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| It looks like Bishop Lori of Bridgeport, the USCCB's front man on religious freedom is headed to Baltimore. Given his background even I admit he's a card carrying member in Benedict's view of reality--which I also think happens to be mostly unconnected to reality. |
I've been doing some thinking this morning about how utterly insane Catholicism can be. I don't think it used to be this insane, but I could be wrong. It could be the insanity went underground for awhile and now it's come out of the closet with a bang. Or maybe it's just that I am 'seeing' the insanity in a way I couldn't let myself see before. I too was caught up in the insanity. I suspect it's the latter.
I was thinking about Coach Joe Paterno. About how everyone and their Nitanny Lion is calling for his resignation over the Sandusky affair. And they probably should, but then I think about the other 84 year old man across the Atlantic Ocean. The one who doesn't coach a football team. The one who heads Roman Catholicism, and I think about the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sexual predators he failed to investigate with any sense of alacrity, and I wonder why it is that some of the same voices who are so indignant about the one transgression of the football coach have given the other man pass after pass after pass. I think that's insane.
And then I thought about the Spanish nun in yesterday's post. The one who owns a million+ dollars in property, lied to mothers about the deaths of their babies, got rich selling those babies to other parents, and says she is at peace because those mothers were in 'disgraceful' situations. I juxtapose that nun with Sr. Mary McBride whose actions actually saved a mother who was in a 'critical' situation, and for that act Sr McBride incurs excommunication. The other nun, well, she didn't. She's now rich on hideously ill gotten gains and apparently justified in her actions. I think that's insane.
And then I think about Bishop Lori, soon to take over in Baltimore, who back stabbed his way up the clerical career ladder while an Auxiliary bishop in Washington. I think about him dictating to Congress that they should reinvent the US Constitution to give the USCCB carte blanc to foist Catholic moral teaching-- teachings which most Catholics don't even agree with--on the entire country. I can't help but juxtapose him against Tom Gumbleton whose sin was to advocate for Ohio to open up a window in their statute of limitations so sexual abuse victims could press their cases and get some justice. Unfortunately for Tom, none of his fellow bishops were at all interested in that kind of legislation, the kind that opened them up for some accountability. No they are only interested in the kinds of legislation that restrict the choices of others, and that includes abuse victims. So Tom was quickly out, and Lori moves ever higher. I think that's insane.
I happen to know something about insanity. I work with legally defined insane people in my day to day occupation and I've seen and heard some truly insane things. The thing is, most of my people don't claim to be sane, or hold positions of authority over others, and it's the very rare one who claims to speak for God. I juxtapose that against our current group of bishops, who do claim to be ontologically superior especially to humans like me, a mere woman; who do hold great positions of power over others and want even more; who imperiously do claim to speak for God and I can't help but wonder who really is insane. I think it's the bishops.
I think the bishops are insane too for allowing this insanity to go on and on and on!! And the one's who think that rotten bishops, insane to the core, will ever convert to not being insane are just as insane!!
ReplyDeleteMother F.
Excellent post, Colleen!
ReplyDeleteI should have included Pope Benedict XVI as insane too! A true nut case!! Along with the Curia.... nut cases! These old men in the hierarchy are the remnants of all that was evil and prejudice of their parent's age which brought the world to two world wars. It is insane to keep such people with such beliefs whose fruit is death, destruction, raping, murder and pillage of the people they are to serve. It is insane!
ReplyDeleteMother F.
Let me rewrite some of that.... It is insane to keep such people in powerful positions of authority who have the same fascist spirit & evil agenda for this age, with new scapegoats, as in their parent's age which brought the world to two World Wars. Their only fruit is death, wars, destruction, raping, murder and pillage of the people. It is insane to be in any kind of alliance with such disordered and certifiably insane characters.
ReplyDeleteMother F.
If one really wants to see the core of the leadership crisis of the RCC, one should investigate all the Banking practices of the Vatican since the Concordats with Mussolini and Hitler. What did the Church really gain from them. Money stupid!! The groups of men who have formed the Roman Curia were/ are frightened of any change to their cushy life styles that say an Investigation of the Vatican Bank would have brought to the Church of JP 1. We got the Roman solution MURDER of a pope. What has followed is an ever increasing paranoia in the curia and the last 2 popes. They fear any change even if scientific observation proves them wrong; even if ethics proves their moral pronouncements weak. If we look at it closely, there is no capital sin that these fellows are not guilty of denying. They lie, cheat, steal, ask the public to follow a sexual "morality" that they clearly do not follow. Their views of morality to almost everything pertaining to sex, money, power and reproduction are and have not been ethical. The RCC has followed the Roman solution of Constantine's authoritarian stucture and recently the Roman solution of the murderous mafia. The last 2 popes stood by and watched. How can they say that they love the people of God. They only have a narcissistic love of self that causes a deep seeded paranoia that something might change causing them to to loose personal status and resources. They have blinded themselves to the point of not recognizing the evil within. With this darkened mentality, the Church has imploded from within its leadership. Thy are in schism with the People of God. The only question now is how the pieces will be reformatted. The leadership of the RCC have become an unethical cult that continues to do severe harm and only little good to humanity. They are worshipers of the golden calf of mammon. It is now perfectly clear that this group of leaders especially the last 2 popes but also many popes and bishops of the ages deserve more distain than respect.
ReplyDeleteWe had the now “Blessed” John Paul the Great Misogynist, Enabler of Child Rape, Enabler of financial Extortion, Blinded man to Scientific Observation, and Sadomasochist followed by another Palpatine. Yes the RCC has imploded. Strong words? No, full truthful description of observation of conduct and behavior of Sociopathic Character disorders--- true psychopaths. No, not the insanity of schizophrenia, but insanity none the less. This type of insanity is much more dangerous than schizophrenia that tends to be only vulnerable and sometime paranoid.
Question now is only what will become of the pieces of the RCC over the years. The salvage operation will have some good and many ruined pieces to look after.
The juxtapositions were right on target Colleen. The truth, clear as a bell ringing.
ReplyDeleterdp46, I have to agree that the banking practices of the Concordats with Mussolini and Hitler should be investigated. It's clear from what I have read that there were Bishops of the RCC in cushy condition while war raged on all around them. And a large part of the reason for that warring all around them was a direct result of their focus on mammon, on the materialistic luxuries for themselves, property, and they bought protection for themselves as leftists, Jews, gays, gypsies and others who did not agree with them were sent to work/death camps. If they'd been shepherding or counseling wisely the People of God and other Christians in that era, I have no doubt that the capacity for the evil that was unleashed would not have been unleashed.
Good question "what will become of the pieces of the RCC over the years. I see a salvage operation too. I see a time for growth and people coming together in peace and harmony away from the institution of which I hope is brought to justice.
The whole notion of Church is changing it seems. It will evolve the way people need it to be by way of the Holy Spirit. We sort of have one foot in the past and one foot in a forward motion that by faith we trust God will keep us and lead us to the light of love.
Mother F.
Joe Paterno has been fired and so has the president of Penn State. What would our church look like if THAT was how things were handled in the last 25 years of the unfolding sexual assault crisis? Just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI thought about tht Sue. It does appear that the Penn State Board has taken a few lessons from the Catholic sexual abuse crisis--such as cover ups merit termination. Now if only it would work the other way around.
ReplyDeletePenn State at least has accountability, which the Catholic hierarchy completely lacks. I anticipate the Catholic League, Bill Donohue and the Vatican will defend Finn to the hilt. BTW, is it just me, but doesn't Lori look like Dana Carvey as the Church Lady?
ReplyDeleteDear Mother F.,
ReplyDeleteWhen investigating the Vatican finances of the 30's and 40's one would need to continue to investigate just who invested these monies and what type of investments they went into. This investigation would need to continue even to the present day. David Yallop points out in his book “In God’s Name” that these were all shadowy mafia men both inside and outside the clergy that were involved. Seems when things got a little hot about priority of what was happening, quite a few of these men turned up dead and their deaths initially and falsely pointed to suicide. This type of murder were referred to inside the mafia as the Roman solution.
Yallop points out all these shadowy men in his investigative book and then shows that even Pope John Paul I was very likely a casualty of the Roman solution as all his plans to change the Vatican Bank and investments involved many changes in manpower that would effect mafia types all over the world . Yallop is a certified forensic investigator.
It is true that the Vatican paid John cornwall to write another book that was believed for a few years that JPI had a heart attack, but his evidence did not stand up to what modern cardiologists know. Cornwall stated because it was known that JP I had hypotension that was a sign that he was desperately ill for some time with undiagnosed cardiac dysfunction. When cardiologists were asked about this assumption, the whole premiss of this Vatican sponsored book was disproven. What is seen by this book is that the Church was involved in a coverup. What is new here.
It was only thirty days after JP I said that one of his most pressing jobs was to “clean up” the Vatican Bank was found dead under suspicious conditions with the notes for his changes to Vatican finances in his hands. Although the Vatican said that autopsies were against cannon law, no one has ever been able to point out this cannon. It seems that there were at least three different reports about who discovered the body and all these people were transferred to jobs around the world all outside Italy. There was never any mention of the need to clean this system under JP II. In fact, it seems Blessed JP II looked the other way and allowed the Vatican bank to continue as the launderer of the mafia’s money, just as he turned is head on the sexual scandals and supported misogyny, and homophobia. Denial continues to be the only Vatican Defense!
This is where at least in the Maciel story the sexual and banking scandals converge. Maciel was very close to the Fascist allies of Francisco Franco. Money laundering was not enough a scandal for Maciel as he was also a pervert that enjoyed the friendship of the “Blessed” JP II that simply looked the other way. When an institution begins to avoid awful truth even lie about it and cover it up, much is investigated. The RCC leadership has simply imploded the Church from within and how can the chips be salvaged into something ethical. The leadership of this institution are only worth distain but there are some good and many broken parts to repair. It can never be the same and have any valid part in the spirituality of humans. The morality of the RCC is shattered as the leadership have broken ALL the capital sins and have attempted to cover them up. The integrity of these men that call themselves Popes, Cardinal and Bishops has eroded to total distrust by a larger group of Catholics each month.
If you haven’t read it David Yallop’s book is fascinating!! dennis
"It can never be the same and have any valid part in the spirituality of humans."
ReplyDeleteThat's not quite true Dennis. It will have a valid part in the spirituality of humans, but it will be the valid part that keeps humans from moving up the spiritual food chain. All of these various insane situations are happening so that people will make a choice for a higher, more compassionate, consciousness, or the ugly manipulative status quo. It's first and foremost always about choice, because it's the collective choice that moves us forward.
In this particular time and place, the Vatican and it's bishops are representing the same choice Jesus pointed out two thousand years ago--Is is it about the letter of the law, or the spirit of the law. We have had more than enough examples of how the 'letter of the law' puts unfair and heavy burdens on marginalized people. For the next while, we all have a decision to make about where we all stand.
For people seeking a true spirituality, to understand Christ, to attempt to ever update ethical decisions, they will never be able to rely on the current leadership or one that is constituted from above down. As long as we have the current type of borderline sociopathic men running the leadership they will never have enough integrity to lead others in a defined morality.
ReplyDeleteI agree it will only be those who chose to be conscientious, compassionate and loving that will lead themselves and others toward an ethical and spiritual path. I think it is more than just the letter of the law that the Vatican wants to control people with. I think as I have stated above, it is also the golden calf, god of mammon that these men follow. Greed, and envy are at the top of what seems to run this institution. The orderly authoritarianism is maintained by fear. Now the conscientious, and loving People of God have learned/are learning not to fear these men and they no longer fear a loving God, the God of Reward and Punishment that so many of these men would have us believe in.
This organization of leaders do not and can not be a valid part in spiritual leadership. They have destroyed that all by themselves. dennis
I see you grind your axe on a good Catholic bishop. Bishops OUGHT to be in line with the Holy Father, who is the Chief Bishop of the Church. I have nothing byt praise for Bishop Lori and also for recently appointed Bishop Mark Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown. It is about time Bishops sounded the teachings of the Catholic Church clearly and fearlessly. - God Bless!
ReplyDelete