PURGE. SANCTIFY. DEFEND

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The Sacred calling of the priesthood has been defiled by priests not living the life they have promised to God and to His people.

 

We are not talking about simple failings, but rather a deliberate lifestyle, contrary to their vow of celibacy. These include both homosexual and heterosexual relationships and child sexual abuse.  

 

This created a culture of immorality which attacked other priests spiritually and has caused an enormous credibility issue with all priests.

 

Many priests knew this was going on for sometime and the response to it, is in itself, a sin of omission.  This attack on Christ’s church has gone virtually undefended by her priests.  

 

As a priest, YOU, are called to defend Christ’s teachings and His church.  To stand by and watch is not an option. You have led a life of sanctity and your reputation is being destroyed by these men who chose not to do so, yet consider themselves your peers or superiors.  

 

You above all, should have led the charge to stop this sacrilege and outrage. You need to gather your brothers who have chosen to live this life and let the Bishop know he has not fulfilled his duty as a shepherd.  First and foremost obedience is due to God.  There is no true obedience to unjust and corrupt authority.   
 

Bishops - The Bishops for the most part have lost their way.  We see this from New York to Philadelphia.

Many of our Bishops have become professional liars because they have become accustomed and

 

complicit with this scandal in their midst. This was not their intention but rather a process of being in

 

office.  These men have become compromised by the system.  They entered in as Bishops and in small

 

ways failed to address the problem with priestly immorality.  When they compromised their values and

 

faith the problem snowballed. They would  hide or payout money to hide one priest, then two, then three,

 

and all of a sudden, they realize, they are part of the problem.  Others find out how the Bishops "bent the

 

rules" and expect the same treatment, and soon bishops find themselves helplessly caught in these

 

scandals.  When the priest they helped turns out to be a child molester they realize too late they made the

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wrong decisions.  When they finally try to remove a child molester, the molester asks why all the other

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priests who have been sexually active don’t have to go.

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As Catholics we have to understand that somewhere along the way Bishops went from being Shepherds, to being administrators, to being the head of local crime operations.

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Our bishops have taken money that we donated for God’s work and used it to hide sex crimes.  Then they bore false witness to their people. They spent enormous resources in time, treasure, and talent to cover up illegal and immoral activities rather than properly address the problem.  

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Our diocese had an entire plan in action on how to “handle “ complaints.  When a chart has to be developed on paying out for abuse cases should you realize you have gone way too far!  Look at how the diocese handled one complaint. 

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They had psychologists meet with victims and counsel them that when they were 16 years old it was their

 

fault they were molested. How sick!

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In the letter from our diocesan attorney he said our diocesan review panel was considered a model for the Pa Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Not surprising, considering the Grand Jury found it to be a sham and just another way for fact finding to prevent litigation.  It was in no way a "victim advocate" group.  This review panel allowed child molesters continual access to children while it protected the diocese.  It was definately a role model for the other churches in Pennsylvania, a bad one!  This is the problem!

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Bishops became so complacent with priests who were sexually active that bishops no longer followed church teachings.  Even now, by opposing legislation, they give a bad example of justice.

We also cannot look past the fact that many of our Bishops have also been sexually active and some continue to be.  If you have corruption at the top, the bottom of the organization will be a mess.  Pope Francis is appointing Bishops well known in their diocese for sexually abusing their own flock.  This only happens through vast cover ups and silence by their peers.

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I just want to look at two examples, one of a lost Bishops and the other a Cardinal.

 

In New York Cardinal  Dolan has failed in his responsibility to be a Bishop.  In the most recent case the facts are clear. He allowed a priest who was not following a celibate lifestyle to remain in office until he allegedly embezzled a million dollars for sexual encounters.  Apparently the Parish is suing the priest, but they should be suing the Cardinal and asking for his removal.

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This  scandal only had roots, because he like others, failed to properly protect His flock and remove bad priests.  Like other Bishops he has focused on the money and protected the assets of the church but not the souls.

 

In Philadelphia we have other problems. Archbishop Chaput has taken to the pulpits and the bulletins of local parishes to fight against legislation that would change the statute of limitations on child molestation.  There are many issues here that we have addressed and you can read it on the issue section. The bigger issue is how these men, called to lead, have become so secularized, that they no longer understand their calling.

 

As a Catholic that has attended mass on a regular basis for over 50 years I can’t even count on one hand the times priests have address the immorality of homosexuality.  This is because many of our priests are doing this with the implicit and explicit consent of our Bishops.

 

In the Pro-Life arena millions of children have been murdered and our Bishops are silent every election. “Catholic” legislators propose all kinds of hideous legislation and speak out in favor of abortion and the church is silent.

 

We use the lame excuse of our non-profit status as why we have to be careful.

 

Do we think Christ almighty will excuse these Bishops for leading millions of souls astray for a tax deduction?  We are truly lost as a church.  But, look how money drives this issue.  The legislators are considering legislation that punishes child molesters (rightly so) for wrong doing and we pull out all the stops.   Archbishop Chaput has launched a massive response through the church and the pulpits to fight this legislation.  Parishes have called out their legislator for how they voted.

 

Yes, when it comes to money, risk the tax deduction and pull out all the stops.  This is truly sickening to witness how the faith went undefended for decades, but now,  how they react so differently when it comes to losing money.