How Bishop Anthony Pilla Conned Pope John Paul the Great

http://theclevelandcatacombs.blogspot.com/ ^ | May 5, 2005 | Brother Solanus

[Akron Al]

Following years of vocal protests all the way to Rome concerning the existence of the heretical group Futurechurch's national headquarters on property owned by the Diocese of Cleveland, Bishop Anthony Pilla issued a phony statement condemning Futurechurch just days before his final ad limina visit with Pope John Paul II.

Sadly, Pilla had no intent of enforcing the phony statement which was never enforced and the national headquarters of Futurechurch remains on diocese of Cleveland property

From http://www.futurechurch.org/ :

FutureChurch 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA Phone: 216.228.0869 | Fax: 216.228.4872 E-mail: info@futurechurch.org

_______________________________

From http://www.cleveland.catholicnet.com/parish/stmark/

St. Mark Church 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 E-mail: doughk@aol.com Rev. Doug Koesel, Pastor

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The following statement in bold appeared on the Diocese of Cleveland website in March of 2003:

Please remember that the Futurechurch headquarters has been located on Diocese of Cleveland property for years before this statement and remains on Diocese of Cleveland property after this statement.

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/memo/april2004/chancellor_april2004.htm

"The statement below has been used verbally by the Chancery for the past several years. Increased inquiries indicate that distribution of the statement in writing would help to clarify the situation:"

13 March 2003

STATEMENT OF THE DIOCESE OF CLEVELAND REGARDING AN ORGANIZATION KNOWN AS "FUTURE CHURCH"

"Future Church" (a.k.a. "FutureChurch" ) is not an organization affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland nor does it have the support or approval of the Bishop of the Diocese. "Future Church" is an independent organization of individuals who promote an agenda that is not consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and who are fully responsible for the arrangement of their own programs and activities.

Based on the preceding statement, it is not appropriate for the activities and meetings of "Future Church" to be held in church related institutions and/or parish facilities.

_______________________________________________________

But wait....

There are several lies contained in this statement issued for Vatican consumption as Pilla prepared to go to Rome.

Note the prelude that claims: The statement below has been used verbally by the Chancery for the past several years.

The Diocese of Cleveland is falsely trying to backdate its phony condemnation of Futurechurch.

For starters if the Diocese had been saying for "the past several years" that "it is not appropriate for the activities and meetings of "Future Church" to be held in church related institutions and/or parish facilities," then why has the national headquarters of Futurechurch been located (and remains located even today) at St. Marks Catholic Church in Cleveland!!!

Want more evidence that Pilla was lying, take note of Futurechurch's reaction to Pilla's last minute condemnation. The leaders of Futurechuirch were surprised and shocked. But wait a minute, the Diocese was claiming that they have been saying for years that Futurechurch is not Catholic, why then would Futurechurch be shocked. Perhaps because the Diocese had never before made such a statement and was merely trying to deceive the Holy Father. Note that even the left wing Plain Dealer describes the Pilla phony statement as a "New Edict:"

Catholic reformers contest new edict

04/26/04 James F. McCarty

Plain Dealer Reporter

An influential group of liberal-minded Catholic reformers is debating a response to Bishop Anthony Pilla, who recently banned the organization from meeting on Diocese of Cleveland property.

Future Church, which claims more than 800 members locally, advocates allowing priests to marry and women to be ordained as the best ways to alleviate clergy shortages.

The group had operated unrestricted in the Cleveland diocese for more than a decade. But the truce ended unexpectedly April 1 after Pilla issued an edict to all pastors.

"Future Church is not an organization affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, nor does it have the support or approval of the bishop of the diocese," Pilla's warning read.

"Future Church is an independent organization of individuals who promote an agenda that is not consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church," the statement continued, and the group's activities are "not appropriate" at church institutions or facilities.

An internal debate over how to respond has been raging ever since via e-mail exchanges among Future Church leaders. Some members are urging the group's executive director, Sister Christine Schenk, to appeal directly to the Vatican's ambassador, the Papal Nuncio, in Washington, D.C. Others recommend a more deliberate approach, hoping to preserve some semblance of the status quo.

"We're puzzled and saddened by the description of us as not being in line with Catholic teaching," Schenk said recently. "We have some of the best Catholics in the diocese as members."

If the Diocese had been saying these things for several years, why was the restatment "unexpected," "puzzling," and why does the Plain Dealer state that "The group had operated unrestricted in the Cleveland diocese for more than a decade. But the truce ended unexpectedly April 1 after Pilla issued an edict to all pastors."

It is obvious that:

1) The Diocese has not been "for several years" that Futrechurch was not Catholic and that its "activities are "not appropriate" at church institutions or facilities."

2) The Diocese had no intent of banning Futurechurch from Diocese of Cleveland property with whom (the Plain Dealer notes) it had at least a ten year truce. In fact, two years after Pilla's phony statemnt on the eve of his ad limina visit, the national headquarters for Futurechurch remains at St. Mark's Catholic Church.

3) Pilla deliberately sought to deceive Pope John Paul the Great by issuing a phony statement to make it appear as if he had been cracking down on Futurechurch for "several years."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The following report was made shortly afer this incident:

Futurechurch and Pilla - Pilla and Future Church

Fearful Pilla flips-flops on Futurechurch days before Ad Limina visit with Pope

Over two years ago, Futurechurch leaders were urging its supporters to support Bishop Pilla:

Were Bishop Pilla to be forced out, we would be leaving ourselves open to a new bishop who would most likely be much more conservative and legalistic given the Bishop appointments that have been made in this papacy. The well-known litmus test for being appointed a bishop under John Paul II is that the person must be opposed to birth control, optional celibacy and women priests. I have this information directly from several bishops who are in positions to know. Bishop Pilla is one of the few remaining "pastoral" bishops who were appointed under Archbishop Jean Jadot. If he doesn't outlast the Pope we can expect to have our next Bishop be less open to lay participation in decision making than Bishop Pilla. It will be a given...and something we need to prepare for, IMHO.

In fact, the relationship between Futurechurch and Bishop Pilla appeared to be one of mutual admiration. Teachers at the bishop's seminary are active supporters of Futurechurch. The national headquarters for Futurechurch resides on diocesan property. In March of 2004, a Futurechurch event was even advertised in the parish bulletin of St. John's Cathedral:

http://www.saveourchurch.org/cathbishotten.pdf

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(Note the shared address below:)

From http://www.futurechurch.org/ :

FutureChurch 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 USA Phone: 216.228.0869 | Fax: 216.228.4872 E-mail: info@futurechurch.org

_______________________________

From http://www.cleveland.catholicnet.com/parish/stmark/

St. Mark Church 15800 Montrose Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44111 E-mail: doughk@aol.com Rev. Doug Koesel, Pastor

---

So why the sudden announcement from the diocese that Futurechurch "promote(s) an agenda that is not consistent with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church," and that the group's activities are "not appropriate" at church institutions or facilities?

Afterall, Catholic bloggers like Domenico Bettinelli, Mark Shea, and Kevin Miller have been very outspoken about Pilla's failure to act on the Futurechurch issue as have been the so-called Freepers at freerepublic.com. The organization "Save our Church" was formed in Cleveland for the sole purpose of exposing Futurechurch.

So why did Bishop Pilla finally take action?

The answer appeared on the Diocese of Cleveland website , less than two weeks after the stunning Futurechurch announcement. Pilla put out a phony condemnation of Futurechurch as he prepared to visit with the Pope in Rome! Bishop Pilla certainly knew that for several years folks had been writing Rome and influential Cardinals about the state of the Cleveland Diocese. Bishop Pilla's last second acknowledgment of the heritcal ways of Futurechurch was a "Hail Mary" pass attempt. Was Pope John Paul II fooled by this belated attempt by Bishop Pilla to paint himself as an orthodox Catholic Bishop?

Let us hope not. After all, the Rainbow Gay Pride Flag still flies on Bishop Pilla's website.

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/contact_us/index.htm

Here was the announcement by the Diocese of Cleveland just days after Pilla condemned Futurechurch:

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/news/bishopstovatican.htm

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN …

Bishops from Ohio and Michigan are traveling to Rome for
“ad limina” meetings with Vatican officials and with the Pope

It’s a trip they make every five years and it’s that time again for the bishops that oversee the dioceses in what’s known as U.S. Region 6 (Michigan and Ohio) to meet with Pope John Paul II and various Vatican officials for ad limina meetings.  The Most Reverend Anthony M. Pilla, Bishop of Cleveland and his brother bishops from Ohio and Michigan will visit Rome from May 1-8 to make themselves available to the offices of the Holy See to report on the state of their respective dioceses.  This will be the fifth time that Bishop Pilla has participated in these meetings each time representing the Cleveland diocese.

These regularly scheduled meetings follow the submission of detailed statistical information from each diocese that the Holy See requires in what is known as the diocesan Quinquennial Report.  The visits give Vatican officials the opportunity to dialogue with bishops directly regarding information appearing within the reports.  It also allows the bishops the opportunity to explain to Vatican officials about the major activities going on within their dioceses.

Often during these visits, Vatican officials will raise specific issues with the visiting bishops.  Recently, Australian bishops were asked to stress to the faithful the importance of keeping Sunday (the Lord’s Day) holy.  Their concern is that Australian Catholics are putting sports events, recreational activities, and work ahead of weekly Mass attendance and resting on the Lord’s Day.

          The visit will also be a time for the bishops to celebrate liturgy at all of the major basilicas for the people of their dioceses.  Highlighting the trip, the bishops will have the opportunity to meeting directly with Pope John Paul II.  In recent years these opportunities for meetings with the Holy Father have become more limited in frequency and duration because of the Pope’s declining health.

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TOPICS:

[Akron Al]

ping...let's hope Pope Benedict XVI will not be deceived.

[Fast Ed97]

Is Bishop Pilla and the Cincinnati Bernardin Bishop going to retire soon- they must be.

[Akron Al]

Is Bishop Pilla and the Cincinnati Bernardin Bishop going to retire soon- they must be.

I think Pilla has 1 1/2 years. Perhaps someone can give us the exact date he turns 75.

[Akron Al]

If you go here you will see Father Smiga speaking at a Futurechurch event in 2004 - - after Pilla's phony condemnation of Futurechurch.


http://www.futurechurch.org/newsletter/fall04/

Smiga teaches at St. Mary's Semianry in the Diocese of Cleveland:

http://www.stmarysem.edu/adjunct_faculty.htm

[vox_freedom]

bump

[Aristotle721]

I think Pilla has 1 1/2 years. Perhaps someone can give us the exact date he turns 75.

Bishop Pilla: Nov 12, 2007
Archbishop Pilarczyk: Aug. 12, 2009

[Phx_RC]

Bp Pilla: born Nov 12, 1932. He is almost 72.5 years old and has 2.52 years to go till 75.

Abp Pilarczyk: born Aug 12, 1934. He is getting close to 71 years old and has 4.27 years to go till 75.

What is being done by the laity in Cleveland to get rid of Pilla?

Will upcoming seminary visitations uncover any of this?

[AAABEST]

The way we yearn for the day some of these bishops retire (to the point of actually counting the days), makes me wonder if we shouldn't impliment time activated exploding bishops into canon law.

Have it so that the very moment they turn 75... KABOOM. This way we wouldn't have to suffer them one minute longer than we are absolutely forced to.

I believe it was Pilarczyk who was tossing around the sadistic idea of not submitting his resignation letter.

[Akron Al]

ping for later

Gotta run

[wideawake]

I believe it was Pilarczyk who was tossing around the sadistic idea of not submitting his resignation letter.

Schismatic act. Equivalent to denying papal authority over his see.

[marshmallow]

I believe it was Pilarczyk who was tossing around the sadistic idea of not submitting his resignation letter.

That would be the rainbow colored Thomas Gumbleton, the equally if not more repulsive, Bishop of Detroit.

[marshmallow]

Activist US Bishop May Refuse Retirement

[AAABEST]

Ah that's right. Thank you.

What a merciless thing to do to his diocese. Maybe someone can talk him into starting a line of those designer rainbow stoles he likes to wear as an alternative to going setting this ill-conceived precedent.

[ninenot]

I'm SHOCKED!/sarcasm.

A Bishop---LYING???

More paving materials for the roadway...

[dangus]

Thomas Gumbleton is not the Bishop of Detroit. He was named an auxiliary Bishop way back in 1968 at only 38 years old. He was never given his own diocese.

[marshmallow]

Yeah, you're right.

He's not the Bishop. Just a Bishop.

[Diago]

Thanks Al. Nice summary.

As you will recall, as Bishop Pilla's visit to Rome approached, there was a very concerted effort to bring attention to the scandals in the Diocese of Cleveland.

Clearly, the bishop realized he would be asked about Futurechurch and attempted to do some damage control with this statement.

Once he got back from Rome, it immediately became a dead letter.

But as noted above, everyone on every side of the issue was suprised and stunned when this "new edict" was issued. For the diocese to claim that they had been telling people the same thing "for the past several years" is ridiculous.

As the Plain Dealer noted in April of 2004:

"The group had operated unrestricted in the Cleveland diocese for more than a decade. But the truce ended unexpectedly April 1 after Pilla issued an edict to all pastors."

Obviously, the truce began again once Pilla returned from Rome. And today it is business as usual for Futurechurch in the Diocese of Cleveland.

[Askel5]

Thanks very much for the heads-up, Al.

(Off topic somewhat: interesting blog on the Neo-Catechumenical cultists ... http://amywelborn.typepad.com/openbook/2005/01/the_way.html)

[Romulus]

At the parish council meeting Tuesday night, Fr. Pissant (as I now call him) gave us the Save-A-Soul Mission hard sell. Yes, I felt like I'd been set up. There were other less than satisfactory developments as well. I am working on a letter.