...by sponsoring the publication of a book underming and attacking the Holy Father's encyclical Deus Charitas Est? See Damian Thompson's report on the Daily Telegraph blog. The book is produced by something called "Caritas - social action" which announces itself smugly in the Catholic Directory as "the voice of the Catholic church on social justice and care in England and Wales" and "an agency of the Bishops' Conference" seeking to "influence Government policy and advocate for a more just society." Difficult to see how social justice and care in E and W are enhanced by using the funds of churchgoers for a book denouncing "the ideology of the nuclear family" and endorsing "the open family ideology rooted in a feminist perspective". Oh, and using inverted commas around the word "terrorist" when describing the 9/11 attack on New York. And saying that the Holy Father's encyclical reveals him as taking a stance in favour of "the capitalist system and colonialism."
It is possible that Bishop Budd would like to have the views of faithful Catholics, whose money is being used for this nasty rubbish. He is Bishop of Plymouth.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
His Grace is delighted to see one of the UK's foremost Catholic blogs tackling this subject, and looks forward to some insightful comment.
It is bad enough when one realises that the faithful laity of England and Wales are unwittingly financing this report, but some of the content is deplorable. Perhaps the most offensive and insidious was the decision to place the word 'terrorist' for the perpetrators of September 11th in inverted commas.
The full quote in Balasuriya’s essay reads: “The 21st century was born in violence, with the ‘terrorist’ air attack on New York on 11 September 2001 and the invasion of Iraq by the USA, the UK and Australia on 18 March 2003.”
These inverted commas give credence to the warped Jihadist mentality. They purport to give mass murder a justification. He might as well have used the term 'freedom fighters', for that is what these inverted commas imply.
Catholics ought to be complaining directly to the Pope about this report, or asking searing questions of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The Bishops' Conference appears to have been hijacked by men who are distinctly at variance not only with papal initiatives but also a world apart from those who finance it.
The system needs (dare one say it?) a degree of reformation...
These depressing little departments in Eccleston Square and their dire policies simply reflect the reality of the Bishops' Conference and, by extension, the reality of the Catholic Church in this country. It is a deeply mediocre and depressing body, a stuffy little scene, and it will be hard to change, Rome can do little about it, given the character of the bishops appointed. As a minority Church in a non-Catholic country, Rome's concerns mainly lie elsewhere in Europe. Traditional, orthodox Catholics simply have to make the best of it. Were it not for the vigour brought by immigration the Catholic Church here would be dying as fast as Anglicanism and nonconformity, as you can see from the dwindling life of the former Catholic heartlands in the North of England.
Joanna,
Lots of splendid comments on the DT blog page.
This sounds like the sort of stuff which made me ask when I was relapsing (is that what lapsed Catholics do when they return?)whether I had to be a paid-up liberal to be a Catholic these days. It does often feel like it!
Long live Benedict- we certainly need him!
Another rosary session outside the bishops' house, this time with a big banner??
I would have agreed with the poster who said that the Caritas publication reflects the shoddiness and mediocrity of the Catholic Church in this country - but I read the comments on Damian Thompson's blog and was edified by the lively defence of Pope Benedict, and the intelligence and wit of many of the comments. I think that there is an undercurrent of strong faith in this country - similar to that which existed in Henry VIII's time - remember that then all the bishops except Fisher caved in to the king, but there were plenty of brave laity as well as priests and religious, who wouldn't.
So, what's to be done this time? How best to harness the unease of faithful Catholics to this outrage?
Rome needs to understand the pressing need for genuinely orthodox and brave bishops who will not be afraid of the secular world, who will confront it and challenge it effectively.
I take comfort from the fact that the old 60s hippies are getting old now and the young generation of priests (30 somethings) seem to be zealous and orthodox.
Rome needs to understand the pressing need for genuinely orthodox and brave bishops who will not be afraid of the secular world, who will confront it and challenge it effectively.
Hmm...
Reformation in a nutshell!
There are so few priests in these islands of real calibre that the choice of potential bishops is limited. Remember, all the present Bishops of England and Wales, and Scotland and Ireland come to that, were appointed by John Paul the Great. Although he is not appearing to be as great as he was at the time of his death the mediocre appointments of bishops world-wide are the weakest part of his legacy. If anybody is responsible for poor, lacklustre leadership, it's him. All he wanted were safe pairs of hands who would keep the Church ticking over and not cause trouble. These we have and the result is inertia. They don't seem able to control their own departments, as this dim book proves. As for Cranmer, most of the Anglican bishops are little better. The best is Rowan Williams but he has been stultified by his own institution. Truly, we are living in post-Christian times.
Shouldn't Jamie and the Union be doing something?
As for Cranmer, most of the Anglican bishops are little better.
His Grace agrees, but he was not holding up the Anglican Church as a model of orthodoxy and rectitude. Its bishops have had no unity of mission or purpose since the XXXIX Articles were impliedly repealed.
Post a Comment