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When homosexuals and feminists stage a nutty over the appointment of a bishop, Rome probably picked the right guy.
From Life News comes this… just a little of it so you will go there to read the rest:
‘Extremely unfortunate’: Homosexualist, feminist leaders unhappy with new Montreal archbishop
BY PATRICK B. CRAINE
Thu Mar 22, 2012 15:17 ESTComments (22MONTREAL, Quebec, March 22, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Only two days after his appointment to head up the Montreal Archdiocese, Archbishop Christian Lepine is already facing attacks from activists in Quebec’s homosexual and feminist movements.
Archbishop Lepine, 60, was questioned on his strong pro-life and pro-family stances at a press conference Wednesday morning. The newly-minted prelate avoided stirring up any heated controversy with his carefully worded answers, which he grounded Pope John Paul II’s teachings on human sexuality, known as the theology of the body, and the Church’s mission to proclaim the Gospel.
Asked about abortion, Lepine emphasized that “God is the author of life” and “the first right is the right to life.” He said he hopes to attend the National March for Life in Ottawa this May, as he has done in the past.
[…]
“This bishop believes in reparative therapy,” Steve Foster, the group’s president, told the Journal de Quebec. “It shows that for the Church, gays and lesbians are sick people who need to be cured.”
Alexa Conradi, president of the Quebec Women’s Federation, also denounced Archbishop Lepine’s appointment as “extremely unfortunate,” saying he is “so out of touch with Quebec values.”
“The religious leaders have given over the reigns to people who are more conservative,” she told the Journal de Quebec.
[…]
WDTPRS kudos to Card. Ouellet.
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It is wonderful to have Cardinal Ouellet over in Rome!
He does have bishops in Canada that he can’t touch – but at least we have a Sea Change in parts of the country!
Archbishop Lepine has a lot of work to do within the Montreal clergy! Prayers to him!
“Excellent sign” indeed!
“The religious leaders have given over the reigns to people who are more conservative” indeed and more faithful.
Well, here’s another case where we don’t have all the facts. In this story one of the gay rights spokespersons alleged that the new bishop is a proponent of “reparative therapy” and we really don’t have any citations or other proof for that. It is unlikely that any man who would be elevated to the episcopacy could be that ignorant, so we can discount this as being a mere rumor. Of course if the bishop were a proponent of reparative therapy that would indeed be troubling because – like voodoo – reparative therapy as no basis in church doctrine. Not to mention that reparative therapy is considered tantamount to malpractice and abuse by any of the authentic authoritative professional groups for psychologists, therapists and the like.
Further, with respect to the “Theology of the Body,” I think it is important to stipulate that this was a pet project [?!?] of Pope John Paul II, but it does not have the standing of church doctrine. It is neither creedal nor dogmatic. While it does amount to a “probable theological opinion” it is certainly open to critique and indeed it has been submitted to same. Yes, I know that people will say the same about “Always Our Children,” that even though it is a document of a committee of the USCCB it is not creedal or dogmatic. [So, you don’t find anything of his theology in any of JPII’s magisterial documents? Nothing?]
I think when we gloat over the fact that gays and feminists are gravely concerned over the appointment of a bishop who may possibly be homophobic we tip our hand relative to our lack of alarm over the mass exodus of women and gays from the church. As was recently documented we are living in the first generation in which statistics show that women are no longer as active in the church as their mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers and beyond. We thrill to anecdotes of misogynistic pastors and rectors who have excluded females from serving at the altar as if ignorant of the fact that every priest has a mother; once all the women have left, where do we think the priests are going to come from? [Nice try. Your argument is absurd.]
And while probably most of our gay children had already left, we’re bending over backwards to bar the door in fear that any of them might return.
I have actually known 2 homosexual men who underwent treatment successfully and are now married. To women.
On another note, when inwas principal, I scheduled someone from Aesthetic Realism to come in and give a bullying workshop. I had to attend an early morning meeting, so I didn’t show up at school until 9 or so. (High school in NYC start as early as 7 AM). By then, one of the math teachers had e-mailed the entire staff (not just me in confidence, mind you), that the Aesthetic Realism group had a “treatment plan” to cure homosexuality. On that grounds, the teacher was, I dunno, demanding? that the workshop be cancelled. My three witless Assistant Principals (Larry, Moe & Curly), were running around, assuming the workshop was to be cancelled.
To everyone’s surprise, the workshop on BULLYING went forward and no Homosexuals were treated or cured that day.
No wonder I retired at 49….
Our dear Archbishop, while a good man, is about to retire here in the Portland Archdiocese, and I have no clue as to who will fill his shoes.
Given the impending retirement, well… do you think Archbp. Lepine has a brother?
We in Canada, especially in Québec, desperately need bishops who are faithful and confident. Things are slowly changing from a timid crew to a more engaged hierarchy willing to publicly defend the Gospel unvarnished. I think we can expect good things from Archbishop Lépine and Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Dowd (second youngest bishop in the world!) who were both ordained bishops for Montreal just last September.
To both his Grace Archbishop Lépine and his Excellency Bishop Thomas – ad multos annos!
@frjim4321: I would refer you to the substantiated science based studies and work of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi regarding reparative therapy who has done some landmark work on this subject: http://www.josephnicolosi.com, http://www.narth.com, also http://www.exodusinternational.org annd http://www.courage.org.
Correction to website: http://www.couragerc.net
I wish more pastors would “exclude females from serving at the altar”.Its like a gaggle of geese processing up at our church.We need more men serving.My sons need strong rolemodels that serve,not women trying to run the show–drives me nuts.Mom of five (sons&daughters)
What hilarity! As if this Quebec Women’s Federation has any say on who is elevated to Bishop or Archbishop! :) I hope the best for Archbishop Lepine, whatever his story is…and whatever is really going on in Quebec, haha!
And, Fr. Jim – While we may not yet have the whole story (as is the case in many internet publications) I think you’re going a bit off the deep end here. I’m not trying to be rude or unkind to you, but as a woman who professes to be Catholic and struggles with homosexual attraction, (from what I see you saying here) I think you’re wrong in regard to the Churchmen alienating women and homosexuals. People who make exodus en masse from the Church do so of their own free wills in order to justify their mortal sins. They do not leave because big, bad Bishop or Archbishop So-and-so is a homophobe or because Father Misogynist bars women and girls from usurping the offices of Lector, Acolyte and Subdeacon. It does not take a woman serving the priest in the ambo to raise up new and holy priests. Men and women are obviously ordained by nature and divine mandates to act within very specific offices. None of these offices in which women are ordained to act allow service at the altar/in the sanctuary/in the ambo during the Divine Liturgy/Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
I personally do not care if Archbishop Lepine is a homophobe; that’s his own business. Besides, a phobia can be called a psychological disturbance just as well as homosexuality can (insofar as the passions disturb the soul)! haha! I also don’t think that treating homosexuality as a pathology is indicative of homophobia, but perhaps, rather a misunderstanding…or even a greater understanding than I have…of the invisible workings of the human soul as informed by the passions.
Okay, I’ll be the first one to ask: a purple cassock with purple buttons and purple piping (instead of red)? What’s that all about? And…he’s 60 years old? I would have guessed about 48.
Centristian: I think that’s his Mass cassock….
If he makes the MSM mad…must be a good choice.
@Centristian
The piping/trimming on his choir cassock sure looks like a different color to me. Perhaps the bright flash (looks like flash reflection in the background) and the quality of the image (it’s a tiny JPEG after all) caused the colors to appear washed out.
frjim:
In our archdiocese we are experiencing the most priestly vocations in many years – at least twenty years as far as I figure. And almost all of them come from three parishes when there are no “altar girls” or feminized liturgies. I don’t know where your parish is, but how many young men have you sent to seminary?
Wow, Fr. Jim–throwing around words like “homophobic”: is that for anyone who proclaims the truth that homosexual acts are sinful? And most parishes have a VAST majority of women doing almost everything; the lack of masculinity in the Church has been a great problem. But there are signs of a turn around in some dioceses.
No gay people are made to leave the Church but if they are practicing, then the grave sin does exclude them from Holy Communion. That is Church teaching, is it not?
The above pictures of Archbishop Lepine bears some resemblance to the fictional Stephen Cardinal Fermoyle from the movie “The Cardinal”. :)
once all the women have left, where do we think the priests are going to come from?
Oy vey.
I guess I missed the memo that I’ve left the church. Or am leaving. Or will leave. Or something. Whatever.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to attend Mass with the numerous children I’ve been blessed with, six of whom are boys. Please, Lord, grant us at least a few priestly vocations in the lot? :)
Archbishop Lépine was speedtracked from parish priest to archbishop in about a year. That shows how messed up the church of Quebec is: Rome couldn’t find any bishops to fill the spot and had to hand-pick a lowly parish priest.
I love the comment of the woman’s federation: he’s “so out of touch with Quebec values.” Did they ever think that might say something about Quedec values rather that the archbishop’s? As far as the article states h e is 100% in line with the Church.
(As far as I can tell neither being for or against reparative therapy is even a probable theological opinion – this is one of those issues I would need to study a while to have an opinion worth more that 10 strikes on my keyboard.)
Once again, one needs only pull their head out of the internet, go outside, look at mainline Protestant denominations before they became more women and homosexual-friendly, note that people are leaving them faster than if the buildings were on fire, and conclude that these so-called women and homosexual-friendly policies are not growth strategies.
he is “so out of touch with Quebec values.”
Must. Resist. Urge. To. Make. Snide. Sarcastic. Cheap shot. At. Quebec.
Quebec is more liberal than the Liberal Party. From what I’ve heard, the province has no Catholic values anymore. It’s sad given that Catholicism in Canada started in Quebec City.
Why do these groups care and in what possible way can they be considered “stakeholders” that the media feels the need to elicit their opinion?
The more feminists quack about our bishops and priests, the better, as it shows they are stooping to ad hominem attacks and may be losing the local battle for reproductive and homosexual rights. Noise indicates chaos, indicates fear. Good thing, too. God bless this new bishop.
And, I have heard good things about reparative therapy. Need to learn more about it, so thanks for the links here.
frjim;
[REMOVED.]
FrJim4321 has sympathy for the plight of homosexuals (although the word “homophobic” is mindless), but he has scorn for anyone who tries to live the Catholic Faith. And he referred to comments criticizing the current liturgy as “narcissistic”. What is more narcissistic than desiring sexual pleasure with one’s one gender?
And Fr Jim never answered my question: How many vocations to the priesthood and religious life have come under his pastoral leadership?
“This bishop believes in reparative therapy,” Steve Foster, the group’s president, told the Journal de Quebec. “It shows that for the Church, gays and lesbians are sick people who need to be cured.”
See the Church believe that we are all sinners, all ‘sick’ and in need of healing, something they can not seem to accept.
As much as Fr Jim appears to be in the ditch next to the road (the left one, obviously), Fr. Z. has indicated he is indeed a priest in good standing. Even the ‘Bux protocol’ calls for conversion first, best pray for that, as it would be better than his retirement – especially when discussed on a public forum.
But I do hope and pray that all priests will realise that given the choice between their own desires and God, some people will choose the former. Trying to keep these people onboard by ignoring sin wíll never work, at it still means a choice against God.
I do know of a few people who I would consider “homophobic”. I do not use that term lightly. I have never encountered a priest or bishop whom that term would apply to–it would be incompatible with their job! I think official Church teaching on the matter of homosexuality is wonderful. The left is trying to pit people against one another to make homosexuals feel unwanted and hated by the right so that the left can continue to use them as pawns. They care nothing for these people, they just use them. It’s disgusting. We can’t let them get away with this. We need to remember that no sin is too great for God, remain charitable (without supporting or endorsing sin) and do what we can to help them live according to God’s will rather than shunning them or chasing them away.
As far as “reparative therapy” goes, I have read of people who sought it out and found that it worked for them. I’m sure a lot depends on the nature of their disorder. I don’t believe it should be forced on anyone, but supporting reparative therapy does not make one ignorant or homophobic. The Church does not teach that homosexuals must “switch teams” in order to be Catholics in good standing, but they must avoid sin. The protesters are purposely twisting the message.
I pray that more and more homosexuals will see through the lies and understand that people like Archbishop Lepine who uphold Church teaching are trying to help them reach heaven.
With great disappointment, I had to remove some comments.
DavidR – – –
I have been told that my fondness of Jim Beam might not promote longevity, so if you would like to hurry things along please feel free to send along a couple cases.
– – – Fr. Jim
I shall pry for the new Archbishop Lepine. His ascendancy may have been accelerated through a shortage of candidates, as Daniel Arsenault suggests, however, I am sure that the Holy Spirit must have had a hand in the selection of one with such strong pro-life and pro-family positions in these difficult times.
OK, make that pray…. My fingers are frazzled from working taxes, I guess.
Father Z;
“With great disappointment, I had to remove some comments.”
Thank you; perhaps all of us have an off day now and then.
APX, if you are still here, I ask your forgiveness. Apparently I unintentionally stepped on your toes.
DavidR
I have wondered why people try to inject the word “homophobia” into a discussion about this issue. In fact, I hear it way too often. It comes in many forms, but “What are you afraid of?” is the generic charge.
Here’s what these people are implying.
Fear paralyzes the intellect and will, and it prevents us from thinking and acting logically. So, when a person calls this Bishop a homophobe, what he is subtly implying is, “Surely this Bishop is not thinking rationally, but, instead, is acting out of a fearful instinct. Therefore we can write off his view because it is thoughtless.”
I find that people throw in the “What are you so afraid of?” comment when they, themselves, cannot make a rational argument for their views. So, instead of engaging in debate, they try to discredit their opponent with this gratuitous statement.
Your response to such a charge should be two-fold:
1) you should have a boost of confidence because your opponent does not have a logical argument and, instead, is trying to simply attack your sanity
2) explain what I said above: fear paralyzes the intellect and will, and by simply inferring that I’m a phobic is a poor attempt to dodge the issue and simply declare me irrational. I am in perfect control of my faculties, so let’s discuss the issue itself.
God bless him and keep him. People will be gunning for this Bishop, so I hope he has people around him in the chancery he can trust. As far as being homophobic, this word is tossed around far too lightly, as a way to demonize people who merely hold different religious convictions. The far left does not want to debate the actual facts, so they try character assassination to discredit the person who has a different view, much the same as tea partiers are often accused of being racist just because they disagree with the President’s policies. Same Sex Attraction is a terrible cross for someone to bear. While I’m not sure about the scientific merits of reparative therapy, if it does prove to help people, how is that homophobic? Are we phobic of alcoholics if we point them in the direction of AA, or phobic of cancer patients if we suggest they take chemo? I have great sympathy for people who struggle with SSA, especially since society only seems to give them the option of repress and keep quiet, or act out. In neither of these scenarios do people get help. While I’m not sure if someone can be cured of SSA, God bless people for trying to find out if it can.
God Bless Archbishop Lepine!
The holier we are, the harder we strive towards holiness, the more the enemy assaults through temptations, and through his agents of evil in the world.
The fact that there is such an outcry from the agents of evil is a sure sign that a truly holy man has been appointed Archbishop of Montreal.
Me we all pray for him.
Saint Andre Bessette, pray for him!
Fr. Jim – re-reading my comments directed to you, I thought that they might have been taken in a scathing way. If that is the case, I am sorry…I don’t want to hurt feelings here, but I don’t advocate either women or homosexuals taking the “victim” approach to everything. We are all masters of our own fate! Men and women together need to stop taking the “lesbian” road of malleable standards of judgment and effeminacy of moral standards leading to vice and ruin…and man up, so to speak, join in the manful struggle of the soldier of Christ including rigid intellectual and moral standards leading to virtue and salvation!
Women are not victims! Homosexuals are not victims! (although many play at it, it is because that is their wish to be so)
So some amateur volunteer “federation” is ranting in Quebec that “he, meaning the new archbishop, is “so out of touch with Quebec values.”” I’m amused. I think such a statement doesn’t reflect badly on the new Archbishop; rather it reflects badly on “Quebec values” if we are to believe this splinter group’s rant about what “Quebec values” might actually be.
BTW, to anyone saying they’re losing sleep over a particular worry they’ve expressed: There are LOTS of women in the Catholic Church. LOTS & LOTS of nice feminine heterosexual women, some of us with big herds of children. We like the fact that the Church has always been the most pro-woman organization on earth, and we also love the fact that the greatest saint of them all was a woman. So we’re not leaving ever. No need to worry about that. ;)
All reputable psychologists “believed in” treating homosexuality as a disorder until the APA was intimidated by the likes of these activists into omitting it from the DSM-II.
There was a recent convention of psychiatrists and mental health “experts” in Baltimore where serious discussion was given to changing the DSM so that pedophilia was no longer considered a disorder – just as happened with homosexuality. Can you believe it?! Not sure where that issue stands at the moment with the APA but give it a few years folks.
here are many links to this meeting in August of 2011 if you Google it, but here is one.
http://nation.foxnews.com/pedophilia/2011/08/25/group-psychiatrists-advocating-change-definition-pedophilia
@acardnal
Soon they’ll take pedophilia out and put belief in God in. Bet on it.
I concur with you, ContraMundum. They are already calling Catholics bigots. We must have a psychological disorder.
@acardnal
They’ve got it already: “Homophobia.” Just add it to the DSM.
How about “Catholicphobia”? I think many of us are victims of that! If only we could sue. Hmmmm. . . ..
I’m afraid I have to beg everyone’s pardon. It was brought to my attention that a French Canadian slang word that I employed in an earlier post on this thread (since removed by Father Z) was much…naughtier…than I imagined it to be. I am mortified now that I understand the full strength of the word, and I sincerely apologize both to Father Z and to his readers. Thank you, Father, for editing the offending word out of my remarks.
HOORAY!
I wouldn’t trust the word of any homosexual activist that the good Archbishop promotes “reparative therapy”, which is a slur the activists commonly and incorrectly throw at the Courage ministry, which supports the call to chastity for those with same sex attraction in line with Catholic moral teaching. Reparative therapy may be available if one wishes and may be helpful in some cases, but Catholic teaching does not require it. If someone is interested in seeking out reparative therapy, why shouldn’t they be free to try it? The homosexual activists don’t believe in freedom, and Canada, like the US, is ostensibly a free country. Even if the bishop may have said something positive about reparative therapy, a position for which no evidence has been cited, I very much doubt he would say that anyone with same sex attraction MUST pursue reparative therapy. Those suffering the challenge of same sex attraction disorder are called to chastity, just as all in the Church are, whether chastity in marriage (between a man and a woman!) or in the single state. That really is the important thing, and if therapy doesn’t seem to work, the call to chastity remains and people shouldn’t get discouraged. Sometimes God allows us to endure challenges of various types.
Someone needs to learn the difference between “reins” and “reigns.”
Who the heck cares what the MSM and their homosexual and feminist allies think?
I say, Bravo, Archbishop Lepine! Good for you! Keep at it! Stand your ground! [wish I could say these ‘clarion calls’ in French]
I recall back in the mid-1990s there was an incident at the Montreal Cathedral (Marie-Reine-du-Monde) on International Womens’ Day, when a screaming mob of feminists stormed it and started to trash the place (they threw ‘used female hygiene products’ around inside, for instance-disgusting). Only by the courageous defense of some male tourists was the Blessed Sacrament in Its chapel in the back of the church saved from being profaned. I don’t know if anyone was ever caught or charged.
Just goes to show that the homosexual / radical feminist lobby in Canada is a lot more militant and ‘nasty’ than in the US.
But as I said at the beginning: who cares what these people think? Do they claim to speak for the Church? NOT! Canada needs strong and valiant shepherds to stand up and speak out for the Truth that is Christ and His Church!
If you read Archbishop Lépine’s own comments, for example from the press conference as Friday (http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/regional/montreal/201203/21/01-4507902-christian-lepine-entre-turcotte-et-ouellet.php), I think you will find his views more nuanced and compassionate than the way they have been portrayed. Un avenir plein de succès à lui!