Another "Catholic" Heretic's Head Catches Fire

From Tony, at Catholic Pillow Fight via Thoughts of a Regular Guy...

It seems that Sister Joan Chittister wasn't too happy about the Motu Proprio

His last line is "Remember that next time you propose that the Church might need lay "oversight"."

Yup. Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it...

Tell Me Again Why Peter Meade is Still Employed by the Archdiocese of Boston?

People around the Catholic blogsphere are noticing that Peter Meade wrote an op-ed on the joys of same-sex marriage here in the Gay State(I mean Massachusetts).

Update: Here's a link to a response to what he said in his op-ed

Much of the information below is from a 'public' email sent to him in 2005.

This is not the first time Mr Meade has strayed from Catholic teachings. He has

--Supported adoptions by gay couples
--Attended big-ticket fundraiser for pro-abortion, pro-gay unions politician
--Criticized Archdiocese for removing pro-gay pastor
--Recommended keeping parish open so pro-gay pastor could keep job
--Defied Bishop of Boston twice by taking money from dissident group

More details are below...

October 22, 2005: Because the Catholic Church’s position is that adoptions by gay couples are “gravely immoral,” why did you tell the Globe that Catholic Charities should be accepting same-sex couples willing to adopt needy children? You said, "What we do is facilitate adoptions to loving couples. I see no evidence that any child is being harmed."

You are a very well-known and important executive, so maybe you see evidence us lowly people don’t see. Can you reveal how you are empowered with wisdom that the teaching authority of the Church lacks and the medical experts are missing too?

The Vatican document Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons says:

"Allowing children to be adopted by persons living in such unions would actually mean doing violence to these children, in the sense that their condition of dependency would be used to place them in an environment that is not conducive to their full human development. This is gravely immoral and in open contradiction to the principle, recognized also in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, that the best interests of the child, as the weaker and more vulnerable party, are to be the paramount consideration in every case."

OK, maybe what the Vatican and the UN says are not well-enough-informed for someone as influential as you are.

Can you explain then why even the Boston Phoenix publishes evidence that “lesbian parents “raise queer kids.” The Phoenix, which I am sure you and your family read regularly, published a very good, if not an outstanding article--"Queer as your folks—A new study says gay parents create gay kids."...It says, “(How) Does the Sexual Orientation of Parents Matter?", a 24-page article published in the April issue of the American Sociological Review, University of Southern California professors Judith Stacey and Timothy J. Biblarz found that the children of lesbian parents were more likely to experiment with same-sex relationships than those raised by heterosexuals. Girls raised by lesbians tended to be more "more sexually adventurous and less chaste" than those raised by straight parents.” Boston Phoenix, October 2001. Is this what you want for your own children? Is this not evidence of harm to a child?

Source - pdf

Were you unaware of all of the health risks of homosexual behaviour? Here are a few examples: higher rates of interpersonal maladjustment, depression, conduct disorder, childhood abuse (both sexual and violent), domestic violence, alcohol or drug abuse, anxiety, suicide, death at an early age, incidence of anal cancer, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and dependency on psychiatric care than heterosexuals. There is more detailed information at, and I listed details at the end of this message in case you do not web browse yourself:

Catholic Answers article on same-sex marriage

Family Research Council article on health risks of homosexuality


September 27, 2003: You were quoted in the [Boston] Herald as saying, "Not even my dog believes that story”—that the archdiocese axed a the popular, gay-advocating dissident Newton pastor over a car lease and stipend that violated church rules. "The idea that a priest" is forced out "over a Honda paid for by the parish," said Meade, "is absolutely preposterous."

I hope your dog and my dog (George) can meet, since my dog says he doesn’t believe that you are even Catholic. Even more important, I ask you why is this preposterous? Authorities couldn’t convict criminal Al Capone on murder charges, so he was ultimately jailed in 1931 for tax evasion. People like you, Jack Connors, and Fr. Hehir publicly dissent from Church teachings all the time. If you are asked often by the Archbishop to serve in leadership roles, isn’t it totally consistent with current practices for the Archdiocese to keep a dissident like Walter Cuenin in a pastoral role and only remove him for money reasons?

September 16, 2005: you attended a $1,000/plate fundraiser for pro-abortion, pro-gay-unions politician Sen. Barack Obama (IL). Since the Church opposes abortion and gay unions, is this an indication of your Catholicism?

( Boston Globe, 9/19/05)

June 17, 2005: The committee you led on reconfiguration review recommended that St. Susannas in Dedham stay open for three more years so the pastor, Fr. Steven Josoma, could finish his term.

Did you know he has advocated for gay marriage and gay union before you gave him the reprieve? Did you know he publicly gave money to pro-gay legislators, and was booted from St. Brendan’s in Dorchester a few years ago for some inappropriate behavior or actions—something having to do with a youth group? Did you know 3 months after your committee gave him a reprieve, he organized a bus of parishioners to go to the MA statehouse and support the same financial disclosure AB Sean P. O’Malley opposes?

In 2002 and 2003, as vice-chair of Catholic Charities, I am told you and your buddies at CC defied Cardinal Law and then temp-bishop/apostolic administrator Bishop Richard Lennon by accepting funds from the dissident group, Voice of the Faithful—twice I think. On April 1, 2003 you were quoted saying, Catholic Charities board decided in December [when you first defied the Cardinal-archbishop] “that to turn down money from any contributor would be a mistake that might alienate other contributors.”

Then after knowing Lennon, specifically barred Catholic Charities from accepting donations from the group, you guys decided to do whatever the hell you wanted and take the money.

So tell me again, why does this man have anything to do with the Archdiocese of Boston in any official capacity?

Why, Cardinal Sean, why?

Trinity Sunday tomorrow

There's a wealth of information about Trinity Sunday on the website, Women for Faith and Family. Explore the whole page as they have some wonderful ideas about sharing the concept of the Trinity with your family.

Saint Patrick attempted to illustrate the "Three-in-One and One-in-Three" by using a three-leaf shamrock. At this time of year, many people have a stand of new green clover in their lawns. You might illustrate the Saint Patrick story by taking children outside to find clover so that they can see that the structure of the one leaf consists of three parts. One part cannot be removed without destroying the wholeness of the leaf.

They talk about the three Creeds, Apostles, Nicene and the Athanasian. The last one we almost never hear in church, probably because of its length but it is thought its author was possibly St Athanasia. Others believe that the Athanasian Creed may have been formulated by another Doctor of the Church, Saint Ambrose. It is also called the Quicumque, an important Trinitarian formula dating from the 4th Century, intended to address the Arian heresy which denied the two natures of Christ.

Here's the Athanasian Creed in its entirety.

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith.

Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.

And the Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity,

Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost.

But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.

The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated and the Holy Ghost uncreated

The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal.

And yet they are not three Eternals, but one Eternal.

As there are not three Uncreated nor three Incomprehensibles, but one Uncreated and one Incomprehensible.

So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty.

And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.

And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.

So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord.

And yet not three Lords, but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord,

So are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say, There be three Gods or three Lords.

The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.

The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created, but begotten.

The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts.

And in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another;

But the whole three Persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.

He, therefore, that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man;

God of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world;

Perfect God and perfect Man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting,

Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood;

Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but one Christ:

One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God;

One altogether; not by confusion of Substance, but by unity of Person.

For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ;

Who suffered for our salvation; descended into hell; rose again the third day from the dead;

He ascended into heaven; He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty; from whence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies and shall give an account of their own works.

And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil, into everlasting fire.

This is the Catholic faith; which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.

Why am I not surprised?

That almost every heretical book in our parish library was previously owned by a nun?

Heresies in Homilies

In researching the Navarre Study Bible, I found this article in a back issue of This Rock. It startled me because this was so similar to the theme of the homily I heard at my church this morning (sigh). Don't worry, it was a visiting priest. Just goes to prove, there are no new heresies...just wish we didn't hear them in homilies.

Marcionism

How could the God who commanded adulterers to be stoned be reconciled with the God who let them go free? This was overcome by postulating the existence of two gods. Marcion concluded that the tyrannical Creator-God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, was in opposition to the merciful and loving God of the New Testament.

Merry Christmas!