The following comes from an April 3 posting on the Black Biretta blog by Father John Triglio.
Nothing more cowardly and unmanly than to make fun of an elderly man. Only someone who is insecure in their own masculinity has the audacity to launch verbal attacks on a true gentleman and scholar. It is pathetic when a person is reduced to making petty insults and puerile epithets just to mask their own theological inadequacies. Any moron can resort to ad hominem attacks but an intellectual person seeks and respects the truth. Sadly, a cardinal, a prince of the church, recently made schoolyard-bully insults via twitter the very day Pope Francis was elected:
“So long, Papal ermine and fancy lace! Welcome, simple cassock, and hopefully, ordinary black shoes!”
“Moving from HIGH Church to LOW and humble Church! What a blessing that we are encountering Jesus without trappings!”
You do not have to be an astrophysicist to figure out who was being implied in His Eminence’s remarks. Trashing a former pope while he is still alive (albeit abdicated) is not just bad manners, it is like dissing your elderly grandfather after he goes to the retirement home. Disrespectful and distasteful. Shameful, not to mention embarrassing that the non-Catholic world has to see a Cardinal show such disdain for a Vicar of Christ and Successor of Saint Peter.
Pope Francis has a different style than his predecessor. So did Pope Benedict XVI to a smaller degree. It is unjust and dare I say, it is slanderous to accuse, allege or imply that B16 was in any a proud pontiff. It took great humility to resign from the most powerful office on earth. Pope Benedict abdicated for the sake of the common good of Holy Mother Church. She needed a shepherd who was healthier and more vibrant. both popes, however, are humble. Humility can be expressed in different ways.
Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Francis of Assisi are perfect examples. One was a brilliant theologian and intellectual giant while the other was a pioneering spiritual reformer. While there may be some friendly competition between the Dominicans and the Franciscans, neither Aquinas nor Francis were bitter rivals or enemies.
The secular press, however, and some in the Catholic media (and one notorious and infamous Cardinal) make it sound as if only Pope Francis showed humility. They imply and infer that Pope Benedict was a proud aristocratic who veiled himself with trappings of imperialism.
Pope Benedict merely showed the Church and the world that catholic means universal. Just as we have both an Eastern and Western (Latin) Church in Catholicism, we also have in the Roman Rite the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms. We have traditional and contemporary taste in art, music, and liturgical attire. If Pope Benedict wore a lace alb it was merely a matter of personal taste, not a political statement. If someone is looking for hidden agendas and latent messages, I would not look at the old fashioned vestments, rather, peek into the moral activity of those who cast the first and largest stones. Before the sex scandals broke in the press, many a seminarian was persecuted for wearing a little lace in his alb or surplice while a classmate who frequented gay bars or who preached dissident theology in his homilies got sterling evaluations.
It is not the liturgical lace that church bureaucrats need worry about. Instead, they should be concerned about the women’s lingerie some deviant clergy were wearing as has been reported in newspaper articles a few months ago. We do not need the Dark Ages of the Witch Hunt for conservative and traditional seminarians and priests as we had in the ’60’s, ’70’s and early ’80’s. Almost like Elizabethan England when finding a rosary got you drawn and quartered, many of us remember the intimidation, ridicule and often offensive persecution for practicing private devotions and personal piety.
Some people like formality not because they consider themselves better than others, rather, they want to honor someone or some event by making an extra effort to dress up. Casual has become the icon of our modern age. When I was growing up, everyone, be they poor, rich or middle-class, had ‘church clothes’ that you wore every Sunday. Jeans were for manual labor, not for office or school, nor dining in restaurants and never in church. Wearing the proper wedding garment had nothing to do with the cost of it. Attention to small details is not always a sign of obsessive-compulsive behavior. It can also be a sign of respect. When good china and real silverware are brought out, along with the linen napkins and tablecloth, it is the occasion and/or the guest who is being honored. Paper plates and plasticware are inexpensive and convenient but they do not bespeak anything special. Some people or some events are special. Some places are special (like Church).
Pope Benedict XVI had class. He is a true gentleman and a man of polite manners. He would never make the disparaging remarks like the ones made by an American cardinal calumniously attacking him just for his choice (and it is an option) of liturgical attire. If more attention had been spent on cracking down on bad theology (dissent) and bad morality (sexual misconduct) as well as bad liturgy (rubrical abuses), many scandals could have been avoided and prevented.
I am sick of those who keep trashing and bashing B16 as if he were some snobby Czar or glib monarch who dines on caviar while the poor masses eat stale bread. What Pope Benedict did was to show us that sacred worship (Divine Liturgy) is about God and it comes from God. Man did not invent divine worship. God created and ordained how and where He was to be adored and worshiped as we see Moses being told by God to tell Pharaoh, ‘let my people go so that they may worship me in the wilderness.’
It was Judas who reprimanded the woman that anointed the feet of Jesus with expensive aromatic nard. Christ did not stop nor did He chastise her. He instead thanked and blessed her. Cain made a sloppy second, convenient sacrifice whereas his brother Abel offered the best sheep of the flock. Whose offering was accepted and whose was rejected?
Blessed Teresa of Calcutta insisted that silver or gold vessels be used at Mass in all her chapels where the Missionaries of Charity worshipped God around the world. She said the worship of God deserved only the best and the poor should not be deprived of offering the best to God merely because they themselves cannot afford it.
I find it is clerical men who are more like girly-men and nancy-boys (i.e., those insecure in their own masculinity) and who launch vicious attacks on their peers and colleagues for wearing more elaborate, formal and more traditional vestments. Real men do not bully the perceived ‘nerds’ or ‘geeks’ who dress less casually than the jocks. Real men are secure in manly virtues and have no need for histrionics and melodrama. Humility is not what you wear, but how you act and how you treat others. One can be cheap and have nothing to do with saving money. Being cheap is not about spending less, rather it is about being too lazy or too conceited to do what might be inconvenient but what is expected by convention to show respect and appreciation to someone else. Cheap Catholicism is like cheap grace; neither is efficacious. Reverence is not a matter of price-tag but it is a matter of deliberate effort to show respect.
To read entire posting, click here.
Read Cardinal Mahony’s remark on Twitter – and the reaction he got from the public (!)
The most charitable way of dealing with Cd. Mahoney is to ignore him. The more press he is given, the worse it gets. He has disgraced himself and the Church; would that he retire as did Benedict, in humility and a life of prayer. I don’t really want to hear anything he as to say.
Cdl. Mahony is the most disgraceful and ignominious Archbishop the archdiocese has produced, (most have been very holy men, of modest disposition)…sadly, this man has been a lightning rod for controversy and scandal for over a decade and more…because of his liberal stand on homosexual activity, the seminary in Camarillo, was called the “headquarters of the lavender mafia” for yeeeears! Only since Archbishop Gomez has been the Shepherd of Los Angeles has this shameful reality, been addressed…
When Pope Benedict was elected in 2005, I decided to write every American Cardinal to thank them for electing Cardinal Ratzinger. A few weeks after sending my letters, I got one letter back, in fact the ONLY letter back from any of the cardinals. It was from Cardinal Mahony. He thanked me for my letter and wrote something along the lines about what a blessing it was to elect such a fine pope. I did not believe then nor do I believe now that Cardinal Mahony ever cast a vote for Ratzinger. Cardinal Mahony is the poster-boy for everything that’s wrong with the Catholic Church.
The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Luke 18: 11-12
Dr. J, for most of us this is not about the Pharisees in a church, after all St. Paul was a Pharisee and proud of it even after his conversion. When I go to church, I do not judge anyone unless they are dressed very immodestly, whether man or woman. For most of us this is about having the advocacy of immoral activities constantly shoved in our faces, over the television and internet, on the computer, in the public schools and sometimes even in some stores. One of my daughters went to a store a few days ago and while she was being waited upon the clerk kept singing the song, “I Kissed A Girl and I Liked It”. The song is about bisexual behavior and was being played on the system overhead and is totally inappropriate to play in a store that serves people of all faiths. My daughter complained, and if it happens again, they have lost two customers and probably a lot of others who are tired of trashy music of any kind. That is what most of us are complaining about here.
The clerk was a woman.
Anne T.,
You got me wrong. My comment (as all comments should be) was directed at the object of the article. My point was that I detected this attitude in Cardinal Mahony’s tweets. His comments are like many who comment on such things. Also, I do not connect the Cardinal’s comments to any other things he may have done. I stick to the topic as it may be instructive to the wider readership. I am in no way defending anything, so I am unsure of what all you are referring to in your post as I never even waded into any of that.
My apologies Dr. J. for my misunderstanding.
Thanks Anne.
I would not defend the Cardinal’s Tweets. I personally think that the papal accoutrements are a necessary outward expressions of the importance of the office. I never equate the vestments or other liturgical trappings as having anything to do with the man (in this case Josef Ratzinger). As such, my point was that Mahony was contrasting himself with Ratzinger and identifying himself with Francis, on the one hand judging Benedict as being “prideful” and on the other hand judging Francis to be of like mind with him. An infantile presupposition if ever there was one. It was in this way I was reminded of the pharisee and I thought it was an interesting observation given the object of his derision was the Holy Father himself. The great irony being that the Holy Spirit found Josef Ratzinger acceptable to the purposes of God, while the good Cardinal apparently found him wanting. Then there is the whole question of a false humility that would be an easy excursion but alas I haven’t the time. Good day to you Anne. God Bless you.
The title for the original article was “Back off the Benny Bashing”. CCD ran it under the title “Cardinal Mahony’s Insults of Benedict XVI” with the subtitle “Better Lace than Lingerie.” The tweets were posted on the day of the election of Pope Francis. So Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI was no longer Pope. Cardinal Mahony tweeted “So long, papal ermine and fancy lace. Welcome, simple cassock and hopefully ordinary black shoes. St. Francis would be so proud.” It is obviously about the choices that Pope Francis made to stay simple and humble, not an insult to Pope Benedict. It is time to stop this. It is evil. The argument that it doesn’t harm his reputation if people already hate him is bunk. “They who have lied about their neighbor and seriously injured his character must repair the injury done as far as they are able, otherwise they will not be forgiven.” Baltimore Catechism Q. 381
One has to feel sorry for Anon for not seeing what was wrong with what Cardinal Mahony tweeted. Those are not words coming from a holy person. How dare he send such tweets, he should do some self examination before he criticizes our previous Pope. God have mercy. Previous Pope Benedict is a very holy and humble gentleman who loves the Lord and all that is good. Such things should not have been twitted especially from a Cardinal.
I’m sick of the demented defense some have here for Cardinal M actions. But I’m not surprised….
abeca, the Church tries to teach us to examine our own hearts; that we cannot know what goes on in another person’s mind and heart. I know this is traditional Catholicism that has been rejected like so many other tenets of the Faith. This is why it warns us not to gossip. This has become an occassion of sin for many. When Cardinal Mahony stood up for Chik-fil-a, did it make a headline here? Did it make a headline when he posts Pope Benedicts sermons and writings on his blog? Cardinal Mahony is someone that people love to hate. People believe what they want to believe.. Read his blog. You can see that he shows nothing but admiration for Pope Benedict XVI. I have not presented a demented defense of Cardinal Mahony. I have presented the clear teaching of the Church. No other issues-the Cathedral, sexual abuse, his ride, his meals, Mother Angelica- are relevant. People are accusing him of something he did not do. He said nothing about Pope Benedict. He did not criticize him nor insult him. And if he had- overlooking an insult is one of the first lessons in humility and I am very sure that Pope Benedict has mastered it.
The editor replies: As a matter of fact, when Cardinal Mahony came to the defense of Chick-fil-A, it did indeed “make a headline here.” Please see:
Hooray for Chick-fil-A
Cardinal Mahony comes to the defense
AUGUST 13, 2012
https://cal-catholic.com/wordpress/2012/08/13/hooray-for-chick-fil-a/
Dr. J., thank you for the clarification. Previously I thought you might be castigating some of us for telling others that their advocacy of certain sins was wrong on these websites, and that you thought we were being Pharisaical in doing so. Some others have said that or implied that before when we did correct a person. I see now what you really meant. God’s blessings to you, too.
I stand corrected and I appreciate the information. Sorry.
Anonymous I am not disputing that Cardinal Mahony may share some of our convictions, especially since he is a Catholic Cardinal and he must love Jesus, even in his own ways (Judas loved Jesus too in his own way). I am not questioning that, and I’m sure he agrees with the freedom and convictions that Chick Fil A owners have to practice that freedom, and that is fine too. Believe me when I tell you, people don’t want to dislike him just because… remember that he has caused unorthodox scandals… pretty much his own actions have brought that kind of sentiments because the faithful who do take their Catholicism seriously are just plain fed up… plus it’s sad that you would say they hate him. It’s not in the tone you have set here but it’s his actions and inaction to honor his role and what Christ’s has commanded him to do.
Don’t try to be his hero…. the people here are smarter than that…. it’s wrong to water down or wash down what the concerns are of the faithful in regards to this Cardinal.
abeca, it really isn’t about Cardinal Mahony; it is about how people think and how their thoughts can lead them to do something that is offensive to God. Hatred is extreme dislike for someone. Let’s forget all the posts and just look at the article. The author must associate Pope Benedict XVI with ermine and lace; he would not have interpreted it that way, otherwise. I did get way distracted by some of the posts, but they are instructive. People believe this interpretation because they have a negative opinion about Cardinal Mahony. Instead of thinking “I don’t like the Cathedral” or “I don’t approve of the way he handled this case of sexual abuse of a minor” people think Cardinal Mahony is bad because he built a (whatever) Cathedral or because he protected pedophile priests. Our Holy Church protects us from ourselves by teaching us under the Eighth Commandment to be scupulously truthful (a challenge with the way the human brain works) and to not say bad things about others (or even good things, as in flattery.) Each catechism is slightly different (not in truth but in emphasis). The Catechism of Pius V, the Baltimore Catechims and the CCC all have sections that we should learn and obey on the eighth Commandment. And as for hypocrisy, yes, I have the same faults as everyone else. I am not criticizing anyone or defending Cardinal Mahony tweet or anything else. I am intending to instruct in truth. Perhaps I did it poorly. Please forgive me. In addition, one sign of hatred is that you cannot bear to hear the person defended or praised. When that irritates you, it is time to examine your heart. If it enrages you, even more so.
OK Anonymous let me give you an example. If you saw, just an example not having anything to do with this, a man sodomize a child, what would your actions be? How about lets say you were in an abortion clinic and you actually saw an abortion take place, even worst a botched one, where the child survived it and the doctor just left the baby to the side to die without any medical help? Can you take those things lightly? Will you consider the pro-lifers evil for exposing what that abortionist did or what that sodomite did? better yet, how about the people working there? Will you defend them for even being accomplices because right before the botched abortion took place the woman was scared to have an abortion, the front desk ladies where telling her, its gonna be alright, don’t worry, we had one too and we are fine, telling her more lies to get her to ease up to the idea.
When you have our church leadership invite to dinner Obama, the biggest abortion advocate ever, and act like nothing (the flock are watching to be lead) or when our church leadership does not speak up for the unborn with more conviction and strength….are we to act like a society who is heartless and carry on like nothing…..we might as well live in hell if we are not going to practice our God given blessings to stop this injustice. What you see as hate, is not the same as you try to give examples too, no not at all. Just be thankful that you are not that child that was molested by someone in the church or were part of that failed abortion that ended up in the trash can to die. that is what really infirurates the flock, and rightly so. It is not unreasonable to finally speak up and it might not come off as you wish them to come out but they do, its when no one says anything, does nothing that makes those agenda’s gain more power. Those things can not be taken lightly nor desensitized. Some Cardinals receive celebrity status and they forget their real calling.
Jesus said to Peter “He said to him the third time: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved, because he had said to him the third time: Lovest thou me? And he said to him: Lord, thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee. He said to him: Feed my sheep.” Douay-Rheims Bible John 21:17
abeca, for your first questions. There is a holy and justifiable anger.
You see in the Baltimore Catechism the sentence “The only thing that will excuse us from telling another’s fault is the necessity to do so in which we are placed, or the good we can do to the person himself or others by exposing faults.” There are times when revealing another’s fault-as in crimes and abuse like you mention- is a duty. There are times when it is necessary to admonish someone on a fault and when not listened to we are to refer them to the Church. (Matthew 18:15-17)
Anon I know it’s hard to believe but I read the whole Baltimore Catechism and probably have memorized it as well not word for word but I probably know a lot more about the faith than many Catholics do today….I use to try to reach out to Protestants, homosexuals and also have taught bible studies. But I never stop learning our beautiful faith….but most important it all began with when I was a young kid…I learned to fear the Lord….I had a wonderful grandmum too who never stopped at teaching us the faith and about life…she taught by example and when needed she used words too…..she was poor didn’t have a lot of money but she had so much love for Christ, virgin Mary and His church…she was truly a beautiful witness to the faith.
When was the last time you prayed for evil doers and adulterers, Dr J? Also, have you given a hand up to a drug addict or prayed for the lonely elderly all alone in their little apartments, forgotten by their families lately? Or how about the forgotten poor… folks living in trailers and cars, unable to get help or education, but lots of mockery and scorn, who don’t qualify for obama phones…. there’s certainly enough to keep us ALL busy. If you feel compelled to pray for a man who has cost the church (AKA THE PEOPLE WHO SACRIFICE HARD EARNED MONEY TO GIVE) MILLIONS AND MILLIIONS of dollars that should have gone to help the poor and the sick, then please DO pray for him.
Dana,
You clearly did not understand my post. I defended no one. I merely quoted scripture, with no added commentary. However, I think would be instructive for you to review the parable from which I extracted this quote. I believe the all caps portion is meant to be interpreted a raised voice, I assume in some sort of righteous indignant anger. I forget that there are some who cannot read a post without attaching a great deal of subjectivity to it, as such, I should learn to add more commentary so there is no confusion. I am not sure who you are so angry with but it would be a mistake not to point out to you that nothing can justify such anger toward you brothers and sisters. I do pray for all people, I don’t label anyone as an evildoer, as we are all evildoers and it would be to miss the point of the parable to do so. And I will pray for you as well, Dana.
If I have misinterpreted your post i do apologize.
When I use LARGE letters it is to accent words, since we do not have any other resources available to focus on particular ideas we want to EMPHASIZE…most assuredly I’m not shouting. Unlike Anne, I don’t find your explanation at all illuminating and I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, friend. No need to apologize as I’m sure you’re satisfied with whatever it was you wrote, and the fact that you are making the same claim that I’m in need of prayer for my views and that I’m shouting etc. only assures me that you’re like one of those passive/aggressive drivers who pull out in front of you leaving you barely enough room to stop so you beep your horn and they respond, ” tsk tsk…such a rude driver. I’d better pray for the poor soul”.
Read Cardinal Tweeters twitter responses.The best one was about the Cardinal wearing an orange jumpsuit and prison sandals! LOL!!!
Thank you CCD for posting Fr. John Triglio’s blog.
Love his “Catholicism for Dummies” book.
Yeah, I laughed pretty hard as well, when I read it…where he’s headed he’ll need a “flame retardant suit” more likely…LOL!
Love the sub title, great article. After all, the Lord Jesus had his temple robe — the seamless garment that was so special and finely made that the Roman soldiers threw dice for it because they did not want to tear it in two. Most likely his mother wove it for him as most Jewish women did for their sons back then. By the way, there are posters on websites that are stupid enough to call the robes that the Jews, Arabs and Christian priests and choir members wear dresses. I would like to see what would happen if they told a Scotsmen he was wearing a “skirt”. Most likely they would get a caber in the face.
It really is sad to see this. We all need to offer at least one Rosary for Cardinal Mahony’s soul. After all Jesus loved him enough to make him a priest.
Bwangi Kilonzo, you are right, Thank you for calming us down.
bwangi Kilonzo I don’t like this attitude anymore….don’t you know that everyday we pray for Cardinal Mahony and others. Do you know that there are homosexual priests and I’m sure our Lord didn’t pick them, man did. Please stop with this martyr attitude, it’s no wonder Cardinals like him get the red carpet often and this disgrace keeps on scandalizing many.
BINGO!
I should have said, “for trying to calm us down.” I cannot speak for others.
I don’t have enough Rosary beads or prayers to spare any for Mahony. Others who are more needy and not hypocrites come first.
Skai you are correct, we pray that our prayers go to the ones who need it the most…God knows who they are , they don’t go to waste or and they do not go in vein either.
I just read what Mahony posted on “twitter”!… the current Pope should “muzzle” this wayward cleric…Mahony should be 1/100th as holy and self effacing as his holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Shocking, positively shocking…
I doubt very much that Cardinal Mahony was insulting Pope Benedict XVI. I think it was simply a comment on the virtue of poverty. CCC 2478 To avoid rash judgement, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: “Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.” The internet is full of temptations. One should be careful not to sin against the 8th commandment.
Tell that to Cdl. Mahony…he’s in need of “catechism 101” from my catholic perspective…
sick denial of the the reality!
Thank you for the reminder, Anonymosus.
You know very well that Cardinal Mahony was insulting Pope Bendedict XVI, and even if he were not, a man of his office should know better that to post stuff like that on public blogs, which shows he clearly lacks maturity and judgment to hold the office of Priest, let alone Bishop and Cardinal.
It would be far more fruitful if you saved your advice for Cd.Mahony anonymous. There are lots of Bible verses about hypocrisy and self-righteousnous, as well. I think what the majority of us are talking about here are whited sepulchres and hypocrisy since while we’re still able to enjoy free speech. When the sanctimonious secular culture who believes it’s mean to be discerning, and judgmental to call out sin begin to arrest and fine us for hate crimes when we speak out against adultery, homosexuality, dishonest and amoral leaders (in the Church or government), then I suppose we’ll either risk speaking out or suffer in silence.
My comment was on the content of the article, only.
Okay. ;o) I’m just soooo disheartened with some of our cardinals right now, such as the latest support of same-sex unions. sigh
Anonymous, if it was not intentional, it was imprudent. If it was not intentional I ask his forgiveness and I give him mine. My posts have not always been clear. As far as the other issues, I will let those far wiser than I deal with those.
I do not think that Cardinal Mahony was insulting Pope Benedict XVI. If you go back through his blog you can see that he recommended one of Pope Benedict XVI’s writings as a Lenten companion. He always speaks of him with reverence and admiration. I think the author misinterpreted the tweet. It was not a condemnation of Pope Benedict at all.
His implication was that he eschews pomp and ecclesiastical haberdashery, in favor of “simple” clerical garb and modest “black shoes”…his faux stab at humility and simplicity falls on deaf ears, when one looks at how carefree he has been over the years blowing millions of dollars on many endeavors and machinations, that helped to almost bankrupt the Archdiocese…he might spend some time in reflection, pondering his wise and humble words, next time he’s out and about in Beverly Hills eating at some “swanky” steak house on Wilshire Blvd, with his millionaire cronies, right after he is dropped off by his chauffeur, in the luxury sedan, he tools about Los Angeles in…spare me..
I am sorry — not buying your excuse for him. The Cardinal played the part when Pope Benedict was in charge. Like he is doing now under Pope Francis. When the “you know what hit the fan” and he was removed from public ministry by Archbishop Gomez, he suddenly changed his tune. Don’t think for a minute the archbishop didn’t get the order from Pope Benedict to silence his Eminence. Cardinal Tweeter is a player. Doesn’t mean I don’t pray for his conversion. It is just very hard to see what he has done and allowed when he was running the Los Angeles Archdiocese. I guess I expected a Cardinal to already be a convert to the Catholic Faith. My mistake.
Cdl Mahony’s tweet was a direct assault at Benedict and his continuity with church tradition. He obviously is desperate to release some pent up anger towards those who protect and promote the magisterium. He should be in an orange jumpsuit serving time. Yes, that would be justice!
Would be interesting to see him exchange his scarlet for orange.
We have an expression in Spanish “no algas cosas que parescan malas” Don’t do things that appear bad….it sounds better in Spanish, the interpretation loses it’s true meaning and intention for the wisdom filled expression/saying. If Cardinal Mahony meant nothing ill about it, then why even say them, especially when they may appear bad as they are already, look at what many have concluded by them. After all, those who are closer to this Cardinal also tend to believe that he did indeed said them in such a ill tone….it’s not looking good for the Cardinal. They don’t sounds like comments coming from a holy person…that is all I gotta say. yes siree bob.
I guess the next step in simplicity according to the likes of Cardinal Mahoney would be to have the celebrant wear a potato sack and use a refrigerator box as an altar. Modernists don’t care that the vestments the celebrant wears, the rubrics of the Mass and the beauty of the parish are all about giving God his due worship. The liturgy should be reflective of the Majesty of God. And the irony of these snarky comments from His Eminence, considering how many millions the Cathedral cost to fit his minimalist vision for the Church.
Yes Clint…you are correct…and Mahony is the “poster child” for modernism in the Archdiocese. His liberal, leftist stance on everything good and holy has been his shameful and ignominious hallmark for years. His legacy is one of the worst anyone could imagine…and more!…
This is awful. My parents say that Benedict is a role model for them in aging and retirement. Cdl. Mahoney is so self absorbed that he thinks he can twitt things that are absolutely uncharitable. God bless B-16 in his retirement!!!
Perhaps an ignorance of European textile history is behind this misunderstanding. In past centuries, ermine fur was used exclusively by royalty and lace was so expensive that only the nobility and clergy could have it. Some nations like France prohibited it’s use by commoners. (Even in colonial America, one had to have a certain level of economic status to wear lace.) Cardinal Mahony is obviously referring to the end of a time when the Church is wealthy and powerful and above the people to a time when the Church will be of the poor and with the poor. it is not an insult to any person, much less Pope Emeritus Benedict whom Cardinal Mahony always admired.
Kindth, you must be one of his Eminence’s groupies. His $300 million plus ugly modern Cathedral speaks volumes of what he truly believes on the Church being “poor.” Yes, and don’t forget his high-powered attorneys. Something all us peasant Catholics can afford. Up! Keep telling yourself that…..
Maybe Mahony is going to run for Congress or Senate?
Skai where do you come up with these funny one liners….you are good.
Thanks, Abeca; I don’t know. Maybe it’s the science of humor, where you take all sorts of facts or ideas and simply put them together in concise formulas.
LOL
Or possibly he’ll run for the mayor of Oakland, stepping stone to governor.
Hasn’t it always been, his way or the highway? Heaven forbid you disagreed with him on anything – ask Mother Angelica.
Receive the Eucharist from Cardinal Mahoney on a regular basis. No problem and will continue to do so. Would not sit for one minute and have a beer with Roger, however.
Horendo, you ever meet Mahony one on one? Face to face, handshake? If so, you might want to pour the pitcher over his head.
Horendo, how bad does a bishop or priest have to get before you go elsewhere to Mass? Are you not familiar with Jesus saying, “Not by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” does man live? Jesus clearly makes it mandatory for man to live that he receives not only Holy Communion and not only the Word of God … but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Is that what you get with Cdl Mahony Communions?
Sadly, Cdl Mahony used that twitter statement in order to ingratiate himself with the parishioners of LA, who for the most part find him pretty revolting, at least I do, and many others as well… this man would even throw PBXVI under the bus, in a vain attempt at “championing humility”, (which he never even remotely embraced) at the expense of our former holy Pope!… as usual Rog, open mouth, insert foot.
Does anyone know when (date/year) Mahoney was ordained? His conduct over the years has not been becoming of a priest.
The editor replies: May 1, 1962
Just to think that I wrote stacks of letters to this Cardinal asking, no, begging that benedict’s Summorum Pontificum be applied here in Los Angeles. The entire correspondence is now gathering dust in the Vatican.
Cardinal Mahony had a pernicious influence in this Archdiocese and beyond. He re-wrote the liturgy after his own view; Google Gather faithfully together, a guide for Sunday Mass. This is how Holy Mass became so trivial in Los Angeles, and what got Cardinal Mahony chastized by Mother Angelica.
Tweeting (whether done by the former Pope or Cdl. Mahony) is an egoistic form of communication solely designed to bring attention to oneself. Let’s hope the papal tweeting days are over — and that Cdl. Mahony will also very soon fade into the woodwork.
What a graceless performance by a disgraced prince of the Church who lacked the common decency to recuse himself from participating in the conclave. This is the final straw for me!
I do not get on Twitter, but I was just able to read the title myself to Cardinal Mahony’s article from the link provided. It was horribly insulting to past Pope Benedict, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. What a horrible man to try to pit the ex-pope and the new pope against one another. I do not know him, but after what he did to Mother Angelica, his coverup for the molesters, his article concerning Archbishop Gomez’s actions, and now this, I have no respect for Cardinal Mahony at all. He has dissed them all. God help him.
I suppose I should have said, what “horrible actions and words from” Cardinal Mahony instead of “what a horrible man”, but he even disrespected the saintly mother of St. Therese of Lisieux, a fine lace maker, when the cardinal showed such disdain for lace making.
OK this is calumny — a sin. Cardinal Mahony did not disrespect St. Therese of Lisieux’ mother.
It is a sin to slander him no matter what decision or tweet of his you did not like. He did not say anything about Pope Benedict either.
Baltimore Catechism 379: We are commanded by the Eighth Commandment to speak the truth in all things, and to be careful of the honor and reputation of everyone.
Calumny, Anonymous? Calumny? Pleeease! I have defended Cardinal Mahony before on this website when he was falsely accused by a woman and for the most part kept out of this argument. I have also defended both Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis’s right to dress the way they want to others and tried to explain the traditions behind some of their thinking. As far as I am concerned that huge headline on the Cardinal’s article said it all and was way over the top. No one doubts at whom the barb was aimed. Also, Blessed Zelie Martin made her living and helped support her family and charities by lace making, which I am sure she sold not only to women but most likely priests and others who wore it. Someone mentioned that only the “upper class” and priests were allowed to wear it. So what? Many of them had earned the right because their families or they themselves had served Christendom well. Were there some abuses? Most probably yes. Would most early Americans have denied George Washington and his family the right to wear lace? I doubt it. Not after all he had been through for most of them. I have said before that I am not that fond of lace on men, but that is just my taste and a matter of custom; nothing else. It was just the way I was brought up.
Anonymous, how would you say it is possible to slander a cardinal who ran a pedophile-protection network, and held off the secular investigative authorities for years?
You can slander anybody if you spread false reports about them. It does not matter if they did something else wrong — if what you say about them is not true — it is slander.
Slander that is justified….
Anonymous, the actual Commandment is Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. Evil people are no neighbors of mine as far as I can see. You’ve got to understand that the Church is not the US govt with its protocol for judging criminals. When all these minutia of legalist convention go wild, such as what you’re doing with it, then it mocks the true law of God.
Note the referenced section from the Catechism – the charge is to protect the reputation of others. So the standard to be avoided isn’t falsehood, the standard is defamatory speech, whether or not true. The elements for legally actionable slander, as requiring a showing of falsity, are another matter entirely.
Skai you are correct…
Cardinal Mahony’s corruption, his pedophile and sodomy network, is so evil that no accusation against him is a sin. How can it be? Cdl Mahony is one of the more vile souls in Church history … He has no defense, as was said by Archbishop Gomez. Interesting that the new Archbishop of L. A. does not have the power to further sanction the one whom he accused with overwhelming evidence of one of the worst cases of corruption in history. Is anyone really digging into why the shallow treatment of Cdl Mahony?
That’s not how it works. The eight commandment forbids us from bearing false witness. Catholic teaching says that it commands us to speak the truth in all things, and to be careful of the honor and reputation of everyone. It forbids all rash judgements, backbiting. slanders and lies.
“horrible man”, “horrible words and actions”: What’s the difference? A man is known by his fruits, and what is in a man’s heart is revealed by his fruits.
Well, Skai, I suppose he has done some good things. I will grant him that.
So, did Hilter, Stalin, Mao and Castro do good things. That does not cancel out they’re being “horrible men”, does it? And what about Nero? After all, he did not exterminate all Christians … wasn’t that also a good thing? And what about the pedophile priests, wouldn’t it be true that they also did good things by celebrating Mass, baptizing babies, hearing confessions, etc.? And then we have Charles Manson, who could have killed even more than he did … a good thing also, no doubt.
The other Anonymous, Your point is well taken. I just did not want to say it as I have already been falsely accused of calumny.
This “Anonymous” is mine … Skai.
If you expose something that a person did, the sin is detraction. If you accuse him of one he did not commit, your sin is calumny and if you maliciously circulate these reports to injure his character, your sin is slander.
The other Anonymous (I assume Skai), when I posted your point is well taken, I just meant that I agree that people like Hitler did SOME good things but not enough to overcome the evil that they did. I was not comparing Cardinal Mahoney to Hitler or any of the others whom you named as I am not close enough to the situation to really know everything about it, but I cannot speak for others who do. I will leave that determination up to Archbishop Gomez, the new Holy Father and anyone else who was closely involved. Now I am going to take Archbishop Sheen’s advice that we take a Sabbatical from the news reports quite often to get away from all the bad stuff.
I should clarify something here before I get off this subject. I believe Cardinal Mahony’s barb was aimed at Pope Benedict, but it indirectly hit Blessed Zelie Martin, which I do not believe was intentional on his part.
Cdl Mahony seems almost “incapable” of doing the appropriate and prudent thing…EVER!…he never knows when to back off…remain silent, admit his mistakes, without rationalizing or utilizing some other defense mechanism, that will somehow exonerate him of his many misdeeds…some are so shocking they are criminal when analyzed, other blunders, (his most notable on twitter), is a mere reflection and outgrowth of his inability to practice prudence…it’s as if his own powers of discernment are so compromised, he is just flat out incapable of DOING THE RIGHT THING!…shocking, positively shocking
Pope Benedict was falsely accused of insulting Islam; also of insulting gays. People misunderstood what he said because of their own sensitivities. I am sure his sympathy is with Cardinal Mahony in this latest “gotcha”.
Anonymous are you a gay advocate? I think you are….
MY BELOVED AND HOLY MOTHER ANGELICA WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG ABOUT CDL MAHONY.
I am surprised Cdl Mahony didn’t get mad at google for posting Ceasar Chavez on Easter Sunday in their Google Doodle — not because Christ wasn’t appreciated; but because Roger Mahony wasn’t pictured standing next to Chavez in the google portrait!
You know how people “self excommunicate” themselves as Catholics with Abortions or various other mortal sin and their acceptance of going against the Church? Well I apply this to self abdication of a Cardinal in Roger Mahony. The man has fallen too far to be considered Holy and worthy of the Title!
And this coming from a sinner herself! He needs to go away!
The Crescat website has an article entitled “Ruby Red Slippers, The Story of the Pope”s Shoes”. Emeritus Pope Benedict’s red shoes were made by an Italian cobbler named Adriana Stefanelli. They symbolized the blood of the Christian martyrs, the Pope’s ultimate authority of Christ and God’s burning love for humanity according to that and other articles. Yes, the Pontifix Maximus of Rome and Constantine wore red shoes, but the symbol of authority was not the only reason Christian Popes took over the wearing of the red shoes. They were given and took other more Christian reasons for wearing them. Pope John Paul II wore them sometimes, and at other times he wore plain brown shoes. All the Popes seemed to have worn different traditional apparel and footwear from each other but always giving a Christian meaning. At one time the red shoes had gold crosses on them. Pope Benedict’s shoes were given to him as a gift. It seems they cost other Christians nothing. The lace at the bottom of his inner garment, shown on that website, was really quite beautiful, and did not look effeminate with the manly outer garment over the top of it. George Washington wore lace on the cuffs of his shirts. I think like some of the same type of lace that Blessed Zelie Martin’s business made. Anyone who wears a birthstone ring or a wedding ring should know that that was originally a pagan custom taken over by Christians and given a new meaning, so all this nonsense about the Holy Fathers wearing things taken over from pagans should stop by the secular press and other supposedly Christian sites. They only show their ignorance.
St Paul addressed this sort of thing in one of his letters to the Corinthians. He pointed the idol makers towards the “unknown God”, whom he enlightened them as now knowable and whose name is Jesus Christ. Jesus redefined creation, and so all symbols can be redefined. Even symbols that refer to things already condemned by God can be redefined in this true light. If there is a problem with the symboliztion of lace, then it should be clearly defined by bishops. But the sad thing is that so many of the bishops are incapable of doing this because they are confused by their involvements in grave sin.
Maybe the Church is drifting from reality into symbolism. Cdl Mahony evidently could not, however, recognize the difference between symbol and reality, attempting to get rid of symbol yet construct some imitation of reality. Would be good, maybe, for the hierarchy to jettison all the bobbles and bangles and “strip down” to “battle dress” by which I mean the reality of Catholicism. This “reality” is not symbolic but actual. Let’s see the hierarchy stop abortion, caste out its devils of sodomy and corruption of other concupiscences, and get holy enough to act out the divine inspiration and activity that demonstrates the reality of God among men. Tired of hearing about some time and place and person in the past where this was evident … let’s see the reality of the episcopacy, the papacy, the priesthood, the religious sisters. Those who cannot or won’t step across this line between fakery and reality should go find other jobs and stay out of the way of the true Church.
If the truth is the truth… then it’s the truth… it is not slander, libel, or any other form of defamation… the word and concept you might be searching for is “detraction”… which is a sin… not mortal, though venial… an example is when we run down the town “drunk” for being the town “drunk”… everyone knows it already, the only reason it is pointed out is to “slam” the town drunk even further… it’s just pointing out the obvious in a mean spirited way… to make the person look bad… in Cdl Mahony’s case he has done such a stellar job of wiping himself out… it’s difficult to even commit the sin of detraction… although I probably have been guilty of slamming him… point is, he deserves it.
I know it is old-fashioned and traditional but according to the Baltimore Catechism: If it be a sin to steal a man’s money, which we can restore to him, it is certainly a much greater sin to steal his good name, which we can never restore, and especially as we have nothing to gain from injuring his character. It is a sin to tell evil things about another — his sins, vices, etc. — even when they are true. The only thing that will excuse us from telling another’s fault is the necessity to do so in which we are placed, or the good we can do to the person himself or others by exposing faults. How shall you know when you have injured the character of another? You have injured another’s character if you made others think less of him than they did before. If you have exposed some crime that he really committed, your sin is called detraction; if you accuse him of one he did not commit, your sin is calumny and if you maliciously circulate these reports to injure his character, your sin is slander. But how shall you make reparation for injuring the character of another? If you have told lies about him, you must acknowledge to those with whom you have talked that you have told what was untrue about him, and you must even compensate him for whatever loss he has suffered by your lies, for example the loss of his situaltion by your accusing him of dishonesty. But if what you said of him was true, how are you to act? At every opportunity say whatever good you can of him in the presence of those before whom you have spoken the evil. (Q. 379)
And also, what about “good name” which “we can never restore”? What nonsense!!! Too bad the legalists wormed their way into power in the Church; St Paul convinced St Peter to keep from their sway.
I never lied about the Cdl…therefore I never committed slander or defamation…I did point out the fact he has been a lousy Archbishop, who was irresponsible, had poor powers of discernment, was instrumental in squandering millions of dollars, nearly bringing the Archdiocese to bankruptcy, was disobedient to the magisterium in the way he celebrated mass and was a known modernist, and most horrifically, was also guilty of exposing children to danger, when he shuffled known pedophiles from one parish to another…other then that, I don’t think I was being to uncharitable…(dripping with sarcasm)…
Anonymous, reading what you wrote helps me to understand more clearly the abuse crisis in the Church. It seems that in the past, the harming of a priest’s good name (detraction) was considered just as grave a sin if not graver, than the sexual abuse of a child. A lot of energy was put into protecting those that harmed boys and girls and the harm to those innocent children was not thought about as much. Many in the Church thought it was most important to avoid scandal.
This “detraction” garbage is for the the birds (mainly the vultures to feed on). All throughout the Gospel accounts, when presented with the Law, ie the Ten Commandments, Jesus did not start adding countless sub commandments, but rather simplified them down to fewer. So, why have Church bureaucrats cooked up countless petty rules, codes, laws, and everything else they could dream up to exalt themselves higher than Jesus did? St Paul, a man well and highly educated in the Law of God and all the hundreds of derivative codes, excoriated St Peter over the movement afoot to bring back all these myriads of minutia the only purpose of which is to tyrannize over others. St Peter saw the light and stuck with the Lord instead of with the insatiable oppressors.
Anonymous yes when done in malice but sometimes a man can dig his own hole and the right thing to do is call him on it or take him out of power…remember we must walk in Christ’s shoes, when we don’t and we are a church leader, and if one uses tweeter or other media for the public eye to see and judge, then the one who put themselves there was not the faithful but the very same person who was suppose to witness and lead by example.
Being a priest, a bishop, a Cardinal comes with great responsibility…so you must ask yourself if you are using those teachings in the right text, situation? In this case….we all know how much hurt and scandal bad actions have caused our beautiful church.
Anonymous, we must never tell lies about someone, but if a public person has done harm to others, such as harboring child or teen abusers, the public has a right to know and stop that person from doing so again and also administer the proper correction and punishment, otherwise the evil will continue. So some hidden sins do sometimes have to be brought out regarding public persons if they are harming other people or an institution.
Yes, of course.
There was a notable literary movement in the 18th century, Anonymous, known as the “comedy of manners”; it was really big in France, and perhaps culminated in one of military’s biggest disasters, ie the Maginot Line. The problem with developing a culture founded on manners is that it is founded on sand, and doomed to catastrophe. This manners cult that is so rife among the gay clergy, who live neither by “bread alone” nor by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” but by caricatures of human personality, is likewise doomed to to fail, and those who are sucked in by it will go down in flames as well. Lesson from history and Church dogma: Get real.
Skai, you misunderstand. It is not about manners. It is about holiness. It has to do with the what pleases God and what offends Him. I know nothing about the gay clergy that you speak of. You can take solace in knowing that God sees all if you are concerned about that.
Anonymous, if you want to discuss holiness, then why are you talking about manners and minutia? Get down to business with holiness. For example, there is no commandment that says thou shalt not lie. It says thou shalt not bear false witness against your neighbor. Jesus also puts forth the question about who is our neighbor. But the minutia brigades have trumped this Gospel into a lot of legalist mumbo jumbo; this sort of thing has long descended into a comedy of errors or of manners, same thing. And that error is what you are pushing.
Cardinal Mahony was splashed all over the media throughout the World when he had to pay more than $660 Million dollars in Diocese money for his part in not disciplining Priests who sexually abused children, and putting them in positions where they could easily repeat their sins.
He also sought and continues to seek media attention through his public antics and public web site pursuits.
No matter how minor it appears, Roger Mahony will try to drive a wedge between Faithful Catholics and others, since it is the only way he can gain attention and pride of leadership.
Cdl Mahony never encouraged the Faithful in his Diocese of LA to read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” nor did he enforce Canon 915 or Canon 1399.
He could have done much good in the Hollywood Diocese of LA – if he had done his job, instead he squandered his precious time for earthly pursuits.
When Cardinal Mahony starts to publicly and actively promote the reading of the Bible, the CCC, and the Code of Canon Law, rather than himself and his personal beliefs – then we will know he is on the road to repentance and really cares about the Souls of others and their (much more important) eternal life.
Cardinal Mahony showed who he really is. He did the world a service revealing his hypocritical nature for all to see.
What if the “good name” is a persona and does not reflect truth and reality?
I thought religious superiors and seminary rectors were able to “discern” who was and was not “sacerdotable: (i.e., a proper candidate for Orders). Old Roger’s behavior– plus all the pederastic clergy filth of the last 50 years– pretty much sends that old nostrum down the rabbit hole. The sooner Catholics realize they have been taken for a song and a dance, the better off the Church will be. Return to the proto-community days of the first century. Till then, the laity will continue to suffer at the hands of such pervesrion of Christ’s way.
People are human and not many are in good will either. That is why those of us who can discern well when it comes to Cardinal Mahony, we are ticked off. Or maybe more in the line of upset and can’t shake it off that this type of leadership is still allowed. Many are in pain and many have been scandalized…
“Moving from HIGH Church to LOW and humble Church! What a blessing that we are encountering Jesus without trappings!”
I don’t recall Cardinal Mahony displaying the humility of “encountering Jesus without the trappings” when he built that $350,000,000.00 monstrosity he named “Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.”
Our Blessed Mother would be scandalized not only by the excess of the cathedral, but also the extravagance and the hypocrisy of this “Prince of the Church.”
About your cathedral – it would be one thing if the $350,000,000 was spent on a worthy edifice built to glorify God. But it’s an abomination. I pray that it will be demolished.
Folks time to take off your hats and go to your homes, sit in the corner and let all this evil to continue because there are some here who consider right wrong. When a child is being abused and one knows it, we don’t need to ask another person on how to react, one must do what a human being should do, is to protect the innocent and vulnerable. That includes our seniors too. I think that people have become so desensitized that we have this battle with others who do not see injustice and who keep making excuses to just let it go. . It guess it is much easier to let things go than to have any type of confrontation, we don’t want to offend anyone even if that person is causing great harm.
We neglect to see what is really bad. If not then it is questioned by those who never see anything wrong…some are scrupulous because there are made to feel bad for even having to discern correctly….
I think that there are many who are scrupulous and it’s OK to question ourselves before we accuse anyone of anything, we do need to make sure before we hurt an innocent person but sometimes somethings are so easy to know but many are fooled.
Many of you folks are not reacting well to these words from Cardinal Mahoney. I mean, his comments should NOT surprise any of you, nor should it cause anyone of us undue anxiety.
Why should it not cause anyone undue anxiety? Because his words are part of the “rigor mortis” of a generation of Catholics that is passing away.
Therefore, people, when you read snarkly comments like his in the internet-world, you should just like laugh it off (or smile with pity as I did) and say inside: “There he goes again.”
jon, there is only one generation of Catholics and it never passes away.
Additionally Skai, perhaps you’d care to explain to us why you think Mahony will never “pass away.” Is he eternal?
aye jon your insults made my breakfast sour…skai sorry you didn’t deserve that.
and the toilet is flooded…..OUT OF ORDER sign needs to go in place…..figuratively speaking.
One other thing about Cdl. Mahony. I thought I was familiar with all of the damage this man has done. However, this website just ran an expose about the California Catholic Conference – the lobbying arm of the California bishops. At its best it was worthless. At its worst it supported immoral legislation inconsistent with Catholic morals. And Cdl. Mahony’s fingerprints were all over it. I urge everyone to read all 6 parts.
Anon, at the very least Cdl Mahony’s statements aren’t in exactly the best taste. It sounds like Cdl Mahony is knocking himself over to praise the new pope, while implicitly insulting the old. That seems like a smarmy lickspittle to me.
And, I must confess, I have a very poor image of Cdl Mahony. I may argue with many here about theory—and I have some very sharp opinions that aren’t very popular—but I am very adamant about actions that harm others. Roger Mahony’s acts are where he has failed, and he continues to act poorly — such as the pride in participating in a conclave after he had disgraced himself and his office.
JonJ, thank you for acknowledging that. When one hears or reads something another says or writes, it is interpreted by filtering it through our current beliefs, images, values attitudes, knowledge and perceptions. We respond accordingly. Not associating “papal ermine and fancy lace” with Pope Benedict XVI, I would not have taken it as an insult to him. Having checked Cardinal Mahony’s writings that involve Pope Benedict XVI and finding no other incident of disrespect, I have concluded that it is a false interpretation. Trying to use this as an occasion of education on the Eighth Commandment, I have been accused of being a gay supporter, so you can see that person is at. Most people seem ignorant or disbelieving of the Church’s teaching that we are bound to give a favorable interpretation to other’s remarks when possible. The old adage that when you speak about another, you say nothing about them and everything about yourself is quite apparent in this article and in some of the comments made here. Peace to you and peace to all.
Something to think about, Anonymous, thank you, God bless and peace to you also.
Anon sounds more like to me that you are taking all these things personally…comparing them to you…have you been accused of things that you feel that you are in the same shoes as this Cardinal? I wonder why you keep losing the reasoning on this…people have valid concerns and they are being expressed…justly so….
abeca, that was a total sin. Stop calling yourself Christian when you disobey Christ.
anon you sound like another poster by the name k….your style is so much like her…just saying….
Jesus and Mary and Joseph, St Michael and all the saints and St. Gabriel and the Holy Guardian Angels and all the angels. abeca, You sin against someone in the manner you did and your reply is “you sound like someone else?” Drop the name Christian-you are unworthy of it.
I apologize to readers. My position was to only comment on the article but I got ensnared by evil. Please forgive me.
Anonymous, have you ever considered becoming honest?
“What does the proverb “A guilty conscience needs no accuser” mean? If there is any example to better understand this proverb that will be great.”
Best Example – See April 11, 2013 post at 3:53 pm
“It means you’re already beating yourself up over whatever it was you did, so you don’t need anyone to tell you what you did was bad.”
Excellent insight, Abeca.
I agree. The people that use more than one name here don’t cover their tracks too well.
Smarmy lickspittle(?)
Cdl Mahoney is a true representative of the Vatican II Church and its fruits. How dare anyone differ!
Cdl. Mahony has been a terrible spiritual shepherd…he was the gatekeeper and “ringleader” of the “lavender mafia” that was cozily sequestered in Camarillo for years, at St. john’s Seminary. I contemplated a vocation to the ministerial priesthood and was accepted into the seminary (over 20 years ago, in fact), and at the time it was teeming with flamboyantly “gay” men flitting about, some even preening! After a brief sojourn at the seminary, I staggered back to my car in abject disgust…horror might be a better word. I have heard that Archbishop Gomez has done a stellar job, in cleaning up this mess at the seminary, the last couple of years, it may take a few more, to weed out all the “lavender lads”.
Look at Archbishop Fulton Sheen…read his books, listen to his tapes/cd’s. Watch his video’s if possible (some are hard to acquire). This man was a true spiritual shepherd, who was actively involved in “teaching” the faith to members of the faith and seeking converts from protestantism…which he did in a paternalistic and pedantic way. Cdl. Mahony seemed only interested in photo-ops, power lunches in Beverly Hills at some swanky steak-house and hanging out with millionaire benefactors in Hancock Park. A worldly, politically motivated cleric…much in the vain of Cardinal Wolsey…
I have NEVER once heard Cdl. Mahony encourage the faithful to “PRAY THE ROSARY”!…ask yourself why?…the answer is very simple…
Maybe he says the Rosary every day but doesn’t advertise it.
PA, then why would it not be evident?
Not only does Cardinal Mahony never encourage people to pray the Rosary,
he has never and still does not encourage people to read or study the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition”.
This lack of action and teaching on the part of Roger Mahony (and some other Bishops) supports heresy, schism, scandal and relativism. It allows him to teach his own personal version of our Faith replete with his errors; he stresses the temporal rather than eternal salvation.
“….the Catechism has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life.” – Pope John Paul II (CCC pg xiv)
Just for the record, as for my various posts on the Catechism, some readers may have interpreted that I oppose the Catechism(s), but this is not the case at all. They are valuable, as the Pope Emeritus has said, for learning the faith. But all I have hoped to point out is that the Catechism is not God and thus is at best only a tool to be used for learning.
But sir, so many children abused in the Church!
Pope Francis “Who am I to Judge?”
Did not the Lord give you authority! and what about the many countless victims? no justice for them!
Pope Francis ” Gay clergy should be forgiven and their sins forgotten”
You didn’t read the whole press conference, did you no justice? The Pope was very clear about priests who commit illegal acts.
Was he very clear ???????????? a priest who is gay and performs ceremonial services to the faithful is illegal in God s eyes! Their is NO JUSTICE for the many upon many children and families who have been destroyed by these stinken cowardly gay priests!
IF there is justice WHERE IS IT!!! how come these priest are not LOCKED UP!!
If pope Francis made it clear about priest who commit Illegal acts…whats the plan??? their has been an abomination of countless numbers of innocent children who have been perverted and molested by countless number of gay priests! HOW MANY OF THESE DIRTY FILTHY JACKASS’S have been prosecuted and LOCKED UP!
Millions upon millions of dollars have been paid out to protect these evil gay priests!! ..ALL THIS MONEY SHOULD HAVE GONE TO THE POOR!! Instead the gay priest gets moved to a different area and they eat sleep drink and do it AGAIN TO OTHER CHILDREN!!
WHATS THE PLAN??? ..THIS IS THE PLAN!!! “Gay clergy should be forgiven and their sins forgotten”
Sorry, u can stick your plan where the sun doesn’t shine!
On the wooden test block, it wound up a small uneven,
but that is probably an simple fix. The base line about bargain golfing gear is to consider your time and appear in all the correct places.