how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest???

wheres my popcorn?

Cause he brings in a lot of money...

IBMTRF

tenure?

Seriously, the dignity and tradition of Catholic services is a big part of the Church, or so I thought.

Quoted: Quoted: how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest??? How can other Christian faiths allow gays to serve as clergy and marry when it is a sin in the Bible?

Dude, you can do better.  I think it is a pretty valid question.  That guy seems like his "style" is exactly opposite of what is expected from a Priest.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

And so it begins..............................

IN ON THE FIRST page of whats bound to be an epic topic.

tag

ah tagging only works for team members

Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods?

These are the questions that plague mankind.

Because there is a shortage and he is a warm body.

Quoted: Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods? These are the questions that plague mankind.

Says the man who will forever live in EPICNESS! That with which can not be topped.

I'm not a Catholic, but this gun grabber has got to be removed.  Cardinal George has done nothing to reign this guy in.

Quoted: Because there is a shortage and he is a warm body.

As a recovering-Catholic, I agree with that statement, and the fact
that the individual dioceses and the Vatican have absolutely no standards.

Quoted: Quoted: Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods? These are the questions that plague mankind. Says the man who will forever live in EPICNESS! That with which can not be topped.

Oh, I can top it. Just not here.

is he for sure?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods? These are the questions that plague mankind. Says the man who will forever live in EPICNESS! That with which can not be topped. Oh, I can top it. Just not here.

If and when you do, you just let me know.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods? These are the questions that plague mankind. Says the man who will forever live in EPICNESS! That with which can not be topped. Oh, I can top it. Just not here.

Keep on keeping on Subnet!

Is the priest in the OP the same guy that had the "incident" at Obama's church?

Quoted: Is a bear Catholic? Does the pope shit in the woods? These are the questions that plague mankind.

Yes -- thes are the ultimate questions of the universe.

ah
here it is


carry on.

Rev Flegler is a close friend of Rev Sharpton. They both were arrested in a Chicago suburb in the recent past for trespassing on the property of a gun store that supposedly sold guns illegally to hoods in the hood. Although they have no evidence to support it, they still picketed this gun shop and I think were arrested for trespassing.

My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic.

To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches).

The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd.

Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them.

Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them.

Very insightful commentary.

Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them.

Women priests excommunicated

Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated

Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops

Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated

6 nuns excommunicated for heresy

No accountability?

to be defrocked he would have to engage in teachings that were not in communion with the Church.  

Priests are allowed to have all the personal views they want.  They are not robots.  At my church, we have some insane lefty priests and others who love guns and shooting and are hard-core Republicans.

All are entitled to their views, however their religious teachings must be in union with the Holy See.

I was born and raised Catholic, my mother (and several nuns) taught religion at my Catholic school, and my dad was employed by the Diocese.  My official answer as to why this guy is in the Church is:  I don't know.

I know there is a massive shortage of priests and the projections are pretty clear, either change something (priests can marry or female priests) or the Church as we know it WILL cease to exist in the near to medium future.

The leadership and business end of the Catholic Church in the US is in shambles, it is only the members and laypeople that have kept it where it is today.

Michael Pfleger is a fuckstick of the highest order.

Quoted: how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest???

He has received a caution from the Cardinal. Here is an interesting web article which shows that the majority of Catholics are shocked by Father Pfleger's action. However, the article is good for background information.

Father Michael Pfleger and the Presidential Campaign

In the 60s, many Catholics were Democrats. Over the past few decades many practicing Christians (including Catholics) have recognized that one major US political party embraces abortion on demand, support for embryonic stem cell research, and other "plank" positions which are seriously at odds with the "Gospel of Life" mandate made by Vatican II, and the teachings of Pope John Paul II's papal encyclical "Evangelium Vitae" (Gospel of Life). Thus, Catholics in one of the parties have a longer row to hoe than Catholics in other political parties. We all recognize that today's Democratic Party is not the party JFK led to victory in 1960.

However, we should not forget that the Catholic Church, like many Christian religions, supports the cause of the poor and the downtrodden. Its position would favor a number of policies, such as a merciful attitude towards illegal aliens, opposition to torture and imprisonment e.g. GITMO, opposition to Capital Punishment, and opposition to warfare as an instrument of international policy. It would favor government and international support for the homeless, to give shelter, food and medicine to the downtrodden, even at the cost of increased taxes on the rich and the middle class. It would favor a better balance of resources between the haves and the have nots around the world...

I'm sure many Catholics will be praying for Father Pfleger. He clearly needs our prayers. Let us hope that the Holy Spirit will bring him the wisdom he needs to see him (and the rest of us) through this crisis. Perhaps Father Pfleger believes that BO is the best hope for the downtrodden in the US, and the best hope for a cessation of war as an instrument of national policy. Perhaps he was so impassioned about this belief that he seems to have "crossed over" the line. You see, while American Catholics are Americans and have freedom of speech, the Catholic clergy are also trained to be cautious about getting involved in affairs of the State, such as politics. (The active Military also has the same restrictions. The six Generals and Admirals that criticized former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Federal Times had to retire first, before they spoke out against an administration official).  His personal attack against BO's opposition were clearly across the line. Perhaps in his enthusiasm, he just got ahead of himself in his speech...

Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability?

Yeah, no accountability.

We'll chalk this priest up as a long rogue.  How do you explain the American Catholic church's sex scandal?  I'm no way trying to claim all, or even a majority of Catholic priest are pedophiles.

However, when a priest molests a child and the diocese thinks the solution is to put him at a different church with a new group of unsuspecting parishoners, something is wrong.  You're saying the dioceses are being held accountable to Rome for their actions.  Either the Vatican didn't know about these numerous pedophile priests, or they didn't care.  I'm sure they probably didn't know.  However, that's hardly what I would call holding your subordinates accountable.

Bottom line, yeah the Catholic church cracks a pretty mean whip when it comes to its social doctrine. However, I don't know of any pedophile priests who were excommunicated.  I don't of any Bishops who got hammered for covering the matter up.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability? Yeah, no accountability. We'll chalk this priest up as a long rogue.  How do you explain the American Catholic church's sex scandal?  I'm no way trying to claim all, or even a majority of Catholic priest are pedophiles. However, when a priest molests a child and the diocese thinks the solution is to put him at a different church with a new group of unsuspecting parishoners, something is wrong.  You're saying the dioceses are being held accountable to Rome for their actions.  Either the Vatican didn't know about these numerous pedophile priests, or they didn't care.  I'm sure they probably didn't know.  However, that's hardly what I would call holding your subordinates accountable. Bottom line, yeah the Catholic church cracks a pretty mean whip when it comes to its social doctrine. However, I don't know of any pedophile priests who were excommunicated.  I don't of any Bishops who got hammered for covering the matter up.

AFAIK most of those priests, including the pastor of my parish, are still being investigated by the Vatican. They transfer them to a different parish while they review the claims, evidence, circumstances, etc. If they are proven guilty, expect them to be either excommunicated or no longer allowed to say Mass in public. If they are innocent, they will return to their parish. The process is a long one, so don't think that they are done with this.

Quoted: Rev Flegler is a close friend of Rev Sharpton. They both were arrested in a Chicago suburb in the recent past for trespassing on the property of a gun store that supposedly sold guns illegally to hoods in the hood. Although they have no evidence to support it, they still picketed this gun shop and I think were arrested for trespassing.

Not Sharpton,  it was Jackson

ISRA: Chicago Priest Calls for Murder of Gun Shop Owner SPRINGFIELD, Ill., May 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA): Nobody expected Saturday's Operation PUSH protest at Chuck's Gun Shop & Range to be anything other than a circus of the bizarre. However, nobody anticipated that an address by a Chicago priest would include a call for the murder of a suburban gun shop owner and legislators who oppose gun control. During an address at an anti-gun rally in front of Chuck's, Rev. Michael Pfleger, pastor of St. Sabina's Church, exhorted the crowd to "drag" shop owner, John Riggio, from his shop "like a rat" and "snuff" him. Rev. Pfleger went on to tell the crowd that legislators that vote against gun control legislation should be "snuffed" as well. As many know, "snuff" is slang for especially violent murder. Also heres cbs  coverage of the event, http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/Michael.Pfleger.Jesse.2.337982.html Jackson And Pfleger Stage Another Gun Shop Protest High-Profile Preachers Were Arrested At Chuck's Gun Shop Earlier This Week by Suzanne Le Mignot CHICAGO (CBS) ― Two high-profile preachers are keeping up their protest at a south suburban gun shop. Reverend Jesse Jackson and Father Michael Pfleger returned to the store Friday, less than a week after they were arrested at the same location. As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports, Jackson and Pfleger joined forces with a coalition of community groups, next to Chuck's Gun Shop in Riverdale. It was a time for prayer and peaceful protest, all in the name of ending gun violence against young people. "It's the largest selling gun store in the country," Pfleger said. "Why are we focused here? Because this store has a reputation." "Nine stores surround our city. We march on those other stores as well," Jackson said. "We intend to choose life over death. We want to close down the merchants of death." Among those marching was the mother of Blair Holt, the Chicago student gunned down on a CTA bus on his way home from school. "Until you walk in these shoes, you don't know what it's like to lose a child, I mean, it's the most horrible feeling in the world," said Annette Nance-Holt. "Chuck needs to look in the mirror and say, you know, what if somebody shot my child?" Those who support the right to have guns stood in front of Chuck's Gun Shop. "It's the right for them also, if they choose to purchase firearms, pass background checks and purchase a firearm legally," said gun supporter Richard Reynolds. This is Jackson's fourth protest at the gun shop in a month. The mayor of Riverdale says while she has been the victim of gun violence, she's lost a son and relatives, she says she respects the public's right to protest, but her village has very limited resources. "Each time the police guard the place or stand out there when they're doing the march, it costs the village of Riverdale over $3,500 just to provide that protection," said Mayor Zevonia Evans. In response, Jackson said, "The sheriff should help her. Governor Blagojevich should help her with the National Guard." "It's a state of emergency. We cannot choose her budget over the lives of people that are being killed," he added.

The Catholic church is a bureaucracy, and one of the defining characteristics of a bureaucracy is that they protect their own.  

It is no different from how incompetent, lazy, and criminal police, politicians and educators are sheltered from accountability.  They may sometimes, eventually face the music, but it is a long, slow process, and the troublemakers cause a lot of damage in the meantime.  

Quoted: Quoted: Rev Flegler is a close friend of Rev Sharpton. They both were arrested in a Chicago suburb in the recent past for trespassing on the property of a gun store that supposedly sold guns illegally to hoods in the hood. Although they have no evidence to support it, they still picketed this gun shop and I think were arrested for trespassing. Not Sharpton,  it was Jackson ........

Thank you for that, much appreciated.

Quoted: The Catholic church is a bureaucracy, and one of the defining characteristics of a bureaucracy is that they protect their own.   It is no different from how incompetent, lazy, and criminal police, politicians and educators are sheltered from accountability.  They may sometimes, eventually face the music, but it is a long, slow process, and the troublemakers cause a lot of damage in the meantime.

If we're talking about the IRS, the local police department or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, that's to be expected.  However, when you've got an organization that is headed by a man who claims to be CHRIST'S REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH, you expect things to be run with a sense of fairness and justice.  You don't expect it to handle the matter like Mark McGwire in front of Congress.

I dunno - but one would expect some sort of issues coming down the line.

I was pretty shocked when I heard him. I thought - is he Anglican? I've never heard a Catholic Priest sound like that...

Then again - it takes all kinds I guess... My uncle lives near Chicago and was in charge of the church choir for awhile. Until the guy started preaching to him from the pulpit about the evils of being gay.

Priest are human - there are some assholes out there just like any church.

I am Lutheran and when we moved when I was in middle school I couldnt stand the Pastor they had. I am still not super keen on the one they got 10 years or so ago. But I mainly go to the catholic church with my wife now and actually really like the priests there.

As a catholic, i think the guy needs a sit down by the Diocese, and if he keeps it up, excommunication. He is endorsing a candidate contrary to Church teachings. ETA: my Parish Priest has mentioned to the congregation that a vote for the Democrats is a sin, since they endorse marxism and secularism.

Quoted: Quoted: The Catholic church is a bureaucracy, and one of the defining characteristics of a bureaucracy is that they protect their own.   It is no different from how incompetent, lazy, and criminal police, politicians and educators are sheltered from accountability.  They may sometimes, eventually face the music, but it is a long, slow process, and the troublemakers cause a lot of damage in the meantime.   If we're talking about the IRS, the local police department or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, that's to be expected.  However, when you've got an organization that is headed by a man who claims to be CHRIST'S REPRESENTATIVE ON EARTH, you expect things to be run with a sense of fairness and justice.  You don't expect it to handle the matter like Mark McGwire in front of Congress.

It is being run with fairness and justice. That's why the sex scandal investigations are taking so long.

Quoted: As a catholic, i think the guy needs a sit down by the Diocese, and if he keeps it up, excommunication. He is endorsing a candidate contrary to Church teachings. ETA: my Parish Priest has mentioned to the congregation that a vote for the Democrats is a sin, since they endorse marxism and secularism.

Damn right it's a sin. They stand for almost everything the Church forbids.

Quoted: how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest???

Same way they allow Fr. John Dear to keep his collar.  Fr. Dear is a rabid, anti-war protester who is  a convicted federal felon for trespass on nuclear missle silo areas.  And he has a really messed-up PETA-endorsed vegetarianism position.  He claims Jesus was a vegetarian and no one can be a true Christian unless they are also.

I relegate those priests as kindred spirits to the child molesters.


One of these days I am going to chew a few of them out.  Along with the ones fraught with materialism.

The problem started in the 1970s when the bishops thought there was a need for priests and relaxed the standards in seminary admission.  They totally skipped homosexual tendencies and many other personality disorders, thinking the sacrament forgiveness would cure these problems.  Quantity over quality.  And pack the pews.  Get them while they are young.

Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability?

Archbishop's perogative.  Some are liberal, some are conservative.  Some are bigoted.

The problem starts with the brain dead Catholics that just sit in the pews, sucking up the pablum fed to them. Then you have those pastors that want to pack the pews even more by giving the congregation what they want to hear.  This isn't anything unique to Catholics, witness Lakewood in Houston, pastored by Joel Olsteen.  "God wants you to be happy so if making a lot of money makes you happy, do it!".  His church is the former home court for the Houston Rockets...The Summit is now
Lakewood Church.  I saw MANY a game there, both hockey and basketball.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability? Archbishop's perogative.  Some are liberal, some are conservative.  Some are bigoted. The problem starts with the brain dead Catholics that just sit in the pews, sucking up the pablum fed to them. Then you have those pastors that want to pack the pews even more by giving the congregation what they want to hear.  This isn't anything unique to Catholics, witness Lakewood in Houston, pastored by Joel Olsteen.  "God wants you to be happy so if making a lot of money makes you happy, do it!".  His church is the former home court for the Houston Rockets...The Summit is now Lakewood Church.  I saw MANY a game there, both hockey and basketball. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Lakewood1.jpg

Joel Osteen is not a Catholic.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability? Archbishop's perogative.  Some are liberal, some are conservative.  Some are bigoted. The problem starts with the brain dead Catholics that just sit in the pews, sucking up the pablum fed to them. Then you have those pastors that want to pack the pews even more by giving the congregation what they want to hear.  This isn't anything unique to Catholics, witness Lakewood in Houston, pastored by Joel Olsteen.  "God wants you to be happy so if making a lot of money makes you happy, do it!".  His church is the former home court for the Houston Rockets...The Summit is now Lakewood Church.  I saw MANY a game there, both hockey and basketball. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Lakewood1.jpg Joel Osteen is not a Catholic.

This isn't anything unique to Catholics

rif

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability? Archbishop's perogative.  Some are liberal, some are conservative.  Some are bigoted. The problem starts with the brain dead Catholics that just sit in the pews, sucking up the pablum fed to them. Then you have those pastors that want to pack the pews even more by giving the congregation what they want to hear.  This isn't anything unique to Catholics, witness Lakewood in Houston, pastored by Joel Olsteen.  "God wants you to be happy so if making a lot of money makes you happy, do it!".  His church is the former home court for the Houston Rockets...The Summit is now Lakewood Church.  I saw MANY a game there, both hockey and basketball. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/31/Lakewood1.jpg Joel Osteen is not a Catholic. This isn't anything unique to Catholics rif

Sorry. I read that wrong.

Quoted: Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability?

For every one de-frocked or excommunicated, there are a dozen more that should be.  Recall that Ted Kennedy and John Kerry are both "Catholics".  

Quoted: how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest???

Who is Michael Pfleger?

Quoted: Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them. Women priests excommunicated Catholic abortion supporters excommunicated Bishop excommunicated for ordaining married men as Bishops Scientists performing embryonic stem cell research will be excommunicated 6 nuns excommunicated for heresy No accountability?

OHNOES not teh excommunications!

Quoted: to be defrocked he would have to engage in teachings that were not in communion with the Church.   Priests are allowed to have all the personal views they want.  They are not robots.  At my church, we have some insane lefty priests and others who love guns and shooting and are hard-core Republicans. All are entitled to their views, however their religious teachings must be in union with the Holy See.

So..how does the far left  reconcile their personal beliefs with scripture? ....when many leftist beliefs are in direct conflict with scripture......and try as they might..personal beliefs will spill over into their teachings.

height=8

Quoted: My wife and I are Protestants and former Catholics.  Most of our families are still Catholic. To answer the OP's question, the answer is this: Despite what Catholics claim, there is no accountability amongst the Catholic churches worldwide.  Some churches discard certain main Catholic teachings, some do not.  There are some Catholic churches a Protestant wouldn't find too objectionable, there are others that barely resemble Christianity (the same can be said of some non-Catholic Christian churches). The Catholic church in America is really struggling in some areas.  One of the Catholic church's biggest flaws IMHO, is that it tries to adapt to its surroundings by imitating the residents of wherever its diocese is located.  So if a Catholic priest in a large, African American neighborhood starts rallying against the white devil, he's essentially doing what he's supposed to do to win converts in that crowd. Its screwed up, instead of bring sinners to the light, he's trying to win favor with them by imitating them.

I am Catholic and will never practice another faith. I would have to agree with you on a certain level. As far as the child sex abuse cases, there is no justification or excuse for there handling of it in many cases, i.e. shuffling priests to other parishes where they continued to prey on small children. The church's handling of the issue left me with alot of doubts.

I have met priest's I disagree with. Anti-war activists, abolish nuclear weapon types, to name two. I have never seen a church service that was overtly political like Father Pledger(sic). I couldn't attend such a service, because quite frankly is offensive. His behavior is reprehensible. As mentioned his behavior is very flawed, his message should be one of positive transformation, not negative political rants.

Quoted: how can the catholic church allow Michael Pfleger to be a priest???

My uncle said RFK's funeral mass. He passed away about 10 years ago and after the 1993 WTC bombing, where I was about 300 yds from the blast in building #4, he said we would fight islam for our very survival as a nation. He said that the decadence of society had forced the Catholic Church to accept homosexuals who would swear an oath of abstinence (that worked out well!) as well as allowing radical individuals and those of lesser intelligence to be ordained. I would bet money that this particular "priest" is a very troubled homosexual. But that's just a gut feeling about somoene who clearly has placed a burden upon himself for the crime of being white.

My uncle knew William F. Buckley and all the Manhattan intellectuals due to his position in the church in NYC. He was as liberal an Irish Catholic Priest as you'd see, but he knew the pulpit was not the place to preach politics from. His sermons were long-winded and related to man's salvation, which is what they are supposed to be!!!! He thought Teddy Kennedy was a disaster for true liberalism and in his attempt at salvation after murder, was destroying the liberal movement in America that sought to help lift a man from his troubles; not to carry him on your back your entire life.

He was also ordained in Rome (they took the top two seminarians each year from across America) where the classes are taught in Latin and he wrote his PhD dissertation in Sacred Theology in Latin. He was assuredly not your normal intellect, which is why he was in his position at St. Patrick's Cathedral and presided over all the details of RFK's mass as well as planning the entire itinerary of the Pope's visit around that time.

The Catholic church, which I am close to leaving, is in my opinion now as much about money as it is about saving souls. To me, it talks a good game but has place the B team on its playing field.

Just my Catholic 2 cents,
Walsh

P.S. I'll bet that after a few hundred years, Galileo is sure glad that his excommunication was reversed!