We have more evidence of bad catechesis in Colorado and it’s not limited to the pews. Several priests in Bishop Michael Sheridan’s Colorado Springs diocese have publicly opposed his letter on Catholic voting and politics, from the pulpit no less.
“When he said, ‘I want you all to know I don’t agree,’ everybody started clapping,” Vigil said. “Don’t get me wrong, bishops have the right and responsibility to teach,” [Fr. Bob] Kinkel said later. “But we have an old adage in the church - ‘In the middle is where the truth is.’ I think the letter is an extreme. No other bishop has said anything like this. We need to be able to continue to say, ‘Look at the whole spectrum of what the candidate is about.’ “
Really? Where is that old saying, Fr. Kinkel? It may be old and a saying, but it’s not the truth. Here’s another saying: Trying to straddle every issue is like trying to straddle a lion’s pit. Eventually you’ll get bit on the ... sensitive area. But then we have this: “Kinkel said he had not read Sheridan’s entire letter.” Well, why not? If he’s going to disagree with it, don’t you think he should have actually read it first? Or is he pre-disposed to publicly challenging his bishop? I hope Bishop Sheridan makes it clear to Father Kinkel what it means to pledge obedience to your bishop. Very clear.
Update: Apparently Fr. Kinkel is not in Bishop Sheridan’s diocese, but in the Denver archdiocese under Archbishop Chaput. While that relieves him from the obedience question, it still shows questionable judgment for him having used his puplit for such purpose. He also apparently invited the media to witness his tirade; how else to explain that a newspaper reporter happened to be present?
If its alright for people to clap would it be equally alright for other people to boo.
The Bishop Sheridans really put the Father Kinkels in a bind. Each Monday, they will have to face their bookkeepers who will note declining contributions from Sunday’s collection(s). When the bishop addressed the sin(s) of the guily politician, he also inferred that the same sin belongs to those who support such politicians. This would mostly include Democratic Party voters. Hence the clapping and the source of approval.
Now, if we could only pray that Cardinal George has the same spine as Bishop Sheridan, it might cause the earth to start shaking on Chicago City Hall’s 5th Floor and reverberate all the way to the East Coast.
uthor_email>maryidunn@yahoo.com
64.12.96.75
2004-05-20 08:13:22
2004-05-20 12:13:22
Regarding the recent actions of Bishop Michael J. Sheridan of Colorado Springs, I have one question that, try as I may, I can’t seem to answer?
Where does the Pope find these guys?
Sheridan’s actions boogle the mind and surely must test the faith of his 120,000 church members much more than they do mine, but I have to tell you, it is getting a little scary out here.
What are we to expect next?
The rack?
Fingernails being pulled out?
Wholesale burnings at the stake?
I would like to ask Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington, one of the few voices of reason to expound on this subject lately, how Sheridan will be able to tell the sheep frm the goats when they present themselves at the communion rail?
Will they have halos and horns, respectively?
It apears that the bishops’ idea of their June meeting being one of prayerful reflction and retreat is quickly evaporating.
Must be all that fire and brimstone.
To save themselves from utter perdition, I recommend that Bishop Wilton Gregory, as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, issue a gag order, effective immediately, in the name of the entire membership of the USCCB, to be binding under pain of mortal sin – dare we mention excommunication – until the bishops’ meeting is called to order in Denver on June 14.
Here, here!
Sister M. Immaculata Dunn
Sister,
It’s a far cry from telling people that they are out of communion with the Church because they reject fundamental truths as expressed by the Church to putting people on the rack. You might dial back the hyperbole a little.
Presumably, Sheridan will know who are the pro-abortion politicians and their major supporters and employees. Plus he could presumably know about those who work for or serve Planned Parenthood and the like. The rest will have to be up to pastors who it could be assumed would know their people. There aren’t going to be lie detector tests in the Communion line.
I guess I can assume you have no problem with those who publicly promote the “right” to slaughter innocent babies receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Why does “Sister Immaculata” not list her email address?
Further her incredible question “Where does the Pope find these guys?” challenges credulity in light of the numerous spineless flops who were made prelates during the last two decades. Including Bishop Gregory.
A Bishop Sheridan is a refreshing source of fortitude in his pastoral obligation of enforcing Church law.
Abortion is a sanitized term for infanticide—the horrendous and painful (yes, painful) ripping of a child out of her or his mother’s womb. It makes our society one that supports a hellish bitchery of millions.
If Sister proposes silencing this bishops—which is impossible anyways—I would imagine she would have supported actions against the bishops who could have attacked Hitler.
But with a lack of an email address, I have the sense that Sister is either a coward or a fraud or both.
John,
Sister is not a fraud. No one is required to have their email addresses be visible to everyone on my blog, but there is a valid email address on file in my records. I respect people’s desires for privacy. I am satisfied she is who she says she is. That doesn’t mean I agree with her, but it is possible to disagree without straying into personal invective.
Sister Immaculata,
As the Membership Secretary of the Thomas Torquemada Gentlemen’s Club, I can assure you that there are MANY more individuals like Bp. Sheridan here, there, and everywhere in the Roman Catholic Church in North America.
The TTGC is an organization dedicated to the Cause of Beatification for T. Torquemada. We have already secured the engineering expertise necessary to re-create all the tools and implements utilized by TT—and we are ready, willing, and able, at the call of the Vatican, to utilize them in combination with auto-da-fe, on a number of easily-identified heretics, some of which are members of the heirarchy.
If you wish to observe our proceedings, please drop a line. Your invitation will be in the mail immediately.
Best,
Ninenot
Thanks, Dom.
My problem with Sheridan is his presuming to stray into the area of one’s individual conscience when talking about voting for one individual over another. I don’t thing anyone should be intimidated to vote on a “one issue agenda.” And if bishops like Sheridan attempt to do this, we will have fewer people, who are catholic, in government, period.
And, I certainly am against abortion.
Sister M
“What are we to expect next?
The rack?
Fingernails being pulled out?
Wholesale burnings at the stake?
Will they have halos and horns, respectively? “
Sister, sister, sister –
Your post would be laughable were it not another manifestation of the evil that the Bishop is trying to curtail. Your idiotic references to torture have, of course, nothing to do with taking Communion. And the bishop’s (and the Church’s) position is of course, that those who actively support, advance and promote a vicious form of evil (the ripping of God’s children from the wombs of their mothers BY their mothers), are not fit to ingest the Son of God. People who publicly lend their support to such evil are carousing with the one who has those horns.
Very sincerely yours,
Sinner
What’s wrong with a one-issue agenda when that agenda is fundamental to humanity? If someone doesn’t have respect for life in the womb, then what does it matter what he thinks on, say, welfare programs? I suppose those who opposed the Nazis or the Soviets because they were murderous totalitarian regimes would be accused of being single-issue partisans. I would gladly join their ranks then.
Dear Dom:
I apologize if I have strayed into invective, which is debatable. The issue of legalized infanticide (aka abortion) is the social evil of our times; one that does lend itself to Sister Immaculata’s call for silencing bishops who speak out against Catholic politicians who support abortion, or like Kerry, go out of his way to lead the pro-death parade.
Civility has its place, Dom. But not at the gates of the Dachau’s run by Planned Parenthood and ignored by “civil” Catholic prelates.
You know – the Democratic Pary of this nation publicly and stridently supports 1) abortions of convenience; 2) partial-birth abortions (plain old infanticide – fully formed baby-murder); 3) abortions for teens without parental knowledge; 4) forcing doctors to learn about how to perform abortions; 5) denigrating those who do embrace abortion; 6) refusing the benching of judges who are Catholic and oppose abortion. And quite a few of our Democratic representatives in Congress actually voted AGAINST the Born Alive Infant Protection Act – that curtailed the practice of allowing born alive children to die on heaps of dirty rags from exposure and starvation when accidentally born during late term abortion procedures. The Democratic Party is in love with abortion and baby murder. If the bishops and priests (and nuns) of the Catholic Church can’t stand against such, and vigorously so, they are worthless and irrelevant…
Here, here, John Hetman. Vicious evil must be forcefully confronted… (or it WILL spread and metastasize…)
When I was a kid and nuns still taught the Catholic faith with reverence, we learned, of course the cardinal virtues, which included fortitude. Today, fortitude, is not held in high regard by the American Church which reflects the tolerance for evil of the self-appointed elite. So much of the Church looks like the worst of mainstream Protestantism—the part that lost its fervor and dedication to the Gospel as wll as Reform Judaism that has forsaken Torah for assimilation into nonsense.
I pride myself on civility. Having worked and lived for a long time with liberal nuns and priests up close, I have come to see the face of fascism in their self-righteous quests for solipsistic peace justice.
Never once did I hear any of these religious speak out against abortion, although I heard sveral prominent members mock pro-life supporters.
I count the schism within the Church here and here for a long time.
One can see that in the reaction to Bishop Sheridan from the liberals within his diocese, who rather than obey their bishop, now will withhold their contributions for the sake of supporting the Democratic Party.
One can also see that in the tepidness of so many prelates, who have their choice.
” have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.”
—Deuteronomy 30. 19-20.
For the sake of their souls, it is almost past the time to tell those who condone, promote, support or tolerate the abortion of children that the gates of hell stand wide open…for them.
If Mary had listened to the aborto-lover baby murderers of her time, rather than to God, the world and each of our souls would have been lost to Him. How stupid is any Christian who supports abortion.
John,
I don’t mind if you confront Sister on the evils of abortion. I just took exception to finding malice in her keeping her email address private. There are valid reasons for doing so. I agree with you that support for the culture of death must be confronted always. I just want it to be done with most effective methods.
Amen, Dom!
“but I have to tell you, it is getting a little scary out here.”
What are you afraid of, Sister?
Good News!
The good Archbishop visited this very Parish, Risen Christ, earlier this week!
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/religion/article/0,1299,DRMN_61_2900366,00.html
It looks like any discipline of Fr. Kinkel will be kept entirely private. That is CHaput’s style, and I respect it.
In his sermon before hundreds of seniors and their families, Chaput also urged Catholics to be good citizens and bring their faith into the public square.
“Otherwise, the church is kind of irrelevant, isn’t it?” he said.
Right on, Bishop Chaput.
.” And if bishops like Sheridan attempt to do this, we will have fewer people, who are catholic, in government, period. “
Dear Sister Mary,
Sadly, we do have fewer people, 43 million fewer ‘people’ – equal to the population of California – ALL killed by abortion. They have been denied the most basic human right:LIFE. Now some holy Bishops are coming to the fore and taking the fight for the most defenseless in mankind. It just so happens that Kerry, Pelosi, et. al., have been dining out on the tab of gutlless bishops and archbishops for a long time and now the note is being called. Too bad! The Catholic Cafertia of America has been found in code violation and is being shut down. The Sheridan’s, the Burke’s, the Olmsted’s etc. are now the players and are trumping the Mahony’s, Gumbleton’s and McCarrick’s. Why, the gall of the former; teaching AND living the Faith! The Cathechism of the Catholic Church is gin clear on the position of the Church regarding abortion. NO! NONE! NEVER! EVER! This garbage of straying into one’s conscience? The legislator’s who approve abortion, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, pick ‘em, HAVE no conscience, are bereft of right reason, and soulless. One issue? You’re damned right one issue. It is the MOST fundamental of issues. This ‘social justice’ kick that has been going on for the last 40 years has some merit, but NOT EVER at the expense of an unborn child. Read Dorothy Day in her entirety. “When is comes to social justice, I am to the left of most in America. When it comes to Holy Mother Church, I am far to the right of Rome itself.”
“sister m immaculata dunn”, why do you use a fake name here and in letters to the editor around the country?
On Web sites it can be understood that sometimes people use fake names, but to pass yourself as a nun???
And to lie to reputable newspapers about your name and who you are is not only deceitful but actually harms the cause that you try to champion.
In your latest deceit you even used the address of a cemetery as your home address in your letter to the telegraph herald in iowa.
So why are you lying about who you are?
Do you have evidence that she is lying about who she is? If so, then email me privately. Otherwise, unfounded accusations are not welcome.