Sunday, January 25, 2015

My challenge to Pope Francis: One which will, of course, go unanswered

Most of you are aware of Pope Francis' concern over the size of Catholic families.  The pontiff suggested the use of Natural Family Planning while quipping that married couples do not have to "breed like rabbits."

As I said on Facebook: "It's true that married people do not have to "breed like rabbits." But then, priests don't have to float around the altar like Liberace around his Steinway or resemble Judy Garland."

Where is the Holy Father's concern over homosexual priests?  At the onset of his pontificate, when asked about the Vatican's alleged "gay lobby" [read Lavender Mafia] the Pope asserted that while a lobby might be an issue, he doesn't have any problem with the inclination to homosexuality itself: "Who am I to judge them if they're seeking the Lord in good faith?" he said.

Now obviously this comment includes priests who suffer from a homosexual inclination.

The problem?

Before entering into any state of life, a divine vocation is necessary. This because without such a vocation, it is difficult if not impossible to fulfil the obligations which pertain to that state and to obtain salvation. This is particularly true for the ministerial priesthood or any other ecclesiastical state. After all, it was Our Lord Who said: "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1).

Consequently, the man who takes holy orders without a call from God is convicted of theft in taking by force a dignity which God has not called him to and does not desire to bestow upon him. This is the teaching of Saint Paul:"Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify Himself that He might be made a high priest; but he that said unto Him: Thou art My Son; this day I have begotten Thee." (Hebrews 5:4,5).

It matters not then how learned or prudent or holy a man may be. No man may place himself into the holy sanctuary unless he is first called and introduced to the same by Almighty God. Jesus Our Lord was certainly the most learned and holy among all men, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), the Son of Man in Whom were (and are) hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). And yet, Jesus required a divine call to assume the dignity of the priesthood. This is the teaching of the Council of Trent. That the Church regards the man who assumes the priesthood without a vocation not as a minister but as a robber: "Decernit sancta Synodus eos qui ea (ministeria) propria temeritate sibi sumunt, omnes, non Ecclesiae ministros, sed fures et latrones per ostium non ingressos habendos esse" (Session 23, cap. 4).

Those who seize the priesthood without a vocation may labor and toil exhaustively. But their labors will profit them very little before God. In fact, the very works which would be considered of much merit when performed by others will deserve chastisement for such souls. Because such men are not in conformity with the divine will, not having a vocation to the state of life which they have usurped, the Lord Jesus will not accept their toils: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will not receive a gift of your hand" (Malachi 1:10).

Not only will God refuse the gifts of their hand, He will punish the works of the minister who has entered the sanctuary without being called; without a vocation:"What stranger soever cometh to it (the Tabernacle) shall be slain." (Numbers 1:51).

Bearing all of this in mind, please read the following which first appeared in The Wanderer [I submitted it back in 2001] and may be found at the Faithfulvoice.com website:

On October 1, 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published an instruction entitled, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Pastoral Service for Homosexual Persons, signed by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and approved by Pope John Paul II. In this Instruction, Cardinal Ratzinger writes, "It is necessary to point out that the particular inclination of a homosexual person, though not a sin in itself, nevertheless constitutes a more or less strong tendency to an intrinsically evil behavior from the moral standpoint. For this reason, the very inclination should be considered as objectively disordered." (No. 3).

This would appear to be especially significant since Canon 1040 of the Code of Canon Law states that: "Persons who are affected by a perpetual impediment, which is called an irregularity, or a simple impediment, are prevented from receiving orders."

Now, irregularities arise either from defect (ex defectu) or from crime (ex delicto). It seems clear to me that a homosexual inclination, which Cardinal Ratzinger has referred to as "objectively disordered," constitutes an irregularity ex defectu. In fact, when asked by a Bishop if it is licit to confer priestly ordination to men with manifest homosexual tendencies, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments replied with a letter signed by Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez which stated that, "Ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood of homosexual men or men with homosexual tendencies is absolutely inadvisable and imprudent and, from the pastoral point of view, very risky. A homosexual person, or one with a homosexual tendency is not, therefore, fit to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders."

What say you Pope Francis? We have seen that you are most adept with the slogan.  Perhaps Your Holiness would be so kind as to explain to the rest of us why the homosexual inclination would not constitute an irregularity ex defectu?

Holy Father?


11 comments:

Patrick Flynn said...

http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/patrick-flynn/unholy-silence-journal-of-a-whistleblower/paperback/product-21052072.html

I wrote the above book to expose the devastating effects of the ordination of homosexual men. This particular story follows the damage inflicted upon my family and my career by the diseased church leadership after i discovered the dark private life of my Pastor and boss.

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

Thanks for your comment Patrick. And so sorry to hear of your terrible experience. This is a problem which will continue to persist because the Bishops refuse to give it a hard look. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, and eight other Bishops, asked the USCCB to examine the abuse crisis and the role homosexuality has played (the John Jay Study, commissioned by the Bishops, said that 82 percent of sexual abuse cases have been homosexual in nature while some studies put the percentage higher - as much as 95 percent). But they were voted down.

Although my own Bishop, The Most Rev. Robert McManus, never answered my letters expressing interest in discerning a vocation to the priesthood here in the Diocese of Worcester, the Diocese knowingly ordained a man with homosexual tendencies and gender identity problems.

Until the Church deals with this issue, things will never get better.

Paul Anthony Melanson said...

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholic-expert-details-39huge-homosexual-underground-in-the-church39

Anonymous said...

Of course your reasonable question will go unanswered.Please look at this photo on philippines newspaper http://www.google.hr/url?url=http://veritas-vincit-international.org/2015/01/17/grand-lodge-of-masons-buy-full-page-newspaper-ad-to-welcome-pope-francis/&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&sa=U&ei=ZnPFVKneB4b-UIKagbAK&ved=0CBIQFjAA&sig2=qGEJpsqZZl92vlUk5ZIknw&usg=AFQjCNE3eSKQ1FXnkQ3EAeXcQyJaslyFkA
, and tell me do you really think that catholic problems are his problems too, or he is busy with one world fraternity concerns?

God bless us all

Max

Andrew said...

A cesspool of impurity:


http://rcf.org/docs/droleskeyriteofsodomy.htm

Anonymous said...

I just wonder why nobody in the official capacity speaks about this man. He's destroying the Church and is making up his own teachings about God and the Church. Every time he speaks he says such shocking things that people insist it's a translation error. It's becoming more and more apparent that he doesn't have the faith.

Anonymous said...

http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2015/01/pope-francis-renews-his-rejection-of.html

Dan said...

Who determines "the call?" I thought it was the Church, and not bloggers.

David said...

Right Dan. And you are NOT the Church. So how about showing some humility?

Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez has said clearly (not that your capable of understanding, dim-witted clod that you are) that, "Ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood of homosexual men or men with homosexual tendencies is absolutely inadvisable and imprudent and, from the pastoral point of view, very risky. A homosexual person, or one with a homosexual tendency is not, therefore, fit to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders."

The Church has spoken "Dan." Grow up!

Samantha said...

Like most liberal "Catholics," "Dan" sees and hears only what he wants to see and hear. He cannot allow the facts to get in his way.

Anonymous said...

I'm lost for words: http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2015/01/cardinal-baldisseri-undermines-catholic.html#comment-form

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