Gerald T. Slevin: Is Another Shoe about to Fall in the Philly Priests Horror Story?

Jerry Slevin continues to follow the trial of Philadelphia archdiocesan officials carefully, and has provided another statement responding to news that Archbishop Chaput convened archdiocesan priests yesterday and will hold a press conference tomorrow.  What follows is Jerry's posting:

From the Blogs: Phillip Clark on Inquisition of American Nuns

We're often informed by reactionary Catholics that "all" younger Catholics want a return to a pre-Vatican model of Catholicism marked by rigid doctrinal uniformity and Tridentine liturgical practices.  We're told that the Episcopal church is "losing" and the Catholic church is "winning," since the more the Episcopal church moves toward liturgical and doctrinal pluralism, affirms LGBT persons, and allows women access to ministry equal to that of men, people walk away.  Especially the young . . . .

Funders of Anti-Gay Amendment in North Carolina Revealed: Catholic Bishops and NOM Near Top of List

I just wrote, 

We can't have meaningful [Catholic] conversation with the public square when we pretend that who the leaders of our church are and how they behave has nothing to do with what Catholic identity means in the public square. 

Fred Clark (and Marilynne Robinson) on Evangelical Tribalism: Implications for Catholics

Moving Beyond Tribalism

I very much appreciate Fred Clark's valuable work in defining and critiquing evangelical tribalism.  Clark's critique of evangelical tribalism parallels my own of Catholic tribalism, and accents points I accent as I critique the tribalism of my own faith community.  I began writing explicitly about Catholic tribalism when the U.S. Catholic bishops announced their current overtly partisan "religious freedom" war against the Obama administration several months ago.

From the Blogs (Proving You Can't Shut Catholics Up)

Colleen Baker at Enlightened Catholicism on the threat of Bishop Robert Morlino to place St. Mary's parish in Platteville, Wisconsin, under a medieval "interdict" if parishioners keep rebelling against him:

Operative words are "and myself."

John Cornwell on Scruffies v. Straights and Unraveling of Catholic Conversation

In a lively opinion piece in the New Statesman, John Cornwell examines the refractory conversation that now constitutes worldwide Catholicism, and finds it breaking down in developed nations between "scruffies" and "straights."  Scruffies "strive for an inclusive 'big tent' Church (accepting a pluralism of viewpoints and practice, especially on sexual morality and gender)."  Straights "espouse a strictly defined identity, obedient to papal teaching, and declare, for instance, that you can’t help it if you’re gay but it’s a grave sin to get up to anything."

Fintan O'Toole on Vatican Bullying of Irish Priests: "Loud on Liberals, but Silent on Abuse"

Writing in the Irish Times, Fintan O'Toole laments the unbelievable cruelty (the "sadistic humiliation," he calls it) that top Catholic officials are now dishing out to a whole generation of post-Vatican II Irish priests (and, I'd add, nuns in the U.S.) who have served the church with their whole hearts, minds, and souls.  And who now become the enemy, to be hounded, hunted into the ground, whipped and cowed--as a demonstration of the power of the little, threatened men on top of the system.