February 2007 HPR

The free sample article from the February HPR is now online.  This month's offering has the provocative title "The Danger of Criticizing Bishops and Priests", by Fr. Thomas G. Morrow.  A sneak peek:

     Once a Waldensian challenged Francis on his unshakeable reverence for priests, by pointing out the local pastor who was living in sin. “Must we believe in his teaching and respect the sacraments he performs?”

     In response, Francis went to the priest’s home and knelt before him saying, “I don’t know whether these hands are stained as the other man says they are. [But] I do know that even if they are, that in no way lessens the power and effectiveness of the sacraments of God… That is why I kiss these hands out of respect for what they perform and out of respect for Him who gave His authority to them.” His challenger left in silence.

(addendum) Aha! I almost forgot...don't forget to check out Fr. Baker's editorial!

Comments

[Ed Peters]

I had to smile when I read one of Fr. Ken's suggestions for a simpler life: moving to small town. Brother, not any small town I'VE ever lived in. There is much more anonymity in the city. Small town folks know everything about you, and you'd better keep up on what they're doing too, or your dead. Well, okay, not dead dead, but you know what I mean. If you want to be left alone, move to the City.

[John Powers]

Good point Ed,

If someone thinks there is simplicity to living in a small town, they should try it out for a few years. I have seen Priests who can thrive in the most remote missions positively crack in an Illinois village of 500. There is much more complexity to the multigenerations of villagers than the annonymity of the City. I will add that the ethnic Irish neighborhoods of Chicago, that have remained ethnic Irish for 150 years also have a similar effect on newcomers.

JBP

[Sandra Miesel]

That anecdote about St. Francis was trotted out repeatedly when the clerical abuse scandal broke. No doubt victims should have kissed the sacred hands that had just been down their pants.

[Sandra Miesel]

And your car (not to mention your farm equipment!) wouldn't have to be serviced in the countryside? Your bills wouldn't have to be paid? Actually, keeping things running in the house is a more urgent necessity in the countryside than the city because services are harder to obtain.

[Brian John Schuettler]

"That anecdote about St. Francis was trotted out repeatedly when the clerical abuse scandal broke."

Yes,Sandra, especially in some of the homilies by the Franciscans of the Eternal Word on EWTN. I love those guys, but I must admit that I heard that Saint Francis story one too many times. If a priest abused by child I wouldn't be kissing his hand, that's for sure.

[Brian John Schuettler]

You know, I just read this entire article online, although I do subscribe to HPR. All Father Morrow did was, well, irritate me. I get the feeling that if the good father had been around when Paul publicly chastised Peter in Antioch for shunning Gentile Christians soon after the Jerusalem Conference (Acts 15:1-35) he would have shook his head and insisted that Paul be more charitable and go over and kiss Peter's hand. Obedience to legitimate Church authority and fraternal correction (See Spiritual Works of Mercy) are not synonymous.

I predict a lot of mail to HPR on this one!

[Fr. Greg]

A modest proposal:

Let us criticize if we must, even if the risk is great. Who knows, risk or not, we may be being prophetic. But let us also pray. Let us pray for those we criticize at least as much as we criticize them.

[John Powers]

Fr. Morrow forgets one of the great powers of prayer is the intercession of God's Providence. Suppose that an Archbishop in, oh, Milwaukee, was hiring his homosexual boyfriend (for hundreds of thousands) to destroy the interior of the Cathedral. What if prayer led the faithful to openly criticize the Archbishop rather than leading to more prayer?

Couldn't God conceivably call the faithful to intercede on his behalf? Surely this would be the right thing to do, rather than calling for silence in the face of sin and irreversible destruction.

JBP

[John Powers]

Fr. Morrow forgets one of the great powers of prayer is the intercession of God's Providence. Suppose that an Archbishop in, oh, Milwaukee, was hiring his homosexual boyfriend (for hundreds of thousands) to destroy the interior of the Cathedral. What if prayer led the faithful to openly criticize the Archbishop rather than leading to more prayer?

Couldn't God conceivably call the faithful to intercede on his behalf? Surely this would be the right thing to do, rather than calling for silence in the face of sin and irreversible destruction.

JBP

[Brian John Schuettler]

To Father Greg:

A modest proposal:

Let us criticize if we must, even if the risk is great. Who knows, risk or not, we may be being prophetic. But let us also not assume that the person we are criticizing is not praying for bishops and priests every day. Let us pray for those we criticize at least as much as we criticize them and let us not be sanctimonious... “a solemn, unsmiling, sanctimonious old iceberg that looked like he was waiting for a vacancy in the Trinity” (Mark Twain).

[John Michael Keba]

"Today there are many priests and even bishops who seem to invite criticism by what they say and do, but most are far less culpable than the priests and bishops of St. Francis’ time."

St. Francis, St. Catherine and St. Bernard lived when Europe was Catholic: to suggest that their examples apply to the Church's current battle in the secularized world is stunningly disingenuous. Now, simple silence like Abp. Wuerl's damages the integrity of the Faith more, and incurs a culpability far greater, than the concupiscence of the medievals Fr. Morrow chose so carefully as his foils.