Thursday 1 May 2014

PRIESTS WITH THEOLOGY BUT NO FAITH

PRIESTS WITH THEOLOGY BUT NO FAITH

There are far too many priests in the Roman Catholic Church who know theology but they have no faith and never pray!

They are part of those larger group of so called "Christians" who happen to KNOW ALL ABOUT JESUS but who sadly DO NOT KNOW JESUS.

When I was growing up it was a very common sight to see priests praying. If I called into a church the priest would happen to be there praying.

When you were going to Mass you would see the priest praying his prayer book (breviary) walking around the church grounds.

After celebrating Mass the priest would come out to the pews and kneel for a while praying his thanksgiving after Mass. 

HOW LONG IS IT SINCE YOU SAW YOUR PRIEST PRAYING?

This week I had an email from a student teacher in the Roman Catholic teacher training college - St. Mary's on Belfast's Falls Road. The young would be teacher told me that the priests she encountered seemed to have no faith and never pray. As she put it: "They talk about Jesus and faith but I never see them expressing their beliefs in prayer". She went on to say that the same priests: "Put a greater emphasis on man made church teaching than they do on the teachings of Jesus in the Bible".

Wise girl there. She is right. So many Roman priests now talk and preach Jesus but they appear to have no intimate relationship with Him and they are never discovered praying.

If a secret camera followed many priests for a month you would see clips of the priest -

- Eating fine meals.
- Drinking fine wines.
- Taking a siesta for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
- Bying a new car.
- Sleeping with their boyfriends (or occasionally with their girlfriends - most priests now are gay)

- In the betting office putting bets on the horses.
- Playing poker with fellow priests.
- Cruising gay cruising spots.
- Buying designer clothes.

A secret camera would rarely find the modern Roman cleric -

- Praying.
- On retreat.
- Visiting the sick.
- Visiting prisons.
- Visiting parishioners homes.
- Reading a spiritual or theology book.
- Cutting their own grass.
- Washing their own car.
- Washing their own clothes.
- Visiting POOR elderly people. 

And this is one of the main reasons that the Roman Church is in crisis. 

Its bishops and priests are men of little or no faith.

Its bishops and priests are men of little or no prayer.

Its bishops and priests are men of little or no charity and compassion. 

A few years ago the controversial - but nonetheless prophetic - Sinead O'Connor was asked on a Sunday morning TV programme the question: "What is the biggest problem in the Roman Catholic Church"?

I thought she might answer with all kinds of comments on sexual abuse, compulsory celibacy, sexuality etc etc.

But her answer was astounding and profoundly true.

She said that the biggest problem in the Roman Catholic Church was that its bishops and priest had no faith and never prayed.

And that is the sad but absolute truth!

+Pat Buckley
1.5.2014
  

43 comments:

  1. F*** O** BUCKLEY

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    1. If you are a priest - then God help you - and more sadly - God help the people you minister to

      PP D&C

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    2. Annie Nonymous again. With an attitude like that he most probably is a cleric and a disillusioned one at that. (Possibly alcoholic also comes to mind) Sean

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    3. Priests with theology and no faith? I cant speak for others but I can speak for myself. I had the theology. I have faith. As a serving priest the Office was thge first to go. I put this down to the fact I felt I never fitted in with the black and white minstrel show of Elphin and was in a sense a loaner in clerical circles. I made my dealings with parishioners, masses etc prayers on the hoof and I always treated ministry as a form of prayer. The stereotype RC Church model is not in keeping with human nature so many honest people will sense some sort barrier within themselves. The bold Sinead O Connor may be eccentric & over the top. However she and people like her often have a sensitivity the rest of us may poo poo. Sean

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  2. Does that mean you AGREE or DISAGREE with me?

    +Pat

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    1. I agree with you somewhat. The rot sets in when Priests feel backed into a corner and forced to live a lie. They still may have faith but resentment makes them dangerous to the vulnerable Soul-Sean

      cked

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  3. I don't relate to this at all. I have known a good number of priests most of whom were prayerful men. This is really slanderous and uncharitable stuff. Dismayed by your constant attack on the church.

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  4. Very well written. I live with another priest. We never pray or talk about anything spiritual or theological! We talk about clerical and diocesan politics. Let me be honest, I would not trust a fellow priest as far as I could throw them!!!

    You blog today has merit brother.

    D

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    1. Sad but I can relate somewhat to what you say D. Reading between the lines it has gotten worse since I left. Sean

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  5. Brother priest, your tone reminds me of our monthly dinners! Do you have a problem bwith Christians finding an alternative path to our blessed Lord?

    Pat keep going and well done.

    Derry diocese

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  6. Everything you say is true, Pat. God help us!

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  7. You are a good man, Pat, Your heart is good, I am so sorry the "institution" hurt you so badly. Please forgive us, I wasn't around when all that stuff happened to you, I am so sorry, dear brother.

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    1. Brother,

      Thank you for your comment.

      I'm sure God's hand was in it all

      Pat

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  8. I don't know why people presume that priests are more holy than other Christians. Some indeed are. We can look at Bishop Fulton Sheen, and few would doubt his holiness. We can look at the Pope, and no one would argue. However, at the same time we can look at a lot of layity and see people who are just as holy, and some who are even more holy than the average priest.
    I guess, for the most part, people refer to priests as being more holy, because they have given and dedicated their life to the service of God. But this does not mean that my prayers have any more weight than Mrs. Jones' prayers.

    God Bless.

    Fr. Ray

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    Replies
    1. Well said.

      But we need to canonise more Mrs Jones and fewer popes and clerics :-)

      Pat

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  9. According to the US Department of Education’s report on the issue, entitled Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature, “the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by [Catholic] priests.” Why, one wonders, in the ever-present debates over the pay of teachers, public school programs and the like, is there no brilliant, hip man who stands up and says, “Yes, but everything you’re saying is suspect because teachers rape children,” as many have said about priests on this blog.




    and this: http://littlecatholicbubble.blogspot.ae/2012/11/this-is-my-story-it-might-be-your-story.html




    Peace in Christ.

    USA Reader

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  10. Yes the Catholic Church is an old corrupted battlewagon that has precariously sailed down the sea of ages with a radical captain and crew determined to give it a new paint job as she goes. And despite all the rust and holes and war ravaged panels she's still there. And Our Lord Jesus Christ is still and always will be the driving force within its engines that relentlessly propel it forward regardless of any thieves and brigands that enter into.

    Return or no return to the Catholic Church is secondary to a fuller and deeper understanding of that which you finally adhere to. Ask a few questions, seek wise counsel, don't let emotion decide your course. Emotions are like a weather vane, pointing in a new direction with every strong breath of wind. Know that God made you, helped you, allowed you to develop your skills, talents and abilities, the use of your faculties so that one day you may have the courtesy to ask Him, "Would you like to use my abilities that you have so freely and graciously given me for some purpose?" A hundred to one on that he asks you to help Him to help you and others to come to live with Him - forever.

    Peace.

    Mat

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  11. People ARE like sheep and they will be led back to, or into, the Catholic Church because they cannot figure out that Pope Francis is the Catholic Church's 'damage control'. It's being found out for what it really is; a massively powerful monetary organisation filled with pedophiles which uses God to control people. God has nothing to do with it; in fact he knew the truth all along as stated in Revelation 17 'Its sins are piled up to the highest heaven and it wears scarlet and purple robes and holds a gold cup'. It is Australia's largest employer and growing ever stronger. All the kings of the earth bow down to the leader of the ring of pedophile money merchants and people were beginning to wake up but behold 'a charming leader of the pedophile money merchants, one who says we need access to more 'poor'. The vatican, note, has never given a thing to anyone but as they say, it is the richest organisation with the poorest congregation. So, more poor, more money. Go Holy Francis!

    Struggling Priest working for a Bishop - pray for me!!

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  12. I am a Roman Catholic since my cradle days, However; I can not in good conscience take part in anything to do with the Church today. I cannot get past the pedophilia horror and the morally corrupt fathers in the Church who, through horrific means hid them, lied about them, cast aspersions on the injured parties. After all of that many of these same leaders had the unmitigated gall to expect parishioners to forget and help pay the debt created by these very leaders. Some day in the (hopefully) not too distant future, these disgraceful, corrupt sinners will be gone. Unfortunately for me, I too will be gone. I have not lost faith in the Lord, I have lost faith in humanity and human institutions. Of late I have begun to get really serious about the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church, who I know, have had their own share of horrors in the past. I do feel at one with their spiritual view of everything as opposed to the scholarly view of the Roman Catholic Church.




    Honestly I know in my heart that my inability to forgive is costing more and more as time goes by. I guess we do all have our own cross to bear.

    Robert - Dublin

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    1. Robert,

      Just keep your eyes on Jesus and judge all through His eyes and teachings.

      Pat

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  13. I am appalled that so many Christians are lost because of their allegiance to a corrupt church or irresponsible religion. Jesus gave strong testimony in the Book of Revelation regarding the churches' strength & pitfalls through the ages. Some of testimonies was good for the churches .... but most of them were just bad. Religion has all but destroyed Christianity. What Jesus wanted from the churches was for them to help the mass establish FAITH in Him. Instead, the churches (most) are on a power trip to control & conquer their congregations. And if a christian has a problem finding a solid religion or church, he or she can establish a personal relationship with Jesus through faith & prayer as stated in: Revelation 1:6 and Revelation 3:20

    Melvin

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  14. If there's one thing that your article was successful at proving, it's that the problem is not with the Catholic Church. The problem is you

    Rocky

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  15. I am not a Catholic, but even I believe that the current Pope is one of the best things to happen to the RCC in the past 50 years.

    This man wants to focus on loving people - and the point is????

    As far as abortion and homosexuality is concerned, the RCC has lost it's credibility when it comes to leading/teaching on these topics. The RCC has spent too much money and time playing politics, and covering up it's own sins and crimes, period. Blaming gays for the crimes of pedophiles and the corrupt is just ridiculous - are people not aware of the fact that there have been many women and female children victimized as well? And the best way to limit elective abortions is to use BIRTH CONTROL, and even the RCC endorses the practice of non-medical alternatives, which that in itself is just that - birth control

    Maybe people should spend less time complaining, and more time practicing what they are preaching. I do not honestly know why you make an example of somone (Pope JohnPaul) knowing that he covered up!


    Hermon

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  16. You need to stop describing yourself as a Catholic Bishop. You are not. That is a lie (one among countless others on this trashy blog of yours). May God have mercy on you and heal your diseased mind.

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    1. I am a Catholic Bishop. I am NOT a Roman Catholic Hierarch.

      Think about that.

      Pat

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  17. Just something to keep in mind... A friend and I had the discussion about priests such as are referenced above fairly regularly. My friend happens to work in his diocesan office and it happened that the subject got brought up with his bishop. The bishop asked him what he would do and my friend quickly said he would get rid of all of the troublesome priests........the bishop looked at him and said, "okay, now what?" My friend said ,"what do you mean?" The bishop said, " okay we got rid of all the priests, so know what? How do the people receive the sacraments? Where do the people go to mass? Now what". The point of course is that the sacraments validity is not dependent on an individual priests sanctity. The priest shortage in the diocese in question is severe, the diocese already imports a fair number of foreign priests and has consolidated parishes. Personally I believe if we had better priests we would have stronger parishes and more robust membership rather than the many "social" Catholics we currently see. At my parish, our wonderful orthodox pastor was moved and is catching a ton of grief in his new parish. He handed out a primer on confession and some of the parishioners complained to the diocese about the "filth" he was handing out. My bishop is a good and holy man and yet even in my diocese we have a lot of "rouge" priests. May God give us His strength to remain strong despite the tribulations to come.

    Marie

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  18. Well priests are human and what happens is if you teach the Truth of the Church's teaching you well get called hater, intolerant, bigot and any other name liberals can come up with to bury the Truth in relativism. So we either become cowards and don't say nothing at all or convince ourselves that we are doing good by going against the Truth. But there is hope. I heard a talk recently by Mary Healy. She teaches at a Catholic seminary and mentioned how the men that are coming into the priesthood these days (and she mentioned that it is growing) are perfectly aware of how difficult it is going to be to be a priest in today's world and they know the cost and have encountered the Lord and are willing to make that sacrifice.

    John - DC

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  19. I have had this problem ever since I reverted to the Church in '96. It's not just the Priest or even the Bishop but the laity as well who simply don't believe or obey the Church anymore. I just last week quit a parish small group because I realized that many were not "I believe all the Church teaches to be Divinely revealed by God" Catholics. They are simply Mass attending protestants. I heard things like how Jesus never intended to start a Church, the church needs to get with the times before she looses even more members, how the fallen school you refered to had 20,000 people protesting its firing of the teacher and how great that was! I sent the team leaders an e-mail explaining I had no fellowship with people with these opinions and got a response telling me about her theology degree and how long her husband was Catholic.

    You all need to be faithful.

    Jeff

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    1. We are faithful to God, not a church that has lost it's legitimacy as a holy and moral compass.

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  20. "Unfaithful creatures! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." ~ James 5:4

    "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." ~ Matthew 18:6

    These false priests need a lot of prayer. They are in the gravest spiritual danger. Although so many are in jail!

    The bishops who keep these priests in operation are also in danger. This, I can't understand. A Coke sales rep who went along promoting Pepsi wouldn't last too long. It's not rocket science. I would have to call it cowardice; I'm not sure what else it can be.

    Ryan - Opus Dei

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  21. I am a woman in love with a Holy Priest.

    Anyone else in my position join us and help each other.

    http://www.formercatholic.com/p/women-who-love-priest.html

    Joan

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  22. Ollie Killingback spent most of his career as a clergyman for the Church of England—and for much of that time he was an atheist. “I had doubts before I entered the Church,” he says. “The study of theology [during ordination training] was supposed to relieve those.” It didn’t and he entered the ministry anyway. “I’d been on that track for so long… [but] I found myself with more and more unsatisfying situations where I couldn’t, with what I had been taught, find an adequate answer.”

    George

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  23. Other priests go further. “Iain” still works as a Protestant minister in Ireland. In an interview with the Irish edition of the Sunday Times, he referred to God as “total and absolute nonsense” adding that trying to instil religious faith in children amounts to abuse. His congregation doesn’t know this, only his wife; he can’t look at her while he’s preaching. Ollie and Iain are members of the Clergy Project, an international online group of more than 530 clergymen and women who do not believe in God. Many have left the ministry, but about a quarter have not and use pseudonyms online. The project, founded in 2011, receives about 50 applications a month (although not all join—the group has a stringent screening process to protect the anonymity of its members). Some of the newest members are imams in Islamic countries.

    George

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  24. Daniel Dennett, the philosopher, and his collaborator Linda LaScola published a study in 2010, “Preachers Who Are Not Believers,” for which LaScola interviewed six non-believing Christian clergymen. Dennett wondered then how many secret non-believers there were still standing in the pulpit. Research is limited, but Catherine Dunphy, Executive Director of the Clergy Project who formerly trained to be a Catholic chaplain, has watched the group grow 10-fold in two years. “If you speak to members of the Clergy Project, the one thing that is heard over and over again is that ‘we’re the tip of the iceberg.’ This is something that we believe is pretty rampant,” she says. “The majority of clergypeople know what it’s like to doubt, and there’s a good percentage that are in the closet with their doubts and have relinquished their faith.”

    Frank

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  25. Leaving the priesthood is not like leaving other jobs. A priest who declares his or her atheism faces financial and social repercussions: income and home depend on the Church. Some have faced threats. Dunphy recommends that members of the Clergy Project use pseudonyms on the site as “exposure is something that is greatly feared by members living in Islamic countries and in the evangelical south of the US, who encounter great stigma from their communities and families when they come out as atheists. Some have even had their lives threatened, or had harm threatened against them.” She attributes the rapid growth of this project to education and access to atheist literature online. But it must also echo the wider trend towards secularism among the public, which Peter Kellner describes above.

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  26. In 2011, Canon Brian Mountford of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford, published Christian Atheist: Belonging Without Believing, containing interviews with a dozen “Christian atheists,” among them the author Philip Pullman. When Mountford spoke about these interviews to his congregation, he was surprised by how many approached him afterwards to say they thought they might be a Christian atheist; the book became a Blackwell’s bestseller.

    Such arguments are more easily accommodated within mainstream Christianity than within evangelical traditions, which may explain why the majority of Clergy Project members are former evangelicals. But in some mainstream traditions, non-realists have even risen to senior positions—Reverend Gary Hall, for example, who was appointed as Dean of the Washington National Cathedral (an Episcopal church) last year, once told Richard Dawkins that, “I don’t believe in the God you don’t believe in either.”

    Excellent bog - Philosopher

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  27. I think I heard it best from an episode of Rab C Nesbitt, "When a drowning man is handed a lifeline, he doesn't complain about the quality of the rope".

    Pat would you not be better retiring and winding your neck in?

    Dromore Priest

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    1. Dear Dromore Priest,

      I don't get your comment?

      Pat

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    2. Do you want more court cases etc?

      Dromore

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    3. Do you mean my court case where I successfully won the right to reside in the refurbished presbyters here in Larne?

      Pat

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  28. The guy who gives me the sacraments in my parish in Belfast is not a Priest, he is a Monarch! I wish I had his lifestylr. If I did not believe I would stay in the priesthood, what a life!

    Do the wee bits and live a life with no conscience!

    Mary

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