There have been several interesting reports concerning RCC bishops, episcopal bishops, and their attitudes concerning sex and reproductive justice.
I will post excerpts from three of them.
Read more below the fold:
Here is the description of Randy Sly, the writer of the story, that followed this story in the Catholic Online web page.
Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online. A former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, he and his wife Sandy entered into the full communion of the Catholic church three years ago.His interest in and coverage of the challenges facing the Episcopal church is rooted in his deep concern for all faithful Christians within that community
From New President of Episcopal Divinity School: 'Abortion is a Blessing'
By Randy Sly
4/2/2009
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
The new president of the Episcopal Divinity School is openly gay and an outspoken advocate of abortion and "LGBT" rights.
"These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done."
WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) – The announcement on Monday, March 30 that The Rev. Dr. Katherine Ragsdale was appointed as the sixth and newest president of Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, MA, has orthodox and pro-life Episcopalians shaking their heads.
Ragsdale, who is an outspoken advocate of abortion and LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Transgender) rights, was the unanimous choice of the Board of Trustees and will begin her duties on July 1, 2009.
In addition to the press release and public letter concerning the appointment, the EDS website also has a link to Rev. Ragsdale’s sermon blog. There, the first sermon is entitled, "Our Work is Not Done." The content has been cited and circulated on a large number of pro-life and conservative Christian blogs. An exerpt follows:
"When a woman wants a child but can’t afford one because she hasn’t the education necessary for a sustainable job, or access to health care, or day care, or adequate food, it is the abysmal priorities of our nation, the lack of social supports, the absence of justice that are the tragedies; the abortion is a blessing.
"And when a woman becomes pregnant within a loving, supportive, respectful relationship; has every option open to her; decides she does not wish to bear a child; and has access to a safe, affordable abortion – there is not a tragedy in sight -- only blessing. The ability to enjoy God’s good gift of sexuality without compromising one’s education, life’s work, or ability to put to use God’s gifts and call is simply blessing.
"These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done."
Currently, Ragsdale serves as Rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church in Pepperell, MA. She is also President and Executive Director of Political Research Associates, that describes itself as "a progressive think tank devoted to supporting movements that are building a more just and inclusive democratic society."
The organization’s website also indicates that one of their missions is to "expose movements, institutions, and ideologies that undermine human rights," particularly regarding the Christian and political right.
How does this compare with the RCC attitudes on Reproductive freedom?
What follows is a piece from the Seattle Post-Intelligenser's on line edition.
Catholics' abortion, stem cell attitudes
Despite the Roman Catholic hierarchy's intense opposition to abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, the Gallup Poll finds little difference between rank-and-file American Catholics and non-Catholics in terms of what is morally acceptable.
On several moral issues, according to Gallup surveys, Catholics are more liberal.
Opps. Sounds like Rev. Sly better worry about his own RCC members before he begins to worry so much about those Episcopalianss who have remained loyal to they own faith either because of or in spite of Bishop Ragsdale's teachings. Read on to see what a recent Gallop poll says about the RCC faithful and semifaithful.
In a series of surveys over the last two years, 63 percent of Catholics found acceptable for medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos. The figure for non-Catholics was 62 percent.
A total of 40 percent of Catholics found abortion morally acceptable. The figure drops to 24 percent for those who attend church regularly, and rises to 52 percent for those who are not regular in attendance.
Among non-Catholics, just 19 percent of regular churchgoers find abortion morally acceptable compared to 56 percent among those who do not regularly go to church.
My goodness! Does this mean that 20% more of the faithful RCC members find abortion acceptable then their hell bound protestent pals? Fr. Sly, perhaps thou shouldst remove the mote from thine own eye before trying to remove the log from thy neighbor's. eh?
"The stance of the Catholic church on moral issues has come into the spotlight in recent days with the announcement that President Obama will be giving the commencement address and receiving an honorary degree at the University of Notre Dame in May," wrote Gallup President Frank Newport.
"Notre Dame is one of the largest Catholic universities in the United States, and some Catholic officials, students, alumni and others have objected publicly to Obama's appearance, pointing to the fact that Obama's positions on embryonic stem-cell research and abortion are at odds with the church's."
The spotlight will be on Western Washington as well later this month.
Fr. Frank Pavone, president of Priests for Life, will appear in Olympia and Seattle on April 18 and 19.
He will lead demonstrations at Planned Parenthood clinics. Pavone is also scheduled to speak at St. Michael's parish in Olympia, whose congregation includes a number of prominent politicians who support abortion rights.
Analyzing survey data, Gallup's Newport found that "Catholics in the United States today are actually more liberal than the non-Catholic population on a number of moral issues . . ."
A total of 61 percent of American Catholics (and 52 percent of regular church-goers) feel the death penalty is morally acceptable. The national figure for non-Catholics is 68 percent.
Despite their church's official position, 71 percent of American Catholics (and 63 percent of regular communicants) feel divorce is morally acceptable. The figure for non-Catholics is 66 percent.
And 54 percent of Catholics (but just 44 percent of regular churchgoers) find "homosexual relations" to be morally acceptable.
Well, it just goes on and on. And here is the last story about the RCC Bishops that I find so interesting. And so offensive. On that more later.
This third story appeared in the New York Times a few days ago. It concerned the RCC priest who founded a retreat for wayward priests in New Mexico back in the 1950s. I read about this institution many years ago and had an even more personal experience with it and the pedophile priests the RCC bishops sent back to unsuspecting communities for many years after the RCC hierarchy had been repeatedly informed by the founder of this institute that these men could not be rehabilitated and should be sent to prison.
I am so offended by this story because the very bishops who sent these sexual preditors back to prey on unsuspecting children and families have repeatedly said that they were unaware of the founders recommendations. And, indeed, they forced the institution to change its recommendations about this in the 1970s after the death of the founder. I, a non RCC layman but a practicig obgyn, was aware of both the wrongs done by these criminals and the original recommendations of the institution at least in the early 1970s.
Either the Bishops were incredibly obtuse, or just didn't give a damn, "not wanting to ruin the careers of the priests who had preyed on the children and women of their parishs."
They were NOT obtuse. They just didn't give a damn about ruining the lives of the children and women who had been preyed on. I feel sorry for the millions of faithful RCC members who are still blind to the crimes of the RCC bishops and the higher orders of their church. It is too bad that Episcopal Bishop Ragsdale is not the Pope! Maybe she could knock some sense into that gang of criminals, theives and misogynists!