Catholic priest on Hannity & Colmes ***YIKES***

[ProCommunioneFacior]

This thread has gotten ridiculous.

Sean was told what he needs to correct.

If he says that he is a good Catholic, then I hope he takes it seriously and makes the necessary corrections.

In the meantime I'll pray for him, and for the good work that Fr. Euteneuer does.

Time to get back to work.

 

[Tigg]

Wow! After your views, geocajun, tis a must watch for me now!

-Peace-

 

[geocajun]

Wow! After your views, geocajun, tis a must watch for me now!

-Peace-

well I hope you read all of my posts in this thread so you can infer my true opinion

 

[God_of_Mercy]

I felt a little embarassed for both sides.

 

[No Swansong]

I watched it and did not like when the Priest called him a heretic.. *shrugs*

Obviously I cannot debate here but I did want to make a comment. Does it not take a Bishop to declare someone a heretic?

 

[Caedmon]

"we agree with the Catholic Church about the value of human life and the undesirability of abortion . . ."

It's interesting that the statement reads, "the undesirability," not "the immorality," of abortion.

 

[Caedmon]

and I think Fr. E. looked foolish in the end - particularly for saying he would deny him communion like he did (especially while smiling).

Yeah, that does seem a little smug. I don't think Jesus would have the same "I'm gonna gitcha" smirk on his face. *shrug*

 

[Proeliator]

When I see threads like this, I am disgusted by them. This wasn't a call to conversion for Shawn, it was much more a call to leave.. it was a public display which wasn't necessary at all. Guys like Shawn do a lot of good for the catholic church, and to see him hung out to dry like this is sickening. You don't think he is constantly harassed about his faith? are you kidding? He may not be as catholic as you'd like him, but he is making a difference. If he is a weed, Jesus will pull him out of the garden just like He said He would. There is no reason for a cleric to get on his show and call him a heretic and tell him he would deny him communion and then for us to celebrate the cleric at Shawn's expense. Hurrah! he heretic is exposed!
Suck it up Shawn...

It's quite simple really. If Sean hadn't have come out on National TV proclaiming his faith, it would not really have mattered much. But once he publibally declared it, and people know he speaks as a Catholic, he should not knowlingly directly contradict Church teaching. It wasn't accidental, where he didn't know the official stance of the Church. He is just more concerned about his ratings than being a good Catholic. The way he threw around the abuse scandals was plenty proof of that.

Yeah, that does seem a little smug. I don't think Jesus would have the same "I'm gonna gitcha" smirk on his face. *shrug*

If your going to make some kind of comparison to Christ out of this, it should be to when He drove the moneychangers and such out of the temple.

 

[Miss Shelby]

More proof that there is no priest shortage. There is merely a surplus of artificial Catholics.

Exactly.

.

 

[D'Ann]

http://www.hli.org/sl_2007-03-09.html

I guess that Sean had Father on to take him to task for writing this letter:

[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]Spirit & Life [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]“The words I spoke to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63)[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Human Life International e-Newsletter[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Volume 01, Number 58 | [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Friday, March 9, 2007[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sean Hannity's Gospel[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In an age of sophisticated dissent against Christ and His Church, the purity of the Ancient Faith needs defense so that people do not put their faith in "another gospel," says St. Paul (Gal 1:7). In the face of modern challenges to the Faith, Catholics who have a high profile in media, culture and government have a very grave responsibility to witness it correctly; otherwise, they will be held accountable in heaven for their anti-witness which affects the faith of millions.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]For example, last Friday Sean Hannity took a few moments out of his afternoon radio show to make an apology. When I heard that the rather brash Hannity was actually going to apologize for something I was interested to find out what that would be. At first he sounded very[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]sincere in saying we have to take responsibility for our mistakes. Fine so far. Then he went on to tell his hearers that he had taken two bites of a chicken sandwich that day because he had been traveling and literally forgot it was a Friday of Lent. He stopped eating it when he[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]realized it was a Friday, but he used the opportunity on the show to make a fairly big deal about the "eat meat on Friday and you can go to hell" issue.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Well, even though he claims to be a "good Catholic," Hannity is hardly a credible commentator on Catholic matters. The chicken sandwich scandal was fairly trivial in the overall scheme of his show, but it said much more about the depth of his faith than anything else. I suspect that a great number of Catholics live their faith in the same[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]way—rule-bound and juvenile—but we need something better from a public "Catholic" like Hannity. We need a vibrant witness of someone who knows and embraces his Faith as deeply as he articulates his political passions.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Just for the record, he did not commit a sin when he ate the chicken sandwich—he had no intention to violate the Church precept, and he corrected himself immediately when he realized what he did. That's not a sin, and issuing a dramatic "apology" for doing that is, well, entertainment, not witness. This, unfortunately, is what passes for a deep discussion of the Catholic Faith in the public forum nowadays.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If apologies are the order of the day, then the repentance I would like to hear out of Sean Hannity's mouth is for his shameless—even scandalous—promotion of birth control. Yes, I have heard him personally say, "I have no problem with birth control. It's a good thing." (Another bit of profound theological reasoning.) Given the size of his audience and the importance of his status in pop culture,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Hannity's anti-witness to a fundamental tenet of Catholic moral doctrine is just devastating for the faith of others who may be weak or vacillating in this area. His impact is greater, and so his judgment will be stricter. "To those who have been given more, more will be required…"[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The moral of the story is that Catholic men and women in the media need to be truly Catholic or at least stop being hypocrites. We have enough pretenders to the title of Catholic in public life without being treated to superficial assessments of profound moral issues. Rules are important, but Lent is not about rule-breaking, it's about conversion of heart; and on the most important moral issues of our day, public Catholics like Hannity have no right to profess "another gospel," or the faith of millions—and indeed their own souls—are in serious jeopardy.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Sincerely Yours in Christ,[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]President, Human Life International[/FONT]

I love Father Euteneuer. He is truly a loving and compassionate Priest. It's good that he had the courage and strength of character to share the truth with Hannity. My hope and prayer is that Hannity will find his way back home to being in full communion with the teachings of the Magisterium, especially, on the abortion issue.

 

[Miss Shelby]

Guys like Shawn do a lot of good for the catholic church,

What has he done? This is a serious question, I'm ignorant about the works that's he's done for the Church. I do remember him saying a few years ago that he, as a Catholic, didn't believe in Mary's perpetual virginity, but I just figured he didn't understand it and shrugged it off. Even though he said it on his show in front of heaven knows how many viewers. In any event I'd like to know what he's done to further the good of the Church so I don't run off with a bias about him, as I do like and respect his view in other areas.

 

[geocajun]

What has he done? This is a serious question, I'm ignorant about the works that's he's done for the Church. I do remember him saying a few years ago that he, as a Catholic, didn't believe in Mary's perpetual virginity, but I just figured he didn't understand it and shrugged it off. Even though he said it on his show in front of heaven knows how many viewers. In any event I'd like to know what he's done to further the good of the Church so I don't run off with a bias about him, as I do like and respect his view in other areas.

He said that? I am surprised if thats true - that he really doesn't believe that. There is a book called "Swimming with Scapulars" which the author discusses catholic books which aren't theological, but they are definitely catholic, such as Lord of the Rings, and many other examples.
This is similar to what I see from Shawn, he may not be pushing the theology, but he is formed by the catholic church, and he is a public voice affirming that formation. From the things such as wearing ash on his head on Ash Wednesday, to the In much the same way I am in my secular work bridging that gap by being a voice of catholic reason when I can. Shawn makes no secret that he is catholic, and those that agree with him politically (which there are many) are reached by that, and influenced by that. It would be quite another thing if he were John Kerry, and openly dissenting from the church - then he would be far more harmful than good. This simply is not the case with Sean, yet there is no distinction being made here. I guess its his turn...

 

[AMDG]

Wow! A lesson in how NOT to debate! And as usual, when there is guilt, the guilty person tries to change the subject ("look at the priest scandal" --IOW "don't look at my actions, although they ARE hypocritical". If that doesn't work, he tries to assign blame ("don't judge me!) and they try to point to their background (while telling everyone how illustrious it is.) Oh, and I forgot, the guilty, raise their voices and try to keep the other person from offering a complete thought--whether it be an opinion or to answer a question that the guilty party asked.

No, I didn't think the priest was acting "smug" when he said that he would not give Communion to Hannity. He was just doing his job (he really couldn't) and BTW if we are honest, Hannity himself (by no longer being in communion with what the Church teaches) is actually the one who has made himself unable to Receive Communion. (Not giving Communion to Hannity--under the circumstance--would be an act of kindness on the part of the priest.)

 

[Miss Shelby]

He said that? I am surprised if thats true - that he really doesn't believe that.and influenced by that.

Yes, he did because I distictly remember thinking that if I were his mama I'd call him up and give him a good tongue lashing. Unfortunatley, that's about all I remember about it, I don't remember why he was even discussing it on his show. And I thought that making a stink about it, such as emailing him or what not, would be silly, as it could just be counterproductive. But now he's entered discussing morality, and there is no arguing that advocating birth control, for any reason, goes against Church teaching. And if he has been raised Catholic, then he knows that.

 

[geocajun]

Wow! A lesson in how NOT to debate! And as usual, when there is guilt, the guilty person tries to change the subject ("look at the priest scandal" --IOW "don't look at my actions, although they ARE hypocritical". If that doesn't work, he tries to assign blame ("don't judge me!) and they try to point to their background (while telling everyone how illustrious it is.) Oh, and I forgot, the guilty, raise their voices and try to keep the other person from offering a complete thought--whether it be an opinion or to answer a question that the guilty party asked.

No, I didn't think the priest was acting "smug" when he said that he would not give Communion to Hannity. He was just doing his job (he really couldn't) and BTW if we are honest, Hannity himself (by no longer being in communion with what the Church teaches) is actually the one who has made himself unable to Receive Communion. (Not giving Communion to Hannity--under the circumstance--would be an act of kindness on the part of the priest.)

How do we know Hannity isn't in communion with the church? Because....?

We've established here:

1. Hannity make a spectacle of his forgetting to abstain on a Friday during Lent.
2. Hannity isn't opposed to non-catholics using contraceptives.
3. Hannity supposedly doesn't believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary.

None of these things incur automatic excommunication, and even things which do incur automatic excommunication require one to be aware of the canonical penalty associated with obstinately refusing to believe them, or doing whatever action is disallowed. Seans bishop hasn't said a word that I am aware of about Sean being excommunicated.

However....

Fr. E from HLI publicly declares he is a heretic and wouldn't give him communion in his parish.

So... what? Who cares what Fr. E. thinks? he isn't the one who gets to decide these things, and neither are we.

Unless I missed something in my summary, then I hope Fr. E. gets counseled by his bishop to be less bold in the future. He was wrong to act out emotionally like he did. I wouldn't be at all suprised if Sean becomes either worse spiritually, or simply leaves the catholic church altogether. I doubt he will though given the fact that he stated he could care less about what Fr. E. thinks of him.

 

[AMDG]

How do we know Hannity isn't in communion with the church? Because....?

There is no arguing that advocating birth control, for any reason, goes against Church teaching. Can you even imagine the scandal of all the souls led astray by this public figure advocating what is against Church teaching? BTW I particularly found that artificial scenario of his rather offensive. You know where he asked the priest to choose between BC and abortion and gave no time to answer. Hannity was just plain rude to a priest of the Church, a spiritual father.

 

[geocajun]

There is no arguing that advocating birth control, for any reason, goes against Church teaching. Can you even imagine the scandal of all the souls led astray by this public figure advocating what is against Church teaching? BTW I particularly found that artificial scenario of his rather offensive. You know where he asked the priest to choose between BC and abortion and gave no time to answer. Hannity was just plain rude to a priest of the Church, a spiritual father.

I edited my post while you were responding, and I think it addressed your points.

We've established here:

1. Hannity make a spectacle of his forgetting to abstain on a Friday during Lent.
2. Hannity isn't opposed to non-catholics using contraceptives.
3. Hannity supposedly doesn't believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary.

None of these things incur automatic excommunication, and even things which do incur automatic excommunication require one to be aware of the canonical penalty associated with obstinately refusing to believe them, or doing whatever action is disallowed. Seans bishop hasn't said a word that I am aware of about Sean being excommunicated.

However....

Fr. E from HLI publicly declares he is a heretic and wouldn't give him communion in his parish.

So... what? Who cares what Fr. E. thinks? he isn't the one who gets to decide these things, and neither are we.

Unless I missed something in my summary, then I hope Fr. E. gets counseled by his bishop to be less bold in the future. He was wrong to act out emotionally like he did. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Sean becomes either worse spiritually, or simply leaves the catholic church altogether. I doubt he will though given the fact that he stated he could care less about what Fr. E. thinks of him.

I will add as well that being rude to a cleric (hannity is a priest as well) does not incur automatic excommunication either.

 

[Miss Shelby]

Okay, well, is there anything that should be done/said about what Sean Hannity has said, which we know goes against Church teaching?

 

[geocajun]

Okay, well, is there anything that should be done/said about what Sean Hannity has said, which we know goes against Church teaching?

well sure, pastoral and catechetical care and feeding are needed. I am sure in some strange way Fr. E. felt what he was doing by ostracizing Sean on TV was pastoral, but I think it was obvious by Sean's reaction that he failed to reach him at all, and only made it more difficult for others to reach him later. There are very few things one can do which merit the kind of hurtful comments Sean received.
Fr. E. would have been great had he merely corrected Sean without the name calling (heretic) and the excommunication gesture (you can't receive communion).

 

[Miss Shelby]

Fr. E. would have been great had he merely corrected Sean without the name calling (heretic) and the excommunication gesture (you can't receive communion).

I agree.