Eight American bishops call for a rare council to reaffirm Catholic moral teachings.

Eight American bishops call for a rare council to reaffirm Catholic moral teachings.

THE BISHOP'S SECRET LETTER by Deal W. Hudson

Dear Friends,

First of all, thank you, Bud, for sending this message to the Citizens of CatholiCity.com. As you may already know, the Catholic world has been buzzing about a confidential letter composed by eight American bishops in which they called for a Plenary Council to address problems in the Church.

Journalists and pundits have been speculating and debating about the alleged contents of the letter and the identities of the authors. But no one really knew for sure. Until now.

CRISIS managed to obtain a copy of the letter that was sent on July 18 to all the American cardinals and bishops. In it, a group of eight bishops asks that a Plenary Council be called as soon as possible to discuss the "root causes" of-- and possible solutions to--the current crisis in the Church.

RARE PLENARY COUNCIL
Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain what a Plenary Council is and why this letter is so dramatic. Basically, a Plenary Council is a meeting of all the bishops of a given area--in this case, the United States. This isn't an ordinary meeting though. It's the highest form of council that can be called on a national level. It would be like a Vatican Council for the States. In fact, the American bishops haven't called a Plenary Council in more than 100 years.

And it's much different from their semiannual conferences, too. There, the administrative business is done. A Plenary Council, on the other hand, is much more proactive, focusing on "teaching the truths of the faith" (as the letter says). Priests and laypeople would also be able to participate.

WHAT THE EIGHT BISHOP'S WROTE
The eight bishops who wrote this amazing letter are taking a brave stand by urging discussion of those issues that were swept under the rug at the June bishops' meeting. While I can't send you the whole body of the letter, I can share some of it with you.

First, the authors of the letter seem to have a pretty clear understanding of the crisis. Here are a few of the issues they want to face head-on at the Plenary Council: "What has happened to the life and ministry of bishops and priests that makes us vulnerable to the failings that have humiliated us all? What things need to be going on so that in this cultural milieu priests and bishops will preserve their celibate chastity along with all the other virtues that constitute the life of holiness proper to pastors? How can the purification upon which we shepherds have embarked help us, in turn, support our people in achieving greater holiness?"

Notice the absence of wishy-washy bishop speak. These men know there's a problem, and they're going to face it squarely.

COURAGEOUS GOALS
But it gets even better. The bishops get very specific about what they hope to accomplish at the meeting:

Goal 1: "Solemnly receiving the authentic teaching of the Second Vatican Council...on the identity, life and ministry of bishops and priests; on matters of sexual morality in general (cf. Gaudium et Spes, Humanae Vitae, Veritatis Splendor, and Familiaris Consortio); [and] on celibate chastity as an authentic form of human sexuality renewed by grace and a share in Christ's own spousal love for His Church."

It's heartening to hear these bishops raise the issue of sexual morality as taught by Humanae Vitae, as well as "the very soul of holiness" for a priest! These topics have been taboo for so long that it's phenomenal to see bishops address them head-on.

Goal 2: "Giving unequivocal endorsement and normative force to the means outlined in the documents of the Council...to foster the acts of virtue required of pastors and the means needed to achieve those virtues, especially celibate chastity (e.g., daily celebration of the Mass, frequent Confession, daily meditation, regular acts of asceticism, obedient submission to Church teaching and discipline, simplicity of life)."

You can't argue with a return to the fundamentals of the priesthood. This is EXACTLY what priests need to hear: a public endorsement of their vocation and the support of the bishops in encouraging a real back-to-basics approach to religious life.

Goal 3: "Confirming the bishops in the authoritative exercise of our ministry for the health and well being of the church, and strengthening our coworkers in the Presbyterate in their ministry of teaching the Gospel, especially in regard to sexual morality, so that we can give support to the lay faithful in responding to their call to holiness."

Who hasn't been demanding greater accountability and action from the bishops? Clearly, these men seem to understand what's really been bothering American Catholics.

STRONG WORDS SUCH AS "GALVANIZE"
The bishops who drafted the letter also listed the benefits of calling a Plenary Council: It "would provide a galvanizing focus that is authentically evangelical and true to the Church's identity and tradition...[witness] unambiguously to the fact that the Church relies on the grace of the Holy Spirit...involve all strata of the People of God in the experience...have maximal impact in shaping the ecclesial culture...[and] give a definite stamp to identifying what is the authentic heritage of the Second Vatican Council."

"Galvanize"..."witness unambiguously"..."maximal impact"..."definite stamp"... the "authentic" heritage of Vatican II... These are strong words for bishops--a group usually known more for its inaction than its decisive action.

LETTER REPRESENTS ENTIRE SPECTRUM
One last thing. Unfortunately, I can't reveal the names of the authors at this point. However, I can tell you that the list is surprising. These bishops represent the entire theological and political spectrum. That in itself is reassuring: The idea that we need a deep and lasting change isn't limited to any political or theological ideology.

My hat is off to these eight courageous and dedicated bishops -- all that's left now is to hope their colleagues will follow suit and sign on.

In 10 years or so, when this current crisis has hopefully faded away, we may look back on this letter as the event that triggered the renewal of the American Catholic Church. Let's all say a prayer of thanks for the eight bishops who took the first step.

Yours With Christ,

Deal W. Hudson
Editor and Publisher
http://www.crisismagazine.com/

The amazing Bayside Prophecies...
These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995.

PRIESTS UNDERMINING CHURCH
"We see a church of man being built, a church that has no angels guiding it, a church that is made, as the true Church of My Son is being chipped away at, undermined by My Son's own priests! How dare you debase My Son's heritage by allowing all evil to be condoned in His Church!
"You men who are formerly of the light an have given yourselves to the darkness, you condone this foul act of homosexuality. And why? As satan inspires you and directs you, you go about looking for excuses for sin! You condone it with permissiveness! You have taken the direction and the Commandments of your God and you re-evaluate! You take them to your scholars who have heads of fog, and in your masterly, worldly way, you delude those of less learning to believe, because of your high-sounding words and theses, and all manner of scholarly knowledge; you delude those who do not have the God-given knowledge to believe your rot! You even deny the truth of what the Eternal Father did to Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of homosexuality.
"You who cry love your neighbor, do not twist the truth and say that Sodom and Gomorrah fell because they were inhospitable! Oh, no! I say unto you: hospitality had nothing at all to do with this. It was a manner of degrading, debased sin, using a creation of the Father for vile acts, animal acts, and far worse until your filth and pollution has entered into the minds and souls of the young! You defilers of mankind, the skin shall burn off of your bones soon!" Our Lady, April 2, 1977

AN ABOMINATION
"Man shall not condone evil or rationalize sin. Homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God and man! The Creator condemns those who do not repent of this sin." Our Lady, August 5, 1977

BLACK CLOUD OVER AMERICA
"In the days of Sodom, so too were men giving themselves over to all the pleasures of the flesh: eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. All manner of sinful lusts are being committed. Men shameful with men, women casting aside their role of motherhood and lusting after women. As it was in the days of Sodom, so now is this black cloud over America." Our Lady, July 14, 1979

"YOU WILL BE SURELY DESTROYED"
"As in Sodom and Gomorrah, mankind had gone down and given itself over to satan. I ask you now, My children, to turn back from your road to destruction, for you will be surely destroyed as was the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. Homosexuality shall not be condoned. It is an abomination in the eyes of the Eternal Father, and as such, is condemning many to hell." Jesus, June 18, 1991

SHALL NEVER BE ACCEPTED
"Homosexuality shall never be accepted. In the writings of the good Fathers, My child and My children, you were made fully aware in the Old and the New Testament of the Book of life and love, the Bible--you had been made full aware of the dastardly acts of mankind, as men consort with men. This shall not be accepted nor condoned by the Eternal Father even if He has to send another plague upon you." Jesus, August 21, 1985

Directives from Heaven...

D169 - Stigma of a Fallen Hierarchy, Part 1
D170 - Stigma of a Fallen Hierarchy, Part 2
D171 - Stigma of a Fallen Hierarchy, Part 3
D172 - Priestly Celibacy
D173 - Women Priests
D174 - Homosexuality, Part 2
D175 - Defilement of the Young
D176 - Sodom and Gomorrah
D177 – Seminaries

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