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Thursday, May 16, 2019

Lawsuit Against the Vatican, the Ultimate Slap in the Face of Authority


This link reveals intentions of abuse victims to go above the diocese level here in this country and carry the complaint all the way to Rome.  The structure of the Church protects one diocese from financially affecting the others.  One diocese can run out of money from lawsuits or suffer a loss of reputation, but the others remain untouched.  They are insulated from each other, but they all share one common thread, Rome.
Theologically this is a good thing, but this chain of command connection is also the weakest point in this instance.  One might say whereas the Vatican rightly holds all power, they also must own all the blame.  Where a single priest has sinned, his action has stained the whole Body of Christ.  And who and only who has the authority to stop it?  Obviously not you or me.  It is rather the one who appoints our bishops.  The one who writes our encyclicals
Pope arriving at one of his many 
foreign destinations to woo the crowd
The one who jets around the world like a rock star inciting our youth to “Make a mess.”  Well, have we not enough “mess” to deal with all ready?  That, instead of cleaning house, like should have been done long ago, the Church under the leadership of not one but several who have turned a blind eye to homosexuality, preferring instead to concentrate on obscure theological minutia or topics that are completely outside the jurisdiction of the Church, such as the climate and lifestyles of pagans in the Amazon jungle. 

The layers and layers of protection and separation between you and me and the one in white who has not only the ring, the throne, and the pulpit, has allowed him the ability to “fiddle” while figuratively as well as literally the Church is burning to the ground.

If a lawsuit is able, as the stone from David’s sling, to bring down the giant, or at least knock sense into his head, then I say, God be with the plaintiff with the courage to say the faithful have had enough and we aren’t going to take it anymore. 

We’ve had enough of being ignored.  Enough of being hoodwinked out of our money.  Enough of being told to be quiet and have respect for authority.  Enough of being tricked and fooled into accepting corrupt changes in doctrine.  Enough of being given weak spineless bishops when we desperately, oh so desperately need REAL MEN! 

When the Vatican cares more about whether the world loves it than it does about defending Truth, then maybe it is time for the world to take it to court and throw the secular book at it.  Had the Vatican tended to its own house, its own affairs, its own flock, this would not be happening.  Rome has abandoned its duty to feed the sheep, most of whom are scattered and lost, not even knowing what a real shepherd’s voice sounds like.

I am going with a group from my parish to Rome soon for the first time in my life and I do so with ambivalence.  I wonder if the sight of this magnificent shrine, once an inspiring symbol of the glory of God and our faith anchored in stone, will leave me with confidence or a trembling fear that what we now see is just a shell, a hollow empty space once occupied by the Holy Ghost whom the leaders have ignored and forsaken for love of power and money and the world’s approval.
I long to see with my own eyes these ancient art treasures so revered by Catholics, but in all the places we visit on this trip will I know God is truly there or have they become mere chambers of antiquity and storehouses for artwork too large to relocate.  God is not bound to remain where he is not worshipped and adored.  We show our love of God by fearing him, obeying his commandments, praising Him, and placing His will above our own.  Is that what’s happening in Rome today?  You tell me.

4 comments:

  1. In Rome you will visit St. Peter's and know that it is your "home" parish. You will be there with people from all over the world and see again the universality of our glorious faith. You will visit other churches that will leave you in awe of their beauty and the faith of the people that built them. So many churches. On street corners you might find a shrine to Our Lady as once there was a great devotion everywhere to the Mother of God. And you might find nearly empty churches except for pilgrims as well. But do drink in the glories of what the Catholic Church has been in Italy.

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  3. Personally I believe a trip to Rome to ,"...drink in the glories of what the Catholic Church HAS BEEN in Italy.",would break my heart even more if it were possible.

    Chriss , just watch out for the pick pockets and pray for the Church to be restored.

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  4. There is no need to worry or believe, or suspect, that Hell will prevail, defeat, or overcome the Catholic Church.

    We may go to Hell in believing such nonsense..

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