R.T. Neary
The Catholic Church's pivotal problem – perpetuating a lie
By R.T. Neary
February's meeting of the hierarchy in Rome – of necessity – must begin with a Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea MAXIMA culpa.
Immediately following the establishment of this atmospheric pre-condition must follow an unqualified admission that this is an assembly of people who have been in sync with our secular society in perpetuating a gross falsehood. It is a lie which demands immediate correction before proceeding to take any action in the name of the Founder of the Church. This lie is the tool of those who wish to destroy the Church. They are Anathema. The current admission is beyond being just a notification to the Faithful; it is also a 2000-year-old alert.
The Church has real problems, still referred to as "sexual scandals." However, they are far easier to identify specifically than to allow the continued use of such a general label. They have been, and still are, predominantly of a HOMOsexual nature. This label enables not only a more complete understanding of what has transpired over this last half-century, but also allows the debilitating ailment to be directly addressed – and ended. The issue is now at the doorstep of Pope Francis in Rome – and there must be no more turning back from the truth.
Were females sexually abused by clerics? Children? Answer: Yes, to both. Were families violated by these acts? Yes. Are victims still suffering? Yes. End of story? No. On the broad scale, the number of victimized individuals were overwhelmingly post-pubescent males. Despite attempts to avoid the clear-cut evidence, it has behooved the Church's enemies to cloud the specific sexual nature of the acts of predator priests – and whom they were targeting.
The Boston Globe, with their Spotlight Team revelations in 2002, were the first to change their style manual and begin referring to the "pedophilia" scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston. Although clergy sexual violations were revealed which involved both genders, they were overwhelmingly males who were being targeted – adolescents and young adults. The study conducted by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice bore out the male-on post-pubescent male scenario as being about 80 per cent of the incidents. It still holds true.
The Globe went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for their Spotlight Team revelations with regard to the clerical ranks of the Archdiocese of Boston. It was based on the lie that they involved "pedophilia," not the "ephebophilia" of which most of them consisted. Creating the image of young children being sexually abused, the Globe knew was much more valuable than actually "reporting," a craft which had long-since disappeared as their purpose. The word "homosexuality" did not appear in their stories, as they felt a need to protect those in their own ranks from any reflective attention. The Spotlight movie script was carefully honed, as well.
The Boston Globe had actually become complicit in the sexual predation by making a "poster boy" on their pages of the likes of Paul Shanley, among the most sexually perverted in the Boston Archdiocese's priestly ranks. He even took his prey across state lines. Several ironies eventually emerged with regard to the Globe's self-righteousness and outright deceit, however.
Sadly, it appeared to be poetic justice when the Globe had its own "sexual scandal" exposed, involving their editorial staff. In the wake of Hollywood's Weinstein scandal, it came to light that one Globe staff member's perversion went so far as to offer his own wife to a female staffer for sexual favors. Not surprisingly, they put a heavy lid on their own scandals, aside from announcing there was a termination of employment in some cases. Needless to say, no Spotlight investigation of THIS story. That lid was soon tightly placed on the salacious tale.
With the eruption of news in 2018 about the multitude of cases against priests in Western Pennsylvania for 7 decades, the mainstream media (MSM) was able to make an all-out attack once again on the Catholic Church. The Boston Globe, as expected, self-righteously went back into attack mode.
The narrative had been created by the mainstream media (MSM) back in 2002, and those referred to as the Church Fathers had also picked up on MSM language to minimize the damage. They avoided any mention of what the late Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, referred to this past year as a "homosexual subculture" operating within the Church. Others had gone so far as to label it as The Lavender Mafia.
The medium had long since been the message, and the MSM continued to skew the story, still employing the "sex scandal" "pedophilia scandal" or "Church sexual scandal" labels.
Within the RC Church, however, a disconnect was evident between this country and the Vatican relative to misdeeds and cover-ups which had taken place in the USA. It took an 8-page carefully written letter by the former nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, to air it publicly. Pope Francis' lack of formal response to new revelations of homosexual predation by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was disappointing – to say the least. Traditionalists, still concerned by the lack of any response to "the Dubia" sent to the Pope by Cardinal Raymond Burke and 4 other Cardinals, saw this as a continued unwillingness to address the real festering disease within Church ranks. A major question of the Laity: Has the malignancy started to metastasize?
Typical of the MSM spin which is placed on RC Church issues was a program the day after Christmas on the PBS Nightly News. The term "clericalism" was employed, and it was initiated with a video referring to revelations of abuse by priests, including what PBS called "rape" and "criminal offenses against children." Two "survivors" were in studio, a man and a woman. On a video screen was another woman, not a "survivor" but the head of a "network" involved in helping survivors.
The male, who is currently teaching at Georgetown University, while attending Catholic High School as a teenager, was befriended by 2 priests and a Christian Brother. The specifics were extremely vague about what was their "over-stepping the bounds of friendship." It did not include anything that could be likened to what the Boston Archdiocesan scandal involved.
The woman, who said she had been a victim of repressed memories, had later recalled being abused by a visiting priest friend of her family, starting at the age of 8. Depression and other adverse conditions affected her in life, but again there was little in specifics.
Judy Woodruff, the moderator, was visibly strained in expressing sympathy for her 2 guests, as well as "the Catholic Church." Unfortunately, the piece was not anything on a journalism level – but more an attempt to present the current issue in a distorted manner. The word "homosexuality" was never used, let alone addressed.
Truth and Godliness are One. Any institution which asserts itself to be Godly and then wallows in the distortion of the Truth will fail. But surprise! The Roman Catholic Church is not failing, as regards the Laity. Their memories are of those parents, relatives, nuns, and priests who taught them and lived the faith, before passing from this earthly existence. The internal structure may actually be coming considerably stronger because of what has invaded the organizational ranks. While leaner, the Church is cleaner. The Truth must now be completely aired publicly, and other higher-ups beyond Cardinal McCarrick replaced. Viva Vigano!
Men such as Cardinals Blaise Cupich of Chicago, N.J.'s Tobin (not to be confused with Bishop Tobin of Providence, a devoted prelate), and a few others in the American hierarchy have clearly demonstrated that they have been part of the problem. The Olympic-style rise through the ranks of Cupich was clearly political – hardly a spiritual gift to the Church's structure. His response to the Vigano letter understandably left heads shaking. "The Pope has a bigger agenda." Cupich said. He then specifically pointed out "the environment and protecting immigrants" as foremost. "We are not going down a rabbit hole on this.' he concluded. If ever the Laity needed an alert for a house-cleaning, this Cupich Call was it.
"Homosexuality" can now best be described as "the 3rd rail" within the Catholic Church. It's NOT to be mentioned – but skirted in any "sexual abuse" references – as the media does. Yet, homosexuality is the prime reason for the debilitating Church structure over the last half-century. While its presence was to some degree also pre-Conciliar, the creation of a "Spirit of Vatican II" and the "sexual revolution" of the 60s was what brought the Church to its current state. There are apologists such as one James Martin in a Roman collar who both as editor of the Jesuit order's America, and also with a Vatican position, is a leader in trying to move the Church to accept "the gifts" of those with SSA (Same Sex Attraction). This approach is another door-opener for an alphabet soup of perversions, and he is the doorman.
The label "clericalism" has now made its way to the Vatican as a softer label for the malaise. It falls short, however, because we are talking about a malignancy, and clericalism is only the surface swelling and discoloring. The malignancy of homosexuality within these clerical/ hierarchical ranks must be excised – and left to heal WITHOUT STITCHING THE WOUND. The healing has to be from the inside out. Sunlight is still the world's greatest disinfectant – and its rays will be Godly and pure. The Laity must position itself not only to be acute observers – but also to be involved. The radiation of GOD's rays and the CHEMO-therapy – provided by the human body within the ranks – will bring the Church back to its state at the Epiphany.
Should "clericalism" be the essence of the mea culpas at the February meetings in Rome, they will be a total failure. Any euphemistic avoidance of the needed excision of the homosexual malignancy in the ranks of priests, bishops, and Cardinals will lead eventually to the structural collapse of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in this country. The Church's core component – total honesty – essentially MUST prevail. Otherwise, the American Roman Catholic hierarchical structure will topple within a decade.
Denying the probability that over these last 2 millennia every known sin has been committed by those within the clerical/hierarchical ranks of the Church would be another outright lie. It also would be false not to look at other religions and denominations to acknowledge the misdeeds of their married clergy, as well. In no way, however, does this knowledge deter us from excising the SSAD (Same Sex Attraction Disorder) which IS the Roman Catholic Church's EXISTENTIAL plague.
This country is now awash in sexual impurity. It permeates society's entire media by design because of its power to influence behavior. The subtle beginnings in the early 1900s have long since given way to foul language and outright filth at every turn in our daily living. A mauve sky with all its beauty still brings one to wonder what tomorrow will bring on our current path.
The hierarchy's use of the term "zero tolerance" and expressions such as "programs for the advocacy and protection of children" have earned a hollow ring since 2002. Enough of this verbiage. We are beyond the phraseology.
The Vatican's title for the February meetings, "The Protection of Minors in the Church," is itself skewed. Hoisting a banner with the words "in the Spirit of the venerable Bishop Molino" would provide more inspiration – toward a true resolution. Of course, all minors must be protected, but sound principle calls for "first things first" as the by-word.
The appointment of Cardinal Blaise Cupich as the sole American on the 4-member team rather than Cardinal O'Malley, who at least is much closer to all the data, is not a good sign. It has the odor of politics again, unfortunately. The announcement that Pope Francis will attend all the meetings, however, is a better portend of what COULD result. The Pontiff has been lacking in consistency and clarity as a leader.
Lust is hardly a phenomenon. Not only does it have its roots biblically, but it permeates our current society, manifesting itself ad nauseum throughout multiple facets of our everyday living. One of the forms of lust is SSAD (Same Sex Attraction Disorder).
Most individuals grow to maturity with most of their friends being of the same gender. The adolescent hormonal and physical changes generate stronger interest in those of the opposite gender, and the Church has been aware of the need for spiritual guidance involving respect and moral restraint. Those with SSAD, who have been so costly to the Church when they entered the clerical ranks, have never made the normal transition to adulthood.
Society being so awash in sexual impurity, there is a tendency to do two things:
The Vatican meetings must apply the teachings of Thomism and isolate the individual pieces of the Church's problems. We are admonished to seldom affirm, never deny, but always distinguish. That has been accomplished. Now the homosexual subculture within the clerical/hierarchical ranks must be excised and allow the Church's healing finally to begin.
Let the opening chants of Mea culpa disarm the self-appointed gate-keepers known as the MSM, as well. They still continue to purvey a tainted message of what the true Church – and Christianity itself – is.
The body of the Church is comprised of people of all races and two genders designed by the Creator with complementarity – to fulfill His design. This end is capable of being arrived at by using the multiple rational and spiritual tools at our disposal. We are mandated from on high to use them!
rtneary@verizon.net
© R.T. Neary
January 21, 2019
February's meeting of the hierarchy in Rome – of necessity – must begin with a Mea culpa, Mea culpa, Mea MAXIMA culpa.
Immediately following the establishment of this atmospheric pre-condition must follow an unqualified admission that this is an assembly of people who have been in sync with our secular society in perpetuating a gross falsehood. It is a lie which demands immediate correction before proceeding to take any action in the name of the Founder of the Church. This lie is the tool of those who wish to destroy the Church. They are Anathema. The current admission is beyond being just a notification to the Faithful; it is also a 2000-year-old alert.
The Church has real problems, still referred to as "sexual scandals." However, they are far easier to identify specifically than to allow the continued use of such a general label. They have been, and still are, predominantly of a HOMOsexual nature. This label enables not only a more complete understanding of what has transpired over this last half-century, but also allows the debilitating ailment to be directly addressed – and ended. The issue is now at the doorstep of Pope Francis in Rome – and there must be no more turning back from the truth.
Were females sexually abused by clerics? Children? Answer: Yes, to both. Were families violated by these acts? Yes. Are victims still suffering? Yes. End of story? No. On the broad scale, the number of victimized individuals were overwhelmingly post-pubescent males. Despite attempts to avoid the clear-cut evidence, it has behooved the Church's enemies to cloud the specific sexual nature of the acts of predator priests – and whom they were targeting.
The Boston Globe, with their Spotlight Team revelations in 2002, were the first to change their style manual and begin referring to the "pedophilia" scandal in the Archdiocese of Boston. Although clergy sexual violations were revealed which involved both genders, they were overwhelmingly males who were being targeted – adolescents and young adults. The study conducted by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice bore out the male-on post-pubescent male scenario as being about 80 per cent of the incidents. It still holds true.
The Globe went on to win a Pulitzer Prize for their Spotlight Team revelations with regard to the clerical ranks of the Archdiocese of Boston. It was based on the lie that they involved "pedophilia," not the "ephebophilia" of which most of them consisted. Creating the image of young children being sexually abused, the Globe knew was much more valuable than actually "reporting," a craft which had long-since disappeared as their purpose. The word "homosexuality" did not appear in their stories, as they felt a need to protect those in their own ranks from any reflective attention. The Spotlight movie script was carefully honed, as well.
The Boston Globe had actually become complicit in the sexual predation by making a "poster boy" on their pages of the likes of Paul Shanley, among the most sexually perverted in the Boston Archdiocese's priestly ranks. He even took his prey across state lines. Several ironies eventually emerged with regard to the Globe's self-righteousness and outright deceit, however.
Sadly, it appeared to be poetic justice when the Globe had its own "sexual scandal" exposed, involving their editorial staff. In the wake of Hollywood's Weinstein scandal, it came to light that one Globe staff member's perversion went so far as to offer his own wife to a female staffer for sexual favors. Not surprisingly, they put a heavy lid on their own scandals, aside from announcing there was a termination of employment in some cases. Needless to say, no Spotlight investigation of THIS story. That lid was soon tightly placed on the salacious tale.
With the eruption of news in 2018 about the multitude of cases against priests in Western Pennsylvania for 7 decades, the mainstream media (MSM) was able to make an all-out attack once again on the Catholic Church. The Boston Globe, as expected, self-righteously went back into attack mode.
The narrative had been created by the mainstream media (MSM) back in 2002, and those referred to as the Church Fathers had also picked up on MSM language to minimize the damage. They avoided any mention of what the late Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin, referred to this past year as a "homosexual subculture" operating within the Church. Others had gone so far as to label it as The Lavender Mafia.
The medium had long since been the message, and the MSM continued to skew the story, still employing the "sex scandal" "pedophilia scandal" or "Church sexual scandal" labels.
Within the RC Church, however, a disconnect was evident between this country and the Vatican relative to misdeeds and cover-ups which had taken place in the USA. It took an 8-page carefully written letter by the former nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, to air it publicly. Pope Francis' lack of formal response to new revelations of homosexual predation by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was disappointing – to say the least. Traditionalists, still concerned by the lack of any response to "the Dubia" sent to the Pope by Cardinal Raymond Burke and 4 other Cardinals, saw this as a continued unwillingness to address the real festering disease within Church ranks. A major question of the Laity: Has the malignancy started to metastasize?
Typical of the MSM spin which is placed on RC Church issues was a program the day after Christmas on the PBS Nightly News. The term "clericalism" was employed, and it was initiated with a video referring to revelations of abuse by priests, including what PBS called "rape" and "criminal offenses against children." Two "survivors" were in studio, a man and a woman. On a video screen was another woman, not a "survivor" but the head of a "network" involved in helping survivors.
The male, who is currently teaching at Georgetown University, while attending Catholic High School as a teenager, was befriended by 2 priests and a Christian Brother. The specifics were extremely vague about what was their "over-stepping the bounds of friendship." It did not include anything that could be likened to what the Boston Archdiocesan scandal involved.
The woman, who said she had been a victim of repressed memories, had later recalled being abused by a visiting priest friend of her family, starting at the age of 8. Depression and other adverse conditions affected her in life, but again there was little in specifics.
Judy Woodruff, the moderator, was visibly strained in expressing sympathy for her 2 guests, as well as "the Catholic Church." Unfortunately, the piece was not anything on a journalism level – but more an attempt to present the current issue in a distorted manner. The word "homosexuality" was never used, let alone addressed.
Truth and Godliness are One. Any institution which asserts itself to be Godly and then wallows in the distortion of the Truth will fail. But surprise! The Roman Catholic Church is not failing, as regards the Laity. Their memories are of those parents, relatives, nuns, and priests who taught them and lived the faith, before passing from this earthly existence. The internal structure may actually be coming considerably stronger because of what has invaded the organizational ranks. While leaner, the Church is cleaner. The Truth must now be completely aired publicly, and other higher-ups beyond Cardinal McCarrick replaced. Viva Vigano!
Men such as Cardinals Blaise Cupich of Chicago, N.J.'s Tobin (not to be confused with Bishop Tobin of Providence, a devoted prelate), and a few others in the American hierarchy have clearly demonstrated that they have been part of the problem. The Olympic-style rise through the ranks of Cupich was clearly political – hardly a spiritual gift to the Church's structure. His response to the Vigano letter understandably left heads shaking. "The Pope has a bigger agenda." Cupich said. He then specifically pointed out "the environment and protecting immigrants" as foremost. "We are not going down a rabbit hole on this.' he concluded. If ever the Laity needed an alert for a house-cleaning, this Cupich Call was it.
"Homosexuality" can now best be described as "the 3rd rail" within the Catholic Church. It's NOT to be mentioned – but skirted in any "sexual abuse" references – as the media does. Yet, homosexuality is the prime reason for the debilitating Church structure over the last half-century. While its presence was to some degree also pre-Conciliar, the creation of a "Spirit of Vatican II" and the "sexual revolution" of the 60s was what brought the Church to its current state. There are apologists such as one James Martin in a Roman collar who both as editor of the Jesuit order's America, and also with a Vatican position, is a leader in trying to move the Church to accept "the gifts" of those with SSA (Same Sex Attraction). This approach is another door-opener for an alphabet soup of perversions, and he is the doorman.
The label "clericalism" has now made its way to the Vatican as a softer label for the malaise. It falls short, however, because we are talking about a malignancy, and clericalism is only the surface swelling and discoloring. The malignancy of homosexuality within these clerical/ hierarchical ranks must be excised – and left to heal WITHOUT STITCHING THE WOUND. The healing has to be from the inside out. Sunlight is still the world's greatest disinfectant – and its rays will be Godly and pure. The Laity must position itself not only to be acute observers – but also to be involved. The radiation of GOD's rays and the CHEMO-therapy – provided by the human body within the ranks – will bring the Church back to its state at the Epiphany.
Should "clericalism" be the essence of the mea culpas at the February meetings in Rome, they will be a total failure. Any euphemistic avoidance of the needed excision of the homosexual malignancy in the ranks of priests, bishops, and Cardinals will lead eventually to the structural collapse of the Roman Catholic hierarchy in this country. The Church's core component – total honesty – essentially MUST prevail. Otherwise, the American Roman Catholic hierarchical structure will topple within a decade.
Denying the probability that over these last 2 millennia every known sin has been committed by those within the clerical/hierarchical ranks of the Church would be another outright lie. It also would be false not to look at other religions and denominations to acknowledge the misdeeds of their married clergy, as well. In no way, however, does this knowledge deter us from excising the SSAD (Same Sex Attraction Disorder) which IS the Roman Catholic Church's EXISTENTIAL plague.
This country is now awash in sexual impurity. It permeates society's entire media by design because of its power to influence behavior. The subtle beginnings in the early 1900s have long since given way to foul language and outright filth at every turn in our daily living. A mauve sky with all its beauty still brings one to wonder what tomorrow will bring on our current path.
The hierarchy's use of the term "zero tolerance" and expressions such as "programs for the advocacy and protection of children" have earned a hollow ring since 2002. Enough of this verbiage. We are beyond the phraseology.
The Vatican's title for the February meetings, "The Protection of Minors in the Church," is itself skewed. Hoisting a banner with the words "in the Spirit of the venerable Bishop Molino" would provide more inspiration – toward a true resolution. Of course, all minors must be protected, but sound principle calls for "first things first" as the by-word.
The appointment of Cardinal Blaise Cupich as the sole American on the 4-member team rather than Cardinal O'Malley, who at least is much closer to all the data, is not a good sign. It has the odor of politics again, unfortunately. The announcement that Pope Francis will attend all the meetings, however, is a better portend of what COULD result. The Pontiff has been lacking in consistency and clarity as a leader.
Lust is hardly a phenomenon. Not only does it have its roots biblically, but it permeates our current society, manifesting itself ad nauseum throughout multiple facets of our everyday living. One of the forms of lust is SSAD (Same Sex Attraction Disorder).
Most individuals grow to maturity with most of their friends being of the same gender. The adolescent hormonal and physical changes generate stronger interest in those of the opposite gender, and the Church has been aware of the need for spiritual guidance involving respect and moral restraint. Those with SSAD, who have been so costly to the Church when they entered the clerical ranks, have never made the normal transition to adulthood.
Society being so awash in sexual impurity, there is a tendency to do two things:
-
1) To attribute all the lustful behavior in society to those affected by SSAD. Far from, but it IS THE CHURCH'S MAIN PROBLEM
2) To overstate the number of Roman Catholic priests who have been involved in any form of sexual predation while serving the faithful.
The Vatican meetings must apply the teachings of Thomism and isolate the individual pieces of the Church's problems. We are admonished to seldom affirm, never deny, but always distinguish. That has been accomplished. Now the homosexual subculture within the clerical/hierarchical ranks must be excised and allow the Church's healing finally to begin.
Let the opening chants of Mea culpa disarm the self-appointed gate-keepers known as the MSM, as well. They still continue to purvey a tainted message of what the true Church – and Christianity itself – is.
The body of the Church is comprised of people of all races and two genders designed by the Creator with complementarity – to fulfill His design. This end is capable of being arrived at by using the multiple rational and spiritual tools at our disposal. We are mandated from on high to use them!
rtneary@verizon.net
© R.T. Neary
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
