Category: Hope & Change

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Vatican’s Next Doctrinal Guardian Defends Book On Kissing He Wrote As Young Priest

— The 80-page book, published in 1995 but no longer in print, is being used to blast Pope Francis’ appointment of Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández.

Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA

Three decades ago, when he was a parish priest in Argentina, the man named by Pope Francis to be the Catholic Church’s new guardian of doctrinal orthodoxy wrote a short book about kissing and the sensations it evokes.

Some conservative sectors in the church are using the reflections in “Heal Me with Your Mouth. The Art of Kissing” to criticize the designation of Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández to lead the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, a body once known as the Holy Office that for centuries was responsible for persecuting heretics, disciplining dissidents and enforcing sexual morality.

“These are ultra-conservative sectors that deeply hate the Argentine pontiff (Francis),” Fernández, the archbishop of La Plata, a city 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Buenos Aires, told The Associated Press.

“They take a phrase from the book and say: ‘Look at the level of this theologian. How can a person who uses these expressions be the prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith?’” said Fernández, who dreamed of being a poet when he was younger.

The 80-page book, published in 1995 but not longer in print, has emerged as a key point used to blast the appointment of the 60-year-old archbishop commonly known as “Tucho” to one of the Vatican’s most powerful offices.

The book highlights the importance of kissing in human relationships, defining them as expressions of absolute love. “In English, ‘Kiss,’ in Italian, ‘bacio,’ in French, ‘baiser,’ in German, ‘kuss,’ in Portuguese, ‘beijo.’ Depending on how it’s done, it is also often called ‘peck,’ ‘sucking,’ ‘drilling,’ etc.,” the book says.

An article published earlier this month on Catholic news agency Zenit said that “everyone is talking about Monsignor Víctor Manuel Fernández … and above all about his kisses.”

Criticism of the archbishop, whose appointment was seen by some as an attempt to break with the past, has come from conservative religious figures in the United States.

“Pray that he returns to the Catholic faith,” Joseph Strickland, bishop of Tyler, Texas, wrote on social media.

Fernández, who has long had a close relationship with the pope, a fellow Argentine, said he rejected later offers to reprint the book.

“I was already older, and I thought this is a book about the kiss … so I said, ‘No, no, no, please, don’t reprint it, let’s leave this in the past.’ But well, now it’s my karma,” Fernández said with a laugh.

One of the excerpts from the book reads: “A couple with a lot of sex, a lot of sexual satisfaction, but few kisses that are genuine or with kisses that say nothing is digging the grave of love with each sexual encounter, creating routine, fatigue, and weariness until one of them finds something more human.”

Fernández argued he can’t be accused “of anything” because the work in question “contains no heresy or error.” He stressed that the strategy of his critics is to “quote phrases” from the book repeatedly to question the pope for appointing someone with “such superficial theology and street language” to a key position.

The book includes a poem written by Fernández: “How was God so ruthless to give you that mouth… No one can resist, witch, hide it.” The cardinal complained on social media that critics mistranslated “bruja,” or “witch,” as “bitch.”

Fernández said he wrote the book along with a group of young people when he was a parish priest in the Argentine town of Santa Teresita, in the central province of Córdoba. He said it was written as a catechesis for teenagers, with the contributions of his young collaborators, and he improved them by providing “a little editing.”

In the book’s introduction, Fernández wrote that the book was not written from his personal experience and that his goal was to summarize what “mortals” experience when they kiss.

Fernández says he has written dozens of texts since then and his critics should cite ones he has published in “top-level” journals. He has been the rector of the Catholic University of Argentina and head of the Argentine Society of Theology. He was recently named a cardinal.

“But they take this little youth catechism, from a poor parish priest from the countryside, and take phrases out of context,” Fernández said.

In Argentina, Fernández has received some criticism on social media but has the support of the church in his homeland.

“He has given an excellent and clear explanation of the issue,” said Máximo Jurcinovic, director of communications for the Argentine Episcopal Conference.

Fernández said the pope told him his task as head of the doctrinal office would be “guarding the teaching that stems from faith” in order to “give a reason for our hope, but not as enemies who point fingers and condemn.”

The book is not the only piece of controversial writing Fernández has done in the past.

He has acknowledged that some of his writings were sent to the Vatican, anonymously, after then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio appointed him as rector of the Catholic University of Argentina in 2009. The controversy resulted in a two-year delay in his being cleared for the job.

Fernández wrote about the ordeal soon after Bergoglio was elected Pope Francis, recounting that a newspaper article he had penned about gay marriage had been included in the anonymous dossier and that an unnamed Vatican “congregation” – believed to be the one responsible for Catholic education ― repeatedly refused to receive him to explain himself.

He has also had to acknowledge mistakes in his handling of a 2019 case involving a priest accused of sexually abusing minors. The case has drawn allegations by critics that Fernández tried to protect the priest, a charge that he has denied.

“Today I would certainly act very differently and certainly my performance was insufficient,” he told AP after celebrating Mass in La Plata.

By appointing Fernández to head the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Francis seemed to indicate a desire for a break with the past.

“The Dicastery over which you will preside in other times came to use immoral methods. Those were times when, rather than promoting theological knowledge, possible doctrinal errors were pursued. What I expect from you is certainly something very different,” the pope wrote in a letter to Fernández.

German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who served as prefect of the office until Francis fired him in 2017, said the new directives are out of place considering the mission of that department was to “protect and promote the revealed faith.”

“This is not a theological academy or a talk show where everyone can express their opinion,” Müller said on conservative U.S. broadcaster EWTN.

Fernández has characterized himself as a reformist who doesn’t like to “break with everything,” but advocates for a church that is “more inclusive, more respectful of different ways of living and thinking.”

Complete Article ↪HERE↩!

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Philly’s LGBTQ Catholic church celebrates 50 years of acceptance and community

— Dignity Philadelphia has members of all ages, from Gen Zers to Boomers.

Checking in to the 50th anniversary party for Dignity Philadelphia, held May 2023 at the Mummers Museum.

By Kristine Villanueva

Step inside the recreation center at Saint Luke and the Epiphany on Sunday evenings and you’ll find a traditional celebration of mass. Except in this case, the priest is a married woman.

Nestled in the heart of the Gayborhood is Dignity Philadelphia, a church for LGBTQ practicing Catholics and allies.

Inside the space on 13th Street between Pine and Spruce, metal folding chairs replace church pews. Hymns and prayers are modified to include gender-nonconforming language. And a red banner hangs behind the altar, bearing the names of congregants who died, some from gun violence, some from the AIDS epidemic — all of them a part of a legacy of existing in exuberant protest that’s been going strong for half a century.

“It was really an amazing experience, to feel so comfortable and immediately embraced, in part because I recognize some of the names on the wall,” said Kathleen Gibbons Schuck, 67, who recalled seeing the red banner during her first time presiding over mass.

Founded in 1973, Dignity Philadelphia has been progressive in allowing married people, women and LGBTQ people to lead mass, as well as involving lay people in leadership decisions.

“I think the greater church could benefit from recognizing that, you know, your gray haired [male] pastor isn’t the only one with a perspective here,” said Schuck, who was ordained by a movement called the Roman Catholic Womenpriests.

Dignity Philadelphia celebrated 50 years in May 2023.

Nationwide, over 2 million LGBT people (the term used in the study) also say they are religious, according to a 2020 report by UCLA’s Williams Institute, with nearly 25% of adults identifying as Catholic. Still, a growing number of teens consider themselves religiously unaffiliated. That’s where spaces like Dignity come in.

“People come along and question things. We do something different,” said Dignity Philadelphia board member Kaeden Thompson, 30, of Kensington. “Young queer people deserve spirituality, deserve faith, deserve communities where they feel loved and accepted for who they are.”

Dignity is a nationwide movement with chapters in over 30 locations around the U.S. The organization, and its Philly chapter, were founded in the years after Vatican II, a council convened in Rome by Pope John XIII from 1962 to 1965.

A Dignity Philadelphia sidewalk mass in 1976.

This period of Catholic church history is often cited as the genesis for more widespread social justice teachings, in addition to an updated liturgy that gave a larger role to lay people and other fundamental changes.

“It was really exciting. It made you feel like you were really a Christian, that you were taking on the message of Jesus and proclaiming it and celebrating it at liturgies,” said Sister Jeannine Gramick, who was instrumental in Dignity Philadelphia’s founding.

At the organization’s 50th celebration in May, she was recognized with a lifetime achievement award.

It was 1971 when, as a student at the University of Pennsylvania, Gramick attended a mass at someone’s home and met Dominic, a gay man who confided that he and his friends felt alienated by the church at large.

Gramick then started organizing masses for Dominic and his friends in his apartment. Local priests Father Paul Morrissey and Father Bob Nugent presided. Gramick helped Nugent, Morrissey and another priest, Myron Judy, to form Dignity Philadelphia.

What resulted was a ministry focused on community-building. It drew on the liberation theology popular in some Latin American countries, which places the needs of poor or disenfranchised people at the center of church work and interpretation of scripture.

A Dignity Philadelphia contingent at a march in the 1970s.

Dignity has helped thousands of LGBTQ Catholics throughout the years, Gramick said. The organization’s work has also reached the higher echelons of the church. During a Dignity national convention in the 80’s, Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen allowed members to celebrate mass at St. James Cathedral, the seat of the archdiocese, which angered conservative Catholics and ruffled more than a few feathers at the Vatican.

Today, the Philadelphia chapter aims to be an intergenerational space, where younger people can gain wisdom from more senior members.

Unwrapping the cake for the 50th anniversary party for Dignity Philadelphia, held May 2023 at the Mummers Museum.

“Being around, learning from and hearing direct stories from queer elders has been a big thing for me,” said Kate Huffman, 29, a member of Dignity, who lives in Kensington. “I grew up in a place where I thought I was the only gay person. Just having that has been really meaningful and lovely.”

LGBTQ Catholics know advocating for their rights — both in and outside of the church — is an ongoing battle, but they don’t plan to stop anytime soon.

“We are here,” said Thompson, the Dignity Philadelphia board member, “and we have always been here.”

Complete Article ↪HERE↩!

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Divided Church of England to debate blessings for same-sex unions

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby attends the Church of England General Synod meeting in London, Britain, February 9, 2023.

By

  • The assembly is due to meet from July 7 to 11
  • Synod to discuss blessings for same-sex couples
  • Church of England has refused to allow gay marriage
  • ‘This has not been an easy period’ – Bishop Sarah

The Church of England’s governing body will deliberate on how priests could carry out blessings for same-sex couples when it gathers in the cathedral city of York for a five-day meeting on Friday.

The assembly of bishops, clergy and laity – called the General Synod – is also due to discuss on Saturday how to protect vicars who might choose not to pray over the union of same-sex couples.

The CoE, which does not allow same-sex marriages in its 16,000 churches, in January set out proposals to let gay couples have a prayer service after a civil marriage, and apologised to LGBTQI+ people for the rejection and hostility they have faced. The synod voted in favour of the plans in February.

That caused a conservative group of Anglican church leaders from around the world to declare they no longer had confidence in the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, saying he had betrayed his ordination.

At home, however, there is pressure to go further, with some bishops publicly voicing support for same-sex marriages in churches.

Divisions have run deep for decades on how the centuries-old institution – mother church for the world’s 85 million Anglicans across 165 countries – deals with homosexuality and same-sex unions. Homosexuality is taboo in Africa and illegal in more than 30 countries there.

Welby, who is the spiritual leader of the wider Anglican Communion, called on bishops last year to “abound in love for all”. But he backed the validity of a resolution passed in 1998 that rejected “homosexual practice as incompatible with Scripture”.

Bishop Sarah Mullally told reporters last month: “This has not been an easy period for people right across a range of traditions and we know that has maybe been harder since February than it may have been before.”

She reiterated that the proposals would not change the doctrine that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that there would be protection for those who “on grounds of conscience” choose not to bless same-sex couples.

‘SLAP IN THE FACE’

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists have long been fighting for the same rights as fellow Christians who are heterosexual. Gay marriage has been legal in Britain for a decade.

“Faith is important to many LGBTQ+ people, which is why the Synod’s suggestion that blessings be provided in place of marriages (is) a real slap in the face to our communities,” Sasha Misra, Associate Director of Communications at LGBT rights group Stonewall, told Reuters via email.

Mullally said the CoE was absorbing different views on the complex matter, and that it would take time to produce the full proposals, which are expected when the synod meets in November.

Complete Article ↪HERE↩!

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Why all Christians should support LGBTQ persons

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I recently saw a sponsored social media post by a Catholic that said “Call the LGBTQ community for what they are: sexual degenerates.” A Catholic website garnered over 90,000 signatures in attempts to stop a recent LGBTQ ministry conference at Fordham University — a conference whose modest goal was “to build community, share best practices and worship together.” Meanwhile, a prominent Catholic speaker campaigns to “Reclaim the Month” of June — with t-shirts and everything! — for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is apparently threatened by Pride month.

And this is just a mild sample — and all in my limited purview as a Catholic whose experience with LGBTQ support has otherwise been generally positive.

Unsurprisingly, the Christian community at large offers a range of perspectives on LGBTQ issues. Many progressive churches perform same-sex marriages, ordain openly gay ministers, and embrace theologies that allow for a more inclusive sexual anthropology. Many other churches maintain a traditional Christian sexual ethic and understanding of marriage. The Catholic Church itself, while officially upholding its longstanding sexual teaching and ethics, varies largely in its approach to LGBTQ issues and support of LGBTQ persons.

While it may be true that many traditional communities are not openly hostile to the LGBTQ community, one may nevertheless feel unwelcome simply for being gay or trans. Indeed, as the abovementioned examples demonstrate, some Christians go at length to stress that LGBTQ persons aren’t welcome. Moreover, many churches do not offer opportunities for their LGBTQ individuals to flourish and offer their own gifts.

In other words, many churches do not encourage their LGBTQ members to be, well, church. But it shouldn’t be like this. All churches — conservative or progressive, Catholic or otherwise — should welcome, appreciate, and care for LGBTQ persons. Here are seven reasons why.

1. Because LGBTQ above all refers to individual persons and not merely any moral or political issue.

We’re so accustomed to relating LGBTQ to the so-called “hot button” issues of the day — often in the realm of political ideology and activism — that we forget the faces behind the acronym. But to put first things first, LGBTQ individuals are (surprise!) people. Whether gay, lesbian, trans, or straight, all of us are made in the image and likeness of God. Each person is stamped with an intrinsic dignity, no matter one’s experiences, struggles, and weaknesses.

God calls every person into relationship with him. The human person is literally designed for intimate communion with his Creator, and being homosexual, bisexual, or transgender doesn’t change this. The Church’s job is to advance — not obstruct — every person’s relationship with God in its work of evangelization and pastoral care. It’s no secret that the Catholic Church adheres to a traditional Christian understanding of marriage and the family. But consider how Pope Francis nevertheless addresses the need to affirm the dignity of those who are gay:

“We would like before all else to reaffirm that every person, regardless of sexual orientation, ought to be respected in his or her dignity and treated with consideration” (Amoris Laetitia 250).

Affirming the dignity of the LGBTQ person involves an appreciation and engagement with the concrete reality of the individual. The call to accompany the person — in view of her experiences, however complex and messy — is therefore more important than a mere recitation of abstract principles. “Realities are greater than ideas,” as Pope Francis would say. When we consider the Holy Father’s own approach, it makes sense that our reasons for LGBTQ support should begin with this basic call to encounter other persons as persons. Rather than have a ready-made answer from the “realm of pure ideas,” we are called to accompany the person in the specific situations of her life — even if (and especially if) they challenge our usual ways of thinking (Evangelli Gaudium 232).

2. Because the Church is for everyone.

The Church is for everyone. That’s what the word “catholic” means: the Church is universal, encompassing all kinds of people. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female,” as Paul says, for we are “all one in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:28). So why does it seem like our churches pick out LGBTQ persons to the extent of making them “other”? There is no other in the Body of Christ. As I once heard a priest say, there is no “them and us” — there’s only “us.”

Because the Church is one big Us, we cannot go about our lives while disregarding the rest of our brothers and sisters, particularly those in need. Paul likens the Church to a body with many parts — a union so intense that “if one part suffers,” then “every part suffers with it” (1 Cor 12:26). Do our churches recognize the suffering endured by many of its LGBTQ children? Do some of our churches actually make the lives of LGBTQ Christians more difficult, whether by simply acting as bystanders or by actively engaging in insensitive rhetoric?

The challenge of the Church is to ever expand its tent, for its mission is to the gather the human family into the Family of God. Many Catholics are shocked by such outreach, but often those we consider “outside” the Church are precisely those who most belong. Then again, this is the way of the Kingdom. In his earthly ministry, Christ initiated the in-gathering of the Kingdom of God by going to — and preferring — those otherwise considered outside the household of God. The Church, says Pope Francis, has to “go forth to everyone without exception” because in the Church “there is a place for everyone, with all their problems” (EG 47-48).

3. Because, well, Jesus.

When it comes to reaching out to LGBTQ persons, then, we have a solid foundation in the example of Christ himself. It sounds cliché, but really, what would Jesus do? If one searches for the Jesus of the Gospels, it’s not hard to find a guy who is compassionately concerned for the outcast and other. Christ preferred the poor, the sick, the sinner. Christ went to the margins — to those otherwise excluded from society. It doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to imagine a gay man in that category, does it?

Many Christians counter by pointing to a Jesus who “loved in truth” (with a firm emphasis on “truth”), who would “name the sin for what it is.” They will argue that Christ may have reached out to the outcast, but only for the sake of the individual’s salvation. According to this line of thinking, the emphasis is not on accompaniment per se but really about conversion. In this view, the most necessary part of Christ’s outreach involves a demand that the sinner turns away from her sin. But we must realize that first Christ invited those he encountered into a deeper relationship with himself, and this relationship is the seed from which conversion grows. What he did in his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, he does with all of his broken, would-be followers. Jesus calls us into a deeper life founded on himself. And even here, the focus of Christ is not on condemnation but on how an intimate relationship with Christ is the only way to transform our lives and set us on a trajectory for true fulfillment.

The flaw in the approach of some Catholics towards the LGBT community is not that they want to tell the “truth in love” or believe we should take sin seriously. The issue is an inordinate focus on sin in the LGBTQ community, as if being gay or trans or queer was especially sinful. (Be assured: LGBTQ Catholics are quite familiar with what the Church says about them in relation to sin.) The inordinate focus on sin by some Christians comes across as a thinly-veiled desire for control and certainty. In a different context, Pope Francis talks about contemporary Catholic gnostics who want to “force others to submit to their way of thinking.” I would submit that this gnosticism lurks behind many Christians’ constant insistence on emphasizing sin when speaking about the LGBTQ community. Instead of proceeding from Christlike care for gay or trans individuals, such thinking reduces Christ’s teaching to a “cold and harsh logic that seeks to dominate everything” (Gaudete et Exsultate 39). Once again, it’s just another sample of the idea trumping the reality of the person.

4. Because sexuality is more than just sex.

Are LGBTQ persons — as members of the human family — sinners? Of course. Can sexuality be used in sinful ways? Again, definitely! But identifying LGBTQ persons as morally disordered, simply due to their being gay or trans or queer is unwarranted and unjust. Acts can be sinful, and desires towards sinful acts can be morally disordered. But something like sexuality or sexual orientation, which are much broader than desires to commit specific acts, can hardly be reduced to an intrinsically sinful inclination.

A popular slogan among some traditional Christians is “love the sinner, hate the sin.” Oddly, I’ve only ever heard this in reference to homosexuality, which in itself is telling. But if we only focus on sexual activity (as if that’s all it means to be gay or lesbian or trans), then we are doing a grave injustice to the persons involved. To get this, all one has to do is reflect on one’s own sexuality: Think how it affects you in multiple aspects of life. It’s not just about who you want to go to bed with; it also concerns how you relate to others, how you see the world, and how you desire to love and be loved.

Churches can’t start and end with sexual ethics. If our churches want to maintain traditional teaching, they will still need to consider that homosexuality is as much about personality and relationship-making than “sexual acts.”

5. Because LGBTQ persons are made for relationship.

LGBTQ persons want meaningful lives centered on love, relationship, and self-giving. They are like everybody else in that way. It’s a sad fact that, for many traditional churches, the “best” pastoral advice offered to gay persons is simply to “remain celibate.” That’s it. For traditional churches, marriage is not an option. However, in many of these same churches, marriage is the only conceivable path to intimate relationship. This is as much part Western culture’s fault as it is the Church’s. In effect, we’re made to believe that we’ll be forever alone and unfulfilled if we’re never married.

It’s not hard to see, then, why our modern culture has demanded gay marriage. If marriage is the only way to ensure meaningful relationships, then ought it be a right for everyone? Makes sense to me. Yet if traditional churches are to maintain marriage as a man-woman institution — as well as the only legitimate place for sex — they must find other ways to foster vocations of love and relationship for LGBTQ persons in our churches. Thankfully, there are Catholics doing just this. (Anyone who has not read up on Eve Tushnet should do so!) The greater Church must recognize this basic human need for relationship as one that affects the self-understanding of LGBTQ Christians. We don’t want lonely, loveless lives!

All people — regardless of sexual orientation or sexual identity — need intimate, self-giving relationships. The human person is not meant to be alone (Gen 2:18). This is as true of the gay or lesbian or trans person as it is for the heterosexual man or woman. While the Christian is called to carry his or her cross, the LGBTQ person’s embrace of the Christian faith does not change this fundamental anthropology. In our support of LGBTQ persons, can we promote meaningful paths of love and relationship? Can our churches recognize committed partnerships as a locus of Christian love — or are they to be rejected from the get-go as inherently sinful? Such questions cannot be avoided if we are to responsibly listen to the experiences of LGBTQ Christians.

6. Because LGBT persons have gifts to offer the Church.

Should we really be surprised if many LGBTQ persons perceive they have nothing to offer their churches — especially the ones that have routinely called them “objectively disordered” and hell-bound? Should we be surprised that gay persons feel unwanted when openly gay teachers and workers are fired from Catholic schools and businesses?

LGBTQ persons testify to the diversity of God’s creation and the manifold ways of reflecting the divine wisdom. This doesn’t mean the human condition as we now find it entirely reflects God’s will, for we cannot ignore the presence of sin and the present imperfection of a creation still “groaning” for its renewal (Rom 8:22). Still, the LGBTQ community challenges us to expand our understanding of humanity. LGBTQ persons challenge the Church in particular to discern how God is working their lives. “God is present in the life every person,” as Pope Francis says, and “we cannot exclude this by our presumed certainties” (GE 42). When the Church can recognize and embrace the Spirit in gay and trans and queer folk, the Church will live up to its calling as the family of God.

I truly feel a great embarrassment for our Church — a Church that claims to be Christ’s universal family — whenever Catholic leaders and institutions decide to single out LGBTQ persons as particularly scandalous or sinful. It seems to me —informed by the Jesus of the Gospels and pastoral approach of Pope Francis — that it is such Catholic leaders and institutions that really act scandalously and sinfully.

7. Because the Church is called to listen.

Supporting LGBTQ persons is a call to first listen to them. As Church, our posture must always be of listening. The Church first receives God’s revelation; the Church then teaches. The Church must first discern the Word of God before it can proclaim it. Since the Second Vatican Council and especially with Pope Francis, the Catholic Church has sought to posture itself from a position of listening — of listening to non-Catholic traditions, of listening to the surrounding culture, of listening to the experience of the lay faithful. No longer is the Church seen primarily in terms of a downward pyramid, where the hierarchy issues commands to a passive laity. Instead, the entire People of God receives and teaches the Word of God; the pope and bishops are servants first. The Church does not always have a ready answer. Instead, the Church must discern what God may be saying here and now.

Many Christians would claim to be “courageous” in their fight for truth in a secular culture. Many conservative Christians believe their challenge is to be “courageous” by standing up for traditional values and rebuffing the modern way. Many Catholics also want “courageous” priests to preach out strongly against moral evils in society, or “courageous” bishops to speak out against political opponents. In the midst of the many cultural wars — both outside and inside the Church — there is a call for a new crusade to defend a certain approach to traditionalism and orthodoxy. And the stance tends to be one of suspicion and resistance. Instead of openness to what could be, these Christians think they already have the answers.

Responding to LGBTQ issues with suspicion and resistance, these Christians choose the comfort of “settled doctrine.” But this is an easy way out, and it’s anything but courageous. Arguably, fear, not courage, lurks behind this approach. There is a fear of change, a fear of a shaken worldview, or a fear that Christianity is not as neat-and-tidy as otherwise hoped.

Listening is an act of true courage. Becoming vulnerable by opening ourselves to the experiences of another is courageous. Allowing ourselves to be challenged and embracing new questions is how we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into further truth. Closing ourselves off prevents the Spirit from moving us beyond ourselves. Closing ourselves off is divisive and sinful. It is contrary to the way of Christ, who was self-giving, even unto death.

Complete Article ↪HERE↩!

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Knoxville Bishop Richard Stika resigns amid lawsuits and internal crises

— Richard Stika, the polarizing bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville, has retired amid a crippling scandal of his own making, the diocese announced June 27.

Knoxville Bishop Richard F. Stika enters through the front doors at the Mass and Rite of Dedication of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville, Tennessee on Friday, January 1, 2016. After nearly three years of construction, the 28,000-square-foot domed cathedral opened to a noon mass attended by more than 1,000 people.

By Tyler Whetstone

Stika will leave the diocese, carved out in 1988 from the Diocese of Nashville, as its longest-serving bishop. He oversaw significant growth in membership in the church and led the construction of a massive new cathedral in Knoxville. The diocese serves about 70,000 Catholics in 50 parishes and one mission across East Tennessee.

Stika also, however, leaves under a cloud of mismanagement accusations, two explosive lawsuits against the diocese that have sullied diocesan leadership, and questions about his mentorship of a former seminarian who is accused of raping a former church employee.

Stika, just a week shy of 66, submitted his resignation to Pope Francis. Bishops almost never leave before the mandatory retirement age of 75 years old, and even then the pope frequently allows them to stay on.

“I recognize that questions about my leadership have played out publicly in recent months,” he said in a statement. “I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit that some of this has weighed on me physically and emotionally. For these reasons, I asked the Holy Father for relief from my responsibilities as a diocesan bishop.”

Stika’s exit was welcomed by a substantial number of East Tennessee Catholics who have raised alarm with high-ranking church officials about the bishop’s leadership. Many have wondered whether the Vatican was paying attention.

Most recently, Knox News has uncovered the following:

In November 2022, the diocese received an apostolic visit, where high-ranking church leaders came to Knoxville and conducted an investigation to learn more about the two lawsuits against the diocese over its handling of sex abuse allegations and complaints about the leadership of Stika.

An apostolic visit is a rare step to address concerns in a diocese, and it required approval by the highest levels of the Catholic church, likely the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C., or the Vatican in Rome, experts told Knox News.

Bishop Richard Stika led the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville through good times, but also through a myriad of problems of his own making.
Bishop Richard Stika led the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville through good times, but also through a myriad of problems of his own making.

The apostolic visit was likely a response from the Vatican after it received complaints about Stika through the process called “Motu Proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi,” or simply Vos Estis, canon law experts told Knox News. That process was created by Pope Francis in 2019 as a way for clergy and others to report allegations against bishops. There was previously no such process.

Hundreds of parishioners – in Chattanooga and Knoxville – have petitioned church officials in recent years asking for relief.

A diocese recently asked the judge overseeing the lawsuit by the former church employee to keep any Vos Estis documentation protected under seal. The judge ruled against the diocese, saying in part, “This motion is not well-taken.”

David Clohessy, former executive director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, told Knox News that Stika should have been ousted, not allowed to retire.

“We are grateful to the courageous victims, witnesses, whistleblowers, advocates and concerned Catholics who all helped to expose his wrongdoing,” Clohessy said in an email to Knox News. “And our hearts ache for the survivors who have been so severely harmed by him and for the innocent children and vulnerable adults who have been in harm’s way because of him.”

The diocese announced the Pope has appointed Louisville Archbishop Shelton Fabre, who already oversees the diocese, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Knoxville. He will serve until the appointment and installation of a new bishop.

St. Louis to Knoxville

Stika was named bishop of the Knoxville diocese in January 2009. He came from St. Louis, where he served in the archdiocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection and, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, was one of the first ministers to meet with victims of clergy sexual abuse.

He has been a divisive figure for years. Upon his appointment in Knoxville, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests released a statement claiming Stika “has repeatedly shown a penchant for secrecy, recklessness and half-truths.”

Some of the priests of the Knoxville diocese have been asking the highest reaches of the Catholic Church in America to take action against Stika. In 2021, 11 priests signed a letter to Archbishop Christophe Pierre at the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, D.C. asking him to intervene. Their complaints were varied but centered, generally, on Stika’s handling of the lawsuit against the seminarian and other behavior they believed was inappropriate for a bishop.

Bishop Richard Stika's stance on the New York's abortion law gained national attention in 2019 when he said on Twitter that the state's Catholic governor should be exommunicated.
Bishop Richard Stika’s stance on the New York’s abortion law gained national attention in 2019 when he said on Twitter that the state’s Catholic governor should be exommunicated.

The priests’ complaints included the following allegations:

  • The bishop said on a few occasions that he has spoken to the apostolic nuncio, who told him not to worry about reports from the priests to (then-)Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, since there are “only two disgruntled priests who complained”, and that Kurtz and the apostolic nuncio had determined that the reports were without merit.
  • The bishop said on a few occasions, in public and in private, that the apostolic nuncio assured him there would be no investigation into his handling of the seminarian in question.

Then there are the examples, the priests allege, of Stika’s inappropriate behavior.

  • They allege the bishop and the seminarian traveled together in the summer of 2021, as shown in a video on Facebook.
  • The bishop lifted the soutane (robe) of a priest, as both were standing in a public place, to determine whether the priest was wearing undergarments.
  • During the exhumation of the mortal remains of a priest with an open cause for sainthood, the bishop made repeated remarks about the clearly evident pubic hairs of the departed priest, remarks that spread widely among the faithful.
  • The bishop mentioned, in the presence of women, that a priest’s facemask reminded him of a woman’s bra. Stika then asked the priest what the “cup” size was.

Stika promised transparency when he arrived

Bishop Richard Stika blesses the new St. Gregory the Great Auditorium at Knoxville Catholic High on April 25, 2022. The new 13,500-square-foot performing arts center features 375 seats, full theatrical lightning, a green room and a scene shop. It hosts school events such as plays, musicals, band concerts and ceremonies.(Photo: Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel )
Bishop Richard Stika blesses the new St. Gregory the Great Auditorium at Knoxville Catholic High on April 25, 2022. The new 13,500-square-foot performing arts center features 375 seats, full theatrical lightning, a green room and a scene shop. It hosts school events such as plays, musicals, band concerts and ceremonies.

Stika’s brash treatment of naysayers and his critique of the press weren’t evident in his early days at the diocese when he promised transparency and the importance of good relations with the media.

After a man came forward with allegations against an East Tennessee priest in 2010 – just over a year after Stika began his time here – the bishop called a 26-minute press conference at which he answered every question.

“As the bishop of this diocese, I want to assure everyone that we’re as transparent as possible,” he said. “We want people to know that this happened. We’re going to deal with it.

“I just want to assure people that if another case is reported and it’s credible, I’ll do the same thing,” he continued. “We’re going to follow our policies on our website.”

In the 2010 case, the priest, William Casey, admitted the abuse, which took place between 1979-80 when the victim was 10 years old. The following year, Casey was sentenced to a 40-year prison term for first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of aggravated rape.

Stika: Health concerns played a role

Stika said his health, which has been up and down in recent years, was the main reason he submitted his resignation.

“People will speculate on why I am doing this. It is no secret that I have been dealing with life-threatening health issues most of my adult life,” he wrote.

Shortly after arriving in Knoxville, Stika was hospitalized with a serious illness during a trip to South Florida. He spent a day and a half on life support and a week in the cardiovascular intensive care unit, according to Knox News’ archives.

Long a diabetic, Stika said the illness was diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe drop in insulin storage. The episode caused a mild heart attack.

In December 2018 Stika had open heart surgery to place a stent an artery that was 99% blocked, he said at the time.

He was recently hospitalized again, but he did not say why.

Lawsuit details allegations of rape

John Doe was a placeholder name in the lawsuit to protect the identity of a former church employee who alleged a diocesan seminarian raped him. Doe has since been forced to refile his lawsuit under his legal name.

Knox News still refers to him as John Doe to protect his identity as an alleged victim of a sexual assault, and has not named the former seminarian because he has not been charged with a crime.

The lawsuit also details how the church, led by Stika, interfered with the investigation and worked to discredit him. Knox News independently verified the interference, which led to the firing of an independent investigator.

The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 711 Northshore Drive, in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.(Credit: Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel)
The Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 711 Northshore Drive, in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023.

Jane Doe is a placeholder name in a lawsuit to protect the identity of a woman, a Honduran asylum seeker living in Gatlinburg, who alleges the Rev. Antony Devassey Punnackal, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, groped her while he counseled her after the death of the father of her infant.

The woman alleges the diocese worked to discredit and intimidate her. Punnackal was later indicted by a Sevier County grand jury on two counts of sexual battery. His criminal trial begins in May.

The Catholic Diocese of Knoxville asked a judge to allow it to keep secret internal documents as it continues to defend itself. The judge denied the request.

The diocese, citing ongoing coverage by Knox News, requested the protection of materials related to the church’s sexual abuse review board and from “private meetings of priests of the Diocese.” The diocese also refiled a request to protect investigative documents related to complaints filed against Stika.

History of troubled bishops

The Knoxville diocese was created in 1988, carved out by Catholic leaders from the larger Nashville diocese. It is one of the newest in America and comprises roughly 70,000 Catholics.

Bishop Anthony O’Connell was the first bishop here and he served from 1988 until 1998, when he became the bishop of Palm Beach, Florida. While there he admitted to sexually abusing high school students in previous decades while working in the Jefferson City, Missouri diocese. The admission led to his resignation in 2002. He died in 2012.

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