Quote for the Day: Sexual Abuse Rooted in Abuse of Power Reinforced by Silence and Dishonesty

Rev. Giles Fraser

Quote for the day: Giles Fraser at Thinking Anglicans reflects on the implications of the story of Cardinal Keith O'Brien:

Ongoing Discussion of Cardinal O'Brien Story: A Selection of Commentary

And here's more discussion flowing from the story of Cardinal Keith O'Brien, with thanks to Chris Morley, who provided most of the links below:

Mary Elizabeth Williams on Cardinal O'Brien, Hypocrisy, and "Tyranny of Tolerance"

Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon on O'Brien and the "tyranny of tolerance":

Cardinal O'Brien Tells the Truth, Sort of, and Catholic Non-Conversation Continues

By now, most readers of Bilgrimage will be well aware of the latest breaking news in the stories leading up to the election of a new pope: namely, that Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien issued a statement this weekend acknowledging the truth of the allegations against him, which led to his recent decision to retire and not attend the upcoming papal election conclave. O'Brien's latest statement is on the website of the Scottish Catholic Media Office.

Sunday Commentary on State of Catholic Church As Papal Election Nears

Habemus papam! Well, at least, according to "Saturday Night Live," it appears we do.

Jamie Manson on the "Dark Side" of Proposals to End Mandatory Celibacy: Whither Gay Priests?

To my mind, the operative paragraph in Jamie Manson's recent wise warning to Catholics in favor of the option of married clergy to consider a possible "dark side" of revising the mandatory celibacy requirement is this one:

More Commentary on Current Crisis of Catholicism (and Its Roots in Institutionalized Homophobia)

And yet more valuable commentary about the issues regarding which Michael Bayly and Andrew Sullivan give witness in the posting I've just uploaded:

Gay Catholics Giving Witness in the Teachable Moment of Catholicism's Current Crisis: Michael Bayly and Andrew Sullivan

Yesterday, I wrote that the Vatican gay lobby story and the story of British Cardinal O'Brien place the Catholic community in a teachable moment regarding those who are gay and lesbian.  I said,

Benedict's Resignation, Priests in Panties Scandal, Cardinal O'Brien's Resignation: Catholicism At a Teachable Moment re: Gay and Lesbian Human Beings

We need a different type of pope; more a pastor than a professor, not a man of the Church-institution, but a representative of Jesus of Nazareth who said: "And he that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (Gospel of John, 6,37), be he a homosexual, a prostitute, or a transsexual. 

Leonardo Boff, "What Pope Can We Hope for Who Is Not Another Benedict XVI?"

Scottish Catholic Bishops Ratchet Up Pressure on Government to Rescind Marriage Equality Plans: Reactions

Scottish Catholic Bishops' Conference

Ekklesia reports today that the Catholic bishops of Scotland are stepping up their national campaign to build a coalition of Catholics and other right-wing religious groups to try to force the Scottish government to rescind its plans to permit civil marriage for same-sex couples.  But as Ekklesia notes, there's contention within the Scottish Catholic church over this unprecedented intrusion of the church into the political life of the nation.

In Catholic News: Reaction to Lynn Sentence, AIDS, and Scottish Catholic Leaders

Having a Conversation

*In Catholic news today (I'm shoehorning a lot of material into my postings today in anticipation of our upcoming trip and my blogging hiatus next week):