The Whiskey Vicar Versus Cardinal Woelki

-

During the process of following up on an article at CNA concerning the petition calling for the removal of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, this blogger happened to land at a parish attended by one of the signers. The homepage of the Parish of St. Lambertus in Mettmann has the following text header:

In unserer Gemeinde ist jede und jeder herzlich willkommen, egal woher er/sie kommt, was er/sie fühlt und wie und wen er/sie liebt. Jede/r wird in dieser Haltung wertgeschätzt und angenommen. Gottes Liebe macht vor Niemandem Halt.

Everyone is warmly welcome in our congregation, regardless of where he/she comes from, what he/she feels, or how and whom he/she loves. Everyone is valued and accepted in this spirit. God's Love Stops for No One.

It would seem the designer of the introduction felt the need to shout the last phrase.
So, curious to determine the exact ideological orientation of the signers of the petition against Cardinal Woelki, a subsequent search revealed a common orientation among the signers which the reader might have guessed by now. Birds of a feather, etc.

The lady doth protest too much, me thinks.

Fr. Wolfgang F. Rothe, the whiskey drinking author of a book with a title that would suggest his objectives are somewhat convoluted, if not completely dubious, is the petition's initiator.

A blurb from the book site. Note the endorser of Fr. Rothe's book.

Queerness in the Catholic Church | Wanted, Loved, Blessed by Wolfgang F. Rothe

(More from this Author)

Queerness in the Catholic Church is a collection of unique personal stories by several LGBTQIA+ Catholics who share their own experiences within the Church. Although the contributors are based in Germany, their experiences connect and relate to all Catholics who have experienced marginalization, discrimination, and hurt by the Church, yet also know the love, beauty, goodness, and faith of Catholicism.

"The subtitle of this collection of painfully honest essays expresses an aspiration for how the Church should look upon our queer members: wanted, loved, blessed. What a wonderful and very faithful starting point for our way of relating to every member of the Body of Christ."

—from the foreword

Endorsements

"Often people ask me, 'How can you be Catholic and LGBTQ?' The answer is easy: LGBTQ people who have been baptized Catholic are both. But just as often these questions are asked because the questioner has no experience with, and has heard no stories from, LGBTQ Catholics. This eye-opening new volume collects many such stories of both the 'joys and hopes' and 'griefs and anxieties,' as the Second Vatican Council said, of this important community in the Church. Come to know their stories, come to know these people, come to know this community, come to know compassion, come to know God." —James Martin, SJ, author of Building a Bridge

The "Whiskey Vicar" has led "blessings" of same-sex couples. He, himself, identifies as same-sex attracted.

The Church accepts that we, all of us, are sinners, and she calls us to repent of our sins and to keep the commands of Christ. It is one thing to acknowledge our common need for the grace of God and to love the sinner. It is another thing entirely to attempt to bless sinful behaviour,... adultery, fornication, false witness, lust, sloth, etc.

Cardinal Woelki is known for his orthodoxy and pro life stance. It may be that the signers of the petition are saying more about their own ideological orientation and motivation by launching what might very well be an attempted smear campaign against someone who opposes their agenda.

CNA reports that

(t)he German-language petition accuses Woelki of moral corruption and argues that he has lost all credibility in the public sphere and the Church at large after investigations of the cardinal were discontinued after the payment of a 26,000-euro (about $29,700) fine. The petition cites the cardinal’s alleged failure to deal with sexual abuse by Church officials as legal basis for dismissal under canon law.

The Vatican concluded in June 2021 that "after a review of the situation surrounding the reports... (Cardinal) Woelki had made "grave errors" regarding communication but said no evidence had been found that his actions were criminal under secular law (Reuters)." Cardinal Woelki has spoken bluntly about moral issues; not nearly, however, as coarsely as Pope Francis did.

A faithful Catholic reading between the lines of the introduction on the Parish website would do well to avoid the Parish of St. Lambertus.

Comments

Post a Comment

Your comments will be appreciated and posted if 1) they are on topic and 2) preserve decorum.

Stand by your word. Do not be anonymous. Use a pseudonym.

Popular Posts

Life At The Altar Rail: 22 Behaviours Categorized

-
Image
Cantius/NLM [ 4 min read ] Some communicants make things interesting (...tricky, delicate, awkward, awesome...) at The Communion. Now don't get the wrong idea. Spoofing one's brothers' and sisters' behaviour is not meant to be proof of one's own moral or spiritual superiority. There's always a need to keep in mind the heart of another when lampooning (or celebrating) the externals, as curious or as laudable as those externals might be. The Moving Target: either the head or the tongue is moving a mile a minute. A good patener knows how to tame the fidget. See also #18: The Rubberneck. The Obstacle Course: fingertips touching the chin or mouth making it difficult for the patener to place the paten beneath the chin. The Curtain: face is completely covered with a veil. The NOFB (Not Open For Business): closed eyes, closed mouth; despite the need for a gentle prompt, typically a deeply reverent person. The Taker: wants to steal the Host from the priest. Note to commu...
Read more

You Know You're In A Progressive Catholic Parish When... .

-
Image
... you rarely (if ever) hear the following phrases. "Party like it's A.D. 1570!" "We should sing more plainchant at this parish." "I'd like to thank the choir for their sublime rendition of the Mass For Five Voices by William Byrd." "I just love the way the four torchbearers process in with such dignity." "People treat the Host like a snack. I think it's time we went back to communion on the tongue." "My entire family goes to Confession every week." "We need a central Tabernacle on the altar." "The altar servers' lace cottas are so beautiful." "I just love Father Steve's sermons about the Real Presence and living a Eucharistic life." "People are leaving in droves for Saint Pius X Parish and the reverent Mass there. Do you think we're doing something wrong here at Harvey Milk Parish?" "I'm thrilled that the design for the new church includes a choir loft....
Read more

Review: Saint Gregory's Prayer Book

-
Image
Two copies of the St. Gregory's Prayer Book (SGPB) arrived a few days ago. It is a lovely work replete with beautiful devotions drawn from the English Patrimony. Both Ordinariate and diocesan Catholics would do well to acquire a copy to access its riches. The SGPB is "a collaborative venture" of the three personal ordinariates and the Anglicanorum Coetibus Society . A blurb from the Ignatius Press site where one can go to purchase copies: https://www.ignatius.com/St-Gregorys-Prayer-Book-P3228.aspx The St Gregory's Prayer Book is a beautifully produced leatherette prayer book compiled by the Ordinariates established by Pope Benedict XVI and drawing on the riches of the Anglican liturgical heritage and the exquisite Cranmerian language of the Book of Common Prayer to further enrich the panoply of Catholic liturgy and devotion. The text includes ancient English collects, introits and hymns available together for the first time for the whole Church...
Read more

You know you're a REAL altar server when... .

-
Image
In a movie theatre, you genuflect before entering the aisle to take a seat. Riding a bus, sitting in class or at the doctor's office, and/or when watching TV, you rest your hands palms down on your thighs, finger tips at your knees. You can identify each and every variety of incense used in the Mass simply by its scent. You habitually wear black socks and black dress shoes... even when wearing shorts for gym class or at the beach. You turn a perfect right angle when entering a building. You have nightmares about serving Mass at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. You hear a bicycle bell ring and you drop to your knees. You can't resist the urge to lift a curtain from the bottom. You have a copy of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described by Adrian Fortescue on your smartphone for recreational reading. You have a copy of Ritual Notes (11th Edition) on your smartphone for recreational reading. As a torchbearer, you can carry a processional candle without spilling one dr...
Read more

TRUE PARTICIPATION IN THE MASS

"I was gathered into the offering of the Son to the Father. I participated in the self-offering of God today."

FEATURED SCRIPTURE | 1 John 1:1-4

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our joy may be complete.

FEATURED QUOTE

You wouldn't abandon ship in a storm, just because you couldn't control the winds. | Saint John Fisher