Watch dogs and tongue wagging.
Looking for the devil in the details.
There is a group in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis who seem to travel from church to church looking for heretics and homosexuals. They seem to have set themselves up as inquisitors for their own Holy Office. Disagree with them or criticise their tactics and you are labeled a liberal, a progresive, a gay, or an outright heretic.
The latest brouhaha is over the upcoming Republican National Convention - and the gay activist boycott or protest that is rumored to take place there. Whatever - how does this concern the Inquisition? Well, I already got one crazy email suggesting a respectable Catholic man, and a group of religious would be supporting whoever is planning to protest. That is outright defamation and calumny. Yet this person claims she is working for the Church.
Idle hands…
This morning I received another email - which is why I am posting when I said I wouldn’t - claiming our local dissident parish, St. Joan’s hosted an event with Buddhist monks. The title of the email was, “Buddhist monks concelebrate Eucharist at St. Joan of Arc.” That is an out and out lie - again, it is defamation and calumny. This is what really happened - a month ago! (And yet the email arrives today as if the event is taking place this weekend - that is dissimulation at best.):
“St. Joan of Arc Church is hosting an interfaith prayer for the people of Tibet that will include blessings from nearly every faith practice from Catholic and Lutheran to Hindu and Zen.
Highlighting the event will be reflections by the former abbot of Kumbum Monastery in Tibet, Arjia Rinpoche, and sacred chants by the Gyuto Tantric Choir. Twin Cities vocalist Robert Robertson also will perform.” - Mpls Star/Tribune Dated July 25, 2008
Witch hunt.
From what I understand it was simply an interfaith service - not a Eucharist - and it was held in the gym, where Sunday liturgies take place, even though it is not a consecrated church - St. Joan’s has a separate church. After checking with the parish, I realized the event was held a month ago - nothing is scheduled for this Sunday as was implied in the email alert. Several years ago, progressive staff at St. Paul Seminary hosted a Buddhist prayer service in the seminary chapel, wherein a monk sat upon the altar. Those days are over in our Archdiocese however - and it is quite obvious these self-appointed inquisitors do not know what to do with themelves in the meantime. (Why would they send out old news items a month later?)
We have Archbishop Nienstedt now! So pray and don’t worry. (Although these people seem intent upon finding devils even in Archbishop Nienstedt’s actions. False emails defaming a woman recently named as chancellor of canonical affairs for the archdiocese have been circulating ever since the announcement was made. I think it is fairly obvious where the devil is in these details.)
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:16 pm
I got the same email about a “concelebration of mass by buddist monk” when I followed the link it was apparent the email subject line was worded intentionally so to rile the quick-to-act-slow-to-comprehend crowd.
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Lying and dissimulation is never appropriate in the Christan life.
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Whoever Peter Canisius is he keeps spamming me. I’ve replied many times to stop sending me his drivel, but he won’t. He sent me all the stuff you mentioned. It’s irritating.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:25 am
Yep, Peter Canisius emailed me about this too.
August 24th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
If Mr.Canisius wants to put this stuff out he is free to start his own blog. I’d rather he do that than keep sending bloggers his inflammatory (and quite often incorrect) “news flashed”
Great post, Ter. I don’t have any patience for this garbage either.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Maybe there should be a witch hunt for Peter Canisius. It could be fun…like a reality show with challenges and prizes (named Heretics or something). Kick up the Inquisition notion a notch or two
At least, like Cathy says, he should get a blog and quit spamming everyone. OY!
August 25th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Oh, well, it was just an interfaith prayer service. Shew, I was worried there for a second, thinking that perhaps a sacrilege had occured.
Nope, just some harmless false ecumenism and scandal.
Surely, we don’t want to go back to those dreary pre-Conciliar days when priests regularly told people that Jesus Christ was the only way to heaven, heaven forfend!