Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Response From A Crack Addicted Catholic Blogger


It seems that my blog has become me answering the charges of "Traditional Catholics" against the Church.  I am really doing this more for myself than for anyone else.  I once completely bought into all of the stereotypical accusations made by Traditional Catholics, such as Vatican II is the root of all evil, the Ordinary Form of the Mass is basically evil, the Church hierarchy are all modernists, etc. And like far too many of those who call themselves Traditionalists, I was convinced that I had all the answers, and all the problems would be solved if they just listened to me.

During the past year, however, I have tried something really radical.  I have started listening to what the Church says through the bishops and the Pope and started reading official Church documents without any other person interpreting the words.  In doing so, I have discovered that it is not at all what I was being told by my "traditionalist heroes."  I have been hearing good solid teaching and defense of the dogmas of the Church from those who are in charge of my soul.  I have come to the amazing discovery that the bishops and the Vatican are not all a bunch of boogeymen out to rob me of my salvation.

By blocking out all of the bombastic rhetoric that I hear from so many "Traditionalists", I have come to the startling conclusion that Jesus Christ is still in charge of His Church and that He doesn't need a sinner like me to be judge and jury of the hierarchy of that Church.  My main concern, as St. Paul wrote, is to work out my own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). If I can do that, I will be doing a lot more for the Church than I will by sitting in judgment of everyone else, most especially the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

One of my former heroes, Michael Voris, has not learned this lesson.  I don't know if he has gotten worse or if I'm just more sensitive, but he did a Vortex episode on January 14 which I feel is actually sinful in its spread of gossip and attempts at fomenting dissension among brethren.  Voris entitles this, "The Gay Priest Party."  You can watch it HERE

Voris starts out by mocking and insulting those who see anything positive in the current state of the Catholic Church:
So, wanna continue to think that things are improving in the Church? That the New Springtime is busting out all over? That’s what all those crack-addicted Catholic bloggers over in la la land keep portraying. Don’t listen to them. They are either ignorant to the nth degree, or they are lying to you and they want to keep in friendly with the church of nice.

Yes, Michael, there are problems in the Church, major problems. In the Archdiocese of New York, right next door to me, they are planning on numerous church closings this year. That is serious stuff. But at what point in church history have there not been serious problems? That little thing called the Protestant Reformation decimated the Church in Europe, with millions abandoning Catholicism. When King Henry VIII revolted against the Pope, all but one of the bishops in England followed him. Untold numbers of Catholic Churches, monasteries and abbeys were turned into Anglican property. England, once a totally Catholic country, actually outlawed the Catholic Church until the 19th Century. Somehow, the Church survived and actually has a larger weekly attendance now than the Church of England. And as we know, many Anglicans are now returning to Mother Church.

The Catholic Church is currently experiencing what could be called a spiritual forest fire, with lots of apparent devastation and destruction. But real forest fires end up producing new life and new growth. A forest always comes back stronger than ever after a fire because the fire clears dead trees, new growth is low to the ground and accessible to animals for food, some seeds germinate only after a fire, minerals are returned to the soil, the burned areas are suitable for new species of animals, to name just a few benefits.

Every time the Church has gone through a crisis, she has come back stronger than ever.  Church crises have produced our greatest saints.  Doctrines have been clarified and strengthened as the results of spiritual crises.  Fire cleanses, and this is as true for spiritual fire as it is for physical fire.

When Christ was on this earth, He gave us a wonderful illustration of how to act during the midst of a storm. In Matthew 8, we are told the story of Jesus and the apostles out on the lake when a fierce storm came up. This storm was so severe that the apostles, many of whom were seasoned fisherman who had seen it all, were terrified and woke our Lord crying out, "Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!" (Matthew 8:23-25).

The apostles sounded just like Michael Voris and all like him who claim the Church is going to drown. How did Our Lord respond? "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Would Michael Voris respond to this statement of Jesus by calling him a "crack addicted Catholic in la la land." Couldn't Jesus see the severity of the storm? Couldn't he see the water in the boat threatening to take it to the bottom of the lake? Couldn't He see the enormous waves threatening to engulf the little boat? Would Voris tell us not to listen to Jesus because he is "either ignorant to the nth degree", or "lying to you"?

Oh ye of little faith, why are you so afraid?

Voris continues:
This story that I am about to tell you was shared with us by a priest who has first hand knowledge of it.
What?  Why is a priest going to Michael Voris and spreading gossip?  This priest, whoever he is, needs to go to confession IMMEDIATELY.

So what is this story about which this anonymous priest, whoever and wherever he is, could not keep quiet?  Michael Voris gives us no names or places, just hearsay and innuendo, facts that would never stand up in a court of law, as follows:
At Christmas time, a Catholic diocese with a long history of dissent and fomenting heresy by its more high-profile career-minded clergy, had its annual clergy Christmas party.

We have no idea who Voris is talking about and therefore, have no way of confirming the truth of these statements.  We just know that Voris is now besmirching anonymous hierarchy in the Church, leading all Catholics who listen to it to wonder if it is their diocese.   This produces potentially damaging and completely unwarranted dissension among the Catholic faithful.

Just what is this must-be-told story?

The anonymous priest tells Voris that he went to a diocesan Christmas party in which "many" (Voris later says a "couple of dozen") of his fellow priests walked up to our anonymous priest to introduce their boyfriends to him.  This anonymous priest supposedly then goes to his chancery the next day to complain, and according to Voris,
So what did he hear from the chancery priest – did he hear, who was there? We need to gather them together and guide them spiritually or consider their dismissal from the clerical ranks?
Was one ounce of concern expressed for the state of these actively homosexual priests’ souls? HA. Are you kidding? Of course not. This is the Church of Nice remember. No Sin. No Hell. Just keep the machinery of the bureaucracy running.
The priest was told to keep his mouth shut and to not say those kind of things out loud, unless he wanted reprisals.

Just what is the purpose of telling this story to the public? Why put these thoughts into the minds of Catholics when you have absolutely nothing to back it up? Whether this did or did not actually happen, what is the purpose of dragging it out into the public? 

Terry Nelson of Abbey Roads, put it very well. You can read his entire post HERE:
It's unsubstantiated hearsay and rumor. It fuels people's imaginations, it causes suspicion and incites unhealthy curiosity and speculation, leading to rash judgement and gossip. If we do not know who, what, and where, how can a story like this be substantiated? What good is accomplished? What if the priest is a disgruntled, marginalized, unpopular cleric in his diocese and just wants to get revenge? How does he know the other priests are gay? And if they happen to be gay, how does he know they are sexually active or promoting homosexuality? How does he know the men with these priests were their boyfriends? Did they introduce them as such? Were they carrying their rent-a-boy receipt book?
So why is Voris putting this trash out there for all to see? Anyone who has ever listened to Voris knows exactly why: to do what Voris does best, which is to once again come down in harsh criticism and judgment on the hierarchy of the church, and oh boy, does he. He does something that not even the Holy Father has the authority to do. Voris actually pronounces judgment on the souls of these anonymous priests and bishops:
Priests and bishops who downplay Hell AND allow or look the other way in the face of one these evils will be among the FIRST to have judgment pronounced on them.
Chanceries will come down like the fire and brimstone did on Sodom and Gomorrah when dealing with an orthodox heterosexual priest who loves his people and wants to get them to heaven, but they throw parties and feather their own career nests with these sons of Satan in roman collars.
Remember, we are given no facts with which to back up this story.  It is all hearsay and as Terry Nelson of Abbey Roads said, we have no idea who this priest is or what his story is.

Voris' tone becomes even more condemnatory:
Does anyone within earshot of this REALLY and TRULY want to stand up and say that the active homosexual priests strutting around with their boyfriends at a Christmas party [as Terry said, we have no proof of this] are not in extreme danger of eternal damnation?
And moreover, does anyone really and truly want to stand up and proffer the insane conclusion that the leadership that knows about this activity, condones it and covers-up for it for political career-advancement motives aren’t standing on the very edge of Hell itself and if they were to die tonight, would be consigned to those flames for all eternity.
What a terribly strange notion of God you all have in the Church of Nice. You have lost, if you ever possessed it, any supernatural faith and you are an eminent danger to the souls in your charge. Leave the priesthood. Leave the Church.
If you can’t recognize your evil, if you can’t smell the noxious odor of hell even now encircling you and come to your senses and repent, then get out now before you corrupt any more souls.


Voris actually judges the minds and hearts of these anonymous priests and bishops and then has the temerity to say to them, "Leave the priesthood. Leave the church." Our Lord did not say this to Judas, the one who betrayed Him! He constantly reached out to Judas, imploring him with love and mercy to repent. And Our Lord knew exactly the state of Judas' soul. Voris is pronouncing judgment on people that he does not even know, and doing so through second-hand information, He then exhorts his listeners to follow his scandalous example.

Earlier in this post, I urged the anonymous priest in this story to go to confession immediately.  I also urge Michael Voris to do the same.  This Vortex episode is one big sin.  He is spreading stories about unnamed people and about which he has no firsthand information.  These are stories designed to destroy the reputations of people. Worse, these are stories which produce public scandal, as Terry Nelson wrote, "It fuels people's imaginations, it causes suspicion and incites unhealthy curiosity and speculation, leading to rash judgement and gossip."  

Unlike his treatment of priests and bishops, I do not judge the soul of Michael Voris.  He may truly believe that he is serving the will of God by condemning the hierarchy of the Church.  But he is sadly misguided.  Proverbs 6:19 makes it very plain that this is most definitely not the will of God, as we are told that of the seven things the Lord hates, among them is "he that soweth discord among brethren."  


I have shown time and again how Michael Voris twists facts and statements to put the hierarchy of the Church in the worst possible light. His mission seems to be to destroy them in any method he can. I urge you, please do not follow Voris or anyone like him.  We live in very dangerous times and Satan is using any way he can to ensnare the faithful.  We are warned that he can appear as an angel of light, but you know something is seriously wrong when the main message is to criticize and condemn Church hierarchy.

Michael Voris is convinced and is trying to convince all the rest of us that the mainstream Catholic Church is teetering on the edge of total collapse. It is his position that, unless we all are in complete agreement with everything he says and stands for, we are on the road to perdition.  But this is not the message of Jesus Christ.  

Remember the apostles in the boat.  Remember what Our Lord said, "Oh ye of little faith.  Why are you afraid?"

Credit:  www.prophetofgrace.org

32 comments:

  1. You are a better writer than I am - thank God. Beautifully said and a powerful witness. God bless you!

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  2. Ah, Terry. You are so much more succinct and to the point than I am. That is why I quoted you. But the main thing is that people don't buy into this constant condemnation of the Church. It is so destructive to their souls.

    BTW, you are by far the best artist in the blogosphere.

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  3. Very well done! I'm glad this is being revealed for what it is: vindictive and petty gossip, designed to wound the body of Christ.

    Deacon Greg Kandra

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    1. Thank you, Deacon Greg. That means even more coming from you. It has been quite a journey!

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    2. Deacon, Michael Voris' discretion can be found wanting, his judgment sometimes rash, his zeal distracting. But to suppose that his 'design' is 'to wound the body of Christ,' and 'vindictive,' i.e., merely out for vengeance, is not a little wanting in discretion.

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  4. I am too old to believe that things happen in the Church by accident. I have lived through and seen and read of too many examples of bishops, priests, and nuns acting in a very anti-Catholic manner, (I was educated by the SSJs, Christian Brothers, and Jesuits-ASN), and after such behavior is exposed nothing is done. I recall the comments of PPVI some forty years ago—“from some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.”
    Some of that smoke is indifference to sin within the Church, which should rightly cause any devout Catholic to shudder. If you do not see that truly wrongful behavior within the ranks should be exposed and expunged, then there is something wrong with your catechesis. STA backs me up.
    The problem is that people just don’t care or maybe they are too afraid to take a stand, so that when someone comes along and hits them on the head and says, “Do Something!” it becomes an affront to their overly sensitive natures, like Aunt Pittypat fainting over Scarlett at the dance. Catholics of the past were not groomed to be cowards! But it makes sense that if you have lost your Faith and hide behind your intellect, then you have also lost your backbone.
    The one thing that haters hate the most is that when the people they hate make a claim about or bring to light something that the haters wish to ignore. Isn’t it galling?
    Attempting to defend status quo with saying something like the Church has survived such calamities in the past is no more than saying, “Let’s do nothing. Eventually all those “bad guys” will grow old, retire, and die.”
    Voris intentionally prepared his commentary to get a reaction, and until I hear differently, I believe that he knows more than he has revealed. There justly should be a groundswell of response demanding proof. Until then I will reserve judgment and not attack the person. So, what if the proof comes? Will any of you retract your statements about Voris? Will any of you do something? Anything?
    In the meantime, the devil has widened his path to Home into an eight lane expressway and land fill to accommodate all those brand new clerical skulls.

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    1. Maybe you need to re-read my post. You seemed to have missed the point.

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    2. I will not concede that I have missed the point if you are unwilling to honestly answer the questions in the second to last paragraph of my comments. In that way I will be better able to judge your motivations.

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    3. I'm assuming you want me to answer your paragraph asking if there is proof that the story put forth by Voris is true, that I will then retract my statements. The answer is no. The anonymous priest in this story sinned by going to Voris and spreading this story, whether true or not. If this truly happened and he was actually rebuffed by his chancery, there are other channels in the Church, none of which include Michael Voris. Spreading malicious stories about others, whether true or not, is completely against the law of love. And to give this story to someone who will literally spread it to the world and cause slander, gossip and suspicion is sinful. That is the point of my post.

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    4. You really believe that exposing sinful behavior to the light of day is sin? You really believe that if the priest saw what he saw it all should be kept secret within the halls of the Church and not exposed to the laity? Do you not understand the harm that is caused? Please let me suggest a different POV based on experience.
      There will come a day when a great moral dilemma will come to you. It may be of your own making or it will be thrust upon you. In fact, you may very well encounter many moral dilemmas in your life. These situations will challenge everything you believe in and test your ability to remain true. It sounds to me like these things have not yet happened to you. But if they do, what will you do? Go to plan B, and if that fails, go to Plan C, and so on?
      I have been an officer of many corporations in my life (VP, etc.) and have witnessed corrupt behavior, fraud, negligence and embezzlement, not to mention sexual abuse and racism. Not just individuals were harmed, but outside constituents as well. In all these cases I went through the chain of command, what you would describe as proper (P and Board Members), and absolutely nothing was done. When a person feels that they have no way out and the actions continue, exactly what do you expect that person to do? I think that your expectations of human behavior are unrealistic.
      There was no reward for what I did. I lost wealth and position in exposing the situations. I’m not a saint, and there were many times in all the aforementioned cases that I wanted to go along just to get along. In the end, I felt that my actions were ethically correct, even if I had to end-run the intermediaries.
      STA, St. Thomas Aquinas, tells us in so many words that if we see “bad things” done in the Church, we may expose those things and that it is not a sin. I believe that you should give Voris the benefit of the doubt, consider that Voris and the priest are not sinning, and that the priest saw “bad things” happening; but at the same time, demand full disclosure. The danger is that the local Church does not want full disclosure and a cover-up will occur. If that priest suddenly disappears from all activities and winds up in Podunk, Texas, then we will know where he came from.
      Let the chips fall where they may. If Vorus and the priest are wrong, then let them suffer the consequences. Same thing for the local priests and Church.

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    5. I assume you think Our Lord was wrong when he didn't expose Judas.

      Spreading gossip is a sin, pure and simple. And something can be true and still be gossip.

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    6. Now you are getting a little wacky, to presume that I know the mind of God! And please do not take the events of the Last Supper out of context and conflate them to the corruption within the present-day Church!

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  5. Michael Voris' rhetoric is heavy handed, at times over-zealous. It is also true that you have in so many words called Michael Voris a liar with no less zeal than his, and less inside information - giving him the benfit of the doubt until we know better. He is fighting for Holy Mother Church, and if his strategy doesn't suit you, why not make some charitable suggestions? Your bitterness is unbecoming.

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    1. Bitterness? I am not the one telling anyone to leave the Church, not even Michael Voris. I made it quite clear in my post that I don't know if this story is true or not, but as stated in my comment to Ray D, it doesn't matter if the story is true. The point is that this anonymous priest and Michael Voris are involved in spreading malicious gossip, and that is sinful.

      That is truly unbecoming.

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    2. You attribute malice to Voris's intent, which goes a bit beyond the facts, and you identify his reported conversation as mere gossip, which also goes beyond the facts to insinuate that the priest is just as malicious and/or a liar. Granted, Mr. Voris needs to exercise a little more prudence, but don't we all.

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    3. I am just reporting what Voris did and what God's word says about his actions.

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    4. A little more than 'reporting' and 'God's Word' (which we Catholics know as Christ).

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    5. And which part was "A little more than 'reporting' and 'God's Word'?

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  6. http://en.radiovaticana.va/articolo.asp?c=764583

    Straight from the top. Read and weep.

    The days of hiding behind don't ask and don't tell are sooooo over. But you'd have us wait until 40000 are wiped out in a day, before we, those that claim to be the People of God, turn again to God.

    There is a problem. It must be exposed. It must be dealt with.

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  7. CIB, you are truly a great blogger! There are many good ones out there, but you are the best. Don't listen to the haters, that's their job, that's what they do. Voris is acting like the Jerry Springer of the Church, just wanting attention. Voris is always looking down upon everyone and, in turn, is never able to look up to the God above him. Is Voris really a follower of Christ? or just of his own pride? That's up for debate. Spreading malicious gossip and/or rumors is not humility, rather it is just slandering the names of others trying to make himself look better. Let's just pray for Voris to stop slandering others. As we all know, the Church is holy because it was founded by Jesus Christ, not Michael Voris. And, in turn, our Church will never fail.

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    1. You accuse others of malicious gossip and slander by gossiping about and slandering them. Brilliant.

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    2. Mullet, there is no slandering or gossiping in my post. As the title says, it is a RESPONSE to Voris, who attacks anyone refusing to agree with his constant condemnation of Church hierarchy, and who refuses to accept everything he says as gospel truth.

      I admire your loyalty, but I think it is misdirected.

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    3. If you will forgive my dullness, why do you call yourself 'crack addicted'?

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    4. Um, it was Michael Voris who called anyone who sees anything positive with the current situation in the church "crack addicted Catholic bloggers in la la land." I am using his label.

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    5. Oh, assonance to carry his charge galloping toward the enemy, alliteration - furthermore - to batter the gates. His intent seems by and large good, but his stridency interferes. Subtlely and irony, and a congenial tone, are indispensible to the evangelical task, but regrettably rare. If only he would read Kierkegaard.

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    6. ...and if that is Voris's view, then the label is mine too. But is his stridency really that pessimistic? Don't forget, St. Nicolas was thrown in jail for punching Arias in the nose.

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    7. Belatedly begging your pardon for bypassing the Vortex script & missing the source of "crack..." And I only offer that Michael Voris is not the only loyal Catholic who has not won the battle with pride.

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  8. If you can accept praise from an annoying pain in the butt, then may I say, "Well done!" You see the problem. Keep up the good work. This stuff is poison.

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  9. Dear Catholic in Brooklyn: You have said in this blog post what I have been trying to say over several blog posts over the past year. Thank you and God bless the Church

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  10. as i said I thought you made some good points in your article. I said i thought that you engaged in some gossip because you continue to assume you know the mindset of Mr. Voris. Now I might be wrong and confusing words, and if so I am sorry for using the word gossip and linking it to you and your character I agree that (like I said to you in the post on Terry's site) more then likely this video had a gossipy nature to it and the lack of a confirmed source is troubling and gives greater weight to your point.

    I also thought there was another aspect to evaluating the video that the dallas blog brought up. If you disagree that is fine, but I thought it was important to make both sides of the issue known and let the chips fall where they may.

    So too I have no problem with you being critical of Michael Voris, nor me for that matter, criticism is a tool for growth for all people and I thank you for the response, but I, in my probably less then humble opinion disagree with you on the matter mentioned here. If you disagree with me thats fine im fallible and accept it thats why I made both your post and the dallas post available for people to view and take as they wish.

    Again thanks for the reply and I wish you a fantastic day. And no i dont want you to take this post down I think it does provide a service to the church and to fellow bloggers so keep up the good work!

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  11. Gary Michael Voris wrote an Autobiography called "Militant", recently. There he mentioned his two major bankrollers. He basically answers now to the one, who bought him a building in Ferndale, MI & dances to the financial piper who calls the tune. Gary Michael Voris is a dupe for a well financed backer.

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