Friday, February 20, 2009

Updating Some Stories




First there are two stories about the SSPX. It seems Bishop Williamson no longer has either a job nor a country to live. Perhaps Benedict will give him asylum in the Vatican City States. I doubt he will be welcome in Switzerland, head quarters of the SSPX, but he may also find a home in his old stomping grounds in Minnesota.


Bishop Richard Williamson ordered to leave Argentina


An English bishop who denies the holocaust has been ordered to leave Argentina.
Bishop Richard Williamson has been give ten days to leave the country or face expulsion after global controversy over his views and the Vatican’s attitudes towards them.


The Argentine Interior Ministry said Bishop Williamson’s statements on the Holocaust “profoundly insult Argentine society, the Jewish community and all of humanity by denying an historic truth”. ( Argentina must be coming to grips with their own past involvement with the Third Reich as one of the few places Nazi's were able to find asylum. This is kind of ironic.)


An international furore erupted last month after Pope Benedict XVI lifted the excommunication of Bishop Williamson, along with three other bishops of the ultra-conservative sect, the Society of Pope Pius X.

Bishop Williamson denies any Jews died in gas chambers - calling such claims “lies” - and says that no more than 300,000 died in Nazi concentration camps. The commonly accepted figure is six million.


Bishop Williamson had been head of La Reja seminary in Buenos Aires since 2003 but he was removed from that job last week.


The Argentine interior ministry said that Bishop Williamson had not declared “his true activity” as the director of the seminary on immigration forms, and had “concealed the true motive for his stay in the country” by claiming to be an employee of a non-governmental body.
The government said it had been unaware of Bishop Williamson’s position until recent publicity, but added that his views were a factor in the decision to expel him.


Guillermo Oliveri, the government’s secretary for religious affairs, said: “I absolutely agree with the expulsion of a man residing in our country following his statements [denying] one of the greatest human tragedies.”
Christian Bouchacourt, the director the Latin American branch of the Society of Pope Pius X, said at the time of his dismissal that Bishop Williamson’s views “in no way reflect the position of our congregation”.


Tonight the Vatican said it had no comment on the Argentine decision. Bishop Williamson is thought to still be in Argentina and it is unclear where he might go.


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The following article is the first I've read that directly documents the anti semitism expressed by SSPX itself. I've been kind of surprised at this because it takes one all of about 5 minutes on the US site to discover an 'attitudinal' problem with Jews. That Benedict claims ignorance of all of this is mind boggling.


If SSPX is supposed to be upholding the values of the True Church as epitomized under Pius XII, they aren't a very good advertisement for the apologists of Pius XII.




The traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, whose excommunication was lifted by the Vatican in January, openly propagates virulent anti-Semitism, according to an investigation published Thursday by a Jewish magazine in Belgium.

Research by the Antwerp-based “Joods Actueel” weekly magazine has revealed a “slew of anti-Semitic content” on websites of the St. Pius X society in five languages.


The research comes to the conclusion that Pius X is “an extreme conservative Catholic group that rejects the Second Vatican Council and propagates the worst kind of anti-Semitism.”


For the research the international overarching site of the society was consulted and also a host of national sites such as those of the US, Brazil, Ireland, Asia, Austria, South-Africa and Poland.


The magazine found that the society's US Web site described Jews as "the enemy of man, whose secret weapon is the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy," adding that "heads of Jewry have for centuries conspired methodically and out of an undying hatred against the Catholic name."


The South African site said that "Jews have come closer and closer to fulfilling their substitute-Messianic drive towards world dominion."


The Irish site asks whether "the Jews are guilty of Deicide," answering: "We must say yes."


The site from Germany said that "contemporary Jews are for sure guilty of the murder of God, as long as they don't recognize Christ as God."


The Belgian site accuses Jews of "still believing they are the chosen people" while "awaiting world domination."


Michael Freilich, chief editor of Joods Actueel, commented his research: “This is in many ways worse than the outrageous statements of bishop Williamson denying the Holocaust and the existence of gas chambers.”


“Williamson is a lone fool and not taken serious by the masses, whereas here we are talking about an entire society comprising thousands of priests spreading hatred against the Jewish people to hundreds of thousands around the world”. (This over looks the fact that Bishop Williamson was in charge of an SSPX seminary for over 5 years. He may be a lone fool but he was also the fool in charge of the formation of the very priests who may be spreading hatred against the Jewish people.)


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And finally and update on St. Mary's Brisbane:


THE former Gold Coast priest sent to rescue a Brisbane congregation faces a direct challenge from the maverick clergyman he replaces in a unprecedented face-off on Sunday morning.


Father Ken Howell, formerly of Burleigh Heads, is the Vatican's man to take over from rebel Brisbane Priest Father Peter Kennedy who was sacked yesterday for breaching church rules 'out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church'. (In reality Fr. Howell is the Archdiocese's man, not directly the Vatican's.)


Fr Howell expects to conduct mass on Sunday at 7am but then faces a bizarre situation at the 9am service Fr Kennedy has declared he will lead, despite being removed from his position by Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby yesterday.


Fr Howell has extended the hand of forgiveness to his controversial colleague who offered an apology yesterday after labelling his replacement a 'religious scab' on Wednesday.


Speaking to The Bulletin yesterday, Fr Howell said his first priority was to ensure there was a process of healing.
"I'm confident everyone can come together and I have always believed in the goodwill of people," said Fr Howell, who will lead prayers for victims of the Victorian bushfires on Sunday.
"It is important that the mass be a time of prayer and not protest.
"My hope is that in time we can move forward as a vibrant united community."


Fr Howell will serve in the position while maintaining his role as Dean of St Stephen's Cathedral until a replacement is appointed.


Fr Howell said he wanted to ensure the church continued reaching out to people at social and economic disadvantage.


Fr Kennedy, who is seeking the advice of a barrister on an appeal, said yesterday he intended to celebrate the 9am mass.
"I am determined to go ahead and hold mass," he said.
Fr Kennedy said he expected about 1000 people to crowd into the church.


Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby issued Fr Kennedy with the decree this week, which set a deadline of noon on Wednesday for him to step down.


It was the most severe punishment seen in the church since the 1929 Mungana Affair.
Fr Kennedy had come under fire for unorthodox practices such as allowing women to preach and blessing homosexual couples. (Are these the new 'Jewish blight' of the modern Roman Catholic Church?)


Catholic authorities have also raised questions about the validity of baptisms at St Mary's.
The row has created a rift, with members of his congregation vowing to fight the move to sack the priest and saying they will rally against the Archbishop's action.


"The community at St Mary's Catholic Church in South Brisbane is deeply disappointed with the way they have been treated by the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane John Bathersby," said a statement from the church community yesterday.


"The community also reiterates its support for Fr Peter Kennedy as priest, visionary, leader and man of faith, integrity and compassion."


Local Aborigines have vowed to establish a tent embassy on St Mary's land. (And this is the one issue which may cause all kinds of headaches for both the Church and the State.)


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I sometimes wonder if Catholicism can't institutionally function with out identifying some particular group as THE ENEMY of Jesus and by extension Catholicism. For the SSPX, which is not the modern church, it's the ages old Jewish enemy. For the 'restored' Church of Benedict, it's pro abortion politicians, gays, and power seeking feminists. Jews apparently have suffered enough at the hands of Catholicism. John Paul II said so. Benedict says SSPX has suffered enough even though SSPX directly contradicts the aspirations of John Paul II. What's a good Catholic to do? I guess the answer is attack pro abortion politicians, gays, and power seeking feminists.


But where do you go if you don't want to attack anybody and if you really believe Jesus meant it when he said to forgive your enemies? St. Mary's Brisbane is finding out you don't find that answer in Catholicism. Wow, what a sad statement.



8 comments:

  1. WOW!. . .

    This is a little footnote of the current President of Argentina. . .

    She came on my radar because a few years back. About 10 to 12 years ago i went through a spiritual emergency. and for a couple of years all i knew to do was to walk in Nature and pray to Mary the Divine Mother. I started to see a woman dressed in white in my third eye, i did not know if she was of this world or not. Later i found the woman was a living Saint from India. I went to this Saint that is known as a Divine Mother in India. There where several nuns and a couple of priest that where there also. Her message is one that embraces all with the message love and serve. When she is asked her religion, she always answers,"love". People of all faiths go to her because all she ever talks about is love and serve, which is the essence of truth present in all religions, i believe.


    A couple of years ago, soon after the President of Argentina took office, she requested a private meeting with the Divine Mother from India. The private meeting lasted a couple of hours and i saw the photos of the president's face as she walked out of the meeting with the Divine Mother. The President's face was radiant and emitted love. Since that time my ears are perked when i hear of reports on some of the controversies of Argentina. She does advocate for the regular people. So when i read this about Williamson, it seems consistent with the President. Here is a bit of her bio from Wicki, and find it interesting she is South American and German.

    Cristina Elizabeth Fernández was born in La Plata, province of Buenos Aires, daughter of Eduardo Fernández (of Spanish heritage) and Ofelia Esther Wilhelm (of German heritage).

    During her husband's term, Cristina Kirchner became an itinerant ambassador for his government. Her highly combative speech style polarized Argentine politics, recalling the style of Eva Perón. Although she repeatedly rejected the comparison later, Cristina once said in an interview that she identified herself "with the Evita of the hair in a bun and the clenched fist before a microphone" (the typical image of Eva Perón during public speeches) more than with the "miraculous Eva" of her mother's time, who had come "to bring work and the right to vote for women".[8][9][10]

    Mrs. Kirchner was popular among the suburban working class and the rural poor, while Ms. Carrió received more support from the urban middle class, as did Mr. Lavagna.[14] Of note, Fernández lost the election in the three largest cities (Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Rosario), although she won in most other places elsewhere, including the large provincial capitals such as Mendoza and Tucumán.[15]

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  2. (This over looks the fact that Bishop Williamson was in charge of an SSPX seminary for over 5 years. He may be a lone fool but he was also the fool in charge of the formation of the very priests who may be spreading hatred against the Jewish people.)

    " One of the saddest lessons of history is this: " If we've been bamboozied long enough we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozie. The bamboozie has captured us. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get t back."

    Carl Sagan

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  3. River, I felt Mary very strongly about 10-12 years ago. She seemed ever present and always popping into my consciousness during a very difficult time of my life. It is so interesting that you say "all i knew to do was to walk in Nature and pray to Mary." It was also when I was outside in nature that her presence was so strongly felt. I don't have to leave my property to be in nature and her presence was largely felt there amongst the tall oaks.

    I am delighted that the Argentine President has kicked this anti-Semitic Williamson out of Argentina. She's my kind of gal in leadership! She is sending the world a message for all to hear. It's a good message.

    On TV just now was John L. Allen of NCR on Religion and Ethics talking about Bishop Richard Williamson and he is blaming the problems that Benedict is having on a "public relations meltdown."

    If only Benedict knew how to google SSPX, he would not find himself in this well deserved PR meltdown.

    Colleen, I remember when I did a google search for something unrelated and I found SSPX's website.

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  4. Great comments. Divine mother imagery is popping up all over the place, whether it's called Marian or Gaia or goddess energy.

    It's about nurturing love and gentle guidance. It's not about rejection and judgement. Although I guess President Kirchner and her government have done just those things with Williamson. Well, sometimes you just can't get through to people and according to some articles on Clerical Whispers he appears to be one such person.

    http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.com/2009/02/bishops-vexing-beliefs-have-deep-roots.html

    What I noted of interest in the above article is that the priests who under went formation under Williamson note his mysoginy as being as terrifying as his anti semitism. Mother Mary would not approve.

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  5. Doesnt it bother anyone that the focus is being redirected to public relations, that the talk is about how he could have done the same thing without causing an uproar?

    The question that no one seems to be asking is "is the pope just really stupid and doesnt know what he is doing, or is he not really stupid and he just doesnt know how to keep from getting getting caught with his pants down (yet)"?

    The rhetoric around public relations for the pope should be causing everyone to sit up and pay attention. The rhetoric is telling us if we listen that we are getting ready to be deluged with more lies, deceit and deceptions being justified and rationalized as "public relations".

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  6. Carl, I was dismayed by John L. Allen's response to the reporter being just a PR nightmare for Benedict. He seemed to justify Benedict's lifting the excommunications and overlooked how Benedict has put his foot literally in every Catholic's mouth in relation to a people of God, the Jews.

    I think Benedict is behaving very much like a Bushonian.

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  7. "it's about nurturing love and gentle guidance. It's not about rejection and judgment. Although I guess President Kirchner and her government have done just those things with Williamson. Well, sometimes you just can't get through to people and according to some articles on Clerical Whispers he appears to be one such person."

    Colleen. . .since that encounter with the Divine Mother, i have been doing energy work with her continuously for the past many years. and for sure i have also experienced the Divine Mother energy which is strong and tough and holds one feet in the fire, as well as the fiercely protective, like the mother bear that guards her cubs. The difference is the Divine Mother energy always has an unshakable foundation of love grounded in what is best for the children, rather than doing something to glorify her self or quest for power.

    I have never experienced an energetic force that is as loving and tender and fierce and demanding. Ask your daughter, can Mamma energy be tough?

    my word is " priest". . . how strange is that? i was not going to leave a message, but wanted to use the synchronicity of the word verification. ..lol!

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  8. River, my daughter might not be the best person to ask.

    When she was about 10 she got into trouble for something or another and so I sat her down and made her go through her motivation for something she knew was dead wrong.

    She looks at me, verging on tears, and told me that she preferred getting in trouble with her dad. I asked her why and she said because he throws a fit and spanks me. Then I can be angry at him.

    But you make me admit stuff and then I have to be angry at me. Why don't you just spank me?

    Funny how today she and I have a very good relationship and well, then there's her dad.

    In my book the Divine Mother love is all about maturity, and fostering that does take love and it does take patience, and it does take dogged determination.

    Ultimately I guess it's about freedom and how one does that lovingly and responsibly. It most certainly isn't about control.

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