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Two bishops barred from Catholic venues
Oct. 29, 2009
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Printer-friendly versionSend to friendPDF versionThe Richmond, Va., diocese rejected a request by the founders of a Pax Christi chapter to hold their kickoff event at a local parish. One of the keynote speakers for the Oct. 2 event was Bishop Walter Sullivan, the retired bishop of Richmond and a past bishop-president of Pax Christi International, the Catholic peace group.
Vincent Sansone, the diocesan theologian who vets all speakers in the diocese, said the event could not be held at a parish because Pax Christi is not a diocesan organization.
The event was held at Virginia Wesleyan College, a Methodist school in Virginia Beach.
In mid-October, two talks by Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, the retired auxiliary bishop of Detroit and a past bishop-president of Pax Christi USA, were canceled after Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Mich., asked Gumbleton not to visit the diocese.
In an Oct. 9 statement, Sample said that because Gumbleton did not follow church protocol in seeking approval to speak and because his “very public positions” on homosexuality and the ordination of women to the priesthood were in opposition to church teaching, he could not speak in a public forum in the diocese.
Gumbleton was to speak about peace at an unnamed church Oct. 11 and on nuclear disarmament the evening of Oct. 12. Both events were canceled. Gumbleton met in Marquette privately with a group of peace advocates and later with survivors of clergy sexual abuse.
Gumbleton told Catholic News Service Oct. 13 that he and Sample “worked it out” so he could meet with the Marquette peace group. “I actually think we made some good progress.”
Loreene Zeno Koskey, diocesan director of communications, refuted this, saying there was “no mutual understanding.” Sample “still did not want him to come,” she said.
In Richmond, Sullivan said he didn’t know why the Pax Christi kickoff didn’t get diocesan approval. “It’s just a big disappointment that we couldn’t be at one of our parishes.”
The diocese’s guidelines state that speakers must be “in good standing in the church” and provide proof they’ve taken a course in protecting against child abuse. They also must provide a resumé and a letter from their bishop or pastor “attesting to their orthodoxy.”
"In Richmond, Sullivan said
"In Richmond, Sullivan said he didn’t know why the Pax Christi kickoff didn’t get diocesan approval. “It’s just a big disappointment that we couldn’t be at one of our parishes.”
Pax Christi is not a GOP, right wing supported organization and their priests and bishops don't preside at Tridentine Masses, wrapped in 1950's fiddleback chasubles and/or wrap themselves in yards and yards of silk, THAT'S WHY they didn't get diocesan approval.
Absolutely shocking that
Absolutely shocking that those two dioceses froze out Pax Christi. It doesn't present very good image of Catholics when our leadership behaves like that
Another glaring example of
Another glaring example of the far right wing's takeover of the Catholic hierarchy and hence, the death of free thinking that was introduced at Vatican II. Disgusting, but another sign that the rapid decay of the imperial model of the Roman Latin Rite Church hierarchy is about to implode. The more actions like this, the less credibility of the present crop of cardinals and bishops. Every action like this just drives the lay people away from supporting the Church's all male reactionary leadership. We all know that the right wing nut shills for the current cadre of this all male boy's club come out of the woodwork to defend and support these men. I believe a great many posts to the blog threads are by the right wing bishops themselves, hiding, cowardly, behind "anonymous" as their tags. Pathetic, but not very wise. Most people see through these posters.
Do not despair too much,
Do not despair too much, Chris. Free thinking, thoughful consideration and prayer will survive all of this. It will survive the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Islamic fundamentalists of the Middle East, the oppresive regimes in South American countries, and the white supremicists of the United States. So too it will survive the current heirarchy of the Catholic Church. Jesus will not let us destroy ourselves.
WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Thanks,
WAKE UP, PEOPLE! Thanks, Chris. I couldn't agree more. However, as long as well-intentioned laity keep giving money to their church without any form of accountability, the hierarchy will continue as they want. Why? BECAUSE THEY CAN!! So, people, WAKE UP... stop financially supporting a system which is corrupt.
Huh? Vincent Sansone, the
Huh?
Vincent Sansone, the diocesan theologian who vets all speakers in the diocese, said the event could not be held at a parish because Pax Christi is not a diocesan organization.
Suppose a non-denominational "Right to Life" group wanted to use a parish hall for a conference. Would they be denied hospitality?
Suppose Ave Maria University wanted to hold a recruiting session with its President as speker (it's not an organization of the Diocese of Richmond) at a local parish. What they be denied hospitality?
The diocese’s guidelines state that speakers must be “in good standing in the church” and provide proof they’ve taken a course in protecting against child abuse. They also must provide a resumé and a letter from their bishop or pastor “attesting to their orthodoxy.”
One suspects that a Republican voter registration card might be accepted in lieu of the above.
And what is your point to the
And what is your point to the srticle? Are you in favor of prelates protecting the teachings of the church? Or maybe you beleive that anyone should be able to say anything in the church so as to mislead those not enlightened to the teachings of the church?
Or do you write stories like this so as not come straight out to say what you mean, but get the "message" out as to what a big bad church the Catholics have?
"...attesting to their
"...attesting to their orthodoxy."
Looks like a typo.
Should it not read "attesting to their orthotoxy"?
Deja vu all over again! This
Deja vu all over again! This reminds me of what happened to St. Thomas Merton [Rome still refuses to canonize him becuase of this and other "disobedient actions", although for the People of God, he is a saint]. When Merton was writing essays against the Vietnam War, the American bishops commanded his Trappist superiors to silence him. They so ordered. In his private journal, he wrote, "What was I thinking? I should have known that as a monk I shouldn't be advocating peace." Today St. Merton would be apoplectic with the Roman Church. Thank you Bishops Sullivan and Gumbleton-------the spirit of Merton lives in you!
Mr. Irishman: you have the
Mr. Irishman: you have the nerve to think that peace is important. You only seem to respect disrespect and disobedience! And another thing, your pious comments are simply a mask covering your basic desire that poor people and everybody else have a level playing field. Pretty soon, we will hear "Irishman" spouting stuff in favor of United Nations, or health care reform, or cessation to military support for dictatorships. Where are you going with all of this? Ireland, the mother country, would be ashamed.
"The first step toward
"The first step toward finding God, Who is Truth, is to discover the truth about myself: and if I have been in error, this first step to truth is the discovery of my error." -Thomas Merton
This is just another one of
This is just another one of the stupid decisions made by the bishops currently running the dioceses in the United States. What are they afraid of? If Bishop Sullivan is not "in good standing" with the diocese, why is he still helping at the dioceasan parishes since his retirement?
The decisions made by the hierarchy in the last decade has made educated and faithful Catholics wonder how these men have had the nerve to speak in Jesus' name - they are hypocrites!
Shame on the Bishops! And shame on us for continuing quiet support for them and not calling them to task.
how deeply regretable that
how deeply regretable that fear and muted tyranny are the order of the day
in many RC dioceses; that Catholics allow this to happen without financial
protest, without strong opposition to the Benedicts and the Burkes of the
church is cowardly. two of the finest RC bishops of our time are barred
from speaking about peacemaking?
what will it take for catholics to stop glossing over what has happened to their
once great and prophetic church? is this some bizarre rite of denial?
Oh, let's all go meet over at
Oh, let's all go meet over at the Methodists when we need to meet!
Good idea, and take all the
Good idea, and take all the progressive catholics with you.
Are the bishops who sexually
Are the bishops who sexually abused children in 'good standing'? sure they are ... they are just plain vanilla sinners like all of us.. can't you lib dissenters get the magisterium straight.?? The Vatican is meeting with the SSPX bishops now and all these guys have to do is acknowledge that the lunches at Vatican II were nourishing and tasted good too.. and they are back..
.
The Richmond Diocese refuses
The Richmond Diocese refuses to let its emeritus Bishop speak within its borders in a Church venue, because he didn't have proof of his "prior training in child abuse prevention" or "had a letter from his bishop attesting to good standing as a Catholic"???
What kind of an idoitic excuse for prejudice and stupidity by the present Richmond Catholic clerical leadership is that???
The Church is sinking lower
The Church is sinking lower and lower in incredibility! '
When will the Bishops realize that the Church of the early 1900s is dead?
Lay people: take up your responsibility and vote them out!
Official Church teaching (VC2) is behind you.
Pax. Aristophilos
The Peace of Christ? Can't
The Peace of Christ? Can't have that in our diocese. The idea might spread and then where will we be?
Reminds me of the line from Dr. Strangelove - "You can't fight in here - This is the War Room."
-What kind of an idoitic
-What kind of an idoitic excuse for prejudice and stupidity by the present Richmond Catholic clerical leadership is that???-
About the same level as Bishop Brown creatively ending the Latin Mass dispensation of a parish in his diocese. Then he goes on to obstruct Motu Propio with more creative ahmm.... "training requirements".
Progressive and traditionalist Bishops need to base their actions on real substance, not pretenses and a hostility to group "X".
Here is a copy of Bishop
Here is a copy of Bishop Sullivan's response to this article. What gives, NCR? Mary
Most Reverend Walter F. Sullivan
Bishop Emeritus
7800 Carousel Lane • Richmond, Virginia 23294 • (804) 359-5661
November 12, 2009
The Editor
National Catholic Reporter
115 East Armour Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64111
Dear Editor:
I am writing to you in regard to your article of October 29 2009, 'Two Bishops Barred from
Catholic Venues."
I have never been prohibited from speaking in any parish in the Diocese of Richmond. On the contrary, Bishop DiLorenzo and I enjoy a warm relationship and, with his blessing and encouragement, I continue to minister throughout the diocese.
Yours Sincerely,
-r(j}~ ~_
Walter F. Sullivan
Bishop Emeritus of Richmond
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