Voice of the Faithful in Rockville Centre, New York, wants Bishop William Murphy to order an accused priest’s name be removed from a parish bulletin.
Listing Placa as “in residence” implies he is a priest in good standing, charges a letter sent yesterday to the Diocese of Rockville Centre by Voice of the Faithful. The group said Murphy is not honoring his promise that no priest with a credible allegation of sexual abuse would serve in pastoral ministry.
Sean Dolan, a spokesman for Murphy, said Placa was abiding by the terms of his suspension by not celebrating Mass in public or wearing his Roman Catholic collar. “He is not presenting himself as a priest in public,” Dolan said.
Of course, a religious test IS permitted for the purpose of DISqualification! At least insofar as the person upon whom the test is to be administered might be the 5th vote necessary to overturn Roe v. Wade.
I don’t think it’s nitpicking. Listing any suspended priest in the parish bulletin without indicating his suspension is, if not a violation of canon law, then at least an occasion of violation.
“Hmm…Fr. Idiot and Fr. Stupid are both involved in this incident that I have to confess. I suppose I could go across town to the Wog Parish, but why don’t I first call Fr. Inresidence at that number in the bulletin and see if he can hear my Confession?”
Spokesman Dolan may be right that Mr. Suspended is not presenting himself as a priest in public, but the pastor sure is, and that really is borderline disobedience. I commend VOTF for bringing this up, and hope that this is a sign that they might be in the process of converting to Catholicism.
WT-?
This sort of argument only has weight when it’s applied, as you have done, to a public official, as the Constitution only exists to bind the powers of the public officials.
Journalists or other persons who do not exercise government power can apply any criterion they like.
Here’s an analogy: if you or I criticize someone’s public statement, the First Amendment is not a real defense against our argument.
Why doesn’t VOTF recommend that Placa be transferred to Notre Dame with their buddy McBrien ?
Right, but the point is that the journalists are saying that Senators should use a religious test on Roberts.
The Constitution means nothing to the socialists.
The priest’s name should not be on the bulletin because it does encourage people to seek him out as a priest and sets the priest up to do ministry to them.
He should simply be omitted if he is not supposed to be regarded as a priest in good standing. He *is* just living there apparently. Okay then.
Let’s see…in residence at a Catholic church, listed on a Catholic church bulletin, allowed to say Catholic funeral Masses for Catholics in a Catholic Church…
How exactly is he “not presenting himself as a priest in public”?
How exactly is he or public trust under the United States.”
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