Aug 17, 2006

Problems in Santa Barbara

Catholics in Santa Barbara up the coast say that the local newspaper, the Santa Barbara News-Press, frequently runs blatantly anti-Christian op-eds on Sundays and that it sometimes runs specifically anti-Catholic op-eds and "news" stories on weekdays.

The paper, which some say they call the News-Oppress and the News-Suppress, was at it again today, August 17, in an article by Melissa Evans, "Catholics who question faith finding support in lay group" (click on this post's title; but to read the entire article you have to register).

The "lay group" is Word and Life, which, says the article, "has taken a hard look at Catholic feminist theology [sic], homosexuality, sex abuse, evolution, priest celibacy and religious violence --topics that have historically made the upper tiers of the Catholic hierarchy cringe."

The article goes on, "...there must also be a place for Catholics to question their faith in order to grow, say members of the group."

"'I can speak what is true for me,'" one member says.

Naturally, these phonies profess to love the Church -- as they savage Her and lie about Her.

Listen to this sentence from the story: "They weren't encouraged to study the Bible on their own -- that was something only priests did."

But the worst of the article is yet to come:

"Part of the problem with Catholic tradition is that for so many years, lay people have been forced to sit back and let leaders tell them what to believe, said the Rev. Virgil Cordano [O.F.M.], a regular speaker at Word and Life who has supported the cause from the beginning.

"'God speaks through everybody,' said the Rev. Cordano [ed. note: Jim Jones? David Koresh?], a Franciscan friar. 'We need more pluralism, more diversity of voices and different expressions of truth. There is a way of integrating many voices and still maintaining unity.'"

Elderly Father Virgil, as he is known, is the retired pastor of the Old Mission Santa Barbara, many of whose parishioners, I hear, are wealthy ultra-liberals.

The article says, "Word and Life has had speakers endorse ideas such as female ordination and acceptance of homosexuals."

The article quotes "the Rev. Anne Howard, an Episcopalian minister [aha!] who is a regular speaker." She says, "'...they have a real serious commitment to learning. They're willing to go beyond the accepted boundaries for lay education.'"

Notice that reporter Evans gives only one side, never asking orthodox Catholics to comment.

Also note the incredible egotism of Word and Life, and their complete lack of perspective. Nobody has read the Bible except them! Nobody is even educated except them! They know better than everyone else in the Church today and for the past 2,000 years!

Hmmm. What would Word and Life think if we "questioned" them so we could "grow?"

By the way, the e-mail address for letters to the editor of the Santa Barbara News-Press is:
voices@newspress.com

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Quintero,

Fr. Virgil should not be a surprise.

Some time ago the Holy Innocents Reparation Committee had an elderly Franciscan from the California Province, a former Professor of Music, say our Masses in Atonement for the Sins of Abortion every 1st Friday.

He was happy to do it because the tolerant liberals of his province no longer let him say Masses, they relegated him to the kitchen, in the Military it was called K.P.

One month when I picked him up he was somewhat distressed because he had just attended a chapter meeting at which, and these were his words, "some sixty plus percent of them admitted to being homosexuals"! He then told me that he was very tempted to leave the priesthood at that time. Thank God I beleive he died a loyal son of the Church.

So you see, it should be absolutely no suprise that Fr. Virgil, OFM is confortable with this group of dissenters.

Kenneth M. Fisher, SFO (Secular Franciscan Order)

8:46 PM  

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