Corpus Christi

People carry candles and rosary beads during a procession to celebrate Corpus Christi along a street in Brasilia, Brazil May 30, 2013.  REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Bishop Gracida - SOLT Statement Effort to ‘Throw Father John Corapi Under the Bus’

By Bishop Rene Henry Gracida

BY NOW MOST OF YOU HAVE READ THE STATEMENT ISSUED TODAY BY THE LEADERSHIP OF THE SOCIETY OF OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY ON THE CASE OF FATHER JOHN CORAPI.

The statement seems to me to be nothing more or less than an effort by the SOLT leadership to ‘throw Father John Corapi under the bus.’  Maybe he deserves it, maybe he does not, I do not know.  I have had no direct contact with Father Corapi in many years. But it seems to me that the issuing of the statement is an effort by the SOLT leadership to justify their own mishandling of his case from the beginning.  It is a classic example of what psychologists call transference.

As I have previously pointed out, Father Corapi was not charged, as far as I can figure out, with a civil crime.  Nor was he accused of sexual misconduct with a minor.  Rather, his conduct which resulted in the accusatory letter sent by the woman seems to have been fostered by the lax leadership of SOLT itself.  Even though he did not  have a vow of poverty he was given freedom to acquire and use wealth which can in itself have a corrupting influence on anyone.

MY CHIEF COMPLAINT AGAINST BOTH THE CHANCERY OF THE DIOCESE OF CORPUS CHRISTI AND THE LEADERSHIP OF SOLT IS THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE GOOD OF THE CHURCH IN MIND WHEN THEY ACTED PRECIPITOUSLY TO  PUBLICLY SUSPEND FATHER CORAPI.

By rushing to publicly suspend him before any investigation of the facts had been done, these Church officials totally overlooked the impact of their actions on the tens of thousands of innocent people who have been brought into a closer relationship with Our Lord, Jesus Christ, through the TEACHING of Father Corapi.  He did not seem to have any other form of ministry.

Instead of rushing to publicly suspend Father Corapi these people should have quietly launched an investigation into the accusations and, if they proved to be credible, they could have quietly removed him from active exercise of his public activities and then after further investigation determined whether or not to take more drastic canonical disciplinary action against him.

INSTEAD OF RUSHING TO PUNISH HIM PUBLICLY, they should have been concerned for the welfare of the thousands and thousands people who have either been brought to the faith or have had their faith strengthened by the man who, in spite of his having clay feet, had been an effective teacher of the Gospel.
THAT WAS MY CHIEF COMPLAINT AND THAT REMAINS MY CHIEF COMPLAINT.

I doubt that I will have much, if anything, further to say about the sad case of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, The Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity and Father John Corapi.

Link:

• My Final Comment (Hopefully) on the Case of Father John Corapi

Related:

• A Few Thoughts on Father Corapi's Announcement yesterday - by Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Corpus Christi
• Fr. Corapi Filed Defamation Suit On Advice of Fr. Flanagan, Founder of the Society of Our Lady and Bishop Rene Gracida
• Of Fr. Corapi and Casey Anthony - Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
  
• Father Corapi Files Lawsuit Against His Accuser
  
• Father Corapi: "I am not seeking laicization"
• Corpus Christi Procession goes by the wayside in Corpus Christi 
• Fr. Corapi: Please Understand This, I Have Not Left The Church
• Michael Voris of the Vortex on the Professional Catholic Bloggers (transcript)
• Fr. Corapi: I am listening.. I will not be releasing those audio tapes.
• Tuesday morning.
• Valuable Canonical Insight Into the Case of Father John Corapi - by Fr. Mike via Bishop Gracida
• Good-Bye, Good Priest! Father John Corapi’s Kafkaesque Catch-22 - by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae
• Reconsidering the Dallas Charter - Fr. Michael P. Orsi  
• About Fr. John Corapi With Observations About Our Times - by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
• Carol McKinley on Falsely Accused Priests
• Father Corapi: God Love You, God Bless You, and Good-Bye

Bishop Mulvey - No Corpus Christi Procession in Corpus Christi Second Year in a Row

Note: Bishop William Mulvey is the bishop who ordered Fr. Corapi's superiors "against their will and better judgment" (Fr. Corapi) to suspend him.

From the Kneeling Catholic blog:

"([many years ago] Bishop emeritus Edmund Carmody prepares for Feast of Corpus Christi procession)

For the 2nd year in a row there is no Corpus Christi Procession in at Corpus Christi Cathedral. In previous years Bishop Carmody would carry the Eucharist around the Cathedral in a very beautiful procession.

http://www.diocesecc.org/releases/?cat=archive&id=33

The diocese's new 'procession hiatus' coincides with the accession of Corpus Christi's new bishop, William Mulvey.

During his 26 Jun homily the Bishop Mulvey remarked that the worst sin people could commit that would make them unworthy to receive Communion is committing the sin of 'disunity'. http://www.goccn.org/mass.asp (then 'click Video English mass')"

Link:

• Corpus Christi Procession goes by the wayside in Corpus Christi

h/t to Tancred

Related:

• Fr. Corapi Filed Defamation Suit On Advice of Fr. Flanagan, Founder of the Society of Our Lady and Bishop Rene Gracida
• A Few Thoughts on Father Corapi's Announcement yesterday - by Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Corpus Christi
• Father Corapi: "I am not seeking laicization"
• Fr. Corapi: Please Understand This, I Have Not Left The Church
• Michael Voris of the Vortex on the Professional Catholic Bloggers (transcript)
• Fr. Corapi: I am listening.. I will not be releasing those audio tapes.
• Tuesday morning.
• Valuable Canonical Insight Into the Case of Father John Corapi - by Fr. Mike via Bishop Gracida
• Good-Bye, Good Priest! Father John Corapi’s Kafkaesque Catch-22 - by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae
• Reconsidering the Dallas Charter - Fr. Michael P. Orsi  
• About Fr. John Corapi With Observations About Our Times - by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
• Carol McKinley on Falsely Accused Priests
• Father Corapi: God Love You, God Bless You, and Good-Bye

As the 'Obama-nation' nears, priests sound alarm

By Matt C. Abbott

Though they are (sadly) in the minority, some Catholic priests are sounding the alarm of what already is — a massive spiritual and moral bankruptcy that many still refuse to recognize — and what's to come.

In addition to Archbishop Raymond Burke and Fathers Tom Euteneuer, Frank Pavone, John Corapi, John Trigilio and J. Patrick Serna — their faithful witness is well-documented and laudable — others are speaking out.

Father James Farfaglia, of the Corpus Christi, Tex., Catholic diocese:

'I am writing to you with an urgent request. I understand that Senator John McCain is not a perfect candidate, but when it comes to the issue of abortion, we need to get what we can. McCain will appoint a pro-life Supreme Court justice; Obama will appoint a pro-abortion one. Moreover, with an Obama presidency, the funding for Planned Parenthood will be out of control. Presently, it looks as if Senator Obama could win the election. This would be a complete disaster for the pro-life movement. Everything that we have legally gained in the past years for the pro-life movement will be thrown out the window.

'I know a lot of people consider Randall Terry to be very controversial. I just got off the phone with him because I read an Internet article regarding what happened to him this weekend in Arlington. This is the first time that we have spoken and our conversation was excellent. What he describes in his statement is absolutely the truth. We have a similar situation going on in the Diocese of Corpus Christi. The diocesan newspaper will not allow any discussion regarding the bishop's Faithful Citizenship pastoral document.

'Faithful Citizenship is a smoke screen that gives Catholics the possibility to vote for pro-abortion candidates, i.e. Barack Obama. I just reviewed Randall's Web site and the articles he has posted. They are excellent and I support his efforts. Many of our bishops are involved in a conspiracy against life. If they can't see the evil of homosexuality among their priests, how are they going to see the evil of abortion?'

Father Richard Perozich, of the San Diego, Calif., Catholic diocese:

'Leave me alone, please!

'This is not an uncommon attitude from time to time among us Catholics when we hear an exhortation to belief, to action in a homily or an instruction from the Holy Father, the bishop, or the pastor of our parish when this exhortation challenges our current attitude in life which imprisons us while the Church offers us true freedom in Jesus. Another retort is, 'Why are you bothering me with this? There are more important issues in the world.'

'Above all things I value my freedom and your freedom. Freedom exists in being able to have power, possessions, and prestige. Freedom exists in being able to go where you want to go when you want to do it. Freedom means being able to think with the mind of God, exercise your skills, express your ideas at least privately and most of the time publicly as well. While freedom can be taken from us in our power, possessions and prestige, our physical liberty and our rights by the state or by a criminal, it never can be taken from us in our soul. We are still ultimately free persons when we have the attitude of Jesus, think with the mind of Jesus, and love with the heart of Jesus, even if we are limited by the state or by evil men and women from exercising our will in Jesus.

'While we may not be in jail (at least at the moment), under house arrest, or in jeopardy of losing our personal liberty today, we are not truly free from attacks with the goal of domination of us by other people, the devil, and the passions when they are not in accord with the order of God.

'When Catholics are urged to vote Catholic, some of us think we are being pressured by the Church, our freedom threatened by the Church. These Catholics respond that in America we have separation of church and state.

'What we really have constitutionally is freedom to express our religion and that Congress only cannot establish one denomination or religion as the state religion.

'Yet the state is encroaching on our religious beliefs, our freedom by passing laws which indoctrinate us, penalize us for non conformity, and take away our liberty. One law builds on another until a prison of thought and action is formed against us Christian believers. The state intertwines itself with religion, silences religious belief, and there is no separation any more.

'The chief agents of this silencing of religion have been Catholic politicians who accept money and praise from special interest groups. These Catholics have abandoned faith and us who elected them, and are slaves to people with evil ideas.

'The evils seeking dominance in our culture are abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and homosexual activity. No Catholic politician can remain Catholic and go to Holy Communion while voting in favor of these. No Catholic in the pew can go to Holy Communion while voting in favor of these politicians and these policies [Father C. Frank Phillips, C.R., pastor of St. John Cantius Parish in Chicago, has said virtually the same on more than one occasion from the pulpit].

'The evils are well organized. The spirit of evil infects the souls of individuals who put these evils into practice in their lives. These people give over their freedom becoming slaves to these sins. The people doing evil then organize into groups, and begin to force their lifestyles on the rest of us.

'First evil forms people into groups to organize and express itself. People then reinvent themselves with new names such as gays and lesbians instead of chaste men and women, or women for choice instead of free women for life, or "progressives" instead of faithful people. Evil then beings to take over in 4 ways: infiltration, indoctrination, intimidation, and imposition.

'When we know an unrepentant woman who has killed a child through abortion, we feel horror for her act and for the child, but also sorrow for her. We want her to feel better. We let her infiltrate through telling her story as to why she aborted. Then she begins to indoctrinate us in the necessity of freedom of choice. She begins to intimidate us with accusations of intolerance and hate. Finally she and her politicians impose laws on us which require us to accept it and practice it, such as medical students who must learn this to become doctors now in California

'When we know persons with same sex attractions who have not learned to master chastity, we feel sorry for them. We want them to feel better. They infiltrate by asking for tolerance. They reinvent themselves saying that this is who they are. They indoctrinate with false ideas that they are genetically created this way, that they cannot change, that their sex is just as good as, or even better than, normal people because they don't create overpopulation. They intimidate, calling us bigots, hate-filled people, intolerant. Finally they impose laws forcing us to learn about their sinful lifestyle, to accept it, to take away our freedoms if we don't accept it, to teach this as normal in schools, nursing programs, to celebrate it publicly in parades, schools, and the work place as 'diversity' when in fact it is perversity.

'Famous people with diseases come on TV infiltrating our thinking through sympathy saying that we need to kill embryos so they can get better. They indoctrinate us saying that this is the only way. They intimidate through ridicule of other methods and of the people of life and faith who try to save the embryos. Finally they impose laws, often through Catholic politicians to spend your money to kill embryos for research. Others do the same with euthanasia. My health may not always be perfect, but I don't want to live in slavery in this world by taking the life of another in order to do so. This experimentation reaches its ultimate perversion in cloning of embryos, experimentation combining human and animal research.

'Unfortunately we hear the saying, 'It's the economy, stupid.' In a sense this is correct because losing one's financial freedom and security may be a greater fear than losing deeper liberties of the soul. Losing the soul, however, is the worst reality.

'Jesus came to give us the truth that will set us free. He asks us Catholics to maintain that freedom. Look carefully at your politicians. Do not let them deceive you by telling you that they are Catholic when they vote against the Catholic Faith.

'Like it or not, freedoms are being taken away in politics. There is no longer separation of Church and state. The state is taking over your life and freedom, making you a slave to evil.'

And speaking of California...Father Geoffrey Farrow recently "came out of the closet" to his parishioners. Joseph Fry was one of them.

Said Mr. Fry:

"My family and fellow parishioners were ambushed by Father Geoffrey Farrow, who decided to have his 'coming out party' at Mass last weekend. His homily was about us accepting homosexuals, defeating California Proposition 8 and accepting homosexual marriage. My two teenage daughters, 7-year-old daughter, and 11-year-old son (who was altar serving for Father Geoff) received a sexual education class on homosexuality, homosexual marriage,

f-----s and all the other words and phrases he used, all of which are against our Catholic beliefs. I called, e-mailed and faxed Bishop Steinbock but received no response."

Interestingly, one source in the diocese claims that the bishop has known about Father Farrow for at least five years.

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Christianity is the most profound revolution in history, Pope declares

Vatican City, May 23, 2008 / 11:01 am (CNA).- On Thursday evening Pope Benedict led a series of liturgical events dedicated to the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. In his homily, the Pontiff declared that the unity brought about in the Eucharist shows that the Christian revolution is the most profound revolution in human history.

The Corpus Christi events began at seven o’clock in the evening on Thursday with the Pope celebrating Mass on the square in front of Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran. He then led a Eucharistic procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major and concluded the evening with a time for the adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Benedict XVI dedicated his homily at St. John Lateran to explaining how the significance of Corpus Christi can be seen in the three events of the evening. Firstly "our coming together around the altar of the Lord to be together in His presence," secondly "the procession, walking with the Lord," and finally "kneeling before the Lord in adoration."

Beginning with the gathering around the altar of the Lord, the Holy Father quoted St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, where it is written that "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.' ... In these words," said the Pope, "we feel the truth and the power of the Christian revolution, the most profound revolution in human history, which we may experience in the Eucharist where people of different ages, sexes, social conditions and political ideas come together in the presence of the Lord.”

“The Eucharist can never be a private matter,” explained Pope Benedict. “The Eucharist is public worship, which has nothing esoteric or exclusive about it. ... We remain united, over and above our differences, ... we open to one another in order to become a single thing in Him."

"Walking with the Lord" was the second aspect of the celebrations that the Pope discussed. The chance to accompany Jesus in the Eucharist allows us to reflect on how He in fact, “raises us up again ... and puts us on the journey with the power of this Bread of life. ... The procession of Corpus Christi teaches us that the Eucharist wants to free us from all distress and discomfort ... so that we can resume the journey with the strength God gives us in Jesus Christ," the Holy Father said.

Moreover, "Without the God-with-us, the God Who is near, how can we sustain the pilgrimage of life, either individually or as a society or a family of peoples?" asked the Pope.

"The Eucharist is the Sacrament of the God who does not leave us to journey alone, but puts Himself at our side and shows us the way. Indeed, it is not enough to keep going, it is important to see where we are going! Progress is not enough if there are no criteria of reference."

Finally, the third element of Corpus Christi, that of "kneeling in adoration before the Lord", is "the most valuable and radical remedy against the idolatries of yesterday and today, ... it is a profession of freedom: those who bow to Jesus cannot and must not prostrate themselves before any earthly power, however strong," said the Pope.

As Christians "we prostrate ourselves before God, Who first bowed down towards man ... to save him and give him life, who knelt before us to wash our dirty feet. Adoring the Body of Christ means believing that there, in that piece of bread, Christ is truly present and gives real meaning to life, to the vast universe as to the smallest of creatures, to the whole of human history as to the briefest of lives."

At the conclusion of Mass in front of St. John Lateran, Pope Benedict XVI led a Eucharistic procession along Rome's Via Merulana to the Basilica of St. Mary Major. The route was lined with thousands of people who prayed and sang, accompanying the Blessed Sacrament. The Holy Father knelt in adoration in an open vehicle carrying the Eucharist in a monstrance.

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