Is a Catholic Forum a place for Catholics to exchange ideas and discuss the issues civilly, or is it a forum to attack the Church and villify Priests?

-- Father Chris LaBarge (marydelfr@starband.net), April 15, 2002

Answers

Unfortunately, Father, apparently some people don't read the moderator's notes before they post that initial post. It's funny you ask this because I was just thinking the same thing last night. This is a Catholic message board. It's a place for Catholics to talk to one another, ask questions, etc. and non-Catholics to go to ask *respectful* questions regarding our beliefs. It's not titled Catholic Bashing Board. Or Come Try To Convert Catholics And Warn Them of Their Wicked Ways Board.

Fortunately, though, these people don't usually stay too terribly long and we are lucky to have a moderator that doesn't allow that to get out of hand. Is it upsetting or disconcerting? Sure, at times. But Catholics have been bashed for their beliefs for a long, long time. We should pretty much be used to it by now. Doesn't mean I like it. Just means I've come to expect it.

God Bless

-- Jackiea (sorry@dontlikespam.com), April 15, 2002.

Father

It is a sad state we are in with the things I see in my former hometown area. But, I am worried as you are about the way the things have gone in the Boston area. I as you may know now have asked on several posts for people to be more prayerful and show less hatred towards Cardinal Law and his problems. It seems like this forum has turned into a Judgmental group of a few individuals who are on a vigilante ride. I see this behavior becoming a Catholic bashing Catholic forum with the outside influences taking hold of our consiences.

It is obvious to me and some others that Cardinal Law is the best man for the job of weeding out the bad schaff in the wheat in his area. To remove him would only slow down the process and cause more division. To push Cardinal Law and the immediate investigators is only going to complicate matters all the more and introduce errors and cause great harm to the innocent.

Father, it is with prayer that I do hope that cooler heads will prevail and this situation will be behind us in due time, as GOD is now in control of all of this and it will be his will that is done, not the vigilantes. I as usual will keep praying for Cardinal Law that this crisis will be behind him soon. If this escalates any further the damage will take many years to heal. Let us PRAY FOR GOD TO HEAL THE CHURCH. AMEN.

-- Fred Bishop (fcbishop@globaleyes.net), April 15, 2002.

Fr. LaBarge,

The purpose here is to give Catholics a chance to build their knowledge and strengthen their faith. The trouble is, the internet being open to everyone, these ideals sometimes get lost in dealing with people who want no more than to cause disruption or spread malice.

When we get people who do this repeatedly, I end up deleting first just their offensive posts, then later all their posts for the day as well as anyone's who responds to them. Sooner or later everyone in this group so far has tired of posting for no reason and eventually reformed or left.

Moderator

-- Moderator ("Catholic_moderator@hotmail.com"), April 15, 2002.

Not everyone agrees on the Cardinal Law situation, but that doesn't make everyone who doesn't a bad person. Just because some of us think he should resign doesn't mean we're being "influenced" by the media or anything else (and in fact, just what comes out of official Church sources is alarming enough, even if you don't add in the mainstream media).

And as long as people are civil about it, we can agree to disagree.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), April 15, 2002.

Jmj

Hello, Fr. LaBarge.
Here is a link to the "Moderator's Note" thread, which some of us occasionally raise it to the top of the "Recent Answers" list.
Unfortunately, the owner of the forum does not provide a way to cause the thread to remain easily accessible to new visitors at all times.

God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), April 15, 2002.

We of the Catholic faith are "all" hurting as a result of this scandal. It feels like there is an eerie sense of evil overshadowing the Church right now (and the entire world, for that matter).

However, I do believe that there is something very powerful going on here, something none of us truly understand. Our priests, and those who are well versed in Revelations may understand. I truly, truly, feel deeply in my heart and soul that Satan is working overtime in our church and our world. There is so much evil everywhere every day.

As catholics, we must say the rosary every day, every day, 3 decades if we can. We must pray for peace and we must say the St. Michael Prayer. Prayer changes things and we must say the name Jesus as often as we can because Satan hates Jesus and he hates Our Lady and he hates the rosary. Prayer is our weapon against all this evil.

Let us also pray for our Cardinals and Bishops and that there meeting with the Pope proves to be fruitful.

I would like to make a suggestion. I think "all" pastors in the U.S.A. should make a national prayer day, even universal prayer day, so Catholics all over the world pray for our church and for the victims of this terrible scandal. We should pray "inside" our churches, say the rosary together, with a "priest" leading us into the rosary. Let us work and pray together with our priests during this very difficult time. Our good priests need our prayers, our church needs prayers, our world needs prayers...

May God Bless us all and forgive us for judging...we have no right to judge another - let us leave that up to God, for Jesus says, "Those without sin may cast the first stone." Let us stop throwing stones at the cardinals and bishops - yes, they must be held accountable for the part they played that led to this scandal, but my heart tells me that they really thought they handled it the right way. Unfortunately, they didn't and now it backfired. May God lead our Bishops and Cardinals to do the right thing in the future...please, Dear Jesus, let the healing begin! Amen

-- cathy colarusso (marlborocat@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

I forgot: We must also pray for the very sick priests who did these awful things. Jesus says we must pray for those who persecute us. It is easy to pray for those we love, or like, those who have been kind to us. It is difficult to pray for those who have hurt us, but sometimes they are the people who need prayer the most. So, I ask when you pray, to remember the sick priests in your prayers because they need the prayers.

-- cathy colarusso (marlborocat@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.