Abuse: a Post Concilliar Problem?

One of the things that has always shocked me about the whole sexual abuse by priests issue, is how could a priest saying Mass daily, going to Confession weekly or at least fortnightly, having been brought up with the clear cut moral theology of the pre-Concilliar era, knowing that any mortal sin would place his soul in jeopardy of Divine judgement, well, how could he do it?

One of my correspondants highlighted, Bryan, cited one telling instance:

In another case in a Deaf School for Girls, pupils complained that the priest was kissings them after hearing their confessions. The Sister-Headmistress asked him not to do that and the priest agreed if it was troubling the girls. The Sister explained she had thought this was part of the new way of hearing confessions after VII.

 He asks whether it was stupidity, well actually I think it was naivety, remember the first serious academic study on paedorasty was only published in the late 70s. Anecdotally the pre-Concilliar era was one of sexual repression, of "bath-smocks" and talc on the water, just to avoid seeing yourself, let alone anyone else.

Gerald Warner suggests convincingly, that sexual abuse, was a post-Concilliar problem, something from "the let it all hang out era", when everything was up for grabs including celibacy and moral theology, when asceticism and penance had beome dirty words and old certainties had given way to uncertainties.

Uganda: Death Penalty for Gays

St Charles Lwanga along with his companions suffered martyrdom for resisting the homosexual advances of the king, in the same persecution, stemming from the same reasons the Anglican Bishop Hannington, from a Brighton family, was killed along with a large number of Anglican converts,

John Allen reports:

In October, a Ugandan parliamentarian named David Bahati, a member of the ruling National Resistance Movement and an Evangelical Christian, introduced the “Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2009.” In a nutshell, the measure would establish life in prison as the penalty for even a single instance of homosexual behavior (which the bill defines in graphic detail). It also creates a new category of “aggravated homosexuality” subject to the death penalty. Examples include:

•Homosexual relations with a minor or a disabled person;
•Cases where the “offender” (the person initiating the homosexual encounter) has HIV, uses drugs or intoxicants to procure sex, or wields authority over the “victim”;
•Repeated homosexual acts.
Anyone who fails to report homosexuals to the police would face a prison term of three years. The bill also bars the “promotion” of homosexuality, in language that would essentially outlaw pro-gay support or advocacy groups.

 Allen says homosexuality is seen as a western white vice, so the proposed bill is seen as anti-colonialist but also as in most former British colonies Anglicanism is the major Christian body, the acceptance of homosexuality generally within international Anglicanism has been used as a weapon by Moslems to attack Christianity generally. As a reaction against this, other Protestant groups have become more intense in the anti-gay activity, this part of that reaction.
Allen points out the Catholic Church is keeping a low profile, caught in a cleft stick, having more problems with the death penalty, imprisonment for failing to report homosexuals, which presumably would have implications for the confessional.
For us it raises interesting issues about what we expect the state should do about issue we consider to be seriously sinful, like adultery, homosexual acts, abortion, euthanasia, shuld there be a judicial penalty?

Healed Deacon Snubs Cherie

The American deacon Jack Sullivan who was healed at the intercession of Cardinal Newman, has repudiated a visit he made to Mrs Blair:

As soon as he was made aware of Mrs Blair’s record of public dissent from the Church’s teaching, Jack requested that all reference to meeting her be removed from the published recollections of his visit. The article on Times Online was duly amended yesterday (November 26th), but unfortunately Jack’s request came too late to remove the reference to Mrs Blair from the print version of the Herald.

The conjunction of Mrs Blair’s ‘conscientious’ dissent from the teaching of the Church with Jack Sullivan’s apparent endorsement of her could do harm to Newman’s reputation, and that is our reason for posting this clarification. Newman is indeed the great teacher of the rights and duties of conscience. It is of the greatest importance that his teaching is not used to make him the patron of Catholics, like Cherie Blair and others, who in the name of conscience practice dissent from the Church’s teaching.
The decision to arrange Jack’s visit to Mrs Blair, and then to publicise it under Jack’s name, has not contributed to upholding a true interpretation either of Newman, or of Cherie Blair. We hope that making public Jack’s desire, as far as possible, to reverse that decision, however, will do something to draw attention to the truth that is in danger of being obscured.

Read the original

The Apostleship of the Sea used Mrs Blair to front its appeal  this year, a few weeks ago they rang around chasing up the money, that has not happened before. When I told them I would not be sending any because of Ms Blair's involvement and I had refused to display the poster displaying lest it scandalise the faithful, I got a silly snotty letter from the Development Manager Sheila Bailey, saying they didn't make judgements.

Dublin Scandal

As an Englishman I write this with trepidation.

When I was first ordained all Irish people in England seemed to practice.
Nowadays, I presume that most aren’t. At one time for the most part the priest was welcomed into Irish homes, nowadays there is a tension.

On several occasions over the last few years before a death or following a funeral of a respected member of the community, a son or daughter has turned up, unknown to anyone else, who had been up for adoption years ago. They had been “forgotten”, their appearance unwelcome by their parent, their presence glossed over by friends and other relatives. There are things which are secret and things which are not spoken about, there is always insistence on a eulogy that reflects what appeared to be rather than what actually was.
It was against these experiences I read the reports of the sexual predation and abuse in the Dublin Archdiocese, the revelations are actually truly shameful. The big scandal was secrecy and cover-up, keeping up appearances, hypocrisy, it was these things that damned the Church and damned the State too in slightly more muted terms. It strikes me that this report and the Ryan report too only scrape the surface, the Irish media knocks the Church off its privileged pedestal, it reacts against Catholic Ireland; government ministers posture, suggesting Ireland has moved on, inferring they are as distant from it as they are from absentee landlords, the famine, the emigrations, the civil war. What will never be addressed is the level of cover-up in other areas of Irish society, nor the levels of sexual abuse or violence against the vulnerable outside of the Church and institutions related to it.
There is something Joycian in all of this. It is convenient in post-Catholic Ireland to use the Church as a scapegoat, loading the sins of the nation onto it and driving it into the wilderness, perhaps that is where it belongs, if it is indeed the unworthy bearer of Christ’s message rather than being a metaphor for Irish society, in which case it merely becomes another form of cover-up .

Valueless Children

The message on the British Humanist Association poster

Oh the hypocrisy! What is missing here is of course is the label "valueless child".

The biggest threat to children in today’s society is the absence of values, or in Gordon Brown’s words, the absence of a “moral compass”.
The British Humanist Association wants parents to be absent from children’s moral growth. This poster identifies the core values of BHA as a direct attack on the family, the distancing of children from parents. Study after study relates children’s unhappiness, failure in education, high pregnancy and sexual decease rates, failure in forming relationships, crime, alcohol, drug use, psychological problems, etc, etc to a failure in parents to pass on values.
h/t In Hoc

Swine 'flu no bar to Communion on the Tongue

Writing to a British Catholic the CDW said a bishop cannot restrict peoples right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue despite the risk of an N1H1 epidemic.
According to Rorate Caeli.

Sanctuary Changes

The big problem we have had with the "mock-up" of the sanctuary is: where to put the chair.
I don't like being on show, sitting facing the people, nor do I think the celebrant should look as if he has "nipped off".

I have always had the chair between the pillars at the side, the new steps have meant there is no room for a server to pass between the priest and a pillar. The first arrangement with truncated steps seem the only possible arrangement short of having the chair on the topmost step but that would have meant the priest did not "go up" to the altar of God for the Eucharist, which in the West at least has always been important.

After a bit of work yesterday and today Peter and Rado gave us steps all the way along.

Our solution was simple, though not before we thought of it, which was to raise the chair on a block level with the first step, so the step can be used as a footpace.

We'll see how it works, before it is set in stone, or hardwood laminate. Whatever we choose I want some way of making the platform look as though it belongs to the chair rather than the architecture of the sanctuary.

If you have donated via Paypal I shall remember tomorrow at a Mass for our "e-benefactors", many of you have been very generous - thank you, may God bless you.

Manhattan Declaration

The "Manhattan Declaration", is according to Sandro Magister, "The Manifesto That's Shaking America",

It's been endorsed by Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox leaders, united in defending life, the family and the place of Christianity in society. Obviously aimed at the Whitehouse:

"We will not be intimidated into silence or acquiescence or the violation of our consciences by any power on earth, be it cultural or political, regardless of the consequences to ourselves."

it is presented as a new civil rights movement:

We are Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united at this hour to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

• the sanctity of human life
• the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
• the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

 sign it yourself here

The Sign of the Cross

Paul VI full of emotion fell postrate at the feet of Athanagorius, Patriarch of Constantinople at their first meeting. When he met Archbishop Michael Ramsay he pulled off his ring and thrust it on the finger of the old Archbishop. Dr Williams wore the same ring, however unlike his predecessor, Benedict did not kiss it. On Saturday Pope Benedict handed Dr Williams a pectoral  cross, emblazoned with an amethyst - a little sign of being amongst the successors of the Apostles - the not drunk. When he received it Dr Williams rather frightened me, Gollum like, he said something about being, "very preshhhious". Later he said it showed the Pope acknowledge his "episcopacy", which is true, it acknowledge his "oversight" of millions of Anglicans. The gilt was slightly rubbed off the gingerbread of course by the Apostolic Constitution granting episcopal ornaments to those who were Anglican bishops.
The ecumenical situation has changed drastically, this wasn't the main Papal event of Saturday, the 20 minute audience freshortened by the photocall, was overshadowed by the meeting with artists.

Longley, McMahon and Hopes for Anglicanorum Coetibus

The appointment of Bishops Longley, McMahon and Hopes to oversee the implementation of Anglicanorum Coetibus will be good news for many. They are perhaps the three most pastoral bishops in England and Wales, and those most sensitive to the situation of those Anglicans seeking communion.

Presumably Bishop Longley after his elevation will be the chairman. Bishop McMahon is genial  and a theologian with insight, being a Dominican, he will be sensitive to the situation of Anglican religious. Bishop Hopes, a former Anglican himself, demonstrates his concern and  genuine love for the clergy of Westminster again and again.

From the Bishops Conference website

The bishops warmly received the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, and its generosity towards those seeking full visible communion with the Holy See. They established a Commission to consider in detail the next steps in this process in England and Wales. They strongly reaffirmed their continuing commitment to ecumenical relations, working for the unity of his disciples for which Christ prayed (John 17:20-21). In particular, they looked forward to the next regular meeting with the Bishops of the Church of England ever seeking to deepen the shared mission to proclaim the Good News to the society in which we live.

Anglicanorum Coetibus Commission

Responding readily to the provisions of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus, the Bishops’ Conference establishes a commission of Bishops and advisers to consider the next steps which may arise in this process.

‘The Commission is therefore available for consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (cf. Anglicanorum coetibus 1§1) and to offer advice and guidance to Diocesan Bishops. Given the faculty for members of an Ordinariate “to maintain the liturgical, spiritual and pastoral traditions of the Anglican Communion within the Catholic Church, as a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared”(Anglicanorum coetibus III), the Commission is to advise the Bishops’ Conference on transitional arrangements for the reception of groups of Anglicans, should such requests arise. The Commission is also to consider those articles of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus and the Complementary Norms that refer to the responsibilities of the Bishops’ Conference and to present suggestions for their fulfilment. The Episcopal members of the Commission are to be Archbishop-Elect Bernard Longley, Bishop Malcolm McMahon and Bishop Alan Hopes.’

The scaffold

The west window has been steadily crumbling away, its that ****** grey paint again, the bath stone absorbs moisture which should then evaporate but the fruit of the 70s, the impermeable paint contains and it ends up dissolving the stone, worst things have happening on the outside.

Because we had a legacy of £10,000, the largest we have ever had whilst I have been here one we were able to afford to have it repaired, the biggest cost is scaffolding, even the smallest job on the outside of the church cost a minimum of £1,000 for scaffolding. Say a prayer for Margaret Wilson who kindly remembered us in her will.

Eventually we need to scaffold the whole of the south side of the Church to repair the windows and replace mortar with which the church was repaired in in the 1970s, they used the wrong kind, now it is crumbling. Between us and the English Channel there is nothing so the Church and the house get the full brunt of the weather. Don't even ask me about the cost, I haven't even dared to ask. If God wants it done, he will raise the money!

An EF Baptism Training Video?

This is not quite what happened on Saturday but it underlines how important it is to encourage both parents and Godparents to go to confession before a baptism.
Thanks to Leon M.

St Francis Xavier's Catechesis

I have long been fascinated by the catechetical methods of past ages. Rorate Caeli features the famous letter of St Francis Xavier in which he talks about his catechesis of the people of Malabar.

He used children to learn the catechism, and to teach it to others. The catechism and the commandments were the basis, a clear, simple, definitive and accessible message. I think our failure to convert, catechise and retain our faithful stems from the vagueness of message.

Extraordinary Form Baptism

A first for me yesterday, a baptism in the Extraordinary Form.

It was all very odd for me, a son of The Council; no Liturgy of the Word, no bidding prayers, it was a completely different structure, I felt quite shocked by what seemed to me an abrupt ending, a quick chrismation, white garment, candle, then “Go”.

What was very apparent was the movement from one world, or state to another, from Satan to Christ, from sin to the Life of Grace, the movement of the child from its natural parents to God-parents.

For me as a priest it was a very different experience. Maybe it is that I am not that used to saying, “Exorcizo te”, so often. It was rather frightening, and yet very powerful, awesome even.

The Ordinary Form of Baptism, in comparison seems wordy, too wordy perhaps, and maybe its me, but I think it needs explanation, it seems to be a bit blunt, maybe because it is trying to say too many things. The EF seems much sharper, the role of the priest too seems more precise, he gives Life. Although there is no Liturgy of the Word, the older form seems richer in scriptural allusions.


My congratulations to Maria Theresa and her mother and father, Anna and Sergey, and her God-parents Judy and John and my thanks to Andrew, our EF MC.