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Perspective, PNCC,

Take me home, EWTN road…

With my apologies to John Denver.

Anyway, I read a post that Ben Johnson put up on his Western Orthodoxy site, regarding an Orthodox deacon who became Roman Catholic. This clergyman appeared on the EWTN show “The Journey Home.”

This show drags out various people who have come over to the Roman Church, primarily from other Christian Churches, but not only. In the past it has featured Jews who have converted as well as people of various non-Christian backgrounds.

It is a tortured show that exposes all the ‘faults’ of the person’s prior church, how the opinion of family and friends is unimportant, how much resistance the person received in making the changeover (yes, they are all martyrs), and how some family and friends now accept the person’s choice. It also highlights their moment of conversion, you know, the one they failed to discuss with their spiritual father. Didn’t St. John warn us:

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

I think that if you added a little bling and spiced up the set a bit you’d have an infomercial for Roman Catholicism.

You don’t want to shop there, their Eucharist is hokey, shop here and you’ll not only receive the reeeeeal Jeeeesus, but eternal life as well. Listen to how Bob found the truth… 100% guaranteed, some restrictions apply. Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus, Inc.

What I find particularly sick is that the show flies in the face of the Roman Church’s teaching on Orthodoxy and other Catholic Churches, which the Roman Church deems to be “true particular churches” like the PNCCsee DOMINUS IESUS.

But ultramontanes, neo-conservative Catholics, and EWTN have never been ones not to foist their beliefs upon the Pope or the Vatican. They obviously know the way far better than those whose office is to teach.

For us, in the PNCC, we follow Bishop Hodur’s message – simply, allow God to enlighten and direct you:

The National Church does not recognize any anathemas. We are a group of free people and if, therefore, someone comes to know that our principles appeal to his soul, his education, and temperament, then we acknowledge him as our brother or our sister. In the same manner, if a person changes his conviction and leaves us, we do not condemn him because this is his free and Christian right. When new religious groups emerge, we do not curse them but acknowledge them as brothers. We, therefore, invite all the people of good will to our Church and if they do not come to our side, we will not degrade or ridicule them.

Something to be said for trusting in God.

Current Events, Perspective, Political, Saints and Martyrs,

Doing the devil’s work

From the AP via the International Herald Tribune: Iraq’s Christian minority flees from violence

BAGHDAD: Despite the chaos and sectarian violence raging across Baghdad, Farouq Mansour felt relatively safe as a Christian living in a multiethnic neighborhood in the capital.

Then, two months ago, al-Qaida gunmen kidnapped him and demanded his family convert to Islam or pay a US$30,000 ransom. Two weeks later, he paid up, was released and immediately fled to Syria, joining a mass exodus of Iraq’s increasingly threatened Christian minority.

“There is no future for us in Iraq,” Mansour said.

Though Islamic extremists have targeted Iraqi Christians before, bombing churches and threatening religious leaders, the latest attacks have taken on a far more personal tone, with many Christians being expelled from their homes and forced to leave their possessions behind, police, human rights groups and residents said.

The Christian community here, about 3 percent of the country’s 26 million people, is particularly vulnerable. It has little political or military clout to defend itself, and some Islamic insurgents view it as a fifth column —” calling Christians “Crusaders” —” whose real loyalty lies with the U.S. troops they are fighting.

Many churches are now nearly empty during religious services, with much of their flock either gone or too scared to attend. Only about 30 people sat scattered among the pews at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in the relatively safe Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah during this week’s Sunday Mass. About two dozen worshippers took communion in the barren St. Mary’s Church in the northern city of Kirkuk on Sunday…

After I had read that article, I came across an article on church closings at the Buffalo News. In Under canon law, Catholic parishes rarely ‘close’ I found the following:

Closing a parish is a rare and rather involved legal process that extends all the way to the Vatican.

…

—No parish is really ever closed unless there are no Catholics left there,— said Litwin. —In reality, what seem to be closings are not really closings. You’re closing buildings perhaps, but you’re merging parish boundaries.—

The Vatican clarified the issue last summer in a letter to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in which Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, a high-ranking prelate, wrote: —Only with great difficulty can one say that a parish becomes extinct.—

—A parish is extinguished by the law itself only if no Catholic community any longer exists in its territory, or if no pastoral activity has taken place for a hundred years,— Hoyos wrote, according to the Catholic News Service…

President Bush has done quite the job in ridding Iraq of Christians. By 2108 the Canons regarding church closings will become operative. No Christians, no pastoral activity, no churches in Iraq.

Mr. Bush is the real problem, not the jihadists pushing dhimmitude, who in reality have been given license to run rampant under the ‘government, we don’t need no stinkin’ government’ situation in Iraq.

I would say, beyond much doubt, that President Bush considers the Christians of the Middle East anything but Christians, maybe dogs, but certainly not Christians.

You see, our President is firmly aligned with the Evangelicals whose rhetoric, practice, and belief, denies the fact that anyone of the ‘catholic’ persuasion is a Christian at all.

  • Christians in Lebanon – nope.
  • Christians in Iraq – nope
  • The Orthodox, Romans, Orientals – who dat.
  • Christians in Israel – just those awaiting the rapture

Mr. Bush, pay attention to scripture. A house divided and all…

You are working against these ancient communities of faith, and the responsibility for their fall lies at your feet. You’ve just about accomplished what the Roman Emperors, the Hun, the Horde, the Sultans, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Kim Jong-il, all combined couldn’t accomplish. You’ve just about rid a huge chunk of the earth of Christianity.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, Political,

Publish a Bible – you die

At least that’s the way it is in Turkey – the long time EU aspirant, that touts its facade of democracy and its religious freedom, but does nothing to engender those values in its people or national consciousness. From the LA Times and elsewhere: 3 killed in attack on Bible publisher in Turkey:

Five youths — all with notes that say, ‘They are attacking our religion’ — are held at the scene.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — In a gruesome attack that sent shockwaves through Turkey’s tiny Christian community, assailants Wednesday slit the throats of three men at a publishing house that distributes Bibles and other Christian literature.

Five youths were detained at the scene in the conservative eastern city of Malatya, Turkish authorities said. One news report said the suspects carried notes indicating their motive was right-wing nationalism.

Turkey’s sometimes hostile stance toward its own religious and ethnic minorities has been a persistent source of concern to Western governments as the country presses ahead with its campaign for European Union membership.

Although the government officially preaches tolerance, it historically has failed to rein in virulent ultra nationalist groups. Authorities were accused of ignoring repeated death threats against Hrant Dink, an ethnic Armenian newspaper editor who was gunned down outside his offices in Istanbul in January. Prosecutors later said a teenager confessed to the shooting.

At the Zirve publishing house in Malatya’s city center, police discovered the three victims bound hand and foot and tied to chairs with their throats cut. Two were dead; the third died later at a hospital…

And speaking of freedom, the Young Fogey points to an article on our country’s efforts in Iraq and how our “Christian” President has brought pain and suffering to the Christians of Iraq.

From Asia News: Islamic group in Baghdad: —Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches—.

In the Dora quarter threats continue to be made against Christians. In the last two months Christian parishes have been forced to give in to extremist pressure, only the Church of Sts Peter and Paul has withstood so far. A fatwa forbids the practice of Christian ritual gestures.

—Get rid of the cross or we will burn your Churches—. This is the threat aimed at the Chaldean Church of Sts Peter and Paul, located in the ancient Christian quarter of Baghdad, Dora. Local sources say an unknown armed Islamic group is behind the threats which are inseminating terror in the capital. The Arab website Ankawa.com and Aina news agency speak of a campaign of persecution in act in the area. Even Mosul, a Sunni stronghold, the Christian presence is being gravely threatened.

Msgr. Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, tells AsiaNews —in the last 2 months many Churches have been forced to remove their crosses from their domes—. In the case of the Church of St. George, assira, Muslim extremists took the situation into their own hands: they climbed onto the roof and ripped out the cross…

Well maybe they’re just not his kind of Christians…

The Young Fogey also points to the following LRC Commentary: Does Anybody Care About the Christian Arabs?

Short answer, NO!

If you are a Christian in the Middle East, whether in Israel or the Muslim lands, you may not practice your religion.

Any Christians proselytizing Jews or Muslims in Israel proper? Nope, forbidden.

Anyone reading bibles, wearing crosses, or praying in public in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt? Nope, forbidden.

Have a Church and want to keep it, sorry, forbidden – it is being converted into a mosque (most especially in Turkey and the Turkish controlled areas of Cyprus.

Israel – allies and friends? Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey – partners? Iraq – bastion of freedom and democracy?

PNCC, ,

Faith, conscience, and religion

In the life of a free Christian the voice of conscience is important and is the only healthy standard of human actions. Our conscience, therefore, is our master, our judge and our chastiser. This voice cannot be muffled with impunity. Human conscience can only be influenced by good example, that means, that humanity should be educated in moral matters not by the threat of punishment in hell, not only anathemas or torture but only by the proper education of man. I strongly believe in Divine light, the light of man’s reason and the light of humanity. Therefore, if a man errs one should not cast him off, punish or maltreat him, but he should be helped in a brotherly way, instructed, inclined to improve himself and in the end gained for God’s cause. Let us remember to forgive one another, even our enemies. It often happens to a priest raised in the Roman Church that he meets up with a rough soul and is ready to bar such a man from the confessional or the altar for the simple reason that he doesn’t like him.

It is not only among the priests of the Church but also among the lay brethren that a parish or organization, for any insignificant reason will exclude a person or a group of persons from its ranks thus causing great harm to itself. During the 32 years of the existence of my parish in Scranton, only one person was ever excluded and that was at the very beginning. Even though the parish said that this or that person should be thrown out, I always interceded for him and in this way, patiently awaiting his regeneration, I won him over to my side. Therefore, we are going to ask both the clergy and laity of the National Church in Poland to work according to this divine principle, that is, not to condemn, expel or place interdicts on someone but to forgive and love one another.

The National Church does not recognize any anathemas. We are a group of free people and if, therefore, someone comes to know that our principles appeal to his soul, his education, and temperament, then we acknowledge him as our brother or our sister. In the same manner, if a person changes his conviction and leaves us, we do not condemn him because this is his free and Christian right. When new religious groups emerge, we do not curse them but acknowledge them as brothers. We, therefore, invite all the people of good will to our Church and if they do not come to our side, we will not degrade or ridicule them. We firmly believe that if not in this generation then in the next a large majority of the present Roman Church adherents will throw off the papal shackles and will secure for themselves truth and spiritual freedom. The National Church recognizes religious freedom on par with political freedom. We take cognizance of the fact that man’s conscience cannot be coerced.

The Most Rev. Franciszek Hodur, from a lecture on the Creed of the Polish National Catholic Church at the 1928 Synod in Warsaw, Poland. Translated by the Very Rev. Louis Orzech.

Perspective, PNCC,

The Eucharist, the Pope, the Press, directions

I took a look at the Pope’s Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis” (Sacrament of Charity) on the Eucharist and the press that surrounded the release of the document. Wow – how can so many have their facts so confused.

I read through one press account that was so far removed from the actuality of the document as to be a basic lie. What was worse however were the public comments attached to the article. People argued over points in the press report, proclaiming the Pope good or evil, depending on perspective, and arguing over things that existed only within the article.

On issues of religion the press scores 100% on the you can fool most of the people all of the time.

Now I have my own perspective, and would proffer the following:

  • Was this meant for the Latin Church only? I understand that the general points address the entire Church, but I saw nothing that spoke to the Eastern Churches in any particular way – addressing their Tradition or tradition. Did I miss something or was there nothing there.
  • I know the term ‘reform of the reform’ is popular, and I guess it fits that need. That being said, I do not see the needs of traditionalist Roman Catholics addressed anywhere in the document. The much vaulted Motu Proprio, coming any day, still lies in the dust of adherence to V-II norms. Whoever is at the core of the Motu Proprio leaks is really yanking peoples chains – and is without charity.
  • The discussion of proper architecture is long overdue, but the document leaves design in the hands of folks like Bishop Tod Brown, Donald Trautman, and Cardinal Mahoney. The Eucharist will continue to be relegated to the broom closet in diocese like those.
  • The Eucharist is indeed a sacrament of charity and of the graces necessary for men and women. I’ve addressed this point in this blog before. The continued exclusions and prohibitions outlined in the Exhortation fall short of attaching Eucharistic reality to practice. The R.C. model continues to be prescriptive. As such, it limits and restricts the healing grace, present in the gift of the Eucharist.
  • The discussion of the celibacy issue continues to mix metaphors. Tying a man made rule to a Divine mandate, and demanding of the Lord a grace that only the Lord can give, is not working for the building up of the Church. As God’s grace must flow freely into the hearts of men and women from Eucharistic reception, with those men and women, and thus Church, reaping its benefits, so too must the Church be trusting of the graces given to men for presbyteral service – whether married or not.
  • The Latin issue is a non-issue. As far as I’m concerned everyone should learn a little. For folks in the U.S., it will provide some insight into the origins of parts of the English (and a lot of the Spanish) language. It is also part and parcel of a vast repertoire of fantastic Church — and secular — music. Expand the mind and be open. All the complaining over Latin being restrictive is ironic coming from those whose minds are shut to learning anything of their heritage and history.

Of course the PNCC has a different take on reception of the Eucharist, celibacy, architecture, T/tradition, and language. We were ahead of the curve by about 60 years on all the truly positive aspects of V-II without loosing proper praxis. As I’ve noted before, the damage done in the 10 years following V-II will take 3-4 right thinking Popes about 100 years to fix.

In all, this is a good first step, giving a slight nudge to the people of the Roman Church, turning them ever so slightly onto the right road. I hope it continues.

Current Events, Perspective

Do I qualify?

From All Africa: Catholic Church Publishes Guidelines On Defections

The Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts has published in English the clarified guidelines for baptized Catholics who formally separate from the Church.

Cardinal Julián Herranz, then president of the pontifical council, issued a statement on formal acts of defection from the Church last March.

The document was drawn up after many requests for clarifications of the so-called formal act of defection from the Church, mentioned in the Code of Canon Law.

Vatican dicasteries examined the issue to identify the theological and doctrinal components and then “the juridical formalities necessary so that such an action would constitute a true ‘formal act’ of defection,” Cardinal Herranz told Zenit.

“The formal act of defection,” the document states, “must have more than a juridical-administrative character (the removal of one’s name from a Church membership registry maintained by the government in order to produce certain civil consequences), but be configured as a true separation from the constitutive elements of the life of the Church: It supposes, therefore, an act of apostasy, heresy or schism.”

The document further lists the three steps necessary for the formal act of defection to be valid as; the internal decision to leave the Catholic Church, the realization and external manifestation of that decision; and the reception of that decision by the competent ecclesiastical authority.”

The document clarifies that the third step must be carried out “by a person who is canonically capable and in conformity with the canonical norms.”

The document has been transmitted by Benedict XVI to the presidents of all Episcopal conferences.

Cardinal Herranz, 76, retired on Thursday February 15, 2007 as president of the Pontifical council.

From my perspective the short answer as to whether or not I qualify is no.

The Roman Catholic Church is faced with many folks who wish to be acknowledged as non-Catholics in governmental registers, especially in European countries or in Africa. I can clearly see their point in saying that you are a Catholic regardless of whether or not you are listed in a governmental register.

I do have difficulty in seeing how they can extrapolate their criteria to me, because it confuses the key point.

I freely acknowledge that according to Roman Catholic Church juridical rules I am a schismatic. I also freely acknowledge the fact that I have externally manifested my separation from the Roman Church. I even sent them a letter to that affect, because they kept sending me contribution envelopes, even though I hadn’t been in one parish for three years and another in five years. I don’t know whether that means a ‘competent ecclesiastical authority’ has accepted my decision (I did stop receiving envelopes), but for the sake of argument, let’s say such authority has accepted my decision. I also think I am competent and ‘canonically capable.’

That takes care of most of the criteria.

Where this reasoning falls is on the criteria that I ‘[make an] internal decision to leave the Catholic Church. Ummm, no. The Roman Catholic Church yes, the Catholic Church no.

I admit that the Roman Church does think (kind of, sort of, begrudgingly) that it is the one and only Catholic Church. But, can I honestly say that I made an internal decision to leave the Catholic Church? Nope.

The problem with over legislating is that eventually all the legislation starts to bump up against other legislation, and beyond legislation, up against practice. Perhaps the Roman Church has gotten too big to legislate cleanly and centrally.

All I know is that as a member of the PNCC I am fully Catholic, maybe even more catholic than the Pope 😉

PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Here’s news… not

From EarthTimes – Report: Majority of Catholic priests in Poland want right to marry

Warsaw (dpa) – Sixty per cent of Roman Catholic priests in overwhelmingly Catholic Poland want the right the marry and have families of their own, according to a survey published by Poland’s respected Tygodnik Powszechny (TP) weekly.

As times change and the social status of and respect for the priesthood declines, more and more priests who feel lonely, isolated and misunderstood are considering leaving the priesthood, according to the weekly, which caters for Poland’s Catholic intelligentsia.

“Not everyone can cope with the fact that at the beginning of the 21st century priests are no longer regarded as the priest they knew in their youth,” Jesuit Father and psychologist Jacek Prusak told TP.

But according to an as yet unpublished study, so far only one third of young priests who quit the priesthood do so for the sake of a woman.

“The main reason (for quitting the priesthood ) are existential problems and ideals,” according to the study’s author Professor Jozef Baniak of Poznan’s Adam Mickiewicz university. “A woman, if she appears, is in the background.”

“First there is an crisis of the priest’s identity and then he looks for someone in whom he can confide his problem,” says Baniak.

Vatican statistics quoted by TP also show more and more Polish priest are deciding to quit. Whereas in 1998, some 32 priests left, in 2004 the figure shot up to 57…

Not news because many Polish R.C. priests are ‘married,’ just not in the legal sense. They have women and children, often provided for out of the coffers of the local parish, or in extreme cases, out of the diocese. Scandal erupts only when a priest leaves to do the right thing – that is he legally marries his wife and supports his wife and children. He stands by her as husband and father.

Unfortunately, far too many choose the easy road. Oh, honey, I can’t marry you. Look at my great job, the cars, the money, the clothes, the vacations, the status. But it’s ok, we’ll be together on certain evenings and every other weekend. Tell the kids I do care.

It’s a total fallacy. It’s playing to a man’s base instincts, have fun, don’t commit.

Choosing to leave the R.C. priesthood in Poland puts one at a severe disadvantage. Start with the family pressure, the social pressures in the local community, and the hint of scandal… The women (those who actually hold these men to a higher standard) are poorly regarded in comparison to those who take it and shut-up. In addition, the financial losses alone are huge – another base instinct that must be fought against if the man wishes to do right.

And, by-the-way, it is not the woman’s fault.

The 57 who left are the honest ones, the ones who take their faith seriously. The others who remain, seeking the right to marry, are simply seeking a normalization of what already exists.

These men are having problems with their identity, as Prof. Baniak points out, not because of an inherent disorder, but because the identity they live in is disordered to their natural calling – marriage, a spouse, and children.

As I’ve said before, celibacy is a gift given to some, not a gift that can be demanded of the Holy Spirit. Once the R.C. Church gets beyond demanding that its men ‘receive’ this gift, perhaps the gift will be given more freely.

Faith you know.

Current Events, Poland - Polish - Polonia

From the R.C. Diocese of Rzeszów, Poland

Rzeszów, Poland is my family’s ancestral home. I’ve visited and taught there and I have family and friends there. I keep tabs on the area and came across this report from Catholic Church Conservation: Good news from Poland.

It appears that the Ordinary for the R.C. Diocese of Rzeszów has given permission for the establishment of Traditional Latin Rite Community (Duszpasterstwo Tradycji Łacińskiej) in the Diocese. The community will be using the Church of the Holy Cross which is in the center of the city.

Of course the inroads the SSPX has made in Poland (and the Ukraine), especially in areas like Rzeszów (See: St. Andrew Bobola Parish), would have nothing to do with this – right?

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political

More on the Wielgus affair

The fallout continues:

Wielgus misled Pope by failure to disclose communist-era links: reports

Ex-Warsaw Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus in effect misled the pope by his failure to disclose the true nature of his links with the former Polish communist regime, Italian media reports say, as news breaks of the resignation of another high level church official in the late Pope John Paul II’s home diocese of Cracow.

And this is why the whole affair is so unseemly. If a man slated to be Archbishop places himself and his interests so far in front of the R.C. Church and the Pope then he really doesn’t deserve to be in a position of responsibility. This sort of thinking indicates:

  • A lack of faith – confession and forgiveness are nice for the pew sitters, but mean nothing to him
  • A lack of discipline – you can cry Pope, Pope, Pope all you want, but if you yourself don’t believe in the guy, why bother.
  • A failure to abide – rules are great for everyone else. Like celibacy (especially in Poland) is a nice concept, but I’d rather have a woman, lover, and family without being tied down by marriage. Gee bishop, she’s becoming a real pain, can you transfer me to the other side of the diocese.

Cardinal Glemp touched on a piece of the truth in his homily, the part about forgiveness and not believing every last assertion made by the secret police, but ended up flubbing that one as well.

The Cardinal had a great teaching moment thrust in front of him. He could have talked about getting the truth out, how such lies hurt all, how honesty, repentance, and forgiveness is necessary and essential for a Catholic nation. How lustration, at least in the form being practiced by right-wing zealots, will destroy the country, how Poles should come together in truth, repentance, and forgiveness. All solid Catholic teaching. Instead he focused on one man as a good guy who should be given a break. It was R.C. duck and cover (and the Polish and International press are drawing parallels to the same duck and cover that was part of the sex abuse scandals in the U.S. and elsewhere)

A new chapter begins for Voice of the Faithful – VotF – Polska.

Next up: The Rector of Wawel Cathedral has resigned for the very same reason. See: Another Polish Priest Resigns Over Secret Service Charges

The prelate of Wawel Cathedral in Krakow, Janusz Bielanski, offered his resignation to Cardinal Stansilaw Dziwisz and it was accepted immediately, TVN 24 reported…

The body count has just begun. The R.C. Church in Poland needs to do what is right by Catholic/Christian standards, not what is right politically. The Church needs to exert leadership. Otherwise the damage will be deep and more permanent, a society split – something the Nazi Germans and Russian Communists couldn’t achieve.

Current Events, Perspective, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia,

…and lead us not into temptation

I never liked lustration, the process of outing former collaborators in formerly communist countries. I actually much prefer the South African truth and reconciliation process. This gets to the heart of the matter and if handled according to Christian ethics, is the best choice for moving forward. As a matter of fact, in some sense the Bush administration is going to have to backtrack on its de-Baathification process and get to truth and reconciliation in Iraq.

In Poland not a small number of clergy cooperated with the U.B. and S.B. (Communist secret police) To a certain extent the outing of their personal sins was perceived to be worse than cooperating with the communist devils. Men entering seminaries were often presented with dossiers on their ‘activities’. Afraid of embarrassment? Do as we say.

What sins? Sexual relationships with women or other men. Priests having ‘secret’ wives and children is quite rampant in Polish society. It is a frequent source of gossip and salon talk. While there were certainly homosexuals among the clergy, heterosexual scandal was the order of the day, going back 1,000 years. As to homosexuality, there hasn’t been much of a homosexual subculture in Polish seminaries until quite recently. The trend in Poland, according to my sources, has been the appointment of homosexual rectors in seminaries. This trend, and the results it produces, will probably save the Church from having to support women who have been, for all intents and purposes, victimized, and from supporting their children. There will be other problems of course.

The recent scandal involving Bishop Wielgus, soon to be installed Archbishop of Warsaw (and that which flows from it, the red hat, the title of Primate of Poland) is a case in point (see the NY Times article Ties to Secret Police Snare Polish Bishop).

Are we to believe that the communist secret police were able to turn him, all for the ‘advantage’ of studying in Germany? The Jagellonian University or KUL (Catholic University of Lublin) have excellent faculties. No need to go to Germany to study. What could have forced a Hobson’s choice on the young priest? I have friends who refused to turn when threatened with rape and death.

The problem is twofold.

The Church imposes a standard that many men cannot endure. The resulting personal and public scandal that results from breaking your ‘commitment’ and choosing God plus God in a personal relationship is too much for some men to bear. This is of course for those who accept personal responsibility. For some, their girlfriend is no more than a convenience and a prospective source for scandal, they are no more than users. I give a ton of credit to priests who seek out the PNCC because they want to lead honest and open lives, with their wives and children. The stories of women and children, victimized and scandalized by absentee priest-fathers and priest-husbands (common law) are many fold.

The other problem is that the deals made with the secret police will be a generational defect. Is revenge and punishment worth the cost to society? I can’t imagine it is. There are those who will bear ill will toward their victimizers forever. We should pray for their healing. Above that, I would hope that a society, with a concordat, that is supposed to be 98% Roman Catholic, get its perspective on repentance and forgiveness in proper order.

The title for this post is lead us not into temptation. The bureaucracy of the R.C. Church and the weakness of men, as well as of those seeking vengeance, are sources of temptation. The best thing to do is to find God’s way in accordance with the Catholic faith once practiced and believed by all. Set aside vengeance and live honestly and justly.

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