Advice from Father Benedict Groeschel on the Sexual Abuse Crisis

Father Benedict Groeschel

The Internet is overflowing with suggestions on how to handle this latest phase of the sexual abuse crisis.  We are told that we need to throw out all the bishops, whether they are directly involved or not.  We are told that all named clergy predators need to go to jail.  Certainly people need to be held accountable and face the consequences of what they have done.

But what can we, as laity, do to help this situation.  The late, great Father Benedict Groeschel tells us in a beautiful article written in 2002.  The article, entitled, "Healing the Body of Christ" starts out:

The Catholic Church in America has been deeply hurt by the scandal involving the abuse of youngsters by some of the clergy. Loyal and devout Catholics have been particularly distressed by it.

 If there ever was a time for Divine Mercy, it is now. Our hurting Church is "the crucified Body of Christ" -- as I point out in my new book From Scandal to Hope. Click here for online catalogue. Only Divine Mercy can bring us the healing and reconciliation we so need. And that includes the victims and their families, our priests, our bishops, priests falsely accused of abuse, the abusers themselves, and the whole body of Christ.

Catholics Revel In Latest Church Scandal

The media will tell you that no story sells better than a fall from grace.  Exposing other people's sins is a lucrative business, especially when the one exposed had been up on a pedestal.

The murder trial of O.J. Simpson back in the 90's became an industry in itself.  Why?  Simpson had always been a good guy, someone we looked up to who had risen from a broken home and poverty and made it in society through talent and hard work.  Everybody loved O.J.  Then he had a spectacular fall from grace, accused of brutally killing two people, one being his wife and the mother of his children.

This was in the days before Internet, so people were glued to their TV's soaking in every aspect of the trial.  It was the main topic of conversation in America and around the world.  I remember when the verdict was announced.  It was in the middle of a work day, and we were actually allowed to stop working and watch it on TV, as if this was some momentous historical event.

We have seen this scenario played over and over again with celebrities.  Although the stories are important to the people involved, for most of us these incidents have no effect on our lives whatsoever.  Yet we still watch them and try to learn every sordid detail.

Hurrah for Msgr. Charles Pope!

I have disagreed with Msgr. Charles Pope more than once.  He is a traditionalist with traditionalist points of view.  Father John Zuhlsdorf has praised him on many occasions and called him "friend", which is always a bad sign.

However, there are no words of praise from Zuhlsdorf for his "friend" this time.  Msgr. Pope has shown tremendous courage and integrity with a post regarding Pope Francis' change to the Church's teaching on capital punishment.  The post, entitled "Let’s Be Careful in Our Charges Regarding the New Wording of the Catechism on the Death Penalty", is a logical, cogent argument against all the charges made by conservatives and traditionalists proclaiming Pope Francis to be a heretic for changing the catechism regarding capital punishment.  Please read his entire post.

Trads/Conservatives Become The Ultimate Cafeteria Catholics

Just as I wrote a couple of days ago, the Catholic(?) Internet and blogosphere has lit up with indignation and outrage at Pope Francis for changing Church teaching to say that capital punishment is always inadmissible.  All of this self righteous indignation really blows my mind.  These are people who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ - the Creator who came to earth to save each and every human being, no matter how sinful, from eternal damnation and who did so by paying the highest price possible in the entirety of the universe, which price was His Precious Blood.  These so-called followers of Jesus Christ are overcome with outrage against Pope Francis because he doesn't want to kill people, but instead wants to give them every chance at repentance and salvation.

I honestly don't understand how a person can call him or herself a Christian and at the same time, want to kill people. Ah, you say, we are talking about wicked violent people who pose a threat to society. They are a threat to each and every one of us and don't deserve to live! And yet, these would be the very people that Our Lord would most want to reach. As Our Lord told us, He did not come to save the righteous but sinners. Undeterred by this clear statement from Jesus Christ, the trad/conservative blogosphere wants the right to put people to death.

Pope Francis Officially Changes Teaching on Death Penalty

Today Pope Francis officially changed the Catholic Church's teaching on the death penalty.  To this time, the Church taught that it did not support the death penalty, but allowed for it in certain circumstances.  However, our recent popes have taught that it should be used only very rarely, if at all.  Pope Francis has consistently said capital punishment should never be used, as can be seen in the above quote from 2015.

The Inmates Are In Charge of the Asylum

Jesus Christ did some very strange things after his crucifixion and resurrection.  Good Friday and Easter Sunday meant that Jesus had defeated Satan, sin and death (I Cor 15:55-57).  The gates of heaven were flung open to sinning and condemned human beings.  The war was over and life had won over death.

However, unlike victors in earthly wars, Jesus left the enemy in place.  He had put a leash on the Adversary, on Satan, but Satan is still allowed to tempt us, to try to lure us away from life to death.  On top of that, Jesus left our sinful nature intact.  We are just as prone to sin as we were before His Victory on the Cross.  We are still born with original sin.  In fact, we are born into a world that is in complete enmity against God (James 4:4).  Jesus defeated the world, but then left it completely intact and His followers in it living side by side with the enemy.

Then, to top it off, Jesus went to heaven and left us in this mess!  Of course, He did not leave us alone.  He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us and guide us.  But unlike our enemy, Satan, who forces himself upon us whether we want it or not, we have to make a conscious effort, every moment of our lives, to walk with the Holy Spirit while at the same time struggling with our still very intact sinful nature and living in a sinful world.  Our every step is a constant, conscious struggle, and if we turn away from the Holy Spirit, Satan is right there to lure us to sin and death.

Thoughts on Irish Legalization of Abortion: The Church has blood on her hands

It is now official.  Ireland, once the most Catholic of all countries, has legalized the killing of their unborn children.

Abortion goes against nature itself.  Nature is all about survival and propagating the species.  Birds and animals will give their lives to protect their young.  Yet we humans will destroy our young merely because they are "inconvenient."  Yes, we hear stories about rape and incest and medically deformed fetuses.  But that is all a smokescreen.  The vast, vast majority of abortions are performed because the babies are not wanted by one or both of the parents.  Below is a chart showing reasons for abortion:

Part IV: The Papal Posse/Papal Hanging Mob Attacks Pope Francis

This is the fourth in a series of posts in which I am doing an in depth analysis of the April 12, 2018 broadcast of EWTN's World Over broadcast, specifically the "Papal Posse" discussion of Gaudete Et Exsultate , the Apostolic Exhortation released on March 19, 2018. I have renamed the "Papal Posse", which consists of Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray, as the "Papal Hanging Mob" because the whole purpose of their "discussion" is to attack and tear down Pope Francis. You can read my first three posts HERE, HERE  and HERE. 

As I have shown in my previous posts, the Papal Hanging Mob has attacked Pope Francis with partial and inaccurate quotes from the Apostolic Exhortation and made completely false accusations against him. Although they say they love and support Pope Francis, the Papal Hanging Mob has shown nothing but disdain, coming just short of accusing the Holy Father of trying to destroy the Church. Their "discussion" is truly shameful.

Part III: The Papal Posse/Papal Hanging Mob Attacks Pope Francis

This is the third in a series of posts I am doing in an analysis of an EWTN "Papal Posse" attack on Pope Francis and the Apostolic Exhortation, GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE.  I have renamed the "Papal Posse" as the Papal Hanging Mob, because that is a much more apt description of their actions.  As I have shown in my previous two posts (HERE and HERE), Raymond Arroyo and his two buddies, Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray, have completely missed the meaning of this papal document, and are doing a grave disservice to all who listen to them.  They are spreading dissent and division in the Church, and they will have much for which they will have to answer.

Here, once again, is the video of the "discussion" by the Papal Hanging Mob.  We begin at the 19:49 mark.

At this point in the "discussion", Arroyo complains that the Aposotolic Exhortation equates the pro life cause with caring for migrants. Arroyo tells us that Pope Francis "puts them on the same plane". Arroyo and the Papal Hanging Mob obviously do not feel that the oppression and slaughter of those outside of the womb is as great an evil as the death of the unborn. Arroyo, as his custom, gives us a manipulated, partial quote, spliced together from different paragraphs of the Exhortation, obscuring the true meaning of the statements:

Some Catholics affirm that it is a secondary issue with respect to the 'serious' issue of bioethics . . . Our defense of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute the abandoned.

Part II: The Papal Posse/Papal Hanging Mob Attacks Pope Francis

In my last post, HERE, I began to review the EWTN World Over broadcast regarding the Apostolic Exhortation, GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE.  I showed how the self-labeled Papal Posse, consisting of Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray, clearly have no clue as to what they are talking about.  I renamed this group the Papal Hanging Mob because it seems that is what they would like to do with Pope Francis.  They criticize and condemn Pope Francis on almost everything he says and does.  The "Papal Posse" seem intent on turning Catholics against the Holy Father.  They don't seem realize that their comments only prove everything the Pope has written.  Pray for their souls.

I was only able to get into the first few minutes of the broadcast in my first post.  I am picking up here where I left off.  Here is the video.  I am starting at about 15:30 in the video.

Papal Posse a/k/a Papal Hanging Mob Once Again Slanders Pope Francis

We are told there are very few things that are sure in this life.  The old joke is that we can only be certain of death and taxes.

But now we can add something else to the list of certainties in life.  It is 100% guaranteed that every time Pope Francis speaks and most especially, every time he gives us a papal document, the Catholic trads/conservatives will be there to condemn the Holy Father.

The latest round of virtual papal lynching has been triggered by the release of the Apostolic Exhortation, GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE, "A Call To Holiness." One so-called Catholic website/blog after another has agreed that while there may be good parts in it, it is really just another attempt on the part of Pope Francis to condemn his critics. Gaudete Et Excultate is like a nice, juicy steak laced with arsenic, and should be treated as such.

Raymond Arroyo

The Failure of the Traditional Latin Mass

When Pope Benedict XVI made the Traditional Latin Mass freely available through Summorum Pontificum in 2007, we were told by the traditionalists that this would revitalize the Church. The Novus Ordo Mass almost destroyed the Church, but the Traditional Latin Mass will save her. The TLM will draw people like a magnet. Churches will once again fill up, people will return to the Sacraments. The future is with the Traditional Latin Mass. Save the Liturgy, Save the World. Right?

It has now been almost 11 years since the implementation of Summorum Pontificum, the Motu Proprio that allows the TLM to be celebrated at any time. Below is a chart showing the growth of the TLM in the USA through 2015. As the chart says, 92% of US dioceses have at least one TLM every week:

Father James Martin Supports Catholic Teaching: Father John Zuhlsdorf Attacks Him

The traditional/conservative Catholic blogosphere have been unrelenting in their condemnation of Father James Martin. They have attacked him over and over again because of his compassionate stance towards gay people. Father Martin has been preaching that, in accordance with the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we should treat gay people with respect and dignity. The blogosphere has accused Father Martin of heresy and teaching against Church doctrine.

People like Father John Zuhlsdorf have pressured organizations to reject Father Martin and cancel his appearances. A particularly pointed attack by Father Zuhlsdorf against Father Martin resulted in the cancellation of one of Father Martin's appearances. The post is entitled, "Should a seminary headline a homosexualist activist as a speaker?" Father Z was sparing in his words, but the fact that he would label a fellow priest in good standing as a "homosexualist" is truly unconscionable. 

Father Z later protested [HERE] that he "did NOT campaign for anything. I didn’t ask anyone to call TC. I asked some questions. Period." Oh give me a break, Father Z. Just "asking some questions" was your campaign. You are not fooling anyone except yourself and your willingly blind followers.  In that post, Father Z quoted from an article by Father Martin in which Father Martin discussed the attacks against him. Father Z made his usual sarcastic comments [Z comments in red]:

So I share with you as much as I can in the interests of transparency, which we need in our church. And to show you the outsize influence of social media sites motivated by fear, hatred and homophobia.  [Rubbish.  He is a public figure.  He defends even homosexual acts, not just homosexuals as human beings.  He is, right now, a lightning rod.]

So we have Father Z accusing Father James Martin of defending "even homosexual acts, not just homosexuals as human beings." Father Martin has said repeatedly that right now all he is trying to do is lead the Church in treating the gay community with love, respect and dignity, as we should treat all people. Father Martin has repeatedly said that we can't even begin to come together until we learn respect for one another. Father Z seems unwilling to learn this lesson.

Well, Father Martin has finally bowed to the pressure from the Catholic blogosphere, and has published his defense of Catholic teaching. Yes, you read that right - Father James Martin has published a defense of Catholic teaching. You can read his article HERE. These are some of the main points in the article.

Meditation On Hell

I write this mediation on hell on Easter Sunday. This would not normally be the time to think about hell. Easter Sunday is the most joyous day of the year. Today we celebrate Jesus Christ gaining victory over sin, death and hell. Because of the great sacrifice and resurrection by God Himself, we sinful human beings, deserving only of death, have now had the Gates of Heaven flung open to us. There is nothing we can do to merit this. It is a free gift given to us by a Loving God. All we need to do is admit our sinfulness and accept the Love of Jesus Christ and allow that Love to grow within us. We gave death to God, and He gives us Eternal Life. And it is Eternal Life filled with such complete happiness and joy that our mortal human minds cannot begin to comprehend it.

God dying for man? It is absurd to our human minds. In all of man's religions, human beings must constantly strive to please their god, and be happy for any crumbs that may fall their way. No pagan gods ever did anything to save those who worshipped them. On the contrary, the Christian God knows how incapable we are of ever doing anything on our own that would be remotely pleasing to Him. So He came to earth as one of us, lived in our miserable sinful world as one of the lowliest of the low, and then allowed us to crucify Him as a common criminal in payment for our sins. In human terms, God's Way makes no sense at all. But as we are told in Isaiah 55:8, God's ways are not our ways. God's Way is Love - ultimate, totally giving, unselfish love of which no human being of and by himself is capable.

The Ongoing Story of Catholic Traditionalist Hypocrisy

The conservative/traditional Catholic blogosphere has devoted massive amounts of cyber ink to condemning homosexuality,  especially whenever it is found in the Catholic Church.  They also have no use for anyone who shows the least compassion for those who struggle with same sex attraction, as witnessed by their unrelenting attacks upon Father James Martin.