Churches locked but bi$hop$ still want The Money. O.Ver.My.Cold.Dead.Body.

No Mass, no Sacraments, no Easter
but bishops want the flow of
$$$$$ to continue unabated.

Opening lines to The Money Song from Cabaret

A Mark, a Yen, a Buck or a Pound 
Is all that makes the world go around,

That klinking, clanking sound,

Can make the world (of the bishops) go 'round. 

(notice the bishop's Emcee' gold teeth @ 0:25 in video below)

After decades of offering stones to the faithful, the bishops suddenly have links to orthodox websites and activities for the laity to engage in "to keep our Faith", "to be close to Jesus" while we're now jobless and imprisoned in our homes. To remind you of the stones we are given, here's a partial list posted in the comment section of one of last year's blog posts. Thank you to the unknown person who sent this.

What Do We Want to Know, Cardinal Wuerl? The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth!

Don't miss my show at the comedy club tonight!

Cardinal Wuerl could be a stand up comic, albeit a closeted one. The title of his soon Not-to-be-published book, What Do You Want to Know? A Pastor's Response to the Most Challenging Questions about the Catholic Faith, sounds like a joke in view of the Grand Jury report. Was the cardinal laughing up his sleeve when he titled it?

The fact is, Cardinal Wuerl has been a cover-up meister for years doing all he could to keep the coverup lid on evil and the duct tape over the mouths of his brother bishops who might be tempted to speak up and boldly condemn intrinsic evils. How embarrassing!

Did you know that in 2005, just a few short years after Dallas, Wuerl planned to introduce a Mechanism of Review via the USCCB. It wasn't, of course, a review of the bishops and their on-going efforts to hide their involvement in the sex abuse crisis.

Donald Wuerl is Beyond Chutzpah! My Jaw Dropped at "The Charter Worked!"

Have your barf bag at hand!



"We all have that statement of commitment."

Right!

Shepherds' Crooks or Wet Noodles for the Bishops?

The bishops are meeting in San Antonio and Bishop Gerald Kicanis of Tucson, Vice President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), says there will be no action taken against Notre Dame for honoring abortion extremist Barack Obama. Are we surprised? The bishops who have the responsibility to teach are doing a great job of it. The question is -- What are they teaching?

And here's the answer:

1) That what they say doesn't mean a thing. Faithful Citizenship is a joke. So are statements that pro-abortion Catholic politicians should not receive Communion. Most of the bishops are like parents who threaten and threaten and threaten their disobedient children and never exact a consequence when their children defy them. All the rebel "Catholic" schools know that the bishops will never implement Church teaching: neither Vatican documents like Ex Corde Ecclesiae that require Catholic colleges to defend and uphold the faith nor their own statements. Most of the bishops might as well carry wet noodles instead of their shepherds' crooks. They will never use them to catch the wayward sheep about to plunge over the cliff of moral destruction. What happened to the 80+ bishops who spoke out against Notre Dame's action? Will any of them stand up now to say the bishops should act? Don't hold your breath. And if there is a motion from the floor, chances are it will be at a closed meeting, quickly voted down, and no one outside will ever know. Because the bishops do business -- in secret.

2) That the bishops are politicians, not shepherds. Read the answers by both Bishop Kicanis and Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry of Los Angeles, chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education when asked by reporter John Allen if there would be sanctions against Notre Dame. Their weasle words could have come from the mouth of a political hack who cares about nothing but his seat in the next election and won't say anything substantive that might endanger it. Which is ironic because these men aren't elected. They are supposed to be apostles. Remember those fellas? Peter who was crucified upside down, Andrew crucified on an X-shaped cross, James the Greater beheaded in Jerusalem, James the Less thrown from the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem and then stoned to death.... Where are our apostolic shepherds?

3) That the flock have little hope that the bishops will teach the fullness of the truth which is their calling. Many bishops are quicker to criticize orthodox laity for being mean or engaging in street theatre or running ads critical of the bishops than in correcting the egregious scandals of their brethren or institutions like Notre Dame. Father Jenkins, President of Notre Dame, is like the operator of a wolf petting zoo. And the bishops who should vigorously oppose him, pat the little ones on the head as they go through the gate. How many of our children have lost their faith at Notre Dame, Georgetown, Creighton, and other "Catholic" schools? How many parents paid dearly for their children's "tickets" to play with the wolves. And how many bishops will answer for the scandals they refused to correct? Surely, St. Peter has many millstones lined up near God's judgment seat for bishops who failed to teach the truth.

PRAY FOR BISHOPS!

USCCB Document on the Eucharist Part III: When Will the Bishops Act Like St. Ambrose?

Today is the feast of St. Ambrose, whose election to the see of Milan was by acclimation of the people while he was still a catechumen. Think about that! He was baptized, ordained, and made a bishop within a week of becoming a Catholic. God raised him up as one of the greatest bishops of His Church, a saint-maker instrumental in the conversion of St. Augustine who inspired the repentance of an emperor. I invoke his intercession for this post!

St. Ambrose, refusing Emperor Theodosius entrance to the cathedral of Milan for his massacre in Thessalonica in retaliation for the murder of a state official. Theodosius' crimes pale in comparison to those of our modern pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

We're approaching the finish line as we look at the last nine paragraphs of the bishops' document, The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church (#50-59).

The USCCB Gestapo Strikes Again

We call our bishops shepherds because they have the responsibility to protect the flock from "the world, the flesh, and the devil." They are the primary teachers of the faith in their dioceses and, as a body, they reflect to the world the face of the Catholic Church in the United States. As such, one would expect them to revel in presenting themselves as Jesus did -- open and available to hear the cries of their people. Is that the experience most of us have of our bishops, particularly as a body, -- welcoming us with open arms like Jesus, never too tired to heal the sick and touch the outcasts? Unfortunately no.

In fact the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) leadership and staff go out of their way to protect the bishops from the flock. The June meeting that just took place in San Antonio gave us one more bizarre example. American Life League (ALL) ran an ad in USA Today the first day of the bishops' meeting urging the bishops (once again as in former years) to deny Communion to obstinate public sinners like pro-aborts Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. ALL chose USA Today because the hotel delivers a complimentary copy to every room. Well, the hotel ordinarily delivers it to the rooms, but the bishops' staffers had instructed that the New York Times be delivered instead. When the on-site member from ALL contacted the desk, he offered to pay for USA Today to be delivered to the bishops' rooms. The clerk was agreeable but when the ALL member called back later the clerk referred him to the hotel contact person working with the USCCB which would not allow it. They had approved only the Times for the meeting. God forbid that the bishops should see the face of that little pre-born baby and be challenged by the words of St. Matthew: "Whatever you did not do for these least ones, you did not do for me." They must be protected at all costs from seeing and reading:

It is a duty in charity to warn not only pro-abortion Catholic politicians not to receive Communion, but to instruct priests and extraordinary ministers not to give such people Communion. We must, as St. Peter said, obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

If you won’t enforce Canon 915 for the sake of the least of these babies in the womb, do it for your politicians and friends who are “stumbling to the slaughter.”
(Proverbs 24:11)

The past is prologue to the future. The USCCB nonsense is nothing new. Two years ago, the Catholic Media Coalition had a hospitality suite during the bishops' November meeting in Baltimore. Twelve bishops visited and a few even stayed for prolonged conversations about diocesan touching programs and spreading devotion to Our Lady of America. No bishop was forced to come. They were welcomed with open arms. But in 2008 when we attempted to repeat what we thought was a very successful and positive effort with the bishops, we found that the USCCB staff had reserved ALL THE SUITES. (At a pretty cost, I can tell you. We spent close to two thousand dollars for a suite for two nights.) It was clear that the staffers and USCCB bosses wanted to make sure the sheep had no contact with their shepherds during the meeting that they could not control. There's more to the pathetic story, including a threat of arrest, which you can read in my article The Devil's Triple Play.

While USCCB staff successfully blocked us (and others who might be tempted to do the same thing) from having a hospitality suite, they couldn't prevent another effort. We joined with ALL to hold a prayer vigil outside the hotel on the Harbor concourse. We had about 50 people join us in prayer and song. Although we sent invitations to selected bishops before the meeting and made some personal calls none braved the chill to join us for the rosary and rally.

Despite the on-going hostility of the bishops' bureaucracy toward faithful, orthodox Catholics, we remain undaunted. The Catholic faithful, under Canon Law, have a right to express their concerns to their bishops, and our shepherd-fathers have an obligation to listen. Like the widow before the unjust judge we will continue to seek justice for the unborn and proclamation of authentic Catholic doctrine - always respectfully, always undergirded by prayer. Those bishops with ears to hear will listen. The others will answer for their dereliction of duty in the end. As for the bishops' bureaucracy, the old saying applies: "With friends like these, who needs enemies?"

One More Do-Nothing Bishops' Meeting -- Business as Usual.

You've no doubt heard the story of the committee of blind men who tried to describe an elephant. Each touched a different part of the beast. The one who touched the side said he was like a wall. The one who touched the trunk said he was like giant snake. The one who touched his leg said he was like a very large cow. None of them got it right. 

Every year the bishops get together twice at great cost to Catholics across the country. They jabber and hob-nob, make nice with each other, talk to the press, and accomplish pretty much NOTHING. Like the blind men who failed to "see" the elephant, they continue to embrace their willful blindness toward the little ones in the womb, refusing to call child murder the preeminent issue of our day or call proabortion politicians to repentance.

Nabi Sayeth: Why Are We Doing What We Do?

Nabi Sayeth: There is a story I heard some time ago from a man who had been hospitalized while suffering a massive hemorrhage. The man is a well known and respected member of his parish community. After spending several days in an overflow area of the hospital due to crowded conditions, a Doctor friend and fellow parishioner entered his room to visit. After some small talk the Doctor asked the man the name of the illness for which he was being treated. His response was “I don’t really know because no one has told me but it almost resulted in my death.”

Nabi Sayeth: To Whom Do the Bishops Pledge Allegiance?

Nabi Sayeth: You have heard by now that as the bishops began their fall meeting in Baltimore last Monday, the meeting was interrupted by a message delivered by the papal nuncio on behalf of the Vatican Congregation of bishops. The bishops were ordered to take no votes on a sexual abuse policy that would have governed the bishops themselves. They were told that the matter would be taken up at a world-wide meeting of Catholic bishops in February at the Vatican.

After Cardinal McCarrick Will the Church in the U.S. Clean House?

I want transparency, fellas. Will all you
heterosexual U.S. bishops please raise your
 hands. You'll be easier to count.

New revelation surfaces about Cardinal McCarrick; editorials take church to task

I'm not particularly optimistic that housecleaning is on the U.S. bishops' to-do list. There is a long history of the bishops circling the wagons on a number of issues including defending dissent and supporting moral evils for the sake of government dollars. Oh what a god the Almighty Dollar is!

The bishops talk about protecting the children (The concern of those who covered up child sex abuse is a tad unbelievable don't you think?), but my cynical self wonders if they're really concerned about protecting themselves and the money. That's what VIRTUS is all about -- protecting diocesan asses assets.

The Legacy of Dallas: Scapegoating Innocent Priests

This is the lead article from the Spring issue of the Les Femmes newsletter, The Truth. You can find the full newsletter at www.lesfemmes-thetruth.org. 

by Mary Ann Kreitzer

Antonio Gramsci, Marxist revolutionary - How
many of our bishops are offspring of his plan?

Sometimes the best way to understand the present is to study the past. The chaos in the Church over the sex abuse scandals and the incompetent, even criminal, way bishops deal with it didn't come from nowhere. It was planned and orchestrated. We could go back several generations to Bella Dodd's 1953 testimony to the House Committee on Un-American Activities where she outlined how, as a Communist agent, she infiltrated the seminaries with homosexuals in the 1930s. It was Antonio Gramsci's strategy of destroying the enemy from within. Gramsci saw that the Christian West could not be destroyed by direct assault. The institutions had to be subverted first. As author

Fr. James Thornton writes in Gramsci's Grand Plan:

Of the Latest Attack by a Black Racist, the USCCB on Racism, and Bigotry in General: Let's Just Stop It!

This video shows the vicious attack by an Antifa mob against journalist Andy Gno  in Portland, OR in 2019. Gno was also attacked by Antifa in 2021. The video below is an example of bigotry of belief. Antifa claims to be "anti-fascist" as they use violence and hatred against those who oppose their ideas. They are themselves fascists! Not all bigotry is racist but all racism is bigotry.

I'm going to focus primarily on racism in this post.

One More Time: On Inviting Obama to the Al Smith Dinner

My friend Jim Fritz writes about the Al Smith dinner coming October 18th. Taken with other actions of the American bishops, it sets alarm bells ringing. Thanks for your insights, Jim.

Cardinal Dolan, Where Are You?

Cardinal Timothy Dolan has done an outstanding job leading the Catholic resistance to the HHS mandate. Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), an advisor to Benedict XVI, he has a well-deserved reputation as a spiritual leader. However, during the past few weeks much has been written concerning the controversy created by Cardinal Dolan’s invitation to President Obama to attend the annual Alfred E. Smith dinner. Much of what the cardinal and other bishops have written has been an attempt to justify that invitation. Much of that written by Catholic organizations and national writers has been extremely critical, depicting Cardinal Dolan as naïve or stupid or much worse.

During his administration, President Obama has done everything in his power to undermine the teachings of the Catholic Church. He is implementing programs and policies that may soon require the Church to repudiate its basic beliefs or close down all of its charitable and educational organizations. His support of the intrinsic evils of abortion and same-sex “marriage” is without precedent in any other administration.

It's Not Just Thirty Pieces of Silver These Days, It's Billions for the Pharisee Bishops!

Are the U.S. Catholic Bishops Pharisees or Shepherds?

There's a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a conversation between Cardinal Ercole Consalvi, Secretary of State to Pius VII, and Napoleon Bonaparte which has the ring of truth. Apparently Napoleon told the cardinal he had the power to destroy the Church. The ironic answer from the prelate was, "If the bishops haven't been able to do it in the past 1800 years, how can you expect to succeed?"

Gay Activists Support Kicanas for USCCB Head

Well, if anyone wanted confirmation that Bishop Kicanas is a bad choice for USCCB head they only have to look as far as the Rainbow Sash web page. You remember those folks. They're the ones who wear the rainbow sash to Mass to show their support for sodomy and gay marriage while demanding to receive Communion. Since homosexual activity is mortally sinful and those who wear the sash are publicly advocating mortal sin, receiving Communion while committing that scandal is a mortal sin of sacrilege. And a few bishops like Archbishop John Nienstedt have acted accordingly and refused them Communion.

The endorsement of the Rainbow Sash homosexuals should be the death knell for Bishop Kicanas' candidacy, but with so many homosexualist bishops in the U.S. perhaps it will enhance his chances. They certainly must think so.

Here's the rainbow sash statement:

THE RAINBOW SASH MOVEMENT
SUPPORTS THE ELECTION OF
BISHOP GERALD KICANAS AS
HEAD OF THE USCCB.

It is appropriate for the only LGBT Catholic Organization in the United States active within the parishes of the Church, and visible about that activity to add its voice to the Bishops election process for its next President. We understand Bishop Kicanas understands that Bishops are privately changing their position because input is bubbling up from the pews of our parishes in support of such issues as Gay Marriage, and Pro Choice.

The not to distant past situation at Notre Dame was an attempt on the part of some fundamentalist Bishops to make a hard turn to the right in general, and the Tea Party in particular. The end goal was to turn Catholic support away from President Obama. Bishop Kicanas voice during this difficult situation called for moderation, and listening.

The fundamentalist Bishops have also turned their sights on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The program has donated $290 million to groups combating poverty during the last four decades, according to Rainbow Sash Movement News. But the program has also attracted fierce church critics who are suspicious of anything that sniffs of socialism. These fundamentalist Bishops have gone as far as to form “Reform the CCHD Now” whose primary goal is dismantling the organization, rather than reforming it. At least 10 fundamentalist bishops have stopped CCHD collections in their diocese so much for the needs of the poor.

Joe Murray the Executive Director of the Rainbow Sash Movement said “that while we have difficulties with Bishop Kicanas present position on Gay Marriage we are hopeful his position will evolve. We believe that Bishop Kicanas follows in the footsteps of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadine, and will lead the USCCB to a position of common ground on issues that are deeply dividing the US Catholic Church. The impending election of Bishop Kicanas I believe is an attempt on the part of a majority of the Bishops to unravel a strangle hold that fundamentalism have on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops." Murray further stated, "Fundamentalist Bishops are trying to tag Bishop Kicanas as being very vulnerable in the area of clergy sexual abuse. I believe that to be a red herring. It may play to the fundamentalist such as Archbishop Chaput and Archbishop Dolan, it does not play well among more moderate and reasonable Catholics, and most of their Bishops. Following this logic could not the same claim be made of Cardinal Francis George current President of USCCB.

The Rainbow Sash Movement believes it is critical that Bishop Kicanas be elected to the Presidency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to set the tone, and be a reasonable public voice and face for the country’s Catholic bishops. It is time to start rebuilding the Church.

Bill O’Connor Rainbow Sash Movement


.

Will the USCCB Encourage their Members to Bar Pro-abortion Catholic Politicians from Communion at their June Meeting?

Is Nancy Narnia's white witch?

Nancy Pelosi says she's pleased by the Vatican's statement to the U.S. bishops about reception of Holy Communion. According to Catholic Vote, "The document Pelosi was referring to told the U.S. bishops to discuss the matter among themselves, to avoid public controversy and division, and ultimately to leave the question between politicians and their local Catholic authorities." It also referred to past teaching on the issue and told the bishops that any statement shouldn't single out a specific group, but be in the context of worthiness for Communion in general. (See Canon 915)

Guest Post: Call the Crisis What It Is: Pederasty!

Editor's comment: As the Rome meeting on the sex abuse crisis begins tomorrow, it's important to emphasize that the bishops must properly address the foundational root of the problem. They plan to focus solely on the abuse of minors. Why? Because ignoring the abuse of non-minors sweeps the homosexual nature of the problem under the rug. The language emphasized throughout the abuse crisis has been "pedophilia" when, in fact, most of the abuse involved older adolescents and legal adult seminarians. Catholics will know the meeting is a smokescreen if this continues, that the hierarchy are spinning a tale "told by an idiot full of sound and fury and signifying nothing." What a tragedy for the Church, especially the Church in the United States. No honesty, no transparency, no solution.

Fr. Tom Collins: The Virginia Bishops' Statement on the Born Alive Act is Too Little Too Late!

Editor's Comment: Fr. Collins isn't the only one to weigh in on this pathetic statement by the Virginia bishops. Complicit Clergy has an article titled Sorry Boys, We are WAY Past the Point of Press Releases. As a member of the Diocese of Arlington, I'm angry! When Trump tried to implement a ban on people from terrorist countries threatening our security, Bishop Burbidge didn't just issue a press release. He went out to Dulles Airport to support the protestors many of whom carried anti-Trump signs showing exactly where they fall on the political spectrum. 

Nabi Sayeth: Fear is NOT a Gift of the Holy Spirit

Nabi Sayeth: When is the last time you pondered the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Do you remember them? Here’s a refresher for you:

They are: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety, and fear (to have profound reverence for or to be in awe) of the Lord.

Stop Feeding the Corruption! Cut Off the Money to the Bishops!

Bishop Tobin leaves Twitter because the faithful call him to account. Ironic, eh?
Bishops have the duty to call their brother bishops to account. Do your duty, Bishop!

That's My Money, Your Excellency!

When I read this mom's article this morning, my heart started vibrating like the strings on a violin. Beverly Stevens' editorial on the sorry state of our U.S. bishops resonates with me and, I'm sure, with millions of other Catholics who are absolutely fed up with the old boys' club.

It isn't just the evil and criminal bishops who should be castigated and, in many cases, should be in jail. It's the greater number of "nice guy" bishops who enabled and expanded the evil by their silence and complicity. Look what happened to England as a result of complicit bishops -- an entire country left the faith and martyred hundreds of faithful Catholics. How different things might have been if the bishops had ALL joined St. John Fisher and gone to the scaffold!

But sometimes silence would be preferable to what bishops say. Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island tweeted earlier this month:

Despite the egregious offenses of a few, and despite the faults and sins we all have, I’m very proud of my brother bishops and I admire and applaud the great work they do every day for Christ and His Church.