A New War of the Roses with Bishops Crosiers May Be Brewing In Jolly Old England
Bishop Patrick O'Donohue Diocese of Lancaster England, has been called a fundamentalist & threatened with investigation by Parliament for some of his stands for upholding Catholic teachings. Well, if being a funadmentalist means what the original meaning of the word was, standing up for the fundamentals of the faith, then he is as guilty as I am of being 1 (Yes, I have been called that for defending authentic Church teachings). Given how so many of the other Bishops in the UK are running the other direction, I am sure he wouldn't win a popularity contest among them.
Fit for Mission included a review of how the parishes in the diocese were operation. This is the criteria he set for the review: "The Diocese must deal with the review within the parameters of Scripture, the Tradition of the Church and the Code of Canon Law (1983)."
Imagine that, a Bishop who demands faithfulness to what the Church asks of us.
& he clearly doesn't by this "Spirit of Vatican II" BS out there. "(T)he Bishop offers practical guidance on how to correctly interpret and live out the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, through challenging the common misinterpretations of the key Council documents on Liturgy, Revelation, the Church, and the Church in the world." (emphasis mine)
"Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue has written Fit for Mission? Church to foster and promote an authentic Catholic identity among the men, women and children of the 21st century, to enable them to resist the pressures to compromise, even abandon, the truths of the Catholic faith." (emphasis mine)
Too bad he is about to retire.
Although, if this quote from his coadjutor, Bishop Michael Campbell OSA, on last Sunday's Gospel (14 December 2008) is any clue, it looks like the Diocese will be in good hands. "The call of Advent is for each of us to open ourselves to God’s truth as revealed in Scripture and taught by the Church. Jesus Christ, whose birth we are preparing to celebrate, brings us the fullness of God’s truth and light. He is the anointed one of whom Isaiah speaks, the saviour sent by God to heal the wounds our broken human condition, and to restore our relationship with a loving Father. The besetting temptation for the human heart is to seek salvation elsewhere, even to the extent of establishing our own truth. John the Baptist stands before us as the great prophetic witness, pointing us to someone incomparably greater than himself, Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
(FYI: Avery Cardinal Dulles was an advisor to Bishop O'Donohue in his preparing the document.)
By Hilary White, Rome Correspondent
LANCASTER, UK, December 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest offices in the Catholic Church has endorsed a document by Lancaster Bishop Patrick O’Donohue, calling for an authentic restoration of orthodox Catholicism to the institutions of the Church in England and Wales. Archbishop Luis Ladaria, Secretary to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter of congratulation to the bishop, saying that the document, “Fit for Mission? Church,” was valuable for “alerting the faithful to the dangers of secularism and hedonism.”
He continued, “This Dicastery is particularly pleased to note the importance placed in Fit for Mission? Church on the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an invaluable resource for the mission and vitality of the Church. It is to be hoped that not only the faithful of your own diocese, but also Catholics throughout Britain, will find hope and encouragement in your document.”
Bishop O’Donohue responded saying he was “delighted” at the letter. “At the heart of both documents is the urgent appeal to Catholics throughout our country to reject the misinterpretations of the Second Vatican Council that have become so wide-spread. Once again we must commit ourselves without reservation to the fullness of doctrinal, moral and liturgical truth safeguarded by Peter!”
In his introduction, Bishop O'Donohue wrote that the document was produced to help “foster and promote an authentic Catholic identity,” and relied heavily on the Catechism of the Catholic Church produced under the pontificate of John Paul II. Catholics, he said, face “the challenge of secular humanism, the question of moral values in a scientific-technological culture, and the increasing tensions caused by reason sundered from faith.”
The reaction from the Church’s highest echelons in Rome is doubtless welcome to the soon-to-retire Bishop O’Donohue, who indicated in an interview with Rome-based Zenit news agency that the continuing silence from his colleagues in the English episcopate on his call for reform both of schools and the Church in general, has been disturbing.
Indeed, in the “Fit for Mission? Church” document, Bishop O’Donohue specifically criticised the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of England and Wales for having failed to find a coherent response to the threat to Catholic charities posed by the government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations.
John Smeaton, director of the UK’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, wrote that the letter from the CDF was “timely” considering that the government has recently announced its intention to broaden “sexual and reproductive” health measures in schools. The government’s plans include establishing school based “health and sex” clinics in all secondary schools; appointing “teenage pregnancy” monitors whose job will be to keep down teenage births; giving school nurses and advisors a mandate to refer for abortions without informing parents; and contributing to the early sexualisation of children by making sex education a statutory subject in all schools starting from age 5.
The endorsement from the CDF follows another from Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, who wrote in September that it was a “much needed” and “effective, practical instrument for advancing the much heralded New Evangelisation.” This endorsement came at the same time as another from Cardinal Renato Martino, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
LANCASTER, UK, December 9, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of the highest offices in the Catholic Church has endorsed a document by Lancaster Bishop Patrick O’Donohue, calling for an authentic restoration of orthodox Catholicism to the institutions of the Church in England and Wales. Archbishop Luis Ladaria, Secretary to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter of congratulation to the bishop, saying that the document, “Fit for Mission? Church,” was valuable for “alerting the faithful to the dangers of secularism and hedonism.”
He continued, “This Dicastery is particularly pleased to note the importance placed in Fit for Mission? Church on the Catechism of the Catholic Church as an invaluable resource for the mission and vitality of the Church. It is to be hoped that not only the faithful of your own diocese, but also Catholics throughout Britain, will find hope and encouragement in your document.”
Bishop O’Donohue responded saying he was “delighted” at the letter. “At the heart of both documents is the urgent appeal to Catholics throughout our country to reject the misinterpretations of the Second Vatican Council that have become so wide-spread. Once again we must commit ourselves without reservation to the fullness of doctrinal, moral and liturgical truth safeguarded by Peter!”
In his introduction, Bishop O'Donohue wrote that the document was produced to help “foster and promote an authentic Catholic identity,” and relied heavily on the Catechism of the Catholic Church produced under the pontificate of John Paul II. Catholics, he said, face “the challenge of secular humanism, the question of moral values in a scientific-technological culture, and the increasing tensions caused by reason sundered from faith.”
The reaction from the Church’s highest echelons in Rome is doubtless welcome to the soon-to-retire Bishop O’Donohue, who indicated in an interview with Rome-based Zenit news agency that the continuing silence from his colleagues in the English episcopate on his call for reform both of schools and the Church in general, has been disturbing.
Indeed, in the “Fit for Mission? Church” document, Bishop O’Donohue specifically criticised the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of England and Wales for having failed to find a coherent response to the threat to Catholic charities posed by the government’s Sexual Orientation Regulations.
John Smeaton, director of the UK’s Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, wrote that the letter from the CDF was “timely” considering that the government has recently announced its intention to broaden “sexual and reproductive” health measures in schools. The government’s plans include establishing school based “health and sex” clinics in all secondary schools; appointing “teenage pregnancy” monitors whose job will be to keep down teenage births; giving school nurses and advisors a mandate to refer for abortions without informing parents; and contributing to the early sexualisation of children by making sex education a statutory subject in all schools starting from age 5.
The endorsement from the CDF follows another from Archbishop Mauro Piacenza, head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, who wrote in September that it was a “much needed” and “effective, practical instrument for advancing the much heralded New Evangelisation.” This endorsement came at the same time as another from Cardinal Renato Martino, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Exclusive: Retiring UK Bishop Reveals No Consensus among Brother Bishops over Same-sex Adoption
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081906.html
UK Commons Committee to "Investigate" Catholic Bishop for "Fundamentalism"
UK Commons Committee to "Investigate" Catholic Bishop for "Fundamentalism"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08022606.html
Vatican Strongly Endorses Document Calling for Restoration of Authentic Catholicism in England
Vatican Strongly Endorses Document Calling for Restoration of Authentic Catholicism in England
posted by Al @ 12:37 AM
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