 . |
| Mr Roy Bourgeois may win this battle with the US Army, but he just lost one with the CDF |
Today the Maryknollers announced the CDF had unilaterally dismissed Fr Roy Bourgeois from the Maryknoll community and his priestly vows. It took four years, but it was inevitable. I never did understand how in the world Roy Bourgeous could keep his bonds sacred by lieing about his thoughts on this issue, but in the Vatican world priorities seem a little skewed. Reminds me very much of the Lennon Cihak in Minnesota who was told he could be confirmed if he lied to his whole parish about his feelings on civil gay marriage. Lennon is in very good company now. Being advised to lie to maintain or receive sacraments is not terribly sacred nor does it seem very Catholic, but lieing is becoming routine in the upper echelons so maybe it is some new form of Catholic truth.
MARYKNOLL, N.Y., Nov. 19, 2012 /Christian Newswire/
-- The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on October
4, 2012, canonically dismissed Roy Bourgeois from the Catholic Foreign
Mission Society of America, also known as the Maryknoll Fathers and
Brothers. The decision dispenses the Maryknoll priest from his sacred
bonds.
As a priest during 2008, Mr. Bourgeois
participated in the invalid ordination of a woman and a simulated Mass
in Lexington, Kentucky. With patience, the Holy See and the Maryknoll
Society have encouraged his reconciliation with the Catholic Church.
Instead, Mr. Bourgeois chose to
campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church in secular and
non-Catholic venues. This was done without the permission of the local
U.S. Catholic Bishops and while ignoring the sensitivities of the
faithful across the country. Disobedience and preaching against the
teaching of the Catholic Church about women's ordination led to his
excommunication, dismissal and laicization.
****************************************
I don't understand how Maryknoll brass ever expected Roy Bourgeois to reconcile on Vatican terms. That line about being 'saddened' seems a bit disingenous, but it is nice that they are willing to assist Roy with his transition. Especially given the fact Roy did quite a bit to put Maryknoll in the lead in social justice advocacy. I would imagine the charity they extend to Roy will come from numerous donations Roy generated for Maryknoll.
There's been a lot of craziness today in the Catholic world. Speaking of letters, I found the letter written by Lennon Nicah's ex pastor more unbelievable than the one from Cardinal Bertone on the clergy dress code. In this letter Fr Gary DeMoines explains to his parish that all the press and other activity surrounding the non confirmation of Nicah and another student was all the Nicah's family fault--of course, of course, but then he goes on in this vain:
"Nevertheless, even if he had not withdrawn from the confirmation ceremony, I would have had no choice but to remove him from consideration given his rejection of marriage as we understand it. Rejection of the Church’s teaching on marriage is a very serious breach of faith. We believe that the teaching on marriage (that marriage is between one man and one woman for the purpose of creating new life), is a matter of divine revelation; it comes directly to us from God. Rejection of the teaching on marriage is, for example, similar to the rejection of the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity or the rejection of the doctrine of Christ as being both human and divine. Marriage, divinely received, is a central belief. Intending to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, while rejecting a central belief, is an absolute contradiction. One cannot embrace the faith of the Church in Confirmation while rejecting it at the same time.
Since when has anything having to do with marriage been elevated to the same status as Jesus's human/Divine nature or the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity? I guess about the same time the advocacy by a priest for the ordination of women was placed in the same grave delict category as raping little children. Except advocation for women's ordination, or just attending an ordination is sure to get you laicized, but not raping little children, even 200 deaf children as in the case of Fr Lawrence Murphy whose story is once again making headlines. No, in Murphy's case, he only had to whine to Cardinal Ratzinger then the head of the same CDF that just booted Roy, and Murphy gets to be buried with full Catholic clerical honors--much to the joy of his family and over the objections of two of his bishops.
Conservative or traditional Catholics have made comments to the effect that I am overly hateful towards Catholic leadership. No, I'm just really angry and engaging in the same 'hate the sin, love the sinner' behavior that I was taught that traditionalists use towards gay folks. But honestly, the real problem I have with that critique is that in making it one has to be willfully blind to the skewed priorities of our current leadership. You have to willingly stick your head in the sand-or lie to yourself- to avoid seeing there is a very dark force surrounding our leadership and it's not dissenting Catholics. It's a leadership which can demand a young person like Lennon Nicah to lie, to knowingly commit a sin, in order to receive a sacrament; that can place the teaching on marriage as equal to the Holy Trinity; that can make the sacraments, including Jesus in the Eucharist, hostage to agreement with a given bishop's politics; that dares equate the ordination of women with the clerical raping of children; that blatantly interjects itself in secular politics seemingly never having gotten any lessons about this activity from it's traditional past, and that seems to care more about how it clothes it's self than it does whether it's children even have clothes.
I believe Roy Bourgeois was freed from the insanity he couldn't leave, not the Catholic Church freed from Roy and his heretical opinions. May God bless him in his future endeavors. One of those endeavors, the closing of the School of the Americas now known as WHINESEC, may actually happen and that would be the answer to a lot of Catholic prayers.
Father Roy is following the Gospel and is following in the Way of Jesus Christ. This is not at all true of the Catholic leadership from the Vatican on down. This sad fact is necessary for all who were raised as Catholics to understand. The leadership of our Church no longer follows The Way of Christ. This leadership is completely invalid and must not be followed. dennis
ReplyDeleteA quote that many here will have seen before
ReplyDelete"Above the pope as an expression of the binding claim of church authority, stands one’s own conscience, which has to be obeyed first of all, if need be against the demands of church authority.”
The author?
Fr. Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), excepted from a commentary on “Gaudium et Spes” (“The Church in the Modern World”) published in Commentary on the Documents of Vatican II (Vorgrimler, Herbert (Ed.), Burns and Oats, 1969, p. 134.)
One has to suspect he never thought he'd ever end up as Pope when he wrote it....
Either he never expected to be Pope or didn't think much of Paul VI. I wonder if that quote is the one that will define him as a theologian even though Aquinas said pretty much the same thing back in his day.
DeleteI like the way Ratzinger changes his ideas to suit his position. The sooner Catholics get rid of the Papacy, the better. It can't happen too soon. it may have been some good once, but now it is worse than useless, & a device for corrupting the Church.
DeleteJust wondering...If enough of us following "one's own conscience" on the question of the ordination of women against the "demands of church authority" can declare the Vatican in formal heresy?
ReplyDeleteThat would be stating the obvious.
DeleteJim McCrea
On the other hand, Roy put Maryknoll in the "jackpot" with Rome without any consultation on this action. (If you think the bosses are just angry with Roy, that's not the way this works).
ReplyDeleteAlso, Maryknoll went to bat for Roy (delayed in kicking him out; held an inconclusive vote off the island that made the bosses do their own dirty work) and will do all that it can for him going forward but obviously can't publicly look like they are going against the front office without more consequences.
Why not? Because they would suffer the same fate?
DeleteMaybe they could call on the Holy Spirit as the apostles did.
Or are they like the rich man who when asked to give all he had to follow Jesus, went sadly away because he had many possessions?
coolmom
I don't disagree that Maryknoll played the Vatican game as far as they could or dared. But still, forcing the CDF into making the final decision is a bit like Pilate washing his hands of Jesus.
DeleteFr Roy was always something of a charismatic loose canon so I can't see where his support for the ordination of a long time collaborator would have been shocking. In any event Maryknoll could have done much worse than Fr Roy, why you could have gotten steam rolled by another Maciel. Oh, but in that case the priest would have been 'sentenced' to a life of prayer and penance, not de frocked and excommunicated.
Roy discovered that the real mission in life is to stand guiltless before God and the World, not the simple mission of a simpleton leadership full of itself full of its own shame. Ok Maryknoll has misgivings about the leadership, Roy had the courage to follow his real mission! dennis
ReplyDeleteMore than one real mission, he took on the US Government and may win that one. As for taking on the Vatican government, it's tough to win against unaccountable absolute dictators. For some reason AB Romero comes to mind here.
DeleteIt may take a few more A B Romero's before the VAtican leadership and even the Vatican itself crumbles, but crumble it will. dennis
DeleteI wonder if Maryknoll will honor their committment to his pension and retiree medical benefits (assuming they have them)? If not he should sue their asses.
ReplyDeleteJim McCrea
I'm sure Maryknoll will honor their commitment to pay his pension and medical expenses. It is just too pathetic that after 45 years Roy was a member, their answer was to thank him for his service and wish him well. My translation: don't bother to come for Thanksgiving dinner and don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Deletecoolmom
...that marriage is between one man and one woman for the purpose of creating new life...
ReplyDeleteSo post-menopausal women need not apply? Are these guys just making this stuff up on the fly? They have never really been anchored to the observable realities of the human condition and now they seem to have lost any sort of internal consistency.
I think you hit it on the head. The letter reads like someone was waaaayyy too invested in justifying his unjustifiable behavior.
DeleteWhat a horrible loss to the Church that the Vatican prizes conformity of conscience so very highly that they would divorce a priest like this. But maybe it is more about the financial assets. I'm not sure and I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me that Mr. Roy has no grounds to sue Maryknoll for pension and medical care. I suspect the US courts would see that as strictly an internal church matter and refuse to get involved.
ReplyDeleteVeronica
What troubles me is that he took part in an illegal ordination. That's a step too far.
ReplyDeleteAnon, if you are out there, this is a sincere question. Why does that trouble you? What do you think the problem is?
DeleteMatt Connolly
Excellent article here and great comments too. This is a sad day for the Church. Mark
ReplyDelete