Guard. I just don't understand how they couldn't have completely stopped it in its tracks.It is my opinion (and take it as no more then that-an opinion) that large portions of the heirarchy in this country were corrupted long before Vatican II. Many of the most powerful Cardinals in this country empraced the theories that led straight into cafeteria catholicism, and promoted like minded priests into numerous chanceries all over the country. Their dissent became a lot more open in the decades after V2 as society and the Church reeled from the changes.
patent
Modern Anabaptists usually look most favorably on the German Swiss Anabaptists (Grebel, Blaurock & Manz) who were initially disciples of Zwingli yet split over the issue of believer's baptism. This group was far more biblically oriented as opposed to the South Germans (Lutheran context) who were more "charismatic / experientialist."
Zwingli remained a pedobaptist serving as pastor in Zurich and was succeeded by Henrich Bullinger who held the same views. Zwingli and Calvin are patriarchs of the Reformed tradition. Both rejected the Anabaptist doctrine which said Christians could not be magistrates nor should they go to war. Zwingli was killed in battle, ironically.
Believe it or not, there at least have been in the past people so out of touch with reality and a realistic understanding of the aggressive nature of homosexual subculture that they would doubt you were telling the truth if you described how bad the situation might be in a given institution. I know this to be a fact at least with respect to problems other than pedophile molestations. I personally described the nefarious anti-Catholic environment of a particular institution (about ten years ago) and the response from a ranking, senior member of the religious order was: "I doubt it's that bad." (exact words). Well, it was and is that bad.
There's no doubt that there is much more public heresy, moral confusion, and criminal investigations than in 1962. American culture is also different. Cultural trends have been influencing and infiltrating the church. Liberals in the Catholic Church in America share virtually the same ideology as their non-Catholic fellow travellers. The hatred of Catholicism which has been expressed on too many Catholic campuses is also new. Along with the expanded presence of non-Catholic and anti-Catholic professors at nominally Catholic institutions. Some people are obviously in denial when they can only see good in the postconciliar period.
The Jesuits are averaging about 50 new seminarians a year in the USA, despite having been around for 400 years and a much higher profile. The Fraternity is now ordaining more priests every year in France than the Jesuits. So is the Society of St. Pius X.
I wouldn't be surprised if the a Fraternity priest ends up burying the last Jesuit.
They are as determined; and as patient, in their commitment to corrupt the Church as it they have been determined to corrupt all things of 'value' in our secular world and our 'body politic' as well.
. . .the same destructive goals; the same ugly time-tested tactics; and their 'will'; absolutley steadfast and resolute. . .
Agreed. Definitely, absolutely. I can testify to this.
Most Anabaptist studies prior to 1800 were done by authors hostile to the Anabaptists and are not balanced. Or they were done by Landmark baptists seeking to trace believer's baptism back to John the Baptist and thus tend to include any and every group that might help make the case despite the group's other views which were often heretical. Modern studies like Estep and Williams have separated the nuts from the godly and given us a more balanced perspective.
A second generation Anabaptism worth studying is Menno Simons (progenitor of the Mennonites). He is the most significant individual in uniting the fractured Anabatptists. (Anabaptists in the early 1530s seized Munster and tried to set up a theocracy. They received the Janet Reno Waco treatment. This incident gave Anabaptism a black eye for decades and even centuries.) Menno's writings, which include extensive theological studies are readily available.
There are ties between Dutch Anabaptism and the earliest English Baptists -- this was the focus of my dissertation.
There are probably going to be some very good conservative and orthodox Catholic books which will emerge from the current raging controversies which will expose the Leftist corruption. Let's hope. Liberals actually support the homosexual movement among clergy. If there is blame to go around, they have their fair share.
Well, you can save yourself the trouble. The Pope has already ruled on that aspect of the faith. ;-)
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