Saturday, November 22, 2008

America Magazine's Acting Publisher On Violation Of Church Teaching

The news that peace activist Fr. Roy Bourgeois was threatened with excommunication for his support of women’s ordination unleashed a storm of commentary and reaction from various Catholic interest groups and around the blogosphere.

One of the most high profile clerics to weigh in on the Vatican discipline is Jesuit

Fr. James Martin, an author and frequent contributor to America magazine, the weekly Jesuit publication. In a Nov. 11 blog posting, Martin essentially explained the collision course that was inevitable when Bourgeois clearly violated church teaching by participating in the ordination, no matter that on another level, he was following his conscience, an inviolable activity.
Martin cites several of the powerful references to conscience in Vatican II documents and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, including the line from Gaudiem et Spes: “Conscience is man’s most secret core, and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths.”

Martin tacks a “reflection” to the end `of his entry in which he recounts that the excommunication warning was sent to Bourgeois in October, within three months of the ordination ceremony in August. “Would that the church had acted with equal swiftness against sexually abusive priests. Would that bishops who had moved abusive priests from parish to parish were met with th same severeity of justice.

“Were their offenses of lesser ‘gravity?’” he asked. “ Did they cause lesser ‘scandal?’”

Link (here) to the full story


2 comments:

Viator Catholicus said...

"Would that the church had acted with equal swiftness against sexually abusive priests. Would that bishops who had moved abusive priests from parish to parish were met with the same severeity of justice."

Yes, would that the bishops had acted more swiftly and were treated justly. But is this self-righteous jerk really concerned with justice? Or just looking for a way to attack the Church and defend a heretic.
As we all know the bishops have been slow doing a lot of what they should have since Vatican II.
Why doesn't he bring up the analogy of Curran who despite his heresy was allowed to teach at Catholic University for over a decade. Or Drinan? How long was he in Congress before the Pope made him choose?


Now, hopefully having learned their lesson, the bishops will move swiftly in urgent matters.

But this priest stoops to a low level to attack his Church in defense of a heretic by bringing up the horrible sex abuse scandal. But, manipulating emotions of readers is a talent of the unorthodox. Would that these people loved the Church as much as they love the garbage in their own heads!

Anonymous said...

The Jesuit is absolutely right. There is no reason that the churchdoes not allow women to be ordained. How absurd. How dare they put more energy into fighting women ordination than they have spent the energy to get rid of errant priests. Instead they reward Cardinal law by giving him haven in Rome. That criminal should be in jail