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isabella R

In defense of our women religious | National Catholic Reporter - 0 views

ncronline.org/...defense-our-women-religious

abuse of power Roman Catholic catholic corruption oppression

shared by isabella R on 28 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • By comparison, this reflects badly on the hierarchy, fixated on retrieving their own image and power by dragging the Church backward in time. They fuss about obedience, dogma, retro-liturgical maneuvers, the charade about religious freedom, women’s reproductive behaviors, and who marries whom. American nuns find such issues to be counterproductive to the works of the Gospel, at worst; and mere distractions at best. Hence, they refrain from pursuing them. There is so much to do in helping “the neighbor” survive in human dignity that nuns have no time for what is surely not on the Holy Spirit’s agenda. And, therein lies the danger! Today these issues are foremost on the hierarchical agenda.
  • Exhibit A, entered by the defense: The Gospels.
  • Exhibit B, entered by the defense: Teaching from Vatican Council II
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • Exhibit C entered by the defense: Statements from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
  • Exhibit #D entered by the defense: Papal statements quoted in opening paragraph, above.
  • It seems very disingenuous for Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor, John Paul II, to “appeal” for a greater participation of women in the formal leadership and missions of the Church. It is in the Pope’s power to accord equality to women, and he can bring it about whenever he chooses to do so.
  • It is reasonable to think that this accusation of doctrinal unfaithfulness would not have been directed to the LCWR if women provided balance in the Vatican tribunals and bureaucracies. Women, with their “superiority” and “genius” would surely help the males prioritize issues according to appropriate judgment concerning their importance for the common good and the mission of the Church.
  • Exhibit #5E entered by the defense: Warnings and indictments addressed by Jesus to those in power.
  • : Jesus detested hypocrisy. In the light of recent public exposure of deplorable behavior and practices by the hierarchy, for which they have yet to assume public responsibility, I submit that these words of Jesus should be entered into the court documents as reflecting on a lack of integrity in the prosecution. The Defense Rests
  • Catholic theologian Regina Schulte is one of the reasons our church is in trouble today. Years ago she went off and got educated. For a while she served the church as a Catholic sister. Eventually she left the religious life and married. For years she and her late husband, Jim, earned their livings as Catholic theologians. Jim died eleven years ago. Regina continues reflecting on life, church, and the human condition while living in partial retirement.
  • Pope Benedict XVI expressed an appeal for women to have a more visible role within the Church. In two earlier instances, the Pope also spoke of the need to expand roles of women. “Women’s spiritual power will know how to make their own space. And we will have to try and listen,” he said on one occasion. On the other: “[Women], and we with them, must look for their right place, so to speak….I believe that women themselves, with their superiority…will know how to make their own space. We’ll try not to stand in their way.”
  • Condescending though they be, these remarks seemed to have handed a blank check to women. But, in the case of U.S. women’s religious congregations, the Vatican is now placing a “hold” on that check. Not only has their “space” been closed, but bishops (as in “men”) have been given control of what nuns have created in that space. The Vatican’s actions speak louder than their words (as in “false prophecy”) It isn’t that nuns were awaiting permission to pursue their modern apostolates; the above-quoted words of Benedict merely endorse what they have been doing in their own inspired way since Vatican Council II. But, perhaps they became too successful “in their space.”
    • isabella R
      isabella R on 28 Jul 12
       
      Pope Benedict XVI expressed an appeal for women to have a more visible role within the Church. In two earlier instances, the Pope also spoke of the need to expand roles of women. "Women's spiritual power will know how to make their own space. And we will have to try and listen," he said on one occasion. On the other: "[Women], and we with them, must look for their right place, so to speak….I believe that women themselves, with their superiority…will know how to make their own space. We'll try not to stand in their way." Condescending though they be, these remarks seemed to have handed a blank check to women. But, in the case of U.S. women's religious congregations, the Vatican is now placing a "hold" on that check. Not only has their "space" been closed, but bishops (as in "men") have been given control of what nuns have created in that space. The Vatican's actions speak louder than their words (as in "false prophecy") It isn't that nuns were awaiting permission to pursue their modern apostolates; the above-quoted words of Benedict merely endorse what they have been doing in their own inspired way since Vatican Council II. But, perhaps they became too successful "in their space."
  • isabella R on 28 Jul 12
     
    They [the hierarchy] fuss about obedience, dogma, retro-liturgical maneuvers, the charade about religious freedom, women's reproductive behaviors, and who marries whom. American nuns find such issues to be counterproductive to the works of the Gospel, at worst; and mere distractions at best.
isabella R

Father Geoff Farrow: "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." - 0 views

fathergeofffarrow.blogspot.com/...protest-too-much-methinks.html

abuse of power Roman Catholic corruption abuse scandal bishops

shared by isabella R on 06 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 06 Jul 12
     
    "In the writings and speeches of Catholic bishops and evangelical leaders in recent months, "religious freedom" has come to mean something close to its opposite. It now stands for "religious privilege". It is a coded way for them to state their demand that religious institutions should be allowed special powers that exempt them from the laws of the land.
isabella R

Catholic bishops -- religious liberty, religion's shame | StarTribune.com - 0 views

www.startribune.com/...157617245.html

liberty catholic abuse of power Roman Catholic vatican vatileaks sexual-abuse bishops abuse scandal

shared by isabella R on 10 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 10 Jun 12
     
    Instead of being viewed as weak, they're flexing their ecclesiastical muscles politically in hopes of being seen as strong. Don't buy it. This summer, when bishops are claiming to be victims of a political system that has trampled on their religious rights, take a moment to remember that they had to be publicly humiliated 10 years ago into taking action to protect children from predaory clergy.
isabella R

A history lesson in papal pettiness and misogyny - 0 views

www.patheos.com/...n-papal-pettiness-and-misogyny

misogyny LCWR abuse of power Roman Catholic

shared by isabella R on 23 May 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 23 May 12
     
    It seems the all-male hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church was aggrieved and threatened simply by the fact that the Leadership Conference of Women Religious had the audacity to include the word "leadership" in the name of a women's organization. The misogyny is that deep and that visceral:
isabella R

Francis Xavier : A Saint or Ruthless Father of Bloodiest Inquisition in Goa - General |... - 0 views

www.hindujagruti.org/...13112.html

Roman Catholic evangelism conversion india abuse of power Francis Xavire inquisition crime goa francis xavier

shared by isabella R on 25 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 25 Jun 12
     
    St. Francis Xavier landed in Goa on 6 May 1542, with a resolve of 'uprooting paganism' from the soil of India and planting Christianity in its place. And so all plans of persecution and oppression of the Hindus came along with him. All religious policies and procedures of forcible and fraudulent conversions and demolitions of the Hindu Temples and idols were undertaken under his guidance and missionary zeal. Thus it was St.Francis Xavier who laid the foundation for the 'compassionate' (barbarous!) for an organised system of Holy Inquisition against the Hindus in Goa.
isabella R

Most of Obama's "Controversial" Birth Control Rule Was Law During Bush Years | Mother J... - 0 views

m.motherjones.com/...birth-control-rule-already-law

obama contraception health catholicism abuse of power Roman Catholic

shared by isabella R on 04 Jul 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 04 Jul 12
     
    President Barack Obama's decision to require most employers to cover birth control and insurers to offer it at no cost has created a firestorm of controversy. But the central mandate-that most employers have to cover preventative care for women-has been law for over a decade. This point has been completely lost in the current controversy, as Republican presidential candidates and social conservatives claim that Obama has launched a war on religious liberty and the Catholic Church
isabella R

America Magazine Fixing the System That Put Monsignor Lynn in Jail - 0 views

www.americamagazine.org/...entry.cfm

abuse of power Roman Catholic catholic abuse sexual-abuse scandal corruption bishops

shared by isabella R on 17 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • In this elite environment there are few priests who are willing to oppose the   bishop’s wishes for fear of falling out of favor
  • “You keep the rules and the rules will keep you.”
  • A great sign of success for a priest is to be invited to join the Diocesan   Curia, the bishop’s circle of collaborators in the administration of the diocese. The position of Vicar for the Clergy, the post held by Lynn from1990 – 2002, is just such a sinecure.
  • ...10 more annotations...
  • “You keep the rules and the rules will keep you.”
    • isabella R
      isabella R on 17 Aug 12
       
      "You keep the rules and the rules will keep you."
  • Camaraderie is strongly impressed upon priests. We often refer to our fellow priests as our brothers. The fact is that we do have a real dependency on each other since we do not have an immediate family of our own.
    • isabella R
      isabella R on 17 Aug 12
       
      THIS is the sticking point of what the celibate culture creates....it has nothing to do with sex....it has everything to do with being so cut off from the whole community--its kind of a Stockholm Syndrome....you end up believing you have no choice but to go along with what you are told or you will be out in the cold with nothing, no one, homeless, friendless......and that is the harm of celibacy. "Camaraderie is strongly impressed upon priests. We often refer to our fellow priests as our brothers. The fact is that we do have a real dependency on each other since we do not have an immediate family of our own. "
  • Priests rely on each other for acceptance, for sharing the work load and even living arrangements. If a priest deems any of these to be inadequate or unjust he may be, rightly or wrongly, labeled a malcontent or a problem. This perception can follow   him throughout his priesthood.
  • Very often a priest, may have some very serious concerns, yet simply “Go   Along to Get Along.”
  • Because a priest’s circle is often limited to fellow priests his vision may   also be limited. Therefore, if there is a problem, in certain cases, the advice he receives from them does not always come from fresh or unbiased eyes. Defense mechanisms can also easily set in; denial, rationalization and silence for self preservation.   As one wizened old priest said about speaking up or speaking out, “Who needs the aggravation?
    • isabella R
      isabella R on 17 Aug 12
       
      So many parallels to the cycle that results in families that are imprisoned by domestic violence....how could he do what he did?  If you can answer that you will have the answer to the age-old question "why do women stay with men who clearly will end up killing them." "Because a priest's circle is often limited to fellow priests his vision may   also be limited. Therefore, if there is a problem, in certain cases, the advice he receives from them does not always come from fresh or unbiased eyes. Defense mechanisms can also easily set in; denial, rationalization and silence for self preservation.   As one wizened old priest said about speaking up or speaking out, "Who needs the aggravation?"
  • Therefore, I make the following suggestions:
    • isabella R
      isabella R on 17 Aug 12
       
      NOTherefore, I make the following suggestions: First, that Diocesan Pastoral Councils be given greater prominence in dioceses. This group is comprised of clergy, consecrated religious and laity elected by the people of the diocese. Second, that Diocesan Boards of Consulters (BOC), a canonically established group of priests who advise the bishop on administrative matters, include men and women religious and laity. Presently the BOC is comprised of a representation of   priests chosen by the bishop who are elected by their peers to serve on the Diocesan Presbyteral Council (Priests' Council). Third, that the priests and lay people of the diocese have recourse to the BOC in areas of   concern.... NO, NO, NO, AND NO.....IT IS ALREADY BEEN PROVED OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT IT CANNOT BE HANDLED IN HOUSE.....YOU DON'T SEND THE PATIENTS WITH A LITTLE EXTRA "MORAL SUPPORT"EXPECTING THEM TO SUDDENLY BECOME A COHESIVE, EFFECTIVE TEAM OF DOCTORS....IT'S NOT MAGIC. ROOT OUT THE WHOLE INFECTION...ANTI-BIOTIC....NOTE THE ANTI-TOTALLY OTHER....EVEN VACCINES ARE MADE FROM A DEAD VIRUS
  • isabella R on 17 Aug 12
     
    "You keep the rules and the rules will keep you."
isabella R

Bilgrimage: When Communion Is Anything But: Vatican Rationale for Attack on American Nuns - 0 views

bilgrimage.blogspot.com/...n-is-anything-but-vatican.html

vatican LCWR abuse of power Vatican II misogyny catholic Roman Catholic corruption bishops

shared by isabella R on 04 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 04 Jun 12
     
    what might be the primary pastoral obligation of the   men ruling the church in this situation of tension.  And whether the way in which the men ruling the church exercise pastoral leadership might be at the very center of the problem the Vatican and Archbishop Sartain claim they want to address with religious women.  The way the men ruling the church exercise pastoral leadership in contravention of the example of Jesus and the gospels, in the view of growing numbers of Catholics . . . . 
isabella R

Bilgrimage: From the Blogs: Bishops' "Religious Liberty" War, Attack on Nuns, and More - 0 views

www.bilgrimage.blogspot.com/...bishops-religious-liberty.html

catholic abuse of power Roman Catholic vatican corruption abuse scandal bishops sexual-abuse vatileaks politics church and state

shared by isabella R on 10 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 10 Jun 12
     
    The bishops claim liberty for themselves, and for the large institutions they control, while also fighting to restrict the liberty of others with respect to abortion, emergency contraception, and same-sex relationships.
isabella R

The Legion of Christ and the Vatican meltdown | National Catholic Reporter - 0 views

ncronline.org/...on-christ-and-vatican-meltdown

catholic abuse of power Roman Catholic corruption vatileaks bishops sexual-abuse abuse vatican scandal Legion Of Christ marciel

shared by isabella R on 22 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 22 Jun 12
     
    Moreover, a priest who in 2009 met with Cardinal Franc Rodé, then the Vatican official in charge of religious orders, told NCR that Rodé discussed a videotape he had seen of Maciel with one of his children in 2004, yet made no move to punish the Legion founder. Rodé, who has since retired, championed the Legion and its lay wing, Regnum Christi, with glowing speeches to the groups for several years after Maciel was banished from active ministry.
isabella R

America Magazine LCWR: Praise for The Process - 0 views

www.americamagazine.org/...entry.cfm

LCWR truth gospels

shared by isabella R on 17 Aug 12 - No Cached
  • the ‘collective wisdom’ of  God’s spirit moving within and among the group, so that they might, in the end, make a response that would be “for the good of the church, for the good of the LCWR, for the good of religious life throughout the world, and ultimately for the good of the human family,” as LCWR President Sister Pat Farrell put it. 
  • My prayerful hope is that the assembly’s call to the LCWR officers to conduct their conversation with Archbishop Sartain from “a stance of deep prayer that values mutual respect, careful listening and open dialogue,” will be met, as it seems that it might be from Archbishop Sartain’s initial response: "Along with the members of the LCWR, I remain committed to working to address the issues raised by the Doctrinal Assessment in an atmosphere of prayer and respectful dialogue.”
isabella R

The Politics of Religion - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...the-politics-of-religion.html

politics religion abuse of power faux religious freedom war catholic bishops Roman Catholic scandal corruption

shared by isabella R on 01 Jun 12 - No Cached
  • isabella R on 01 Jun 12
     
    the lawsuits filed recently by a number of Catholic dioceses and institutions against the Obama administration, and finds those lawsuits . . . all about politics.  Not about religion at all.
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