[NYer]

Go deacon!

Catholic Ping List
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[NYer]

Ping!

[kittymyrib]

Oh...so if someone points out the hypocracy of a Catholic politician, who is following NARAL's doctrine instead of the church's doctrine, the true Catholic has to apologize?
It's that kind of sell-out to the rich and famous that has been a deep flaw in the Catholic Church down through the ages and enables Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi, and Mafia dons to be buried from the church.

[silverleaf]

Had Jesus been preaching, Brian Higgins and his family would have walked out and demanded an apology. Unbelievable how church officials grovel to appease the unrepentant. What lesson for the observants?

[raybbr]

Unless he's willing to single out every sinner and publicly air their sins at Mass then he's wrong.

[livius]

[The pastor] complained that he had been turned away from a reception at Higgins’ house over the incident.

Gasp! How horrible for him. A true martyrdom...

[FormerLib]

If the Congressman thought that level of confrontation concerning his deeds was bad, he'd better reconcile a few things before the Final Judgment.

[Right in Wisconsin]

This is the text of an email I just sent to Bishop Kmiec:

I just finished reading the article concerning Rep Higgins and his “outing” by the deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas in Buffalo. What happened to sincerity in the Church? I do not question your belief in the value of all life, but if the Church isn’t sincere in exercising those beliefs, who can we rely on to do so? As I read the article, I was hoping to read how the Church stood behind the Deacon although he could have done it with more tact. That was not forthcoming. Rather, the leaders of my Church reprimanded him, and appeared to apologize to this supporter-of-murder politician for the purpose of being invited to political events. Where is your sincerity? Better yet, what would Jesus do when faced with such a situation? What lesson are you teaching the next generation Catholic? You missed an excellent opportunity to show the world how strongly the Catholic faith holds to its core values. Be ashamed.

[Salvation]

It would seem that this deacon was doing what all priests and deacons SHOULD be doing...........calling the pro-abortionists to account for their votes and support of killing babies!

BTTT!

[Sam Ketcham]

Why didn't he take Kennedy, Kerry and a few others with him when he walked out?

[mad puppy]

Would you go to a church where you and your sins could become the subject of public discussion on any given Sunday?

[G Larry]

Mr. Higgens, only YOU can drive a wedge between the Church and yourself!

[Puddleglum]

My admittedly anecdotal experience with diocesan priests is that many are lapdog poodles most interested in not offending the wealthy donors to their various building funds. A lot of them grow fat and soft. Not all, but since I was a kid the tough ones who live in poverty (even if it's not in their vows) have gotten scarcer.

That vow of poverty gives a person a lot of armor against the world. I don't think most diocesan priests take such a vow.

[IrishCatholic]

bookmark for later letter to CINO.

[Alex Murphy]

A Catholic deacon has been reprimanded for taking a pro-abortion Congressman to task on his voting record during a homily on “Respect Life Sunday.”

Unbelievable. The deacon should have been reprimanded for not taking the pro-abortion Congressman to the woodshed for a good whuppin'.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Rev. Art Smith and Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, aka spineless cowards.

[Coleus]

Another weak PC Bishop, part of the reason why I no longer care when Catholic Schools are closing. You like pro-abortion democrats, you got em. Now you have anti, school-choice democrat politicians who will help control the people population by voting pro-abortion. Wait until the immigration influx will force many Catholic hospitals to close.

Link to NARAL endorsement rating of Brian Higgins:
http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/states/endorsed-candidates.html

http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=004524M

Rep. Higgins’ voting record can be found here:
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=CNY77435&type=category&category=Abortion%20Issues

http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/bio/keyvotes/?id=3723

Messages to Deacon McDonnell may be sent to
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish:
450 Abbott Road
Buffalo, New York 14220
Ph: (716) 822-1250
Fax (716) 822-2594
staquinasparish@juno.com

To contact Bishop Kmiec:
Diocese of Buffalo
795 Main Street
Buffalo NY 14203
Ph: (716) 847-5500
Fax: (716) 847-5557
Email: dob@buffalodiocese.org

To contact Brian Higgins:
Washington, DC Office
431 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3306
Fax: 202-226-0347
http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/mail/?id=3723&type=CO&lvl=C&state=NY

http://www.higginsforcongress.com/

Erie County Office
Larkin at Exchange
726 Exchange Street
Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: 716-852-3501
Fax: 716-852-3929

Don't forget to write the other wimp, the pastor, Father Art Smith staquinasparish@juno.com

[Cicero]

I read the initial report, and it seems to me that the Deacon made a pretty low key point of it.

It was the politician who walked out, refused to let the priest visit him for an apology, and publicized the whole business.

I don't think the politician should be welcomed back into that parish church until he has made his peace with the pastor, whom he gratuitously insulted. As for the pastor, he's evidently a wimp. And we already knew that the bishop of Bufallo is a loser.

[virgil]

“The lesson here is that the Catholic Church has enough problems and should take greater care before allowing nonpriests [sic] to use the church as a forum to advance what clearly was a political agenda," Higgins said.

Sounds a little like a veiled threat to me.

[chimera]

Vogel said that Deacon McDonnell was “doing his duty” and was owed an apology from the priest and bishop for their lack of support. “You shouldn't care so much about Brian's feelings so much as Brian's salvation,” she said.

Gee, it's really touching that the priest and bishop are so concerned about a pro-abort politician's feelings. Would that they would show similar concern for the millions of innocents slaughtered by the procedure so supported and advanced by that same politician.

Fr. Smith told local news that he regretted that Brian Higgins was not given the same warm welcome as that shown to Senator Clinton by Buffalo’s previous bishop, Henry J. Mansell during a prior visit at a Catholic venue in 2001.

Yep, too bad that he was not accorded such honor and laud. In fact, every public figure he opposes such a fundamental teaching of the church should be accorded such honor. I mean, these are political leaders, to heck with the Holy See.

Brian Higgins told the press that messages to his office were running 4 to 1 in his favour.

No doubt. Caligula, Hiltler, Stalin, et al., were also very popular in their time. After all, Hitler made the trains run on time, didn't he?