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Those Catholics who live in a fantasy world and claim the Sex Abuse Scandal and cover up is over should guess again, it seems each day brings new revelations here in the U.S. and Europe.
It is time that these Catholics stop being apologists and enablers for a hierarchy that has lost their way.
If any church began to use the Bible's guidelines for selecting leaders [found in 1 & 2 Timothy], then this issue would go away.
Pope St. Leo the Great (d. 461 A.D.), who faced down Attila the Hun and saved Rome from the sack, nevertheless wrote: "Let him who will stand before all be elected by all!Leo understood himself as chosen by all the Christians of Rome to act in their stead. This was a traditional monarchical understanding of representativeness.
Clement of Rome's First Letter: "You must, then, elect for yourselves bishops and deacons..."bishops should be chosen "with the consent of the whole Church...."
Early in the third century Hippolytus made it clear that it was an "apostolic tradition," which was still practiced, for the entire local community along with its leaders to choose its own deacons, presbyters, and bishop
St. Cyprian of Carthage (d. 258 A.D.), who often referred to the election of bishops by the priests and people. He himself was elected and consequently made it his rule never to administer ordination without first having consulted both the clergy and the laity about the candidates: "From Cyprian to the presbyterium, deacons, and all the people, greetings! In the ordaining of clerics, most beloved brethren, it is our custom to take your advice beforehand and with common deliberations weigh the character and qualifications of each individual, " Cyprian also reported a similar democratic custom prevailing in the church of Rome: "Cornelius was made bishop by the...testimony of almost all the people, who were then present, and by the assembly of ancient priests and good men."
Cyprian also bore witness to the custom of the people having the right not only to elect, but also to reject, and even recall, bishops: "The people themselves most especially have the power to choose worthy bishops, or to reject unworthy ones."
Optatus, a successor to Cyprian as bishop of Carthage, attested to the continuance of the practice of electing bishops into the fourth century when he reported: "Then Caecilianus was elected by the suffrage of all the people, " and over in Asia Minor the Council of Ancyra (314) confirmed the right of election and rejection of bishops by the people.
Elections of St. Ambrose as bishop of Milan and St. Augustine as bishop of Hippo (fourth and fifth centuries) by the acclamation of the people: "We elect him!" ["Nos elegimus eum!"] A little later Pope St. Celestine (d. 432 A.D.) said: "No one is given the episcopate uninvited. The consent and desire of the clerics, the people and leadership are required."
Basically the election of bishops by the clergy and people remained in effect until the 12th century — over half the present span of Christianity. Even at the beginning of the United States of America, our first bishop, John Carroll, was, with the full approval of Rome, elected at least by all of the priests of the U.S.; he then proposed a similar election of all subsequent bishops in America — but Rome allowed the next two who were thus elected, but subsequently blocked his proposal
The Catholic faith is strange overall. So many stange occurences and practices go on in the Catholic faith. Sex scandals being one of them. Maybe we shouldn't call Catholics Christian because they make REAL Christians look bad. At least the priest do. If I was Catholic, I wouldn't want Catholic priest making the faith I believe in look bad by doing stupid things like the OP said.
Well, given how Paul sanctioned marriage among clergy in his letter to Timothy, I'm trying to figure out how the Catholic church justifies a celibate clergy. So rather than having married clergy, people with much lower probability of committing these outrages, the Catholic church stubbornly clings to this unsupportable position. Heck, married priests were quite legal in the Catholic church until two lateran councils in the 12th century settled the matter.
Now, does this mean all Catholic priests are potential child molesters? No way. The offenders are a tiny proportion of all priests. At the same time, the church's refusal to allow married priests creates this problem, as well as its chronic shortage of clergy.
The Catholic faith is strange overall. So many stange occurences and practices go on in the Catholic faith. Sex scandals being one of them. Maybe we shouldn't call Catholics Christian because they make REAL Christians look bad. At least the priest do. If I was Catholic, I wouldn't want Catholic priest making the faith I believe in look bad by doing stupid things like the OP said.
Well thank God it is not up to you to decide who is a christian, are you a christian, you don't sound like one.
Well thank God it is not up to you to decide who is a christian, are you a christian, you don't sound like one.
I can tell you are Catholic. Yeah, I know I'm glad I get to decide these things. Catholics aren't Christians. They treat saints like gods and have traditions and masses like cults. They should be in the category along with cults. You'll be fine with it, don't worry.
Are you saying God is punishing the R.C. Church by letting children be sexually abused?
No.
I am saying that when a 'church' refuses to obey Gods commandments they are knowingly walking in error. That sin will have an effect.
Only God can protect us from the harm, the after effects, of sin.
When we willfully refuse God, we knowingly refuse God's protection.
You can take a poisonous snake if you wish to, dress him in chicken feathers and call him a 'hen' if you wish to. But that does not make your snake into a hen. Should your snake now strikes out and bite someone, whose fault is it? Do you blame God? Because God did not turn the snake into a hen for you? Such is crazy.
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They should be in the category along with cults. You'll be fine with it, don't worry.
