Wednesday, September 18

Christopher Reeves has apparently apologized.

The Catholic League comments, but I can't find the statement from Reeves anywhere yet.

A review of a book called Catholics: Britain's Largest Minority
Congrats to fellow-Fort Wayner Nancy Nall for the mega linking she received yesterday on her Bob Greene-roasting from Lucianne, Slate and Romensko. 18,000 hits! Huzzah!
Big debate over at HMS Blog between Popcak, Charles Collins and me about, among other things, the "standards" for baptizing children.

My husband has weighed in here

If I do say so myself, I like the way I've summarized the issue:

Should the pastor baptize the prostitute's baby?

A reader who is a member of the parish in the Arlington Diocese with the porn-harboring priest would like your input:

The Bishop found out about the porn situation with our pastor last fall.Media delusions aside, our pastor did have to leave and was shipped off somewhere to be de-programmed or re-programmed --receive "treatment" for I know it was over a week - more like 2 or 3(I remember this happening b/c last fall was such a busy time I wondered why anyone would choose a 'vacation' then) Apparently he got out of treatment and "made use of the sacraments" as stated in the bishops letter etc. I think my concern as a parishioner is this: Should we have been made aware of this priest's "struggle"?? I have confidence that our Bishop did what was right and followed his little guidelines etc, but I think I'd like to know if some guidelines need to be changed. If a priest is collecting gay porn, toys and whatnot, should that get a whole new set of guidelines, bells and red flags?? It seems to me that we know the real effects pornography has on individuals, corrupting the soul, arent there studies showing how pedophiles and murders all start on porn and slowly intensify with harder orn until they have to "act out" in a physical way? Maybe I watch too much court tv. Is this "just porn" or something serious that we should be made aware of? It seems to me that yes, a priest as a public figure, and as the groom
our Church should have to let us in on a struggle like this. As a sin against the community and something that could be an indicator -- should we have known? I know and I don't doubt for a second that God can heal and with grace they can overcome these types of sins, but maybe part of reparations and atonement is that in such a serious matter such a priest would have to
come out of the closet so to speak! If you are struggling with celibacy like this, maybe active ministry isn't where you should be?
Anyway!! I'd appreciate any thoughts you all have

Any comments?

By the way, Here's Bishop Loverde's letter on the situation

Andrew Sullivan weighs in on another article sitting by my bedside waiting for my attention - The Atlantic Monthly piece by Phillip Jenkins on the future of Christianity. Andrew says:

I just read the new Atlantic's essay on the rise of fundamentalist, Pentecostalist and arch-conservative Christianity across the developing world. It's not online, but there's an interview with its author, Philip Jenkins here. His book might make interesting reading. What to make of it? It's not exactly news, but its implications are clear. People like me who are devoted to post-Vatican II Catholicism will probably in our lifetimes see the Western (or Northern) Church either go into real schism or collapse altogether into an orthodox and severe rump, from which we will be effectively excluded. The future of Christianity - where its energy is, where the passion is, where the new flocks are - is clearly in Africa and Asia and South America, where pentecostalist movements or highly traditional forms of Catholicism are making huge gains. The next pope, it seems likely to me, will make this one look like a liberal. Immigrants to the United States will also bring this kind of religion more forcefully home, as the new religion census is showing.

(Religion census blogged below)

Well, it's not primarily immigrants that are bringing more "conservative" religions to the fore in the US, and I wouldn't be surprised if the next pope was, like this one, an interesting mix of so-called "liberal" and "conservative" who ticks everyone off. But as for the rest of the piece...I'll let you comment while I read the article.

Enrollment at Cincinnati Catholic high schools is up despite, the article says, the sexual abuse scandal. Well, this is no big deal - we've said since this began that this scandal isn't a challenge to the relationship between individual Catholics and the local church institutions that serve them. It's a challenge to the relationship between a Catholic and his or diocese that is perceived to be less than concerned for victims of clerical sexual abuse.
Happy Birthday to my dad, David Welborn, today!
An interview with Father Donald Cozzens about his forthcoming book