Thank you for providing both the quote and the link. We all need to become educated on this issue which has brought shame to the Church. As someone who knew two boys who were abused and who knew the priest who abused them, I have been saddened for a long time.**There has been much advice given to the Catholic Church in regard to the sexual abuse scandals. There are, though, only two real options. The Church can become more Catholic, or less Catholic.
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Read more here: catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0330.htm
You know what? I am so tired of this liberal/traditional dichotomy and how each side blames the other, which results in absolutely nothing. I have never been able to understand how the “liberalization” of the Church is responsible for everything “bad” that ever happened in the history of the Church, most of which occurred long before Vatican 2.What does all of the above have to do with the sexual abuse scandals, which was the matter being addressed here?
My point was that if the issues you are referencing are relevant to the scandals, some evidence (facts and figures) needs to be produced to support that link.
None of your comments establish a relationship between clerical abuses and their poor handling by the church, most especially not when much of the abuse occurred before the negative changes you say have occurred.
I repeat, hijacking the current crisis and making it into a liberals vs. traditionalists debate is sad and a disservice to the victims of the abuse.
The changes that the holy father is advocating is not about modernization in the Church, it is not the kind of a change that is what is in the Church today.The assumption is flawed. Change doesn’t have to mean more Catholic or less Catholic. That takes a very narrow view of Christ’s Church. Were the house churches in the early Roman Church less Catholic than that the grand Cathedrals of medevial times? Were the early Catholics that kept kosher less Catholic than later Catholics that abandoned the practice? At what point in history was the Church “most Catholic?”
Pope Benedict has spoken many times on the importance of growth and change, and explained that real growth is not moving toward or away from authentic Catholicism. The Truth does not change and God does not change, but the human institution that we call the Church has changed many times through history, and must do so. That change is needed now is obvious - surely no one that loves the Church thinks that the last century or two have gone well for her. How and when change should happen is something that serious Catholics should discuss, but its never been more obvioius that change is needed.
I don’t understand what the things you mention have to do with anything. Superficial changes in the way priests dress or the way they decorate their churches seem the least of anybody’s worries. Priests stumping for money from the pulpit has absolutely nothing to do with the form of the liturgy, or much else - I don’t like it either, but it happens now, it happened before Vatican II, its probably happened since early times.The changes that the holy father is advocating is not about modernization in the Church, it is not the kind of a change that is what is in the Church today.
it is not about priests abandoning their garments. it is not about priests interact wiht the people as if he was just one of us. it is not about ugly churches being built. it is not about people loosing their faith. which is exactly what is happening. make no mistake my friend things are much worse than we think. just yesterday, i was talking to my cousin in brazil, he was telling me that he went to Mass and all the priest talked about was raising money for some party. he is very dissapointed with what is going in the Church. and he has no experience with the Traditional Mass since this Mass in Brazil has been completely gone.
but this is not to make us desperate but it is to make us aware of the Truth. we must repent and return to God. this means to do things God’s ways and not our ways.
God says, “if my people repent and turn away from their sins…” this is the time for the pope and bishops and priest and the people together repent from all the offenses to our God. to have tempered wiht the Worship and everything else in His House. at least those who are faithfull to God must do that because those who have commited the offenses are probably going to continue doing it without any care that they are offending God.
the sins of desecration and profanity against the house of God shall not go unpunished.
For the last 40 years, the secular word issued propaganda statement after propaganda statement, accusing the Church and Catholics in general of being sexually repressed. Guess what? After Pope Paul VI had Humanae Vitae published in 1968, what did the dissidents inside the Church do? Took out a full page ad in the New York Times telling the world they disagreed with the Pope! Pope Paul VI tried to put the brakes on Catholics who were being told that The Pill would liberate them! It was freedom! Liberal theologians went beyond their proper authority and were telling Catholics it was their choice!hOW ABOUT PLAIN COMMON SENSE?
Prior to the deceptive liberalizing of the Church in 1962.The people were orthodox,priests and nuns were holy,masses were packed and there was great reverence for the True Presence.Since Vii the Church is a hollowed shell of what she once was.All the sexual “ethics” and ethos of the radical '60’s crept in and the cancer of homosexual predatory behaviour metatasised with virulent rapidity.A cancer that we have to root out of the church by recognising and correcting the deliberate liberal skewing of the teachings of the infallible VII.Get my drift?Pope Paul Vi said the Smoke of Satan had entered the Church and gee,when was he Pope?
The lack of orthodoxy was a if not THE causitive factor in the mishandling of this Satanic scandal.
What did He say to the woman who was about to be stoned for adultery after He forgave her? “Go and sin no more.”Before we moralise to ithers we must first learn to practice what we preach…Jesus preached forgiveness, repentance and love…Do we ?