Has the Catholic Church Civil War Begun

For some years now the Republican Party has been caught in a civil war that pits the sane and rational Republicans - those that are left - against the insane, ignorance embracing forces of the Christofascists/Tea Party crowd who reject objective reality and oppose any and all modern knowledge.  Now, it seems a similar civil war may be igniting within the Roman Catholic Church in the wake of the recent synod on the family in Rome.  In some ways the mindset of the "conservatives" it is not surprising given the fact that it is minds such as theirs that kept the Church's on the wrong side of history time and time again over the centuries be it refusing to concede that the earth revolved around the Sun instead of vice versa or the condemnation of Galileo.  The Spectator looks at the lines being drawn in the latest battle over whether or not the Church should enter the current century.  Here are highlights:

‘At this very critical moment, there is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder,’ said a prominent Catholic conservative last week. No big deal, you might think. Opponents of Pope Francis have been casting doubt on his leadership abilities for months — and especially since October’s Vatican Synod on the Family, at which liberal cardinals pre-emptively announced a softening of the church’s line on homosexuality and second marriages, only to have their proposals torn up by their colleagues.

But it is a big deal. The ‘rudderless’ comment came not from a mischievous traditionalist blogger but from Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Apostolic Signatura — that is, president of the Vatican’s supreme court. As it happens, Pope Francis intends to sack Burke, whose habit of dressing up like a Christmas tree at Latin Masses infuriates him. But he hasn’t got round to it yet. And thus we have the most senior American cardinal in Rome publicly questioning the stewardship of the Holy Father — possibly with the tacit approval of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

Nothing like this has happened since the backstabbing behind the scenes at the Second Vatican Council 50 years ago. It raises the question: is the Catholic church in the early stages of a civil war between liberals and conservatives, fought not over liturgical niceties (the source of relatively harmless squabbles under John Paul II and Benedict XVI) but fundamental issues of sexual morality?

The October synod was a disaster for Pope Francis. Before it started, he had successfully tweaked the Catholic mood music relating to divorcees and gay people.

The synod’s ‘special secretary’, the Italian archbishop Bruno Forte, wrote a mid-synod report suggesting that the participants wanted to recognise the virtuous aspects of gay unions. In doing so, Forte — an even more radical figure — overplayed his hand. Most synod fathers wanted no such thing. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal George Pell, head of the Vatican’s finances, were horrified. They ensured that the final report kicked Communion for divorcees into the long grass and did not even mention homosexual relationships. ‘Synod rebuffs Francis on gays,’ reported the media — the last thing the Pope wanted to read.

And now another voice is being heard. The last pope is neither dead nor senile nor as silent as we thought he was going to be. In the last month Benedict XVI has written to the ex-Anglicans of the Ordinariate expressing delight that they now worship in the former Bavarian chapel in Warwick Street, London; to Rome’s Pontifical Urban University about the dangers of relativism; and, most significantly, to supporters of the old liturgy.

Where does this leave Francis? Looking a bit like ‘the Hamlet Pope’, Paul VI, whom he has beatified. He supports some sort of reform, but uncertainty is breaking the church into factions reminiscent of the Anglican Communion. Old enemies of Benedict XVI reckon they can persuade Francis to stack the college of cardinals in their favour. 

Cristina Odone, former editor of the Catholic Herald, says that ‘Francis achieved miracles with his compassionate, off-the-cuff comments that detoxified the Catholic brand. He personifies optimism — but when he tries to turn this into policy he isn’t in command of the procedures or the details. The result is confusion.

 Regardless of what the so-called conservatives want to believe, the Church is dying in the west and it is largely because the Church's far right policies towards gays, women, contraception, and the divorced  are driving people away.  Especially the younger Catholics. Growth in ignorant backward areas such as equatorial Africa will not replace the losses in the west - especially since America and German are the main bank rollers of the Vatican. 

Is Pope Francis Demoting Viciously Anti-Gay Cardinal?

A prior post looked at the viciously anti-gay statements made by Cardinal Raymond Burke who up until now has held the post of chief justice of the Vatican's Supreme Court.  Among other things, Burke said parents should keep children away gay relatives:

“If homosexual relations are intrinsically disordered, which indeed they are — reason teaches us that and also our faith — then, what would it mean to grandchildren to have present at a family gathering a family member who is living [in] a disordered relationship with another person?”..."We wouldn’t, if it were another kind of relationship — something that was profoundly disordered and harmful — we wouldn't expose our children to that relationship, to the direct experience of it. And neither should we do it in the context of a family member who not only suffers from same-sex attraction, but who has chosen to live out that attraction, to act upon it, committing acts which are always and everywhere wrong, evil.”

Now it appears that perhaps Pope Francis has had enough of Burke's batshitery and Burke may be about to get sacked from his high position and relegated to a minor and  largely ceremonial post as patron to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.  In an interview, Burke seems to have confirmed that the demotion is in the works.  I for one hope that the rumors are true and that perhaps through Burke's demotion, Francis is seeking to send a strong message to the reactionary elements in the Vatican.  With some 80% of young American Catholics believing that homosexuality is socially and morally acceptable, bitter, nasty old men like Burke (who is likely a self-loathing closet case) are hastening the death of the Church in America.  Here are excerpts from the National Catholic Reporter:

U.S. Cardinal Raymond Burke, a former archbishop of St. Louis known for his rigorist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, has reportedly confirmed rumors that Pope Francis is planning to remove him from his influential post as the chief justice of the Vatican's Supreme Court.

Burke is reported to confirm the rumors, which have attracted attention in recent weeks as a sign that Francis may be preparing a tonal shift at the Vatican, in a piece Friday by BuzzFeed News.

The rumors in recent weeks have speculated that Burke, currently the prefect of the Vatican's Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, would be moved to the largely ceremonial post of patron to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Burke, who took up the Vatican role in 2008, has made news frequently in recent days voicing disapproval with the direction of a worldwide meeting of Catholic bishops, known as a synod, taking place at the Vatican from Oct. 5-19.

He has voiced staunch disapproval in particular to a landmark document released by the synod on Monday, which called on the church to listen more widely to people's concerns and to apply mercy more generously.

Burke has said in interviews that the document was "not of the church" and that Francis should issue a clarification reaffirming traditional Catholic doctrines.

The Apostolic Signatura is the Vatican's highest court and is widely responsible for ensuring the proper administration of justice in the Catholic church. The Knights of Malta is a lay religious order that seeks to aid people in need around the world. 

Burke also previously served as the bishop of La Crosse, Wis. A native of that state, he has been known through the years for his staunch conservative positions. In one instance in 2009, he called on U.S. bishops from his position at the Vatican to withhold Communion from pro-choice Catholic politicians. 

Francis previously removed Burke in December from an influential position as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, the Vatican office responsible for advising the pontiff on bishop appointments around the world.

Catholic Parishes Revolt Against Bishop's Anti-Gay Directive

It is encouraging to see that some Catholics are waking up to the moral bankruptcy of the Catholic bishops and openly refusing to follow the anti-gay decrees being issued from bishops' palaces around the country. In Washington State where the Catholic bishops are seeking to over turn that state's new same sex marriage law, Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain has sought to have parishes gather signatures on the petitions needed to get the marriage law on the ballot for reversal. Two high profile parishes - including Seattle's cathedral - have flat out indicated that they will not participate in the effort. The Catholic Church power structure continues to be based on a feudal system from the Dark Ages, but at some point if the serfs and peasants refuse to follow the orders of lords - and that is clearly how the bishops view themselves - the system can be defeated. Here are highlights from the Seattle Post:

A second big Catholic church in Seattle, St. Joseph Parish on Capitol Hill, says it will not circulate ballot petitions on a referendum to repeal the state’s new same-sex marriage law. The pastor at St. Joseph, the Rev. John D. Whitney, S.J., warned two months ago that a Catholic bishops’ letter denouncing marriage equality “will bring great pain” among those “so often marginalized in our church.”

The website at St. Joseph carries a terse notice: “Please be aware that Fr. Whitney has decided that no petitions will be permitted anywhere on the campus of St. Joseph.”

The pastor of St. James Cathedral, Fr. Michael Ryan, announced to parishoners on Wednesday that the diocesan cathedral would not participate in the Referendum 74 petition drive — which has been endorsed by Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain. “After discussing the matter with the members of the Cathedral’s pastoral ministry team, I have decided that we will NOT participate in the collecting of signatures in our parish,” Ryan wrote. “Doing so would, I believe, prove hurtful and seriously divisive in our community.”

[P]rominent Catholic laypersons have supported marriage equality. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the same-sex marriage bill into law, as did Maryland’s Catholic Gov. Martin O’Malley with similar legislation in his state. The chief sponsor of marriage equality in the Legislature, State Sen. Ed Murray, is a practicing Catholic.

As The Stranger reports, it appears that at least five other parishes have said "No" to the bishops' anti-gay jihad:

St. Mary Catholic parish in the Central District has made its stance official, as several Catholic parishes are revolting against Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain's call to join the campaign to repeal same-sex marriage. Tricia Wittmann-Todd, the pastoral life coordinator at St. Mary, sent a letter to her congregation this afternoon that calls the signature-gathering campaign for Referendum 74 potentially "hurtful and divisive to our parish."

Politically, it's a revolt from the local Catholic church's hierarchy. Socially, it's an acknowledgment that gay people are welcome—even beloved—members of Catholic congregations, and the laity will defend them from the bigoted bishops on high.

Thus far, we have also confirmed that St. James and St. Joseph are refusing the petitions. We're also told that St. Catherine, St. Patrick, St. Therese, and Christ Our Hope have refused the signature drive.

Bishop Eddie Long to Step Away From Pulpit

To my way of thinking, Eddie Long - the young man loving pastor of an Atlanta mega church - is basically a retread of the Ted Haggard story: outwardly preaching conservative anti-gay Christianity and using the pulpit to get rich while lusting after men and playing on the side. It's hypocrisy taken to extreme heights and one of the unfortunate results of men tormented by a toxic religious message that spurns medical, mental health and scientific knowledge in a desperate desire to continue to revere the Bible even as it is increasingly shown to be false on many issue, not the least of which is - as noted in a prior post - that Adam and Eve as depicted in Genesis never in fact existed. Now, after an out of court settlement with young men who claimed that Long had sexual relations with them, Long has announced that he's leaving the pulpit. Part of me might be able to feel sorry for Long except for the act that even while seeking same sex relationships, he continued to publicly preach an anti-gay message. Yes, I was in the closet for years myself. But, unlike Long, I never pushed an anti-gay message or agenda. Here are highlights from the New York Times on Long's announcement:

At the height of his power, Bishop Eddie L. Long would pack tens of thousands of people into his megachurch in the suburbs of Atlanta. With his well-cut suits, passion for Bentleys, and dynamic, accessible style of preaching, he quickly climbed the list of the nation’s most powerful religious leaders.

He built his ministry, which stretches to Kenya and other countries, on a strong message of conservative Christianity that included promises of prosperity and attacks on homosexuality.

But life inside Bishop Long’s home had been crumbling. And on Sunday, members of his dwindling congregation heard news they had been bracing for.

Their charismatic bishop, who in May settled with five young men who accused him of sexual coercion and who has fought a series of other legal battles, said he was temporarily stepping away from the pulpit to try to save his marriage.

The announcement came after his wife, Vanessa Long, 53, filed for divorce Thursday. Friday, she recanted after “prayerful reflection” but later in the day changed her mind and said she did intend to end their marriage of 21 years. They have four children.

[N]ot everyone remains a believer. Valencia Miller, a property manager in Lithonia, said she left the church after the young men who accused the bishop of sexual impropriety came forward. “A lot of us left. I mean, a lot,” she said in an interview Sunday.

Like others, she hopes that Bishop Long turns this temporary break into a permanent one. “The church needs a cleansing,” she said. “I’m real disappointed. He was a man we all looked up to.”

Long settled a lawsuit in which young men claimed that the pastor offered gifts, trips, and emotional and spiritual guidance that eventually led to sexual relations. One of the young men, Maurice Robinson, said in court records that his relationship with Bishop Long began when he was 15 and that on a trip to New Zealand the two engaged in sexual acts.

Support for Bishop Long continues to shrink. Just before the sexual coercion settlement was announced, the Rev. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., left the church. On Sunday, a small group of antigay, religious protesters stood outside the church urging Bishop Long to step down permanently. They said they planned to return every month until he left.

It truly is all about the hypocrisy. Long preached an anti-gay message while seeking sex with young men. I feel no more pity for him that I do for former Congressman Ed Schrock who I helped Mike Rogers to "out." Long and Schrock both had a choice and they chose to lying hypocrites who preached against gays while seeking gay sex on the sly. It may sound cruel, but both Long and Schrock have gotten what they deserved.

Obama’s Preacher Complex

Speaking of evil religious influences, Wayne Besen has a column that follows a New York Times article that looks at the circle of five (5) preachers with whom Barack Obama has surrounded himself. Most of them are toxic anti-gay ministers and Obama's action in selecting this circle of religious counselors again begs the question as to whether or not Obama's pro-gay campaign rhetoric was anything more than a cynical effort to secure gay votes and money. There are plenty of gay accepting clergy and religious denominations that are far more gay friendly than those from which Obama scooped up this crowd. Yet Obama has selected these people almost as another deliberate slight to the LGBT Americans who helped him win the presidency. Personally, I've had enough and have unsubscribed from every group and organization promoting Obama and his agenda. If and when he pushes through the repeal of DADT or secures passage of gay rights legislation, I will bite my tongue and stand corrected. For now, however, I'm tired of having Obama flip the bird at LGBT Americans. Here are some highlights from Wayne's column:

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The New York Times reports that the president has surrounded himself with a cadre of clerical crackpots known as the “Circle of Five.” These holy men are: Rev. Joel Hunter, former head of the Christian Coalition; anti-gay Bishop T.D. Jakes; the ex-gay loving Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell; and Jim “waffling” Wallis, a protean progressive. The only Obama shaman who isn’t shameless is the civil rights era preacher Rev. Otis Moss Jr.

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“Whoa, OK, so let’s assume [the Obama Administration decides to release] a mealy mouthed message like ‘the President does not believe in ex-gay therapy’ or some such nonsense,” wrote blogger Pam Spaulding. “If he doesn’t, then what is he doing talking to Caldwell when there are plenty of other prominent pastors he could choose to break bread with who don’t subscribe to that view?”

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By embracing these conservative clerics, Obama is also setting a wretched example overseas. Last month, the State Department released a report to Congress that documents “an unfortunate crisis in human rights abuse directed against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide.” Much of this violence was the result of brutal religious oppression. Yet, Obama pals around with reprehensible reverends, thus undermining his own administration’s call for moderate religious leadership abroad.

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It is time Obama stops searching for Daddy and becomes the man of the (White) house, by picking preachers who are not at irreconcilable odds with his human rights policies.

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Obama arranges a White House meeting with representatives of Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America and surrounds himself with anti-gay preachers all the while ignoring the plight of LGBT Americans who often face daily discrimination in their lives because of the likes of those with whom Obama is brown nosing. Here in Virginia, the reality is that gay citizens frequently cannot even secure legal counsel since many members of the Virginia Bar will not represent gays either out of their own religious based bigotry or out of fear of upsetting their Christianist clients. I'm not making this up and I received one such call today from a gay man who could not find representation due to his sexual orientation. While I managed to find him counsel since his legal needs were outside my areas of expertise, it is indeed a sick situation and Obama's fraternizing with anti-gay religious bigots does NOTHING to improve the situation.

More Anti-Gay Insanity in Africa

Sometimes I think the clergy in countries like Burundi, an impoverished East African nation, are in league with the corrupt political leaders in search of ways to hold onto political power. Rather than address issues such as crushing poverty (per capita income is $400 per year), horrific political corruption, high infant mortality, and a basket case economy, these parasites focus on issues like persecuting gays and thereby keep the ignorant populace focused elsewhere so that they do not come to realize how badly they are being screwed by both the politicians and the self-indulgent clerics (62% of the population is Roman Catholic). I have said repeatedly that Catholicism and reactionary religion in general does best in areas of low educational levels and high ignorance (think the Deep South in the USA). Here are some highlights from The Advocate:

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Tens of thousands of people from Burundi, an impoverished East African nation, demonstrated Friday in their capital of Bujumbura to demand the outlawing of homosexuality, reports Agence France-Presse. The demonstration, which drew up to 20,000 people, follows the government's failure to implement a law that would have criminalized homosexual acts. On February 17, senators voted through a draft criminal code law that abolished the death penalty, but rejected an amendment that outlawed homosexuality.

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At Friday's protest, Jeremie Ngendakumana, the ruling party's chairman, said, "[We are] protesting today to support the [view of the] majority of Burundians that homosexuality should be punished by law. Homosexuality is a sin. It is a culture which has been imported to sully our morals and is practiced by immoral people."