McCarrick resigned from the College of Cardinals. Wherein Fr. Z rants.

Before anything else…

Lots of people are really angry, indeed enraged.  Horrid situations such as those caused by men like McCarrick are painful.  We can make choices about how to view them.  Anger is appropriate, but not to the point where we are merely giving voice to our spittle-flecked Ids.  Sad situations like this must be taken as an opportunity for grace.  When you see this filth in the Church, remember that Christ created His Church for sinners: you, me and McCarrick.  If anger is the first impulse that we have when we see this awful stuff, the second impulse must be to say, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner!”, and then go to confession and do some penance.

That said:

Bolletino.  Theodore McCarrick has resigned from the College of Cardinals and Pope Francis accepted his resignation.  McCarrick is no longer to be addressed as “Your Eminence” and he no longer has any of the privileges that come with being a Cardinal.

Furthermore, Pope Francis applied to McCarrick a suspension a divinis, which prohibits him from holding any office or acts of the power of order and governance.   “Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the cardinalate and has ordered his suspension from the exercise of any public ministry, together with the obligation to remain in a house yet to be indicated to him, for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial.”

So, there is a canonical process underway.  Since he resigned from the College, he cannot be “stripped” of that office.  Keep in mind that Cardinals Law and O’Brien did not resign and were not removed by the Pope from the College. Law covered up crimes while O’Brien committed certain other delicts.  Law, still an elector, participated in the 2005 conclave.  O’Briens, still an elector, decided not to participate in the 2013 conclave.

Since he resigned as a Cardinal, there isn’t much left that can be done to censure him.  It is possible that he could be dismissed from the clerical state.

The USCCB issued a press release.  It doesn’t say very much.

I have long held McCarrick to be one of the most loathsome figures of whom I was aware in the Church, for several reasons.

Over the years I had heard from priests about the “open secrets”.  Having been persecuted in seminary for having complained about homosexuals, I find people like him hideous.   Also, he was a spectacular liar.  He buried key text in Card. Ratzinger’s letter to bishops in these USA concerning voting.  Also, after Card. Arinze presented Redemptionis Sacramentum to the press corps and responded to my question about Communion for pro-abortion Catholic politicians (hint: NO!) – the spox didn’t want Arinze to answer, but John Allen backed me up! – Card. McSlime made a bee line to the cameras and microphones after the presser and said, “What Card. Arinze meant to say, was…” and then said exactly the opposite.

Lying on that level, and using his position as he did, is nothing short of diabolical.

I suspect that he will be “laicized”.

While I truly loath McCarrick, I hope that he has had enough of a shock at this point in his life, and still has enough time, sincerely to repent of his sins.  There is still time for him, while he yet draws breath.  I hope he manages it, with the help of the tremendous graces God must be offering to him.   Sincere repentance and public statements about his sorrow could be great examples of God’s mercy.  The greater the sinner, the greater the prevenient graces God offers in mercy… mercy which is rooted in truth.

I will try to pray for McCarrick, for my own sake, as well as for his.  It is hard to loath people for whom you choose to pray.  Charity and God’s own admonishments oblige us.

Please allow me to do my job, which is to keep as many people out of Hell as I can. 

I must rant.

Remember: There is no sin that we little mortals can commit so terrible that God cannot forgive it and cleanse it from our souls.   The key to this forgiveness is asking for forgiveness.  God’s justice we will get whether we want it or not.  His mercy is there for the asking.  But we have to ask for it.  That means sincere examination of conscience and then humble admission of sins.

Remember: God cannot be fooled.  He know us better than we know ourselves.  God cannot deceive.  God cannot be deceived.   God’s promises are absolutely reliable.  We cannot trick God.   Trying to trick God, deceive God, withhold from God is deep, black wickedness, which excludes one from His mercy.

Examine your conscience.  For the love of God, go to confession.  Confess everything sincerely.  Don’t hold anything back.

Absolution from the priest is God’s own cleansing pardon that removes the stain of sin from your soul.   You will have the memory of the sin, but the sin is gone, removed, cleansed.  It is no more.  Though your sins were as red as scarlet, they will have been washed white by the Blood of the Lamb who was slain for those sins precisely so that YOU could receive forgiveness, adoption as His son or daughter, and then membership in the Kingdom of Heaven.

How long has it been since you heard those words of absolution and felt that freedom as a child of God?

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in GO TO CONFESSION, Hard-Identity Catholicism, SESSIUNCULA, Wherein Fr. Z Rants and tagged , , . Bookmark the permalink.

37 Comments

  1. Sawyer says:

    Do you think the Church will have a #meusquoque movement?
    I think McCarrick’s resignation was forced on him and is an attempt to placate the growing angry groups of laity so this story gets out of the news, and so investigations don’t reveal anything more, and so that no priest or bishop gets the idea to make a #meusquoque act of courage that would unravel and uncover more, perhaps initiating a cascade or snowball effect.
    The story in the NCRegister about the 48 seminarians reporting the goings-on at the seminary in Honduras still has not had a wide impact, but it’s another crack in the levee. The #meusquoque movement is on the verge of breaking out.

  2. Ave Maria says:

    I went to confession yesterday….
    Yes. that cardinal who preyed on young men–many idealistic and wanting to serve Christ and His Church–should be more than laicized; he should be civilly prosecuted for his crimes. And those who covered for him for decades–decades!–if -IF!-they had any integrity left at all, should come clean and admit their participation in the loss of souls and should resign.

    I cannot fathom the cold heart of a predator! To live such a lie in the priesthood! To damage others is such a grave sin that it does indeed cry out to heaven for vengeance. Of course, I will pray for these perverted ones and for their conversion and for a call to repentance.

  3. ChesterFrank says:

    It isn’t sinful anger directed only at McCarrick .Its the skepticism that enters because of the high rank McCarrick reached, and that those who promoted him knew of his character. His was an “Open Secret.” The anger at McCarrick easily becomes cynicism towards the organization that vigorously promoted him to its highest ranks.

  4. Hi Greg.

    I believe that Pope Francis’ modifications to the annulment process last year does account for situations like yours where there lies the possibilities of acquiring (or in the opinions of those involved like the ex husband, dragging) witnesses to testify, whom can no longer be found. Anyone here can call to mind the name of the document and to verify what I’ve said (or correct me charitably,) please do so. Thanks.

  5. Suburbanbanshee says:

    Of course McCarrick’s predation was unacceptable, and those who let him advance and continue are dead wrong too.

    But if you come upon a mess, the primary consideration is cleaning what you can, and throwing out what you can’t. The whys and hows are side issues, and the anger can be a distraction that only slows things down.

    But the need to clean is immediate.

  6. Semper Gumby says:

    Thank you Fr. Z.

  7. Dimitri_Cavalli says:

    I understand there was a pope who, in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, condemned his immediate predecessor of being a pedophile and rapist.

    Much of the Church’s historical dirty laundry has been exposed by faithful, orthodox Catholics (who never demanded changes in doctrine accompany fighting corruption).

  8. Amerikaner says:

    Sadly this doesn’t dismantle the gay networks. He was only one point in a large connected system. Be sure that this will be compartmentalized and no effort made to dig the nastiness out by its roots.

  9. mtmajor says:

    Many thanks padre, you’re perspective is needed. My wife said this morning that McCarrick’s penance must include feelings of terror similar to those of his victims. [I’m pretty cold, but I won’t wish that even on him. The terror I want him to feel is truly repenting terror of the loss of heaven and the pains of Hell before it is too late for him.] I’m convinced he believes he’s done nothing wrong, even now. [I’m not psychic. I don’t know what’s in his head. But let’s keep an eye on those who were around him.] The behavior of our bishops has and likely will keep our adult children from ever returning to the Church. Keep our families in your prayers. [Remind your children that life isn’t a game of bean bag and that Christ made the Church precise for sinners. The sins of even the loftiest of clerics, while outrageous, are still nothing compared to the greatness of membership in the Church and all that it offers.]

  10. Lurker 59 says:

    With McCarrrick, I cannot help but see this as a sacrificial lamb meant to appease the masses and convince them that something is being done. How many recently made cardinal and bishops are “open secrets”? It is one thing to elevate repentant sinners, another to elevate sinners who really enjoy their sins. Has to stop.

    The Church has a sin problem as this issue is well beyond homosexual prelates. I hear, too frequently, that the Church is a field hospital for sinners, but when I look, I see no doctors, no medicine just a bunch of wandering around accompaniment. Yes, hyperbola completely.

    As a layperson, I must seek personal holiness, but I must also help my local priest seek it. This is often overlooked as Catholics expect priests to be priests and don’t know what to do when they aren’t and when they don’t want to.

  11. Arthur McGowan says:

    Here is another of McCarrick’s clever lies. The Canadian bishops lapped up this rationalization for coddling pro-aborts:

    “Cardinal Avery Dulles made this same point in a recent interview: ‘The Church’s prime responsibility is to teach and to persuade. She tries to convince citizens to engage in the political process with a well-informed conscience.’ He also cautions that the imposition of penalties [on pro-abortion politicians] comes with some serious risks: . . . ‘the Church incurs a danger of alienating judges, legislators and public administrators whose good will is needed for other good programs, such as the support of Catholic education and the care of the poor. For all these reasons, the Church is reluctant to discipline politicians in a public way, even when it is clear that their positions are morally indefensible’.”–Address of Theodore Cardinal McCarrick to the Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, October 17, 2006.

    http://thewandererpress.com/catholic/news/frontpage/simony-for-sodomy-a-primer/

    Contary to McCarrick-Wuerl, Denial of Communion is not a “penalty.” That is, it is not something a bishop MAY do. It is an obligatory action. It is a mortal sin NOT to do it. (Not to mention the preposterous notion that, without a constant supply of sacrilegious Communions, the Democrats will shut down social spending.)

  12. frjimt says:

    I recall a wise (much wiser than yours truly) Jesuit, fr Joseph Rock, s.j, univ of Scranton (formerly catholic univ) who, when presented with the problems of church & world would muse: the devil & if not the devil, the Lord let this happen to teach humility & perhaps even to save a person’s soul…
    The rise/fall of the high & mighty & the poor/lowly is an example for us as disciples..

  13. Traductora says:

    No. He shouldn’t get off that easily.

    Presumably, McCarrick goes to confession too, and his confessor has got to man up and tell him what he needs to do to get absolution: confess to his sins, apologize to those he sinned against, and publicly apologize to the entire Church for the way he has destroyed it over his long career. And if he doesn’t do this, he loses his immortal soul.

    Confessors have power, and they never use it. Don’t give him three Hail Mary’s. Make him do the right thing. [Confessors can tell penitents what would be good to do, but they can’t make them do it.]

    But that is, of course, if he is a believer in the first place. Read the 19th century Stendhal (The Red and the Black) or Clarín (La Regenta) for more details about cynical, immoral clerical climbers. They have always been a problem but now seem to be the majority in the post VII Church. [That’s really not fair to the good, rank and file priest. Not fair at all.]

  14. Pingback: McCarrick Watch: Saturday Edition – Big Pulpit

  15. ChrisP says:

    Its well known that when pushed to admit individual guilt, humans are then psychologically most likely to tell the truth. If McCarrick truly is repentant, then justice would allow him (as well as the above psychology), the divulge what he knows about the extent of his network – a public confession if you will, to the cops. Use that info to fire all his lay employees.

    It seems to me that the psychology of the ne’er-do-wells in the Church is a dangerous dilution of presumption in the Mercy of our Lord combined with a scary under-estimation of how much malice the Devil has for them.

  16. Sissy says:

    Greg:
    I was in your situation except we had been civilly married 35 years when my husband finally applied for an annulment. The happiest day of my life was the day our marriage was convalidated. Your wife does not need witnesses. If she can supply 2 names as character witnesses who will attest to her reputation for honesty, her testimony alone is acceptable. The notice can be sent to her former putative husband’s last known address. Please talk to your priest and request the assistance of a tribunal canonist.

    As to the proper response to the behavior of the enabling Bishops, the advice of St. John Chrysostom comes to mind: ‘He who is not angry, whereas he has cause to be, sins. For unreasonable patience is the hotbed of many vices, it fosters negligence, and incites not only the wicked but the good to do wrong’.

  17. James in Perth says:

    You are speaking truth to power. Thank you. I hope indeed that McCarrick’s punishment is appropriate and publicly known. He has done incredible harm to the Church and, for all we know, that harm continues on in those who were part of his circle of influence.

  18. PTK_70 says:

    I have to presume that Bishop McCarrick (is that what we call him now?) went to confession during his adult life. Is it too much to presume that he confessed at least some of the sins which are coming to light? I can well imagine that he examined his conscience, felt somehow sorry for this or that sin, made an admission of sin and received absolution. So why would he keep sinning in this area without any turnaround? Perhaps it’s “cheap grace”, something Bonhoeffer identified. In a Catholic setting, “cheap grace” appears evident in the cycle of sin, go to confession, sin, go to confession, sin, go to….ect, etc….all done with precious little remorse and resolve.

    Speaking as a layman, and without any particular expertise on the subject, I feel that contrition is the underappreciated element of the sacrament of Penance today. See CCC 1451. Sorrow, detestation for the sin and a resolve not to miss the mark again…all this must make a return to center stage, so that we can get away from the business of sinning (if not definitively, then at least substantively) and get on with the Lord’s work.

  19. robtbrown says:

    Lurker 59,

    Rather than sacrificial lamb, tethered goat is probably more appropriate.

    And the field hospital seems now to have more social workers than doctors. Besides, anyone who has been in the military knows there is comprehensive instruction meant to prevent becoming a patient there–from both combat and “social” activities.

  20. ScottSenffner says:

    I just want to clarify that you are talking about Cardinal Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien and not Edwin Frederick O’Brien. Cardinal Keith O’Brien passed away on March 19th of 2018. Ironically, it was the Feast of St. Joseph’s day.
    Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, seems to be an ok guy.

  21. iPadre says:

    I pray the poor soul repents before he dies, and has time to do some good penance to help make up for what he will face in purgatory.

    All the years we heard these rumors. Imagine if he were a lowly priest like us, he would have been laicized years ago and served all this time in prison.

    [ “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”]

  22. Fr. Reader says:

    I do not really understand this thing of “prayer and penance”. Is not that what all Christians are suppose to do? Does that mean that he will be idly not doing anything but a bit of penance?

  23. Imrahil says:

    Rev’d dear Fr Reader,

    the former, but not, in general, the latter, though it is true we have to cultivate a spirit of penance even in general, among other things.

    What this means in practice, as our secular newspapers did (for a change) not miss to read between the lines, is that the Pope put the Archbishop into home confinement for the time being. Though the Pope seems to think that his word of command is still more effective on an Archbishop than electronic or other fetters would be. Anyway, for fetters he’d have to command him to Vatican City first, where the Pope is the secular souvereign.

  24. Imrahil says:

    Dear PTK_70,

    two things:

    1. Bonhoeffers disparaging note on the “cheap grace” refers to a strictly inner-Protestant problem, with the Protestants who have left the good Catholic middle-ground now bouncing between extremes. To have a concept of Confession at all renders mute all that Bonhoeffer ever meant with these words.

    2. Our problem is certainly not that Confession Fathers are too much effective, but that Church prosecutors are too little so. Having the sins repented of and forgiven – and the point is not “contrition”, for that merely requires sorrow for the sin resulting from love or at least fear of God (a rather easy thing, especially in the fear part), but the point that after Confession people keep falling back into sins. Those, of course, who never have either committed or confessed pedophilia have not committed relapse into pedophilia either, but what about the sins we did commit?

    Now, generally it works this way: that the relapses come, and come ever more rarely if the penitent works together with grace, but are of course never completely ruled out. So, to be able to Confess the things – if that does anything, it helps to ameliorate the situation.

    Only, it is with pedophilia as with other criminality, it helps to ameliorate, but it does not remove the offense in its entirety and at an instant. That is why we need prosecution, secular and ecclesial prosecution: together with, not instead of, the Christian offer of forgiveness to the sinner.

  25. PTK_70 says:

    @Imrahil…..Well, I guess I am appropriating Bonhoeffer’s concept of cheap grace and employing it in a Catholic setting. I hope we can still be friends. :)

    While others are struggling with rot in the Church at quite high levels, I am more trying to come to grips with why this man didn’t make a turnaround in his personal life sometime in his, say, 30s or 40s given that he was living – in some way – a “sacramental” life. He apparently had some sense that his actions and proclivities were unwholesome (to put it mildly): the pathetic words “pray for Uncle Ted” came out of his mouth, so the story goes, even as he was with another man. What a horrible, distasteful scene!

    Of course I don’t know whether earlier in his life he made confession of any of these sins which are now coming to light. But I think it’s probable that he did, that he received some internal forum counseling, that he received his absolution, that he did some penance. So why was there no turnaround? The only explanation I can come up with is cheap grace. That he availed himself of the sacrament with contrition so imperfect as to not be contrition anymore. That the John Wayne-style, grit-your-teeth, I’m-not-going-to-do-this-anymore resolve to not miss the mark again was….absent.

    Going to confession without any real purpose of amendment, going again and again in this way….has not grace been cheapened in the mind of the faux-penitent?

  26. Tweedlealice says:

    Hi,
    I tried to look up Meusquoque. I found books in Latin. I tried to translate. English is same as Latin word. Bottom line, What is Meusquoque? Thank you
    Tweedlealice

  27. Tweedlealice says:

    I realize the Pope can not arrest these Monsters; hence , sentence of life and prayer. Assuming, such a person can PURELY, HUMBLY stay in that state of grace. NO TV(?) Maybe?
    Can he not, be turned over to the Authorities, to be charged & sentenced? His sin, is a worldly sin. A jail is necessary for them to be humbled into repentance. If he were sorry, he’d have stopped! He’s sorry, he was caught!
    We still have a culture of homosexuality in the church. Is it realistic for these men to be chaste? Did they enter the Seminary for Love of God or love of flesh? I agree, in theory, that a man, in love w our Savior, could lead a life of purity. He’d need a deep love of our Savior. Probably, better if he were an innocent. How realistic is that?
    The church (us) failed in our fight against evil. Starting w Madeline O’Haire. Then, when SC voted for pornography as freedom of speech. Then, political correctness. Homosexuality is a sin, as scripture & Father Z said. A life of Chasity is all anyone gets x Marriage. There is a Purity in marriage, also. We all have temptations. Sex is not a god! We have let it become that.
    Forgive us, Father.
    Fasting and prayer(?) At the end of mass, offer prayer for purity in our vocations? Call sex a god(?) pray for forgiveness of the church and His creation(?) How can we turn the tide on Satan??

  28. Tweedlealice says:

    Anger isnt sinful! Jesus was angry. Hate is a sin. Unforgiveness is a sin. How do we TRUST the clergy, to administer the sacraments to us, when we could be facing a devil. What happens to communion when the priest is living a double life?

  29. Tweedlealice says:

    As we have a priest shortage, will cleaning up, be completed? Is a troubled priest, w a contrite heart, teamed w a Holier priest?
    This is so big! We need You, God and legions of warrior angels. In Jesus name. Amen

  30. Tweedlealice says:

    That was an answe to a question, I had. If a priest is in a state of mortal sin, is the communion he offers, sacrilegious or has transubstation occurred anyway?

    [Yes, of course it does. The validity of sacraments does not depend on the holiness of the priest!]

  31. Tweedlealice says:

    I saw a news story about three Irish American sons, who were altar servers. I can’t recall which priest was the molester. The scandal was just starting. All three handsome boys felt they were gay! That is the greatest pain of all! All your boys, molested. All your boys think they are gay.
    I, humbly, feel that they were trained in this posture. Sexual activity is exciting. They are programmed this way. Can they be retrained into heterosexual desires. Could they become Holy priests, knowing temptation. Dang, this is such a big problem. The photo of the boys, is still in my head.
    How does the church redeem these souls? You do realize the counseling offered, may put them in hands of a pro-homosexual counselor!
    Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! Mea Maximus Culpa!

  32. Tweedlealice says:

    That quote of St. John Crystosomos (sp) is wonderful! I’m so glad, I saw this! It brings joy to my angry soul! Not that I wish to stay angry. But, validates the anger as appropriate for a serious situation. Hallelujah! My anger, the culmination of all our angers can only be abated w a total resolution to these crime/sins. In the world, sexual abuse of children is a crime! It is worse, in our church. It cannot bring resolution to my heart( our hearts) till this crime is resolved. That any gay priest that is not properly, broken hearted, penitent, must be defrocked and turned over to civilian authorities. The religious that are in a comfortable house living a life of prayer and penance, is not enough. Why can’t a Cardinal be defrocked? He is a priest, first!
    The Evil must be purged from our church! God will provide mercy and His forgiveness on the last day. Having read this thread and replies, I feel an embolden Spirit within me. It is not a hateful Spirit. It is a SPIRIT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, screaming for our children and all our souls. ‘This must be resolved. NOW! We all hurt. Our innocence is gone. There is a beautiful thread of Holiness that is present in a thread through our sacraments and Holy Mass where Christ lives. If He threw tables and chairs for selling, sacrificial animals, in the TEMPLE, what is He feeling NOW! Our sweet Holy priests, that have taken up the banner of Christ’s Truth & Love, in the church, are limited in their success, by this hanging over our heads. Our Pope must purge our church of this w a scapel! A scapel b/c there may be a few, really Holy homosexual priests. They may wish to remain serving Jesus. A sword would take them all out. Having the heart of Christ is difficult. He would be furious!
    Matthew 19:14
    Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
    How many children have we hinder from this glorious journey w Jesus.
    My Lord and God, guide our Pope, to deliver Your church from this evil! We are humbled enough to realize we are not a proud, Holy Church. We are all sinners saved by grace! We, spiritually, prostrate before Your throne of grace. Embolden Your Priestly Servants to start together and bring Your church back to You. In Jesus name. Amen.
    64 (?) Bushops from S.America came before our Pope, quitting their mission, b/c “THEIR CHUCH DOES NOT HAVE THE FACE OF CHRIST, anymore. A surgical cut is necessary. I’m a lone voice calling in the wilderness. If this, is of You Lord, let my prayer have wings to the Holy Father.
    In Jesus name
    Amen

  33. Chris in Maryland 2 says:

    McCarrick has devoted his long career to the destruction of the Catholic faith.

    In 1967, then Rev. McCarrick, as President of the U. of Puerto Rico, joined Rev. Hesburg of Notre Dame, and a number of Jesuit university reps from Fordham, Georgetown, BC etc, to craft and publish the Land of Lakes statement, a manifesto declaring that their colleges were no longer bound to teach according to the Catholic faith.

    Hence, the Chairman of the Theology faculty at Fordham, Prof. Hornbeck, is a non-catholic in a public “same-sex-marriage” to another man.

    And Prof. Benny Liew at the SJ’s College of the Holy Cross lectures on the homo-erotic imagery of Jesus being crucified.

    McCarrick has been an agent of the diabolical for 50 years…and more.

  34. John H. Graney says:

    The real problem is that there is a culture of secrecy among the clergy with regard to sexual sins. Some tend to be overlooked, because they are not illegal and are not subject to social opprobrium, but when a cleric breaks the barrier of legality, suddenly there could be a scandal, and often it is covered up. If a man’s office is corrupting him and leading him to sin, whether that sin is illegal or not, he needs to be removed from that office.
    Personally, I think that the only way the Church is going to be able to maintain its teachings in praxis in a world that sees many as irrational taboos, is to revive the ancient system of penances, starting at first with the clergy, and then with the laity. We need again to have penitents, the communion of prayer, and communicants, with communicants being those who are free of habitual sin, even confessed habitual sin that they have not managed to abstain from for the prescribed time. We laity have a role in this too; we, too, want to have our secret sins, without any loss of public honor.

  35. Fr. Kelly says:

    tweedlealice
    #meusquoque = #METOO

  36. Huber says:

    Archbishop Sheen used to say there is no forgiveness without expiation, and when the sin is of a public nature (inviting public scandal to the Church) the expiation must be public as well. The Church, in Her mercy NEEDS to see that McCarrick and his ilk get an opportunity for public expiation. They get no opportunity for expiation if they are quietly sequestered.

    “The great sin of the human race is rebellion. We are rebels against God. Let my upright finger stand for the will of God, and my horizontal finger stand for my will. As soon as I put the horizontal finger against the vertical, I have physically a cross, psychologically I have a complex. A neurosis or a psychosis. And both sin and rebellion demand some kind of not only forgiveness but also expiation.
    Suppose you have the authority to command me, and you say “take three steps to your right”. I, wanting to be me, do my thing, take three steps to my left. When I am over there I say to you “will you forgive me?” You say “yes, I forgive”. But before I can start acting normally I have to take three steps backwards. Where I put my foot down in egotism, I now have to put my foot down in humiliation. That’s the expiation. And then only can I begin to obey.”
    -Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen

  37. samwise says:

    A marine-friend of mine in the Intel community said that federal agents infiltrated the clergy pre and post VCII. Washington DC diocese… could McCarrick have been a man on a mission to sabotage and rise through the ranks?

Comments are closed.