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Randall Terry's Unexpected Enemies
By Jacqueline L. Salmon
Plenty of quiet grumbling is going on among conservative Catholics about Randall Terry, who has kicked up a lot of dust in the Catholic world recently.
The Catholic convert and anti-abortion activist has vowed to send "shock troops" in to protest Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama to speak at its spring commencement. And he recently publicized a videotaped interview he conducted with Archbishop Raymond Burke, who implicitly criticized Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Va., for giving Communion to Catholic politicians who disagree with the Vatican's position on abortion.
Terry hasn't won many fans among traditionalist Catholics, even though they agree with his positions. They've long been unhappy with Notre Dame (among other things, for permitting productions of "The Vagina Monologues") and have tried to push more bishops into publicly denying Communion to high-profile Catholics over abortion. But they're less than happy with him, particularly for embarrassing Burke, who was forced to apologize for the "confusion and hurt" that the use of the videotape caused bishops.
Burke is a hero to activist conservative Catholics, who contrast his outspoken views on the Communion issue with what they see as the timidity of most American bishops on the matter.
But few will go public with their unhappiness with Terry. One emailed us that there is "no desire to get into a public pi**ing match with Randall Terry." But among the few who will go public is Deal Hudson, author and blogger
"We don't need to weaken the voice of bishops like Archbishop Burke, who speaks courageously and publicly and often alone," Hudson said. "These kinds of episodes can, unfortunately, cast a damaging light on all of us who are trying to urge the church to more strongly voice its own position on life, marriage and family."
The Rev. Frank Pavone, who runs Priests for Life, an antiabortion group, isn't very happy with Terry for the Burke dust-up either, saying that Burke would never had consented for the videotape to be used the way it was. But, he says, you have to keep in mind just who Randall Terry is.
"He creates tension for change. He has always done this and he's accomplished a lot of good things."
Pavone takes the long view. "He's also a relatively new Catholic and he is still, I think, on a learning curve of dealing with the culture of the Catholic Church structurally speaking. I'm sure he would say this is also part of learning how to best deal with the church structures, which isn't always easy to figure out."
As for Terry, the usually voluble activist says he doesn't want to talk about the criticism, except to say "I would fall on my sword for Archbishop Burke."
By
Jacqueline L. Salmon
|
March 31, 2009; 5:44 PM ET
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God in Government
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Posted by: dunkberg | April 4, 2009 1:56 PM
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Imagine if it was forbidden, on WAPO (onfaith/onreligion & postglobal) to use the words "TER{R}Y}" "RANDA{L}" Or
"JACQ{UE}LI{NE}" Or "SAL{MO{N}" Or "BOOR{STi{N}" Or "FAI{TH}" Or "JEW}i{SH"? Or
"OBAM{A}" , "GO{D}" w/out the Curly Brackets (open & close Quotes Marks Ok) Or "G-{D}" Or
"SA{LLY}" "QU{i}NN" or "DA{VID" "WA{}TERS" or " "FA{R}EED" "ZAK{A}R}IA}" or "DAV-ID" "I{}G{}NATiUS" or the word "Washing{ton}" or "PO{ST" , MOSES, JESUS etc..???
For a test Run of "Ingoodfaith" consideration, Please remove curly brackets in WAPO's Editor & hit "Submit" button. For the Word:
""SH{i}L{O}H" [PEACE BRINGER]. So
WHY would Washington Post or George Town University et al; be soo so afraid of a (biblical) word meaning, "PEACE", Freidan, PAZ, Mir, SHALOM or "SH{}{A}{L}{O}{M}", Salaam, Ahimsah, Zhingyu"?.....?.. Testing:
"HUE{-}MATES"
['Due TO BE' or potentially Evolved HUEMATES, not HUMAN anymore].
"JO{}K}{T}AN" [The UNITED Ancestors]
{WE [i] Cometh from This Father/Mother EBERu line} hence [i] WE; US? are innately evolved as "HUEMATES" not as HUMAN anymore. As Prophecy: WE [i] Removeth the "Scepter & the Rod.. from Both hand & between King DAVID's realm who are "P{E}{L}E{G"ians [The DIVIDED Ancestors]. WE Reverseth the DRUNKIN NOAH [racist] CURSETH/SINETH preposterous Story of Moses & his Jealoused Co., And So
INSTEAD of god, replaced "ITSELF" w/the knowledge of "IT" via the Holyi Cosmic "MELCHIZEDEK PEACE-BLESSING" & more "Good TiDINGS"!
Testing Testing:
"P{E}{L}E{G"
[Means the "DIVIDED" Eber/ABRAHAMICs branch/splinter, Isaac, Ishamael, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Esau, Jesus, includes Muhammad Folks, Mormons too etc.., as their Lineage/Ancestor (NOT OUR's, Never! or unlike US HUEMATE-arians of that Holyi Cosmic NEBULA aware’d "IT"s (G-D) Naturally Selected , aka, Thee Chosen, "JO{}K}{T}AN"ian) EBERu race!
WOW! WHY WAPO???????????? WHO {Sect?, Cult?, Preacher, Editor, Moderator(s) , Mormon {Michael Otterson}, Evangelousical? , rick Warren? {Chuck Colson}? David Waters & Deepak Chopra? The Vatican the Wahabbi's, Chief Rabbinites {Adin Steinsaltz}?, & or Brad Hirsch{field}? etc..} is Behind This Blatant 1st Amendment Violation conspiracy & Jealous Anti Public-Internet DEVILISH/EVIL Censorings???
Wow! Please WAPO & Co., stop Jealously Blocking OUR, not your, Intellectual works about the "IT" [G-D doing work & becoming what one is becoming] And then Borrow for Ye gains or Withholding such whiteboarding hard work from its genuine Authors!?
Posted by: INGOODFAITH | April 4, 2009 12:34 PM
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"He creates tension for change. He has always done this and he's accomplished a lot of good things."
Terry and Pavone seem to have forgotten about Matt. 5:1-10, especially verse 9, "Blessed are the peacemakers".
And when we hear that those like Terry and Pavone care as much about the health care, nutrition, and other concerns of mothers and newborns (esp. those born early) as we do about outlawing abortion, then they might deserve to be called pro-life.
As it is, thanks to the authors of this blog for this use of language, "who runs Priests for Life, an antiabortion group...".
Posted by: GHDEL | April 2, 2009 1:42 PM
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If I was a Democratic politician who was a member of a church whose leaders didn't want me, I wouldn't stay in that Church. There are a lot of Christians who don't practice Roman Catholicism and who don't have to put up with all this nonsense from old white men who don't want to think about sex.
Posted by: mrgavel | April 1, 2009 9:35 PM
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More hoo-ha. Ooh, Randall Terry's coming to Notre Dame. Scare me some more.
Posted by: spatula | April 1, 2009 9:29 AM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
Refusal to allow communion to Catholic politicians who don't agree with the church on abortion, stem cell research, gay marriage etc, is merely another attempt to force society to abide by the beliefs of the fundamentalist few. These folks are the American equivalent of the Taliban.
Think of this as a basic rule - an eleventh commandment: "Thou shall not attempt to force thy beliefs om others."
Now - if only we had an educational system that taught our children to differentiate between those things they know and those things they merely believe!