Cartoon: The Diocese of Orange Implements New USCCB Decision On Communion For Pro-Abortion Politicians

On Tuesday February 17, 2004 Servite High School held a public celebration of their campus’ 45th anniversary. The community commemorated this milestone with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Tod Brown. Additionally, this day celebrated the Feast of the Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Friar Servants of Mary.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a staunchly pro-abortion member of the House of Representatives (Democrat, 46th District) was also in attendance as an invited guest. Ms. Sanchez received Holy Communion at the Mass in front of the student body. Sanchez represents a portion of Santa Ana, a portion of Fullerton, a portion of Anaheim, and a portion of Garden Grove (all cities within the Diocese of Orange) in the United States Congress. Servite High School is in Anaheim (one of the areas Ms. Sanchez represents). She is a vocal advocate for “abortion rights” (including partial-birth abortion) and has attempted to use her status as a baptized Catholic to further her political career. She has done so, at times, with help from the priests in the Diocese of Orange, including Msgr. Wilbur Davis, the diocesan vocations director. See: She's Okay, Vote for Her - Catholic Parishes Endorse Pro-Abort Candidate, Los Angeles Lay Catholic Mission, July/August 1998

There was no reluctance on Bishop Brown’s part in ordering a kneeling communicant to stand for Holy Communion in a way that can easily be perceived as demeaning, but he seems to have neglected an obvious teaching moment with a pro-abortion “Catholic” candidate who had been inappropriately invited to an all school Mass at an all boys’ Catholic school with students, some parents, and faculty in attendance. Why didn’t Bishop Brown publicly correct Loretta Sanchez at this Mass? Why, knowing she was present, did he not, at the very least, take the opportunity to defend rights of the unborn? Why was Ms. Sanchez allowed to receive Holy Communion?

Bishop Brown has never publicly called Ms. Sanchez to fidelity (although his predecessor, Bishop Norman MacFarland told her not to speak in churches).

Open Letter to Tod Brown, Bishop of Orange

Comments

[Atlanta Catholic]

There will be much wailing and gnashing!

[Jack]

How can one expect Bishops for the most part themselves homosexuals with no inclination towards the heterosexual act of procreation of even feeling any connection to childbirth and the unborn child and protection thereof?

Our lady said at Fatima that the church would become corrupt from within, and with Vatican II and the aftermath, can one really have any doubt??

One must find faith and reverence for our Lords body and blood in any way necessary, and if it means protesting and not giving any money or not attending these sacriligious forms of worship, then so be it

I am tired of those who feel a need to claim this obedience line as one must not follow these men as they are not holy indeed or they themselves would want to worship our Lord in the most reverent way possible, if they truly belived and loved him as he commanded us in sacred scripture

[Loyolalaw98]

The comments by Jack that "Bishops" are "for the most part themselves homosexuals" is the vilest and grossest sort of calumny.

There are some 272 Bishops and auxiliaries in the United States, one wonders what omniscience Jack must possess to label "most" with such a blanket statement.

He adds blasphemy to his calumny by invoking Our Lady of Fatima as proof of his despicable assertion.

The 8th Commandment - "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" also applies to Bishops.

[Beeline]

Well as a group the US Bishops are pretty liberal and some are gay.However, there are
some notable conservatives or orthodox upright Bishops.

The 'Jack' post, which by the way sounds entirely like another former poster on this forum is full of rash, irresponsible, unthinking, over the top pronouncements.

For instance, questioning those who are obedient to the bishop. There is no nuance there because what little of obedience which
is required of me towards the Bishop does
not cross into the line of illict norms.
However, I do believe aside from trivial matters of personal preference of liturgy, that protest is in order when the
Bishops delve into the political and dont serve to instruct and correct when they should. But I dont consider it an excuse to wholesale disobey
in things that are licit. Once again, a discernment and maturity of thinking that is not present in the 'Jack' post is required in these matters.

For instance, as Jack stated:
"and if it means protesting and not giving any money or not attending these sacriligious forms of worship, then so be it"
Its very hard for me to find any Mass as
being sacriligious and I have attended the most liberal Church in Orange County,CA
(St.Simon&Jude, Huntington Beach under Bishop Brown) and have
attended quite a few parishes under Cardinal
Mahoney....even his 'Taj Mahoney Cathedral'.

Of course, attending some of these liberal Masses I find myself not wanting to go back
because I find myself being critical,cynical
and suspecting of all that goes on around me
within those parishes. Which is not to say that they are not 'holy' but they ignore the General Instruction Roman Missal(GIRM)to
their hearts content.

[carol blankfield]

Well, maybe he's from the Diocese of Orange.

Back in 2002, when the scandals were breaking allover the country (and ESPECIALLY in So. Cal.) when asked, "are we doing anything to remove homosexual priests in the Diocese?" Fr. Fenton, media spokesman for Bishop Brown, laughed and said, "If we did that there'd be so few priests left we'd have to turn the church over to lay people to run it!"

Sounds like a pretty large percentage to me.

[fedup]

I suspect Bishop Brown said nothing because he does not really agree with the church's anti-abortion stance. This would certainly be consistent with his other leftist views.

[jeffersonranch]

Catholic bishops, don't make me laugh.

[US Law of Percentages 20006]

Please check rcf.org There is a homosexual issue to be concerned about with these Bishops. Stephen Brady (who has uncovered much of the filth that Pope Benedict addressed on his first Good Friday after becoming the Pope ) says it is a very high percentage of Bishops. These statements are the result of intense investigation. We do have a handful of faithful Bishops, who have shown their loyalty to the Teachings. I don't think that Jack's percentages are wrong. Didn't the USCCB majority support Brokeback Mountain? Wasn't there a website called Sebastian's Angels that networked many clergy including Bishops, to the homosexual lifestyle. Didn't Michael Rose writa a book called Good-Bye Good Men? Many superiors and Bishops are the very filth described by Pope Benedict. Look at Bishop Brown's endorsement of homosexual domestic partnerships. This is no small group of Bishops.

[Some Day]

As much as I feel the pain and the anger of seeing the Church suffer at the hand of her own sons, I cannot agree with these cartoons anymore. I have come to see that this is not the right way nor the mature way of dealing with this. I know how bad a bishop can be, comparable to the Pharisees that Our Lord suffered at the hands of.
But Our Lord didn't mock them and disrigard their office. I know what has happend in the internals of the Church more that most of you will ever know. I know those reasons that would make you want to burn many Church leaders, both of the present and the past century. But enemies can still respect each other, esspecially a bishop. I honor the Holy Orders, the character imposed on his soul and the fact that he participates in the Priesthood of Christ.
After that, Ininimicias Ponem, Ipsa Contret.

So kill it it with the cartoons. That doesn't display a true zeal for the Church and its Orthodoxy. There are better ways to show your Perfecto Odio against the enimies of the Chucrh, both external, and more importantly, internal.

[Thomistic]

Thanks for the dogmatic editorial advice, Some Day.

I disagree with you 100%.

It's not the first time, though, so I'm not surprised.

You are entitled to your opinion, but remember: even if it is stated as though it were a dogma of faith and incontestably true, it's still just your opinion.

With prayers,

Thomistic

[Some Day]

And Jack,
Don't get too angry, but Our Lady said many things in Fatima, but neither include to disobey bishops and superiors in anything except of he tells you to commit a sin. Try not to use partial facts to attempt to justify something, whether right or wrong.
The truth if told must be told in the correct aspect, or else its a lie. Now not all truths are ment to be told, such as confession material. Now that the Church will be infiltrated by the worst people ever, true. To in the name of that truth claim the right to disobey Church leaders because they are wrong and openly so and so, no. Unless he tells you to jump a bridge or paint your house hot pink, if the Cannon Law says he can, you got to. Don't worry, who obeys doesn't err. The sin lies on the superior.
And not to lable you a protestant, but Martin Luther kinda propposed something in the line of what you said to do. When he saw the Church suffering because of its internal enemies, he choose to insult it and defame it to the world. If you mother is sick, would you go and tell people no to help her and insult her. I know its a bit drastic of a comparison, but I strongly suggest you drop those ideas of not contributing your financial help to the Church. But regardless of that, the idea of not attending those "not attending these sacriligious forms of worship" is very dangerous. The followers of Mon.Lefebre, thought the same, proclaimed St.Pius X their patron, and ultimantely fell in schism and got the worst punishment ever, to be excluded from God and His Church.
I beg you to drop that "not attending these sacriligious forms of worship" mentality.
I can agree that most of worship today seems more tribal than anything, but the mass is still valid and Our Lord is still present. Even if He is imprisoned. Console Him. If you think your parishes are bad.
I live in Miami. Where church is "Miami style" not God's style. They practically invented the stuff you guys see. But can agree I have seen some pretty wierd pictures from the West Coast. Just pray and have that internal execration of that isn't of True, Catholic spirit.

God Bless you, and keep me in your prayers, I am battling some tough opposition to my vocation. ( I'm not 18 yet and my parents won't have none of it.)

[Some Day]

I can agree that cartoons are a good way to show your point. But don't you think we are getting a bit to aggresive with the nature of the drawings. Its just that it seems to be getting a sort of pleasure of just dissing the bishop. Please don't confuse this with pity for the bishop. It couldn't be farther. May be I'm not to be one to say that cartoons are inappropiate. I am kind of ok with them. They depict a horrible truth. But it is like if we underline that devils are evil. Overdoing it. I agree that the begining and the end are opinions. But you know that middle is Church Doctrine. I can cite Saints. But no point debating such byzantine arguments. Anyhow, I guess what isn't a sin is not bad. It all depends on the intention here.

And you have my prayers as always

(and it gave me great joy to see that you are blogging at this time. Here the sun will rise in about an hour in Miami. To much soda for me. Maybe I'll atempt the Liturgy of the Hours)

[Jack]

So I guess that with statistics showing that the priesthood is between 30-80% homosexual-we cant assume that those in the priesthood elevated to Bishop (that is where they started as Priests) are not in the same percentile? Did I hit a nerve? Calumny is one who makes a false claim against an INDIVIDUAL-not against a group of clergy who for the most part have participated in a grand old coverup that one Catholic Senator called them "Mafia". The only difference between these Bishops and the Mafia is that if they were indeed Mafia the RICO act would have most of them in jail as they knowlingly falsified and covered up for priest who knowlingly deflowered little children. At the highest level with Pope JPII with Cardinal Law to now with Levada, it is a sacrilige

So it is easy to see why many here got upset with the notion that a gay man cant sympathize with the crime of abortion-the only thing is that you all seemed to blast me and my post and like Ann Coulter, forgot to discuss the main content as well as Cause and effect

I apologize if I hit a raw nerve with anyone