Philly Crime Boss Rigali Quits Amid Abuse Scandal, GOP Operative Denver Archbishop Brought In to Sway 2012 Election

In a critical move to sway the 2012 election, the cynical monarchists in the Vatican are bringing in a RNC favorite to bring order to the chaos left by crime boss Big Frank Rigali in the Philadelphia archdiocese.

Gay hating Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput is being brought in to tow the church party line of total innocence in face of the massive abuse scandal in Philly.  A man who does not supposedly believe in the separation of church and state except when the state pays his way tax-free.

A bureaucrat, who gets tax free status on his parochial school system but can reject the innocent children of a lesbian couple in his schools, a move by him and Father Bill Breslin of Boulder that is not being Christian but purely Catholic. (Nothing personal you damned to hell souls etc.)

Great going Chuck.  You reek of the redneck Jesus thing!  Who are you going to endorse – god nutter Rick Perry or Opus Dei Rick Santorum?  (Has to be a man you know – women do not have souls – do they?)

Aging Rigali is moving to his newly built retirement Mcmansion in Tennessee (not pictured above but perhaps similar).   Can’t cry poor in the abuse settlements thing and live like a king in Philly anymore in the Bishop’s mansion.

Tennessee next stop for Rigali?

Father Bill Breslin of Boulder is no doubt crying today as Chaput leaves his Colorado archdiocese.  Who can he blame his gay hate on now except himself? His enabler is leaving town. 

Father Bill Breslin and his Cafeteria Dogma 

GOP is delighted that the plan moves forward to turn blue state (2008) Pennsylvania back into RED.  With Chaput in the pulpit ready to get rid of Senator Casey, a tolerant, weak, human being, Rick Santorum, the only good Catholic man on woman left, will gladly deliver the Commonwealth back to Catholic Jesus Sharia Law.


Group of Bishops Using Influence to Oppose Kerry 

Galvanized by battles against same-sex marriage and stem cell research and alarmed at the prospect of a President Kerry - who is Catholic but supports abortion rights - these bishops and like-minded Catholic groups are blanketing churches with guides identifying abortion, gay marriage and the stem cell debate as among a handful of "non-negotiable issues." 

To the dismay of liberal Catholics and some other bishops, traditional church concerns about the death penalty or war are often not mentioned. 

Archbishop Chaput has discussed Catholic priorities in the election in 14 of his 28 columns in the free diocesan newspaper this year. His archdiocese has organized voter registration drives in more than 40 of the largest parishes in the state and sent voter guides to churches around the state. Many have committees to help turn out voters and are distributing applications for absentee ballots. 

In an interview in his residence here, Archbishop Chaput said a vote for a candidate like Mr. Kerry who supports abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research would be a sin that must be confessed before receiving Communion. 

"If you vote this way, are you cooperating in evil?" he asked. "And if you know you are cooperating in evil, should you go to confession? The answer is yes."

You may call me nuts!  But you can’t make this crazy religious shit up.  It is too strange for fiction.

And so it goes.

Fighting to Pray in Cordoba

Here is a real odd one that challenges all the phony PR press releases from the RC church about interfaith dialogue.

Two arrested after fight in Cordoba's former mosque

Trouble broke out when the visitors knelt to pray in the building, a former mosque turned into a Christian cathedral in the 13th century, where a local bishop, Demetrio Fernández, recently insisted that a ban on Muslim prayers must remain.

Half a dozen members of a group of more than 100 Muslims from Austria had started praying among the marble columns and coloured arches of the vast building when security guards ordered them to stop.

"They provoked in a pre-planned fashion what was a deplorable episode of violence," the bishop's office said in a statement.

Bishop Demetrio Fernandez Gonzalez of Cordoba is a new hard ass bishop installed in February and is not allowing Muslims to do a prayer thing in the museum attached to his cathedral.

If you look at the picture above the ancient Mosque of Cordoba once occupied all the interior space of a flat roofed mosque. No airy space but good solid bones of beautiful architecture. The cathedral got plopped down in the middle of the Mosque. The mosque as an indoor space is not part of the cathedral. In fact, the former kings used the mosque space as office space and part of the royal court for conducting business.

Like most RC houses of worship with historic importance in Europe, you have to pay a fee to see the architecture of belief in God in another age. Is there belief in God these days by the owners of this once sacred Real Estate? I have to wonder.

The conflict arises these days when tourists, Muslims in particular do not want to wander through church property labeled as museum space when a growing Muslim population would like access to a part of their religious heritage.

Escudero said a space for Muslim prayers would not inconvenience visitors or disturb the cathedral and would promote dialogue and understanding between the two religions. He said there were frequent incidents of Muslims being prevented from praying.

"They argue that canon law does not allow Muslims to pray there, though they have been happy to permit visiting Saudi princes and other dignitaries, including Saddam Hussein, to pray," he said.

"A new bishop was appointed recently and one of his first public statements was to say that Muslim prayers would not be allowed as this would create confusion," he said. "It seems the guards have instructions to prevent prayers with violence, if necessary."

Cathedral authorities reiterated their ban on prayers. "The shared use of the cathedral by Catholics and Muslims would not contribute to the peaceful coexistence of the two beliefs," the statement from the bishop's office said.

There’s that “Confused” word being used again by the Catholics. They used it in Father’ Breslin’s parish in Boulder Colorado where two children of gay parents would be “confused” by church teachings on homosexuality and the entitlement to salvation only to heterosexuals.

Now mere belief in one God would no doubt “confuse” catholics if they see that a world, a whole universe is saved within the Muslim part of the spectrum and without the use of Roman clergy.

Get a life. Get tolerance. Get sincere belief in your own belief system and stop issuing PR reports about interfaith dialogue when you lock the house of God off to believers in God.

...my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations. ISAIAH 56:7

Words do not count in faith. Actions do!

Father Bill Breslin and his Cafeteria Dogma

Reading Father Bill Breslin’s Blog, regarding his disposal of children he does not like out of his Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Boulder Colorado, says something to me.

The Heart of the Matter

If a child of gay parents comes to our school, and we teach that gay marriage is against the will of God, then the child will think that we are saying their parents are bad. We don't want to put any child in that tough position - nor do we want to put the parents, or the teachers, at odds with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Why would good parents want their children to learn something they don't believe in? It doesn't make sense. There are so many schools in Boulder that see the meaning of sexuality in an entirely different way than the Catholic Church does. Why not send their child there?

I am reminded of the words of Saint Paul – Romans 13:1-7 – and obeying civil law.

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.
4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing.
7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. (NIV)

I see that Colorado shot down Domestic Partnership by a very slim margin in 2006.

You may not be breaking the law yet in Colorado Father Breslin with your institutional Homophobia. When Colorado does legalize Domestic Partnership and or Gay Marriage, you will have to obey the law as the Apostle Paul compels and does not suggest, or you will have to close your teaching institution if you continue to discriminate.

You all talk about cafeteria Catholics choosing what to believe. I think it matches the Cafeteria Dogmas of clergy these days who will fight tooth and nail to prevent abortion and then shrug their shoulders with total indifference once a child is born.

Something missing in that equation I think. Namely true Humanity aka Christianity.