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Pope to Jesuits: Reaffirm "Total Adhesion to Catholic Doctrine" on "Sexual Morality"
LifeSiteNews ^ | 1/18/08 | John-Henry Westen

Posted on 01/18/2008 5:35:30 PM PST by wagglebee

ROME, January 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a letter to the Jesuits, gathered at their 35th General Congregation dated January 10, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI has called on the ancient order which has been rocked by scandal to reaffirm their "total adhesion to Catholic doctrine" mentioning specifically the Church's teachings on "sexual morality". 

The letter comes in the wake of the homily given by the Pope's representative at the opening of the Assembly on January 7, which bemoaned the infidelity of some in the order to the teachings of the Church. (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/08010708.html )

"I heartily hope that the present Congregation affirms with clarity the authentic charism of the Founder so as to encourage all Jesuits to promote true and healthy Catholic doctrine," wrote the Pope in a letter addressed to Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, the Superior General of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits).

The once illustrious Jesuits, the great defenders of faith, have over the last 40 years been steeped in dissident controversy.  Jesuit priests have featured prominently in the homosexual priest scandal and Jesuit universities have been hotbeds of dissent on Church teachings especially those on life and family.

The Pope stressed this reaffirmation several times, pointing to specific areas where the Jesuits are known to have caused scandal. 

In the letter, the Pope stated: "so as to offer the entire Society of Jesus a clear orientation which might be a support for generous and faithful apostolic dedication, it could prove extremely useful that the General Congregation reaffirm, in the spirit of Saint Ignatius, its own total adhesion to Catholic doctrine, in particular on those neuralgic points which today are strongly attacked by secular culture, as for example the relationship between Christ and religions; some aspects of the theology of liberation; and various points of sexual morality, especially as regards the indissolubility of marriage and the pastoral care of homosexual persons."

See the full letter from the Pope to the Jesuits here:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2008/jan/080118a.html



TOPICS: Catholic; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: homosexualagenda; jesuits; religiousleft; vatican
It's high time the Vatican took steps to get the Jesuits back in line.
1 posted on 01/18/2008 5:35:33 PM PST by wagglebee
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To: NYer; Coleus; narses; Salvation; Pyro7480

Catholic Ping


2 posted on 01/18/2008 5:35:46 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: AFA-Michigan; Abathar; Agitate; AliVeritas; Antoninus; Aquinasfan; BabaOreally; Balke; BigFinn; ...
Homosexual Agenda Ping

Freepmail wagglebee to subscribe or unsubscribe from the homosexual agenda ping list.

Be sure to click the FreeRepublic homosexual agenda keyword search link for a list of all related articles. We don't ping you to all related articles so be sure to click the previous link to see the latest articles.

Add keywords homosexual agenda to flag FR articles to this ping list.

3 posted on 01/18/2008 5:36:08 PM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: wagglebee

My dad went to Loyola - Baltimore - when the Jesuits were conservative to the core in the late 40’s and early 50’s. Sometime in the 60-70’s, Leftist nonsense took over.


4 posted on 01/18/2008 5:52:21 PM PST by keithtoo (How come America's enemies and the Dimocrats always find common cause?)
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To: wagglebee

Why is the pope encouraging a Protestant organization - the Jesuits - to adhere to Catholic beliefs?


5 posted on 01/18/2008 7:45:34 PM PST by vladimir998 (Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. St. Jerome)
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To: vladimir998

Many are liberal Protestants at best.


6 posted on 01/18/2008 8:33:07 PM PST by RobbyS
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To: wagglebee

Time for a house-cleaning in the Society of Jesus. Long past time, really.


7 posted on 01/18/2008 8:34:49 PM PST by Antoninus ("Make all the promises you have to." --Mitt Romney)
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To: wagglebee

Pope Benedict is really laying it on the line for them, isn’t he?


8 posted on 01/18/2008 10:38:00 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Antoninus; vladimir998; RobbyS
My opinion -- it's time to start some earnest prayer for the Jesuits. I used to know some who were outstanding!

PRAYER FOR HOLY PRIESTS

O my Jesus, I thank Thee, that Thou art truly, actually, and substantially, human and divine,
present here in the mystery of the Sacrament of the Altar.

Thou hast said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you."
See, Lord, I come and knock. I ask Thee:
Send us holy priests!

O my Jesus, Thou hast said: "Whatever you ask the Father in MY Name, it shall be granted you."
See, Lord, in Thy Name I ask Thy Father the grace:
Send us holy priests!

O my Jesus, Thou hast said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My Word shall not pass away."
See, Lord, in trust of the infallibility of Thy Word, I ask Thee:
Send us holy priests!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in Thee!
Please bless Thy priests!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, it is not possible for Thee to have no sympathy for us wretches.
Have mercy on us sinners, and grant us through the threefold full of grace, beautiful, and
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Thy Mother and ours, the grace to which we pray to Thee. Amen.

O Mary, Queen of the clergy, pray for us:
obtain for us many holy priests.

O Lord, grant unto Thy Church saintly priests and fervent religious.

Send forth, O Lord, laborers into Thy harvest.

O Lord, grant us priests!
O Lord, grant us holy priests!
O Lord, grant us many holy priests!
O Lord, grant us many holy religious vocations!

Pope Saint Pius X, pray for us.

9 posted on 01/18/2008 10:40:34 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: Salvation
There still are some older Jesuits who are wonderful.

My daughter's confessor up at college is probably pushing 90. But he's a good man and a holy priest.

10 posted on 01/19/2008 12:06:52 PM PST by AnAmericanMother ((Ministrix of Ye Chase, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment)))
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To: wagglebee

Why doesn’t he just fire the ones he knows are out of line?


11 posted on 01/19/2008 7:30:45 PM PST by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain! True Supporters of Our Troops Support the Necessity of their Sacrifice!)
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To: xzins

The 2008 Men’s Catholic Conference is being held at Boston College this year. It would have been nice if El Papa came to it.


12 posted on 01/21/2008 6:29:32 AM PST by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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To: xzins

The Jesuits are a religious order and their internal discipline is supposed to be up to them, although Rome has forbidden one or two of them to teach in recent years. You may not be aware of this, but the Jesuit order takes a special vow of loyalty to the Pope.

We can all see how much they honor that vow!

They just elected a new head this weekend, and unfortunately, it seems like it’s going to be more of the same. The new one is a Spaniard who has taught in Asia for decades and seems to be a thoroughoing syncretist. I hope I’m wrong, but it looks to me like the Jesuits will be headed on a collision course with Rome. Of course, the Pope can always suppress the order...some people have wondered if it may come to this sometime in the not too distant future.


13 posted on 01/21/2008 6:46:00 AM PST by livius
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To: keithtoo
the Jesuits were conservative to the core in the late 40’s and early 50’s

Do I recall correctly that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit?

14 posted on 01/21/2008 6:46:35 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: vladimir998
the Jesuits were conservative to the core in the late 40’s and early 50’s

That's not a very nice thing to say about Protestants.

;'}

15 posted on 01/21/2008 6:48:32 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: vladimir998
the Jesuits were conservative to the core in the late 40’s and early 50’s

That's not a very nice thing to say about Protestants.

;'}

Copy-n-paste works better when you actually "copy" first.

16 posted on 01/21/2008 6:49:59 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: ArrogantBustard
My browser is FUBAR.

I'm trying to copy that remark about Jesuits being a "Protestant Organization".

17 posted on 01/21/2008 6:51:21 AM PST by ArrogantBustard (Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
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To: keithtoo
My dad went to Loyola - Baltimore - when the Jesuits were conservative to the core in the late 40’s and early 50’s

I went to a Jesuit prep school in Brooklyn in the early 60's......they had us swim nude in the pool....didn't undertand at the time why the pool had underwater windows.

I guess by then they weren't so conservative.

18 posted on 01/21/2008 6:52:02 AM PST by ninonitti
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To: wagglebee

Prayers that the Jesuits will reform their ways.


19 posted on 01/21/2008 7:21:04 AM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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