MADISON, Wis. — Bishop Robert C. Morlino decried the “homosexual subculture within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church” in a letter to his flock of more than 280,000 on Aug. 18, suggesting the faithful develop a “perfect hatred” for wickedness and sin, giving them no refuge in the home or society at large.
Morlino’s five-page letter was sent to each of the 104 parishes in the diocese and published in the diocesan newspaper, the Catholic Herald. In it, he condemned the homosexual predation by former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and the sexual abuse of more than 1,000 victims by priests in six dioceses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, reported last week by a grand jury. Morlino’s plainly spoken diagnosis of the crisis quickly spread across the internet.
“It is time to admit that there is a homosexual subculture within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church that is wreaking great devastation in the vineyard of the Lord,” Morlino wrote. “The Church’s teaching is clear that the homosexual inclination is not in itself sinful, but it is intrinsically disordered in a way that renders any man stably afflicted by it unfit to be a priest. And the decision to act upon this disordered inclination is a sin so grave that it cries out to heaven for vengeance, especially when it involves preying upon the young or the vulnerable.”
Morlino condemned the sexually predatory actions of priests and bishops as evil “that cries out for justice and sin that must be cast out from our Church.” He said the seeming acceptance of sin by some in the Church, and the cover-ups of scandal by others, must be met with just punishments and a clarion call to sanctity.
“We must be done with sin,” Morlino said. “It must be rooted out and again considered unacceptable. Love sinners? Yes. Accept true repentance? Yes. But do not say sin is okay. And do not pretend that grave violations of office and of trust come without grave, lasting consequences.”
Morlino said it is important to describe the crisis for what it is, and not soften or obfuscate. “In the specific situations at hand, we are talking about deviant sexual — almost exclusively homosexual — acts by clerics,” Morlino wrote. “We’re also taking about homosexual propositions and abuses against seminarians and young priests by powerful priests, bishops and cardinals. We are talking about acts and actions which are not only in violation of the sacred promises made by some, in short, sacrilege, but also are in violation of the natural moral law for all. To call it anything else would be deceitful and would only ignore the problem further.”
The Church needs more hatred of sin and wickedness, Morlino said, citing Proverbs 8:7, “My mouth shall meditate truth and my lips shall hate wickedness.” The bishop said hatred of sin and calling others to turn from sin are acts of charity. He noted that this must not extend into hatred of sinners, who are called to conversion and penance through Christ and His Church.
Morlino’s admonitions were just the latest statements he has made on the sexual corruption and abuses of power within the Catholic Church in the United States. At a Mass marking the 15th anniversary of his installation as bishop of Madison, he related a letter received from a grandmother who said she would discourage her grandson from pursuing a priestly vocation because of the scandals.
“It’s certainly not a time to tell our grandchildren, ‘don’t dare go to the seminary,’” Morlino said. “Can I say that at no seminary is a seminarian being disgustingly propositioned by a predator? Can I swear to that? No. But I know where I send people and I know for a variety of reasons the people that I send are safe.” He said any seminarian, priest or lay person who is aware of sexual harassment, abuse or molestation should contact his office and the case will be dealt with “swiftly and vigorously.”
Vocations to the priesthood have been a pillar of Morlino’s tenure in the Diocese of Madison. When he arrived in August 2003, there were six diocesan seminarians studying for the priesthood. In the years since, the high was 33. The bishop himself has ordained 39 men to the priesthood, including three in June 2018. Morlino established the “Priests for Our Future” fund, which garnered $44 million in pledges and $30 million in payments to date. The fund covers costs for men from the 11-county diocese to attend the seminary.
Morlino has also called on his parishes to reinforce reverence in the liturgy and restore a sense of the sacred. He asked all parishes to move tabernacles to the sanctuary, so the Eucharistic Lord is again the center of Catholic life. He also encourages Catholics to receive Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling, which was the longtime practice prior to changes brought since Vatican II. A number of parishes in the diocese have installed the once-familiar altar rails for reception of Holy Communion.
Morlino again stressed sanctity in his Aug. 18 letter to parishioners. “More than anything else, we as a Church must cease our acceptance of sin and evil,” he wrote. “We must cast out sin from our own lives and run toward holiness. We must refuse to be silent in the face of sin and evil in our families and communities and we must demand from our pastors — myself included — that they themselves are striving day in and day out for holiness. We must do this always with loving respect for individuals, but with a clear understanding that true love can never exist without truth.”
Morlino will preside at a public Mass of reparation for “sins of sexual depravity” committed by members of the clergy and episcopacy on Sept. 14, the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross. He asked all diocesan priests to join him in observing the autumn Ember Days (Sept. 19-21) as days of fasting and abstinence in reparation for these “sins and outrages.”
• Read the full text of Bishop Morlino’s Letter on the Catholic Herald site.
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Amen and about time.
Finally a statement not awash in management babble. Thank you.
Axios!
That we had more bishops like this bishop.
That we had more clear preaching like this letter.
The homosexual sub-culture of the bishops and priests is exposed…permanently.
But is it a sub-culture? Or is it the predominant culture of the Catholic clergy?
“Who am I to judge?”, tells you all.
When coupled with heterosexual sins committed by clergy, I suspect it is the dominant culture, just as contraceptive use/sterilization is dominant among the laity.
Amen
Some have been saying this for decades; it is not news that the perverse subculture has been operating with impunity.
All due credit to Bishop Morlino although the outcry made now had to be made long past by all faithful bishops who themselves have been entangled in the web of silence intrigue complacency. Atty Gen Shapiro exposed the most heinous directives imaginable by prelates to “euphemize be silent continue supporting” homosexual predator priests everything those who hate us have said for years. Belief that “the inclination is not sinful” is itself a mistake because it gives credence to the belief that somehow God implanted same sex attraction. That is precisely the policy evident by the Pontiff’s appointments particularly to the Dicastery for the Family. Dr Gerard van den Aardweg a member of the John Paul II Academy on the Family instituted by Dr Josef Siefert believes otherwise, as I am convinced that the “inclination” is largely acquired behavior. We face the greatest crisis ever and unless Pope Francis takes urgent strong measure to begin the process of eradication of homosexuals in the clergy as admonished by Bishop Morlino we can reasonably expect a Great Apostasy. The Laity have lost confidence in us [priests and prelates]. I stand with Cardinal R Burke that we have likely entered our moment of apocalyptic truth. For those of us committed to the Christ of the Gospels we meet whatever transpires with faith courage and compassion.
Pope Francis must take urgent strong measures to begin the the process of eradication of homosexuals in his inner circle.
Vatican expert Sandro Magister said Francis has a “number of homosexual priests in the inner circle of his closest collaborators and confidants.” (Chiesa.espressolineitcom, December 16, 2015)
Fred I previously read Magister’s article and agree there’s an unhealthy contradictory accommodation of homosexuality at the Vatican that must be corrected. Let me add here that Bishop Morlino is correct that men with same sex attraction must not be accepted as priest candidates and that I also stand with him 100%. I also agree that the Laity have an important role in reforming the Church as indicated by Carl Olson.
The Pope taking strong measures against homosexuals? Forget it. He protects them, promotes them and gives them jobs at the Vatican. He likes them. Owns his job to them.
Why is everyone so concerned about the laity? As far as I can tell, they have nothing to bring to the discussion — let alone the absurd proposition that they should sit in judgment over the bishops. All of the stats and our guts confirm it: This is by far the least believing and practicing generation of lay Catholics in history. And their lack of understanding of basics of ecclesiology, Church polity and sacramental theology ranks as low as their abysmal lack of inderstanding and defiance of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. Who, in his right mind, could care what they think about this business?
Bishop Morlino has it absolutely right: It’s the homosexuality, Stupid. The clean-up is a job for bishops, priests and religious, not for benighted laity.
“But there are certain things which pertain in a special way to the laity, both men and women, by reason of their condition and mission. Due to the special circumstances of our time the foundations of this doctrine must be more thoroughly examined. For their pastors know how much the laity contribute to the welfare of the entire Church. They also know that they were not ordained by Christ to take upon themselves alone the entire salvific mission of the Church toward the world. On the contrary they understand that it is their noble duty to shepherd the faithful and to recognize their ministries and charisms, so that all according to their proper roles may cooperate in this common undertaking with one mind. For we must all “practice the truth in love, and so grow up in all things in Him who is head, Christ. For from Him the whole body, being closely joined and knit together through every joint of the system, according to the functioning in due measure of each single part, derives its increase to the building up of itself in love”.(190)
The term laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except those in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved by the Church. These faithful are by baptism made one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God; they are in their own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of the whole Christian people in the Church and in the world.
The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments (6*). They should openly reveal to them their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. They are, by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the Church (7*). When occasions arise, let this be done through the organs erected by the Church for this purpose. Let it always be done in truth, in courage and in prudence, with reverence and charity toward those who by reason of their sacred office represent the person of Christ.
The laity should, as all Christians, promptly accept in Christian obedience decisions of their spiritual shepherds, since they are representatives of Christ as well as teachers and rulers in the Church. Let them follow the example of Christ, who by His obedience even unto death, opened to all men the blessed way of the liberty of the children of God. Nor should they omit to pray for those placed over them, for they keep watch as having to render an account of their souls, so that they may do this with joy and not with grief.
Let the spiritual shepherds recognize and promote the dignity as well as the responsibility of the laity in the Church. Let them willingly employ their prudent advice. Let them confidently assign duties to them in the service of the Church, allowing them freedom and room for action. Further, let them encourage lay people so that they may undertake tasks on their own initiative. Attentively in Christ, let them consider with fatherly love the projects, suggestions and desires proposed by the laity.(8*) However, let the shepherds respectfully acknowledge that just freedom which belongs to everyone in this earthly city.”
But, hey, why pay attention to “Lumen Gentium” at a time like this?
Indeed. After all, where do priests come from? No one is born a priest. Every priest in the world, from the beginning of the existence of the Church, was at one time a member of “the laity.” Priests do not become homosexuals; it’s the opposite. Homosexuals become priests. If there were not a single lay homosexual being ordained, there would not be a single homosexual priest. If “the laity” is formed properly, the priests will be also. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to pay attention to “the laity.”
Amen Carl.
And LOL on “the not-so-new quietude about Lumen Gentium.
But the whole body is not closely joined in every joint of the system. In fact the body and its system is quite disjointed. Already the Voice of the Faithful types with their past goal of creating a Lay Congress to “oversee” the governance of the Church are beginning to emerge with their pundits and petitions. I am all for lay responsibility and participation in a process of purification, as long as we keep in mind that there are many lay people who would like to get a place at the table to not only purify the Church of clericalism but also of clerics.
Will we ever stop missing St. John Paul the Great?
I don’t think so.
“Will we ever stop missing St. John Paul the Great?”
No. I will forever miss him.
And, I miss Benedict XVI. While I understood why he retired, I was, nevertheless, deeply saddened by it. These two great popes were truly the best of the best.
@Robert, while it is true that reform cannot be brought about by mindless democratization in the Church, and worldly laity are unqualified to reform corrupt clerics, Carl E. Olson’s citation of Lumen Gentium is theologically and morally correct. He could also have cited Canon 212, Section 3: “They have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. They have the right also to make their views known to others of Christ’s faithful, but in doing so they must always respect the integrity of faith and morals, show due reverence to the Pastors and take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals.”
Remember St. Catherine of Siena, a lay Dominican, who corrected weak popes who were failing their Petrine duty to unify the Church. May the Lord again raise up such prophets for our times!
“why is everyone worried about the laity?”
I have wondered if i knew of a young man that was homosexual and i found out he was entering the seminary what would my responsibility be? Nothing i bet. Nothing at all.
The elephant in the room finally addressed…
A day late and a dollar sort. Bishop Morlino was a bishop for 18 years and knew nothing about McCarrick? Absolutely not credible. Where were the prayers of reparation to the Sacred Heart in 2004 or 1985? As I was told many years ago in today’s Scheiskirche: “You have to pray and to punch.” Praying without punching is a fool’s errand.
Paul, you are incorrect to assume that Bishop Morlino and every other bishop must be complicit. If you were on the inside of clerical culture you would know that in unhealthy dioceses and provinces of religious orders the corrupt clique-forming clerics make a point of determining early on who are straight-shooters that cannot be trusted to play along. Such individuals, especially the those most vocal about virtue and the most serious about holiness are deliberately kept out of the loop and, in some cases, marginalized. I have talked about this with several brother priests, including a few who have suffered white martyrdom for upholding truth, and they agree with this assessment.
David, I have been on the inside of clerical culture and know it extremely well by long personal experience and professional experience, in Rome (including the Angelicum and Santa Sabina that your order runs) and in the United States, at levels that have routinely involved contact with archbishops and cardinals, including all of those in the news today. I also have known Bishop Morlino personally. I stand by my comment since I was there “inside of clerical culture” in 1985 and 1995 and 2002.
Why did none of McCarrick’s bishop-colleagues reveal his sordid duplicity? Money, money, money! McCarrick’s fund-raising acumen rendered him untouchable, which casts an even darker pall over North American and Roman hierarchs.
I would also add that I know from personal experience that your own Dominican Order has a deep and widespread “homosexual subculture” of its own that is typified by Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, someone I have known personally for over 40 years, who was no less than the former Master of your entire Order at Santa Sabina for 9 years and is a long-time, public homosexual advocate and who now, incredibly, serves as a consultor to the Pontifical Culture of Justice and Peace at the Vatican by appointment of the current incumbent of the See of Peter. Please explain to me how your entire Order has been “deliberately kept out of the loop” and “marginalized” in dealing with this notorious proponent of the “homosexual subculture”.
Paul, you wrote, “Please explain to me how your entire Order has been”deliberately kept out of the loop’ and ‘marginalized’ in dealing with this notorious proponent of the ‘homosexual subculture’”. I do not and cannot not claim that the entire Order has been kept out of the loop or marginalized on this issue. However, I do know individual members of the Order who have been treated that way by those with unholy vested interests. This has always been the case in the history of reforms within the Order … until the something breaks and what has been hidden is exposed. Until then, would be reformers are discriminated against and even persecuted. This is true of every Order and Diocese God that has not given up on and chosen to give over to the devil to perish under the weigh of its unrepented sins. And, yes, Timothy Radcliffe has been part of the problem. St. Dominic would be ashamed of his complicity and compromise with the ways of the world. One righteous Provincial confided this to me: While his own Province runs a tight ship (and I know this first hand), he saw a dire need to cleanse the Order of a toxic gay subculture crippling a number of other provinces and so he secured a promise from Radcliffe–in his capacity as Master of the Order at the time–that he (Radcliffe) would take issue a strong public statement and take firm action. We now know why Radcliffe broke his promise. I hope that off these pages you put far more energy into praying for the success of reformers within the Dominican Order (and all other religious orders) than you do into venting your anger and borderline cynicism. Your anger is not unjustified, but be aware that if it runs like an uncontained fire it can do more harm than good in the long run. Remember it is in the devil’s interests to ride anger, bitterness, and resentment to destroy indiscriminantly, to promote punishment and humiliation (however much it may have been earned) at the expense of redemption, healing, and reform. Outrage is warranted (and a necessary at the start) but don’t let outrage be the last or only word. Finally, I would suggest that if you have dirt on other religious orders, that you use that information judiciously and in ways that can help rather than hinder the reform work of good, conscientious monks, friars and sisters who love Christ and His Church as much you do. You may also pray for me.
Hang in there and fight Father.
As a dad of 4, I am going to hang in there and fight.
As always, faithful men and women get marginalized, in both the pulpit and the pews.
For my own part, most Cardinals in the US are of the McCarrick establishment, and the USCCB functions to maintain a standard of mediocrity that enables apostates like McCarrick and Mahony to perpetuate a post-Catholic empire. National Conferences are dedicated the post-Catholic complacent apostasy.
The good guys among the priests and bishops had better start publicly naming the bad guys and revealing what they know or they, too, are among the bad guys.
I am so relieved to see that, finally, one bishop has had the courage to call a spade a spade, and put his finger on the huge predominant problem, that the priesthood has become an increasingly homosexual society.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of child abuse cases by clergy is to do with boys makes it perfectly obvious that this pedophilia is of a homosexual sort.
And there is plenty of evidence emerging that active homosexuality among the clergy is also rife. In fact, it has become a self-protecting environment for homosexual bishops, priests and seminarians. This is part of the reason why the pseudo-scientific propaganda that pedophilia has nothing to do with homosexuality has become virtually official doctrine. So, the homosexual clerical culture has become a defense mechanism for actively “gay” clergy, and, by extension for pedophile priests.
Then here is the additional point of contention: the celibate nature of the Catholic priesthood provides an ideal environment for such a homosexual culture to thrive. In some churches the preference is for married clergy, precisely to avoid giving homosexuality and pedophilia a chance.
The arguments in defense of clerical celibacy by pope and bishops would be a lot more credible, if they were not promoted by a clergy with a homosexual bias. The days when visible holiness had put the Catholic priest into the unique pursuit of sanctity, before anything else, was a strong protection and reminder of an ideal which we have systematically destroyed in the last half century.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of child abuse cases by clergy is to do with boys makes it perfectly obvious that this pedophilia is of a homosexual sort.
As the Jay study indicated, 81% of abuse was homosexual in nature, 78% was homosexual ephebophilia. Pedophilia accounts for a minority of abuse. Pedophilia and ephebophilia are both intrinsically disordered sexual deviancies but they are not the same form of intrinsically disordered sexual deviancy. Rid the clergy of homosexuals and the incidents of abuse would become for all intents and purposes few in number.
Bingo.
Since I began practicing the Faith, and simultaneously became aware of the true state of the Church, this is the FIRST honest and accurate statement about homosexual corruption among the clergy I have ever heard, and I only had to wait 35 years to hear it.
Expect a group of the U.S. bishops to publicly condemn Bp. Morlino and even call for his censure. Expect him to be excluded from plum assignments at the USCCB. Expect America magazine (under James Martin SJ) to condemn his actions …
And by so doing they will reveal the Lavender Mafia festering under the surface of the USCCB.
“et adimpletur eis prophetia Esaiae dicens auditu audietis et non intellegetis et videntes videbitis et non videbitis” Mt 13:14
Back in the early 80’s the Vatican did an official investigation of American seminaries due to the complaints they had received. Apparently nothing good came of it. Obviously somehow it was sabotaged. It would be worth doing the detective work to see who the people were who pulled the wool over the Church’s eyes back then. Maybe some of them are bishops today!
Yesterday at Mass I witnessed a complicit priest “groom” his wealthy parishioners: telling them that he “apologizes” because he “knew McCarrick personally,” who was “a great man,” but “he was just very sick.” Then he said “I hope you all can find some way to forgive us clergy,” and that “you are the people of God, and your faith inspires me.”
Then “the audience” applauded.
“The audience” are the parishioners at one of the parishes at the Jersey shore right next to Sea Girt, NJ, where McCarrick “owned” his house of sodomy.
We were all appalled at how psychologically manipulative the whole propaganda operation was executed by this utterly impoverished priest, grooming his audience.
My wife confronted him after Mass.
The easygoing psychological corruption of the parishioners is vast in those environs. The parish is part of the zombie Church network run by narcissistic 1960s-style salesman.
Spring Lake, perhaps?
Bingo. Spring Lake.
They have been “well groomed”
We had the same thing in the Archdiocese of Washington (Maryland and Washington, D.C.) where the pastor informed us before 9:00 a.m. Mass that Cardinal Wuerl had decreed a prayer of penance (!!!) to be recited at all Masses. The pastor sheepishly confessed that he found the prayer “weak” and decided instead that the congregation was to recite Psalm 50/51 “Miserere” as though all of us were homosexual rapists and pedophiles. It was outrageous. Pope “Who-Am-I-To-Judge” Bergoglio has pulled the same stunt in his psychologically manipulative pseudo-apology, trying to coerce us to be guilty co-perpetrators with these Satanic men. I know McCarrick personally as well and will tell your pastor that he is the one who is sick for lying that “great man” McCarrick is anything other than a foetid piece of devil’s dung.
Assuming you’re talking about St Mary’s in DC, that’s a gross mischaracterization of what happened, and definitely of the attitude of the priest in question.
I applaud the words of Bishop Morlino.
In the seminaries: it is not enough to know that some seminarians are safe somewhere.
The laity need to know what seminaries are sound and how; and which are corrupt and how, and we have to have a role in that permanently for continuous monitoring and supervision. We can’t abandon our sons to the wolves.
It was once us against them, now it has become us versus us. That translates to “you can’t trust anybody”. Radical surgery is in order. There is something to be learned from the Trump administration which seems to run abreast of institutional destruction. Trump surely knows a lot more than I, but I still don’t trust him. What can we say or do, anything?
I hope so, but there may not be another opportunity. The deep credibility stain runs rampant. Our faith in Popes and Bishops has been shaken to the core. Can we trust that the “man” behind the confessional screen can be trusted? Just look at the path that we chose…
The enablers like Bill Donohue, the head of the Catholic League who spew falsehoods, saying that it “was only a few priests of the more than 300 charged in Pennsylvania who were perpetrators”. A new term has entered the Catholic vocabulary “cover up”. My suggestions: Ordain women overriding a silly manmade law. Place a reasonable tenure limit on a Pope. If the male priesthood is replete with active homosexuals vet every priest candidate psychologically with medical professionals.
Your answer to everything, up to and including curing the common cold, is “ordain women.” I do not understand how you can possibly be so staggeringly clueless. Have you genuinely not heard of the numerous cases of female teachers sexually abusing students? Mary Kay Letourneau ring any bells?
The male only priesthood is not a manmade law, and it is not silly. If you have a problem, take it up with God; He is the one who established the male priesthood. I’m sure He will bow to your superior judgment.
The problem is not that homosexual candidates were not recognized as such; the problem is that they were accepted as candidates and ordained anyway, and many became part of this evil network of clergy who abused and covered up the abuse.
A “reasonable tenure limit,” huh? As defined by whom? You?
“My suggestions: Ordain women overriding a silly manmade law. Place a reasonable tenure limit on a Pope.”
If you want a massive schism in the Church, that will get you one.
The Anglican denomination and its cabal of lesbian “clerics” – particularly Mary Glasspool – will welcome you with open arms.
It is incorrect to imply that homosexuality predisposes someone to commit sexual crimes. Women are so frequently victims at the hands of men! When the bishop said that problems at hand are “almost exclusively homosexual”,he fails to properly recognize the female victims in Pennslyvalnia. Again the world is seeing gross immorality, huge management failure, obstruction of justice – to encourage a perfect hatred of homosexuality is to muddy the already putrid water.
Funny how it’s always someone else that did that abused and covered up.
I’m just a simple layman but I seem to remember something about admitting your own sins in the catechism, perhaps that only applies to us laypersons though.
Sexual abuse scandals in most European and Anglophone countries, yet I have never heard of a bishop or priest calling a press conference and making a statement to the effect “I did this. I am submitting my resignation immediately and turning myself into the police”. But I’ve heard tell, in the bad old days when sin was still a thing in the church, a confessor might even withhold absolution for a serious crime unless you took the step of turning yourself into the police. Funny that.
Some of us have fought with sexual sins, you know, little things like looking at other women, maybe entertaining a thought or two or even looking at some porn. It all seems like I was just taking things much too seriously given that the priest I was confessing to might well be diddling altar boys afterwards.
Why is everyone so concerned about the laity? As far as I can tell, they have nothing to bring to the discussion — let alone the absurd proposition that they should sit in judgment over the bishops. All of the stats and our guts confirm it: This is by far the least believing and practicing generation of lay Catholics in history. And their lack of understanding of basics of ecclesiology, Church polity and sacramental theology ranks as low as their abysmal lack of inderstanding and defiance of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. Who, in his right mind, could care what they think about this business?
Bishop Morlino has it absolutely right: It’s the homosexuality, Stupid. The clean-up is a job for bishops, priests and religious, not for benighted laity.
Actually, the laity ARE partially to blame for this revolting situation. Why? Because of the lack of sanctity in their own lives; over the last fifty years certainly, but in fact, this has been a problem for more than 200 years.
What message was the Blessed Mother trying to send Mankind at Fatima? At Lourdes? A La Salette? A very simple and straightforward one: PRAY. DO PENANCE. AMEND YOUR LIVES.
How many Catholics have actually heeded this message? Sadly, it would appear that far too few of us have. This scandal is part and parcel of the price we as Catholics are paying for our lack of zeal, our lack of morals, and ultimately, our lack of faith. The hierarchy are corrupt; that can’t be denied. But when you get down to cases, people get the leaders they deserve.
There are many prophecies from Our Lady of La Salette, France in 1846 that warned of and predicted this sexual abuse crisis that we are now in. Also, Our Lady of Good Success in the early 1600s, at Quito, Ecuador predicted many crises for the latter part of the 20th century and to the present. The book, “After The Warning To 2038” contains many other prophecies of future events that are going to unfold soon.
Morlino for Pope!
Pope Francis and “his team” (eg Cupich) are all using their new code word for talking about the sex abuse crisis they and their pals have all served up: its “clericalism.”
Typical contemptuous treatment of the laity by these men. The most brazen clericalists in our lifetime now are pretending to hate clericalism, so that they can continue covering up their homosexual cult.
Thank you, Bishop Morlino!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
Please, form a group of Bishops to stand-up for the ancient teachings of our Church – please help rightly guide the Faithful during these confusing times.
Completely agree with both comments. Thank you Bishop Morlino and pray for other faithful Bishops to publicly ally themselves with him.
Some commentators have objected strongly to the laity having any role in dealing with the abuse crisis in the Church.
The objectors do not want members of the laity to be involved in the investigation of cases or to be members of bodies set up by the Church to make recommendations as to how such cases might be dealt with.They seem to be saying that any such lay participation is contrary to the divine nature of the Church, that it would give some members of the laity a status higher than that of the clergy, and so on. Such objections are surely misplaced.
Any such participation by the laity would not amount to anything more than examining the evidence of abuse in individual cases and in ensuring that such evidence is passed on, first, to the civil authorities for investigation and prosecution and second,to those within the Church for action in accordance with Canon Law requirements.This lay involvement can provide an essential independent element to investigations.It would also counter undue deference shown to the clergy – this has been a major cause of inaction in the past. I do not see how any such assistance provided by the laity could be incompatible with what the Church is and always has been. In thinking about this problem, we should distinguish between the Church as a spiritual entity – the mystical body of Christ – on the one hand and as a human institution made up of people, all of whom are or have been sinful in one way or another from the very beginning (except of course, for Our Lord and His mother Mary). Any laity role as suggested would be restricted to dealing with the sinful actions of those involved in the child abuse scandals and what to do about them and would not have any implication for the “spiritual” nature of the Church. I would argue strongly that a proper understanding of that nature would justify lay participation as an approach to the crisis we are facing. It would not change the traditional roles of the clergy and the laity as it would amount to looking merely at the actions of individuals rather than the nature of the Church.
To the objectors I would also add this: if, as some of you say, the corruption extends not just to the bishops, but to the Vatican and even to the Pope himself, who is left to save us from this crisis?
Bishop Morlino is one of the most arrogant people I’ve ever met. NOT LIKE JESUS AT ALL. He is no expert on sexuality or truth, nor is any bishop, including the pope. The church is obsessed with homosexuality and sex in general. The church has totally lost credibility thanks to the many scandals that continue to plague it. These scandals aren’t due to homosexuality, they are due to the lack of honesty among the clergy. Stop pretending to be saints and admit to being MEN. Real men have desires. Desires aren’t evil. Sex isn’t innately tainted or evil. My god, Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850, yet we still have clergy that are warped by the burden of their Pharisaical interpretation of scripture. Disgusting. And all who praise Morlino: You’re part of the problem!
No, Jean, *you* are part of the problem. If there had been no homosexual predator priests there would have been no “lack of honesty among the clergy” in covering up their actions.
“He is no expert on sexuality or truth, nor is any bishop, including the pope.”
Unlike you? Wow, an expert on sexuality and truth has arrived among us. Rejoice, readers of Catholic World Report!
“Real men have desires.” So? They also have self-control, and the ability to ask for the grace to resist desires to do sinful acts.
“Desires aren’t evil.” What, *none* of them?
“Sex isn’t innately tainted or evil.” Sneaky how you segue from a discussion of homosexual predation (and homosexual behavior is always tainted and evil) into a disingenuous statement of the obvious fact that “sex” (by which I assume you mean sexual intercourse, not the fact that there are males and females) isn’t innately tainted or evil. Of course it isn’t; but it is evil when used outside of its proper setting of marriage between a man and a woman.
The Scarlet Letter has nothing to do with homosexual predation, nor is it a claim that sexual misbehavior isn’t sinful. It does show the corroding effects of hiding a sin on a clergyman who has committed it. I do not quite understand why you think that the writings of a novelist, however talented, should be the basis of the Church’s moral theology.
“…we know that until the ninth century Communion was received in the hand, standing. That does not of course mean that it should always do so. For what is fine, sublime, about the Church is that she is growing, maturing, understanding the mystery more profoundly. In the that sense the new development that began after the ninth century is quite justified, as an expression of reverence, and is well founded. But, on the other hand, we have to say that the Church could not possibly have been celebrating the Eucharist unworthily for nine hundred years. If we read what the Fathers say, we can see in what a spirit of reverence they received Communion….
We should be concerned only to argue in favor of what the Church’s efforts directed toward, both before and after the ninth century, that is a reverence in the heart, an inner submission before the mystery of God that puts himself into our hands…”
Cardinal Ratzinger