Bishop Paprocki Defends the Church!

Against what Pope Francis calls "cultural imperialism."

Bless his heart, Paprocki I mean, but Pope Francis too!

From Catholic Culture:


Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, has instructed his pastors that they should not administer the sacraments to Catholics who are engaged in same-sex marriages.

That's Bishop Paprocki, top left, with Archbishop Cordileone, Bishop Barber,
and our wonderful 95 year-old Fr. Armand Oliveri after last year's Red Mass, here at Saints Peter and Paul.

In a formal decree circulated to the clergy of the diocese—which promptly leaked to the secular media—Bishop Paprocki said that since the government now offers legal recognition to same-sex marriages, the Church “has not only the authority, but the serious obligation, to affirm its authentic teaching on marriage and to preserve and foster the sacred value of the married state.”

Toward that end, the bishop said, Catholics should not participate in same-sex marriage ceremonies, nor should those events take place in churches or on parish property, the bishop said. Catholics who are legally married to same-sex partners should not be lectors or extraordinary ministers of Eucharist; they should not be admitted to RCIA classes or Confirmation programs; they should not be sponsors or godparents.

The bishop instructed his priests not to administer Communion to people who are engaged in same-sex marriages, nor to allow their funerals, unless there is an indication that the individuals have repented and accepted the Church’s teaching. If informed that a parishioner is involved in a same-sex union, Bishop Paprocki directed his priests to “address these concerns privately with the persons in such circumstances, calling them to conversion.”