AmericanPapist Comments
While I agree it is unfortunate that such an action occured, we must remember that he is still a Bishop of the Church and deserves our utmost respect and courtesy. It is unfortunate, again, that this happened, but who are we to judge the heart of an individual. While there is an obvious lack of proper reaction, we cannot know what was truly going through his mind and is improper on our part to presume what it is that was going through his mind. I think we ought to be giving his Grace a bit more respect and benefit of the doubt, even though he has a spotty past on the issue. The fact is that he is a Bishop, a successor of the Apostles. We can ask "why", but we cannot presume "he did it because of this, that, and the other".
-Harrison
Here's the link to O'Reilly's comments. Bravo, Bill.
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/pl...inion&183&&&
exp
In one of my theology classes that I'm taking this semester we discussed briefly some sins that incur automatic excommunication and the way they can be forgiven. For example, abortion can be forgiven only by a bishop.
I believe profanation of the Holy Eucharist incurs automatic excommunication that only the Holy See can forgive. The subject of Niederauer never came up in the class, but I was wondering could he be automatically excommunicated if he knowingly gave communion to two cross-dressing, satanic homosexuals mocking the Church and the Eucharist?
Since it was caught on video, perhaps this is why he is so profusely apologizing. I can't believe he wouldn't notice who he was giving the Eucharist to.
I watched the segment after taping it. Bill brought up something I hadn't considered - how the media would have been all over this if such an act had been committed in a mosque or synagogue. Charges would have been filed, as well.
Setting that aside, and setting aside the actions of the Abp in this case, I am more concerned with the general "blind-eye" shown to such parishes in many dioceses.
When the laity in a community, and in the world via the internet, know that a parish enables people with SSA to persist in a sinful lifestyle, how can the bishops just turn the other way and say they are unaware?
One only need look at the bulletins, the parish billboards, the parish websites and see that no where is the apostolate Courage promoted. Instead, we see the opposite, such as things promoting "gay pride".
Most Holy Redeemer parish, with it's photographs of involvement in things like the Castro Street Fair, shows blatantly that it is not providing Catholic pastoral care.
No where in the link list is there anything to the apostolate "Courage" which teaches those with SSA to live a life of chastity and virtue, as all are called to live, who are not in sacramental marriage.
We need to pray for our bishops. We need to make acts of reparation for the way the Eucharist is being profaned on a regular basis by those who want it both ways: Full sexual freedom outside of marriage and the Eucharist.
Priests and bishops are enabling people to eat their own condemnation and very possibly driving the bus right to hell through their inaction or silent support.
I should add, that priests who fail to speak on pre-marital sex and extra-marital sex among heterosexuals during homilies will have some explaining to do, as well.
The blind-eye, dumb-founded actions need to cease and the gospel needs to be preached - in full!
The Bishop has no excuse for publicly opposing an amendment to ban homosexual marriage and civil unions in Utah. By their fruits you shall know them. He is a bad shepherd and should never have been appointed archbishop of San Francisco. Like letting the fox into the henhouse... This latest incident is more of the same bad fruit from a rotten branch. Don't confuse respect for his office with whitewashing his crimes. Niederauer's derelictions are public and are not hearsay. He is a danger to the weak among us. Many may possibly be tempted to continue or go down the path of homosexuality instead of resisting it, due to the Archbishop's confused witness for it. Endangering souls is a grave sin.
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