Gay Catholic priest getting married

[Gerry_Hunter]

It would be prudent for the Canadian Bishops to issue a statement declaring his status as non-priest. Excommunicating him would also send a positive message to the faithful. Although in Canada this move to excommunicate could be seen as a ‘hate’ crime and punishable. All in all, the Canadian Bishops should not sit on their hands.

Unless we know that the Bishops have done nothing, we can’t be too quick to condemn.

The Bishops can be called to act, but there is not always a call to stage a media event about the issue. How public has this misguided man gone? Not very, it seems, because as a Canadian Catholic in his 60’s, this is the first I’ve ever heard of him. Had he gone public, and raised a big fuss himself, then to counter scandal, some extensive public response may have been necessary. Can we say that’s appropriate here?

Remember the misguided women who tried to be “ordained” as Catholic priests? The Church replied prudently. The first group was quite public; so was the response by the Curia. However, when these unordained tried to do more ordaining, the Church’s position was that this was the action of people outside the Church, not Catholics, and beyond pointing out that the actions meant nothing in the Catholic Church, said very little. And I think there is a reason for that.

It would be unwise for the Church to overreact publicly to these things, because people who wanted free publicity could then get it quite easily, whereas they would get very little, if any, otherwise. When Pope Benedict was elected, a couple of gadflies (Matthew Fox among them) sought publicity by issuing press releases. Sure, they were picked up by some secular services, but have you heard of these gadflies lately? Overreaction, on the other hand, might have just given them more publicity, which is what they probably sought.

If this man is no longer in the clerical state, then it is not as if a serving priest were doing this. The response cannot give this man the publicity he may well be seeking. Let him pay for his own PR campaign.

Blessings,

Gerry

 

[white_sheep]

Thank you. What part do you think I didn’t get? He served 33 years in his parish and then moved to Toronto 10 years ago. May we assume he has been retired since age 60?

Once a priest, always a priest. Well, how does this work. Isn’t the whole point he is saying he’s gay and a priest?

I was pointing out that the answer to most of your questions was in post 2.

Wouldn’t he be automatically excommunicated and prohibited from acting as a priest in a parish? I would think, and hope, that if he is acting as a priest he’s a rogue priest.

He hasn’t acted as a priest for 10 years. That’s all I was pointing out. For 10 years he been a homosexual activist.

As far as whether he can or will be excommunicated, I’m not sure, but I am fairly sure that he will not incur an automatic or latae sententiae excommunication.

 

[Phemie]

Part of an interview with Clemens 2 or 3 years ago

youtube.com/watch?v=y741Kqjh93U

 

[CatholicGuy22]

This wanna be priest is a joke. This guy has no right to call himself a catholic priest.

---

Love and pray for your enemies and those who persecute you.

If the world hates you remember that it hated me first, no servant is greater than its master, if they persecuted me they will persecute you.

 

[white_sheep]

This wanna be priest is a joke. This guy has no right to call himself a catholic priest.

---

Love and pray for your enemies and those who persecute you.

If the world hates you remember that it hated me first, no servant is greater than its master, if they persecuted me they will persecute you.

He is no joke, it is a very serious attack on the Church that is now unfolding. It is no joke when most Protestant groups now ‘ordain’ women or gays. That is what they think they can accomplish here. Of course it won’t work.

I also don’t think it is right to say that he is not a priest, he was validly ordained, unless it can be proven otherwise, and as such he is very much a priest, just a heretical one who is no longer in active ministry. I am not sure whether he would still be bound to obedience to his bishop, if so I would hope for action.

 

[Diane_Lynn]

He is no joke, it is a very serious attack on the Church that is now unfolding. It is no joke when most Protestant groups now ‘ordain’ women or gays. That is what they think they can accomplish here. Of course it won’t work.

I also don’t think it is right to say that he is not a priest, he was validly ordained, unless it can be proven otherwise, and as such he is very much a priest, just a heretical one who is no longer in active ministry. I am not sure whether he would still be bound to obedience to his bishop, if so I would hope for action.

Action or not this man wears the vestments of priesthood to which he had broken his vows. The statement he is making to the homosexual community is that he is an example of tolerance offered by the Catholic Church which without the church’s repudiation that should be voiced by the local bishop might well otherwise be accepted as truth. The bishop needs to act if for no other reason than to put a halt to this fallen priests propaganda message that sinful ACTS are tolerated.

 

[Charlotte408]

From the article:

I’m always amused by these “Catholic priest first to do x!” stories, only to find wrinkles in the fine print. Someone wake me when an active priest does this and remains in good standing with the Church for any significant amount of time.

omahgawd my heart stopped…and my jaw dropped…

the media is SOOO good at spinning things!! GAY CATHOLIC CHURCH TO BE WED…as if he was STILL an active priest, getting wed with the churches approval…

CATHOLIC CHURCH WILL STOP CHARITY RATHER THAN PAY HOMOSEXUALS…

they are SHAMELESS!! and they know that people read the headlines, and little else…

OH it drives me CRAZY!!

 

[OriginalJS]

This is just an aberation that needs to be ignored. The “marriage” will probably be just a civil ceremony not recognized by the Church, so for believing Catholics it has no significance whatsoever. Who cares what this man does? He is getting too much publicity now as it is.

 

[onetruechurch]

It would be prudent for the Canadian Bishops to issue a statement declaring his status as non-priest. Excommunicating him would also send a positive message to the faithful. **Although in Canada this move to excommunicate could ******be seen as a ‘hate’ crime and punishable. All in all, the Canadian Bishops should not sit on their hands.

This “Alice in Wonderland” way of punishing the moral people for trying to stop immorality is coming to the USA…::: :stretcher:

:bighanky:

 

[Gerry_Hunter]

It would be prudent for the Canadian Bishops to issue a statement declaring his status as non-priest. Excommunicating him would also send a positive message to the faithful. Although in Canada this move to excommunicate could be seen as a ‘hate’ crime and punishable. All in all, the Canadian Bishops should not sit on their hands.

No, it couldn’t. He may well be excommunicated, but that is not normally announced in the press.

Gerry

 

[canadianguy1143]

No, it couldn’t. He may well be excommunicated, but that is not normally announced in the press.

Gerry

There are exceptions to rule or practice and frankly if the Bishops don’t announce that this guy is excommunicated then the Pope would be wise to drag every Canadian Bishop and read them the riot act!

 

[Gerry_Hunter]

There are exceptions to rule or practice and frankly if the Bishops don’t announce that this guy is excommunicated then the Pope would be wise to drag every Canadian Bishop and read them the riot act!

Don’t let the internet distort your perspective. I live in Vancouver, and it is not a matter of much concern to me at all whether or not it is formally announced in these parts what has happened to him. I never heard of the fellow until this latest item, and quite frankly, neither the Archdiocese of Vancouver nor the Dioceses in the Metropolitan’s area have suffered one bit from not knowing.

If the needed notice has been given to deal with what this man has done, worldwide CNN-style up-to-the-minute reports simply aren’t needed.

Blessings,

Gerry

 

[Phemie]

I’ll have to check the national directory tomorrow and see if he’s actually listed as a priest. All priests in good standing are in there, retired or not.

 

[canadianguy1143]

Don’t let the internet distort your perspective. I live in Vancouver, and it is not a matter of much concern to me at all whether or not it is formally announced in these parts what has happened to him. I never heard of the fellow until this latest item, and quite frankly, neither the Archdiocese of Vancouver nor the Dioceses in the Metropolitan’s area have suffered one bit from not knowing.

If the needed notice has been given to deal with what this man has done, worldwide CNN-style up-to-the-minute reports simply aren’t needed.

Blessings,

Gerry

I let the bible guide me. The Bible is very clear on the dangers of scandal. This course of actions is VERY scandalous and must be dealt with swiftly. You may not consider it important, but if this Priest decided to join SSPX then the CCCB would have dealt with him more swiftly.

 

[Gerry_Hunter]

I let the bible guide me. The Bible is very clear on the dangers of scandal. This course of actions is VERY scandalous and must be dealt with swiftly. You may not consider it important, but if this Priest decided to join SSPX then the CCCB would have dealt with him more swiftly.

Do you have evidence that he has, in fact, not been dealt with by his bishop? I’d like to see it. He no longer functions as a priest, so someone clearly has done something.

And it is wrong to say I deem the matter not important. It is not at all influential out here, and would only be of import if he tried to function in these parts as a priest. And there are indications that where it is influential, it has been dealt with in a matter commensurate with its importance.

Remember the model of the “women’s ordination” attempts. The ones who first tried it in Austria were dealt with, but persisted and tried to “ordain” others. When they did, the Church made it clear that it was not the action of Catholics, and had nothing to do with the Church. The Curia put in place the means whereby those who persist in this folly now separate themselves from the Church by the very acts they perform, without any prelate needing to act.

The only thing priestly about this man, we must remember, is the character on his soul from Holy Orders. And there doesn’t seem to be much Catholic about him these days, either. He’s actually fooling nobody, and has merely provided fodder for some press scribbler.

Ask yourself as a Catholic: If he goes to a registry office (say) with another man, signs some forms, and comes out saying he is married, has he received the Sacrament of Matrimony, and is he, from a Catholic perspective, married? Some reporter calling it marriage doesn’t make it so.

Blessings,

Gerry

 

[Gift_from_God]

Ohhhhhh…This guy. My parents knew him. They said he preached a load of nonsense.

 

[thealtonroute]

This would’ve made the perfect cover story for Weekly World News. I can see it now: the homo priest and his male companion and Batboy as the best man and an alien presiding as the minister.

 

[Fidelis_Unus]

Thank you. What part do you think I didn’t get? He served 33 years in his parish and then moved to Toronto 10 years ago. May we assume he has been retired since age 60?

Once a priest, always a priest. Well, how does this work. Isn’t the whole point he is saying he’s gay and a priest?

I agree. Post #2 did not clarify anything at all . Priest do not marry, even after they retire. Regardless, this is no marriage anyway. Typical salacious secular news. I trust that our Church will deal with him accordingly.

 

[Diane_Lynn]

I agree. Post #2 did not clarify anything at all . Priest do not marry, even after they retire. Regardless, this is no marriage anyway. Typical salacious secular news. I trust that our Church will deal with him accordingly.

Even after a priest retires he is still obligated to his vow of Holy Orders is he not?

And although the Catholic Church would not recognise same sex marriage Canada does civilly so he and his partner can claim to be ‘married’. And if he is retired he still might well be a priest and that would lend itself to the propaganda being advanced that ‘a gay priest married’ nonsense. Hopefully he might be removed from his vows and the priestly community as well which seems to be helping to fund this sacrilegious act through his pension rewards paid by members of the church. I doubt though that this would ever happen since some in our church too often seem very tolerant of even those who vote in favor of abortion and even give out communion and awards to those who promote that evil act. Oh well!!!