A NYT editorial has slammed Goldman Sachs for its role in the financial crisis, Ten must work out what to do with Australian Idol in 2010, how the media downturn will affect higher education, newsreaders get emo, and more.
Rebel Catholic priest shown the door
|
It came as no surprise yesterday to the 1000 strong congregation of St Mary’s Catholic Parish in South Brisbane that their long-serving, and “rebellious” parish priest, Fr Peter Kennedy, has been removed from office by the Archbishop of Brisbane. The decision by Archbishop John Bathersby sets the scene for what is going to be a drawn out, and very messy, process. Fr Kennedy, who is to be removed in two weeks’ time, is unlikely to go peacefully. And the congregation — one of the largest in the Brisbane Diocese — is not only going to stand by him, it is hardly likely to follow the Archbishop’s direction that it conform with the Diocese’s practices on a range of issues. These include ending the blessing of same-s-x partnerships, and ending baptism practices contrary to the procedures laid down by the church. The Archbishop also frowned on the practice of involving women in communion services and allowing lay people to deliver sermons. His intervention clearly followed complaints to the Vatican by hard line conservatives in the church. It is not hard to work out that Rome did not give him any room for compromise. The danger for the church is that even if Fr Kennedy departs the scene relatively peacefully — the Archbishop has advised him to retire — the congregation is likely to dig its heels in and refuse to conform to the church’s procedures. That could lead to a messy showdown that would be a PR disaster for the Archbishop and Rome. The Archbishop has warned the congregation that if it tries to hold services at another venue it will not be in “communion” with the church, leading effectively to its expulsion. Fr Kennedy has long been a thorn in the side of the church hierarchy, and has ignored numerous directions to conform with its procedures, despite the fact that he obviously retains the strong support of what is a very large, and very vocal, parish community — including several high profile indigenous leaders. The Archbishop is obviously hoping that Fr Kennedy will simply go away and that the congregation will ultimately accept the position. But today that seems a remote hope. This morning, obviously buoyed by the support he has been getting, Fr Kennedy went on radio and was much less “accepting” of his fate, promising that neither he nor the congregation are going anywhere — and that if they have to be arrested then so be it! And it is getting all the media attention it could possibly hope for. The Archbishop won’t back down one iota, because Rome won’t let him, and any sign of weakening might inspire a number of other churches in the Brisbane Diocese and beyond which have also come under the scrutiny of the Archbishop for following unorthodox practices — though not as publicly and as blatantly as St Mary’s! |
|
|
10 Comments
Catholic Churches across Australia are nearly empty, so if you get a successful parish that does good deeds and helps the community you want to close it down because some crazy right-winger complained to some crazy righ-winged cardinals in Rome.
Is that the Christian way of doing things?
Just imagine if every community decided to do the same thing. We would have community based religion.Maybe then everyone in the community could be invited along and participate in strengthening their communities..
The pope just cannot forget his idylic days in the Hitler youth, the power, the hard line, the obey at any cost attitude. As I said in an earlier contribution on this subject to the Parish Priest Father Kennedy and his congregation, go you good things. Pell and Rome may not want you, Australia does.
Here come that’s split in the Catholic Church that been ready to happen for 30 years. I wonder how the
Church’s lawyers are viewing the likelihood of the physical occupation of the parish property.
A rich Liberal catholic should finance a High Court case where the reform parish contests, in the public interest, the Vatican’s ownership of the church property.
The Australian Reform Catholic Church has a nice ring to it…I might even rejoin a church that allows women priests, priests to marry, abortion & gay marriage.
I also reckon that about 70% of Australia’s Catholics would join such a Church.
some points:
this stoush was brought about by a group of uglies who are so called tradtional catholics. They are led from Sydney. What they are are the types who cling to whatever is established and say it is immutable truth (when it often is not). The St Mary’s people were dudded as the so called tradtionals got to the pope first.
according to canon law there are certain words used for sacrements like baptism or Communion. They are standardised according to language. the guy at St Mary’s refused to use them. Vary your liturgy but make the words right then the uglies have no case.
Also don’t crap the boss off when he’s under the hammer. That’s not Canon Law that’s basic survival.
this is for Kevin the Archdiocese of Brisbane owns the property not the Vatican.
third point liberal catholic church Kevin? there is one not many Catholics would consider belonging to it.
Finally I hate it when the uglies win. it’s sickmaking.
And we are worried about the Taliban!
one of fr kennedy’s parishioners made the comparison on the abc news last night between the punishment of fr kennedy and the comfort, care and protection that Cardinal Pell provides to the countless priests who sodomise their choirboys or rape their female parishioners (while their victims are heavied by his bovver boys into remaining silent). It’s a comparison well made. I an unaware of any other organisation in Australia that has caused such destruction to innocent men, women and children, yet it is one that in its arrogance and conceit will remove a man truly committed to the comfort, care and protection of his fellow human beings.
While I do not agree with the policies decreed by Rome, which these people are rejecting, you cannot nevertheless expect to stay within the fold if you do so. Why would you WANT to stay in the Catholic church, if you think they are talking crap anyway? This priest should be celebrating, not asking for Benedict to reconsider?
There are a number of statements and assumptions in the article that should be challenged,and they also appear in letters to the editor in other publications and even in the epistles of the archbishop to St Mary’s. 1.The community of which I have been a member for twenty years lives out its vision of a Christian community without seeking publicity. Its services to the poor and marginalized people both here and beyond our shores go largely unnoticed except to those who receive and appreciate its loving care.That is how it should be.
2.The public media is its only avenue of defence when the right of reply is denied in the official Catholic publications.It may help to sell papers but does little to assist the on-going work of an inner city parish.
3. To lump every variation from the Vatican norm as a failure to” conform to procedures” carries the image of a golf club and may cover a multitude of possible situations from the sublime to the ridiculous.
4. Fr Kennedy could equally well be described as a priest who has done magnificent work as a parish priest ,a naval chaplain and a conscientious obljectot to Australia’s involvement it in training the Indonesian military for the terrorizing of East Timor.
5.If he is rejected by the official church because he lives out his beliefs and helps others to experience the God of love and compassion he is in good historical company.
Is there a strange irony in the circumstance that Rome is busy inviting back old men who hate Jews and are generally yesterday’s dross while dismissing a priest who brings people into the Church in a loving way.
Strange isn’t it?