Father James Scahill continues to be a source of division among Catholics in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. The dissident priest, who has engaged in calumny against Pope Benedict XVI while referring to the Mystical Body of Christ as "insidiously evil," has become a source of division because he has forgotten the teaching of Vatican II on the ministry and life of priests as outlined in Presbyterorum Ordinis, No. 7: "All priests, in union with bishops, so share in one and the same priesthood and ministry of Christ that the very unity of their consecration and mission requires their hierarchical communion with the order of bishops....Priests, never losing sight of the fullness of the priesthood which the bishops enjoy, must respect in them the authority of Christ, the supreme shepherd. They must therefore stand by their bishops in sincere charity and obedience.
The faithful expect their priests to be men of faith and prayer who provide an example of charity. They want to see Christ's love incarnate in the life of a priest. And Father Scahill has failed in this regard.
The Catholic Action League issued this statement:
ReplyDelete"CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE CALLS FOR APOLOGY FROM PRIEST WHO SLANDERED POPE BENEDICT
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today called for an apology from the Reverend James J. Scahill, Pastor of St. Michael's Church in East Longmeadow, for suggesting Pope Benedict XVI has lied in the sexual abuse scandal and ought to resign. Scahill, a priest of the Diocese of Springfield, made the charge during his Sunday homily, and repeated it in numerous interviews with both local and national media.
The Catholic Action League called Scahill's remarks "a gross and defamatory injustice to the Holy Father,"
Catholic Action League Executive Director C.J. Doyle stated: "It is a serious matter when a priest suggests that the Vicar of Christ is a liar.
Prudence and justice would demand that he had unassailable facts and irrefutable evidence to substantiate his charge. Sadly, James Scahill has neither."
"Media critics of the Pope have resorted to innuendo, distortions, reckless assertions, sweeping generalizations, and tendentious misinterpretions. Ignored in all of this is the leadership which the Pope has demonstrated in confronting the sexual abuse issue, which includes his removal of Father Maciel, head of one of the most powerful religious orders in the Church, the Legionaries of Christ."
"A Catholic priest ought to be cognizant of the Eighth Commandment: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. It requires no courage to join a lynch mob. Father Scahill ought to be ashamed of himself."
I would go further. This heretical priest needs to be permanently removed of all his duties as soon as possible. He is a lightning-rod for controversy and is sowing divisiveness rather than unity. He is a disgrace to the Catholic priesthood. I want to know why he didn't report Richard Lavigne in the early 90s.