Priests "disciplined" for political views

[TechBear_Seattle]

Not so academic a question: Can the Catholic Church legally suspend priests who refuse to endorse the Church's political views? Does becoming a priest, with it's traditional vow of obedience to one's bishop, mean giving up one's political autonomy forever and ever, amen? It would seem so.

Next question: What about the vow of obedience to church doctrine taken at confirmation, especially when the Church is now agressively stating that it's purely political opinions are Holy Dogma?

Priests Disciplined For Opposing Anti-Gay Amendment
by Margo Williams 365Gay.com Boston Bureau

Posted: September 29, 2005 9:00 pm ET

(Westborough, Massachusetts) The Reverend George Lange of St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Westborough, Massachusetts has been removed, at least temporarily, for opposing a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage.

Lange's associate pastor was also removed. The action came after the two placed an article in the parish bulletin voicing their opposition to the proposed amendment.

"The priests of this parish do not feel that they can support this amendment. They do not see any value to it and they see it as an attack upon certain people in our parish, namely those who are gay," the item in the article said.

The state's four Catholic bishops are leading a signature drive to get the amendment on a ballot in the 2008 election.

The article continues at http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/09/092905massPriest.htm

[CatholicEdHead]

1. According to Canon Law, yes they can

The Church power hierarchy can do whatever they please.

Now, this is the first time I have heard something like this. It is usually up the local bishop, but they can vary completly across the sprecturm.

The growing force in the church is a uniformity of beliefs with the highest levels of the Vatican (e.g. Good Ole Boy's club). A growning number belive that anything other than 100% obiedience and you are not considered "Catholic".

The vast majority of Catholics would not stand for this, as the official policy is to push discrimination and division and most American Catholics would go towards a free will stance.

I am completly disgusted with this action. The priest was removed because he refused to follow lock step with the hatred and scapegoating.

Edit:
This Pastoral Letter from the bishop says more:
http://www.worcesterdiocese.org/bishopsoffice/weekly%20letters/marriage-txt.htm

"As the chief teacher of faith and morals in the Diocese of Worcester, I am asking you, the Catholic faithful of our diocesan church, to assist me in supporting this signature drive. Some would claim that such an attempt is a breach of the so-called "wall of separation" between church and state or, worse, an attempt to prolong discrimination against persons with a homosexual orientation. This simply is untrue.

The Roman Catholic Church's social and moral doctrine finds its coherent basis in the fundamental principle of the inviolable dignity of the human person. This human dignity derives from a person's being a child of God, the same God who "from the beginning" established the natural institution of marriage as a union between one man and one woman. This firm and time-honored conviction about the nature of marriage is not religiously sectarian or exclusively Catholic. The complementarity of man and woman as essential to marriage has been recognized by virtually all cultures throughout history.

Earlier this month, I wrote to all pastors and priests of our parishes, asking them to support enthusiastically this pastoral effort to safeguard traditional marriage between one man and one woman by implementing the signature drive in their parishes during the weekend of October 1-2, 2005 ."

(Notice the doubletalk in the first two paragraphs)

Want to email the Bishop:

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