REL GENRL Catholic Priests Speak Out: Faithful Priests ‘Blackmailed,’ ‘Bullied’

[Josie]

'No More Money to This Corrupt Syndicate': Patricia Heaton Takes on the Catholic Church over Predator Priests
08-18-2018

Pretty hypocritical coming from someone that works in Hollywood (where abuse and deviancy of all kinds runs rampant) and takes a paycheck from there. Has she quit yet? So by your standards (and apparently hers), Heaton is just as guilty as the perps because she chooses to ignore it? What about you? Have you totally given up movies and television? If not, since you know the depth of depravity going on, are you guilty of the same?

I am a Roman Catholic. I am deeply disgusted and beyond angry that this abuse was allowed and festered against the most defenseless of those among us. This is evil personified. But I want it known that in my 63 years of Catholicism (probably only 58 of which I was old enough to know what was going on...age of reason and all that) I was never abused, nor did I see any abuse, nor have I known a priest accused of abuse, nor any whispers of abuse. I am not making light of those that have suffered by the hand of a priest but rather pointing out that there are good priests out there. It would be interesting to find out if they have witnessed it. In my research, I have come across some stats. Pedophilia (attraction of adult to a prepubescent child) is extremely rare among the clergy. Only .03% of the clergy population according to Pedophiles and Priests by non-Catholic scholar, Philip Jenkins. This number was revised by Pope Francis in 2014 to approximately 2% of the clergy population which in equal to the general population. Interesting to note, according to Jenkins, is that the majority of the cases coming to light now are actually ephebophilia (Yeah, new one to me too!) which is the HOMOSEXUAL attraction of an adult (male) to a prepubescent child (boy).

Now (stay with me here) doing some reading on a totally unrelated subject, I came across the name Bella Dodd. Dodd was a card carrying member of the Communist Party of America in the 1930's and 1940's. According to her sworn testimony, it was her job to recruit 1,100 young men (many who were gay and progressives) into the seminaries of the Catholic Church. Communists realized the greatest stumbling point to their total control is religion...any religion. But the Catholic religion is one of the largest and most organized, therefore the top dog. Take it down, the rest would soon follow. And the quickest way to take control of the Catholic Church is within it's ranks. So these young men become priests and start to work their way up the ranks promoting their progressive ideals (which most of the time run contrary to true Catholic teachings) and working to induct more progressives into the system. Thirty years later, they are the ones in power and they promote Vatican II, which in my estimation was not to increase our understanding of God and his Church but rather to begin to tear it down.

Is this the demise of the Roman Catholic Church? Maybe, since St. Malachy told of a vision he had in 1129 where he saw the next 112 Popes with 112 being the last. Pope Benedict was number 111. Now the question is if Francis is actually 112th pope or not.

I am a firm believer of there being no coincidences in life. Things happen for a reason. Most times this is pre-ordained by God. But sometimes Man has a hand in it. This abuse has been going on for 50 years. Why is it being brought to light now? What is going on or will be going on that "they" want our attention diverted? And yes, if found guilty all involved parties are behind bars. Time to clean house.

 

[Bardou]

Why Have We Ignored the Horror of Pedophilia for So Long?

Posted at 1:03 pm on August 20, 2018 by Kira Davis

We’ve all known for a long time that the Catholic church has a pedophile problem. After all, the jokes about priests and altar boys practically write themselves. Until now, it’s been painted by the media and public in general as a problem with a few bad apples covered up by a few more bad apples. Despicable, but not systemic.

The recent release of official investigation reports into the abuse of children within the Catholic church has put to rest whatever notions were left of the “bad apple” theory. The revelations are horrific and you can read them here. Suffice it to say, it is obvious that not only did the Catholic church have a problem with individual priests molesting their flock, they were also actively covering up for an actual pedophile ring – an organized cabal of molesters who passed victims from sicko to sicko and established their own codes for which children were vulnerable, groomed or already violated.

This wasn’t a product of a certain era in our culture or some kind of lapse in protocol…this was the systemic and sustained torture of children over decades and decades, at least. We would be very naive to believe the problem simply went away on its own. There is a good possibility the Catholic church still has pedophiles actively serving among its priestly ranks.

It would be easy to blame this on religion and leave it at that. After all, it’s the fashion these days to blame God or people who believe in God for all of society’s ills. Except the Catholic church isn’t the only place we’ve seen the sexual abuse of children being revealed as a major issue. Sports, academia, and Hollywood all have underground pedophile issues that are only just now beginning to bubble to the surface.

Why? Why does it seem like so many people are so willing to ignore pedophilia, which is easily the most grotesque violation of another human being that can be imagined? Why is it so easy to find information on Hollywood’s “open secret” of child abuse and yet so difficult to expose the evil? Why are we so keen to give voice to the women of #MeToo (to the point where we are qualifying bad dates as sexual harassment) but not completely outraged that none of those “do-gooders” in Tinsel Town have dared to step forward and speak up for the children who have been used and abused?

Even when it comes to our immigration debates we are arguing about kids at the border, sanctuary cities, and ICE but no one is talking about the children who are trafficked over the border into sexual slavery every day. It’s a documented fact, easily discoverable and yet almost never anywhere in our conversations about border and immigration issues. With so many people so outraged about children being separated from parents at the border, one would think the issue of sex trafficking minors would be the one place we could all come together with loud and righteous indignation.

Still…crickets. Oh, a few people bring it up but what is one voice in defense of sex abuse victims against an entire chorus of #OscarsSoWhite or #MeToo or whatever the hashtag activism of the day may be?

I have been thinking about this ever since I researched and wrote an article about alleged abuse issues at Nickelodeon. Why has this “open secret” been allowed to collect more victims for decades and decades? Why aren’t we collectively screaming bloody murder over this? Alyssa Milano will organize a protest against the NRA in a heartbeat but is silent on the abuses happening in her own industry – abuses she, as a former child actor, is most certainly aware of and may have even experienced herself.

All I can think of is that of all the ways we can harm and abuse one another, the harm and abuse of a child is among the most vile. Particularly the sexual abuse of a child. When a child is raped their abuser is not just using their body, they are stealing that child’s innocence…and innocence is a powerful thing. It is so powerful that when we lose it, it changes us forever.

Adam and Eve were “innocent” until they disobeyed God. It was only then that they experienced shame at their appearance and noticed their nakedness. That loss of innocence changed the course of history, even for those who believe the whole thing is just a made up cautionary tale. That loss of innocence brought judgment, suffering, and isolation.

Many of us choose to look away rather than face the raw and bloody reality of a child who has been violated and what we know about how that violation changes a person. We cannot bear to entertain the images of a child being used in that way. We must push away the thoughts, the pictures, how we imagine a child screamed or cried or begged for mercy. It’s enough to drive any decent person to madness.

So we look away.

There is also the issue of guilt. Guilt is a powerful emotion, perhaps the most powerful of all. Guilt can drive us to do irrational things.

Imagine the guilt a parent must feel when they discover they left their child in the hands of an abuser. For many, the thought of being responsible for that in some way is too much. Add that to the images that come to mind that are impossible to bear, and you’ve got a recipe for denial. Perhaps so many parents and leaders have denied the abuse they know exists because to acknowledge it would be to acknowledge their own shortcomings and their failures as protectors and guides.

Finally, there is greed. Greed is also a powerful motivator. I don’t need to say much to convince anyone of that truth. It’s all around us. We make tv shows and movies about it. We write songs about it. We work for greedy people, live by greedy neighbors, scold our greedy relatives. Greed is everywhere.

When an institution becomes a powerful conduit for finances and influence, it also becomes vulnerable to the power of greed. If left alone long enough, the leaders of those institutions will soon come to believe that their influence must be protected at all cost. With no checks and balances, they become isolated in that belief and soon entire systems are built on that belief.

The Catholic church is especially vulnerable in this respect because they believe they are the “one true church”. Rather than simply protecting one pastor or one congregation, they are engaged in protecting the literal church of God. They are protecting salvation. What happens to the One True Church if it becomes known they’ve allowed the abuses of those Jesus said were the most vulnerable and highly valued – children? A cover-up becomes necessary as a matter of principle and with no outside scrutiny or enforcement, the bureaucracy becomes insulated and those in charge can easily convince each other that they are doing the right thing.

Groups like organized sports and Hollywood and even academia have the same issue. There is so much money, so much effort and so much influence tied to these industries that to confront the horrifying evil of pedophilia would be too costly to too many. So everything is just continually covered up, systems are put in place aid in the coverups and soon it just becomes another part of the bureaucracy. The flow of money must be protected at all costs.

To be sure, Catholicism is not what is at issue here. The problem of pedophilia is everywhere – our churches, sports, schools, etc. One would be hard pressed to find an industry that attracts children where pedophilia is not present.

What is at issue here is how or why all of us as a society have been content to keep a lid on all of this for so long? How have we let this happen? We’ll boycott a show or a movie if the star is a member of the NRA or the director is a lothario with a penchant for interns but we don’t demand Hollywood purge their ranks of their pedophiles before we give them our money again.

The horror of pedophilia is understandably uncomfortable, but it is real and it is prevalent and it is pure evil. We must do more to out these monsters, out their enablers, and pay penance for how much abuse we’ve allowed to take place right under our noses for so long.

We can no longer assume that the things we let entertain us as a society are as innocent as the airbrushed perfection they present. We must look with a critical eye towards any industry that depends on minors to thrive, and where we find evil we must purge it without politics and without mercy.

https://www.redstate.com/kiradavis/2018/08/20/ignored-horror-pedophilia-long/

 

[minkykat]

...The atmosphere that gave these sonsabitches the confidence to carry on their deeds was allowed to take root by those who did NOT complain about the abuses to the church by V2....

As it happens, I know at least two who did complain to the bishop (although I didn't know it at the time, learned much later) The reaction was to move the priest. And they knew that would not solve the problem.

Now what? It is the early-mid 1950's. No TEEVEE reporters for news conferences, no Net to spread the word. And I have a feeling the Press of that day would pay no attention. I suppose they could have gone to the Archbishop with the hope he would react favorably, but I don't know any who did.

We are using today's capabilities to measure yesterday's actions. Makes those people look bad every time.

One thing they could have done. Go to the Knights of Columbus in the new parish and tell them why the priest transferred.

I meant that change of the church as a WHOLE. The abuses to the CHURCH its self such as the ripping out of the altars and altar rails. The re-positioning of the altars to face man, not God; that sort of abuse. First they abused the house then they abused its children.

 

[minkykat]

Bella Dodd was a rare bird in that she changed. She was convicted of her sins and became a new creature in Christ. Sadly, the damage she helped to foster is still lingering.

 

[Seeker22]

I look at this sort of thing the same way i look at rouge cops.Until the "good"priest's and "good" cops start correcting the problems in their ranks,there are no "good" priest's or cop's.If you do not actively resist and combat that kind of action,at best you are useless and at worst complicit.

I have heard several people in a teaching capacity in the RCC claim that it doesn't matter what a Priest has done. When he is leading Mass, he is pure. This is the kind of disjointed thinking I could not agree with. Sounds too much like covering up to me.

 

[jba48]

I have heard several people in a teaching capacity in the RCC claim that it doesn't matter what a Priest has done. When he is leading Mass, he is pure. This is the kind of disjointed thinking I could not agree with. Sounds too much like covering up to me.

Terrible understanding of doctrine they gave you. Priests aren't "pure" any more than you or I are pure. However, they are consecrated, and ONLY a priest can change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. (Catholic teaching. Non-Catholics need not respond to that!!!!!!) That is what they were trying to tell you, I hope.

 

[Seeker22]

Terrible understanding of doctrine they gave you. Priests aren't "pure" any more than you or I are pure. However, they are consecrated, and ONLY a priest can change bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. (Catholic teaching. Non-Catholics need not respond to that!!!!!!) That is what they were trying to tell you, I hope.

No, how I wrote it is exactly how it was conveyed.

 

[marymonde]

Let me try ONE MORE TIME.

The atmosphere that gave these sonsabitches the confidence to carry on their deeds was allowed to take root by those who did NOT complain about the abuses to the church by V2.

Late comers, like myself in 2007, arrived to find the gay mafia firmly entrenched. Sometimes the best thing to do was to simply go to another parish that was more traditional instead of pushing back against the progressive agenda.

This is what I am trying to impart to you. Good God, Bardou, who is not Catholic, gets this.

And this can and likely has taken place in other churches. Where ever good people see the changes that are NOT of God but remain silent, yes, they are part of the problem.
Their refusal to weed helped to make it a friendly environment for the thorns to flourish.

So you just go ahead and "oppose" my viewpoint all you want. Better yet, use all that hate and angst to oppose the weeds in your own place of worship!

I have always admired coalcracker’s sense of gentleness. He has a great heart. But Minky, I agree, sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone and fight. It’s such a demented mess now, but it’s been that way in generations years ago. St. Catherine of Siena thought the man in Avignon was the pope. St Vincent Ferrer thought the man in Rome was the true Pope. Both great saints, but, in the end...Catherine was correct. It doesn’t take away from Vincent’s sanctity. We just need to pray and fast for Christ to weed out the evil. And HE WILL. It was weeded out in the great schism. Our Lordx is in control. He will NOT let Satan and all his pedo minions succeed!

'We've had enough of exhortations to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.'

St. Catherine of Siena

 

[Mad Spook]

When we do complain to the pastor priest, we are called out as we must "get with the program." So, evil is entrenched and will not change. We are "made fun of" for
remaining true and faithful. The bowels of hell await these scum for what they do and their actions. I am disabled and old so just cannot go run off to another parish.

 

[Josie]

When we do complain to the pastor priest, we are called out as we must "get with the program." So, evil is entrenched and will not change. We are "made fun of" for
remaining true and faithful. The bowels of hell await these scum for what they do and their actions. I am disabled and old so just cannot go run off to another parish.

I understand being "old school" in a world of "new and improved". The scariest thought for me is that once all of us pre-Vatican II die, there will be no one to remember the way it's supposed to be.

I read an interesting article on "The Judas Factor". Even though Jesus knew Judas' heart and knew what he was going to do, he allowed Judas to remain one of the twelve until Judas removed himself from Jesus. God is allowing the evil to reside in His Church. He knows our hearts and has gifted us with free will. You can read the blog explaining the Judas Factor here... https://keepingitcatholic.blogspot.com/2010/04/scandal-in-church-judas-factor.html?m=1 It was written back in 2010 but still very applicable today.

 

[Bardou]

WOW! Someone must of understood me when I said quit giving the church money and let's see how fast they change their tune. Money talks!


Catholics consider withholding donations amid scandals

For decades, Michael Drweiga has opened his wallet whenever the donation basket comes around at church, but the latest revelations of priests sexually abusing children brought him to the conclusion that he can no longer justify giving.

Brice Sokolowski helps small Catholic nonprofits and churches raise money, but he too supports the recent calls to withhold donations.

And Georgene Sorensen has felt enough anger and “just total sadness” over the past few weeks that she’s reconsidering her weekly offering at her parish.

Across the U.S., Catholics once faithful with their financial support to their churches are searching for ways to respond to the constant sex-abuse scandals that have tarnished the institution in which they believe, with back-to-back scandals in the past two months.

The most recent came Tuesday when a grand jury report revealed that hundreds of Roman Catholic priests in Pennsylvania molested more than 1,000 children in six dioceses since the 1940s — crimes that church leaders are accused of covering up. The report came two months after Pope Francis ordered disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick removed from public ministry amid allegations the 88-year-old retired archbishop sexually abused a teenage altar boy and engaged in sexual misconduct with adult seminarians decades ago. Last month, Francis accepted McCarrick’s resignation as cardinal and ordered him to a “life of prayer and penance.”

Some Catholics across the U.S. shaken by the latest revelations of priests sexually abusing children say they will stand behind the church while encouraging efforts to hold leaders accountable. (Aug. 19)

The most recent “whopper of a report” from Pennsylvania, Drweiga said, was enough to make him wonder where his money was going and whether it was being used to cover up abuses.

“In an organization that spans the whole world like the Catholic Church, you don’t know where your money is going. And when you read about these priest-abuse scandals it just raises that question to the highest power. What is this money going for?” said Drweiga, 63, who lives in Wilmette, Illinois.

Sokolowski, an Austin, Texas, resident who founded Catholicfundraiser.net to provide advice to Catholic nonprofits and churches, said he’s heard from many who are “really sick and tired” of hearing about priests abusing children.

“So the big thing that people are saying is, ’We just need to stop funding their crap,’” said Sokolowski, 36. He said he encourages people to stop giving money to their diocese, which oversees the network of churches in an area, but to keep supporting their local parish and tell their priest and bishop what they’re doing.

Calls to financially boycott the Catholic Church are not new. Five years ago, after sex-abuse scandals rocked the archdiocese in St. Paul, Minnesota, parishioners talked about withholding their donations in protest.

But Catholics face a delicate balance because some of the money dioceses raise are shared with parishes, cautioned Dr. Edward Peters, the Edmund Cardinal Szoka Chair at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.

“I’m just saying, be careful about punishing the Spouse of Christ and her dependent children because some priests and even bishops, men presumably wedded to her as Jesus was wedded to her, abandoned her so shamelessly,” Peters wrote in a blog post Thursday, referring to the Catholic Church.

Sorensen, who lives near Tucson, Arizona, said after the McCarrick story broke, her prayer group sent a letter to her bishop voicing their concerns.

“Then came the Pennsylvania scandal and we thought, ‘Oh my God, this isn’t over. We thought it was over,’” the 72-yearold Sorensen said. “We thought we were building the new church again.”

Sorensen said she doesn’t plan to withhold money that she has pledged, including her diocese’s Annual Catholic Appeal, but she has spoken with others about the possibility of not giving a regular weekly contribution or only offering money to specific projects.

As for future major giving, she said, “we are definitely waiting to see where all the chips are going to fall.”

“It comes down to one thing: It’s the message, not the messenger,” she said. “I’m a faithful Catholic. ... I will never leave the church. I will fight to save it.”

For Eddie Shih, however, the scandal has shaken his faith — one to which he converted about a decade ago and has intensely studied through three years of night school to earn a master’s degree in theology.

“I am struggling with it — it’s not easy for me,” said Shih, a Taiwanese immigrant who lives in New York City and attends several Catholic churches. “I don’t think I’ll leave the church but I can imagine a lot of people ... will just drop out of the church.”

Tim Lennon, the president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said his organization has fielded calls from Catholics who have pledged to stop giving to their church.

“It’s an action as opposed to just sitting here doing nothing,” he said, but added that it’s a symbolic gesture.

“That in itself will not protect children. That in itself will not support survivors. That in itself will not compel ... an attorney general to take action,” he said. “It’s just a message to the church that it’s not just survivors knocking at their door as we have been for the last 30 years.”

Ilene Kennedy, a San Antonio resident who attended Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City on Sunday, said she doesn’t know “what the fix would be” aside from “holding the higher-ups accountable.” Still, she doesn’t think withholding her money from the collection basket is the answer.

“I don’t think that we should punish all churches just for that,” she said. “I don’t think that’s right.”

Ilene is a sheeple. It's not right to withhold money, but it's okay to give it the church to carry on their sins of pedophilia and homosexuality? People like her need to keep their pie hole shut. JMHO

https://apnews.com/7ddab5d7ca7a4ac8...-consider-withholding-donations-amid-scandals

 

[Bardou]

Seeker22
Seeker22 is online now Contributing Member

I have heard several people in a teaching capacity in the RCC claim that it doesn't matter what a Priest has done. When he is leading Mass, he is pure. This is the kind of disjointed thinking I could not agree with. Sounds too much like covering up to me.

^^^^^SPOT ON!!!^^^^^

Texas priest accused of molesting teens goes missing
Fernando Ramirez Aug. 20, 2018

A pastor at the Saint Cecilia Catholic Church in Dallas, Texas, is believed to have fled the country following sexual abuse ...


A Dallas priest accused of molesting three teenage boys is believed to have fled the country.

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas revealed on Sunday they were investigating sexual abuse allegations made against 69-year-old Rev. Edmundo Paredes, the Dallas Morning News reported.

Church officials said three adult men recently came forward to detail the incidents of sexual abuse that occurred more than a decade ago while the victims were in their mid-teens.

Paredes was a pastor at St. Cecilia in Dallas for 27 years until June 2017. He was removed following an investigation by the church that accused him of stealing between $60,000 to $80,000 from his parish, according to NBC 5.


https://www.houstonchronicle.com/ne...s-sexul-abuse-molesting-catholic-13168285.php

 

[Seeker22]

https://spiritdaily.org/blog/news/was-is-there-a-major-homosexual-network

Let’s just be blatant about it: was there, and is there still, a homosexual network at the topmost level of American Catholicism, one that allowed the abuse crisis to all but overtake the many good bishops and priests out there?

Did the network succeed in strategically installing certain gay-friendly bishops across North America?

This is a dark, dark subject over which one should not obsess (we know Who wins in the end) but we must root it out and it goes to what the Pope said last week: that we must now seek out the full truth, whatever the truth is — which will help all those good priests — and future seminarians — out there.

It’s difficult to see how such a formal conspiracy could work to such efficient effect, and the issue of abuse, as we’ll be hearing all week, when the Pope visits Ireland, is not confined to the U.S. But sometimes one does wonder about the idea of a truly nefarious “axis” of pederasty, one that may even have involved, in some instances, practices of the occult.

We say this because two decades ago, we were contacted by a woman and her daughter who alleged that a very major U.S. cardinal, no longer alive, had abused the daughter when she was 11, in a horrendous way — forcing her into a sexual act that involved the Eucharist. We won’t go into further detail. As it is, we apologize for having to broach the aforementioned.

At the time, we discounted it as “false-memory syndrome”: where people suddenly “recall” things in their deep past. This syndrome has implicated many people in all walks of life in very horrendous things, often very falsely (especially when it has to do with satanic ritual abuse, and just as there are priests who have been wrongly besmirched).

But we come to learn, in revisiting this, that the girl, an adult woman when we spoke with her, passed several lie-detector tests and had consulted bestselling Catholic writer Malachi Martin, who incorporated her allegations into a book, Windswept House. She went by the nom de guerre of “Agnes.” And besides her own claim of abuse — which she said was conducted not just by the future cardinal, but also a future monsignor who was in an occultic-like group with the future cardinal. She claimed her dog was killed by them. She swore an affidavit.

Location: Greenville, South Carolina. Year: 1957. A future monsignor ended up in a powerful spot in a diocese in that state, and the cardinal sprung from there to a very powerful national position, including with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

It sounds ludicrous, and possibly is. A major cardinal, in such a hideous act? And yet one is made to wonder for a number of reasons.

First: recently, a priest in Iowa was arrested with a trove of child pornography, some of it horribly sadistic. Police found e-mails and online “chats” in which this poor cleric spoke of descending to “Satan” and fantasized about harming children in his neighborhood and killing a girl’s dog. The diocese had his home exorcised.

Two: years ago, visiting Greenville, a woman active in the Marian movement detailed the horrendous effect the abuse of a priest had had on her son. It was the first time we heard directly of abuse.

Three, the now-famous Pennsylvania grand jury report detailed abuse by priests that was just as horrendous, including use of a Crucifix and Holy Water during or after terrible sexual acts with children. It also showed a clear network of priests involved, and elements of sadism. The way the Crucifix was used made one wonder if a ritual, consciously or unconsciously, was enacted.

Apologies again, but were some priests, bishops, and perhaps even a cardinal or two members of a satanic cult?

That too seems — for the moment — a bridge too far. But it’s something the Vatican — which contends with its own so-called “Lavender Mafia” — must promptly investigate. Some believe that priests and lay people who were going to expose such have been harmed.

While formal involvement in satanism seems sensationalistic, it is easy now to see, as we have stated for many years, that whether the conspiracy was at an earthly or spiritual level, the devil greatly infiltrated the Church, and it is also easy to see that there seemed to be a connection from Los Angeles through the Midwest to Chicago and the East Coast.

In 1982, a book called The Homosexual Network: Private Lives and Public Policy was published by Father Enrique Rueda, a Catholic priest then in the diocese of Rochester, New York. The book, as one professor points out, had 522 footnoted pages of text, with another 160 pages of appendices and indexes. “It not only analyzed the ideology of homosexuality, but it documented the spread of that ideology through religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, and traced the funding of it,” wrote Connie Marschner, at the time president of the Free Congress Foundation’s Center for Governance.

“In the book, Fr. Rueda detailed — with meticulous footnotes — what, already then, was the growing network of “support groups,” counseling referrals, newsletters, and organizations of homosexuals and pro-homosexuals in the churches of the United States, including the Catholic Church.

“The network was particularly effective within the Catholic Church: at one point in the late ’70s, a key staffer at the Office of Public Affairs and Information of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops was a leader of the Washington, D.C., homosexual movement as well as president of Dignity, the pressure group which seeks to force the Catholic Church to relate to homosexuals according to the tenets of the homosexual ideology.”

That much seems very credible. Indeed, all 168 dioceses have abuse cases — most of them isolated acts by men of the wrong inclination, as opposed to the result of enrollment in an actual cult. More than thirty bishops have faced accusations. It is an historic infiltration — actually, an invasion — and must be treated as such. Not just priests but so many in the hierarchy have been implicated that we even forget about them — the bishop who had to resign in Arizona, the archbishop of Milwaukee, the cardinal who covered up matters in Boston.

Most of it was done to protect the Church and their own diocese from scandal. It made matters worse — and allowed the possibility indeed of a gay and perhaps even occult underground that, however small, exerted influence.

In retrospect, a special look has to be taken at past luminaries such as Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago (whose funeral involved the Windy City Gay Chorus as well as a send-off by a Masonic lodge). Was he involved with them, or were they simply acknowledging his attempts to build bridges of understanding?

It’s difficult, walking the tightrope between legitimate exposé and paranoia. The devil also likes to falsely accuse. — and to make us focus on this. Let’s deal with it but as soon as we can, move on to what is truly crucial: our own individual spirituality. Beware false accusations!

In Chicago, it has been alleged, was a secret clerical “Boys Club” that according to one writer, “not only included homosexual assignations, but also ritualistic, occult worship and the sexual abuse of young boys garnered from low-income ethnic families.”

Such charged have to be fully investigated — by a committee of Catholic laity, reporting only to the Pope. Let it all hang out. But not by bloggers.

We win in the end — we know that. We also know we have tremendous priests — and seminarians — out there who are suffering greatly. We also know there have been false charges. In fact, only about half the abuse allegations in the U.S. have been substantiated, and though the numbers are fantastic — 300 priests in six Pennsylvania dioceses (not even including Philadelphia) — it was over a span of seven decades — seventy years.

The percent of abusers among clergy is about the same and perhaps less than many other professions (such as education).

But a thousand or more kids — in just one state?

And at least 17,000 nationwide.

Time to clean it all out, retire all homosexual clergy, absolutely forbid any further ordinations of men with such a proclivity, no matter how short of priests we may be, and move forward as that strong ship between the pillars of Faith, which will be desperately needed — for after this judgment of the Church comes the judgment on all of society.

–MHB

The Homosexual Network: Private Lives and Public Policy was published by Father Enrique Rueda
I looked for this book on several online booksellers. The cheapest copy was $124 and the most expensive was almost $6,000. Mostly, it was unavailable.

 

[Bardou]

The Homosexual Network: Private Lives and Public Policy was published by Father Enrique Rueda
I looked for this book on several online booksellers. The cheapest copy was $124 and the most expensive was almost $6,000. Mostly, it was unavailable.

Father Enrique Rueda was a remarkable priest at one time in the Catholic Church. I can see why the hierarchy didn't want him around and they stripped him of his ability to minister to his flock. I guess his book that you spoke about, there's very few copies of it around. Sounds like he spoke the truth about homosexuality in the Catholic church. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in the coming days and weeks as to what the members will do to get their church and faith back. Here's a short biography of Enrique Rueda. Thank you Seeker for mentioning him. I've known preachers in a large denomination that were fired for bringing up unbiblical teachings of the church. They wrote books too that was embarrassing to the church.

SAINT PHILOMENA MESSENGER SEPTEMBER, 2009 A.D.
ISSUE NUMBER 50

Father Enrique Rueda, R.I.P.


It is with great sadness we must announce the death of one of the greatest friends of this Faith Community for almost twenty years.

It is personally amazing that after such a long friendship with this man, I have to admit that I never really knew much about him. Father was a very private person, despite his embullience, eccentricity and "pythonic" sense of humor. In many ways his birth should have been in England rather than Cuba.

It is strange to admit that I never knew his birthday (he never drew attention to himself), or his age at death. I suppose he was around 74.

Enrique Tomás Rueda was born in Cuba around the year of Our Lord 1940. He had 3 brothers and one sister.

Enrique came to this country in 1961 - of this I am certain - after spending time in prison (how long, why?) under the Communist Regime of Fidel Castro. He was a university student at the time.

We know he completed a degree in chemical engineering, maybe in New York some time after his arrival. At later points in time he gained Master's degrees in philosophy and business administration.

He entered the New York Diocesan Seminary at Dunwoodie and was ordained priest by Cardinal Cooke around 1970.

Father Rueda was given pastoral responsibility for the Hispanic Community in the Diocese of Rochester, NY. He always referred to this period as the happiest time of his life. Father often spoke about a Monsignor Schnaky as a great friend and mentor.

Apparently Schnaky was somewhat of a rebel (they must have made a good pair!), but since he had great pastoral ability combined with the gift to raise money for his church (the most successful in the diocese) the bishop left him alone. Father Rueda insisted that the Monsignor never took collections and I should imitate him. I must admit that Father's wish was never carried out!

Sometime later Father was involved in a ministry to drug addicts in New York.

I never found out the complete reason, but in the next few years Father fell foul of the Rochester bishop who suspended him from priestly service and went so far as to prohibit his offering funeral services for his deceased father. I suspect this was to do with Father's un-compromising position on the Church's moral teaching.

In order to survive, Father Rueda took a secular job with Eastman Kodak. He was inactive as a priest for some years. We must realize that in those days the Traditional movement was hardly known about and at that point I do not think Father appreciated it in its entirety.

During this period he did extensive research into the problem of homosexuality and the Catholic Church. He wrote a lengthy book "The Homosexual Network" published in 1984 (?). (Someone "borrowed" my copy!)

Around 1987 Father was asked by Kodak to move to Miami to be head of Personnel for Central and South America.

This he did, bringing with him his aged mother whom he looked after with exemplary love.

Father claimed during this time of constant journeying to Kodak centres in Latin America to have gathered enough frequent flier miles to keep him going for at least another 1,000 years!

The dispute with Bishop Clark of Rochester and the publication of the book which challenged the un-Christian lifestyle of many bishops, priests and even cardinals led to Father being "black-balled" by every diocese in the country.

On coming to Miami he was brought into contact with Fr. Haddad of the Melkite Catholic Church of S. Jude who allowed Father to concelebrate their Eastern Liturgy on Sundays. Father was a frequent feature at S. Jude for many years, his mother sitting in the first pew.

We must add that (presumably) through pressure from the Latin Rite bishops Father was not allowed to preach or hear confessions.

During this time of somewhat restored ministry, Father Rueda began writing a column for the "Wanderer" Catholic newspaper. However, he was gradually moving closer to tradition and his articles became embarrassing to the "conservative" publication and he was asked not to submit more.

Around 1989 Fr. Rueda met with Father Pablo Alvarez at St. Jude's church. Father Alvarez was gradually turning to tradition. Soon both were driving up to Fort Myers on Sundays where Fr. Alvarez offered the Traditional Latin Mass for the Society of Saint Pius X.

For some reason this arrangement did not last long.

In 1990 Fr. Alvarez, who proved himself to be a gifted preacher and musician, began assisting at S. Philomena. Fr. Rueda began to come and offer Mass, give spiritual retreats on an infrequent basis.

It was thanks to Father Rueda that the Saint Philomena Community continued to survive after losing their legal battle for their building in 1992. Through his many friends in the Cuban exile community, he found us our present edifice.

Until his early retirement from Kodak in 2001 Father continued to support us.

In 2001 be became a member of the Board of Directors, sending a most gracious letter to the Archbishop of Miami telling him of his intentions to enter his territory and actively minister.

The then Chancellor, a Father Cronin, sent back a very rude letter referring to Fr. Rueda as "Mister".

Apart from some long term stays in Germany and Brazil, Father Rueda offered Holy Mass for our community every Sunday until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a year ago. Father offered his last Mass on Sunday, the 10th of May, 2009, A.D.

A year or more of suffering the effects of chemotherapy followed.

Father went to Lourdes, France in January, 2009.

Sadly, the miracle he sought was not to come, but Father returned accepting God's Will for himself.

Eventually the cancer proved invincible and Father died after receiving the Last Sacraments on Monday 14th, December, 2009 at 3:00p.m.

Who knows what this great and intelligent man would have become if the Catholic Church had not changed beyond recognition from the Church of his youth? Bishop? Archbishop? Cardinal?

Father Rueda was an excellent philosopher, theologian and linguist, fluent in Latin, Spanish, English, Portuguese and German.

We deeply thank Our Blessed Lord and Blessed Lady for his time with us.

I would like you all to remember him as I am sure he would like to be remembered: a devoted son of the Church, a kind, big, jolly man who loved the good things of life and was always able NOT to take himself - or much else, too seriously.

May he rest in the peace of Christ!

The Reverend Father Timothy A. Hopkins, Administrator.

http://www.shrineofsaintphilomena.com/news_letter/NEWS_LETTER_ISSUE_50.html

 

[Terriannie]

I have heard several people in a teaching capacity in the RCC claim that it doesn't matter what a Priest has done. When he is leading Mass, he is pure. This is the kind of disjointed thinking I could not agree with. Sounds too much like covering up to me.

Not privy to that exact conversation Seeker but as a Catholic, what I think what those people probably meant is that during the Consecration of the Eucharist, when the WORDS of JESUS are spoken for that very purpose, the priest at that particular point of that Sacrament becomes “Jesus Personified” and as we all know, Jesus IS PURE!

Let me tell you of our priest a few years ago after Katrina who was a “bad” priest. A group of us found out he took the donation money for Katrina victims and used it for his own use to get his second residence up and running. No, that wasn’t the only thing he did but at any rate it was enough to get the Archdiocese to investigate. Long story short, it took time.

In the meantime, what does one do? None of us gossiped about this as we were going to wait to see what the Tribunal would decide, so we had to attend our church. A couple of our group couldn’t take him so they went down river to the next one but DH and I stayed.

Short reason for our staying with such an odious priest is that we wouldn’t leave OUR church and OUR tabernacle. Did we receive Communion from him? Yes we did and yes, it was hard, BUT we knew, despite his sins, the Sacrament he conferred, was VALID because of JESUS and ONLY JESUS!!! (Plus, it helps to be in a forgiving mode as best we could manage.)

We Catholics believe that the “Laying of the Hands” in Ordination are the exact same hands that JESUS himself touched on the Apostles to carry on the Gospel and His Church. It doesn’t matter how many years and how many priests/Bishops/Popes throughout our 2,000 years has passed, it’s is the same, Mystical Hands superseding ALL human foibles and sins when it comes to The Sacraments. For everything else, they are judged just the same as the rest of us, including the Pope!

Through those years there’s been many, many bad clergy off and on. We are NOT a perfect church in case you haven’t noticed. The only perfect one is the Head of our church and that is, JESUS CHRIST!

During those off and on bad times and in this one too, we PRAY along with FIGHTING EVIL where we see it and we are definitely in a fight!!! But you know, this too will pass and yes our Church is going to be battered (and deservedly so) but His promise is that the “Gates of Hell will never prevail,” and I will take that promise to the heavenly bank!!!

(Oh and btw, in case one wonders what happened to that priest? The Tribunal came, investigated and he was gone within a week! We were told he had to pay restitution along with repenting which we suspect he did because he went to another parish after time but only in a supporting capacity and not in charge of any money. Sadly, he died of cancer two years ago and we pray for him.)

 

[Terriannie]

Here's a good article with a Catholic perspective from Mark Mallett:


https://www.markmallett.com/blog/2018/08/20/wormwood-and-loyalty/

Wormwood and Loyalty

From the archives: written on February 22nd, 2013….


A LETTER from a reader:

I totally agree with you — we each need a personal relationship with Jesus. I was born and raised Roman Catholic but find myself now attending the Episcopal (High Episcopal) church on Sunday and becoming involved with the life of this community. I was a member of my church council, a choir member, a CCD teacher and a full-time teacher in a Catholic school. I personally knew four of the priests credibly accused and who confessed of sexually abusing minor children… Our cardinal and bishops and other priests covered up for these men. It strains belief that Rome didn’t know what was going on and, if it truly didn’t, shame on Rome and the Pope and the curia. They are simply horrid representatives of Our Lord…. So, I should remain a loyal member of the RC church? Why? I found Jesus many years ago and our relationship has not changed — in fact it is even stronger now. The RC church is not the beginning and the end of all truth. If anything, the Orthodox church has just as much if not more credibility than Rome. The word “catholic” in the Creed is spelled with a small “c” – meaning “universal” not meaning only and forever the Church of Rome. There is only one true path to the Trinity and that is following Jesus and coming into relationship with the Trinity by first coming into friendship with Him. None of that is dependent upon the Roman church. All of that can be nourished outside of Rome. None of this is your fault and I admire your ministry but I just needed to tell you my story.

Dear reader, thank you for sharing your story with me. I rejoice that, despite the scandals you have encountered, your faith in Jesus has remained. And this doesn’t surprise me. There have been times in history when Catholics in the midst of persecution no longer had access to their parishes, the priesthood, or the Sacraments. They survived within the walls of their inner temple where the Holy Trinity resides. The lived out of faith and trust in a relationship with God because, at its core, Christianity is about the love of a Father for his children, and the children loving Him in return.

Thus, it begs the question, which you have tried to answer: if one can remain a Christian as such: “Should I remain a loyal member of the Roman Catholic Church? Why?”

The answer is a resounding, unhesitating “yes.” And here is why: it’s a matter of staying loyal to Jesus.



LOYALTY… TO CORRUPTION?

However, I cannot expound on what I mean by staying loyal to Jesus without first addressing the “elephant in the living room.” And I am going to be absolutely frank.

The Catholic Church, in many respects, has been gutted, or as Pope Benedict said shortly before he became pontiff:

…a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. —Cardinal Ratzinger, March 24, 2005, Good Friday meditation on the Third Fall of Christ

The priesthood has never suffered such an attack on its dignity and credibility as it has in our times. I have met several priests from various regions of the United States who estimate that over 50 percent of their fellow seminarians were gay—many living active homosexual lifestyles. One priest recounted how he was forced to lock his door at night. Another told me how two men burst into his room to “have their way”—but turned white as ghosts as they looked upon his statue of Our Lady of Fatima. They left, and never bothered him again (to this day, he is not sure exactly “what” they saw). Another was brought before his seminary’s disciplinary panel when he complained about being “hit on” by fellow seminarians. But instead of dealing with the impropriety, they asked him why he was “homophobic.” Other priests have told me that their faithfulness to the Magisterium was the reason they almost didn’t graduate and were forced to undergo “psychological evaluation.” Some of their colleagues simply didn’t survive because of their obedience to the Holy Father. [1] How can this be?!

Her most crafty enemies have engulfed the Church, the Spouse of the Immaculate Lamb, with sorrows, they have drenched her with wormwood; on all Her desirable things they have laid their wicked hands. Where the See of Blessed Peter and the Chair of Truth have been set up for the light of the gentiles, there they have placed the throne of the abomination of their wickedness, so that the Pastor having been struck, they may also be able to scatter the flock. —POPE LEO XIII, Exorcism Prayer, 1888 A.D.; from the Roman Raccolta of July 23, 1889

As I write you today, news reports [2] are circulating that, on the day of his resignation, Pope Benedict was handed a confidential report detailing corruption, infighting, blackmail, and a ring of gay sex among prelates occurring within Rome and Vatican City’s walls. Another newspaper reports the claim that:

Benedict would personally hand the confidential files to his successor, with the hope he will be “strong, young and holy” enough to take the necessary action. —February 22, 2013, http://www.stuff.co.nz

The implication is that Pope Benedict has essentially been driven into exile by circumstances, unable to physically keep a grip on the helm of the barque of the Church as she lists in the storms of apostasy battering her. Though the Vatican has dismissed the reports as false, [3] who can fail to see the mystical Pope Leo XIII’s words as truly prophetic, unfolding before our very eyes? The Pastor has been struck, and indeed, the flock is being scattered all over the world. As my reader says, “Should I remain loyal to the Roman Catholic Church?”

Is it not a divine irony that it was Pope Benedict XVI himself, while still a cardinal, that he approved as worthy of belief the revelation to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa from the Blessed Virgin?

The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…. churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. —Message given through an apparition to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa of Akita, Japan, October 13th, 1973; approved in June of 1988 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith

But it’s not only sexual scandals. The heart of the Church, the Liturgy, has itself been ransacked. More than one priest has shared with me how, after Vatican II, the icons of parishes were whitewashed, statues shattered, candles and sacred symbolism trashed. Another priest described how parishioners, with their pastor’s permission, came into the church after midnight with chainsaws to hack down the high altar and replace it with a table covered in a white cloth for next day’s Mass. A survivor of the Soviet Communist regime came to North America, and upon seeing what was taking place exclaimed that, what the Communists did to their churches back in Russia, we were doing voluntarily our very selves!

But more than the outward sacred language of signs and symbols has been the devastation done to the Mass itself. Scholar, Louis Bouyer, was one of the orthodox leaders of the liturgical movement before the Second Vatican Council. In the wake of an explosion of liturgical abuses after that council, he said:

We must speak plainly: there is practically no liturgy worthy of the name today in the Catholic Church… Perhaps in no other area is there a greater distance (and even formal opposition) between what the Council worked out and what we actually have… —from The Desolate City, Revolution in the Catholic Church, Anne Roche Muggeridge, p. 126

Although John Paul II and Pope Benedict took steps to begin healing the breach between the organic development of the Liturgy over 21 centuries and the Novus Ordo we celebrate today, the damage has been done. Even though Pope Paul VI at last dismissed one of the founders of the ill liturgical reform, Msgr. Annibale Bugnini, “upon well-founded accusations of his secret membership in the Masonic Order”, author Anne Roche Muggeridge writes that…

…In sober truth, by empowering the liturgical radicals to do their worst, Paul VI, wittingly or unwittingly, empowered the revolution. —Ibid. p. 127

And this revolution has spread through the religious orders, seminaries, and classrooms of the Catholic world all but shipwrecking the faith of, really, a remnant of followers in the Western world. This is all to say that The Great Revolution I have been warning about has done its damage in the Church, and the pinnacle of it is yet to come as we will continue to see “cardinal against cardinal, bishop against bishop”. [4] Even nations and continents such as India and Africa, where Catholicism is bursting at the seams, will feel and know the effects of the great confrontation before us.

Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers… —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 675

“It is a trial,” said John Paul II, “that the whole Church must take up.” [5]


WE WERE TOLD

And yet, as grievous as these tragedies are, as horrible as the tolls of abused victims have been, as devastating as the loss of souls is with the light of the Church nearly extinguished in parts of the world… none of this should be a surprise. In fact, I am astonished when I hear Christians speak as though they expect the Church to be perfect (when they themselves, who are the Church, are not). Jesus and St. Paul warned from the very beginning that the Church would be attacked from within:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheeps clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves… I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. (Matt 7:15; Acts 20:29-30)

At the Last Supper, when Jesus commanded the Apostles, “Do this in remembrance of Me…”, He said so looking straight into the eyes of Judas who would betray Him; of Peter who would deny Him; of St. John and the rest who would flee from Him in Gethsemane… Yes, Christ was entrusting the Church not to supermen, but to poor, weak, and frail human beings.

…for power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor 12:9)

Men who would undoubtedly, even after Pentecost, have their divisions and strife. Paul and Barnabas parted ways; Peter was corrected by Paul; the Corinthians were scolded for their bickering; and Jesus, in his seven letters to the Churches in Revelation, called them out of their hypocrisy and dead works into repentance.

And yet, never did Jesus ever say He would abandon His Church. [6] Furthermore, He promised that, no matter how bad things would get inside or out of the Church…

…the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Matt 16:18)

The Book of Revelation envisions that, in the end times, the Church will be persecuted and the Antichrist will sift her like wheat. If you want to know where the real threat is to Satan, look where the attacks against Christ are most prevalent. Satanists mock Catholics and the Mass; gay parades routinely mock priests and nuns; socialist governments consistently battle the Catholic hierarchy; atheists are obsessed with attacking the Catholic Church while claiming that it is irrelevant to them; and comedians, talk show hosts, and mainstream media habitually belittle and blaspheme anything sacred and Catholic. In fact, it was Mormon radio and television personality, Glenn Beck, who recently criticized the attack upon religious freedom in America, saying, “We are all Catholic now.” [7] And lastly, as former Satanist and recent Catholic convert Deborah Lipsky writes from her dark experience interacting with demons, evil spirits fear the priesthood most.

Demons know the power of Christ that the church inherited. —A Message of Hope, p. 42

So now, to directly answer the question why, why should one remain loyal to the Catholic Church…?



LOYALTY TO JESUS

Because Christ, not man, founded the Catholic Church. And Christ calls this very Church His “body”, as expounded in St. Paul’s writings. Jesus foretold that the Church would follow Him in His Passion and sufferings:

No slave is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you… they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. (Matt 24:9, John 15:20)


According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still CrossPassion2marked by “distress” and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching… The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 672, 677

And what can we say of the body of Jesus? In the end it was mangled, twisted, scourged, pierced, bleeding… ugly. He was unrecognizable. If we then are the mystical body of Christ, and are not spared “the trial of evil…which ushers in the struggles of the last days,” what will the Church look like in those days? The same as her Lord: a scandal. Many fled the sight of Jesus in His Passion. He was supposed to be their savior, their messiah, their deliverer! Instead what they saw appeared as weak, broken, and defeated. So too, the Catholic Church has been wounded, scourged, and pierced by her sinful members from within.

…the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from external enemies, but is born of sin within the Church.” —POPE BENEDICT XVI, interview on flight to Lisbon, Portugal; LifeSiteNews, May 12th, 2010

Errant theologians, liberal instructors, wayward priests, and rebellious laymen have left her nearly unrecognizable. And so, we are tempted to flee her as the disciples fled Christ in the Garden. Why should we stay?

Because Jesus not only said “If they persecuted me they will persecute you,” but added:

If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. (John 15:20)

What word? The word of truth that was entrusted with Christ’s own authority to the first pope and bishops of Christendom, who then entrusted that truth Magisterium.jpgto their successors through the laying on of hands until this present day. If we want to know that truth with absolute certainty, then we need to turn to those entrusted with it: the Magisterium, which is the teaching authority of the bishops who are in communion with “the rock”, Peter, the pope.

It is this Magisterium’s task to preserve God’s people from deviations and defections and to guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the true faith without error. Thus, the pastoral duty of the Magisterium is aimed at seeing to it that the People of God abides in the truth that liberates.—Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 890

Having a personal relationship with Jesus does not guarantee that one will walk in the truth that sets us free. I know Pentecostals who lived in mortal sin because they believed the falsehood that “once saved, always saved.” Likewise, there are liberal Catholics who have changed the prayers of Consecration that would transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ… but instead, leave them as lifeless elements. In the first case, the one has cut himself off from Christ “the life”; in the latter, from Christ “the bread of life.” This is to say that truth matters, not just “love.” Truth leads us into freedom — falsehood into slavery. And the fullness of truth has been given to the Catholic Church alone, for the reason that it is the only Church that Christ built. “I will build my church,” He said. Not 60, 000 denominations that can hardly ever agree on faith and morals, but one Church.

Every single biblical logion about the primacy [of Peter] remains from generation to generation a signpost and norm, to which we must ceaselessly resubmit ourselves. When the Church adheres to these pope-benedict-xviwords in faith, she is not being triumphalistic but humbly recognizing in wonder and thanksgiving the victory of God over and through human weakness. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), Called to Communion, Understanding the Church Today, Ignatius Press, p. 73-74

If you examine nearly every major religion, denomination, or cult that is not Catholic, from Islam to the Seventh Day Adventists to Jehovah Witnesses to Mormons to Protestants and so forth, you will see one common theme: they were founded on a subjective interpretation of the Scriptures, revealed either by a “supernatural presence” or personal interpretation. The teachings of the Catholic Church, on the other hand, can all be traced through the ages, through apostolic succession, through Early Church Fathers and Apostles—not to the invention of some pope or saint—but to Jesus Christ. What I am saying can easily be proven in this age of the internet. Catholic.com, for example, will answer any question from purgatory to Mary, explaining the historical roots and biblical foundations of the Catholic Faith. My good friend David MacDonald’s website, CatholicBridge.com, is also loaded with plenty of logical and clear answers to some of the biggest and most unusual questions surrounding Catholicism.

Why can we trust, despite the grave sins of individual members of the Church, that the pope and those bishops in communion with him will not lead us astray? Because of their theological degrees? No, because of Christ’s promise made privately to twelve men:

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you… when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth… (John 14:16-18; 16:13)

My personal relationship with Jesus is dependent upon me. But the truth that nurtures and guides that relationship is dependent upon the Church, guided for all time by the Holy Spirit. As said above, at its core, Christianity is about the love of a Father for his child, and the child returning that love. But how do we love Him in return?

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love… (John 15:10)

And what are Christ’s commandments? That is the role of the Church: to teach them in their full fidelity, context, and understanding. To make disciples of the nations…

…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matt 28:20)

That’s why we should remain loyal to the Catholic Church until our last breath. Because she is Christ’s Body, His voice of truth, His instrument of instruction, His vessel of Grace, His means of salvation—despite the personal sins of some of her individual members.

Because it is loyalty to Christ Himself.