Back on May 23, we blogged on Australian Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's scheduled June 13 appearance at the (Jesuit) University of San Francisco. The appearance was part of the bishop's "Voice of the Faithful" tour, and was co-sponsored by the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought at USF. Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles denied the bishop permission to speak in his Archdiocese, and now our own Archbishop George Niederauer has done the same.
From today's LA Times:
"Four of California's leading Roman Catholic bishops, including Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, have taken the extraordinary step of urging an Australian bishop to cancel a monthlong tour of the United States to promote his controversial new book about clergy sexual abuse . . .
Following direction from the Vatican, the California religious leaders and eight other prominent bishops around the country have asked former auxiliary Bishop Geoffrey Robinson of Sydney to steer clear of their dioceses because of his 'problematic positions' on priestly celibacy and other issues . . . In a joint letter last month, Mahony and nine other American bishops warned Robinson that his visit could be 'a source of disunity and cause of confusion among the faithful of the particular churches we serve.' . . .
They cited an investigation of his book by Australian bishops, who found "doctrinal difficulties" and pointed out that the head of the Vatican office in charge of all bishops had asked Robinson to cancel his trip."I hereby deny you permission to speak in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," Mahony wrote to Robinson last month, citing a bishop's authority under canon law that was repeated in separate letters from Bishop Tod Brown in Orange County and Archbishop George H. Niederauer in San Francisco . . .
But Robinson, 70, said he has no intention of canceling any part of a trip that began May 16 in Philadelphia and brings him to California on Tuesday for appearances in La Jolla, Costa Mesa, Culver City and San Francisco."
God bless our shepherd Archbishop Niederauaer! We strongly support his defense of the teaching of the Church. We do wonder whether USF will now ask Bishop Robinson and "Voice of the Faithful" to find a different location.
H/T Threshing Grain
Posted by Gibbons
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
It's not just the University of San Francisco. Doctrinally heterodox speakers, including speakers who are pro-abortion and pro-euthanasia, are also being invited to San Domenico School on a regular basis.
What Happened to San Domenico School?
I attended Bishop Robinson's talk last night at UCSD in San Diego. He is a brilliant, soft spoken and humble man who is simply asking some fundamental questions about how to approach the sexual abuse crisis--based on his own vast experience. Both conservatives and liberals attending the talk were impressed by his candor and sincerity. I urge all to attend his talk in san francisco.
Last night, Wednesday, June 11, Bishop Geoffrey Robinson spoke to a standing room only group in Costa Mesa, CA, presented by the Orange County VOTF (Voice of the Faithful). Bishop Robinson was warmly received and delivered an instructive and insightful address on the topics presented in his book, "Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church." Although the established Catholic Church leadership in California have all but forbidden Catholics to hear Bishop Robinson speak I'm confident that if a twice-sized larger room were available last night it too would have been filled. The actions of Cardinal Mahony and his fellow bishops toward Bishop Robinson's right to speak and be heard remind this Catholic of Col. Custer and his officers at the Battle of the Big Horn.
Bishop Robinson's presentation in Orange County was videotaped and DVD information is available through celtfire.video@gmail.com
Post a Comment