Roman Catholics are heavily supportive of marriage equality, while their bishops relentlessly campaign against it, underwriting hate campaigns in numerous states.
Now, several Bishops have turned on their flock, essentially excommunicating them if they are supporters of marriage equality.
Abp Cordileone (San Francisco):
Gays and lesbians who are in sexual relationships of any kind, he said, should not receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.Abp Myers (Newark):
Catholics who do not accept the teaching of the Church on marriage and family (especially those who teach or act in private or public life contrary to the Church's received tradition on marriage and family) by their own choice seriously harm their communion with Christ and His Church…..If they continue to be unable to assent to or live the church's teaching in these matters, they must in all honesty and humility refrain from receiving Holy Communion until they can do so with integrity; to continue to receive Holy Communion while so dissenting would be objectively dishonest.Abp Nienstedt (Minnesota):This comes from a letter in 2010, (reported here at FoJ at that time), in which Abp Nienstedt also told a woman that her eternal salvation depended on her rejecting her gay son.
Catholics are bound in conscience to believe this teaching. Those who do not cannot consider themselves to be Catholic and ought not to participate in the sacramental life of the Church.This makes it clear that the Roman Catholic outrage in San Francisco over Episcopal Bishop Marc Andrus is entirely artificial. All Bp Andrus did was extend a welcome to people who are being cast out. The Roman Catholic church doesn't want them anyway, so why the fuss?
So, to my many Catholic friends participating in "don't ask don't tell", who support and love us and vote for marriage equality:
Now what?
Will you become "spiritual refugees" too?
Will you stand up for your beliefs, if they come at such a cost? Like this teacher? Will you try to reform your Church? Or will you stay in the closet?
Will you stay, or will you go?
8 comments:
I suspect many RCs are inured to listening to their bishops...
...but they DON'T make the connection to what they put in the collection plate. [That it goes to the bishop's agenda whether they want it to or not]
The bishops have thrown down the gauntlet, but, as JCF says, most Roman Catholics will ignore the glove and do as they please, despite what the bishops say. Eventually a prominent RC who favors gay marriage will be refused communion, and then another and another, and perhaps there will be a tipping point, or perhaps not.
I just read that Archbishop Nienstedt has spent $650,000 of Roman Catholic Church funds helping to fight for the anti-marriage equality amendment!
Doug Spurlin
The pronouncements of the Vatican and other hierarchy will affect the parishioners when the very "conservative" priests now being trained take over the individual churches and try to enforce their prejudices. Deny the eucharist often enough and they give Episcopalians a grand opportunity for recruitment. We can hope. Our parish already has several ex-RCs.
Bulletin from L.A. Diocese re court's ordering two more schismatic parish properties returned:
Judgments grant Long Beach, North Hollywood properties to Diocese
[The Episcopal News, Los Angeles] -- Final Judgments in favor of the Diocese of Los Angeles and the Episcopal Church in cases regarding Long Beach and North Hollywood property disputes have been entered by the Orange County Superior Court.
"The Judgments conclude the trial court portion of the cases and declare that the Diocese holds the properties in trust for the current and future mission of the Episcopal Church," said diocesan attorney John R. Shiner.
"It is ordered, adjudged and decreed that final judgment is entered in favor of Plaintiffs [including] the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles... and Plaintiff-In-Intervention The Episcopal Church and against defendants," each Judgment reads. Links to the cases are here:
Judgment: St. David's, North Hollywood
Judgment: All Saints', Long Beach
"We will move forward with an orderly transition," said the Rt. Rev. J. Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, who was present in the courtroom Aug. 24 for the recent proceedings. "Being people of compassion and understanding, we have been in touch with the attorneys for both congregations, and we will make every effort to respect the dignity of all involved."
The Court will take up another case, involving the congregation of St. James', Newport Beach, on Oct. 24.
The litigation began eight years ago when a majority of members of All Saints' Church in Long Beach, St. David's Church in North Hollywood, and St. James' Church in Newport Beach voted to disaffiliate from the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Los Angeles. A Court returned a fourth property -- St. Luke's of the Mountains Church in La Crescenta -- to the Diocese in 2009.
I wonder if these judgments will have an effect on the secret decision already made by +Mark Lawrence in the Diocese of South Carolina. Of course, we've been told over and over that SC is unique amongst the dioceses.
Perhaps you were right, Mimi! [xLawrence was ruled to have abandoned-communion today]
JCF, I saw that. The decision by the disciplinary board was inevitable once +Lawrence threw down the gauntlet.
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