Monday, February 27, 2006

Open Letter from Closed Minds



19 Canadian priests have published an open letter detailing their opposition to Church's teaching on same sex marriage and gay priests. You can read the article here.

One name caught my eye, Fr. Raymond Gravel. According to the article:

Father Gravel -- who had a rough-and-tumble youth as a prostitute and barman in a leather bar before he entered the priesthood -- has often criticized the church's views on gays in the past.


From life as a prostitute and leather barman to priest. We have a saying in New England, "You can't get there from here."

Fr. Gravel has been in the news before. Here, here and here.

Fr. Gravel has the support of his bishop and even a letter from then Cardinal Ratzinger wasn't enough to stop him. What will it take?

The last time such a blatant statement of dissent on Church teaching was published with the support of quisling clergy was on Humanae Vitae. And unfortunnately we all know how THAT turned out.

8 comments:

Madeline said...

So, here's a priest who rejects the authority of the Pope, the Dogmatic teachings of the Church, and who also actively works to promote sexual perversion, the killing of children, and the sacrilege of distributing Communion to those who are "de facto" excommunicate. Why wasn't he elevated to Cardinal?

That may sound bitter, but really, by refusing to silence (or even refute this priest's false teachings) the Church hierarchy IS promoting his views and his agenda. Does he receive a salary? Is he on the diocesan health plan? Does he live on Church property? Is he allowed to offer the sacraments, and preach at Mass? If the answer to any of these (or some other obvious, but unasked questions)is "yes," then, the Church is financially supporting this man, AND providing him with a platform from which to spew his fallacious teaching.

Accountability does not rest with the man alone.

Anonymous said...

What? A gay catholic priest? Whoever heard of such a thing? EVERYONE, that's who. You do realize that the catholic church is little more than a homo/pedo club, right? A world gay bar masquerading as some sort of authority? Yet the religious still hold tight to their fairy tales. Why? How can anyone with 10 brain cells put faith in a mythology that has been proven corrupt? Who's leaders or figureheads, numbering in the THOUSANDS, have engaged in the SODOMY OF CHILDREN? Let's play a little word association game. Christians-hypocrite, bigotry, murder. Muslims-murder, death, destruction. Catholics-homosexuals, pedophilia, sexual abuse. Believe it or not (and I'm sure you'll choose the latter) the above word associations are ACTUAL ANSWERS given by college students, across the country. The point of this post? To make you feel better. You're not the only one upset at the high level of faggotry in your little club. The whole world feels the same way.

M. Alexander said...

Let me guess, you're a gnostic.

Anonymous said...

Actually I am a devout Athiest of the aggro variety. I am a student of the violence and dangers of religion, killing in the name of a cartoon, sodomy of brainwashed children, etc.

M. Alexander said...

I'd say that "devout atheist" is an oxymoron. Especially since the definition of the word devout is pious and godfearing.

Anonymous said...

Glad you saw the humor in the oxymoron. There are no gods to fear, just the men who believe in them.

Madeline said...

I don't think it was humor that M. Alexander saw, but tragedy, in your last post. It's tragic that your personal philosophy of non-belief is based on the mistaken premise that it is ALL religions that contribute to evil.

Your first post, which included answers from college students to word-association games, demonstrates nothing but how well propagandized, and ill-educated many college students are regarding the Catholic Faith. Indeed, it illustrates how ill-informed you are as to what the Catholic Faith is all about.

None of us deny the great evil that has been perpetuated by many Catholic priests with regards to the abuse of Children. And we are, I daresay, as outraged as any college student would be, but these pedophiles are operating in precise OPPOSITION to what the Church teaches.

It is not man that defines the Faith, it is the Dogma and Doctrines as defined by the teaching Magesterium. If you really knew about the Catholic Faith, you would be familiar with these things, and recognize that people who profess to be Catholic and yet do not adhere to anything that the Church teaches are indeed hypocrites, and not really Catholic.

Those who perpetuate evil, justifying their acts as sanctioned by a particular religion, are not justified if that religion does not sanction their acts. One could assume that such people would use another justification if it were handier. For example, the Terror of the French Revolution was an Atheistic movement. Would you acknowledge that Atheism promotes terror and bloodshed?

Ironically, it appears that your opinion of the Catholic Faith is based solely upon those who, while promoting themselves as Catholic, do not adhere to the teachings of the Church. Before pronouncing upon all the Faithful, it might behoove you to find out what Catholics who adhere to the teachings of the Church are really like. A prime example of such a person would be Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Anonymous said...

dosen't matter what Father Azatoth or a renegade priest thinks, they will both burn in the same place.