Do not deceive yourselves into thinking that a mere administrative framework to “imprimatur” Catholic blogs will help you gain the credibility you demand, nor, for that matter, will a cheap declaration which says that only the Bishops teach in the Name of Christ.
We understand your authority comes from Christ. We know the drill.
If you are not defending the Faith and instead making it a mockery among the nations, don’t expect us to take you too seriously on Life Issues, and don’t expect our credibility to lessen and yours to increase because you merely will it to be so.
When you walk the talk and take the hit, then we’ll take you seriously. Otherwise, it’s just more holy hot air.
Your graces, your authority is only as good as your fidelity to the Magisterium. Your credibility is only as good as your willingness to back it up with deeds, both in terms of political action and disciplining those who brazenly flout Church teaching.
Catholic Bloggers wouldn’t be needed to explain and defend the Faith in these situations, and you wouldn’t perceive us as a threat (which we are most certainly not), if you were faithful to your vocation as Father and Teacher.
EXACTLY.
You dance around the issues. I watch a Quebec clergyman get interviewed on t.v., it takes him 50 words to answer "yes" or "no". It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. 1) The clergyman in question doesn't really believe in Catholic teaching; 2) He doesn't want to offend.
Just tell it like it is. Why are you so afraid to state the way it's stated in the Catechism? Why are you so afraid of 20 centuries of Tradition?
The Church doesn't exist to please non-believers or the lukewarm. We try to convert them, but if they don't like what we have to say, then just let them deal with it.
All us bloggers we should get together with the bishops. We should have an honest argument instead of doing this piecemeal.
I resent that the bishops seem to have it in for us, for stating Catholic teaching, but do so very little about all the dissidents in their own back yards. If I do something wrong, I'm not mad if I get nailed for it, but there are people doing far worse than I, but we're the ones getting the crap when we want the Church to be faithful to her laws and doctrines.
This is not about "self-righteousness". This is about what the Magisterium teaches, what canon law says, and what the bishops do.
Anyone can make a mistake. But with the bishops and the elites, it's not a matter of oversight or of being in error. This is about a systematic neglect of plainly stating Church doctrine, ignoring Canon Law and the Tradition of the Church.
It's gotta come to an end bishops. You have got to stand up and plainly state Catholic teaching so that everyone understands. We have to put an end to the pope and the Vatican stating one thing, and the Canadian bishops say another. It leads to the confusion that we are now experiencing in the Church. If canon law says grave sinners should be denied communion-- deny communion! If the Church says that intriniscly evil acts are never to be sanctioned (like contraception), then don't sanction them.
You have to state Catholic doctrine plainly, then back it up. It's not a difficult concept.
Why is this so controversial? This should be pretty straight forward.
