homosexual priests and bishops and those who cover-up for them.

These words saddened me.  Priests are trying in very difficult times to serve the people of God.  To be accused by friends or enemies of being a homosexual must be very difficult.

Would it be a good idea if we supported priests and showed them we love and respect them and sympathize with them, and realize how hurtful it must be to be considered a homosexual or a paedophile, when they are trying to serve God and their fellow men?

Would it be a good idea if we united together to help evangelise and try to win back to the Church those of our friends, relatives and colleagues who have left, in co-operation with our clergy?

Recently I  was at a very informative talk by Prof Michael Hout (University of California at Berkeley).  He pointed out that Catholicism in the US is not exceptional, Protestantism is.  In the States the rate of Church attendance is higher among Protestants that among Catholics.  In the US those in Catholic families grew from 15% before WW I to 30% in the 1960s, and has been stable since.  Practising adult Catholics are about 24% of the total adult population now.

The Catholic population has grown through the immigration of Hispanics and through larger Catholic families.  However there is a huge loss of Catholics from the Church in recent years.

How can the Church reach out to those who have left?

I would imagine that if Catholics supported  their  priests and bishops and were united in love and faith, those who have left our Catholic family would feel attracted back to a warm welcome.

Thus attacks on priests, such as the recent one on Fr Beck CP, seem to me unchristian and counter-productive.

 His book God Underneath has been praised: 

Told in little vignettes or stories about life serving the people around him (as well as memories of childhood) author Edward Beck offers a revealing, honest glimpse into the challenges and rewards of priesthood. 

Thus I would suggest we support   our priests, by friendship and understanding in these very difficult times for them. 

Perhaps we should   show them that they are appreciated and respected and they have our love and support.   

Y

You may have somewhat missed my point. 

Types of Protestantism in the US have been in sharp decline.  President  Ge Gaulle said France had three religions and hundreds of different types of Cheese, while the US had three types of Cheese and hundreds of different type of Roligion. In fact in the US there are 235 different Protestant denominations, but they are of four types: conservative, moderate, liberal and Afro-American.

The moderates seem to be in decline. 

However while there is great diversity in affiliation, there seems to be a growing consensus in practice and  belief among all Americans.  Most folk go to a Church which has its own organ or piano and has singing.  Most also belief in Jesus and that one should do good.

One unique thing Catholics have is an inability to keep children in the Church.  Even though it is considered a mortal sin Catholics fail to attend Church on Sundays more than Protestants.  The Church’s teaching on sex is also a cause of many young folk leaving. Within the Catholic Church now there is a huge diversity of opinion and belief.  All our positions seem to be different from each other, which can be seen in the sharp disagreement here in CE with our clergy among some subscribers.  Many Catholics now seems to be an individual Church, which reject the official Catholic clergy.

I am advocating that we rally around our clergy and reach out to those who have fallen away and welcome them back into the warm friendly supportive household of the faith, where clergy and people are united in love and service.

God bless,

bless,


NoelFitz.
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In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.
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noel, I agree with your sentiment entirely and would also include rallying around all other faithful Catholics and even some unfaithful Catholics. I have spent much time at the seminary where I live and recently exchanged an intention to pray with a seminarian for his successful ordination. I am not in favor of blaming priests nor interfering in their ministry of the sacraments. The local ordinances of law however do interfere, my parish priest told me a seminarian friend of his was arrested and sent to jail for fondling a parishoner while on a hiking trip. It is sad when ordinary people sin, yet it is even sadder when a priest sins. We all would like to forget the aftermath of scandal that is still reverberating in the US and we will in time as long as the local law enforcement does not catch another priest in some abuse of a minor. I pray in Jesus Holy Name for strength for the priests to avoid that sin.

 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

The Catholic Crusader

Hello,

I spent many years in the seminary. I saw and was sadly involved in many things that NEVER should happen to any person. Now as a parent and Father of a child the catholic church has rewarded me with LARGE tuition Fees, tracking of your mass attendance, and keeping my son after CCD as ransom to pay a FEE!The main problem with Priests is the fact that many many semanaries dontscreen well for potential predators or homosexuals. There are NO fool proof tests, but better screening helps... Been there, seen it and left disgusted....

The Catholic Crusader

Homosexuality per say is NOT the issue. It is how the church deals or does not deal with it. Homosexual priests are not all predatory to abused with kids. Many priests feel by being or engaging in that type...that they dont break their vows, because the church defines it as being with a woman.. therefore they try to skirt the issue....

Your Crusader

noel, Please visit the Catholic website: http://www.fatima.org/essentials/facts/seers.asp to read the biographies of Francisco and Jacincta Marto and Lucy Dos Santos all from Portugal. Lucy became a num. The site has info regarding their visions of the Blessed Mother [approved by the Vatican]. My mother saw the miracle of the sun or the [Day the Sun Danced] as talked about by the visionaries. The sun miraculously danced in the early 1900's when my mother was only a young child.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

noel, Yes, you know the visitations of the Blessed Mother very well. I met the visionaries from Medjugorje. I am not certain if Medjugorje is approved by the Vatican as of yet. The Fatima and Garabandol visionaries all say the Blessed Mother encourages us to pray as she says this is the only means to help those whom are lost and forgotten.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

noel, For good reason the Vatican waits for evidence. I was invited to a vision of the Blessed Mother in northern Minnesota supposedly. Of course the Blessed Mother did not appear and the man who claimed she would be there was in Medjugorje at the same moment he was suppose to be entertaining the Blessed Mother in Minnesota. We all got took on that deal, about 3000 persons from the Catholic church.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Yana

Thank you for your reply.

The President is not in my class in Milltown.  She is studying Canon Law, in spite of the fact that she is a lawyer and was Reid Professor of Law in Trinity College Dublin. 

However she is in the class with a nun from our local convent, who was professed last week-end.  I think I mentioned this in a previous post.

Times have changed.  I was in Milltown having a cup of coffee after a lecture some days ago, and this nun came and joined me and offered me some chocolate.

She is a wondeful young person.  People like her give hope for the future of the Church.

God bless,


NoelFitz.

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In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.
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Noel, you wrote:

"She is a wondeful young person.  People like her give hope for the future of the Church."

Here, in New York, we have some such as her that we call " Sisters for Life"

Remember, the Sun is always shining!

Noel, Canon law has no similarity to civil law. The church has an established guideline for normative behavior expected from the faithful and the clergy. The Canon outlines those expected behaviors. For an attorney of civil law to study Canon gives her an insight into normative Catholic behaviors. This is a very smart move for a President of an entire country, considering that the vast majority of Irish call themselves Catholic. I wish Geo Bush would study the Canon and Islam as well before he goes sending invaders to force democracy upon a race of people who will never accept democracy because they are Islamists. But then, our President is not as intelligent as yours.

I am very happy for you that you are in study, which is a lifelong process. "To know Scripture is to know Christ" I believe this quote came from Saint Jerome or Augsustine.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Mary McAleese

On 11th November, 1997, Mary McAleese was inaugurated as the eighth President of Ireland. Mary McAleese was re-elected on Friday 1st October 2004 being the only validly-nominated candidate. She is a barrister and former Professor of Law. Born on June 27th 1951 in Belfast, she is the first President to come from Northern Ireland. She is married, since 1976, to Dr. Martin McAleese, an accountant and dentist. They have three children, Emma, born 1982 and twins Justin and SaraMai, born 1985.

The eldest of nine children, President McAleese grew up in Northern Ireland through the violent times that have come to be known as 'The Troubles'. Her family was one of many adversely affected by the conflict. She graduated in Law from the Queen's University of Belfast in 1973 and was called to the Northern Ireland Bar in 1974. In 1975, she was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin and in 1987, she returned to her Alma Mater, Queen's, to become Director of the Institute of Professional Legal Studies. In 1994, she became the first female Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Queen's University of Belfast.

President McAleese is an experienced broadcaster, having worked as a current affairs journalist and presenter in radio and television with Radio Telefís Éireann. She has a longstanding interest in many issues concerned with justice, equality, social inclusion, anti-sectarianism and reconciliation. The theme of her Presidency is 'Building Bridges'

Among the other appointments she has held are;

• Director of Channel 4 Television.
• Director, Northern Ireland Electricity
• Delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Trade and Investment in Ireland and to the follow up Pittsburg Conference in 1996.
• Member of the Catholic Church delegation in 1996 to the North Commission on Contentious Parades.
• Member of the Catholic Church Episcopal Delegation to the New Ireland Forum in 1984.
• Founder member of the Irish Commission for Prisoners Overseas.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen