Pope Francis: One Year Later

It's now been a little over a year since the world was introduced to Pope Francis. While it is still too early to draw any definitive conclusions about his papacy, I wanted to share some tentative thoughts.

1) The importance of evangelization. Pope Francis, as indicated by his apostolic exhortation, is making evangelization the hallmark of his papacy. Included in this emphasis is a stress on the person of Jesus Christ, love of neighbor, and the preferential option for the poor. Additionally, there should be less emphasis on abortion, birth control, and homosexuality. These are moral issues that are of secondary importance in the Gospel message.

2) Abortion and women priests are where he draws the line. His exhortation made clear that there will be no change on these two issues. Rumors have indicated that the pope is open to married priests in the Roman rite, that he is open to the reception of eucharist by remarried Catholics, and that he has considered civil unions as an option for gay and lesbians, but abortion and women priests are off the table. Even in the Milwaukee area, we have had a priest that was recently censured for concelebrating mass with a woman priest.

3) He might actually do something about the clergy sexual abuse scandal. While Pope Francis has not done much about the clergy sexual abuse scandal so far, he had indicated that in the coming months, a zero-tolerance rule may be implemented world wide against clergy with credible allegations of abuse. He also plans on meeting with some victims of sexual abuse. Which victims he will meet with and how they are selected should (and will) fall under public scrutiny. Pope Francis has thus far created a positive image for himself and the direction of the Catholic Church, but his actions on sexual abuse will define his papacy for years to come.

A Faithful Catholic

Easter Reflection on the Year of Two Popes

 

Since I posted last, Benedict retired and Francis was elected.  As in previous posts about Benedict, I believe he was step forward from John Paul II.  He was much more willing to dialogue (e.g., with H. Kung) and allow for a bigger Catholic Church than JPII.  Nonetheless, his greatest contribution to the modern Church may be his resignation.  There is a popular theory that he resigned because the Vatican Curia was out of his control.  Who knows... In any case, having two popes at the same time (in a sense) causes some of the mystique the papacy to fade.  For many conservatives, the Pope is the direct conduit of the Holy Spirit.  Does the Holy Spirit get confused when there are two popes?  Benedict obviously did not believe this to the extent that many arch-conservatives do, for he published books under this baptismal name--an action not done by JPII.

A little bit on Francis.  I'm sure I'll disagree with some of his future pronouncements, but so far he has been a great breath of fresh air.  I would like to think that the Catholic Wintertime in Milwaukee is experiencing an early spring thaw, but I'm not naive.  Nonetheless, his emphasis as the Bishop of Rome (as opposed to the Pope) has been nice.  It expresses a greater sense of collegiality with his brother and sister bishops.  His washing of not only women's feet, but a Muslim woman's feet during Holy Thursday was great.  He broke with a Roman custom that stressed Holy Thursday as Jesus founding the priesthood.  By not washing the feet of twelve priests, he reminded the Church that Holy Thursday is about service and being the least one.  His simple living is another great attribute.  I await his next scandal.

I'll check in from time to time.  Feel free to leave comments.

A Faithful Catholic

Still Here....

Hello reader.  I just wanted to give an update.  It's been over six months since my last post.  I'm still an avid Catholic who feels strongly about all the issues I've written about, but I'm taking a break.  Other than breaking news, I feel that I've addressed all the biblical, historical, systematic, and moral issues of utmost importance in previous blog posts.  In that sense, it's like I've written a book and using the search feature one can locate just about any pressing Catholic issue.  I do plan on returning at some point and appreciate all the hits that this blog continues to receive (over 500 hits a month).  Peace to you all!!! And Merry Christmas.

A Faithful Catholic

Listecki Continues His Republican Rhetoric

On the Archdiocesan blog, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki has recently posted two entries concerning the U.S. bishops Fortnight for Freedom initiative.  Basically, the bishops are trying to raise awareness about religious freedom during the two weeks leading up to the Fourth of July.  When the bishops first announced this initiative, they mentioned two issues in particular: the contraception mandate and the rights of immigrants.  The bishops obviously chose these two topics so that they would not appear to be only bashing Democrats.

As can be expected from his previous comments against unions, Listecki is using the Fortnight to focus solely on abortion and contraception.  Regarding the bishops' focus on immigrant rights, Listecki is silent.  Considering that Obama just published a new immigration mandate, the Supreme Court ruled on Arizona's immigration law, and Palermo Pizza's largely immigrant work force is striking and trying to form a union, it is strange that Listecki has not commented on any of these issues.

There is, of course, one strong reason he has left immigrant issues out of his statements.  He is a Republican who does not want to support any Democratic initiative even when it is supported by papal teaching.  I hope that Listecki proves me wrong, but so far his words and actions have spoken for themselves.

A Faithful Catholic

Morlino Threatens to Keep Sacraments from the Disobedient

Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, who is known for his active conservatism, is threatening the use of formal warning and interdict.  An interdict would allow someone to still be Catholic while refusing that person the sacraments.  An initial warning from Morlino came about in response to about 40% of the parishioner of St. Mary's in Platteville, WI (or roughly 1,200 members) signing a petition for the removal for their priests.  Their priests, Fr. Faustino Ruiz and Fr. John Del Priore, are members of the Society of Christ Jesus the Priest who brought abrupt conservative changes to the parish, such as: no altar girls, no lay eucharistic ministers, and an emphasis on conservative doctrine over pastoral activity.  In addition to the petition, the many parishioners, who do not feel the priests respects their legitimate opinions and rubrics for worship, have either cut back or refused to contribute financially to the parish.  This action has resulted in the recent closing of the parish school.

To be fair, the letter, which can be seen here, was sent to parishioners on the pretext of the school closing.  Nevertheless, Morlino is using the letter to show his support of the priests and disapproval of certain parishioners. The main text does not threaten the parishioners, but there are two added pages of texts for reflection that include multiple canon law passages concerning penalties for parishioners who misbehave in the eyes of the bishop.

Although Morlino rightly states that the priests have not violated any protocols or the teachings of Vatican II according to the letter of the law, they have most definitely violated the spirit of Vatican II.  The Council pushed for the greater inclusion of lay participation in the life of the church--a participation that Morlino and his favored priests wish to restrict to the greatest possible degree.  Now that the parish has spoken with its wallet, he adds passive aggressive texts to the end of a letter to try and put them in their place.  I know the Milwaukee Archdiocese has its share of problems, but my heart really goes out to those good Catholics in Platteville.

Holy Thursday Used to Slam Courageous Priests

Pope Benedict used Holy Thursday to denounce the Pfarrer Initiative, which is a group of about 300 priests in Austria openly support the inclusion of female and married priests.  I posted a short entry about this group last year, though they have been around since 2006.  The group has put out a "Call to Disobedience," which encourages parishes to let women preach and for a lay person to celebrate Eucharist when no priest is available.  They are opposed to any parish closing because of the priest shortage.  The Austrian bishops have not imposed any penalty on these priests as of yet and in January their bishops met with Vatican officials to discuss the group.


Benedict chided the group for encouraging change in the church through disobedience and for putting their own preferences and ideas before that of Christ.  Especially on this last point, Benedict is completely wrong.  These priests are risking their own livelihoods to proclaim a message that they feel has been delivered to them by the Spirit--and for that they should be commended.  Disobedience in the church is tricky business, but so is closing church doors for lack of priests.  Real change in church and society only comes about from sacrifice and being a pain in the neck.  On this Triduum weekend, I thank these Austrian priests for their courage and perseverance in asking the bishops to respect the call to the priesthood received by women and married persons.


Happy Easter!!!


A Faithful Catholic

Listecki Turns Agasint Labor... and Shows he is a Republican

Archbishop Jerome Listecki talked politics recently with the news people of Channel 6 in Milwaukee  Last year, after Walker introduced his plan to get rid of collective bargaining for public unions, Listecki issued a letter about the need to protect unions.  Now he is backpedaling.  Word on the street is that he got a lot of flack from conservative and wealthy Catholics regarding his letter last year.  In this recent interview, he admires Walker for doing what he thinks is right, though time will tell.  That's simply throwing  union workers under the bus.  He admits that a recall is valid for a politician if they do something morally detrimental.  Obviously, trouncing on workers' rights does not count.  Now if you are talking about Democrats such as Obama and Nancy Pelosi - he has multiple attacks and critiques. In fact, some their actions cannot stand.

He denies being a Republican or Democrat... he's a Catholic.  But in his interview he attacks the ideas of Democrats and respects ideas of Republicans that clearly defy Catholic teaching, but... "time will tell."  To try and and save face, he goes on at length about his worker background in Chicago.  While that may be true, that was a long time ago.  He is no longer blue collar - he's a land speculator. 

Archbishop Listecki,  We need to support working families so that they will be less inclined to be tempted by the sin of abortion, which you view as the greatest evil of the day.  Living in the Milwaukee area, it might be nice to add racism as a sin from time to time.  Racism in a major issue for Milwaukee that even the Cardinal of New York mentions it from time to time. 

Tomorrow's reading from James has him telling his readers:

"Are not the rich oppressing you?
And do they themselves not haul you off to court?
Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you?"

Now James does not say the Church should abandon the rich.  But woe to the rich.  Archbishop, do not forget to save some harsh words for them and perhaps your own portfolio.

A Faithful Catholic

Wisconsin Bishops Issue Immigration Letter

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki and his fellow Wisconsin bishops issued a pastoral letter on immigration December 12th, "Traveling Together in Hope."  December 12 is of course the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron of the Americas.  The central message of the document is a verse from Matthew 25: "Welcome the stranger."

The letter does not call for amnesty, but asserts that the number of visas for immigrants needs to be increased and a path for citizenship created for many of our neighbors to the south.  The documents even mentions the possibility of restitution, but does not name any particular circumstances.

The reasons listed for illegal immigration include the insatiable desire on the part of Americans for cheap goods and services as well as the domestic and foreign policies of the United States of America.  I would assume that the latter includes free trade agreements and subsidies to American corporations that create an inequality of competition in many parts of South America.

This is a fantastic document that also appropriate for this time of year because according to the Gospel of Matthew, the Holy Family emigrated to Egypt in search of a better life.  Thank God the Egyptians did not deport them.

Have a great Advent and a blessed Christmas season.

A Faithful Catholic

Local Franciscan Priest Concelebrates with Woman Priest

Fr. Jerry Zawada, who is part of the local province of Franciscan Friars concelebrated mass with a woman priest November 19th at the School of Americas protest.  Zawada concelebrated with Janice Sevre-Duzynska, who coincidentally, was the woman whose ordination Fr. Roy Bourgeois witnessed.  On November 29, Zawada met with his Provincial Minister to discuss the matter.  At this time, no action is being taken by his order.  No action has been taken YET by the Vatican. 

Zawada is firm in his belief that the ordination of women is a justice issue in the Catholic Church and is prepared to receive whatever punishment may be handed down.  Nevertheless, he will not recant his action and will not willingly leave the Church that he loves. 

Zawada is a long time peace activist who has gone to jail on a number of occasions.  Thank you Fr. Jerry for your courageous witness.  You are a true priest - a mediator of God's will to God's people.

A Faithful Catholic

Fr. Roy Bourgeois Arrested at Vatican

Fr. Roy Bourgeois, of School of the America fame, was arrested at the Vatican when he tried to deliver a petition to the Vatican with a number of women priests, who were dressed in their liturgical garments.  The groups was attempting to deliver a petition supporting Fr. Roy and women priests, which was signed by 15,000 Catholics.

Perhaps Arab Spring will make its way to the Vatican.  As the linked article points out, the group was told that protesters are not allowed in the Vatican.  When the group dropped their signs, they were told that women wearing vestments was a protest, therefore, only Fr. Roy could proceed, since he was a "real" priest.  After Fr. Roy stated that the women were legitimately ordained priests and need to accompany him, the police arrested Fr. Roy, a woman priest, and the translator.  It is unclear if they will actually be tried.

Many thanks to Fr. Roy and the many brave women priests.  This public stance against the Vatican is wonderful.

A Faithful Catholic

Altar Girls are Confusing... to Bishops

The Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, printed an article in early August in which they praised the use of altar girls: "The exclusion of girls from all of this, for the sole reason of their being female, has always weighed heavily and represented a deep inequality within Catholic education."  They paper also refers to altar serving as an important and informative experience.  As the Catholic News article points out, the L'Osservatore article was printed the same week that Pope Benedict thanked 53,000 altar services, 60% of whom were girls, for their important service to the Church.  

Now fast forward two weeks.  The Cathedral for the Diocese of Phoenix is now barring altar girls from serving at that parish.  This will not affect the other parishes in the diocese and it was made clear that this was the decision of the rector of the Cathedral.  Nevertheless, I cannot believe that a decision like this is made at the Cathedral without the bishop's approval.  The rector states that he wants to have only boys in an effort to attract vocations to the priesthood, but there is not proof that this practice has ever led to more vocations.  In addition, this action is very strange when one considers that the Pope just thanked tens of thousands of girl altar servers for their service.  The rector stated that girls could be sacristans, but that is a slap in the face.  To the rector, all girls are good for is ironing and washing clothes.  Perhaps the bishop and rector in Phoenix should pay attention to the Pope and L'Osservatore Romano.

A Faithful Catholic

Weakland and Sklba called to Bankruptcy Court

Retired Archbishop Rembert Weakland and Bishop Richard Sklba will be called to give testimony in court, under oath, regarding the sexual abuse cover up for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy case. Although the judge has said the statements will be sealed, these statements have a way of eventually being made public. In any case, I am glad that there will be some type of official record of the sexual abuse cover up in Milwaukee.

In one sense, this is a strange turn of events. It is speculated that Milwaukee and other dioceses have filed bankruptcy to avoid having bishops give depositions. Milwaukee filed for bankruptcy on the eve of Sklba's deposition in a sexual abuse case. If the primary purpose of the Milwaukee bankruptcy filing was to avoid Sklba's day in court, the plan failed. Weakland and Sklba will be called to answer questions in mid-October.

A Faithful Catholic

Austrian Priests Call For Married and Women Priests

The exact details are fuzzy, but it appears that about 300 priest from all over Austria launched a "Call to Disobedience" in June to support the ordination of women priests and married priests. Interim actions might include prayers for a more inclusive priesthood at Sunday liturgy, having women preach, and welcoming remarried Catholics to received communion.

This is a powerful reminder that there are still a lot of great priests in the Catholic Church. The response of the various bishops in Austria is uncertain. Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna disagrees with the priests, but plans on meeting with some of them in the next month or so to discuss the action. So far, no priests have been disciplined. I am thankful for all you brave priests in Austria. Perhaps this effort can someday be coordinated on a more global scale until all those who are called to the priesthood are able to serve the People of God.

A Faithful Catholic

If Fr. John Corapi's Boats Could Talk

Fr. John Corapi is very famous for his conversion story to a Catholic priest from a drug-using, womanizing, Hollywood lifestyle. In the wake of a fact-finding commission from his own order, it appears that he was trying to live both lifestyles at once. The commission discovered that:

"He did have sexual relations and years of cohabitation (in California and Montana) with a woman known to him, when the relationship began, as a prostitute; He repeatedly abused alcohol and drugs; He has recently engaged in sexting activity with one or more women in Montana; He holds legal title to over $1 million in real estate, numerous luxury vehicles, motorcycles, an ATV, a boat dock, and several motor boats, which is a serious violation of his promise of poverty as a perpetually professed member of the Society."

It appears that when Corapi talked about his former lifestyle, he forgot to mention that he probably only left that lifestyle for a short time. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, it seems that he fell back into this lifestyle when he became a famous priest and temptation returned. Unfortunately, he still completely denies all the allegations and offers no reasoning why his order would lie. In response to his current situation, he says that most of it was "beyond my control." Unless he's talking about addiction to drugs, women, and money, I highly doubt it. I must admit, I am suspicious of any priest who sells their own story without making sure the money goes somewhere other than their own pocket. In his statement, he also takes the time to talk about his future ventures, stuff his followers can buy in the future so that he can remain a millionaire.

A Faithful Catholic

Fr. Corapi Leaving Priesthood

Fr. John Corapi, an ultra-conservative Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity priest, announced plans on June 23rd to leave the priesthood. He has had a radio program on Relevant Radio and was a featured personality on EWTN. He was known for his conversion story from rich drug parties in Hollywood, to homelessness, to becoming a priest. His Bible was the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the teaching of the hierarchy.

Therefore, it is strange to hear him talk about the problems with the leadership of the Church. From his time as a radio personality, I thought the leadership of the Church could do no wrong. All that changed when an allegation of sexual abuse came forth. His order was attempting to check the validity of the allegation, but Fr. Corapi would not cooperate, citing his "civil and human rights."

If he really is leaving the priesthood because of the stress caused by a false allegation, then I truly feel for the man. But at the same time, assuming he is innocent, he should realize that the mistakes of church leadership in the past concerning sexual abuse warrant a greater transparency on behalf of bishops and clergy to rebuild the trust that has been lost. In any case, I will not miss hearing Fr. Corapi's voice over the airwaves. His theology was the pre-Vatican II pray, pay, and obey... which not even he wants to follow anymore.

A Faithful Catholic

New Document on Preaching

During the first day of their spring Assembly, the U.S. Bishops approved the writing of a 50 page document on preaching for next year. Based on input from bishops at this assembly and from when the topic came up in previous meetings, it can be assumed that this document will shift the focus of preaching from a reflection on how God is acting in our everyday lives as seen through the eyes of scripture to an emphasis on doctrine.

In one sense, this may be necessary. The average post-Vatican II Catholic's knowledge of the faith is not something to brag about. But I hope that this document does not bring us back to pre-Vatican II sermons that prooftexted a Gospel in order to catechize on an element of the Catholic faith, usually with the desire to cover the basics of the faith during a one year cycle. I can almost see it now: Week 1 - Abortion; Week 2 - Birth Control; Week 3 - Marriage (anti-gay); Week 4 - The Sacrament of Penance, etc.

Although Catholics are less knowledgeable about their faith, they have computers and information at their fingertips that was not available before. With a move towards catechesis in preaching, I hope that there will be an emphasis on inspiring the faithful to learn more about their faith outside of Mass by illustrating how the truths of the faith are meaningful in their everyday lives - particularly the truth of Jesus Christ. People are thirsting for spirituality, which I define as doctrine in action. Preaching needs to touch on both aspects of spirituality to move people.

A Faithful Catholic

Fr. Don Hying named new auxiliary bishop in Milwaukee

As most people reading this in Milwaukee already know, Fr. Don Hying has been named the next auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. This type of appointment represents the continuing state of our church towards a conservatism that sees abortion as the only issue in the Catholic Church. In the past few months, Hying has led a holy hour for the sanctity of marriage at the seminary and wrote about his time at the "abortion mill." Marriage and abortion... these are the issues that define the modern church for new bishops.

I hope that Fr. Hying also realizes that the church is larger than these two issues. On occasion, he has mentioned the defiance shown by Archbishop Romero toward the injustice of the El Salvadoran government. Unfortunately, this ended up being a segue for a anti-abortion story. Callahan was such a disappointment as an auxiliary bishop, I hope Hying can be more pastoral with Catholics he does not agree with.

A Faithful Catholic

In Milwaukee: "In Lawyers We Trust"

The sexual abuse crisis continues to cause shame all over the globe and right here in Milwaukee. As reported in the local paper, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee is denying that it owns the Cousins Center, which houses the offices of the Archdiocese. Originally, the Cousins Center was the St. Francis de Sales Preparatory Academy, and even though that institution is defunct, the Archdiocese is maintaining in bankruptcy court that they rent from the Academy and that the land is not available for the victims of sexual abuse. In 2004, the Archdiocese began listing the property separately in their financial statements and until Archbishop Listecki came last year, Dolan had been trying to sell it with the express purpose of funding a sexual abuse fund FOR victims.

Listecki has made it known that he likes the Cousins Center, does not want to sell it, and wants to relocate the offices that had vacated the Cousins Center back at that location. This all smells really bad. But that is what happens when you depend on lawyers and the letter of the law rather than Jesus Christ and Christian morality. Most of what happened a couple years ago to the cause the housing market crash was legal, but it definitely was not moral. The same basically holds true for the Archdiocese in this case. It is also telling that there is not a written lease agreement between the Academy and the Archdiocese, it is just understood that the Archdiocese rents there in return for keeping the place up. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese admits that there may have been some "imprecise communications." If Milwaukee was on the national scene, I could see this phrase catching on. I wonder if Listecki will confess these "imprecise communications" the next time he goes to confession.

A Faithful Catholic

Australian Bishop Sacked

Buried in all the news this morning dedicated to the assassination of Osama bin Laden AND the beatification of John Paul II is what newspapers calling the sacking or firing of Bishop William Morris, who had been bishop of Toowoomba in Australia since 1993. This "firing" is the result of a statement of Morris in 2006, in which he stated that women and married persons who are called to the priesthood should be ordained by the Catholic Church.

From Morris's own admission, it is clear that he is vacating his seat unwillingly. Obviously, Pope Benedict had hoped that he would resign and make the axing go much smoother. On a side note, this type of action does make it look like the Pope is in charge of a corporation called the Catholic Church, Inc., which give credence to lawyers who want to sue the Pope for not removing priest-rapists.

Nevertheless, it is oddly appropriate that Morris was fired for promoting women priests in the same news cycle as the beatification of John Paul II. This is an act of injustice that would have warmed the previous pontiff's heart. Up until this time, I had been led to believe that Benedict was more open to disagreement within the Catholic Church than John Paul, but I guess disagreement can only happen when the Pope says so (i.e., condoms).

A Faithful Catholic

Renounce Violence...

In prior years I have posted a Happy Easter blog. I thought that this year it may be appropriate to have a Good Friday entry. Good Friday is the scandal on which are faith rests. As St. Paul said: It is a scandal to the Jews and folly to the Greeks. Even our beloved Muslims brothers and sisters cannot reconcile this suffering to a prophet and messenger of God; hence, they say that Jesus did not die on the cross.

As reported in by the AP in numerous papers across the country, Pope Benedict pre-recorded answers to questions submitted to him from Catholics and non-Catholics all over the planet. The questions and answers focused on the mystery of suffering.

A Muslim from Ivory Coast asked: "As an ambassador of Jesus, what do you advise for our country?" In his response, the Pope stated: "The only path is to renounce violence, to begin anew with dialogue." Some may say the Pope is being naive. How can nonviolence and dialogue solve problems of extreme violence? Nevertheless, Benedict witnessed the horrors of Nazi Germany as a boy and young man. So his words cause me pause. As with the British military of old, the sun never sets on the American military. Should we not heed the words of the Holy Father and make drastic cuts to our military?

As Good Friday illustrates, Jesus did not repay violence for violence. He took the violence (sin) of the world upon himself and died so that others would have new life.

A Faithful Catholic