Connecticut Catholic Corner: Ireland

Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Of course gay couples are welcome at the World Meeting of Families

At a press conference in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin was questioned by TheJournal.ie about homosexuals and homosexual couples attending the World Meeting of Families coming up in August.

The Journal.ie asks: "Are gay members of the Church welcome, are they and their partners welcome to join and volunteer together?"

Here comes the "don't ask, don't tell response" from the Archbishop who apparently thinks the sin of scandal isn't anything to worry about.

Archbishop Eamon Martin replies: "I have absolutely no idea that anyone would be asked their sexual orientation becoming a volunteer...but I imagine that all of these here attending the World Meeting of Families as visitors, as participants...um, the difference here is that we don't necessarily reveal our particular sexuality you know when we're coming along to any event. I imagine it's the same for the World Meeting of Families."

The Journal.ie asks again: "Are they welcome?"

Archbishop Eamon Martin: "Of course! At the World Meeting of Families this is a gathering of people to whom everyone is welcome. I know the families who are going there will be the last to say they are perfect in any way. I mean, even in terms of living up to the teaching of the Church. We all struggle in that. The Bishop has struggle in that, I'm welcome I hope at the World Meeting of Families- but so is everyone where they are at in their particular journey of faith."

Oh here we go...acting like homosexual COUPLES are struggling "in terms of living up to the teaching of the Church"- they REJECT the teaching of the Church and are pushing to change the Church's teaching on marriage. We all know that. Their "particular journey of faith" is to change the faith of the Catholic Church so they can stay in their mortal sin. These homosexual couples (not homosexual chaste individuals who accept the Church's teachings) don't want to be confronted with the Church's teaching- they don't want to hear they must be chaste and that any gay union is mortal sin. And with Father James Martin being invited by the Vatican, they won't hear anything to disturb them in their sin. More on that later.

Archbishop Eamon Martin continues: "And I would hope...I mean, it's also a Catholic event. The World Meeting of Families is a Catholic event so I don't think we make any apologies for the fact that the whole Church has a very clear teaching on marriage and on the family. And Amoris Laetitia will guide the reflections at the World Meeting of Families. So I imagine, that people going there will know what they are going to and hopefully respect what they are going to, but still bring their experience, bring their struggles, bring their questions, their challenges and of course in happiness and joy a fulfillment of their family life to the discussion."

This brings up the question, why oh why did the Vatican invite Father James Martin- a priest who is pro-homosexual unions, to speak at a World Meeting of Families?

Day three of World Meeting of Families:

Presentation 3: Theme: Showing welcome and respect in our Parishes for LGBTQI+ People and their Families.Presenter: Fr James Martin S.J., Editor-at-large, Jesuit Magazine America

Fr. James Martin's idea of "welcome and respect in our Parishes for LGBTQ people and their families" is pure scandal. He believes openly gay couples should be allowed to hold all sorts of positions in parishes (I address this issue in my review of his book "Building a Bridge"). This is wrong. People in OPEN sin are not to be in positions in parishes to cause scandal or confusion to others.

Would the Catholic Church allow a porn star to be an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister? One would hope not because clearly such a person is living in public sin - (fornication). The same must be said of homosexual couples. A same sex couple living in a union or "marriage" is just as much a scandal as a porn star holding a position in the Church because both are guilty of openly living in mortal sexual sin. It would look as though the Church were putting its stamp of approval on such a person's behavior- as if sexual immoral behavior were no longer a sin. This would be a scandal and cause confusion among the faithful.

Catholic clergy needs to do more to protect the faithful against scandal and confusion caused by other clergy who refuse to speak clearly about sexual mortal sins- all mortal sins for that matter. The message in word and actions, must be clear that public sinners, be they porn stars or people living in homosexual unions, divorced and remarried outside the Church or anything else, must NOT hold positions in parishes for the good of the faithful.

How can the Catholic Church, whose authentic teaching is, "respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in anyway to the approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions" invite a priest to speak at the World Meeting of Families who has stated on video "...he [gay friend Mark] came out and has been with his partner for 20 years. His partner has a fairly serious illness that is, at times, extremely serious and requires a lot of attention. Mark has cared for him for, I think, 15–20 years now. And one of the questions I would like the institutional Church to reflect on is: "Is this not love?"..."I do not understand how a person could say the following things: This is not love, this is a lesser love, they should be apart, they should have never met, they should never be together."

Reverence for fornicators? This is the priest the Vatican has chosen to speak at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland. This isn't the message any Catholic faithful should be hearing from Catholic clergy- yet this is what they will be fed. Heresy.

It's a scandal. And its disgusting.

Pope Francis should be ashamed of himself. He keeps promoting and elevating Fr. James Martin in the public eye- causing more confusion and scandal among the faithful.

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

*For more on Ireland's Archbishop Eamon Martin's assorted comments on homosexuals see the links below from Journal.ie

Sources:

World Meeting of Families: https://www.worldmeeting2018.ie/en/Media-Centre/Press-releases/Publication-of-the-Programme-for-the-Pastoral-Cong

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=_-_Su8URAkY

*Journal.ie: http://www.thejournal.ie/eamon-martin-lgbt-couples-pope-visit-4064396-Jun2018/

*Journal.ie: http://www.thejournal.ie/eamon-martin-gay-marriage-2137354-Jun2015/

*Journal.ie.: http://www.thejournal.ie/bishops-view-on-same-sex-marriage-referendum-1983654-Mar2015/

*Journal.ie.: http://www.thejournal.ie/kevin-doran-gay-parents-1981026-Mar2015/

Vatican: https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf

Fr. James Martin: https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1006168818492870656

My review of Fr. James Martin's "Building a Bridge" book: http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2017/06/walking-across-fr-james-martins-lgbt.html

Catechism quote on Scandal: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P80.HTM

Fr. James Martin video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHpKah-Kx-A

Pope promotes Fr. James Martin: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/segreterie/segreteria-comunicazione/documents/segreteria-per-comunicazione_profilo_en.html

Sunday, February 2, 2014

The Catholic Survey Results are in...

Last October, the National Catholic Reporter erroneously reported that the Vatican was sending out a survey asking "grass-roots" Catholics for their opinions on Church teachings. The world erupted upon hearing that report because they thought the Pope would change Church doctrine on things like gay marriage, women priests, divorce and remarriage etc. The National Catholic Reporter was wrong and misled Catholics around the world.

Fr. Lombardi of the Vatican Press Office quickly stepped up and clarified that the questionnaire was directed NOT at the Catholic laity for their opinions, but rather to Bishops. And that these questions were NOT about ANY doctrines of the faith.

Fr. Lombardi (CNA quote): “the questions “are not regarding the doctrinal position of the Church,” explaining that the document has solely an advisory character, forming part of the habitual “praxis” of the synod of bishops. The questions were given to the bishops of all the world's dioceses on how to address pastoral questions and how to give assistance to persons in irregular family situations, among other things.”

But the damage was done. The National Catholic Reporter's false statements spread and now confused Catholics are even more confused because they think their opinions can change Catholic doctrine.

Soon following the NCR’s damage, the Association of Catholics Priests (Ireland) decided the Vatican survey was too difficult and they made up their own survey, put it online and asked Catholic priests, religious and laity to share their personal opinions.

The results of THAT survey are in and it’s not pretty.

According to the Association of Catholic Priests Family Life Synod survey…(remember this is NOT from the Vatican and has no effect on anything at the Vatican)

[assorted questions from the survey in no particular order]

Question: What influence of “natural law” as defined by the Magisterium have in areas of society?

Answers: In politics, 44.67% said NO INFLUENCE in politics at all.
In your parish, 22.87% said NO INFLUENCE in their own parish at all.
In society at large, 35.07% said NO INFLUENCE at all in society at large.

It gets worse…

Question: Is cohabitation (couples living together before getting married) a pastoral reality in your particular church?

Answer: 98% said people living together outside of marriage was a ‘reality’ in their particular parish church. **13% of these cohabiting households have at least one child under the age of 15 living in this situation.

One wonders if any Catholics in Ireland are married at all anymore!

Now the topic of “marriage equality” is asked… I find this strange right off the bat because according to the Catholic Faith there is only ONE type of marriage that can ever be accepted (1 man/1 woman). To use the term “marriage equality” seems misleading coming from Catholic priests. Especially since THIS question is NOT asked in the official Vatican questionnaire. It’s useless but sadly telling just the same.

Question: How important is ‘marriage equality’ to you?

47% of Catholics said ‘marriage equality’ was EXTREMELY or VERY IMPORTANT to them.
23% of Catholics said ‘marriage equality’ was ‘somewhat important’ to them.
18% of Catholics said it was “not at all important” to them, and 11% said they either ‘did not know’ or ‘did not wish to answer’

Question: Is the moral teaching of Humanae Vitae accepted?

69% - NOT accepted
31% - accepted IN PART
LESS than 5% - accepted it completely

Question: How important is the availability of contraception to you and your community?

76% of Catholics said it was EXTREMELY to SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT to them and their community to have contraception available to them.

On the subject of USING birth control and going to Confession and receiving the Eucharist people clearly showed they either do not know or understand their faith, OR they simply do not care and do what they want anyway.

67.21% of Catholics said “I follow my conscience about family planning. I do not believe it to be morally wrong for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I participate fully in the Eucharist.”