You Can't Trust the Secular Media to Get It Right - La Republica Article a Case in Point

And often they are irresponsible (and sometimes deliberate) in getting it wrong. The claim that Pope Benedict resigned because of blackmail from an underground homosexual cabal at the Vatican is a case in point. La Republica's article is a classic case of an article based on little information and absolutely no evidence. No one had the dossier, because it was NEVER leaked! But the media made all kinds of assumptions about its content. Ah...speculation is so thrilling and open-ended!

Well, now Fr. Marcel Guarnizo, whose interview with Ignazio Ingrao "sparked" the "media firestorm," wants to set the record straight. All the speculation about "prelates being blackmailed, money being stolen, swirl upon swirl of innuendo and rumors in Rome and around the world" is speculation. "None of this has been verified."

Fr. Guarnizo asks:

If I, as a professional journalist state that prelates are being blackmailed by a gay lobby, does this not presuppose that I know who and why, or at the very least, have sources who have substantiated these allegations before I rush them into print? As a responsible news reporter, am I not compelled to determine that there is some news and not just empty speculation? Am I not morally obliged to determine, when repeating the claims of another publication—such as La Repubblica—that the report it quotes exists, that someone has seen it, and that it says what in fact actual, reliable witnesses purport that it says?

He goes on to describe an interview with the author of the original article who says the secular media frenzy took his original article in a direction he never intended and drew unsubstantiated conclusions.

Media distorting a story? Wow! Wouldn't that be unusual?

See more:
http://vimeo.com/61886628
Fr. Guarnizo interview with author
Death of Journalism at the Irish Times

Fr. Guarnizo Still Fighting for the Babies: Prepare for What is to Come!

I was glad to see that Fr. Guarnizo is back in public. He participated in the demonstration against late-term abortionist Leroy Carhart on September 12. He reminds the crowd that Carhart's "crimes against humanity" dwarf those of the Nazi monsters. Carhart, the Butcher of Germantown, has murdered more than 30,000 little ones in the womb. And he walks about in our midst as a "respected" member of the community. Carhart used to have his own incinerator -- a grim reminder of his personal death camp. "The failure of democracy began in 1973 with the legalization of abortion." Democracy depends on the tripod of three freedoms: economic, political, and cultural. "The U.S. is in crisis in all three." Saving our society depends on the renewal of our cultural freedom based on religion. Abortion reflects the corruption of the cultural arm of our society. "We must love the truth....Wake up, America....If you abandon the first right, the one that guarantees all other rights, it is no surprise that you will then start losing other rights, other freedoms....When you are here...you are like the image, the icon, of what democracy looks like when it starts to fall apart. Citizens must take action for crimes that are no longer held accountable by the police or the state....We must supply where the state has failed."

Are we prepared for civil disobedience? "Look to the true north, Peter, to see what he says."

Fr. Guarnizo is still around and fighting!

Remember Fr. Marcel Guarnizo who refused Communion to out and proud lesbian Barbara Johnson. He got the boot from Cardinal Wuerl (No surprise to those of us familiar with the background of the politically correct cardinal.) Fr. Guarnizo was interviewed on Al Kresta's show and stated that the situation he experienced in Washington is in the hands of Cardinal Wuerl's "superiors." He clarified that he was never suspended and remains a priest in good standing, a point never corrected in the press. Pray for Fr. Guarnizo and the ultimate outcome of his case. Wouldn't it be good to see Cardinal Wuerl get a slapdown over his disgraceful actions. Hat tip to Janet at Restore D.C. Catholicism. Fr. Guarnizo segment begins around 17 minutes into the show.

Listen to the interview here.

Fr. Guarnizo Gets the Boot from Archdiocese of Washington

A CNA story has the update on Fr. Guarnizo's relationship with the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Well, Cardinal Wuerl has a reputation for coddling the gay cabal and this episode indicates nothing's changed since his days in Pittsburgh. Shame on him and may God bless Fr. Guarnizo. Let's all pray for him. God promises that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord and serve according to His purpose. I claim that promise for Father. As for Cardinal Wuerl, his action makes it likely the gays will go after other good priests. Meanwhile, Barbara Johnson is the sweetheart of the local lavendar lobby. How do you suppose that will play on Judgment Day? What do you suppose God thinks about the action of a woman who destroys the ministry of one of His Sons because he attempted to protect the Body and Blood of Christ from sacrilege? I think on that great and terrible day I'd rather be Fr. Guarnizo than either Barbara Johnson or Cardinal Wuerl.

I'm With George Neumayer

Cardinal Wuerl's Continuing Crisis

I expect somebody will take issue with the paragraph below, but I agree. Go, George!

It amazes me that a clericalist culture of toadying and flattery still exists in American Church circles, given the scandals into which the bishops have routinely plunged the faithful. I have no desire to participate in this worldly game of ring-kissing in which the Cardinal Wuerls wallow. They enjoy the trappings of their office without actually exercising it for the good of souls. They demand 13th-century obedience while behaving like 21st-century flakes who play church in costume and staff.

And Cardinal Wuerl has plenty of company. Clericalism needs to be trashed. A roman collar or a crook and mitre may be symbols of the bishop's authority, but that doesn't mean he's exercising it.

A bishop is only as good as his fidelity to the deposit of the faith. Bishops who advance homosexuality in the Church like Wuerl did in Pittsburgh need to be outed for their treachery. Bishops who fail to preach the truth about abortion and contraception need to be outed for their treachery.

The reason Catholics are fighting on so many fronts in the United States today is thanks to dereliction of duty on the part of so many bishops who have loved the world and toadied to the world's powerful. They need to remember where the "kingdom, the power, and the glory" really reside.

Ed Peters vs. George Neumayr vs. Cardinal Wuerl

Canon lawyer Ed Peters thinks George Neumayr is making a bad situation worse with regard to his criticism of Cardinal Wuerl over the prelate's handling of Fr. Marcel Guarnizo refusing Communion to lesbian activist Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral. As one who agrees with George Neumayr, I think it's accurate to say that the cardinal himself made a bad situation worse when he apologized to the lesbian through his auxiliary bishop and then punished Fr. Guarnizo. Talk about scandal -- helping to advance the gay agenda! 

Ed Peters says the conversation has gone on long enough, that everything that could possibly be said has been said (according to his point of view at any rate). He has consistently insisted that his interpretation of Canon 915, etc. is the correct one and that the laity who disagree just don't get it. 

Well, he's right about that from my point of view and many other faithful laity who believed Fr. Guarnizo was correct and Ed Peters was wrong. Call it the "sensus fidelium" if you like. At least one canon lawyer, an anonymous priest, disagrees with Peters and supporst what faithful laity believed all along. He entered the fray to defend Fr. Guarnizo and publicly dissent with his colleague's interpretation of the subject canon laws. One can argue that anonymous opinions carry less weight than public opinions, but in view of what powerful prelates can do to their disrespected underlings whose rights are often violated, anonymity is probably a prudent course of action for a priest. And if this priest serves in the Archdiocese of Washington or another diocese with a bishop who operates llike Cardinal Wuerl, his action is more than understandable. After all, Fr. Guarnizo was denied due process. Why would Cardinal Wuerl hesitate to do the same to any priest who disagreed with him?

Priest Canon Lawyer Defends Fr. Guarnizo, Takes Issue with Ed Peters

Many laity have questioned the conclusions of canonist Ed Peters about Fr. Marcel Guarnizo's decision to deny Communion to lesbian Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral. A new opinion is now online published by an anonymous priest who is also a canon lawyer. Read his opinion here. I want to publicly thank this priest for expressing such a clear defense of Fr. Guarnizo's actions. Those of us laity who are not canon lawyers had the "gut feeling" that denying Johnson was correct. Father's reasoned step-by-step explanation illustrates why. Two thumbs up, Father!

Who Owes the Apology? Barbara Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Media Contact: Paul Rondeau
March 13, 2012	540.659.4171 | e-mail: prondeau@all.org
BARBARA JOHNSON OWES MOTHER AND CATHOLIC CHURCH AN APOLOGY Liberal Media Complicit in Fake 'Lesbian Communion' Controversy:  ALL
Stafford, VA - Self-identified lesbian Barbara Johnson was denied Holy Communion by a Catholic priest at her mother's funeral. Within two weeks of Johnson taking the story to the media, Father Marcel Guarnizo was relieved of his priestly faculties at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, for reasons that the Archdiocese of Washington claims are unrelated----but also have not explained. Judie Brown, president and co-founder of American Life League, released the following statement: The only controversy here is that manufactured by Barbara Johnson. The gay-friendly media havepainted her the teary-eyed victim with grossly misrepresented and omitted facts about Ms. Johnson and Catholic teaching in order to further attacks on the Catholic Church. Ms. Johnson knows full well that the Church considers practicing homosexuality as "intrinsically disordered" and a grave sin. This by itself would bar her from presenting herself to receive the blessed sacrament of Communion. Moreover, in an interview just last year, Johnson claimed Buddhism as her way of life, not Catholicism. Either of these states disqualifies her from Communion. She nevertheless presented herself and then took the denial of the Blessed Sacrament to the liberal media for political purposes where she was welcomed with open arms to conjure yet another anti-Catholic story. Holy Communion is not some ceremonial wafer as denigrated by gay-friendly liberal media. The Catholic faithful believe the Host to be the true body of Christ. One must be in a state of graceaccording to Catholic teaching in order to partake this most holy sacrament. The priest has an obligation to make sure that the sacraments are respected and no one is entitled to the Eucharist. Ms. Johnson selfishly manipulated the funeral of her own mother, a lifelong Catholic, in an attempt to force Father Guarnizo to allow a sacrilege, then accused him of bringing politics into the Church. This selfish anti-Catholic activism shows that Ms. Johnson's statement that Catholics should put aside "political points of view" is sheer hypocrisy. So no, it is neither Father Guarnizo nor the Catholic Church that should be contrite. Rather, it is Ms. Johnson's disgraceful behavior that obliges an apology to both her mother and her mother's lifelong Church. ###   Media inquiries, please contact Paul E. Rondeau at 540.659.4171 or prondeau@ALL.org. Judie Brown is a three-time appointee to the Pontifical Academy for Life and author of The Broken Path: How Catholic Bishops Got Lost in the Weeds of American Politics.

An Open Letter from a Catholic in the Archdiocese of Washington

Dear practicing Catholic families,

Here is a thought for those who support Father Marcel. Years ago, a wonderful pro-life priest returned about 5,000 dollars to Chris Dodd (a very pro-abortion politician), who had donated to his parish, because it was blood money-raised on the back of aborted babies. Across the country, word got out to pro-lifers that this pastor was removed by his Bishop because of this action. Many pro-life folks sent small amounts of money to this priest. Anyway, he received over 15,000 dollars of donations. http://www.breakpoint.org/commentaries/5187-thanks-but-no-thanks

Since I am aware of other faithful priests, who have operated in good conscience and had their priestly faculties removed--how about, instead of giving to the Cardinal's Appeal, that we donate money directly to Father Marcel. What about a monthly stipend of $25 a month per family? Just a thought.

Money gives people power. Why give money to those who appear to use their power in questionable ways? Since I do not know all the facts....for those who want to continue giving to the Cardinal's appeal---more power to you...but how about,also, supporting Father Marcel. These men who have offered up their very lives to serve are persecuted beyond measure when trying to live out the Truth of the teachings of the Church.

I believe St. Louis de Montfort was kicked out by his Bishop as well, and lived in poverty for years. St. John of the Cross was imprisoned by the Calced Carmelites for trying to reform them.

Does anyone out there have Father Marcel's address. I know he is at St. John Neumann parish. BTW, Father Fran Peffley, who I think is most holy, has also recently been disciplined by Bishop Paul Loverde. Father Haley is living in poverty in Virginia- for years ago bringing to Bishop Loverde's attention the pornography that homosexual priests were viewing at Father Haley's assigned parishes as well as the affair that one of the pastors was having with a parishioner who the pastor later married.. "When there is an imminent danger for the Faith, Prelates must be questioned, even publicly, by their subjects." ~ St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica II, II, q. 33, a. 4

"It is better that scandals arise than the truth be suppressed." ~ Pope St. Gregory the Great

"When circumstances make it necessary, it is not prelates alone who have to watch over the integrity of the faith." ~ Pope Leo XIII

"The road to hell is paved with the skulls of erring priests, with bishops as their signposts." ~ St. John Chrysostom (347-407), Doctor of the Church, generally considered the most prominent doctor of the Greek Church and the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit.

"The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops." ~ St. Athanasius

"The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops." ~ Saint John Eudes

Prayers,

Carol Shute

No Letup in Fr. Guarnizo Persecution

(Sigh...) It goes on and on. An article on the Washington Post Blog on Sunday discussed the Archdiocese's letter suspending Fr. Guarnizo for actions "unrelated" to refusing Communion to Buddhist lesbian Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral Mass last month. Fr. LaHood, pastor at St. John Neuman where Fr. Guarnizo was serving before his removal read the letter on Sunday at Mass; then, according to the Post, said, "I realize this letter is hard to hear. Please keep mind that this is a first personnel issue, dealing with issues of ministry in the church. Father Guarnizo will have every opportunity to present his position."

Really? Excuse my cynicism, but I've seen how bishops allow priests to "present [their] positions." Fr. Guarnizo is now being accused of "intimidating" somebody at the parish. Wow! Nice little two-step there. All the revelations coming out about lesbian activist Barbara Johnson has made it hard to hoist Fr. Guarnizo on that petard, so the Archdiocese chooses a more general accusation that is hard to define or refute. What was his "intimidating" behavior? Did Fr. Guarnizo lose his temper and make somebody feel bad? Gosh, I've had priests' "intimidate" me with angry responses when I gently challenged their liturgical abuses. One leaned over and contemptuously said in my ear, "You're full of it, Honey." He then stomped off giving me the single digit salute over his shoulder. Hmm...I should have accused him of sexual harassment, but it didn't occur to me. Do you think his bishop would have suspended him?  So what did Fr. Guarnizo do, roll his eyes at some loony-tune comment? Did he kick a can in the parking lot that scared a liberal wimp? -- They have such tender feelings.

As one who's been accused of "violence" by liberal dissenters for daring to disagree with them,

From the "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" Department

Too true and too sad. Two thumbs down for Cardinal Wuerl. Visit Catholic Cartoon Blog for more interesting graphic commentary on issues that interest Catholics.

Are We Surprised? Fr. Guarnizo Suspended

Fr. Guarnizo has been suspended. Surprise, surprise. See below the letter to the the priests from the Archdiocese announcing the suspension. One more good priest bites the dust. Now, does anyone suppose that Barbara Johnson, the lesbian Buddhist, has received a letter from the Archdiocese telling her she should not receive Communion in the Catholic Church?

Terry at Abbey Roads posted the suspension letter yesterday and today he posted a quote from Our Lady's apparitions at Akita that predict the suffering of her faithful priests. I'm adding to his quote. Mary told Sr. Agnes:

"The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord....The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them."

For those unfamiliar with Akita, the warnings of what will happen next are terrifying.

"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests."

The Blessed Mother also told Sr. Agnes to recite this prayer with her sisters:

"Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father pleading for the coming of His Kingdom."
"Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls."
"Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen."

It is long past time to seriously fast and pray for the conversion of the world. When the message of Fatima was ignored, the result was a World War II, a conflict that claimed the lives of  50 - 70 million people, 2.5% of the world's population at the time. Read the signs of the times and take seriously the call to conversion. Meanwhile, pray for priests, all priests, but especially those unjustly persecuted by their bishops.

Surprise: Barbara Johnson is a Liar!

News Outlets Failed to Reveal Lesbian Denied Communion at Mother’s Funeral … is a Buddhist and Gay Rights Activist

Two Thumbs Up for V for Victory's Analysis of Fr. Guarnizo/Barbara Johnson Controversy

V for Victory blog has a spot on analysis of the Fr. Marcel Guarnizo/Barbara Johnson funeral flap. Two thumbs up. I particularly appreciate his response to canon lawyer Ed Peters. I respect Peters, but by his description his own analysis falls. Most of the people at that funeral were no doubt aware of the disordered relationship of Barbara and her lesbian partner. The women have, after all, been together for about twenty years. So at the very least the family members at the funeral and all the personal friends of Johnson and her partner knew about the scandalous relationship. If the funeral was typical, that had to be a substantial percentage of the participants. To deny Johnson Communion under those circumstances was an act of prudential judgment and, I believe, a judgment that was correct. Thanks, Anita, for your astute analysis. I particularly appreciate your picture illustrating the indelible mark imprinted on the priest's soul at ordination. It gives me much food for thought and a reminder to pray hard for priests especially for their courage when they experience target practice from their bishops.

Will the Media Correct the Lies Injuring Fr. Guarnizo's Good Name?

Exclusive: Inside sources provide new info on priest censured for denying lesbian Communion

More Thoughts on Fr. Guarnizo and the Funeral

There's an interesting discussion of the Fr. Guarnizo/Barbara Johnson funeral controversy at The Deacon's Bench (TDB) with additional information about what happened. (See: There's More to This Story) Presuming the email sent to TDB was accurate, and it's certainly plausible, Fr. Guarnizo:

1) Talked to the woman before Mass. She made it clear she was a lesbian living with her "lover" and he told her she should not approach for Communion. 

2) Father was, in fact feeling sick which explains his leaving the altar and not going to the grave. He arranged for someone else to accompany the body for internment, a fact omitted in every news and blog report

3) Barbara Johnson apparently presented a seriously distorted version of what happened to make Fr. Guarnizo look as bad as possible and went all out for the publicity making herself the victim and trying to destroy this priest's ministry.

4) Unfortunately, and not surprising, the Cardinal threw the priest under the bus, one more example of persecuting a good priest.

Prior to this additional information about what actually happened last Saturday, which is less sensational and more believable than the hysterical reporting, there was another discussion at TDB that I found deeply troubling. It included some comments about Canon Law 915 from canon lawyer Ed Peters whom I respect. He believed, according to the news reports which were obviously and on their face incomplete and sensational, that the priest was wrong. Since, according to Barbara Johnson, Fr. Guarnizo had just learned about the situation, how could she be said to "obstinately persist in manifest grave sin?" was his main point as I understand it. That seemed to be splitting hairs to me. The Church's position on active homosexuality is well known and Johnson's situation, which she shoved in the priest's face, fits by its nature the plain truth of persisting in "manifest grave sin." The woman didn't, after all, ask Father to go to Confession before the funeral. And there was obviously no intention to leave the sinful situation.

But that's not my only concern. Nowhere in the TDB discussion did anyone mention the scandal. Certainly if Barbara Johnson introduced her "lover" to the priest, that's how she introduces her to others. Many at the funeral must have known the situation. No doubt there were active homosexual friends in the congregation. Compare this to the Rainbow Sash movement that announces their active homosexuality and tries to receive Communion on Pentecost Sunday wearing the rainbow sash. Barbara Johnson did the same thing except that she wore a verbal sash almost daring the priest to do anything. Not only would she have committed a mortal sin of sacrilege by receiving Communion, but a mortal sin of scandal as well. Whether she had the complete knowledge of her actions only God can judge  (It's hard to imagine she didn't given her background.),  but certainly the other two requirements for a mortal sin were there: it was a grave sin and she gave full consent to it. Fr. Guarnizo spared this woman from her own sinful presumption at great personal cost.

Now how exactly did we end up in this situation where a parish priest is put in a position like this and is punished for what was, indeed, a pastoral action? Once again the moral responsibility falls at the feet of our bishops. They have failed to preach the truth. They have muddled the teaching of the Church and allowed "gay liturgies" that imply acceptance of the active homosexual lifestyle. They have failed to discipline renegade priests and nuns like Fr. Robert Nugent and Sr. Jeannine Gramick unless Rome intervenes. They have permitted gay advocacy groups like Dignity and New Ways Ministry to flourish in their dioceses. They have done nothing about gay parishes like Most Holy Redeemer in San Francisco, St. Joan of Arc in Minneapolis, Our Lady Queen of Peace and St. Francis in my own diocese of Arlington, and scores of others around the country. Yes, the bishops gave us this latest Catholic-bashing crisis and it's a wake-up call to every priest in the country. Who will be next? Cardinal Wuerl's reaction doesn't surprise me. He had a reputation in Pittsburgh for advancing the gay movement and persecuting the orthodox. So it must have come easy to throw the priest under the bus.

In closing, I have a few questions for Barbara Johnson. If you didn't want controversy at your mom's funeral, why did you inject your disordered relationship by introducing your lesbian partner to Fr. Guarnizo as your "lover?" Why did you make a point of going to Communion after he told you not to knowing you would probably be refused? Who turned this into a media event and a witch hunt to end the ministry of a good priest?

The best thing anyone can do for this poor woman and her "lover" is to fast and pray for their conversion. And please pray for Fr. Guarnizo whose head is being demanded as the price of his integrity