Posted on 02/13/2006 4:28:30 PM PST by wagglebee
SAN FRANCISCO, February 13, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Questions have swirled about Pope Benedict XVI's appointment of former Utah Bishop George Niederauer to be Archbishop of San Francisco, a post Archbishop Niederauer took up this week. With its reputation for being a hotbed of the "gay subculture" many were looking at how the new archbishop would address the matter.
From recent indications, some Catholics are now especially concerned about the archbishop.
The San Francisco Chronicle has posted an interview with the incoming archbishop, conducted by the paper's 'gay and lesbian issues' newsman Wyatt Buchanan. During the interview, Archbishop Niederauer makes a disturbing statement which could easily infer that while pedophilia is abnormal, homosexuality is certainly not.
In the interview Wyatt questions Niederauer about a statement noting that homosexuality cannot be seen as the cause of the sexual abuse scandal. Niederarer responds, "People who see the sex abuse scandal as having as 'the' cause the sexual orientation of the priests, I felt they are mistaken. Because when we're talking about pedophilia we're talking about a sickness, an illness, an aberration."
In response, Catholic World News' famed blogger Diogenes points out that the Catholic Church considers homosexuality itself as abnormal (http://www.cwnews.com/offtherecord/offtherecord.cfm?task=sin... ). According to the Catechism, the Church teaches, "Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.' They are contrary to the natural law." It adds that even the inclination itself is "objectively disordered." (see the reference http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm )
The interview also reveals a strange interpretation of what the Vatican meant when it barred from ordination to the priesthood men with "deep seated homosexual tendencies".
While most have interpreted the Vatican statement literally to mean that those who have lasting and non-fleeting homosexual tendencies cannot enter seminary, the archbishop interprets it very differently. According to the new archbishop's understanding "someone who is going to be a priest has to be able and willing, and this has to be tested by time of course, has to be able and willing to subordinate all relationships and conduct all relationships with others in a way that's compatible with a celibate lifestyle . . . And I think that would be true also for the heterosexual candidate." The interviewer then asks the obvious question, "Then why single out homosexuals?" That's because, says the archbishop, the issue is much more front and center "since Stonewall."
Beyond that, Niederauer had this to say when asked what he thought of the film Brokeback Mountain. While the film has been condemned by pro-family groups as a dangerous homosexual propaganda film, Niederauer admitted to seeing the film and remarked on it saying it was "very powerful". He added that "one of the lessons (of the film) is the destructiveness of not being honest with yourself and not honest with other people and not being faithful, trying to live a double life."
The interview is available for download here:
http://www.streamload.com/Deliver/Deliver.asp?cxInstID=45740...
See LifeSiteNews.com coverage of Brokeback Mountain
USCCB Changes Rating on Brokeback Mountain to Morally Offensive
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/dec/05121607.html
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http://www.cwnews.com/offtherecord/offtherecord.cfm?task=singledisplay&recnum=3423
http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm
http://www.streamload.com/Deliver/Deliver.asp?cxInstID=45740628&nodeID=1012804193&action=2&isDelivery=true&forceSaveAs=true&returnPage=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Estreamload%2Ecom%2FNodes%2FNode%2Easp%3FcxInstID%3D45740628%26nodeID%3D955567202
Thounds thwell.
Why? What leads you to believe he would have suddenly done something about this issue?
Notes as I listen to his interview:
1. His enforcement of the no-poofters rule in seminaries seems likely to be weak. He doesn't clearly define that even chaste homomsexuals do not belong in the priesthood, although he raises some interesting points about sexual maturity.
2. He did not accept that homosexuality was THE cause of the pedophilia, but he emphasized "the" in a way as if to suggest that he noted that most of the pedophiles were gay and that it might be a major factor. He emphasized he was not an expert at such issues.
3. Asked why a gay or lesbian would want to enter the Catholic church, he replied that the Catholic church mercifully helps people along the journey to perfection.
4. Favorite author outside scripture: Anne Padgett (sp?) Very highly thinks of "The Habit of Being" by Flannery O'Connor (sp?).
5. Liked Munich, Capote, thought Syriana was too long but well-done... Noted that he hadn't seen Narnia, but in a way which infers he would like to see it.
6. His reference to Brokeback Mountain being "very powerful" is not in any way praise. Notes the movie shows the evil of living a double life, being dishonest and being unfaithful.
7. Considers the call to celibacy outside of heterosexual marriage "a very high bar" to set, but must be adhered to. Says we (catholics) must respect them, but they must respect Catholic values and recognize that Catholics help everyone.
All in all, he was presenting a friendly (soft?) face to a difficult audience, but nothing he said betrays any open or secretly held heretical views. Rather disappointing on seminary reform, but all in all, there is certainly no basis for removal.
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
I thought it was three strikes and you're out. That was about five.
GAG!
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It is my impression that the Archbishop is trying to walk a very fine line here. He will undoubtedly find however, that he cannot please two masters.
"Because when we're talking about pedophilia we're talking about a sickness, an illness, an aberration."
If the scandal had been primarily about pedophilia, he might almost have a point.
It was not. It was about chicken-hawking.
The scandal was/is about homosexual men in the priesthood.
Abp. Niederauer had some notable classmates at St. John's in Camarillo: Abp. Levada and Cdl. Mahony.
San Francisco needed someone like Fr. Fessio. Yes, it would shrink the Church in that area in the short term, but it would strengthen her in the long run.
"one of the lessons (of the film) is the destructiveness of not being honest with yourself and not honest with other people and not being faithful, trying to live a double life."
A very disturbing quote. The archbishop seems to imply that the only problem was the adultery, "not being faithful" (to their wives), and leading a "double life".
In other words, he seems to imply that everything would be fine if the men had been unmarried. Then they could have been "honest with other people" and not have had to "lead a double life".
By the way, this nonsense about "being honest with yourself" is modernist psychobabble which is used to affirm homosexuals in their disorder. One of the steps in the seminary admission process is to get the candidate to "be honest with himself" about his "sexuality". If the candidate is a homosexual, it's usually no problem as long as he is "honest with himself" about it. Men who are normal heterosexuals have a lot more hoops to jump through to get in.
And if they're conservative to boot, heaven help them!
I agree. I keep puzzling over it, looking for that hidden strategy, but if there is one, it's sure pretty well concealed!
"What I find most surprising is that Niederauer was formerly in Utah, which is extremely conservative."
Utah might be conservative, but the Mass as offered in some Salt Lake City parishes is anything but.
Illicit liturgy is often a sign of weak doctrine.
Nothing this bishop might say would surprise me.
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