timely advice
By Diogenes (articles ) | March 19, 2004 12:08 PM
Another Kumbaya Catholic, like Snoopy athwart his doghouse, fires his pretend machine gun at the ghostly bogeys of the 1960s. No injuries were reported.
The Roman Catholic Church, tightly centralised under Pope John Paul, should open up to share power more among its bishops, priests and people, the Archbishop of Westminster [Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor] has written in a new book.
Right. Ask any of the Westminster clergy or laity who want no part of the currently mandated RENEW program how open the chancery is to power-sharing.
"At the Heart of the World," a short volume just published in London that reflects on the challenges facing Catholicism, comes as the 125 cardinals due to elect the next pope look ahead to the era after the ailing Polish pontiff, now 83.
Hey, be fair. The pope obviously has Parkinson's, and he tires easily, but don't you have to work less than a five-day week before you count as "ailing"? And is it strictly relevant to the ecclesial issues that he's an ailing Polish pontiff? I can't find any reference to bedsore-bedizened British bishops in the same article.
Some thoughts are openly stated, others posed as questions that hint at critical answers. All show a moderate keen to see his 2,000-year-old church march more in time with the times.
An old dodge: you put a question mark after your heterodoxies so you can give a squeal of wounded virtue when challenged ("I was only asking a question!"). In any event, one has to wonder which aspects of "the times" he sees outside his window Murphy-O'Connor wants the Church to get in step with.
Citing reforms of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), he writes: "We need to discover ways of fostering the effective participation of clergy and lay people in synodical or representative bodies within the Roman Catholic Church."
Is this man in a strong position in lecture the Universal Church on how to revitalize herself? Westminster has 32 seminarians
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Posted by: Fr. Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬) -
Mar. 20, 2004 12:08 PM ET USA
In seminary we had a parody song. Here is the opening salvo: [To the tune of Burt Bacharach's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again":] What do you do when you do Renew? You get together and you drink some coffee. You read some Scripture and you hug each other. I'll.... never go to Mass again... I'll.... never go to Mass again....
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Posted by: AveMaria580 -
Mar. 20, 2004 12:06 PM ET USA
It is a good point about RENEW. I obtained some Renew leadership manuals through a used book service. Three of the contributors I found on the Call-to-Action web-site. They also used the work of DeMello. The first lesson started with a doctrinal error that God is trinue in nature. It is solidly eco-feminist. It is also based on the small community model of Liberation Theology. I wrote serveral pages documenting the many problems and gave it to someone in authority. Nothing was done.
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Posted by: Pseudodionysius -
Mar. 19, 2004 5:03 PM ET USA
Cardinal Murphy O'Connor, your Eminence, your Search for Freedom is an inspiration to Docetists all across the world.
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Posted by: AveMaria580 -
Mar. 19, 2004 4:25 PM ET USA
"Sharing the power," does this mean we get more lavendar bishops? It seems that has been the result of his shared power. If we march any closer in line with the times we can be fully apostate rather than just having varying shades of heresy. As to the participation of clergy and laity, if we have anymore laity participation we won't be able to find the clergy. I do enjoy liberal sophistry. It gives me something to sharpen my language and grammer skills on while I'm learning Latin.
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Posted by: -
Mar. 19, 2004 3:40 PM ET USA
O'Solanus is correct. You can't expect to win a war when you refuse to recognize the existence of your very malevolent enemy. The Pope has rewarded a number of unworthy prelates (their name is "legion") with cardinal's hats. Now we all have to suffer for it.
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Posted by: Pseudodionysius -
Mar. 19, 2004 2:28 PM ET USA
The Polish Pope. I hope you are aware, of course, that he wasn't admitted to the Gregorian University.
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Posted by: normnuke -
Mar. 19, 2004 2:12 PM ET USA
I have never been subjected to RENEW, but someone told me once that it is derived from brainwashing methods developed by the Chinese Communists (really!). Particularly the isolation tactics for dealing with those who seem to be resisting.
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Posted by: O'Solanus -
Mar. 19, 2004 1:23 PM ET USA
Yes, Diogenes, these attitudes are offensive, hypocritical and audacious; but neither this Cardinal, nor any of the bishops and cardinals like him, elevated themselves. The buck (quid in this case) stops with the Holy Father.
