Bishop Barron wants us all to play nice:
As a public figure on social media, Bishop Barron said in his recent video, he expects vocal opposition and even welcomes well-formed criticism. He said even the most finely articulated demonstration is susceptible to objections and new suggestions.
But the comments he received last week were a “moral outrage,” he said. Rather than challenges offered in love and truth, the comments were “calumny” – mean spirited accusations that violate both charity and justice.
“There is a sharp distinction between legitimate argument and calumny. A real argument, involving the marshaling of evidence, the citation of authorities, the fair and careful reporting of one’s opponent’s position, etc, is morally praiseworthy,” he said.
“For real argument fosters both truth and love. It seeks to shed light on what is really the case – truth – and to invite others to see more clearly – it’s a type of love. Calumny, on the other hand, is indifferent to truth and inimical to love.”
Among those with whom Bishop Barron has clashed in recent weeks is author and YouTube commentator Taylor Marshall, whose book Infiltration, claims to outline a plot by which “Modernists and Marxists hatched a plan to subvert the Catholic Church from within. Their goal: to change Her doctrine, Her liturgy, and Her mission,” according to the book’s website.
Marshall has said that bishops should lead defenses of sacred statues at risk of being torn down by rioters. After the bishop blocked Marshall on Twitter, the author has also criticized Bishop Barron’s response to criticism.
“What we see here is kinda tone deaf. We feel like we have been bullied, and pushed down and lied to by our bishops for decades,” Marshall said in a July 8 video.
In the face of attacks against Catholic statues, “we’re looking for the bishops to do something….So when we hear ‘that’s the laity’s job,’ that really ticked off a lot of people, Bishop Barron.”
Marshall said those engaging with the bishop disrespectfully should repent, but also that Bishop Barron seems not to understand the frustration of him and his supporters. “That is why you had to make a video yesterday.”
Go here to read the rest. PopeWatch deplores the vitriol that is often the salient feature of social media. Open sewers are pure in comparison. However, we have a Pope who routinely insults faithful Catholics, and Bishops who frequently see no enemies on the Left and often respond to orthodox Catholic complaints with complete indifference. Traditional Catholic teachings are trodden under foot and faithful Catholics are expected to simply pray, pay and obey.
Since Vatican II, faithful Catholics have often been treated as second class Catholics, while the Church has been hijacked for purposes, for example climate change, which have bupkis to do with Catholicism. Cure the underlying problems, and the issue of civility would largely resolve itself. Continue to ignore these problems and our higher level clergy may have far more than lack of civility to concern themselves with, as heartsick faithful Catholics withhold donations and withdraw from the life of the Church.
Agree 100%. Bishop Barron is scapegoating us. The Catholic Church has much to answer for the current condition of American life, not to mentioned the very weak spiritual condition of most Catholics.
Since Vatican II our Bishops have become wolves in sheep’s clothing. They destroy the flock–separating it from the teaching of Christ–and lead it into the treachery of Liberal politics. And when Liberal politics gets out of control it blames the sheep for not doing something about it. Thus, to many of us, most of our Bishops are contemptible and without credibility.
He had the audacity to write this while complaining about ‘calumny’:
“The crisis precipitated by the brutal killing of George Floyd is one that involves many dimensions of our society: law, the police, education, government, neighborhoods, families, etc. Priests and bishops, to be sure, ought to teach clearly and publicly,” he wrote.
George Floyd’s autopsy report is available online. You will note that his femoral blood contained fentanyl to the tune of 11 nanograms per cc. That’s a fatal dose. Compounding that, he had three other street drugs in his system and coronary artery disease described as ‘severe’ by the pathologist.
Bp. Barron’s a tosser. That’s not calumny; it’s just concise.
Here are a several of the “Bishop’s” quotes, “Hell is empty (or we have good reason to hope it is).”
“Adam and Eve were not actual people.”
“The Bible is not historical. Most of the Old Testament is myth or metaphor.”
When people point out that those are condemned heresies. He refuses to respond and claims being the victim.
Since our modernist shepherds have become so secularized and political, one must wonder; can a shepherd now be impeached? If so, I have a list….
Here is a “finely articulated” observation, most bishops are either heretics or cowards. I don’t say apostates, because I don’t see evidence they ever held the faith. Maybe I’m wrong and they lost the faith in seminary, or maybe when they were elevated to a bishopric. Either way, by their fruit I know them. The aptly named Bishop Barron, or is it barren, frequently fails to stand for truth. So, maybe he’s just a quisling. Regardless, he’s not someone I would ever count on in a crisis just like I would never count on any true politician. I would also never, and I mean never, allow him to teach a religion class to my kids. I’m the one who will answer if my children aren’t well-formed in the faith, and Bishop Barron is not remotely someone I would trust for that job.
The criticism of their flocks is the proverbial water off the duck’s back for our bishops. And as people like Stowe have demonstrated with respect to the Covington students, they can be positively gleeful in slagging the sheep even when the accusations against said sheep prove calumnious themselves.
But a bad headline or criticism from protected groups or the ruling class? Such cannot be risked.
In one respect, Barron’s advice is well-taken: we truly are on our own.
I haven’t read the comments on Bishop Barron’s various social media accounts, and it sounds like they were removed anyway. So maybe they were really beyond the pale, I don’t know. If they were, I condemn them as well.
But it is very telling that the bishop has a very hands off “let the laity handle it” attitude when it comes to statues of saints being destroyed, and a hands on righteous fury attitude when it comes to him receiving mean comments online.
He paints it as an evangelical issue, i.e. that if non-Catholics saw such comments they would be disgusted and stay away from the Catholic Church. But what would a non-Catholic think of a Church that has its property and icons destroyed and does nothing? What would a non-Catholic think of a Church that shuts down all services and is lethargic about reimplementing them? What would a non-Catholic think of a Church that brings pagan idols into a synod and then tries to say it is no big deal?
“But it is very telling that the bishop has a very hands off “let the laity handle it” attitude when it comes to statues of saints being destroyed, and a hands on righteous fury attitude when it comes to him receiving mean comments online.”
Ouch.
JFK: Where are those quotes from?
Bishop Barron isn’t the only tool wandering around.
I give you the witless people pleaser currently sitting in the governor’s chair in Indiana
https://www.wibc.com/blogs/chicks/gov-eric-holcomb-refuses-to-say-no-to-renaming-indiana/
I began withholding and withdrawing in late 2013. Hmmm, interesting.
The good bishop is standard post V2 endless-thought-vocalizing tradition- and history-deviant issue.
He forever infuriated me a few years ago when he regurgitated in passing in one of his commentaries standard left-wing issue “winter-soldier” type totally uninformed comments about Viet Nam and My Lai incident and “war crimes.” The good bishop was about ten years old at the time and knows nothing: yet there are many eyewitnesses and vets that could have informed him of so much.
No need: Bishop knows it all already. Another post V2 empty head.
The short and simple of it all is that we are assured that Christ will be with the Church (no mention of clergy) and that both God and Ceasar be given their due. Not a word about secular wisdom residing in the musings of bishops, many of whom make it a regular practice to demonstrate.
“Statues of the Virgin Mary targeted in Boston, New York; church set alight in Florida” CNS story by Patrick Goodenough July 12, 2020.
The fella is in custody that drove the car into the church vestibule, doused it with gasoline. He is charged with attempted murder 2nd degree, arson and other felony offenses. The parishioners in the narnex were not injured.
Now O’Malley and priest in Queens are speaking up. The Boston police are investigating.
BLM Shaun King should be charged by Justice Dept with inciting anti-Christian vandalism and hate crimes even though I dislike the latter term..