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Monday, October 14, 2002

Voice of the Faithful
Kelly Clark has been doing a fantastic job keeping us all up to date about VOTF in her column The Lady In The Pew and the Lord knows I have enough to keep me busy without tackling something else, but I just have to say something about it. I can't keep quiet about it. I was reading this (sarc on) completely unbiased (sarc off) account by Steven Rosenberg in The Boston Globe this morning and it occurred to me that there is a KEY POINT that should be continually pressed home to those who may be soothed by the siren song of VOTF.

If you will notice on their website VOTF has enumerated three 'goals' of the organization. These are (1)"To support those who have been abused". This is definitely a good thing. The second is "to support priests of integrity". This, too, is a good thing. Of course, a "priest of integrity" can mean different things to different people. There are those who believe that a priest who refuses communion to those who publicly advocate homosexual behavior is not a priest of integrity whereas others would marvel at his COURAGE (pun intended). For the sake of argument, though, I will give them that one and assume they are referring to priests who agree that pederasty in the Church should be stopped. Now, however, let us examine goal #3 which is "To shape structural change within the Church." WHOA!! WHAT??? Shaping structural change in the Catholic Church??? What could be more Protestant than that??? Laity changing the structure of the Church? "Shaping" means "changing", right? And what is the "structure" of the Church?? Why, we have a hierarchical church, do we not? Why would I want to turn it upside down and start looking at the universe through the wrong end of the telescope? It's a no-brainer.

VOTF states on it's website that it's internal "working group" (Structural Change Working Group) is a nine-member (all laity) group working to "clarify church structures: 1) as they are defined, (2) as they actually function, and (3) as they ought to be" and then adds, "to fulfill the vision of Vatican II." Um, excuse me? For more information on this "vision of Vatican II" garbage, please see "I was robbed", by Leila Miller. For you progressives, you can rest assured that Leila's story is a FRESH look at OLD mistakes, one of which is a mischaracterization of Vatican II (i.e., application -- or rather MISapplication -- of "mandates" that cannot be found anywhere in the actual text of the council decrees).
Oh!! I nearly forgot!! You must must MUST also read I. Shawn McElhinney's Vatican II and Authority for another good look at this "spirit of Vatican II" hogwash.

PARDON MY CANDOR, but, you see, I am a convert, and we converts do not take kindly to a bunch of cradle Catholics who have little or no appreciation for what they have in the Catholic Church, starting up these little committees to subvert the very heart of those doctrines of the Church that we cherish so much that we have abandoned all to cling to Her. If they want to be Protestants, I say, let them start up their own church somewhere!! But do not start throwing rocks at the beautiful Bride of Christ simply because you think she has a little mud on her face.

Okay, I've had my little spew about VOTF. Just one last thing, though. A Rev. Curley was quoted in that Boston Globe story (linked above) saying, ''I'm trying to work within the existing structure,'I think they're reinventing the wheel.'' AMEN, FATHER!! Amen.

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