Cleveland Diocese to allow protestant minister to lead "revival service" at the Cathedral

[brittrossiter]

According to today’s Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Cleveland Diocese is permitting a protestant minister, the Rev. Paul Sadler of Mt. Zion Congregational Church, to preach a “revival service” at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral this coming weekend. Also to be “featured” during this service are the head of an ecumenical social justice group and “The Prayer Warriors” gospel choir. Here’s the link to the article:
cleveland.com/religion/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1192524399269960.xml&coll=2

While I’m all about combating poverty, and I’ll admit that Cleveland has a huge problem with poverty, allowing a protestant minister to preach “revival” from a Catholic pulpit, much less our Diocese’s Cathedral pulpit, is hardly the way to combat it.

I recently came back to the Church after more than 20 years, and it was stuff like this that played a big part in keeping me away for so long. To see it continuing, and with the apparent blessing of Bishop Lennon (how could he not know this is being planned in his own Cathedral), is frustrating beyond belief and very disheartening.

 

[KCT]

At least he’s not preaching at Mass.

In our diocese, there have been ecumenical services held in parishes. Sounds a bit like that. —KCT

 

[Richardols]

At least he’s not preaching at Mass.

In our diocese, there have been ecumenical services held in parishes. Sounds a bit like that. —KCT

Using the Cathedral is a matter of the venue, a large enough Christian gathering place. I wouldn’t read any more into it. I’m sure the bishop knows what he’s doing, and it seems an ecumenical event.

Even at Billy Graham revivals, Catholics who were moved to repentance were directed to their local Catholic churches, not Protestant ones.

 

[brittrossiter]

I pray for our Bishop constantly, and understand the “space” issue. My concern is the quasi-imprimatur that will come by having any kind of protestant revival message preached in THE primary Catholic church in our diocese, even an ecumenical one. Allowing events such as this conveys the message that it really doesn’t matter what religious organization one affiliates with, as long as one gets religion. That’s not true ecumenism. And having the event occur at the Cathedral suggests that the Bishop approves of such a philosophy, which I hope and pray that he does not do.

This “it doesn’t matter” mindset, like I said, is one of the things that kept me away from the Church for so long. I know now that it most definitely does matter, because the Catholic church contains the fullness of Christ’s truth. True ecumenism would be focused on helping to bring the world to see this as well. Allowing protestants to preach revival at the Cathedral does nothing towards that end.

 

[BigFeet]

Like all Catholic churches, the Cathedral needs to be treated as a sacred place (which it is). In order for the space to be used as an “auditorium”, the Code of Canon Law (can. 1222, para. 2) states, among other things:

“The Blessed Sacrament should be, as far as possible, reserved in a side chapel or in another safe and suitably adorned place (Cf. C.I.C., can 928, par. 4).”

“The greatest respect is to be shown to the altar, the president’s chair and the ambo.”

So, the Blessed Sacrament should be reposed to another location, and the sanctuary tabernacle should be left empty, with it’s doors open. The altar, president’s chair, and the ambo should also be removed or covered.