PASTOR'S LETTER SUPPORTING THE POPE

I thought I would post my 3rd Sunday of Easter bulletin letter.  As the Vicar for Clergy for the Diocese of Rockford, I encouraged all priests of the diocese to come to the defense of the Pope and this is my attempt to do so for the parishes of St. Mary/St. Patrick Catholic Church Durand, Irish Grove, Illinois.

 

 

 

FROM THE PASTOR

PRAYING FOR THE POPE

Dear Parishioners,

On April 19, 2005, our Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected by the Holy Spirit as the 265^th successor of St. Peter and took the name Benedict XVI.

I’m sure you have not escaped the onslaught of criticism from our national press on the person of Pope Benedict XVI. There is no doubt the scourge and evil of pedophilia by some priests and the inaction of some bishops are shameful and sinful. However, where the media first helped to end the atmosphere of silence, now, it has rashly jumped to horrific, false, mean-spirited and just plain poor journalism in its treatment of the Pope who has universally addressed the sinful issue in a concise, authoritative and pastoral way. Put simply:

The Pope is absolutely, categorically, and completely innocent of any wrongdoing regarding the cover-up of the sexual abuse of children. On further examination, the media’s "proof" does not hold up to scrutiny.

In fact, he is the one person who has done the most in the Church to bring the evil to light and establish policies and procedures to combat this evil.

Without his support, the US Bishops would have been unable to put in place the procedures and policies that have virtually eliminated all clergysexual abuse within the Catholic Church in the United States.

The Media has selectively analyzed documents without knowing the context, translated documents inappropriately and given Pope Benedict, whenhe was Cardinal Ratzinger, responsibilities he did not have at the time the abuse occurred.

Some in the Media are seeking to destroy the Pope and use this crisis as a vehicle for change in the Church regarding sexual issues, celibacy, and women's role in the Church.

There is no smoking gun that will tear down this Pope. He is an innocent man. But it is possible for lies, innuendo, and malicious slander to so poison people's minds that the Church will be greatly damaged and the Pope's own safety will be compromised.

If you would like to read some valuable and respectable media outlets that offer a fair, balanced, and truthful review of the issues, I would direct your attention to the following websites (also available on our parish website:

http://www.mercatornet.com/justb16/

A good website that summarizes with daily updates on the crisis

www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2&entry_id=2746

A new article by Michael Sean Winters on the media’s portrayal of Pope Benedict

http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?ID=632

An excellent article by Phillip Lawlor on the media’s portrayal of Pope Benedict

http://www.catholicvoteaction.org/americanpapist/index.php 

One of the best and most popular Catholic blogs

http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/ Another excellent and reputable Catholic blog

Look for Articles by George Weigel, Damian Thompson (of the Telegraph of London), Ed Koch and other Jewish leaders supporting the Pope. Obviously Bill Donohue of the Catholic League is worth checking out. You may also check out my own blog at http://anamchara.blogs.com for updates and commentary.

I offer this information as we Catholics continue to encounter attempts to destroy the Vicar of Christ, Pope Benedict XVI. Only through our prayers and seeking the truth can we be set free and be defenders of the truth in name and in fact. Make no mistake, there is no room in the Church for the sinful acts of any priest, but to condemn the Holy Father for being the one, faithful shepherd to remove these priests and ensure the code of silence be destroyed –this, too, is a grave and terrible evil.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Msgr. Eric R. Barr Pastor