Spanish cardinal to close church that strayed too far »

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  Amazing1

  April 6, 2007, 1:42 p.m.

  It sounds as if these three priests are being truly Christian. Helping the poor and the homeless sounds find to me. I applaud them in their efforts and hope they will remain in their posts. What a concept! Imagine, a church helping its congregation with employment and housing! Hope them don't get excommunicated for their Christian efforts.
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  ETproductions

  April 6, 2007, 4:59 p.m.

  A sad commentary on the leadership of the church.
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  Ciera-Marie

  April 6, 2007, 6:13 p.m.

  Okay I'm going to get a little personal here. I was baptized Catholic, Catholic grade school and high school. What this church in Spain was doing before they were forced to be closed iw heroic and they are living the Christian faith. What they are doing is what all good Catholics are taught. Hoepfully all Christians. In reading the story the only reason I can sse that the bishop is closing this church is because they are using donuts or other foods as the body of Christ. Somehow, I don't think Christ would mind. I really don't. This is sad.
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  1-2-Oscar

  April 6, 2007, 6:39 p.m.

  "The priests stopped wearing robes at the request of some of the "young guys," he said, because they reminded them of the robes worn by judges in courts of law. They offered cookies instead of wafers at the suggestion of the mothers."

  I wonder just who these "young guys" are, and how much control they have over the way services are conducted in that parish. I can appreciate a willingness to reach out to the people of the church, and I heartily approve of efforts to provide social services to a needy community--but I don't think that this article is giving us the whole story.
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  DutchScot

  April 6, 2007, 7:10 p.m.

  I am well aware of the problems the Church is facing in the 21st century. And I personally think that those priest did a good thing in trying to help people, that is what we are called to do. All that said, at ordination we make certain promises, one of them is obedience to our bishop.

  I am in a small parish in the South-East and if I wanted to do social ministry, feeding the hungry, helping people find work, provide daycare for the young, etc., my bishop would have no problem. In fact we do some of those things as well as prison ministries, all without running a foul of the bishop. Where I would run into problems is when I would stop celebrating the Eucharist as it is celebrated worldwide in the same manner.

  When we make promises in the Church, we do not choose later on which one to keep and which ones to abandone. We keep them all or leave and become a social worker.
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  Newenglander

  April 6, 2007, 7:59 p.m.

  As always it is not the Parish that is the problem it is the Church that is the problem. All organized religion is bunk.
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  KYRed

  April 6, 2007, 11:35 p.m.

  Oh, the sweet body of Christ!
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  CatholicRedneck

  April 7, 2007, 5:37 a.m.

  "The daily work of thousands of priests, monks and missionaries in some of the world's most inhospitable places shows that it is possible for the church to transmit its message of faith and hope without twisting or changing the essence (of) the liturgy of the Eucharist."

  Changing the liturgy is why the parish is being closed. The social work will continue at that location. It's sad that some people so loathe the Church they are unable to closely read this article and immediately assume that San Carlos Borromeo is being closed because of its work with the poor.

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