An article in the dissenting Catholic publication Sentiers de foi mentions that Development and Peace is worried about shift to the right in the Church.(See page 6 for the article).
My translation:
The members of Development and Peace of the diocese of Montreal, committed to the issues of social justice and international co-operation, held on October 23rd a day of reflection on their movement, their options, the present-day ecclesial and social context and the challenges they present. For some time, a number of actions and stances of the Harper government have concerned not only members of Development and Peace, but also a large number of people working in the field of international cooperation. The Conservative government's decisions to cut funding for Kairos and Alternatives, as well as changes in orientation within the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), signal that social justice and human rights issues are no longer a priority. Add to all that the virulent attacks to which Development and Peace has been subjected by a certain ecclésial current close to the Conservatives-- a minority, but one which has been able to make itself heard.
The interesting thing is that this article was written by Jonathan Blais, a member of the Diocesan council of Development and Peace in Montreal. Who also happens to be involved with the Réseau Culture et Foi, a network of dissenters. You might be familiar with some of the names on the website.
The website says that they support the words of another groupe, Justice et Foi, in response to Cardinal Ouellet's denunciation of abortion.
So they oppose fetal rights.
It's no wonder then that in the article about Development and Peace you won't see a single word about abortion.
It doesn't sound like Development and Peace really gets the problem about their funding. They sound like they just want to draw attention away from those issues instead of dealing them.
I know we're expecting the bishops to deal with the issue.
But at this point in time, the bishops' conferences and just the whole bishop/diocesan culture is another bureaucracy.
Another soulless bureaucracy.
I don't think Jesus had that vision when he founded the Church. He appointed men, not bureaucracies, to serve him.Being a bishop is supposed to be a personal vocation. He's not CEO. He should be a shepherd.
I think the real solution is to show people what's wrong with Development and Peace, show what's wrong with abortion, discourage donations and starve them financially.
The solution will come from the bottom up. I don't have a lot of confidence in the bishops right now. Every time another deadline approaches to "solve" the issue, they write a report or strike a committee. Nothing really changes.
It's when we grassroots Catholics start talking and denouncing that things move.
