Nabi Sayeth: Is the Cream Rising to the Top?

Bishop Joseph Strickland, Tyler, TX

Nabi Sayeth: Many devout Catholics are upset with the lack of true and good shepherding on the part of many Catholic bishops in the U.S. Many of the faithful prayed that the Holy Spirit would intervene, powerfully, at their fall meeting currently underway in Baltimore.

Last Wednesday we saw the workings of the Holy Spirit manifested in the unpopular yet courageous and true statements of one of the bishops:

BALTIMORE, Maryland, November 14, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) –  By Lisa Bourne

Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland forthrightly articulated Church teaching on the immorality of homosexual acts to the U.S. Bishops’ Conference Tuesday. He questioned whether his brother bishops believed this “doctrine of the Church or not,” and if they did, why some of them have allowed certain clergy to speak in their dioceses with a pro-homosexual message.  

“Brothers, I think part of the fraternal correction, or the fraternal support, we offer each other is to say, 'Can that be presented in our diocese? That same-sex ‘marriage’ is just fine, and the Church will one day grow to understand that,'” Bishop Strickland said to his brother bishops gathered in Baltimore, MD, for their General Assembly. 

“It’s part of our deposit of faith that we believe homosexual activity is immoral,” Strickland said.
“The people, those that we label ‘homosexual,’ are children of God, and they need our great care,” he added. “But to me that real care comes from acknowledging the sin, and the reality that all of us are sinners called from sin to virtue.”

Strickland questioned whether now ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick, credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor as well as seminarians, only got promoted — despite many in high places knowing about his open secret of predation — because a number of bishops did not really believe that what McCarrick was doing was wrong. 

“How did this happen - if we really believe that what was going on was wrong?” said Bishop Strickland. 

The question with McCarrick, he said, and the core issue of the abuse crisis that’s been put out there, is how McCarrick got promoted and was able to do all that he did if the bishops really all are of one mind that this is wrong and sinful. 

“There seem to be questions about that,” said Bishop Strickland. “And I think we have to face that directly – Do we believe the doctrine of the Church, or not?” Bishop Strickland challenged his brother bishops with the reminder of how it reflects on them when those whom they invite to speak in their dioceses contravene Church teaching. 

“There’s a priest that travels around now basically saying that he doesn’t [believe the doctrine of the Church],” he said, “and he seems to be very well promoted in various places.” Strickland continued, “Brothers, I think part of the fraternal correction, or the fraternal support, we offer each other is to say, 'Can that be presented in our diocese? That same-sex ‘marriage’ is just fine, and the Church will one day grow to understand that.'” 

“That’s not what we teach,” he stated. “And I think we really have to ask those serious questions.”

As Nabi has written previously, the real issue and the one that has now been addressed thanks to bishop Strickland’s intervention (prompted by the Holy Spirit of course) is the issue of mortal sin. No bishop has publicly addressed this very huge and ugly elephant in the room by name and the many manifestations of such sin in the behavior of many bishops:

-Gluttony/Greed: manifested in the living of opulent lifestyles. How could FORMER Bishop Bransfield, for instance, live a royal existence while stationed in the poorest state of the union? Let’s not forget the support he received from the chancery Monsignors and laity who were complicit in his mortal sin.

-Lust: manifested in the sexual activity of numerous bishops, archbishops and Cardinals such as Uncle Teddy MCCarrick. He and others destroyed the faith of many seminarians. Let’s not forget the Vatican department heads who were complicit in the cover-up of many mortal sins.
-Wrath: manifested by bishops towards faithful priests who called them out for their perverted behavior and who punished the priests severely. Father James Haley of the Arlington diocese was excommunicated for revealing the truth by Bishop Loverde! Let’s not forget the brother bishops and Vatican department heads who were complicit in Loverde’s mortal sin.

Nabi Sayeth: Dear readers, irregardless of the “personal opinions” of many confused priests, bishops and members of the laity, the Catholic Church’s teaching has NOT changed with regard to the immorality of homosexual behavior. Homosexual activity is a mortal sin, period. Please recall the three conditions that must be present for a mortal sin to exist…

Grave Matter: The act itself is intrinsically evil and immoral. ... 

Full Knowledge: The person must know that what they're doing or planning to do is evil and immoral. ... 

Deliberate Consent: The person must freely choose to commit the act or plan to do it.

And if you want to know where your priest/bishop stands on this long held Catholic Church teaching...simply ask him….