CNA Staff, Jan 14, 2021 / 08:42 pm (CNA).- Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville voiced skepticism of Father James Martin’s recent essay claiming that Catholic leaders’ criticism of President-elect Joe Biden’s stance on abortion helped contribute to the conditions for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Martin’s essay, “How Catholic Leaders Helped Give Rise to Violence at the U.S. Capitol,” ran Jan. 12 at the website of the U.S. Jesuits’ America magazine, where Martin is editor-at-large.
Martin collected various bishops’ and priests’ comments critical of Biden’s stand on abortion and questioning whether a Catholic could vote for him. Though these criticisms ranged from respectful to inflammatory, Martin argued that their criticism “does not adequately reflect church teaching” and sent the message that the election was “an almost apocalyptic battle between good and evil.”
The priest suggested that “perhaps these comments were contributing to the unrest in the nation.”
Stika responded to Martin’s criticism of his comments about Biden.
“I don’t apologize for the tweet as I agree with the (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops) that abortion is the preeminent issue in this day and age,” Stika said on Twitter Jan. 13. “Mr. Biden likes to speak about his Catholic faith. Perhaps he should realize that abortion is a human rights issue as well as the ultimate child abuse. Perhaps I missed something in the article concerning abortion as the preeminent issue.”
The dispute follows violence and riots at the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump supporters last week, leading to several deaths and dozens of injured police officers. Prosecutors appear to have a suspect in custody linked to two explosive devices left at the major political parties’ respective headquarters.
In a lengthy essay, Martin sought to connect the unrest to vocal critics of abortion. He alleged there was “widespread personal vilification of candidates from Catholic leaders” in the run-up to the violence at the U.S. Capitol. He named various figures before quoting from two Aug. 21 Twitter comments from Bishop Stika.
“(I) don’t understand how Mr. Biden can claim to be a good and faithful Catholic as he denies so much of Church teaching especially on the absolute child abuse and human rights violations of the most innocent, the not yet born,” Stika said in one tweet.
“And he also praises his sidekick who has shown time and time again in Senate hearings that she is an anti-Catholic bigot,” The bishop also said on Twitter, in a possible reference to incoming Vice President Kamala Harris’ controversial questioning of Catholic judicial nominees who were members of the Knights of Columbus.
The remainder of Stika’s Twitter comment, which was not quoted by Martin, concluded: “So sad for this team. But also, I never thought the current President was all that pro-life but he is anti-abortion as well as helpful in religious liberty.”
After citing Stika, Martin immediately cited a deleted, inflammatory tweet from Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life and a former member of the Trump campaign’s Catholics for Trump group.
“Why is it that the supporters of this (expletive deleted) loser Biden and his morally corrupt, America-hating, God hating Democrat party can’t say a (expletive deleted) thing in support of their loser candidate without using the word Trump?” Pavone had said.
Pavone has drawn significant controversy for his campaign efforts on behalf of Donald Trump. He used the preserved remains of an unborn baby in a video attempting to rally support for Trump before the 2016 election.
Martin argued “personal vilification from members of the clergy inevitably gives rise to a lack of respect from the faithful, making it easier for those in the pews to revile government and civic leaders.” He alleged “an alarming number of Catholic clergy contributed to an environment that led to the fatal riots at the U.S. Capitol. Ironically, priests and bishops who count themselves as pro-life helped spawn a hate-filled environment that led to mayhem, violence and, ultimately, death.”
Although President-elect Biden was a longtime supporter of some abortion restrictions, he changed his views to support for permissive abortion laws and federal funding for abortion during the 2020 Democratic primaries. He boasted of his 100% rating from the pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America. His 2020 campaign platform called for the codification of Roe v. Wade as federal law.
Martin’s essay criticized priests who had enjoyed some internet popularity like Father James Altman of the Diocese of LaCrosse. Altman’s viral YouTube video “You Cannot be a Catholic and a Democrat” drew some 1.2 million views before the election. The video drew some criticism from the priest’s local bishop, Bishop of LaCrosse William Patrick Callahan, but was recommended by Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas.
Other objects of Martin’s criticism included Cardinal Raymond Burke’s comment that Biden was involved in “grave, immoral evil that is the source of scandal.” Martin also cited Bishop Thomas Daly of Spokane’s question asking how a Catholic can vote for “a candidate like Biden” if “abortion is an intrinsic evil.”
The priest also cited the claims of Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the controversial former apostolic nuncio to the U.S., who has called Biden “a puppet manipulated by the elite, a puppet in the hands of people thirsty for power and willing to do anything to expand it.”
Martin said such examples led to violence and merited correction.
“Bishops and priests need to understand the real-life effects of such contemptuous and even dehumanizing language. Catholic bishops and priests are meant to teach morality, but they are not meant to judge others (as Jesus said clearly) or to treat people with such bitter contempt. The real-world effect of this kind of language was revealed at the Capitol on Jan. 6,” said Martin.
“The mistake for which Catholic leaders should be corrected, the mistake for which the church now needs to repent, is not simply casting this election in terms of good and evil; it is pretending that real questions of good and evil could be simplified to the point where violent responses, even acts of domestic terrorism, become thinkable and then are carried out,” he said.
The Jan. 6 protests drew a large number of Trump supporters, who began at the White House and moved to the Capitol.
It is still unclear to what extent the incursion into the Capitol was planned, and debate continues over whether law enforcement and security personnel were adequately prepared.
Rioters at the Capitol included devotees of QAnon, a fringe conspiracy theory that sees President Trump as a savior who will liberate the country from a powerful Democratic cannibalistic sex trafficking cabal. Some rioters sported anti-Semitic garb, and at least one bore a Confederate flag.
Prosecutors have filed dozens of cases against the most visible participants, many of whom posted their exploits on social media. Charges include violent entry and disorderly content, though Justice Department officials say these could be replaced with more serious charges, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Charges of seditious conspiracy are under consideration and officials are investigating the extent to which the disorder was planned by some rioters, including those with military training.
One of those charged, 70-year-old Lonnie Coffman, faces 17 criminal counts. He allegedly brought 11 Molotov cocktails and a weapons cache in his pickup truck that included a handgun, a rifle, a shotgun, large-capacity magazines, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a crossbow, a stun gun, several machetes and a smoke device. Prosecutors appeared to link him to two explosive devices left at the headquarters of both the Democratic and Republican political parties.
Those arrested include Olympic gold medalist swimmer Klete Keller, who faces charges including obstruction of law enforcement, entering a restricted building without permission, and “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”
Prior to the riot, President Donald Trump refused to concede the election and claimed it had been stolen. Trump’s critics claimed that the violence at the Capitol was an insurrection incited by the president.
“Can anyone doubt that the moral calculus proposed by some Christian leaders, including Catholic priests and bishops, framed in the language of pure good versus pure evil, contributed to the presence of so many rioters brandishing overtly Christian symbols as they carried out their violence?” Martin asked in his essay.
The year 2020 saw a significant amount of civil unrest, including sometimes-violent protests against police brutality, systemic racism, and coronavirus restrictions.
There was also a wave of vandalism against Catholic churches and Catholic figures including St. Junipero Serra.
(Note: Bishop Stika was originally identified as bishop of Nashville; he is the bishop of Knoxville, TN.)
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So, according to Moffie Boy Martin, authentic Catholic leaders and pro-lifers are to blame for the shameful Capitol Riot. By his own logic, would the Squad, Colin Kaepernick, and all elected officials, Church Leaders and celebrities who “bent the knee” to BLM/Antifa and encouraged their actions be responsible for the violence, burning and looting perpetrated by this terrorist group in 2020?
What’s missing in du Toit’s unsavoury reaction, and in this entire discussion, is the existence of single-issue voters. This includes many Catholics who voted for Trump on the single issue of abortion. Socially aware Catholics vote on a candidate’s entire program, on what is good for the nation taking everything into consideration, not one one issue no matter how vital.
I think that socially aware Catholics can vote on the single issue of abortion because the entirety of civil discord is centered on the value of every human life. Once we remove value from one group (the unborn), it becomes so much easier to remove the value from all groups (the elderly, the disabled, the mentally challenged, etc.).
Abortion isn’t just a “single” issue, but is the issue upon which all other life issues rests.
Raymond, single issue voters judge that issue to be so serious all other issues cannot compare to its importance. Herod’s desire to continue as ruler of the Jews is a perfect example. He had boy babies under two years of age to protect his reign.
That wasn’t the only one. For example, Mr. Biden is now announcing that reality doesn’t exist, at least when it comes to biology, and that pretending that a male can turn into a female or vice-versa is “the civil rights issue of our time.”
And it was President Trump who promised to, and did, protect religious freedom. Just ask the Little Sisters of the Poor.
“Socially aware Catholics vote on a candidate’s entire program”
I see. So, since you feel free to call me “socially unaware,” I am free to point out that you are what is called a “useful idiot.”
I know of no position that Biden and his ilk support that could possibly outweigh any of these three, much less all of them and others.
I am ashamed to be Catholic when I hear that priests and bishops are praising Donald Trump. No matter what he says, he is clearly NOT pro-life. He is just anti-women’s rights. (Does anyone honestly believe he has not paid for a few abortions in his lifetime?) I am strongly pro-life, but to vote based on this one issue is just not rational. Abortion is a moral issue, not a political issue. Donald Trump is dramatically racist, horribly sexist, and brutally cruel to anyone he sees as imperfect – i.e. with a disability. And these are just the things I know for a fact due to what has come out of his own mouth. How can anyone who believes in God possibly see him as a viable leader for a nation?
If you consider that women have a “right” to butcher their babies, you’re in no position to claim to be Catholic.
I have no idea whether he ever paid for an abortion. Neither do you, and you might look up the word “calumny.” What I know is that he has done what he could to stop abortion. You’d probably sneer that St. Augustine couldn’t possibly be a saint because in his earlier life he practiced sexual immorality.
“Abortion is a moral issue, not a political issue.”
Get a grip. Murder is a moral issue; if suddenly the Supreme Court decided that it was perfectly all right to kill someone who was competing for your job, or inconveniencing you in some way, would you say, “Well, murder isn’t a political issue so it’s okay by me if a candidate for president is all for letting that stand?”
“Donald Trump is dramatically racist,”
Evidence?
“horribly sexist,”
Evidence?
“and brutally cruel to anyone he sees as imperfect – i.e. with a disability.”
Evidence?
Look up the word “calumny.”
“How can anyone who believes in God possibly see him as a viable leader for a nation?”
Easily.
Linda—Donald Trump only said it. Clinton did it.
Fr Martin and his clergy supporters should be banished from Catholicism.
James Martin, I suppose is a Catholic priest who loves homosexuals. He can connect the riots or such things by is unable to connect “. Homosexual Acts to SIN”
Something no Catholic can understand.
I question whether he loves them. You don’t leave people you love wallowing in sin and encouraging them to think it isn’t a sin.
Yes the violence incited by Colin Kaepernick and church leaders etc. Should be held responsible for all the lives they destroyed.
Some have pointed out that it is more than coincidental that the January 6, 2021 Capitol Riots, Insurrection in Washington D.C. took place on the Christian Holiday of Epiphany ,
We read that guru Martin alleged “an alarming number of Catholic clergy contributed to an environment that led to the fatal riots at the U.S. Capitol.” Nonsense, again, from an imposter-priest who can’t tell the front from the back…
Instead, the atmosphere or “environment” on the East Coast was precipitated on the West Coast. Of the riot and now Trump’s second impeachment, it’s the City of Seattle that can claim credit…
Was it not the early CHOP riot (Capitol Hill Organized Protest, beginning on June 8) and months-long occupation, initially likened by the Seattle mayor to a “block party atmosphere” and a “summer of love”, that legitimized the summer of our street-riot discontent? About which the enabling and sanctimonious local Democrats, especially the state’s governor, said nothing. How different the national outcome if instead of appeasement, decisive clarity had been exercised? Trump’s call then for the National Guard was not heard until last week. About the same number of deaths in both instances.
Thus enabled, the contagious Seattle love fest, which on the first day resulted in the forced evacuation of the East Precinct Police Station, made thinkable the new year’s second Capitol Hill Organized Protest, in Washington D.C.(CHOP-2!). And now, like our dollar currency, even impeachment is devalued by overuse, as a president with a dismal 33 percent approval rating is impeached by Pelosi’s Congress with a more abysmal 15 percent approval.
Under the “party” of unity, what now in 2021? A tragedy all around, in a country where George Orwell (not guru Martin) gets it right: All protests are equal, but some are more equal than others.
“Under the “party” of unity, what now in 2021? A tragedy all around, in a country where George Orwell (not guru Martin) gets it right: All protests are equal, but some are more equal than others.”
Exactly — and many of the Catholic hierarchy and Catholic journalists immediately jump on the drumming train to point fingers before the facts are laid bare.
I am very disenchanted with the hierarchy of the church. To support any politician that supports abortion in any form goes against the teaching of Christ. When you voted for a Democrat you put a scalpel in the hands of an abortionist to continue murdering the unborn. Abortion is now the number one cause of death in the world.
Follow the Money is recognizes how sick and demented it all is in not to God to save us is the US Catholic Church leadership, but to a government that is defunct.
How the United States sends Billions to the richest nations, often Cash and Arms to exterminate the poorest of the poor.
As the US sends Billions to the aclaimed Islamic State, Saudi Arabia and the Jewish State Israel. why? Yet to Mexico goes large amounts of, arms, used to bring upheaval, murder, primarially women and children, and Catholic priests. In the drug trade that sends our jails as instutions of profit, to filled to the brim.
These are the real issues, not abortion, of unwanted in a sex crazed society, devoid of any respect for Chasity and Vows of Marriage as God invented.
Their is a special place in Hell for those who mislead the people, bringing ruination to the children, the future, and the poor. To many forget that in their own self elevation and greed.
Yes, but it might be important for you to remember that there is also a special place in hell for people who constantly lie, commit acts of slander, make false accusations, and self-righteously judge other people. As Jesus said, remove the beam from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly to remove the splinter in your brother’s eye. “Unless you repent, you will likewise perish.”
Very true, Athanasius.
And that’s not even counting the cruel and vicious butchery of the English language.
It is clergy like Father Martin and his ilk that should take enormous responsibility for the state of our country, let me explain. Use Joe Biden as an example of a Catholic whose moral compass has failed and to not call it out is absurd. Martins idea of pointing the finger at Catholic priests who condemn a Democratic Party that espouses unborn child killing,promoting gay lifestyles,and that enslaves minorities with handouts thus breaking down the nuclear family is shameful and counterproductive to the teachings of Jesus Christ. We as a country averted our eyes to these problems for the past 50 years but hopefully we have changed and If people use violence as a tool for political change they certainly will pay one way or the other. The only way to change all this evil is through prayer and the electoral process. You should look into a mirror Fr. Martin,but first you have to get rid of the veil .over your eyes.
Steve. Seriously? You see Donald Trump as having a moral compass?
Certainly he has a moral compass. Though I notice that
a)Steve didn’t mention President Trump, you did, and
b)you were unable to respond to what he said, and therefore tried to deflect it while pretending not to do so.
Fr. Martin is an idiot. Any discussion with or about him must start with that fact.
Is it disrespectful of me to call him that? Yes it is, but does he deserve any better? Not in my opinion.
I graduated from a Jesuit High School in Baltimore – Loyola – 60 years ago this spring, and I don ‘t remember the Jesuits being anything like that when I was there. In my day any Priest – especially a Jesuit – was automatically worthy of respect. Sadly those days are gone.
Fr Martin may be an idiot. But what to call those who have uncritically believed Trump’s tsunami of lies; most of which are a matter or record in the media. A massive fraud which produced no evidence at all which was accepted by over 60 Courts or by SCOTUS(twice). Or support a man who put on the shoulders of his loyal VP the task of committing an unlawful act that would have destroyed American democracy! And then, beyond reasonable doubt inflamed a mob where the VP’s life was put in danger. Abortion, of course, is the pre-eminent issue but it cannot be the only issue. What to call someone who supports a man who is an adulterer, fornicator, pathological liar and who defames loyal supporters who disagree with him and even threatens to destroy their political careers. I could go on…..
Yes.
“ A massive fraud which produced no evidence at all which was accepted by over 60 Courts or by SCOTUS(twice).”
Clearly you haven’t been paying attention. Those courts did not look at any evidence; rather, they declined to hear the cases because they said the people bringing them lacked standing, or the complaint was too late, or any of a number of reasons none of which had anything to do with the evidence.
I have been following the YouTube channel of Viva Frei a Canadian lawyer. He is also on Rumble. He and American lawyer Robert Barnes, who has been involved with the Covington Catholic cases not involving Nicholas Sandmann, have done many live streams about the problems with the election. They say the same thing that you do. Cases rejected for lack of standing or a lack of timely filing, called laches in legal parlance. The courts have been using it as a Catch-22 to avoid hearing the cases. Robert Barnes has been critical about the conduct of SCOTUS.
*
Viva Frei does legal analysis of court cases using the actual lawsuit filings as well as covering current events. He points out where judges use their office more as political theater than the pursuit of justice. IIRC, Barnes said that political cases require a lawyer who has the acumen to manage the political as well as the legal side of the case, that regular lawyers are not up to the task.
“And then, beyond reasonable doubt inflamed a mob”
Oh? What specifically did he say that “inflamed a mob?” Something like “”Our election was hijacked. There is no question. Congress has a duty to #ProtectOurDemocracy & #FollowTheFacts?”
Oh, no, wait, that was Nancy Pelosi, six months after the 2016 election.
Or perhaps it was “They’re [that is, protesters and rioters] not going to stop. They’re not going to stop. This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not gonna stop. And everyone beware because they’re not gonna stop. They’re not gonna stop before Election Day and they’re not going to stop after Election Day. And everyone should take note of that. They’re not gonna let up and they should not.”
Wait, that was Kamala Harris, who also urged people to donate to a fund that bailed violent protesters out of jail.
I’m talking about Fr. Martin.
Thank you for saying that. I think you are absolutely correct. Personally I listen to Fr. James Altman. We have to trust where God leads us. I’m instinctively against listening to James Martin. On any matter.
One is left to wonder why a rogue homosexualist advocating for sodomy by men with men is provided a collar, a magazine, and a place on the Vatican Secretariat for Communications. The hammer descends upon bold priests exhort us to faith and virtue but the red carpet is placed before one who promotes psychological decomposition and mortal sin.
The episcopate providing this individual a platform affirms its own state of irrelevancy. It renders itself purposeless. We witness ecclesiastical suicide. We exist in an ontological state of sacrilege.
Well said!
I didn’t know that Fr. Martin accepts homosexuality. I don’t read his books. I read one early on and didn’t like it so stopped. Does he actually say he supports homosexuality’s itself, the practices or is it the people?
He’s on record and tape saying to a man in an audience that he hopes one day that man will be able to kiss his “husband” during Mass at the sign of peace. That enough for you? There’s more besides.
To James,
Evidence supports your statement. The excuse has been COVID, but the Pope has recently been saying Mass to no one at Easter, Christmas, etc. His Church is EMPTY, null, and also broke.
Is this the same priest who thwarts Catholic teaching regarding homosexuality?
Sinful behavior like Joe Biden espouses can’t be changed by anyone but the sinner by the love of Gods mercy and grace.
THAT merits correction.
Does Joe Biden espouse homosexuality or is it that he is expressing that all people have rights? You or I or anyone might not like homosexuality or the like but that doesn’t mean they should not have equal, not more, rights.
Biden “married” 2 homosexuals in his home. So yes, biden does espouse homosexuality, and for the record I won’t address these sodomites as “gay.”
If anything incited true Catholics it is when weak Catholics, including priests and cardinals, do not speak up for the faith. Many Catholics leaders looked the other way while the Jewish people were persecuted. Some never learn. They only want to stand out by being different.
Fr Martin is in need of a confession. His political support of abortion frustrates the faithful and turns our faith into a mere prayer group. Biden has for many years used his catholic association to shield himself from public outrage. I watched him and suggest Martin investigate before he publish. Perhaps spend more time in prayer
I would be surprised if Fr. Martin actually believed in confession. He seems to be an “admirer of Christ” rather than a disciple of Christ. Moreover, he seems to admire a counterfeit Christ who doesn’t call for any sacrifice or repentance but simply wants us to be happy with our decisions in life, no matter how harmful they may be to our souls. Kinda like Joe Biden.
Now it starts. The false church that Fr. James Martin speaks for will now begin the public attacks on the True Catholic Church, her faithful Bishops.priests and laity. Biden and Pelosi are the public and political face of the false Catholic Church which they will now use to marginalize and destroy the True Catholic Church. The false church has it’s wolves like James Martin, it’s press like the national Catholic reporter and America magazine. The secularists would not dare to smear the Bishops and priests like this so they use their heretics to do the job. What the heretics don’t understand is that our good Bishops, priests and laity will stand firm and united in belief and prayer. Martin will have to find another scapegoat. At the root of violence in America is the choice of so many Americans for the violence of legalized abortion. euthanasia,, the homo destruction of true marriage and the torture of children by transgenderism. The love of those four evils can be laid with Fr. James Martin, Biden,Pelosi, and the falsely created church they represent. They have many atheist and agnostic supporters too along with some of the fallen churches too.
I absolutely agree
I think Catholics have more of a share in this than we’d like to admit. I say that as a Catholic who voted for Trump, twice. For a different perspective, read John Jalsevac’s latest blog entry, “why I’m so angry”. He describes a little bit of the connection. It is challenging, though, I warn you.
Devout Catholics do not justify violence, nor contribute to its fomentation. Bishops pointing out the truths of the faith and publicly condemning those guilty of public sin a la Biden et. al, are fulfilling their vocations by teaching and shepherding their flocks. We all have free will. Those who stormed the Capitol, that’s on them, no one else.
That was indeed a different visceral perspective in the article you prescribed. Altogether he was practicing what he accused others of doing. There it is — and again the truth is trampled on both sides.
Why isn’t this evil man stripped of his title. He is not a priest. Maybe a Satanist disguised as a Catholic priest? Similar to the Antifa and BLM activists who stormed the Capitol disguised as President Trump supporters.
Agree. This seems to me a slow growing process where so many in the Church walk away from Christ. To many Bishops seem to be content with priest like this and Catholic politicians who openly act against Christ teachings. Christ said the Gates of Hell would not prevail against the Church. It seems that Gates of Hell is knocking on the door.
The only solace, if one can say that, is that Church history is filled with the likes of Father Martin. When I read about such history, I would think “so glad I didn’t live through that”. Now I am living through this terrible period. Only choice is to pray, support true Catholic Priests and Bishops, beseech Christ to bring forth the saints needed in this time, and guidance to keep me from going crazy and spiritual strength.
Absolutely agree
When did Nashville get a new bishop?
Father James Martin is wrong and should be ashamed of himself. The violence and murder towards the unborn should be more of a concern. He should not be blaming those that have spoken out for the actions of deranged lunatics that invaded the capital. Those people are responsible for their own actions. Remember we all have free will!
The likes of Fr. James Martin and Richard Rohr have been responsible for confusing many Catholic brothers and sisters and leading them away from Christ. Because the Church refuses to do anything about their false and heretical teachings, their followers believe that these new age teachings are legitimate. “They are in good standing with the Church; so these teachings must be okay.” It is refreshing and brave for our priests and bishops to speak truth that is unpopular. I agree that it is not okay to judge Fr. Martin and Rohr or Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and other self proclaimed Catholics. It is perfectly appropriate and necessary to judge their words, actions, and infidelity to Church teaching in order to protect the flock.
While it is gratifying that Bishop Stika speaks for the unborn, he says that it is “a human rights issue as well as the ultimate child abuse.” This is the kind of wording I have seen a few other bishops use. To me it sounds like the kind of wording the UN might use about an issue. Can our Shepards no longer speak of something as a serious sin, and that your eternal salvation is at stake?
Good point.
Yes, it is good to see that our shepherds speak out for rights of the child, however, it seems that the “no, no” word of sin has been hidden in the basement.
It is time to bring back the language that puts the finger on the dot, that there IS good and evil – that fighting evil is a constant struggle and doing good is a daily necessity. Time for our pastors to explain the Word of God and council their flock with language that will nourish souls, with the goal of salvation in mind.
How many Catholics are aware of Moloch, The Pagan God Of Child Sacrifice spoken of in Leviticus and that millions of babies are being killed in our day. That looks like a pretty big “single” (intrinsic evil) “issue” of which Catholics need to be aware. Millions being killed and some equate that with any number of other issues? Where has reason gone?
These days many pride themselves on promoting and pontificating about “social justice” issues. Yes, calling something a social justice issue immediately sanctifies whatever is promoted in the rest of a speech. So, social justice has become a god.
Here I wish to quote Bishop Fulton Sheen which shows how much the meaning of the words “social justice” have been corrupted. “In the sixties, in particular, youth developed a passionate interest for social justice in restricted areas, but they showed very little concern for individual justice, that is to say, their own relationship to their parents and to God.”
Much of our present day problem lies at the doorstep of the crumbling God, parent, child relationship. When this important reality is not fostered in a society, in our Catholic Church, the harvest is chaos. Sin and Satan revel.
Please pastors, help us to restore real social justice by instructing us in the Word of God, in our Catholic Faith. Be missionaries to your flocks, so that your charges can be missionaries to their families and society.
Bishop Stika is Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, not Nashville.
Some priests need to go back to Seminary for a refresher course.
(Taught by real Catholic bishops and senior priests, of course!)
Bishop Richard Stika is Bishop of Knoxville, not Nashville. Bishop Mark Spalding is the Bishop of Nashville. Please issue a correction.
It is distressing to me that Catholic attitudes toward abortion mirror in the aggregate the secular opinion. Why is there no difference? Why is the Church’s position effectively ignored by so many? At least a part of the answer is the priests who by their comments give “comfort” to those who favor abortion. As Catholics we should make much more of the argument that abortion is a very radical form of birth control.
Thank you Father Martin for having a semblance of sense and decency. The Catholic Church is polarizing people left and right by misconstruing Jesus’ message. It’s very clear: DON’T JUDGE. These priests, who
in my opinion, are totally irrelevant as power figures, seem to think they hold the power of our Lord in delivering their judgement. It’s inflammatory at best and insane and deadly at worst. God will judge anyone who’s had an abortion. We will try to save the unborn but in the end, truly, in the end, it’s God’s work. Not ours. Inciting violence in the guise of faith is incredibly stupid and dangerous.
It’s Catholicism 101 that we can and must judge actions but cannot judge the heart. Basic stuff. Otherwise, how could you judge Fr. Martin’s actions/response and those you find to be “totally irrelevant”? Or is your opinion not, in fact, a judgment?
Homosexuality is one of the 4 sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance and sins against the Holy Ghost. The other 3 are murder, oppression of the poor and failure to give workers their just wages. And, go to section 2357 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which states in part,”Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” It’s not our place to judge, but love the sinner and hate the evil sin of sodomy.
The fact that you are willing to blame priests and bishops, who did what they are called to do in speaking clearly on moral issues, for violence other people committed (whose identities and motivations are not yet even known) is awful. And by the way it is JUDGING, although using very poor judgment.
The Catholic Church is polarizing people left and right by misconstruing Jesus’ message. It’s very clear: DON’T JUDGE. (sic)
Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise.
“And why even of yourselves, do you not judge that which is just?” Jesus Christ, Luke 12:57
The faithful Catholic can receive fervent messages without becoming frenzied, emotionally and physically. As a subscriber to Priests for Life for decades and other orthodox Catholic advocacy groups, I have never felt impelled to “riot” or act anywhere near that level of opposition to abortion and other family-life issues. Currently Priests for Life is offering a Novena of Masses for President Trump. Others are calling for prayer and direct assistance to mothers in crisis pregnancies, peaceful proactivity for the politically persecuted here and abroad, and action through legal channels. I will confess to being sorely tempted to anger, not by these steadfast organizations, but the heretical words and actions of rogue Catholics, Christians, and others professing to love God while doing evil. Though there is never an excuse for sin (violence), If anyone is stroking deep frustration and immature reactivity, it is the Judases. Still, as always, prayer and fasting and commitment to rebuilding Church and culture, as Jesus Christ taught and lived in human history, in authentic truth and love, is the only pathway…though it will land us at the foot of the Cross.
One of the benefits I’ve noticed about being off Facebook and Twitter is that I no longer hear of any of James Martin’s opinions.
So called Fr Martin seems to gladly watch Catholic blood spilled on account of his false allegations
Bishop Richard Sitka is the bishop of Knoxville, TN, not Nashville, TN. Bishop J. Mark Spaulding is the bishop of Nashville, and has led this diocese since 2018.
Thus Spake Zarathustra. Aside from arguing the obvious Fr Martin SJ raises an essential theological issue at the center of Catholicism’s current travail. “Can anyone doubt that the moral calculus proposed by some Christian leaders, including Catholic priests and bishops, [is] framed in the language of pure good versus pure evil” (Fr Martin). Amoris Laetitia thesis is precisely a grey, inbetwixt ‘dimension’ of moral truth, as if this median is equal in reality to either polarity. Exception to the rule confirms a rule. Evil is in absolute contrast to good. Literally in complete opposition. That due to God’s infinite good. Fr Martin a gay rights proponent finds in Pope Francis’ doctrine of mitigation and conscientious right not simply amelioration of a Catholic doctrine of moral opposites, rather an entirely new dimension of morality where good and evil are not really polar opposites. A type of Zoroastrian conciliation of good and evil in which neither is a polarity. Manes would have been proud of Fr Martin’s acute grasp of relativism.
Father Martin is an embarrassment to the Catholic Church. Abortion is one off the greatest evils ever perpetrated on our society and, as such, is a cancer that is eroding our culture. The Church needs to be speaking out even more with respect to this evil, in which Joe Biden not only accepts, but promotes. The killing of the unborn is the greatest civil rights issue since slavery. The idea that open concern with respect to Biden’s pursuit of further legalization of abortion was a factor in the January 6 capital uprising is ridiculous.
By the way, the FBI admits that they have proof that the capital uprising has been in planning for sometime. In addition, two of the arrests made involved people with ATIFA connects. It should also be noted that the DC violence was underway before President Trump even finished his speech.
It
Very true, James. And it was just so, so evil of him to tell people to protest “peacefully and patriotically.”
Father James Martin, S.J., personifies the worst of the Jesuit order, which does have a good number of holy and competent priests and brothers. It is tragic that there are individuals who will swallow his propaganda. I am certain that St. Ignatius of Loyola would reprimand him if he were still on earth.
Jack
I’m with Bishop Stika. I’m unimpressed with Fr. Martin, not for the first time.
Raymond Perringer, you cannot build any true and lasting progress on the Infanticide of Abortion. King said that in his Letter From a Birmingham Jail. He said people would have to learn that fact in order to have any progress. Now, that is true social awareness and plenty of us Ccatholics understand that. I.would put it this way, You can”t build a just nation or have real peace for some, which is built on the slaughtered blood of its smallest children. Those children, though unseen for 9 months are real and present on this earth within the bodies of their mothers. I will not look away from this fact. A fact is a fact. You, sir, seem to entertain getting goods for some but death for others.I agree with Fr. John Hardin, Americas days are numbered because America has accepted abortion in order to get other things.I applaud and support our many good Bishops, priest and laity who publicly condemn abortion and point out those who support and promote it. Bishops like Tobin of Rhode Island,,Paprocki of Illinois,Sitka of Tennesee,Cordileone of California Burke and many others. They have my prayers, obedience and support. The likes of a James Martin won’t change that. Nor will the red herring logic you present. Get off your so called socially aware high horse and get on the ground with the rest of us. Bishop Paprocki says I must pray for the highest good possible for you, so I do.
Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Fr. Martin are CINOs.
It seems that Fr Martin stays in the clergy to do as much damage as possible to the church. It would also seem that he is determined to take as many souls to perdition as possible. I can only speculate that he is rebelling because he wants to “come out” and be celebrated/accepted for it but the real Church will not acquiesce to his lifestyle. Of course only God knows his real heart. I pray he converts to Catholicism one day.
James Martin has been ordered by his Jesuit superiors not to disclose his sexual preference.
Amazing how the media, Big Tech, and the Democratic Party scramble the truth so that James Martin gets his opportunity to add to the dissension. If Trump truly had led an insurrection, it would have been magnitudes larger than the few that stormed the Capitol and it wouldn’t have been only at the Capitol. He’s not that dumb.
Have you also noted how the media keeps repeating that there was no evidence of election fraud as if mere repetition makes that statement true? The facts is that the evidence has never been officially reviewed. Now that the Congress, not the people, has elected Biden, we’re stuck with him and his dreadful agenda.
As for Martin, he’s apparently trying to ride on the coattails of our American tragedy in order to attract more notoriety. He has rejected the Church’s dogma. What else can be expected of him that he is a defender of others who flout the Church’s teachings.
Given that information continues to emerge to the effect that the — let’s just call them ‘events’ — of 6 January in DC were planned well before that date by some whose agenda appears to have nothing whatever to do with pro-life issues, I think Fr. Martin would be well advised to check the way his ducks are lined up. Either that or change whatever he’s smoking.
Wow. I read all of the comments and felt hatred and contempt dripping from them. What would St. Francis say? What would Jesus say?
We have to remember: :Love God and love thy neighbor as thyself” is the greatest commandment.
We will go nowhere tearing each other down.
We also must instruct the ignorant, a corporal work of mercy. Pointing out the evilness of false teachings, especially those of the notorious Martin, is true Christian charity.
One cannot TRULY love another person by ignoring that other persons sin(s) against The Lord and humanity. Not to speak IS TO SPEAK, just as not to decide, IS TO DECIDE. By NOT CONFRONTING someone who calls him or herself a Christian is to actually condone that very despicable & spirit/SOUL-threatening sin that the so-called Christian is committing. SILENCE IMPLIES AGREEMENT! True Christians are cautioned to speak the TRUTH in love. Hate the sin,(but NOT the sinner) and love the sinner. It takes a lot of prayer & practice & patience to lovingly confront someone. Results are rarely accomplished on the first try. The verse “Judge not or you will be judged” always comes up in the conversation.
However, a loving approach to someone else’s wrongdoing is not being judgmental. It is holding the person ACCOUNTABLE for his or her actions, so that they have an opportunity to repent & seek forgiveness. This holds true for most of the sins that true Christians are accused of judging: homosexuality, abortion, transgendering, adultery, lying, stealing, materialism (worshiping a false god), as well as the 7 Deadly Sins. We must be VERY CAREFUL when holding someone accountable, but doing so is
vital to the health of that person’s soul and to the health of the church itself.
Fr. Martin is correct that Bishops are to blame for what happened on the 6th.
Bishops are to blame for not teaching the faith which has led to 75% of those who identify ad Catholic not believing in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
Bishops are to blame for their silence on many evils which allow the majority of Catholics to have badly formed consciences.
Bishops are to blame for their silence against politicians that use Catholicism for voting appeal when everything they stand for is anathema to Jesus Christ.
Fr. Martin is just pointing fingers at the wrong Bishops.
I save this admonition for special occasions and I always pay tribute to either Dear Abby or her sister Ann Landers for the quote.
Fr. Martin – you may have a point, but if you keep your hat on perhaps no one will notice.
I’m seriously surprised at the number of people who read or listen to anything attributed to ‘Father’ Martin. I consider it a waste of time. Seeing his image or hearing about his utterances or writings incites impatience and arouses a sense of injustice. I look forward to the day we shall all face Christ. I take great pleasure in knowing I shall one day listen to the Word address a few to’Father.’
Election and Abortion.
It is so sad to see again, the subject comments from some US Bishops. The subject has emerged some decades ago and it was brought up by US bishops to Pope Benedict XVI and he answered: If someone vote for the Democrat not because of abortion but because of other reason that is good for the country then they can do so… (I don’t recall exact term he wrote).
This is just a basic judgment of morality and catechism so why some bishops had brought it up again. If the bishops do not teach in line with Church teaching then by what basic? by prejudice or by personal reasons, against someones or the whole Democrat party?
Please consider:
The Democrat party has existed together with the Republic party, they both share the equal population and power in US history, which means we must recognize that they have some good value to have existed. For this reason, we must acknowledge the value of their existence.
Abortion: As Catholics, we view abortion in our own faith, we condemn killing a person with complete flesh and soul… However, we could not judge the same degree to a non-Catholic, in this case, the Democrat party or its members.
Furthermore, they are not the cause of abortion; they do not promote or encourage abortion. Basically, they just reach out to help the mothers in need.
As Pope Francis said (CWR January 10, 2021): Abortion is not primarily a religious matter but a scientific and human one (the social matter?) …
The consequence is now that some Catholics are losing faith in the church teaching.
Please take a moment to meditate and consider that our Church is now severely divided from the top. The Catholics are also divided.
Quinn.Nuyen
As both Biden & Pelosi claim to be Roman Catholic, we should indeed admonish them for their pro-choice agenda. Also, you say that they (MOST Democrats) do not promote or encourage abortion. By NOT forcefully standing AGAINST abortion, they DO condone abortion. It is a sin of OMMISSION! Also, they promote tax-payer funded abortions. ALL issues involving life or death, good or evil, truth or lies should be a matter for all Christian churches. Science has already PROVEN that life begins at conception. Pro-Choice people cannot deny that FACT any more. This issue now is NOT whether or not the child in the womb is a baby or just a blob of tissue. The issue now is the so-called right of a woman to have her baby murdered, if she doesn’t want “it” OR to carry the child to term, if she does want that child. A woman’s rights ARE THE PRIMARY CONCERN now. When these women & legislators finally seek forgiveness, may God have mercy on them.
Just as politicians are using January 6 as an excuse to remove all things conservative, Martin is using it to remove Conservatives from the church. Bergolio will follow this pattern. They probably hatched the idea together.
Real unity is in TRUTH another name for JESUS. Truth is a two edged sharp sword. ” He is destined for the rise and fall of many and a stumblingblock to many.” Boy scout unity, Jesus, is not the king of kings. KING OF KINGS is WAY, TRUTH AND LIFE. Those in the comments above who do not see the strength of TRUTH are in danger and quickly need to read the Catechism before they get their hands in that too. Martin and some others have been carefully leading the sheep into final error for awhile, wake up!!!
Wait, did I miss something? Were the people who rioted at the Capitol CATHOLICS who attend MASS and are known to have listened to Catholic priests and bishops and taken the words of particular priests and bishops as a mandate to go and riot?
Because I don’t see anything in the article that indicates that any of the people arrested or rioting openly identified themselves as Catholics acting in the name of Catholic teaching.
Given how little attention anyone pays to the teaching of the Church – Catholics or non-Catholics – how does Fr Martin accord the bishops so much authority and such a wide and susceptible audience that they could inspire various random groups not in any way affiliated with the Catholic Church?
So what we have here, it seems to me, is a Catholic priest acting like a Know-Nothing Party member, stirring up anti-Catholic bigotry by trying to lay the unrest in America at the feet of Catholics who listen too much to their priests and bishops – kind of like the Soviets used to periodically blame all their disastrous policies on the Jews. Pogroms follow, as sure as night follows day.
I’m not following the American news particularly closely, but can anyone tell me if Fr Martin has any evidence that the group who rioted were CATHOLICS acting in the name of Catholic teaching? Or is he just making Catholics the scapegoat? And if the latter, how does he imagine that scapegoating Catholics as the cause or source (or Catholic bishops as the inspiration) of this rioting will help religious freedom for Catholics in a country where the last acceptable bigotry is anti-Catholicism?