One of the most unusual -- and disturbing -- stories you will read for some time

No one expects the Heralds of the Gospel. Seriously, who are these guys?

How has the Church "thrown out its gospel teachings"?

These "Heralds of the Gospel" look like they stepped out of a movie about the Knights Templar. If they want to play dress up and pretend that it is still the 16th century, fine and dandy, but to place an entire diocese of the laity, under these fanatics is iresponsible and indicative of the constant rightward ratcheting of the Church. Opus Dei, LC/RC, Heralds of the Gospel? What is the Vatican thinking? Perhaps what they really want is to drive out of the Church everyone, except for the most fanatical, medieval right wingers. The so called "sacred remnant?" Except, only God is sacred, not a bunch of quasi fascist, medieval fanatics.

After 40 years as bishop, he has 5 diocesan priests for more than 100,000 Catholics. The 8 Carmelites are all in their sixties and seventies, and the Order can't commit to send more people. By the way, if you're looking for another medieval religious order with a military structure, try the Jesuits.

Disturbing--definitely.
Unsual--let us hope so...hope it is unique.

Regarding: " As reported, it appears, in this instance our church leadership has decided to throw out its gospel teachings and replace them with some kind of a ultra militaristic medieval cult. To what end, I have no clue. We will have to find out more."

- Questions that need to be asked:
---What are the men in the curia thinking?
---How much where they paid not to think?
---Does the Archbishop of Rome have even a glimmer of what is transpiring? Please, someone, sign him up for a clipping service!
---Have we learned nothing from the experiences of the Legion of Christ and its founder, Opus Dei, Franc Rode and his ill conceived visitations all of which are indicative of the moral bankruptcy of the advocates for 'let's make the church smaller and purer'; in large part by ignoring the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
---The habit of the Heralds of the Gospel should be sounding alarm bells. Chains as cinctures? Knee length boots - in the jungle! What psychology of the founder underlies this get-up?

Regarding [from the news article]: " Meanwhile, the Heralds mobilised demonstrations by wealthy segments of the population in Nueva Loja, who clashed with the people protesting the arrival of the new order."
- The laity who support the work of the Carmelites are right to be upset. It is telling that the supports of the Heralds of the Gospel are perceived by the report to be from a select and apparently influential economic and power class.
- So, exactly what was going on that the Vatican would instruct a fairly new association to move a local church away from social justice?

I think these types of orders reflect a yearning for a monarchy as we see in France and also in the Vatican with Burkes' buddies. Who in Rome made the decision to place them in Equador. Often the most conservative hierarchs seem to come from the so called "lower classes" like Ottaviani "the baker's son". A kind of identification wiht the elites.

A top down monarchical structure which these costumes represent, is more compatible with the way our church has worked for a long time. I think it was not until Pius XII in the 50's (I think) that a statement was made that the democratic sytem of government "seemed" to be what the world "wanted at the time". and was OK for now. Don't ask me to cite - it was something I read in high school or late grade school. It struck me then I& I held on to it.

Why don't these folks grow up - these romantic costumes are meaningful only to those from Europe - and indigineous people should see them as the garb of the people who conquered them.

Shame.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Please keep us informed. Unfortunately, I do not think this is unique behavior for the Vatican. I support the former Bishop Maranon and hope and pray his actions bring peace and reconciliation.

NOTICE:

"Ecuador's bishops' conference, presided over by Antonio Arregui, archbishop of the city of Guayaquil and a member of Opus Dei, another ultra-conservative Catholic order, has not made any official statements on the situation."

Ecuador is another nation most in need of Liberation THeology placed by ratzo in the hands of the fascists

"our church leadership has decided to throw out its gospel teachings and replace them with some kind of a ultra militaristic medieval cult." Does this mean that the Church leadership has actually thrown out" gospel teachings" on Liberation theology where the peasents are told to retrieve their land and pitch fork the current "evil" landowners in the process and then added insult to injury by handing the area over to the Dominicans?

Once more the wojo-ratzo prerferential option for the wealthiest reaps its scant, bitter and violent harvest:
FROM THE ARTICLE

The tension among the Catholic community in Sucumbíos began when the priest Rafael Ibarguren, a leading member of the Heralds of the Gospel, was named as the province's apostolic vicar. The Argentine priest was to be a temporary replacement for López Marañón, at the head of the diocese.

Ibarguren was instructed by the Vatican to bring about a shift in the Church's pastoral care, away from the social focus taken by the Carmelites for 80 years.

The Heralds of the Gospel priests showed up in the tropical rainforest region wearing their medieval-looking habits, consisting of knee-length black riding boots, a white cassock with a large brown scapular bearing a half white, half red cross extending from neck to hem with arms in the shape of fleurs-de-lys, and chains at the waist.

The fast-growing Brazilian-based order, recognised in 2001 by the Vatican, lives by military as well as religious discipline. Their style and attitude towards the Church's social work sparked resistance from the local population in Nueva Loja, the provincial capital.

"They had no idea of the strength and capacity of community organising here," Dolores de León, a Quito resident familiar with the work of the Discalced Carmelites, told IPS.

Meanwhile, the Heralds mobilised demonstrations by wealthy segments of the population in Nueva Loja, who clashed with the people protesting the arrival of the new order.

After several confrontations, six Carmelite priests who were still in Sucumbíos were expelled on May 2 by the order of the Vatican, on the grounds that they were inciting the local population to protest.

Further clashes forced the Heralds to pull out of the area on May 19, after the government gave the Catholic Church 24 hours to clear up the tension in Sucumbíos.

Before that, the government had threatened to refuse to recognise the order, which is not registered in Ecuador.

There are now only diocesan priests - who don't belong to any order - in the diocese, which is currently being run by the secretary of the bishops' conference, Ángel Polibio Sánchez, while the members of the two orders in conflict have been kept from returning to the province.

from red prada slippers to knee-length black leather boots, this club, the Ratziskeller has it all -- a footwear fancier's delight.

Riding boots and chains? I don't want to know where this is going. Is this a Monty Python movie? I wonder when something really juicy is going on break in the news on these guys.....

I have been following the activity in Sucumbios now for more than a year. In the short view it might appear very sad, but certainly consistent with the policy of Pope JP II and his intimate relation with the Spanish “Opus Dei” of Escrivá Balaguer as also with the Mexican “Legionaries of Christ” and their founder Marcial Massiel Degollado.

Nevertheless from the Gospel view it does have real “silver lining”. Bishop Gonzalo López Marañon has managed to draw international attention to the marvelous work of the active, self-sufficient, self-propagating Christian Community in his “bush dioceses” in the boonies of the Ecuatorian Amazón. Marañon has walked in the footsteps of Bishop Leonidas Proaño in the Diocese of Riobamba, (dfto. 2007) another fabulous Ecuatorian bishop with a special gift for living and working with the indigenous peoples of Ecuador.

Go to Sucumbios and you will discover that “the Church” is not the bishop, nor the priests, but the Christian communities in which the bishops and priests have taken part, in real human solidarity. New “ecclesiastical authorities “ appointed by the Vatican will be able to do little damage to the wonderful work of the Carmelites during the past forty years of excellent pastoral base activity. “The Church” already lives, and thrives through active living Christian communities, and it will continue moving forward building up the Kingdom of Abbá Father, “on earth (Sucumbios) just as it is heaven” , working for that utopian “other possible society”, that “other possible world”, defending Pacha Mama, “Our Dear Mother Earth” from the ravages of neo-liberal greed. Clerical bureaucracy might cast shadows here and there but the substance of the Gospel message has been well sown, thanks to Bishop Marañon and his Carmelite friars.

Justiniano de Managua

Paper takes whatever you give it. If I say that these Heralds of the Gospel are going around getting the wealthy to protest and put it in a website, the website doesn't care if it is true or not.

Now if we are more objective and use our intelligence, we should ask ourselves:

What rich people live in a rain forest? What rich people go out in 10000 to protest against a religious order? What does "social work" mean to adherents of Liberation Theology?

There are no rich people in that place. There aren't 10000 rich people that protest anything on the street and much less a religious topic. The reality is that "social work" with these Carmelites is messing with the "FARC" and promoting social unrest.

Every manifestation promoted by the Carmelites had reports that they brought people from other cities, all poor and illiterate and promised them money and told them it was for example, a march for woman's rights. They lied and couldn't even round up a 1000. These Heralds of the Gospel without rounding up anybody, because that isn't their style, had much more people supporting them.

But the bigger question is why would the Vatican send "fanatics, lovers of the rich and haters of the poor" to the place where you won't find a guy who could give you a 50 without getting worried? None of the "right wing" orders would take a place like this. It is the poorest of the poorest. This can only mean that these Carmelites where getting into serious business with terrorists (well what can you expect when the president of the country does too...) and that the people were tired of them. Because communists oppress the people that disagree. And people just want peace. They don't want to fight and hate. They want to live their lives and love God and their neighbor.

I think if we all love our neighbors we need to be honest and realize that these Herald of the Gospel are heroes, because they accepted to go to a "bad" place, with no personal "benefits". And the people love them for that. I and I am with the people. These guys are different.

Paper takes whatever you give it. If I say that these Heralds of the Gospel are going around getting the wealthy to protest and put it in a website, the website doesn't care if it is true or not.

Now if we are more objective and use our intelligence, we should ask ourselves:

What rich people live in a rain forest? What rich people go out in 10000 to protest against a religious order? What does "social work" mean to adherents of Liberation Theology?

There are no rich people in that place. There aren't 10000 rich people that protest anything on the street and much less a religious topic. The reality is that "social work" with these Carmelites is messing with the "FARC" and promoting social unrest.

Every manifestation promoted by the Carmelites had reports that they brought people from other cities, all poor and illiterate and promised them money and told them it was for example, a march for woman's rights. They lied and couldn't even round up a 1000. These Heralds of the Gospel without rounding up anybody, because that isn't their style, had much more people supporting them.

But the bigger question is why would the Vatican send "fanatics, lovers of the rich and haters of the poor" to the place where you won't find a guy who could give you a 50 without getting worried? None of the "right wing" orders would take a place like this. It is the poorest of the poorest. This can only mean that these Carmelites where getting into serious business with terrorists (well what can you expect when the president of the country does too...) and that the people were tired of them. Because communists oppress the people that disagree. And people just want peace. They don't want to fight and hate. They want to live their lives and love God and their neighbor.

I think if we all love our neighbors we need to be honest and realize that these Herald of the Gospel are heroes, because they accepted to go to a "bad" place, with no personal "benefits". And the people love them for that. I and I am with the people. These guys are different.