Letters

Active Catholics?

Rev Edward P. Evans

Contents - Apr 2009 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Confronting the long march of secularism - Michael Gilchrist Benedict XVI addresses a Vatican conference on evolution and Christianity - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World US Catholic universities: how not to observe Lent American women religious: Vatican apostolic visitation - AD2000 REPORT Red Mass Homily: Catholics as 'bearers of light' in a secular culture - Bishop Peter J. Elliott Anti-life platform: Archbishop Chaput: President Obama and the challenge for US Catholics - Archbishop Charles Chaput Foundations of Faith: The Mass and private devotions in Catholic life - Br Barry Coldrey Andrew Cichy: A bold project to reinvigorate Church music in Australia - Anthony Barich Events: Holy Week 2009 - Traditional liturgy in Melbourne Conversion: Peter has spoken through Leo: why I became a Catholic - Michael Daniel Letters: Active Catholics? - Rev Edward P. Evans Letters: Hippies - Stephen Hemingway Letters: Dissent - Peter D. Howard Letters: The Pill - Denise M. Cameron Letters: Capitalism - William Briggs Letters: Church unity - Alan Baron Letters: Love and truth - Frank Mobbs Letters: Church in China - Francis Vrijmoed Letters: Bush fires - Maureen Federico Books: RENDER UNTO CAESAR:Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life, Charles Chaput - Tim Cannon (reviewer) Books: LIVING BIBLICALLY, by Archbishop Barry Hickey - Michael Gilchrist (reviewer) Books: AD2000 Books for April Reflection: The Resurrection: confirmed by faith and reason - Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli

With friends like the active Canberra Catholic Terry Fewtrell (Canberra Times, 2 March) who needs enemies?

The sub-heading of his article says 'Catholic Bishops pressured by the Vatican to bring St. Mary's to heel'. Then in the first paragraph Fewtrell writes, 'Bathersby is being forced by elements of the Roman Curia and their local informants to act against the parish and its pastor'.

Isn't that a contradiction? Fr Kennedy has lost his Catholic identity and even says 'he is embarrassed to be a Catholic'. He no longer believes in the Virgin Birth and questions the existence of heaven and hell. He has discarded the regulations of the liturgy and administration of the sacraments baptising people with his own formula, thus making the sacrament invalid.

If he does not believe in what the Catholic Church teaches he should leave it and pick one which allows all that he wants.

Fewtrell claims, 'what we are asking is to change not things ordained by Scripture, but rather the product of human discernment.'

In Scripture we find that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah on account of the sin of homosexuality. Yet Fr Kennedy has officiated at 'marriages' of homosexuals and invoked God's blessing on them.

In Scripture we read: 'I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.' Yet Kennedy has allowed a statue of Buddha to be placed in front of the altar.

Fewtrell says, 'We are close to the point where some form of guerrilla campaign is necessary'.

It is already in action. Although Kennedy has been fired and Fr Ken Howell is the new pastor, Kennedy stubbornly refuses to hand over the keys and leave. He and his friends have resorted to violence forcing the officers of the Queensland police service to advise Fr Howell not to celebrate Masses on the ground that there may be a danger to public safety.

A number of people are concerned about their own, and their families' safety if they attend Fr Howell's Mass. The Archbishop has been targeted by a bomb threat. Is that what Fewtrell means by 'active Catholic'?

REV EDWARD P. EVANS
German Catholic Mission
Braddon, ACT

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 22 No 3 (April 2009), p. 14