The Catholic League: Church needs more masculine priests

The Catholic League notes:

CHURCH NEEDS MORE MASCULINE PRIESTS

The assault on masculinity has been going on inside and outside of the Catholic Church for decades, but it is now at a fever pitch. To cite one recent example, in his February 21 article, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof blamed masculinity for the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic and Southern Baptist Churches. The Southern Baptist Convention was recently investigated by reporters.

Kristof quotes Serene Jones, president of the Union Theological Society: “They [the two Churches] both have very masculine understandings of God, and have a structure where men are considered the closest representatives of God.”

This remarkable comment deserves a serious rejoinder. But first a word on why the Southern Baptists were targeted and why Kristof interviewed Jones.

Why did the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News investigate the Southern Baptist Convention? There are several other Baptist denominations, so why the Southern Baptists? Alternatively, why didn’t they choose to probe the Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, or Presbyterians?

Let’s take a wild guess. It’s for the same reason the media, until now, have focused exclusively on the Catholic Church: both Churches are known for their orthodox Christian teachings on sexuality. If they can be discredited, their moral voice will be compromised. One would have to be ideologically blind not to see what’s going on.

Why did Kristof tee it up for the president of the Union Theological Seminary? Because he knew she would feed his narrative. This New York-based institution has long been home to “progressive” thinkers, including dissident Catholic theologians (it has even employed those who have been banned from teaching at Catholic colleges due to their wholesale rejection of Catholicism).

More substantively, Kristof’s thesis—masculinity is related to sexual abuse—is so spurious that even he admits to its flaw.

For starters, he summarizes his argument by citing the Catholic Church’s male clergy and the “submissive” role occupied by females, but then a light goes off in his head. If this is the case, he wonders, then why haven’t most of the victims in the Catholic Church been women and girls?

Here is how he puts it. “It’s complicated, of course, for many of the Catholic victims were boys….” Actually, there is nothing complicated about it—he is simply wrong. Masculine priests, those who are naturally attracted to females, account for very little of the sexual abuse.

Kristof can’t even get this little bit right. The vast majority, 81 percent, of the victims were male. That’s not “many”—it’s most. And they were not boys: 78 percent were postpubescent; adolescents are properly regarded as young men. But to admit this is to admit that homosexual priests are responsible for the lion’s share of the abuse. And no one at the New York Times is going to admit to this verity.

The Catholic Church needs more masculine priests, not fewer. To put it differently, though matters are better today, for many years the Church had too many priests who were either effeminate or sexually immature. We’ve seen where that got us.

I've been addressing this problem for years.  See here for example.  And here.

The Athol Daily News publishes an offensive anti-Christian cartoon...

The Athol Daily News, a local newspaper which is published and written by leftist ideologues, today published a political cartoon from Kevin Siers of The Charlotte Observer showing Roy Moore reading the Scripture where Jesus says, “Suffer the little children to come unto me."

The implication of this cartoon is obvious. For this same cartoon shows Moore asserting that, "The media are just trying to destroy those who follow God's Word."

If indeed Roy Moore has accosted underage females (something not yet established), this anti-Christian cartoon is insinuating that he receives his marching orders from Christ Jesus.

When "comedian" George Carlin used this same Scripture in a blasphemous way, the Catholic League addressed that instance of Catholic bashing.  See here.

It is perhaps unrealistic to expect the far-left propagandists at The Athol Daily News to strive for anything even remotely resembling objectivity.  Like most fanatics, nothing will produce the slightest crack in their wall of conviction.

It would be nice if they could at least refrain from insulting Christians and their deeply-held beliefs.

I won't be holding my breath.

Dr. Theresa Burke recommends the anti-Catholic film The Magdalene Sisters

The Catholic League, several years back, issued a statement against the film "The Magdalene Sisters," referring to it (rightfully) as "anti-Catholic propaganda.  In the September, 2003 edition of the Catalyst Online, we read:

"'The Magdalene Sisters,' a film about the alleged abuse of wayward girls by nuns in Ireland, opened at theaters over the summer. It is the creation of director Peter Mullan and it was distributed by Miramax, a company run by Harvey and Bob Weinstein.

Louis Giovino, director of communications for the Catholic League, saw the movie and provided Catholic League president William Donohue with a report on it. His report found its way into the following news release on the film:

It was not coincidental that Peter Mullan and the Weinstein brothers should join forces by delivering ‘The Magdalene Sisters.’ It was destined to happen. Mullan has admitted that his movie ‘encapsulates everything that is bad about the Catholic Church’; so much so that he compares the Church to the murderous Taliban. His honesty is appreciated. Less candid are the Weinstein brothers: they still maintain they are not anti-Catholic even though they have given Catholics such gems as ‘Priest,’ ‘Butcher Boy,’ ‘Dogma’ and ’40 Days and 40 Nights.’ Now they have given Catholics their new prize, ‘The Magdalene Sisters.’

If someone were to do a movie called ‘The Weinstein Brothers,’ one that focused on their legacy of anti-Catholicism, and sold it as being representative of how Hollywood views Catholics, it would be dishonest. This is exactly what Mullan and the Weinsteins have done in ‘The Magdalene Sisters.’ They have focused on cruel nuns, who surely were atypical, and presented them as being prototypical. That is the gravamen of the Catholic League’s complaint. This is a game that can be played with any demographic group and with any institution. Just gather all the dirty laundry, pack it tightly, and present it as if it were reality.

When the film was first released, two members of the board of directors of the Venice Film Festival called it anti-Catholic propaganda. They were right.

To demonstrate how deep anti-Catholic prejudice is today, consider that several movie reviewers of 'The Magdalene Sisters' took the opportunity to make patently Catholic-bashing remarks. A critic for the New York Daily News even admitted that the movie was 'an overloaded melodrama,' but this didn’t stop him from saying that the Catholic Church 'deserves the scorn' anyway.

The reviews were so sensationalistic that we couldn’t resist providing reporters with a useful thought experiment. Here is what we said:

'Imagine an anti-Semitic director who admits he packed into one movie every anti-Semitic theme he could draw on and then gets an anti-Semitic duo to distribute it. Next imagine film critics taking the anti-Semitic propaganda at face value and then offering anti-Semitic remarks in their reviews. Fat chance.

For example, there will never be a movie about Jewish slumlords in Harlem or Jewish managers of black entertainers in the 20th century. If there were, and if it were to present a wholly one-sided portrait of the worst excesses of how some Jews exploited blacks, the ADL would be up in arms. And rightly so. But luckily for Jews, this is not likely to happen. Catholics are not so lucky—they have to endure Catholic-bashing directors like Peter Mullan shopping his anti-Catholic script to anti-Catholic distributors like Harvey and Bob Weinstein, only to have it reviewed by anti-Catholic critics.'" See here.

Apparently Dr. Theresa Burke, Founder and Executive Director at Rachel's Vineyard Ministries, a ministry of Priests for Life, agrees that the Catholic Church "deserves the scorn."  Today, on Facebook, Dr. Burke wrote:

"Its a new day right? The rain, lightning and thunder stopped. Kevin is up at Priests for Life in New York tending to business as usual….. Life goes on -- and Im still alive despite the obituary! Did you know in the domestic church – a woman’s husband is supposed to be her Bishop? I always thanked God I never took a vow of obedience as a religious person – because so many people in church leadership and religious institutions & political organizations do not have the interests of God’s precious children at heart, but covering their own crimes and keeping their jobs -- its all about money, control and power. My husband has always tried to love and protect me – so I was happy to be obedient to him.... I was the missionary -- he was my bishop - always in a state of healthy tension. However, I am not employed to protect Bishops and I do have an ethical and professional obligation to report abuse. I will lose my license if I don’t – and hey – Im just trying to do my job like the rest of the world and protect my business and ministry interests so I can pay for 5 colleges, medical expenses and all the extra expenses and private tutor for my high maintenance special needs 13 year old precious child of my womb…. But some people do hate conflict. Believe it or not – I have always been one of them!!!! and Kevin is too -- but I have never been afraid to address conflict with the brave and courageous - and sometimes we get pushed over the edge and have NO CHOICE right????


But anyway – a bit ADD from trauma in the present moment – I have taught about that for years – which is hard for me because I am so focused – like a laser, but not since I broke my foot last year – and was pushed over the edge by all the never ending shut downs of Rachel’s Vineyard which have been going on since I started the ministry – but we grew all over the world anyway and the Lord seems to inspire and uphold our leaders who also endure similar torture from those in the church who are ambivalent, indifferent or guilty of so much of their own personal moral compromise, they want to make sure everyone else feels the same rights to be sinful. No talk of redemption and healing JUST COVER-UP. But hey, I’ve been in the thick of such controversy my entire career…. In graduate school, with politics, with trying to publish politically incorrect books, and trying to provide healing for those who can’t live with their trauma and act out in the hurt and pain – see my book Forbidden Grief – The Unspoken Pain of Abortion and visit our website for healing abuse Grief to Grace

So pardon the ADD and pray that too is healed -- and I’ll get back to Bishops and Lawyers and other pointed hats…. When you involve lawyers in anything it’s a shark fest to be sure – but no one gets more hurt and wastes more money than the victim who pays a lawyers to get a divorce or the church who pays a lawyer to cover-up abuse and aggravate mentally ill obsessions of those in pwer with liability concerns!! Better to deal with the trauma and heal -- Couples and children and the church are the biggest loosers!!!! The only winner is the lawyer – who gets to buy vacation houses, invest in church real estate from needing to sell and close up the faith as the victims endure the legal abuse of our country and Catholic church hierarchy and all the expensive but silly advice of the USCCB – truly brilliant blokes down there!!!!! We performed a very funny play which I wrote for my own traumatic mastery which I hear was recorded for posterity – or perhaps for the inside secret edition of highly confidential secret RV ministry meetings – which are always open – because we have an open door policy of communication – not SHUT DOWN of ministry and the people trying to live their faith. So we all slug along – being REVICTIMIZED by legal and institutional abuse – whatever happened to the Gospel of Jesus Christ???? Do our shepherds forget seeking the lost till they are found, the old millstone around the neck scripture???

Anyway, thanks for all the compassionate responses to my midnight ramblings Last night! I suppose we have been Catholic for too long -- the church teaches us to suffer in SILENCE -- and if you do tell secrets, you really do become victimized again and again. You’re as sick as your secrets – is that a quote from John Bradshaw??? Im not trying to change the church or my husband -- just speak the truth for justice and hopes for reform – I’d do that for any stranger -- and if our job is to help our spouse reach heaven... according to Catholic teaching -- we need to challenge and find that find balance between torturing the other person "for their own good" like the nuns in that movie The Magdalene sisters and risking it all to speak the truth and to escape abuse. I highly recommend this movie! By the way I know its true because I read hundreds of pages of every grand jury report done in Ireland (since I work with abuse victims and have been working with church leaders in Ireland-- they say some 30,000 women lived in them!!!"

Dr. Burke then promotes a review of The Magdalene Sisters which may be found here.  And then she continues with her Facebook posting:

In the meantime, gotta keep the faith and learn to speak the truth in love, like I always have before my broken foot and whopper case of RSD (caused by sleep deprivation – which I will teach about) … and let God heal me first for that to happen. In the meantime – none of this is MY PROBLEM – only God can fix this mess – and he uses those who have healed to help him!!!!! Praise be Jesus Christ!!!...Many blessings and many crosses – you cant have one without the other – and that is the TRUTH – because the truth is a person – Jesus Christ… and his father would not have it any other way!"

Dr. Burke has shown that she is willing to engage in broad generalizations as she paints much of the institutional Church as being broken and corrupt - anxious only to cover-up abuse.  Yes, there have been Bishops who attempted to cover-up abuse.  Yes, there have been priests and religious who abused others.  But this number is statistically small when compared with the number of cases across society.

Dr. Burke's Facebook comments are most inappropriate.  And especially disturbing when one considers that her apostolate is directly connected to Priests for Life.  Several years ago, in an article for The Catholic Register entitled "Put the blame where it really belongs - on the abuser," Dorothy Pilarski wrote, "Of course sex abuse is evil and hideous, but using it to attack the Church is, in my mind, a tactic of the devil. I suspect there are priests and bishops right now in hell or purgatory because of their lives on Earth. But I am sure that there are many, many, many holy priests who do not receive the love and respect they deserve because of the transgressions of their brothers in Christ."

The ugly face of anti-Catholicism in New Hampshire

Courtesy of The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights:

Tuesday April 5, 2011


N.H. REPUBLICANS ARE IN TROUBLE

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on the reaction he has gotten from some New Hampshire Republicans in the wake of the Catholic League protest of Rep. David Bettencourt's attack on Bishop McCormack:

Never in the nearly 18 years I have spent as president of the Catholic League have I seen more totally irresponsible statements issued by the lawmakers in any one state. While some Republicans—and all of those attacking the Catholic League are Republicans—are merely upset with our criticism of Rep. Bettencourt, two have clearly crossed the line.

Rep. Lynne Ober wrote the following to us in an e-mail: "I agree that it is certainly unfortunate that the Catholic League chooses to harbor a person who helped pedophiles continue abusing children."

Rep. Andrew Manuse wrote this missive: "I am now considering a bill to remove the Church's tax exempt status in New Hampshire, for you have clearly shown that you no longer want it."

I have a challenge for the two of them.

Why doesn't Ober take the next step by personally accusing me of harboring a person who helped pedophiles continue to abuse children? Organizations can't sue for libel, but individuals can.

Why doesn't Manuse go right ahead with his bill to remove the Church's tax-exempt status? We'd love to present his e-mail in court.

Didn't anyone ever tell these lawmakers to be careful what they put in writing? In any event, it's time these two heard from our members.

Contact Ober: skibear@cheerful.com

Contact Manuse: amanuse@gmail.com

Catholic League: Homosexual coverup must end

As I mentioned in a previous post, "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.'"

I was criticized by some when I posted this five years ago.

Update: New York Times heavily influenced by homosexual activists?

Senate Bill Will Not Address End-of-Life Care: Will President Obama now apologize to critics of H.R. 3200?

Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa said that the Senate Finance Committee "dropped end-of-life provisions from consideration entirely because of the way they could be misinterpreted and implemented incorrectly." Could be? It gets better. The Iowa Senator then admits that the House legislation was "so poorly cobbled together that it will have all kinds of unintended consequences."

President Obama, who always seems to be calling for "reason, calm and dialogue," should follow his own advice. Speaking to a crowd of about 1,800 at Portsmouth High School in New Hampshire, Obama was quoted as having said that opponents of H.R. 3200 [and most especially those concerned over Section 1233] "will try to scare the heck out of folks and they'll create bogeymen out there that just aren't real." But this bogeyman was real. Which is why the Senate Finance Committee is dropping the end-of-life provisions.

This isn't the first time the president has attempted to demonize his opponents. Just recently he went on record as saying that Americans who disapprove of homosexuality are clinging to "worn arguments and old attitudes." Clearly no one has ever gifted Obama with a copy of Dale Carnegie's best-selling book.


Sophocles, in Antigone 1. 1023, says, "Stubborness and stupidity are twins." How so? Dr. Montague Brown explains as he makes the distinction between tenacity and stubborness: "Tenacity is the dedicated adherence to something we know to be worthwhile. As such, tenacity is positive. It involves a clear purpose - to persevere in what is good - and welcomes new evidence and perspectives that clarify or enrich that good...Tenacity is particularly evident when the adherence required is difficult. If my perseverance requires great effort of body or mind, or if it requires me to face a great deal of peer pressure and perhaps even ridicule, then my holding fast to my good purpose shows strength of mind and courage. In such cases, there may be little to gain in terms of social standing, but much in moral standing. Tenaciously holding to what is true and good not only benefits me in terms of virtue; it also works to ensure the stability of these goods in the community....Stubborness is the uncompromising insistence on having our own way. As such, stubborness is negative. It involves a kind of blindness, along with a willful rejection of evidence and the perspectives of others. Stubborness is particularly evident when the compromise required is easy. If the evidence I need to convince me to change my mind is readily available, or if accepting another's perspective would mean giving up little of importance, then my refusal to yield is not reasonable, but is motivated by stubborness. There is little to lose except my desire to be in control. Such rigid clinging to my own will hurts the community, because I refuse to cooperate with others, and it also prevents me from becoming successful and virtuous." (Dr. Montague Brown, Ph.D, The One-Minute Philosopher, pp. 162-163, Sophia Institute Press).

Is President Obama tenacious or stubborn? Is he interested in creating real and meaningful dialogue or demonizing his opponents? His track record, thus far, provides us with an answer.

Catholic League: Bill implies federal government may become involved in euthanasia

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, issued the following statement in response to Section 1233 of H.R 3200, the health care reform bill that was introduced in the House:


There is language in this section of the bill that implies that the federal government may become involved in euthanasia. So over the past two days, July 27-28, Catholic League staff contacted the following persons, committees or offices looking for clarification:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi; Rep. John Dingell; Rep. Rob Andrews; Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.; Rep. Charles Rangel; Rep. Pete Stark; Rep. Henry Waxman; Rep. George Miller; Rep. Dale Kildee; Rep. Carolyn Maloney; Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius; HHS Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aging; HHS Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation for Discretionary Health Programs; HHS Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation for Mandatory Health Programs; HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation; HHS Congressional Liaison Office; HHS Office of Human Services Policy; HHS Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy; HHS Office of Planning and Policy Support; HHS Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation for Human Services; Ways and Means Committee; Education and Labor Committee; Energy and Commerce Committee; Oversight and Government Reform Committee; Budget Committee; White House Health Reform Office.

No one with whom we spoke said the government is entering the business of euthanasia. But this is not enough. We need to know exactly what is meant by the following: “An explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available….” We also need to know exactly what is meant by “The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register proposed quality measures on end of life care and advanced care planning….” The public has a right to know exactly what is meant by terms like “end-of-life services” and “quality measures.” Now is the time to settle this issue.

Contact healthreform@hhs.gov


Related reading: New Hampshire: En Route to Mass Murder?

New Hampshire House Bill 304 (and especially Section XIII), is chilling. And brings to mind a decree issued by Adolph Hitler in October of 1939 and back dated to September 1, 1939, which widened, "the authority of certain physicians to be designated by name in such manner that persons who, according to human judgment, are incurable can, upon a most careful diagnosis of their condition of sickness, be accorded a mercy death."

Is that where health care in the United States is heading? Are we traveling a familar road to euthanasia?

Photo is of Hitler's euthanasia order.

More intellectual dishonesty from the Cohen Center at Keene State College

Readers of this Blog will recall how the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College has engaged in revisionist history with regard to the Catholic Church and the Holocaust. See my previous posts here, here and here. The Cohen Center is at it again, posting an article which unfairly criticizes Pope Benedict XVI over the Bishop Williamson affair. See here.

Driven by what is obviously an anti-Catholic agenda, the Cohen Center is anxious to portray the Holy Father as hard-hearted and callous. But as Catholic League president Bill Donohue explained in a statement which may be found here: "This is a man who as Cardinal Ratzinger unequivocally condemned the Holocaust at a Jerusalem conference in 1994 and wrote a book about it, Many Religions, One Covenant: Israel, the Church and the World."

In the same statement, Bill Donohue noted how, "..the Vatican announced that Williamson must 'unequivocally and publicly distance himself from his positions on the Shoah' if he is to be reinstated (he is still not in full communion with the Church, and may never be). The pope, the Vatican statement said, was unaware of this bishop's views when he lifted his excommunication." This shouldn't come as a total surprise since there are roughly 3,500 Bishops throughout the world.

If the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies at Keene State College really wants to contribute something positive to Catholic-Jewish relations, it must refrain from engaging in historical revisionism and from politicizing the Holocaust to advance an anti-Catholic agenda.

Rick Warren praises Obama for inviting homosexual "Bishop" V. Gene Robinson

"Bishop" Robinson has said that he will not use the Bible when praying, and has stated, "I will be careful not to be especially Christian in my prayer." This comes as no surprise. There is nothing "especially Christian" about V. Gene Robinson. But in the New World Order, homosexuality is acceptable, abortion is acceptable, contraception is acceptable, fornication is acceptable. What will not be considered acceptable?

As I said here, "The new humanitarian religion, which is anti-supernatural, must absorb Christianity as it prepares for the entrance of the Man of Sin. Catholics who maintain a devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Our Lady [and authentic devotion to Our Lady presupposes total obedience to the Church's Magisterium] must first be ostracized and later eliminated as incompatible with the New Order.

In the New World Order, one will be expected to not be "especially Christian."


Related reading here.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue on President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Episcopal "Bishop" Gene Robinson to offer a prayer at his inauguration:

“President-elect Barack Obama says he wants to unite Americans, and yet he chooses the most polarizing person in the Episcopal Church, Bishop Gene Robinson, to offer a prayer at one of his inaugural events. Robinson, who dumped his wife and children to live with another man, is not just an embarrassment to rank-and-file Episcopalians, he has a record of offending Catholics, as well.

In 2005, Robinson said the following: ‘I find it so vile that they [the Catholic Church] think they are going to end the child abuse scandal by throwing out homosexuals from seminaries. It is an act of violence that needs to be confronted.’ He added that ‘Pope Ratzinger [sic] may be the best thing that ever happened to the Episcopal Church. We are seeing so many Roman Catholics joining the church.’ “Three months ago, the disgraced openly gay bishop admitted that he had led a retreat a few years ago for gay Catholic priests. He stuck his nose into the affairs of the Catholic Church even further when he urged those priests to push for women priests, saying ‘that if you work for the ordination of women in your church, you will go a long way toward opening the door for the acceptance of gay priests.’

In other words, Obama has chosen a man who offends Catholics as much as he does Protestants. If that’s his idea of inclusion, he can keep it. The only saving grace is that Robinson says he will not use a Bible next week. It would be news if he did.”