There are much musings in Catholic circles currently about the existence of a “Lavender Mafia” and that perhaps the resignation of the Pope is tied in with a report to the Pope by three cardinals of blackmail and corruption of homosexual clergy high in Vatican circles. Who can tell if this is true, since the Vatican has issued non-denial denials denouncing the story while carefully not dealing with the substance of it.Again, like I've said before, this doesn't mean the Church is "bad" because these types of people continue to be protected. The Church is holy and most of Her members on earth are not(which is precisely why we are still here!). And to speak frankly, this is neither detraction nor gossip. This is how our generation of the Church will be remembered, but not because the diocesan papers cover it. We will be remembered because when we heard reports, we turned the other way and ignored them(after all it's just nasty gossip). We might complain about secular papers coverage of the Church, but as these past decades have shown they are a necessary check on Catholic institutions. Dr. Robert Moynihan continues to research the report for those who care to follow. If you still don't believe me, I recommend Goodbye, Good Men.
However, that there is a Lavender Mafia within the Church, homosexual clerics who promote and protect each other, none should question. Exhibit A for the Lavender Mafia is Rembert Weakland.
Former Archbishop of Milwaukee, he was heterodox and orthodox Catholics often wondered how he had risen so far in the hierarchy. It came out after he had resigned that he used 450,000 of Church money to pay off his male lover who revealed the story to the press anyway years later.
http://www.seattlecatholic.com/article_20020607_Archbishop_Weaklands_Legacy.html
Needless to say, Weakland has never paid back a dime of the hush money. This thief sits today on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. He is living evidence of the truth that there is clearly a “lavender Mafia” at work within the Church that promotes its members and protects them. The next Pope will have his work cut out for him if he decides to attack this evil head on.
We need to pray, I need to pray, that the Church be freed from the decadence of these past decades.
The reason God allows evil is to bring about a greater good.
8 comments:
Thank you for your words at the end of this post, Matt. These are stories that are hard and painful to read, mostly because they are true, and so many, many are hurt by the actions of the few that are regretfully covered up. But we know that all that is hidden will come to light. We can't just bury our heads in the sand and wish for the problem to disappear. We have to face it head on, beginning with prayer and contrition.
Amen, Anne. Thank you for your comment.
There is a purification taking place in the Church. The more this situation is brought to the light, the better we will be for it.
"Former Archbishop of Milwaukee, he was heterodox and orthodox Catholics often wondered how he had risen so far in the hierarchy."
I had always thought his appointment as Archbishop of Milwaukee was more of a fall than a rise. Remember he was Abbot primate of the Benedictine order in Rome for 10 years. I think some of the lingering conservative and some of the proto "reform of the reform" forces in Rome realized how much damage a guy like that could do with international reach to such a venerable order in the Church. Now you can't just sack the abbot primate, but you can make him an Archbishop and send him to the middle of nowhere, which, sad to say, as far as they were concerned in Rome, was Milwaukee. (Interesting footnote, both John Paul II and Benedict XVI had some interesting Wisconsin ties and considering just how big the global Church is, it is nice to know they at least had some knowledge of our area, John Paul having visited the Steven's Point area as a Cardinal, and Cdl. Ratzinger having been slated to visit Green Bay at one point, sadly that trip had to be canceled, though I would be certain he would have as Pope been aware of the 19th century Marian aparations near Green Bay.)
Milwaukee even in the 1960s and 1970s had one of the strongest Catholic cultures of any American city (a sort of vibrant German/Polish Catholic culture that had also allowed smaller groups, Italians, Croatians, Slovenes, to flourish in a way not so much seen in a lot of the uniformity and structure emphasizing American-Irish dominated dioceses that constituted the majority of the U.S. Church.) While things were starting to go wrong during the Archbishop Cousins era, one wonders how the history might have turned out if instead of the lengthy tenure of the radical liberal Weakland, even a moderate or left of center Archbishop had been appointed (to say nothing of a more conservative one!). Even a period of managed decline and gradual decay would have left us in much better shape than the way things were around 2002.
Thankfully the tide is turning.
Interesting take!
St. Francis de Sales Seminary in Milwaukee is expecting 16 new seminarians in the fall--the tide is turning indeed!
Praise God for those 16 new seminarians!!! And please, let us all hold them, and all of our priests and seminarians, deeply in prayer! Come to Roses for Our Lady's monthly holy hour for our seminarians and for an increase in holy vocations every second Sunday of the month at St. Francis de Sales Seminary at 2 PM, or keep your own holy hours for an increase in holy vocations. Pray without ceasing for these good and holy men who are bravely taking up their crosses and following the Lord for the sake of our souls.
16 wow, the new Vocations director is doing fantastic!
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