It’s Time to Demand Actions That Denote the True Faith
The reason that it’s not getting better is that something is drastically wrong (see the front-page story on the bishop of Phoenix) — and that’s the reason why it is right for it to get worse before it can get better.
And what is wrong is making the entire Church look bad.
So others can, once again, hide their heads in fear. These people are actually cowering under the word of “obedience,” when the only “obedience” they are displaying is to that which is evil. For the Saints were never obedient to that which was morally wrong — no matter who espoused it.
We, however, will take a bold stand.
On Ascension “Sunday” of all days — the wrong day to celebrate the Ascension of Christ as any true believer knows — Cardinal Mahony, once again, made the news.
And, once again, the news is not good.
Mahony — known as the “teflon cardinal” in California — appeared at a chapel he recently dedicated to the victims of sexual abuse at his cathedral, Our Lady of Angels.
As the head of the Church’s largest diocese in the United States, one might say that Mahony holds, perhaps, the most important position in American Catholicism. One could also definitely conclude that his archdiocese is under intense scrutiny. Not by this web site — but by the district attorney’s office for Los Angeles County.
It comes as no surprise to anyone who reads the news these days that the DA is interested in the workings of Mahony’s office. Why? Because of the despicable sexual abuse scandal that has rocked and continues to rock the Catholic world. Did we all just think this would go away if we but stayed “obedient”?
And please do not give us any excuse that the scandal involves only a “few” priests — for one is too many! But the real issue here is not so much the fact that priests became evil-minded men and did immoral and illegal things; the REAL ISSUE IS THE FACT THAT THE HIERARCHY COVERED UP THEIR CRIMES! What is evil in the sight of God AND mankind became approbate by those in charge as they swept this heinous criminal activity under the rug and then had the unmitigated nerve to shuffle these “priests” from diocese to diocese.
And that is why the district attorney for the County of Los Angeles wants to access the “internal church documents that are currently concealed from prosecutors and the public.” Instead, what do we hear? Church “lawyers” — what was that phrase Jesus uttered in the Gospels about “Woe to you ... ”; oh, forget it, it’s not important — are fighting to keep the documents pertaining to “communication between Mahony and the suspected priests” because they are, surprise, according to the legal eagles, “protected” by the First Amendment.
By the way, one of those “suspected” priests — may God have mercy on him, if possible — committed suicide the other week as a dragnet closed in on him.
A decision on the release or continued concealment of the Mahony documents is now pending before a judge.
But Mahony took the attitude of a character out of Mad magazine: “What, me worry?” He kept himself busy Sunday by avoiding the victims of sexual abuse — not to ending this tragedy by being forthright and providing whatever is necessary to ensure the true legitimate victims of “priests” under the supervision of this cardinal reach closure on this soul-destroying issue. Isn’t this the same behavior — due to the public outcry — that eventually FORCED former cardinal Bernard Law to resign? Is the teflon on Mahony deep enough for him to escape this outrage as well?
Not surprisingly, during the cardinal’s appearance at the chapel, there was a protest outside Mahony’s $190-million cathedral by an organization calling itself the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. Catchy little title if you are trying to evangelize others to the Truths, like protest-ants, regarding the dogmas of Catholicism and the fact that it is the Church Jesus founded on the Rock of Peter. With a public sin like this, who needs enemies when trying to uphold the divinely revealed dogmas regarding Mary?
As for the chapel, the director of the network, Mary Grant, said, “Cardinal Mahony knows that what really means something to victims is real justice and real disclosure. That’s not something that will be achieved by a chapel.”
Can anyone dispute her tone?
After all, if it were your friends or relatives — your child — who were victimized, what would you want this cardinal to do? Would we just sit back in “obedience” to the evil perpetuated against those you love?
Those outside the cathedral held aloft — for the media to photograph (another great publicity stunt for the Church, if you want people to hate Catholicism!) — a Cross with the images of victims nailed to it. One woman stood with a photograph of herself with the words “baptized, confirmed, abused at 13.”
It is not a pretty picture.
And it all lays at the doorstep of one cardinal, Roger Mahony.
We truly believe people do not do things like this on a Sunday outside a multimillion-dollar cathedral because they do not have a real grievance. As human beings, we all may not always agree with other people’s grievances. But surely there must be no one who believes in Jesus that sees those who have been sexually abused by a “priest” when it also involves a cover-up of this activity by “officials” within the Church as a “false” grievance.
That is, of course, unless you’re a member of the Catholic hierarchy today.
It seems so strange that the Vatican remains deadly silent about the behavior of its highest members when it is these very members of the Body that are causing such damage to the Church’s image. It is a cancer that is spreading from within. And it has been spreading for a long time — it spreads because the word “obedience” is used to propagate the cancer.
The arguments that the Los Angeles archdiocese are using to keep Mahony’s communications with those accused of sexual abuse from public scrutiny reminds one of the old Richard Nixon presidency: “I am not a crook” — “except, of course, if you gain access to my private records, and that’s why you can’t have access to them.”
If Mahony has nothing to hide, than why spend what will probably wind up to be millions in legal fees when, in reality, the courts most likely, one way or the other, will force their disclosure anyway? Or is it that by that time, what’s left of the supposed communications that will finally be made public between Mahony and the priests in question will have a large gap in them? Sort of like a CIA document that has DEAR at the top of it and then the rest of the paper has been blacked out.
This reminds us of the Hegelian principle that the masons love to utilize. It is, as we have written about before, the thesis vs. the antithesis = the synthesis.
If one does not wish to lay this at the foot of the hierarchy of masonry, than one is free to utilize whatever title one wants to give to those whose agenda is to promote a “New World Order”: the Illuminati, etc. No matter what one calls it, it is an order that has no room for true Catholicism in it. No room for a pope with ultimate authority; and, far more importantly, no room for the Lord Jesus as the true and ultimate King of All Nations.
And in that thesis, for those who believe in this new world order, it is imperative to put into place those whose loyalty is not where it publicly should be.
Instead, these leaders have loyalties that are hidden from public scrutiny.
When these leaders are in place — as the Queen of Heaven has warned us in various messages from the 1800s right up to today, especially those regarding “ecclesiastical masonry” (sorry, those are Mary’s words, not ours!) — these individuals then work the agenda of autodestruct.
The thesis? What better way to assist in the autodestruct of the Catholic Church than from within by getting the true faith’s theology in such a bind as to pit the “confessional seal” or the “communications” of a cardinal with his priests against the need of a legitimate court’s right to evidence involving a despicable crime?
The public will, of course, clamor for that which seems so obviously morally correct. And the Church is then backed up against a wall of seemingly immorality and unethical behavior.
The antithesis? It is the masonic justice system which rules this nation and is able to put political pressures for release of this material in what appears to be a legitimate fashion.
The synthesis is then apparent.
It is the destruction of the Church — if not physically, at least as a moral entity.
So we have a suggestion for those who claim they are the legitimate “princes” of the Church. It is time for them to prove it. Not by putting on a hat with a certain color or by dedicating a chapel or cathedral. But by deeds.
And that is why we have subtitled this article: “Cardinal vs. Cardinal.”
We challenge Roger Mahony to do what a predecessor of his once did. He, too, was a cardinal. And today, with good reason, he is a Saint. His name is Charles Borromeo.
And the reason we have chosen St. Charles as an example to Cardinal Mahony, who, believe it or not, once threatened to sue Mother Angelica over a remark she made about him, is the fact that the Los Angeles archdiocese is suffering in a way just like the city of Milan, Italy was suffering when St. Charles was the cardinal there.
In the 1500s, Milan was suffering from the plague. The physical plague.
L.A. is suffering from a different plague — a spiritual plague. A plague of lies, deceit, corruption, cover-ups, extravagance, liturgical abuse, sexual abuse, etc.
When the people of Milan were physically dying in outrageous numbers — as the souls of Southern California citizens are today for one only need to go to a dead Mass to see it with one’s own eyes — St. Charles made a public prayer. He vowed to the Lord Jesus Christ that if God would lift the plague against the city of Milan, Borromeo would walk BAREFOOT ACROSS THE SWISS ALPS to venerate Jesus’ burial cloth, which was then in Chambery, France.
The Lord Jesus, in great love of St. Charles’ vow, ended the plague against the city. In order to fulfill his vow to the Lord, Borromeo began his walk from Milan 90 miles to the West, to the city of Torino, Italy. From there, he would then cross the Alps and reach Chambery, France on the other side.
Jesus, as we all know, is a God of Mercy — but only a God of Mercy to those who truly give Him their love and worship. And many times while the Lord wants these incredible vows from us, He knows in our human weakness, we cannot fulfill that vow. It is then that the Lord, in His good pleasure, will work a way out for us; yet, still grant us the blessings necessary to please Him while not unnecessarily injuring ourselves.
For could anyone imagine and yet accomplish walking across the 15,000-foot, snow-capped jagged peaks of the Swiss Alps barefoot?!!!
At the time of this event, in 1578, the Duke of Savoy, who resided in Chambery, was the legal owner of Jesus’ burial cloth. It was not yet called the Shroud of Turin, because the cloth had never been to that city before!
But upon hearing of St. Charles Borromeo’s vow, the duke — inspired by God — brought the cloth for the cardinal of Milan to venerate by personally crossing the Swiss Alps and bringing the Shroud into the city of Turin! Instead of the cardinal going to France to honor the Shroud, the Lord saw fit to have the duke and his entourage bring His burial cloth to this great Saint! Thus, Borromeo fulfilled his vow to the Lord — in an act of Divine Inspiration and Mercy by God — without killing himself in the process!
That is why today, we call the cloth the Shroud of Turin!
It is because of the vow of Cardinal Charles Borromeo!
And the name of the Shroud alone — which traveled all the way from Jerusalem to its final resting place in Torino — should be a reminder to all of God’s Mercy upon those who truly love Him!
St. Charles also — as the cardinal of Milan — had possession of one of the true nails to the Cross that was originally given to St. Ambrose. That nail is still in the Cathedral of Milan today. In the time of St. Charles, this great Saint would lead processions to glorify the Passion of Christ by publicly walking with the nail attached to a Cross. But most significantly, as a penitent, St. Charles, before all the citizens of Milan, would walk barefoot while holding the Cross!
It’s easy to see, when comparing Mahony to Borromeo, which one publicly has shown the true faith. And now, as believers, it’s time to demand actions from Mahony that will show whether or not he truly holds to the true faith.
We don’t expect Cardinal Roger Mahony to walk across the Swiss Alps barefoot — even Jesus did not let Cardinal Charles Borromeo do it.
We don’t even expect him to go to Turin, Italy today to venerate the Shroud.
But we do expect Roger Mahony, if he wants to display the true faith, to begin a public procession — a procession to end the lies, cover-ups, liturgical abuses, sexual abuses, and extravagances his office is now famous for. An office that is bringing shame on the rest of the Catholic world.
It’s time for Roger Mahony to become a penitent before the world.
A first step in that direction would be the release of any and all files pertinent to the court cases. For it is necessary to end the cover-up, lies and deceits in the matter of these sexual abuse cases that are so severe it caused an accused “priest” to commit suicide. The release of the files is an essential act of public penance by someone who claims to believe in the Just Judge. As an astute observer wrote in the letters-to-the-editor section of the Los Angeles Times, the souls of people — especially the priest who jumped off his hotel balcony in despair — are being forfeited by a Church whose only reason to exist is for the salvation of souls. For to continue to engage in legal battles is to continue to shroud the Truth — an action only the father of lies could accept and be gleeful over. And an action that will continue to despair souls and possibly lead to other acts that make a mockery of the Church’s mission.
And this makes it real simple. If the cardinal, then, is not willing to release these files that show whether or not he is guilty of any crime involving a cover-up or aiding and abetting those who were immoral and illegal, then we not only suggest but demand that it is time for the Vatican to not consider as they did with Bernad Law, but insist on Mahony’s resignation. For one must take into account that not only are the sins of the fathers visited upon the next generation, but so are the sins of our leaders — and, both the Church’s and the world’s politicians/leaders, have enough crimes/blood on their hands to give the Lord good cause for mankind’s ultimate Chastisement.
Let it be clear that this is not just the message of this web site. It is the message of those who have been abused. And if we, as Catholics, want this despicable and evil episode in the Church’s history to end, we must not be silent as lambs led to a slaughter. For our silence leads to God’s Judgment. In our silence, souls are being lost. In our silence, souls are being led astray. In our silence, the Church is being brought to its knees — and not before its God in the Eucharist!
In this regard, it is vital that Mahony and all Church authorities — especially the Holy Father who should not be silent in this matter — to take to heart what Armida Price stated. Who is Armida Price? She was among those decrying the attitude of Mahony outside the L.A. cathedral this weekend, and states that she, too, was an abuse victim while working as a clerk in one of the archdiocese’s parishes in 1981.
Price’s message to Mahony and anyone else in life is clear and cannot be disputed.
We, as believers in the true faith, including Pope John Paul II, should demand actions that portray this true faith by insisting that the teflon cardinal act upon Price’s words now and forever, for:
“You can’t hide the Truth from God!”
© 2003 Agnus Dei Presents!
