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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Feb 22nd, 2007 10:48 pm |
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Group sought to overturn Catholic teaching on sanctity of life, marriage and meaning of priesthood
By Hilary White
LINCOLN, February 21, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) The Vatican’s second highest juridical authority has rejected the appeal of an American leftist group, Call to Action (CTA), to overturn a decree of excommunication by the bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska, who called the group and “anti-Catholic sect”.
A letter from the Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church’s supreme tribunal and the highest judicial authority after the Pope himself, dismissed the group’s attempt at appeal with a terse message that it had “no competence” to overturn the decree.
The Signatura’s letter reiterates a December letter from the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops, Giovanni Cardinal Battista Re, upholding the 1996 decree. In his letter, Re said CTA and the other groups were “causing damage to the Church of Christ” and that the bishop’s action “was properly taken within your competence as pastor of that diocese.”
Re agreed with Bruskewitz’s description of the groups named in the decree as “totally incompatible with the Catholic faith”. They also included the abortion lobby groups Catholics for a Free Choice and Planned Parenthood and the euthanasia advocacy group the Hemlock Society.
Call to Action is the US’ leading anti-Catholic organization, founded in the 1960’s to agitate within the Catholic Church to overturn Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life, marriage and the meaning of the priesthood.
At the time, CTA responded to the decree by holding a press conference in Washington DC and boasted that the decree had caused a “bonanza” of publicity for their cause and a wave of new memberships.
A formal decree of excommunication has always been extremely rare throughout the history of the Catholic Church and has typically been used as a last resort. It can be overturned by the bishop or the Pope when the individual concerned pledges to return to the normal practices and beliefs of Catholicism.
Rachel Pokora, president of Call to Action-Nebraska responded that the group would continue to attempt to overturn the decree saying they would be consulting canon lawyers. She told local media that she objected to the term “sect” because it implies Call to Action is “somehow heretical”.
The above article is reposted with permission from LifeSite News.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Feb 22nd, 2007 10:53 pm |
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Earlier Report, contains significant additional information:
Vatican Approves Excommunication of Liberal Catholic Group "Call to Action"
ROME, December 8, 2006 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - The Vatican has confirmed an American bishop's decision to excommunicate members of the dissident group Call to Action. In addition to touting itself as a Catholic group working for justice and peace, the group promotes altering Church teaching on sexuality, women in the priesthood, and electing bishops.
Call to Action is "causing damage to the Church of Christ," wrote Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re (bio - news), the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, in a letter to Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska.
In March 1996, Bishop Bruskewitz had announced the excommunication of all Catholics in his diocese who were members of Call to Action or several other dissident groups which he described as "totally incompatible with the Catholic faith."
The Nebraska chapter of Call to Action appealed the bishop's decision to the Vatican. In his November 24 letter to Bishop Bruskewitz, Cardinal Re reports that Vatican's finding that the disciplinary action was "properly taken."
The Vatican has determined that "the activities of 'Call to Action' in the course of these years are in contrast with the Catholic Faith due to views and positions held which are unacceptable from a doctrinal and disciplinary standpoint," Cardinal Re writes. He concludes: "Thus to be a member of this Association or to support it, is irreconcilable with a coherent living of the Catholic Faith."
The excommunication that Bishop Bruskewitz announced covered not only to Call to Action, but also to members of Catholics for a Free Choice, Planned Parenthood, the Hemlock Society, the Freemasons, and the Society of St. Pius X.
The excommunication order applies only within the Lincoln, Nebraska diocese. But the Vatican's judgment against Call to Action raises clear questions about the status of the group's members in other dioceses.
The above article is reposted with permission from LifeSite News.
Italics were added to highlight significant additional information.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Truthseeker
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| Joined: | Wed Oct 4th, 2006 |
| Location: | Costa Mesa, California USA |
| Posts: | 395 |
| First Name: | Laura | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | lapsed and returned CATHOLIC!!!!!! |
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Posted: Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 01:03 pm |
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cajunrick wrote: She told local media that she objected to the term “sect” because it implies Call to Action is “somehow heretical”.
Isn't it? Duh!
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Lord, please make my will your Will!
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
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| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 01:35 pm |
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 Unlike the Episcys, we have a bishop in Nebraska who knows what his job is all about and how to go about doing it, even if it means rapping some knuckleheads away from the sacraments that they don't deserve until they recant their heresies and repent for their sins. (Boy, did that sound judgmental! And felt great to say so.)
It really was a "no brainer" to excommunicate these people and their sects. The real "brainer" comes when we try to fathom why the press, "progressive" catholics and even some wishy-washy priests, nuns and lay people were so shocked to see a bishop act like a Bishop.
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For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 5353 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 02:02 pm |
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Steven Barrett wrote: It really was a "no brainer" to excommunicate these people and their sects. The real "brainer" comes when we try to fathom why the press, "progressive" catholics and even some wishy-washy priests, nuns and lay people were so shocked to see a bishop act like a Bishop.
It amazes me that it has taken 11 years for the Vatican to act.
What is truly amazing to me is that this brave bishop has excommunicated every single member of Call to Action, Catholics for a Free Choice, Planned Parenthood, the Hemlock Society, the Freemasons, and the Society of St. Pius X.
I wonder if anyone will put two and two together: A bishop who is fearless in defending the faith, and overflowing seminaries and convents?
I am surprised that Bishop Bruskewitz is still in Nebraska. I can only think that the deteriorating health of Pope John Paul II kept him from being transferred to a larger diocese that could use a more conservative bishop. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the bishops of the United States, who in general are more liberal, have kept him "exiled" in Nebraska where he can't cause as much trouble as he could in more heavily populated areas.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Fri Feb 23rd, 2007 02:41 pm |
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cajunrick wrote:I am surprised that Bishop Bruskewitz is still in Nebraska.
I believe he has been bottled up, victim of political intrigues. He has certainly been heavily criticized by some of his fellow bishops. But we can pray for a breakthrough, can’t we?
David
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 980 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 10:59 am |
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Apparently Abp. Bruskewitz had a lot of (in former Def. Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's words) "enough interesting targets to hit" in a supposed place of exile. If so, it shows that the American bishops' conference has an "intelligence gathering" problem.
If the good prelate out in the boonies could find that many people to excommunicate, imagine what the roundup in "solid" Northeastern and other dioceses would bring in?
I singled out the NE because of its long, long, long, tolerance of and love affair with liberal "rebels." As General Sherman said about GA, "let them howl," and bring on the long overdue barn cleaning.
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For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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JasPax
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| Joined: | Wed Nov 22nd, 2006 |
| Location: | North Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 252 |
| First Name: | James | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Episcopal to Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Feb 24th, 2007 01:07 pm |
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Steven,
In spite of the fact that your quote of General Sherman made this Son of the South wince, you are right on concerning the good Bishop in Nebraska.
Maybe, just maybe, this long-awaited Vatican ruling will stiffen the backbone of some of our less courageous bishops and they will let their flocks know where the boundaries begin and end.
We can only pray.
God Bless!
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James
"Abide in me, and I in you..." John 15:4
"He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him." John 6:56
RSV-2CE
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
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| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Feb 25th, 2007 03:28 pm |
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JasPax,
Sorry to make you wince there brother. Although I'm a northerner by birth, I'm American by nature and deeply empathetic towards my Southern brothers and sisters, especially the relatively fewer, but growing numbers of Catholic Southerners!
Compared to the Church up here in the northeast, especially western Mass., Catholicism is growing. Keep it up.
Another thought comes to mind about the necessity of consistent discipline by our bishops comes from the French in WWI. An urban trench legend has it that the sound of a firing squad did wonders for uplifting the troops morale. Of course, in this feel-good era, such thinking puts me way off the scales of what's politically incorrect, there's a lot of truth in saying a firing squad improves morale.
The good troops who do the fighting and risking their butts know the cowards will be dealt with accordingly. The bums, sluggards, whiners and would be cowards get the message. And, in this day, age and constant battle against moral relativism (and yes, Islam), we need every good soldier to fight the good fight and go "over the top" for Christ.
It's time for "General" Bruskewitz' exile to end as Patton's did.
____________________
For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5353 |
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Posted: Sun Feb 25th, 2007 03:41 pm |
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Steven Barrett wrote: Another thought comes to mind about the necessity of consistent discipline by our bishops comes from the French in WWI. An urban trench legend has it that the sound of a firing squad did wonders for uplifting the troops morale.
Depends on which side is holding the guns. Too many times in the last few decades, it's been the other side doing the shooting, and "our" side has been shooting mostly blanks.
Il Papa (Herr Ratzinger, if you prefer) has apparently served notice through this decree that the guns are to be reloaded and the blanks put back on the shelf.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Steven Barrett
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| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
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| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Feb 25th, 2007 05:04 pm |
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Wunderbar!
My heels are clicking with anticipation.
After "call to action," I'd put Pax Christi on the list of organizations to weed out. These people even give treason a bad name, which takes some doing.
I covered one of their national peace pow wows at Emmanuel Coll in Boston for the Catholic Observer (Dioc. of Springfield) twenty years ago and was that an eye-opener! Let my ideological cat of the bag so to speak when I must've expressed amazement and shock when I merely mentioned the name Michael Novak and received a host of hisses in the room full of Sixties left-overs.
Some names dare not be mentioned in wimpy quarters.
If Pax Christi ever drops its anti-death penalty stand (and really crosses the Vatican!) don't be surprised if PC (no pun intended) would be dumb enough to use a circular firing squad.
I've got to split, but ah, I can hear the drumroll off in the distance ....and a pop pop pop!
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For anybody interested in reading commentary from a Catholic's socially conservative/fiscally liberal viewpoint, go to my new blog at http://www.politicsramble.com/ .
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