Voice of the Faithful leaders will meet with Archbishop Sean O’Malley of Boston next week. Of course, the VOTFers think the archbishop will lift the ban on new chapters forming in parishes, but that it not at all clear. I hope the archbishop will be cordial, but firm in telling them that if they can’t profess the faith of the Church then they will not be recognized as a Catholic organization.
It’s funny; it would be such a simple thing for them to say that they accept the Church’s defined teachings on certain bedrock matters, but they can’t because it’s not true. So they continue to prevaricate and pretend they aren’t what they are, hoping to fool everyone. And they continue to fade from relevance.
“Boston Bishop to Meet Dissident Lay Group”
I got a chuckle out of this headline, which is cropping up all over the country even as I type. It’s probably because that’s how the original AP guy wrote it, and all the papers are just picking it up and running it as is.
By the way, VOTF is definitely preparing for this powwow. In its Washington press conference, they “commended” three bishops: O’Malley was one of them.
“Why do the bishops give any time to groups like VOTF?”
Two guesses:
1: To bring them back to the flock.
2: Because it’s perceived as good PR.
Anyway, I think probably bishops “meet” with orthodox folks all the time. There just isn’t any publicity about it. I mean, why would the Globe give a hoot about an archbishop spending a great deal of time at a parish shelter for homeless folks, or for women with problem pregnancies? Remember the Gospel reading on Ash Wednesday: it’s amazingly pertinent.
As for “orthodox groups.” Gee…I really don’t want to think this way but I can’t help it. I think the term is, by and large, an oxymoron. Maybe that’s our problem.