Posted on 06/29/2015 5:02:30 PM PDT by ebb tide
Since the promulgation of Obergefell v. Hodges, the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States on the definition of State-defined marriage, a growing number of U.S. Catholic prelates have been issuing their own statements about this abominable decision by five justices of the Court (two of whom are baptized Catholics, including the majority opinion's author himself). Some forthrightly condemned the decision's injustice and immorality. Others restated Catholic doctrine clearly, but without the forcefulness clearly warranted by the situation. Others offered decidedly lukewarm, limp-wristed statements that repeated a minimum of orthodox doctrine in as inoffensive and unconvincing a manner as possible, while tacitly accepting elements of the new secular orthodoxy and undermining what resistance towards it is left among Catholics.
The most symbolic statement was that of the new Archbishop of Chicago, Blaise J. Cupich, as lukewarm and limp-wristed as can be imagined. Let no one be fooled: behind the façade of equanimity, this statement represents capitulation, pure and simple:
Precisely because a one-page statement cannot include everything that needs to be said, what Archbishop Cupich has chosen to say assumes greater significance. He has chosen to say precisely the things that will not only help our adversaries but also whet their appetites further. By repeating (without qualification or refutation) the claim that this decision is about "equal rights for all citizens" and "the political demands of equality," and that this is all about "civil marriage," Archbishop Cupich concedes key grounds to the homosexuals and their drive to fence off public life for themselves and their faithful servants. This makes him complicit in the exile of Christian principles from public life and the reduction of the Church to a merely private institution, content as long as its sacraments are untouched, and as long as it is graciously permitted to keep its beliefs.
Indeed, he says nothing about the grave harm that "gay marriage" has inflicted and will inflict on religion and society as a whole. We say "religion" because we have no illusions about where the "gay marriage" juggernaut will end. Homosexual activists will not be content with civil "marriage" -- they will not be content until they have managed to defile even our sanctuaries with their perverse "nuptials."
It is all the more distressing, then, that in the middle of the vitriol and genuine hatred being poured out by the "gay lobby" against Christ and His Church, Archbishop Cupich chooses to focus on lecturing Catholics to "respect" homosexuals.
By putting the bulk of their efforts into lecturing the Catholic faithful about the need to be "welcoming," "respectful," "charitable" and "kind" towards the homosexual lobby, not a few prelates and clerics play right into the homosexual playbook. It is even more heart-rending that many "conservative" and "traditionalist" clerics, perhaps due to fear, are joining the bandwagon of niceness by distancing themselves from "harsh" Catholics, whose only "harshness" lies in using language that would have been mild and normal for Catholics until the 1960's.
By legitimizing the false homosexual narrative of "victimhood" by "harsh, uncharitable and cruel" Catholics and other Christians, they implicitly concede that the homosexuals have the right to define who is the victim and who is the oppressor. This will only make it harder, if not virtually impossible, for our brethren to continue standing up to the new "orthodoxy" that the American State now wishes to impose.
For the "gay lobby," any statement of Catholic orthodoxy is by definition "hateful" and "harsh." Any sign of opposition against their demands is a form of "bigotry" that must be dealt accordingly with increasingly stringent legal measures -- with the next most likely step being the stripping of tax exempt status for religious institutions.
The homosexual lobby will not be content with anything less than the full rejection of Catholic doctrine on sexuality and the acceptance of their beliefs as the new, fabulous orthodoxy. They will exploit any sign of weakness, any sign of surrender, as openings to press more and more outrageous demands, secure in the knowledge that our side has little real stomach left for a fight.
The reality is that in the past few decades, Catholics have rendered great respect to homosexuals and the followers of various erroneous if not perverse ideologies and doctrines, to the extent of sacrificing the militancy that the defense of the truth rightfully requires. If the Church had fought homosexual pseudo-marriage with half the militancy with which it used to resist godless ideologies only a few decades ago, not a single Western country with an appreciable number of Catholics would have legalized this perversity -- at least not without Catholics first daring genuine martyrdom in vast numbers.
And yet, faced by one defeat after another, the only solution that so many Catholic prelates -- including Pope Francis -- can see is to insist on avoiding "hurtful" and "offensive" language even more. In the infamous words of the Synod of 2015's Instrumentum Laboris #78, language that is "clear and inviting, open, which does not moralize, judge or control" is the demand of the Church, not just on the Church.
This is the language of a Church that refuses to fight, refuses to stand up for its Faithful, and that will sooner rather than later find itself thrust back into the catacombs. The Church will now be in the closet.
But I have been, to one degree or another, disappointed in their releases.
Here is a more-or-less complete list if anybody's interested:
Archbishop Gregory Aymond, New Orleans
Bishop Michael Burbidge, Raleigh, North Carolina
Archbishop Robert Carlson, St. Louis
Archbishop Charles Chaput, Philadelphia
Archbishop Paul Coakley, Oklahoma City
Bishops of the Colorado Catholic Conference
Bishop Robert Cunningham, Syracuse
Archbishop Blase Cupich, Chicago
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Galveston-Houston
Bishop John Folda, Fargo, North Dakota
Bishop Daniel Flores, Brownsville, Texas
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, San Antonio
Archbishop José Gomez, Los Angeles
Archbishop Wilton Gregory, Atlanta
Bishop Robert Guglielmone, Charleston
Bishop Gregory Hartmayer, Savannah
Bishop Michael Jarrell, Lafayette, Louisiana
Bishop David Kagan, Bismarck, North Dakota
Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Milwaukee
Archbishop William Lori, Baltimore
Bishop Richard Malone, Buffalo
Bishop Robert McElroy, San Diego
Bishop Patrick McGrath, San Jose
Bishops of the Michigan Catholic Conference
Bishop Robert Morlino, Madison
Bishop William Murphy, Rockville Centre, New York
Bishops of the Nebraska Catholic Conference
Bishops of the Catholic Conference of Ohio
Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Boston
Bishop Thomas Paprocki, Springfield, Illinois
Bishop Glen John Provost, Lake Charles, Louisiana
Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, Albany
Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, Cincinnati
Bishop Michael Sis, San Angelo, Texas
Bishop Joseph Strickland, Tyler, Texas
Bishop Robert Vasa, Santa Rosa
Bishops of the Virginia Catholic Conference
Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Miami
Archbishop John Wester, Santa Fe
This needs to be said.
Ecclesiastes: 3 1-8
What about Archbishop Leonard Blair,Hartford, CT,Archdiocese?
“I wish to express my deep disappointment in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that requires states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
First and foremost, we have to bear in mind that the government and its laws do not create marriage. God created marriage, and this is reflected in the self-evident nature of sexual relations as these are recognized by human reason and common sense. The government only regulates and promotes marriage for the sake of the human flourishing that marriage provides. The social sciences continue to confirm that human flourishing results from the stable union between one man and one woman and their procreation of children. Every child is meant to have a father and a mother, and the differentiation of these roles, profoundly rooted in being a man or woman, has an impact on how children fare in life.
Attempting to redefine a fundamental institution like marriage on the basis of feelings and sympathy for others should give us pause. If the government can create a fiction of marriage, then what other realities and relationships will it claim the right to redefine, regulate or create, as is already the case with human life itself?
And if society, even on the basis of clearly demonstrated values, is no longer able to refuse any claimed “right,” then what behaviors can we expect to be sanctioned in the future? What prevents these behaviors not only from being accepted, but also promoted and enforced, as equal to other behaviors? And what about the freedom — religious or otherwise — of those who cannot, and will not, accede to society’s redefinitions?
It must be also emphasized that in opposing the redefinition of marriage, the Church condemns violence and hatred against anyone, including homosexuals. She teaches that persons with a homosexual inclination ‘must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2358).” — Archbishop Leonard P. Blair
Bishop Stika basically said "We have our beliefs and we believe them because we believe them. That's our truth, the truth for us, see? but please God don't ask me why.." (the Mrs. Don-o Dynamic Equivalence translation)
Maybe he could be an auxiliary for Cupich
this bishop is saying, ‘’please gaystapo, leave me alone.’’ i give 6 months, for the gaystapo demand that he marry or threaten to his diosece’s tax exemption.
This is really no surprise from Cupich. In his previous pastoral appointment as Bishop of Spokane, he refused to bless curbside vigils outside abortuaries and ordered his priests to stay away from them. A culture warrior, he isn't. As a result of actions such as this, he was rewarded with leadership of one of the largest dioceses in the US. His public statements and actions are designed to avoid confrontation and controversy as a matter of the highest priority. So ineffectual, apologetic, ingratiating and emasculated is his behavior that I'm forced to conclude that he's one of the lavender gang, which would explain his minimizing and qualifying of the horror which was imposed on us by the Supreme Court last Friday.
Cupich has truly made his peace with the "culture of death" and wants no part in the spiritual and cultural combat in which we now find ourselves. I fully expect his repulsive, spineless fence sitting to be mimicked to one degree or another by Wuerl (especially), Dolan, O'Malley and most of the leaders of the other large dioceses in the US.
This is what it must have been like in England during the 16th century as the faithful were forced to watch in anguish as one bishop after another folded like a cheap suit in the face of Henry VIII's aggression and threats.
In my way of thinking ABSOLUTELY every Bishop should have a statement out in front of the public condemning this same-sex whateveryouwanttocallit.
Thanks for all the research and linking.
Stick a fork in the Catholic Church. It's done.
cupich does not avoid confrontation. cupich inferred pro-border security people to be bigots. he said pro-life means pro-gun control / pro-immigrant. cupich is strong voice for the left.
Cupich and many other bishops are hirelings.
Stick a fork in the Catholic Church. It's done.
So says one who denies Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
I pay no mind to your ignorant comments.
Last I looked, Dolan didn’t write anything at the Archdiocese of NY’s website. He’s probably thrilled.
The Catholic church of which I am a member DID NOT stand up and fight for medical freedom they were truly ALL for the ACA then it bit them in the butt, forcing abortion, and contraception NOW they have this marriage thingy to deal with!!!!! My thoughts are the church has brought ALOT of this on themselves they are are a VERY powerful force and ALL I have heard is CRICKETS!!!!! Church is also 100% behind immigration I have been a faithful Catholic ALL of my life but whatever the church gets coming their way is truly deserved they DID NOT fight when it was necessary!!!!!! I have VERY SADLY come to realize that the church is a socialist organization!!!!!!
The Church Militant has been missing since the 60's. Once again, thank you Vatican II.
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