Remember separation of church and state?

Remember separation of church and state?

The protesters at the former St. Albert parish in Weymouth, Mass., show they have as little grasp of the US Constitution as they do of the nature of the Catholic Church. They went before the Weymouth town council to ask it to lobby the Archdiocese of Boston on their behalf to have the parish re-opened. The sensible councilors are understandably concerned that this would be a violation of the separation of church and state. But then, where the civil libertarians are concerned, anything that puts the Church at a disadvantage is right in line with the First Amendment.

Louis Rizzo, co-chairman of the church’s parish council, read a statement to the council.:post_date_gmt>
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21404

crahl@syr.edu

128.230.148.70
2004-11-12 16:05:03
2004-11-12 20:05:03
All they want is their Church back.

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21405

dom@bettnet.com
https://www.bettnet.com
192.168.1.1
2004-11-12 16:09:21
2004-11-12 20:09:21
It’s not “their” Church to begin with.

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21406

jenbrown26@hotmail.com
http://totallycatholicyouth.blogspot.com/
68.188.149.186
2004-11-12 16:26:59
2004-11-12 20:26:59
KeepStAs…do you say the creed? You do? No kidding. Me too! So does the parish in Florida, California, Spain, China…
This is not about human dignity at all, it’s called lack of humility.  There ARE other parishes that will take in these parishioners. Their sacramental, educational, spiritual, pastoral, etc needs WILL be met. It’s not as though the ENTIRE Archdiocese is shutting down.

Do you know that there are places in this world where they WALK MILES to get the Eucharist? I don’t hear them complaining. 

No, this is selfishness, hubris and lack of clarity about what “Church” is.  I belong to the same Church that you do, though I live in another state. Their behavior says to me, all the way over here that they don’t think that they belong to the same Church that I do. Their actions offend the entire Church: the whole world over.

Enough. We ALL -as Catholics-belong to The Church.  A building may have sentimental value. So does my parent’s home.  But there is a time to move on, and know what? It’s time.

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21407

rbencivenga@shaw.ca

204.209.17.254
2004-11-12 17:28:29
2004-11-12 21:28:29
Right on, JenB

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21408

kclark@mindspring.com
http://pewlady.blogspot.com
209.91.58.188
2004-11-12 22:19:18
2004-11-13 02:19:18
In a statement regarding the formation of the committee, the archbishop said he will “await the work of this important committee and promise it serious attention as we move forward.”

Fine. But I’m most worried about the “communion services” held at this church building.

Where is the sacred species coming from? People keep asking me (as if I had a clue). Is a priest bringing the Sacrament to the building, or are lay folks “consecrating” ordinary bread?

Isn’t this the most important issue to address?

“Keep”—if you know, you should probably tell somebody. Because this is far more important than the building. You might not believe it, but it is. Honest.
ish community,” he said. “This is not a church issue, but a fairness issue concerning human dignity, social injustice, and the unwise and unnecessary destruction of a parish community that has served the town of Weymouth and met the needs and enriched the lives of thousands of your constituents for more than half a century.”

He’s wrong; it is exactly a Church issue. This is about how and when the Catholic Church may choose to order he affairs. What’s next? Local governments complaining when a popular pastor is re-assigned? Local school boards choosing religious education curriculum? Alcoholic beverage commissions regulating the reception of the Eucharist under the appearance of wine? Health boards banning incense because of secondhand smoke?

This is precisely the type of meddling the Founding Fathers wanted to prevent when they crafted the First Amendment. The town council would be wise to stay out of matters that are not the government’s concern. Of course, in “blue state” Massachusetts where liberals rule the roost, they can’t help governmental meddling. It’s the very definition of liberalism.

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