The priests side of the story

[MikeK]

So, I do agree with you MikeK and think your position is accurate. I just wish our news media was more objective and honest in their reporting. I think news has a responsibility to everyone to be honest and truthful and not biased so as to scandalize intentionally any one or any group simply because they disagree with them. I may be wrong but I suspect you agree?

Absolutely. I have yet to read a news article that is content to give only the apparent facts of this case without either trying to make the Priest look like a jerk, or, from so-called "Catholic" news sources, trying to smear the woman and exonerate the Priest. The blogger Michie linked to seemed to be very fact-focussed and enemotional, but blogs don't really count as news sources.

We as Catholics are going to be on the recieving end of some criticisms from gay rights groups, from abortion rights groups, from pro-death penalty groups, from fundamentalist Christian groups if Santorum or Gingrich get the nomination, from contraception rights groups, etc. We must all, especially those ordained and working for the Church, be careful to be correct in what we do. Failure to do so makes us all of Catholocism look unorganised, confused and worst of all, fake, to the casual observer.

This is why I hard on about bad arguments. We don't oppose gay marriage because of magnets, we don't oppose abortion because pictures of dead babies are gross, we don't make individual judgements based on guesses about who should and should not be refused the Eucharist. We have been given plain, thorough instructions by our Church. We believe marriage is between one man and one woman until death do them part. We believe that all unnecesarry taking of human life is wrong. We believe that our clergy do not have any authority to act in a manner contrary to Canon Law - no matter what other people do. In order to avoid looking like a total sham, we must be diciplined. First, we must police ourselves as individuals and dedicate ourselve to continuous improvement. Second, we must hold our fellow Catholics, including clergy, to high standards. What non-Catholics do is up to them, we have to keep our backyard spotless if we want to attract others to it.

 

[Miss Shelby]

There was no reason for her to go to the media other than the whole thing being a setup.

I thought the same thing, that maybe she provoked him right before the mass, but not having heard the actual conversation that took place I don't know. It sounds like a misunderstanding. Here is another interesting tid bit.

Bp. Knestout’s March 9 letter on Fr. Guarnizo « In the Light of the Law

 

[Michie]

The betrayal of Father Guarnizo sends a chilling message to every priest in DC...
The betrayal of Father Guarnizo sends a chilling message to every priest in Washington: that if he is zealous in defending the Eucharist, he cannot count on support from the archdiocese. Since other radical activists will no doubt follow Barbara Johnson’s example, we can expect another test case soon. Let’s hope and pray that the next time...

 

[JacktheCatholic]

The betrayal of Father Guarnizo sends a chilling message to every priest in DC...
The betrayal of Father Guarnizo sends a chilling message to every priest in Washington: that if he is zealous in defending the Eucharist, he cannot count on support from the archdiocese. Since other radical activists will no doubt follow Barbara Johnson’s example, we can expect another test case soon. Let’s hope and pray that the next time...

Forewarned is forearmed. I hope the next time the Catholic Church is above reproach. Of course, it would not be news worthy then. lol

 

[WarriorAngel]

The person that you call "this blogger" is a Canon Lawyer. Do you know what that is?

Be very careful.

DO you not think canon lawyers can have an opinion?
Also depending on how Traditional he is too. Or is he a convert?

So many things can affect an opinion.

But i showed you the canon - it is self evident to be the priests authority to avoid giving the HOLY Eucharist to ppl in mortal sin.

And the Apostles said those who receive unworthily are damned.
What person unless without compassion - would give someone the Eucharist knowing they are in mortal sin?

Does the liberalism in the Church want to so bad placate ppl they are willing to send them to hell?

 

[WarriorAngel]

Honestly, when is lover used that doesn't mean sexual partner?

It's not.
Which makes the arguing defense ridiculous.


lov·er/ˈləvər/

Noun:

• A person having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone, esp. outside marriage.

You cannot bend this backwards or sideways.
Furthermore she admiitted to living with said lover and while trying to set up the priest - she let it known on tv she lived with her... !

Let us go find a neurologist to figure this one out....really? DO we need to bring in a brain surgeon?

I mean really - anything to go after a priest and not the sinner?

 

[Michie]

It's not.
Which makes the arguing defense ridiculous.


lov·er/ˈləvər/


Noun:

• A person having a sexual or romantic relationship with someone, esp. outside marriage.

You cannot bend this backwards or sideways.
Furthermore she admiitted to living with said lover and while trying to set up the priest - she let it known on tv she lived with her... !

Let us go find a neurologist to figure this one out....really? DO we need to bring in a brain surgeon?

I mean really - anything to go after a priest and not the sinner?

Yeah I thought that was really reaching too.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Uh, yeah, it doesn't water it down. The priest did not know at the time she was Buddhist, or she had a thing against the Church; he literally met her at the funeral.

Not saying lover does not point to it, but
a) there's always the slight possibility it doesn't
b) the public aspect of it was unknown

If anyone is that lacking in intellect, which evidently we see she has her cognitive faculties, to tell a priest of all people that you have a lover and then run away leaving said lover to stand in the way to keep priest away from you - then she deserves NOT to receive EVEN IF it was not sexual.

It was a set up. And i think she is so engrossed in filth that she knew full well what would happen and delighted in trying to remove an orthodox priest.

Do not insult my intelligence. All the evidence sits right there for us.

 

[Michie]

Well to ne fair... LOL!

If she had went into the sacristy proclaimng Jesus as the Lover of her soul she probably would had received communion.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Yeah I thought that was really reaching too.

The Death of Common Sense

C.S. breathed his last. Services will be at Whispering Pines Cemetery. C.S. was preceded in death by his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and one son, Reason. He is survived by two step-brothers, Half-Wit and Dim-Wit.

Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought.
Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.


​

 

[WarriorAngel]

Well to ne fair... LOL!

If she had went into the sacristy proclaimng Jesus as the Lover of her soul she probably would had received communion.

She might have been disloyal to Buddha, who knows....but if she would have said she was the lover of Jesus, i doubt the other woman - would have stood in the way of the priest.

I mean, really? Who acts like a thug to a priest? The whole thing is nuts.

See, i think lesbian ladies knew the priest - he has a rep apparently and to get him removed they probably thot it out. Including getting big one to stand in his way - go up for Communion and be refused because he is after all - orthodox - then run a bee line to the media with this sob story - to get the priest kicked out.
IT worked.

Sadly, it worked. I cannot say how incensed i feel. I would be livid except the Lord is going to crown this priest.
IMHO.

 

[Michie]

Common sense does seem to be a lost virtue anymore.

 

[Michie]

She might have been disloyal to Buddha, who knows....but if she would have said she was the lover of Jesus, i doubt the other woman - would have stood in the way of the priest.

I mean, really? Who acts like a thug to a priest? The whole thing is nuts.

See, i think lesbian ladies knew the priest - he has a rep apparently and to get him removed they probably thot it out. Including getting big one to stand in his way - go up for Communion and be refused because he is after all - orthodox - then run a bee line to the media with this sob story - to get the priest kicked out.
IT worked.

Sadly, it worked. I cannot say how incensed i feel. I would be livid except the Lord is going to crown this priest.
IMHO.

I feel badly for this priest. Being involved with funerals a lot given my nursing home duities, I know that the priest had to have some inkling prior. Funeral arrangements? Definitely. Then with the sacristy incident? C'mon.

This Barbra woman used her own mother's funeral as a platform. I can't tell you how disgusted I am by that.

 

[Anhelyna]

Michie - you said in the previous post

I feel badly for this priest. Being involved with funerals a lot given my nursing home duities, I know that the priest had to have some inkling prior. Funeral arrangements? Definitely. Then with the sacristy incident? C'mon.

BUT if you had read the article linked to in the opening post in the thread , you would have seen this

Here are the facts: On Saturday February 25th I showed up to officiate at a funeral Mass for Mrs. Loetta Johnson. The arrangements for the Mass were also not my own. I wish to clarify that Ms. Barbara Johnson (the woman who has since complained to the press), has never been a parishioner of mine. In fact I had never met her or her family until that morning.

Is it time perhaps to put this whole unsavoury business to bed and stop chewing over it time and time and time again

 

[Michie]

Michie - you said in the previous post





BUT if you had read the article linked to in the opening post in the thread , you would have seen this



Is it time perhaps to put this whole unsavoury business to bed and stop chewing over it time and time and time again

Yes. But I'm speaking from my experience in my parish. Why do you think I brought up the sacristy incident? Seems a bit contrived & definitely put the priest in a horrible position.

I'm sure there are more priests in DC than in my area. But here, we usually know the deceased aong with the family.

 

[Anhelyna]

Yeah - well he said he didn't - so stop slamming him for his lack of knowledge and stop saying he must have known

 

[Michie]

Yeah - well he said he didn't - so stop slamming him for his lack of knowledge and stop saying he must have known

Again, speaking from my experience. How it operates here.

I'm on the priest's side. The sacristy incident was enough.

I'm not slamming him so you're confused.

 

[Anhelyna]

I'm not confused - the difference is that I do actually read the posts and any associated links

I also pointed out right at the beginning when the problem was first raised and there was all this hoo-haa that we didn't know the full circumstances - and I hold to that opinion - and what has come out has , to my mind and others here , proved my point .

 

[Michie]

I'm not confused - the difference is that I do actually read the posts and any associated links

I also pointed out right at the beginning when the problem was first raised and there was all this hoo-haa that we didn't know the full circumstances - and I hold to that opinion - and what has come out has , to my mind and others here , proved my point .

Yes I read them too actually. My opinion is this lady used her mother's funeral as a platform. Otherwise there would not be any media attention & it would be a private matter. Her appearance in the sacristy with her lover says it all imo. With the info that has been given. I stand by that. So... *shrug*

I stand by the priest in this matter until I find out otherwise.

All I have to go by is my experience of how things work in my parish.

 

[MikeK]

The sacristy incident was enough.

The scaristy incident which was reported to a webzine by a single person who wouldn't give their name?