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2002/160
Obedience to the Bishop
Old sage mentions that he has heard two Priests maintaining they 'must be obedient to the Bishop'.
Now, the background to this was the need for obedience to the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. These Priests seemed to be saying that it is not their responsibility if the Bishop approves e.g. the Third Rite of Reconciliation, even while they know this is defying Church instruction!
It is as though such Priests use the Bishop to cover up their defiance of The Church.
I agree. And it has to be most difficult for the Priest where this is genuinely the case, says old sage, but, even so, it is their duty to be loyal to The Church. It is NOT their duty to be loyal to defiant Bishops!
Exactly right sage.
In any case, he extrapolates, it seems to me that a small minority of Bishops are not strong enough to discipline their Priests, and the Priests are actually running the show.
From this sage concludes that some of these Priests, even as they maintain they obey their Bishop, are virtually in control.
Yes, those who know the score, obey their own proud impulses.
What sad goings-on within the fabulous Priesthood that is inseparable from Jesus Christ, Himself! That issues directly from Him!
Intellectuals and hell
Sage has come up with a point to puzzle on.
He says that hell consists of intellectuals, mostly. Sage seemed to go a bit further in fact, for he implied that hell consists only of intellectuals.
Now, he has something of a point here, does sage. It is not so easy to go to hell. One has to knowingly and willingly to something evil which totally defies and offends God.
One can not go to hell if he is ignorant of his offence.
To defy and offend God, sage maintains, a person has to be informed and has to possess reason.
Fr. Shothimselfinthefoot
Sage handed me an agenda seemingly compiled by Father for a meeting in September, 1994.
In it Father rails against 'The Restoration Movement' making quite false claims as is his norm, sage noted, pointing to item 4.
I was at that meeting, he states. A particular reason for the meeting was to undermine the Marian Shrine at Woombye, but also to undermine the real Catholics of the Sunshine Coast.
That would be right. Father does not confine his bits and pieces of nonsense to his own Parish.
Father attempts to undermine Marian devotion, too, for he asks the question '(h) Are there specific problems with some Marian devotions? Sage points to item 6 on the agenda.
Yes sage old mate, it is a sad document. In it Father Shothimselfinthefoot claims he is '(e) loyal to A/diocese and Pope'; that he and his Parish are '(d) genuinely open to all points of view' and '(b) .. we show hospitality to people who live in other Parishes'.
You are beginning to see what I am getting at, sage pats me on the back. We are sadly aware of the reality.
The question I put to you, he challenges, is this: after some eight years, has he succeeded in his agenda?
-----W-----
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