New Crack in the Walls of the Vatican Re-entrenchment?

The recent wave of Polish priests and seminarians that are being used to alleviate the American and European clergy shortage may be beginning to ebb. Currently 1 in 5 priests in Europe are Polish born, and many American Dioceses have also turned to Poland for clerical help. Anecdotally, a third of the seminarians ordained for Chicago this past decade were “off the boat”, and many of the externs and recently incardinated have been as well.

The word from Poland is that the number of seminarians is down 30% from 10 years ago. Vocational recruitment for religious women is down 50% for the same period. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/7656716/Number-of-Poles-signing-up-for-priesthood-drops-by-30-per-cent.html

Celibacy is also being questioned. A survey of 800 priests last year showed that 53 per cent would like to have a wife, while 12 per cent admitted that they were involved in a relationship. A further 30 per cent said that they had had a sexual relationship with a woman. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/poland/4788059/Majority-of-Polands-Catholic-priests-want-end-to-celibacy.html

BISHOP SLATTERY VISITS WASHINGTON

This guest submission reviews the Pontifical High Mass of April 24th. The celebrant was a last minute pinch-hitter for Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos who was caught up in the sex abuse controversy.

I recorded the EWTN special on April 24 of Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, OK, saying Mass in the Extraordinary Rite, a Pontifical High Mass at the National Basilica. It was quite a sight! I must confess, I'd never actually seen someone wearing a "Cappa Magna". There's enough watered silk there for six of us, at least, to get a new cassock! The rubrics were followed to the letter. The music was well done. Bishop Slattery gave a decent sermon. Yet, when it was over, I felt like singing, "Is that all there is?"

I like Latin; got generally good grades in it for four years at Quigley. I have enjoyed attending and even celebrating a Latin Mass on occasion (novus ordo or Tridentine). I prefer many Latin chants over more modern music, on occasion. But the Mass as offered April 24th left me cold. As I reflect on it, I believe it was the DISCONNECT that bothered me. The Choir sings as the Bishop is vested off at a side chapel. The ministers pray at the foot of the altar while the Choir sings a Kyrie. The bishop goes back to the throne while the Gloria is sung. He starts the Eucharistic Prayer (Canon) while the choir sings the "Holy Holy", carefully making sure the choir is done by the Consecration. It seemed like the Bishop is doing one thing while the Choir is doing something else, and somehow as long as everyone ends at the same time its okay!

At the risk of pushing a metaphor too far, that Mass seemed to represent the Church today. The Pope and many bishops are looking back at the 1950's, wishing they could take us back to the future in liturgy and church life. Clergy and laity who remember the excitement of Vatican II are past graying, and still hopeful that we can fashion a "city of God." Younger clergy and some of their contemporaries in lay life are calling for John Paul II to be canonized. Victims and many others in the Church are calling for genuine reform to prevent the crisis that has eaten at the heart of church life for almost a generation now. Others insist this is just "rabble rousing" on the part of the press and some unhappy (that is "non-practicing") Catholics. There is a lot of talking, but little conversation. Therein lies the DISCONNECT.

Vatican I was called the Pope's Council. Vatican II was the Bishops' Council. Perhaps it is time for Vatican III, the People's Council, where a sensus fidelium can be fashioned by all of us, ordained, religious, laity, regular and irregular, all have a seat at the table. We'll argue, as families do. But we may just break the "disconnect" that currently causes so many of us to say, "They just don't get it!"

Peter Ignotus

Papo Gets His Own Diocese

The following is an op-ed piece presented for your review. It does not necessarily represent the "official" position of WEORC.

Papo Gets His Own Diocese

Is it good news for Springfield, or good news for Chicago?

We wish Tom Paprocki well in his first gig as the head bishop of a diocese. There is a human heart somewhere under those violet fringed robes, or at least there used to be. Years ago during his first priestly assignment, Tom received a civil law degree and opened up a law clinic for the underprivileged on Chicago’s Southside. Unfortunately that is being buried under a lot of Papal Bull.

Ambitious and self-promoting, Tom moved up the clerical pecking order with a Canon Law degree from Rome, Chancery positions, the Diocesan Chancellor role, and then on to Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. Along the way he has been showboating his theological conservatism with traditionalist groups from here to the Vatican, who are bent on “reforming the reform” of Vatican II.

As John Paul II tried to reign in the use of the Communal Form of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, then Chancellor Paprocki embarrassed Cardinal Bernardin by dissing nearly all the priests of Chicago. As reported in the papers, Papo effectively said any priest who used this popular form of the sacrament was lazy or ignorant, or both.

Paprocki is also infamous for a sermon he gave during a 2007 “Red Mass” for lawyers. He blamed the alleged victims of sexual abuse, and the media giving them coverage, for trying to destroy the Church. He went on to say, "We must use our religious discernment to recognize that the principal force behind these attacks is none other than the devil."

When the USCCB was weighing the FOCA bill, which was trying to gain traction in the US Congress, Paprocki addressed perceived threats to Catholic health care. “It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely… “It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil… I do not think I’m being alarmist in considering such drastic steps.”

When Papo isn’t admonishing sinners, slackards and secularists on political or Church issues, he courts media attention with his” regular-Joe" activities, such as running and hockey. He prides himself in the moniker of “Holy Goalie”. However college classmates remember him more as a “holey” goalie.

Hopefully, a fresh start in a new job in a new location will give Bishop Tom Paprocki a chance to grow in wisdom, grace and humility.

Lots of Apologizing Going on in Chicagoland

Fresh from recieving a lifetime award for working for Justice by Cardinal George, Mike Pfleger is in trouble again. Biting his lip while offering Pfleger faint praise at the award ceremony, now George is asking Pfleger to apologize.

During the sermon last Sunday Pfleger mentioned that he felt there should be women priests, married priests, women bishops and cardinals. This is memorialized on you tube and rightist websites such as http://www.aipnews.com/talk/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=13429&posts=4

Mike Pfleger mentions on Facebook that he was told to apologize, because he can't say things like that in a sermon. Parishioners posting on Facebook generally said he had nothing to apologize for. He was speaking the truth.

Recently, Sr. Anita Baird, Director of Racial Justice, had to apologize as well. She said Obama was pro-choice, not pro-abortion, meaning he wasn't advocating everyone have abortions, but under certain circumstances, he felt a woman has a right to choose. Sister was forcibly reminded that the two words mean the same thing for Catholics.

In recent memory, a Northwest Suburban pastor was also called on the carpet for a sermon he gave at his parish. For Penance he had to read selections of the Catholic Catechism to his congregation the following Sunday.

The only person not engaged in apologies lately seems to be Cardinal George.

Test Your Orthodoxy

Though this "Orthodoxy Quiz" may seem simplistic, it reflects agendas and issues that conservative groups and churchmen are using to critique the loyalty and faithfulness of typical Catholics. Answer each of the following questions with true or false to test your orthodoxy.

1. All religions pray to the same God and they are just different paths to the same truth. T/F

2. Women should be allowed to be ordained priests. T/F

3. Maybe women should not be ordained priests, but there should be open dialogue and discussion on this issue. T/F

4. Since we are ordaining married Protestant ministers priests, it is time for a married priesthood. T/F

5. Birth control is only okay for committed, married couples who already have children. T/F

6. It would be wonderful if Mother Teresa of Calcutta could come back and give a homily at our parish church. T/F

7. If they attend a Catholic Mass, it is okay for Lutherans to receive communion. T/F

8. It is okay for Catholics to receive communion in a Protestant Church, if it is in their spouse's church. T/F

9. There is no penalty for a Catholic to marry a divorced person, as long as they are non-Catholic and had been married to a non-Catholic by a judge. T/F

10. If you ask God for forgiveness of sin, the Sacrament of Confession isn't necessary. T/F

11. If there are more than 100 people per priest at a Penance Service, general absolution is acceptable. T/F

12. The Pope is not infallible. T/F

13. Missing Mass on a Holy Day isn't a mortal sin. T/F

14. When in doubt, it is more important for a Catholic to ask what Jesus would do and follow their conscience, than to follow Church teaching. T/F

Take this quiz. Then check your nswers in first comment below.

Forced Laicization?

As mentioned in the September WEORC newsletter, the Pope has given the Congregation of the Clergy the authority to start a “non-voluntary” laicization process for priests who leave active ministry and haven’t petitioned for laicization. The actual process hasn’t really been laid out clearly yet, but that hasn’t slowed down several bishops to at least use the threat of what some feel is a “forced” laicization.

For example, Cardinal George of Chicago has a few hundred resigned priest personnel files on his desk that he wants to tidy up. So he has instructed his people to locate “former” priests and inform them that if they don’t go willingly, they would be subject to the new “forced” laicization process. Several letters to this effect were mailed out. Not knowing how widespread this current undertaking extended, we did an informal survey of a few dozen Chicago non-canonical priests that we knew.

Of this sample group, 22% have already been laicized, and hadn’t received any letters from the diocese. The previous process called for priests to “voluntarily” seek laicization. Still a couple of these men entered into the process under some duress – i.e., in the hope to get or retain a job with a Catholic institution.

Under the current process of resigning ministry, a priest must sign a letter of resignation to the Cardinal and formally request laicization to be eligible for any kind of separation package. So rather than under duress, these new requests for laicization appear, as one responder suggested, more the results of a bribe.

Of the 78% of the inactive priests who have not been laicized in the sample, about 25% have received letters from the Diocese informing them of the impending canonical process. They tend to be amused that 10, 20, or 30 years after resigning their positions, they are still considered a “problem” that needs to be “dealt with”. The other 75% of the non-laicized who didn’t receive letters are happy to be under the radar of the Cardinal – at least for now.

While few are interested in laicization, we are not sensing a lot of energy will be spent on fighting any forced laicization process for several reasons.

1. Who cares?

The Cardinal has never showed any interest in resigned priests over the years, and probably doesn’t know where most of them are – so they will never hear from him. His only interest in them now is to create a greater distance from them.

While this “house cleaning” effort could seem purely punitive on the Cardinal’s part, it may also be a “liability reduction” activity. His cadre of lawyers wants to diminish any diocesan liability for the actions of “rogue” priests.

2. The rules will always be changed to suit the rule-maker.

Under John Paul II hundreds who sought laicization, did the paperwork, submitted testimonies, etc, were told they couldn’t be laicized since there was no evidence that they didn’t have a genuine vocation to the priesthood. Now the rules have been changed again, and these same men, and others who haven’t requested laicization, are being summarily dismissed. Obviously the rules can be changed to suit the rule-maker. The Pope opened the doors for married Anglican priests to become Catholic, knowing that celibacy is not essential to priesthood. At the same time he writes off his own Catholic priests who are married, and hasn’t seriously considered ordaining “viri probati”.

3. What difference does it make?

It is not clear what the benefit of laicization is to resigned priests. Does this mean that “former” priests can now become Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, rather than Ordinary Ministers of the Eucharist? Do they retain any of the minor orders, and can be Lectors, and Acolytes – washing the sacred vessels after communion? Can they be catechists or teach theology? What about the provisions in Canon Law to provide emergency sacramental services such as anointing of the sick and hearing confessions? In what sense does laicization benefit the Church since the ontological character of the priest doesn’t change – “once a priest, forever a priest”? At the end of the day, what is the big difference?

4. Aren’t there more important issues in the Diocese than this right now?

Even bracketing sex and embezzlement scandals for a moment, there are certainly more pressing issues to be addressed? Schools and parishes still being consolidated and closed. Expenses are up millions, and donations are down millions. The “new” English liturgy is being crafted by those in Rome who don’t speak English. The Diocese felt the need to spend $1.3 million on ads inviting lapsed Catholics to come home. If they left because they were bored or unwelcome, has anything really changed for them to come home to? According to USCCB statistics, over 30% of married Catholics were not married “in the church”. If it weren’t for recruiting seminarians from overseas, there would be about one Chicago ordination annually for the past decade. There is little being done to address the health, immigration and justice issues.

Does the Cardinal seek to scapegoat some aging, resigned priests as the cause of these problems?

Bottom line, many of the “former” priests we spoke with feel that they have a vocation to priesthood and to marriage. They did not request laicization because that would be a false admonition that their ordination was a mistake. The Cardinal and the Congregation can have their day in their own Canonical Courts and pontificate as they wish, but these men remain priests and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Cardinal George is not alone in such an endeavor. Some other bishops are ardently hunting down their own inactive clergy. One priest ordained by the Diocese of Bismarck, currently a married minister for a Lutheran parish, received a similar letter. He was asked to abandon his wife and attempt at civil-marriage, then return home to Mother Church or face laicization. His story and response to Bishop Zipfel can be found in the current issue of CORPUS Reports.

A SERIES OF SURPRISES

The initial surprise came when the Vatican announced that it would welcome dissident Anglican dioceses and parishes to enter the Catholic Church en masse. In the sensitive world of ecumenical relations this was like poaching in a neighbor’s field. Unhappy Anglicans and Catholics have frequently converted individually in both directions, but this corporate overture has opened up new territory.

Evidently the Vatican’s chief ecumenist, Cardinal Walter Kasper, was also surprised because he was out of town when the announcement was made and, apparently, out of the loop. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams is titular head of Anglicans worldwide. At a press conference after the event, he seemed dazed, like a man whose pocket had been picked by a friend.

One of the biggest surprises awaited the dissident Anglicans themselves. Rome’s original welcome included a generous provision that they could maintain their traditional forms of worship, governance and orders. However, the devil is often in the details. Weeks later the fine print included the proviso that pastors and bishops would be appointed by Rome henceforth rather than called or elected by those being served. Moreover, while the Vatican accepted married Anglican priests, they did not accept married bishops. Thus current Anglican bishops could continue wearing their scarlet garb and pectoral crosses, and they would be welcome guests at meetings of Catholic prelates, but they would no longer be considered real bishops, unless they chose to shed their spouses. Furthermore, future Anglican seminarians would have to remain celibate. Those preparing to swim the Tiber suddenly realized that the water was colder than they had thought.

Another surprise is the fact that Pope Benedict himself seemed surprised at the reactions to his overture. Having welcomed the schismatic Pius X Society, only to discover that one of their leaders was a loquacious Holocaust denier, and having alienated large swaths of Muslims and Jews in previous months, he might have been alert to the law of unintended consequences.

Moderate and progressive Catholics have ceased to be surprised that the hierarchy regularly dismiss their concerns. Serious issues like the shortage of priests, the need for substantive reforms in the wake of the pedophilia scandals, and the treatment of women in the church, especially in view of the Vatican’s investigation of American nuns, are routinely ignored. Dissident Anglicans are welcome because they pass the litmus test on women priests and gays. Dissident Catholics are discounted because “we need a purer Church.” So the final surprise is that so many of us stay. Perhaps there’s someone out there who will invite us to swim the Tiber en masse in the opposite direction. If so, be sure to read the fine print.