SSPX forbidden to pray at Shrine of Our Lady of Knock

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

OL_KnockI saw this, thanks to a reader.

From God does not die:

Knock and it Shall NOT be Opened to You! – SSPX Pilgrimage Group Refused Entry to Knock Shrine.

The Society of Saint Pius X annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady at Knock in Co. Mayo was disrupted yesterday, Saturday 16th September, when Shrine officials refused entry to priests and laity.  [St. Peter’s Basilica permits them.]

Members of Knock Shrine Security approached the SSPX priests, informing them that they were not permitted to celebrate Mass or carry out any devotions as a group. They confirmed that these were the orders which they had been instructed to convey.

For the first time in over ten years, therefore, the Society was forced to celebrate Mass outside of the Shrine grounds (heretofore, for a number of years, SSPX priests had been granted permission to celebrate Mass in various chapels on the grounds of the Shrine). And, for the first time in the entire history of the SSPX’s presence in Ireland, the pilgrimage group was not even permitted to recite the Rosary or pray the Stations of the Cross within the Shrine precincts!

As a result, Mass was celebrated in the car-park of an obliging local café, and the Rosary was prayed on the Main Street which runs adjacent to the Shrine. Security was posted at the gates during the rosary procession, ensuring that the group did not enter the Shrine grounds at any time.

Just like there was no place in the inn for Christ in Bethlehem, so there was no place for those faithful to the Tradition of the Church at Knock this past Saturday. The Knock Shrine authorities should be ashamed of themselves! Rector, Fr. Richard Gibbons, had no problem allowing an “ecumenical service” last January in the Saint John’s Rest and Care Centre at the Shrine. Neither did he have any problem with the assistance of “Reverend Canon” Derek Swann of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian “Reverend” Molly Deatherage and a Muslim representative, Manar Cherbatji, at a 2014 Peace Mass at Knock. He even had his photograph taken with them on the occasion:
Also in 2014, Father Gibbons was content to conduct a joint ecumenical service in the Knock Shrine Basilica with the Church of Ireland “Bishop” of Tuam, Killala and Achonry, “Dr.” Patrick Cooke in August of that year to celebrate the 190 years of the Royal National Lifeboat Association. On this occasion, as the Irish Catholic reported, Father Gibbons went the extra mile … “Dr.” Cooke led the celebration, while Father Gibbons was his assistant!

Conclusion? Father Gibbons cordially invites Anglicans, Presbyterians and Muslims, who do not accept the Church’s infallible teachings on the Blessed Virgin Mary, to participate in, and even lead services on the site where Our Lady appeared. But, he does not allow the Society of Saint Pius X and those faithful who assist at their Masses to even say the Rosary as a group on the same site, despite their obvious love for the Mother of God. Shame on him!

To contact Father Gibbons to protest against this injustice, call: (094) 93 88100 or email: frgibbons@knock-shrine.ie

I remember a story about a bishop who locked a group who wanted the traditional Sacred Triduum out of their church.  The particulars escape me.

Posted in Liberals, SSPX | Tagged ,
31 Comments

23 September 2017: Look! Up in the sky!

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The old phrase forever to be associated with Superman, “Look!  Up in the sky!” denotes wonder and curiosity about something unknown.

On 23 September we will look up in the sky and see something wondrous and curious.

All sorts of planets and stars and constellations will be lining up in way that makes you ponder the significance of heavenly signs.   After all, we are in the 100th anniversary year of Our Lady’s apparitions at Fatima and Our Lord said to watch for signs.

Here is a wiki entry about the 17 Sept event.   YES!  It has its own entry!  HERE

Is this alignment and the patterns of retrograde motion, etc., something to do Revelation 12?

Hard to say.

However, it is going to be beautiful!

Revelation 12 Sign.gif
By Brad – Revelation 12 Daily, CC0, Link

Posted in Look! Up in the sky! | Tagged ,
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Bullying the little guy.

Posted on 19 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

For decade after decade a liberal elite dominated the mass media. People hardly knew it, the domination was so pervasive and complete.  Then, slowly but surely, a few conservatives clawed their way past the massive machine of opposition.   So, it came to pass that some conservative (sane) talk radio hosts and cable news broadcasts managed to get a new voice into the public square.   The libs were not happy.   They still are not happy. All manner of lib trickery was attempted to silence the unwanted alternative voice in the public square which they had dominated for so long without opposition.  It didn’t work.  With the growth of the internet, the whole game has changed.

Right now, in Catholic media, the same thing is going on.  The libs have had near total domination of large Catholic media outlets.  The domination was so complete that barely anyone knew that they were being fed soul-annihilation.   Small but faithful outlets such as The Wanderer kept a fingernail’s hold on the edge of the Catholic public square, as did a few others.  Then voices such as Mother Angelica managed to claw their way through the opposition.  People, who suddenly had an alternative, began to wake up.  The libs were and are not happy. With the growth of the internet, they have no chance to maintain their uncontested hegemony.

You can tell how angry and frightened the catholic liberal Left is right now by how they are rushing higgledy-piggeldy to defend the claim that homosexual acts are really not so bad after all.  THAT, friends, is the issue.  This is about the long-desired goal of divorcing sexual acts from procreation.  Once that can be accomplished, then anything goes in any and every sphere of Catholic life. The Church will forever be transformed into a sort of NGO with broad goals of niceness, providing really good salaries for the ones who run it.

Civil_Rights_dog_01The anger and fright of the catholic liberal Left has recently manifested itself through, among other ways, attacks on converts.  Not long ago we saw that some radicalized catholic liberals, also defenders (at least) of homosexuality, opined that converts really shouldn’t be allowed to voice opinions.  How tired they were of converts saying what they thought!   Of course what they were really irritated with is that converts tend to be more conservative.  Because they made a choice to become Catholics as adults – and indeed during difficult times for the Church – they often are better informed and more faithful when it comes to the Church’s doctrine.   Of course converts have to be silenced!

Now we see the anger and fright of the catholic liberal Left coming out in attacks on “Catholic internet trolls”.  That’s what an editorial at Jesuit (what else?) run Amerika Magazine did on 18 September.   Here is a taste :

It is likewise a mistake to ignore or dismiss those whose so-called evangelization takes the form of online attacks, and whose goal seems to be a purge of Catholic voices who do not meet their standards of purity. Those who lead such efforts are claiming a kind of parallel magisterium, substituting their own outrage for the judgement of those who occupy the church’s legitimate teaching office.

They must be confronted, and church leaders—especially those whose viewpoints may differ from those of the persons under attack—should speak up strongly and clearly against these attacks and attempts at intimidation. The communion of the church needs to be defended—not from the peril of theological discussion but rather from that of being monitored and policed by the loudest and least loving voices among us.

This would be hilarious if it weren’t such a distortion of reality.

If there has ever been an effort to run a “parallel magisterium” it has been from the liberal Left!   Think “Spirit of Vatican II”.

Amerika is worried about those who “occupy the church’s legitimate teaching office”?  Oh, yeah?  Where were they during the pontificates of John Paul II and of Benedict XVI?  Were they out there fighting the good fight to uphold what these Popes taught?  How have outlets like Amerika and Fishwrap etc. been in defending Veritatis splendor and Summorum Pontificum?

The hypocrisy of their concern for the magisterium is pathetic.

And, in their eyes, the crisis is so bad that the “communion of the church needs to be defended”.  It is to laugh.  Think about it.   A small media outlet like Lifesite writes a story about a Jesuit and, “OMG! THE COMMUNION OF THE CHURCH IS UNDER ATTACK!”  A small outlet like Church Militant writes a couple stories and, “OMG!….”  A single little insignificant priest writes a blog post and, “OMG!  If we don’t do something about these people IT’S THE END OF EVERYTHING!”

How about that phrase, “the loudest and least loving”.   Niiiice.  First, they judge the love of others.  Then, “loudest”?  For crying out loud, THEY are the loudest!  Do you want the LOUDEST voices in the Church?   They have to be Amerika and Fishwrap and Civiltà and all these established liberal organs.

To put this into perspective, I am like a guy on a street corner with an open guitar case, busking my little tunes, while Amerika and Fishwrap are a Village People tribute band on top of the Empire State Building with full media coverage.  THEY are the loudmouths around here.

Some days back the some Jesuit Conference or other issued an official statement of full-throated support for James Martin’s notions in his book.

They have undertaken a war campaign of intimidation and bullying against the little guy.

I had questions… questions… about why and for what purpose Fr. Martin was to speak at a national major seminary… not university, mind you… seminary… when his very name these days brings a single thing to mind: the homosexualist agenda.  I asked questions about that.  I’d ask them again.  Speaking at a university or a community college is one thing.  Speaking at a seminary, for their 100th anniversary, is another.  And everyone knows I’m right about that.

And yet the Jesuits are getting out their dogs and firehoses.  The machine needs to silence the voices of those who have a right to be heard.

Civil_Rights_Birmingham_firehose

The moderation queue is ON.

 

Posted in Liberals, Si vis pacem para bellum!, Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Coming Storm, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
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Please! Attack some more!

Posted on 18 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

The hijinx continues.  Today I was alerted to an attack on my sacred person, et alibi, at the site of La Croix International by Massimo “Beans” Faggioli of ultra-lib Villanova.  His purple patch and over the top notions suggest that he is pretty upset.  That’s too bad.  “Beans”, unhinged, likened the Catholic social media influence (which played a role in Fr. Martin being disinvited from a seminary) to “cyber-militias”.  You know the drill: The libs are reacting with spittle-flecked nutties to the fact that they can’t simply steamroller everyone anymore with their homosexualist agenda.

The homosexualist agenda is this season’s hottest item.

BTW… another story at La Croix today concerns a couple of bishops who think that same-sex marriage is just fine.  I’m sensing a theme.

Speaking of such, I was sent this via my phone.  We see here a revelatory homosexualist moment on Twitter:

17_09_18_Mickens_Twitter

You’ve gotta love that.  And I didn’t hack that site, either!

Folks, to be clear…

I didn’t start a campaign to get Martin ousted from that speaking slot.  What I did was ask some questions.  I didn’t say anything about universities and academic freedom or different points of view.  That’s irrelevant.   I am concerned about the major seminary where he was to speak.

So, the libs are on the attack now, doing precisely what it is that they accuse me of doing which, ironically, I didn’t do.

Even more ironically, Fr. Martin seems to have tried to get Matthew Schmitz of First Things fired.

In a way, I rather enjoy it when the libs attack: they increase my traffic and, hence, my readership.

They also give me a chance to make some money!  

When, a couple years back you readers were called “Zed Heads” in the combox of the Fishwrap by the usual maliciousy vacuous namecallers, I got busy and made these mugs and stickers.

zedheads36-color-400x400-web

That was fun… and lucrative!

When another lib called us “lockstep sheep and papist throwbacks”, I made another product.  HERE

Maybe I should start a

“Fr Z Defense Fund“?

I am going to have to get some dental work done.

Comments are OFF.

Posted in ¡Hagan lío!, Liberals, Lighter fare, Si vis pacem para bellum!, Sin That Cries To Heaven, The Drill, The future and our choices | Tagged , ,
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My View For Awhile: Alignment

Posted on 18 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

I’m off for another major city for a few days of adventure.

Meanwhile, this was the sight in the sky as I entered the airport terminal.

My View For Awhile: Alignment
What are we looking at?

My View For Awhile: Alignment
Farewell to Rome, again.

My View For Awhile: Alignment

Posted in SESSIUNCULA |
6 Comments

Fr Z responds to something in LATimes

Posted on 17 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

From the LA Times:

Father John Zuhlsdorf, who runs a blog called Father Z, repeatedly labeled Martin a “homosexualist activist” and called for Catholic institutions not to host him.

Look, I may getting older and I have monsignor moments, but I don’t remember ever doing that. Let me clarify.

First, the LATimes did not contact me and, if they did, I am unaware.

I have attached the “label” to Martin, sure.

Have I, repeatedly or otherwise, “called for Catholic institutions not to host” Fr. Martin?

In my most recent post, all I did was ask questions. HERE  Here’s what I wrote.

REMEMBER: I was concerned about a speaker at a seminary.   Yes, this is also at Catholic University, but I don’t care as much about the university.  The major seminary was my concern.  I wrote:

I’ll grant you that a speaker might be capable of addressing more issues than just his primary focus.  But there is no way around the fact that, right now at least, when Fr. Martin’s name comes up, the first thing you think is activist for a homosexualist agenda.

I don’t get it.

If I were a bishop or an alumnus of Theological College, I’d have some questions.

What message are they trying to send?

What are they promoting by this move?

What are they teaching those seminarians?

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with those questions.

I asked them then.  I’d ask them again.

The moderation queue is ON.

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48 Comments

MASS FOR BENEFACTORS

Posted on 17 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Right now… 4pm Rome time.

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Approval from author’s superiors doesn’t mean a book is good.

Posted on 17 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

03_05_14_Gesu_Zwingli_book_detRecent controversy has brought canonist Ed Peters to shed some light on the meaning of some technical terms which are being bandied about.

Lately some dust has been stirred up by the homosexualist activist Jesuit Fr. James Martin, who published a slithery book about homosexuality. When challenged about the veracity and propriety of some of the things he wrote, Martin repeats that the book was approved by his superiors. That’s holds water about as effectively as a screen door on a submarine.

Let’s have a look at what Peters says about ecclesiastical approval of texts for publication. My emphases and comments.

About Fr. Martin’s Book

Defending his book, Building a Bridge (2017), Jesuit Father James Martin claims that its consistency with Church teaching is attested to by (A) his own good standing as a priest, and (B) the canonical approval the book received from his Jesuit superior.

Martin’s first claim, that he is a priest in good standing, is neither contested nor relevant to the question of whether his book is doctrinally sound or pastorally trustworthy. [There’s also Peters’ emphasis there.]

Martin’s second claim, that his book enjoys canonical approval, requires some context before one can appreciate what that means—and doesn’t mean.

The Roman Catholic Church’s canonical discipline on publishing materials related to faith and morals is found chiefly in Canons 822-832 and focuses on two well-known markers of doctrinal orthodoxy and pastoral suitability, namely, the “nihil obstat” (a theologian’s certification that nothing obstructs faith or morals per 1983 CIC 830 § 2) and the “imprimatur” (a local ordinary’s determination that the writings may be responsibly published per 1983 CIC 830 § 3). [NB] The nihil obstat does not imply that everything in a text is stated correctly, but rather, is concerned with whether anything is stated wrongly; [That’s an important distinction.] the imprimatur does not imply that a book is actually good or helpful, but rather, asks whether it is a bad idea to publish it. [and not whether it ought to be published.] Throughout the process, authors and their works are generally, and understandably, viewed benignly (e.g., 1983 CIC 212).  [Any decent censor librorum (the guy appointed by a bishop or an order to read stuff and check for doctrinal errors will tell you that it’s not their job to clean up style or make improvements.  They have a narrow job.]

Martin’s book, though falling within the categories for which a nihil obstat and an imprimatur are expressly recommended (1983 CIC 827 § 3), [not “required”] does not, in my opinion, require such certifications and he is within the law to have published it without them. Of course, the lack of these common certifications is hardly evidence of the soundness of his work.

Martin’s book does have what it is required to have, namely, a religious superior’s “permission to publish” (imprimi potest), a clearance all members of institutes of consecrated life must obtain prior to publishing these sorts of materials. Instructions issued in 1992 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith expect religious superiors, prior to issuing their permission for publication, to consult with at least one trustworthy theologian about whether anything in a book such as Martin’s is harmful to the faith or morals. Martin himself might or might not know whether this prior theological review was actually carried out but Fr. John Cercero, sj, the superior who granted permission for Martin to publish his book, would certainly know. [See below.  Apparently the SJs released a statement about this.]

But let’s assume that a qualified censor cleared the content of Martin’s book whereupon his superior concluded for its general prudence. Does that mean that Martin’s opinions and views are, as he seems to claim, necessarily acceptable in the Church?

No.

First, there are notorious examples of quite unworthy books boasting ecclesiastical approval until the faithful’s consternation over such aberrations finally gets someone’s attention somewhere and the approvals are withdrawn. The decade-and-a-half argument over Wilhelm’s Christ Among Us (1968), which lost its imprimatur in 1984 after Roman intervention, lingers in Catholic conscientiousness to this day.

Second, and more importantly, and notwithstanding some “hyperbole” (CLSA New Comm. at 984) in the CDF instruction about ecclesiastical approval constituting a “juridical and moral guarantee”, the nihil obstat, the imprimatur, and the imprimi potest are, in the end, judgment calls made by ecclesiastical officers about how authors have presented their views on important (and often complex) Church teachings and practices, and are not themselves infallible exercises of the Church’s teaching office. One would like to think, of course, that all Church officers are qualified for and committed to performing their duties in this area but, even without reaching the extreme cases recalled above, differing analytic approaches can be followed and old-fashioned mistakes can and do happen in the course of such reviews.

So, Martin’s book apparently does not have a standard nihil obstat or imprimatur; it might or might not have a Jesuit theologian’s in-house certification of its avoidance of doctrinal error; it does have a Jesuit superior’s indication that, in his view, the book can be prudently published.

[NB] Thus, in short, to tout a religious superior’s imprimi potest as proof of one’s personal or authorial orthodoxy is to misconstrue what that certification is and what it means.

Update (same day): Martin’s superiors have just released a statement indicating that his book did go through a theological analysis. They do not identify who performed that assessment, but then, the new law does not require disclosure of that name, as was generally required under the old law. The canonical commentary I offered above applies as I indicated.

So, now you know a little more about the technical terms that are in the wind right now.

Bottom line: Just because there is a nihil obstat or an imprimi potest, that doesn’t mean that what’s between the covers is good.  As a matter of fact, it could be dreadful.

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Rome – Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Posted on 16 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

On Friday evening at Santa Maria sopra Minerva there was a beautiful Mass for which the ministers were of the Institute of Christ the King. There were a great many of the faithful present, including clerics… yes… they belong to the faithful too.

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

IMG_5592

And then there’s this.  Mass isn’t all we do.

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Moreover, on 14 Sept there was a highly Roman Mass in Madison, celebrated by His Excellency Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino, the Extraordinary Ordinary, with a special participation of the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher.

This, friends, is what is up in Madison, in accord with Summorum Pontificum.

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17_09_15_PontMass_Exalt_02

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17_09_15_PontMass_Exalt_05

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Meanwhile, back in Rome, today we had a procession from the Chiesa Nuova to San Pietro where there was a Mass at the faldstool.  I am sure lots of photos will be forthcoming, for everyone was clicking away at the beautiful sights and sounds.

?Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful MassesRome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses
Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

After Mass I went to a luncheon.  There were a great number of wonderful people from all over the world.  He is the head of Una Voce Japan!  I look forward to visiting them soon.

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

I also had a wonderful discussion with a priest who served in Hong Kong.  The great Juventutem group in Hungary was well represented and I got know many more people from all over.  Meeting people is one of the pleasures of this annual event.

Card. Burke blessing the food before lunch.  With him are reps of Una Voce.

Rome - Day 4-5: Beautiful Masses

Those are a few glimpses of the day.  I am sure there will be more forthcoming.

UPDATE:

A shots I received from the procession.  Yes, the lenses are range appropriate.  In the other, I am simply adjusting the biretta.

Screen Shot 2017-09-17 at 00.37.33

♫♫Deh benedici, o Madre, al grido della fe’,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Padre,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Re.
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Padre,
noi vogliam Dio, ch’è nostro Re.♫♫

Screen Shot 2017-09-17 at 00.36.26

Posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Liturgy Science Theatre 3000, On the road, What Fr. Z is up to | Tagged , ,
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Theologican College (seminary) asks Jesuit Fr. James Martin NOT to speak at event

Posted on 16 September 2017 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Today I arose to messages that Theological College, an important major seminary with national prominence in Washington DC, had decided to withdraw an invitation to homosexualist activist and Jesuit Fr. James Martin, to speak at their “Alumni Days”.

Since I am deeply concerned about the situation of vocations to the priesthood in the USA, I had posted here about that event and I had asked some sincere questions.  HERE

Hence, while I am sure that it was a difficult situation for TC, I believe they did the right thing in reviewing their decision.   I trust that it was made in the course of a discussion.

Fr. Martin issued a statement of his own on Facebook (where else?):

Fr. James Martin, SJ

Dear friends: Theological College, the seminary at The Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC, today cancelled a talk I was to give on Alumni Day, on Oct. 4, thanks to a campaign by Church Militant, the priest known as “Father Z” and Lifesite News.  [I did NOT campaign for anything.  I didn’t ask anyone to call TC.  I asked some questions.  Period.]

Those campaigns can be seen, in part, here:
https://www.churchmilitant.com/…/homosexualist-james-martin…
here:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/…/catholic-seminary-invites-ga…
and here:
https://wdtprs.com/…/should-a-seminary-headline-a-homosexua…/

That campaign caused a storm of phone calls, emails and messages to Theological College, which included, I was told, people screaming at the receptionists who answered the phone. In the end, they felt that the expected protests and negative publicity would distract from Alumni Day.  [I sincerely hope that none of you readers were rude to receptionists at TC.  That’s beneath your dignity and, frankly, not behavior that one should expect of Catholics shaped by tradition and “class”.]

This follows the cancellation of another lecture at the Annual Investiture Dinner of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in New York City, scheduled on Oct. 21. The organizers told me that they had received angry emails and calls from several members of the Order, most of whom, they believed, were encouraged to protest thanks to another campaign initiated by Church Militant, which you can see here: https://www.churchmilitant.com/…/episode/vortex-unbelievable

As an aside, a few years ago I was invited to join the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, but couldn’t because of its steep entrance fee. Also, Catholic University hosted me for a talk, one of a few that I have given there, just last year.

That follows an earlier cancellation of a lecture in London for Cafod (Catholic International Development Charity in England) which was scheduled for the third week in October.

Each of these cancellations was a result of anger or fear over my book “Building a Bridge,” about LGBT Catholics. The book has the formal approval (the “Imprimi Potest”) of my Jesuit Provincial, the Very Rev. John Cecero, SJ; and has been endorsed by Cardinal Joseph Tobin, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Archbishop John Wester, Bishop Robert McElroy and Bishop John Stowe.  [All of which is irrelevant.]

In the case of Theological College, the fears were of angry protesters disrupting their Alumni Day. In the case of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Dinner, it was anger from some members over the topic of LGBT Catholics. In the case of Cafod lecture in London, it was not a response to any campaign but fear that my presence itself would garner negative attention, after the group had recently faced other similar problems. In none of these cases was the local ordinary–in each a cardinal–in any way advocating for the cancellation of the talk. The impetus was purely from those social media sites.

I have asked each organization to be honest about the reasons for these cancellations. That is, I told them I did not want to lie and say, “I withdrew” or “I declined” or “I was afraid to come.”

So I share with you as much as I can in the interests of transparency, which we need in our church. And to show you the outsize influence of social media sites motivated by fear, hatred and homophobia.  [Rubbish.  He is a public figure.  He defends even homosexual acts, not just homosexuals as human beings.  He is, right now, a lightning rod.]

For my part, I bear no ill will to Theological College, Catholic University, the Order of the Holy Sepulchre or Cafod. The organizers were all apologetic and in some cases more upset than I was. I know that they were under extreme pressure, and in some cases were overwhelmed by the rage that can be generated by social media: ill will based on misrepresentations, innuendos, homophobia and especially fear. Perfect love drives out fear, as St. Paul said. But perfect fear also drives out love.

Also, I want to say that none of these cancellations disturbs me.[And yet, here we are, reading this.] I’ve not lost any sleep over them. (The outsize influence of social media sites that traffic in homophobia, specialize in personal attacks, and whips up hatred another matter. This is disturbing and should be disturbing to all of us. It is not coming from God.)

And there will be many other venues. In fact, after the talk in DC was cancelled, Holy Trinity Church in DC invited me to deliver a lecture a few days before the planned Theological College event was to occur, on Sept. 30. So I look forward to seeing you all in Washington.

I’m also happy to say that a revised and expanded version of “Building a Bridge,” with a new introduction, more stories drawn from my encounters with LGBT people, more insights from church leaders, and more biblical meditations, will be published early next year.

Last night at the University of Scranton, after the talk to the incoming freshmen, a mother approached the book-signing table, and started to cry when she talked about her gay son and what the book had meant to her. And I told her that her tears put any opposition in perspective.  [Emotions are a huge factor in this issue.  Often they trump reason.]

Because what is opposition next to the love of Jesus? It is nothing.

I also have the support of my Jesuit Provincial, my Jesuit brothers, and two cardinals and several bishops who endorsed my book (as well as many other cardinals, archbishops and bishops who have contacted me privately). Most of all, I want to say that Jesus is close to me in prayer.

So I am at total peace.

A final note: all of the talks that were cancelled–at Theological College, at the Order of the Holy Sepulchre Investiture Dinner, and at Cafod, were not about LGBT Catholics. They were about Jesus.

I’ve turned off the combox for this.

 

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