Dear Bishop, you're fired. Love, the Pope.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That'll learn him to think women are in any way equal to men in the eyes of God.

I can understand the Pope's decision, of course, the female priests would have to use strap-ons to bugger little boys, and that's an abomination before God.

[cursuswalker]

Excellent. The Catholic Church continues its self-destruction.

[Seth]

The Catholic Church ain't a democracy. It's dogma is, according to those in charge, dictated by God. So until God comes along and amends his rules for being a member of the church, those in charge are perfectly justified in sticking with what the rules have been for 2000 years.

If God says no women priests and no married priests, it's not obedience to God to say that the church should defy God and change the rules that God set. Priests, and particularly Bishops, take a vow of obedience to the doctrines of the Catholic church as a condition of being ordained.

Therefore, a Bishop who doesn't believe in church doctrine cannot be a Bishop in the church.

What's so unusual about that?

He can always go be a Lutheran or join some other sect whose doctrines are more in line with his personal beliefs. But he can't expect to remain employed by the Catholic church if he's not towing the party line. The church is an employer and it has a right to demand that its employees show loyalty and fealty to the organizations fundamental beliefs and principles.

It's a private club. If you don't like the rules, go join another club.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

[Seth]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

Nope, just pointing out obvious facts to people who haven't the wit to see them themselves.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

Nope, just pointing out obvious facts to people who haven't the wit to see them themselves.

Irrelevant facts are still irrelevant when you spout them, oh wise man of the mountains.

[Svartalf]

That guy is a moron. he knew the line, and that the "celibate male clergy only" rule is not up for questioning, and even less for being changed. He crossed the line, got his lumps, end of story.
Maybe that rule is no longer adapted to the modern world, and it's abrogation is needed if the pool of priestly personnel is to be renewed, but if the Roman Church prefers to go down the drain rather than compromise on its principles, I can respect that.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

That guy is a moron. he knew the line, and that the "celibate male clergy only" rule is not up for questioning, and even less for being changed. He crossed the line, got his lumps, end of story.
Maybe that rule is no longer adapted to the modern world, and it's abrogation is needed if the pool of priestly personnel is to be renewed, but if the Roman Church prefers to go down the drain rather than compromise on its principles, I can respect that.

I like the idea that he tried to get the Church to move into the 19th Century. It's a start. And if they keep firing bishops the problem will solve itself via attrition.

[Svartalf]

I always thought of churches, cathedrals, basilicas, abbeys and the like as dinosaur fossils anyway.

[Animavore]

Of course the Catholic church are free to follow their principles. And everyone else is free to point out what a bunch of out of touch dinosaurs they are. Ireland's and other Western Catholic country's church attendance is on rapid decline and they nicely continue to accelerate it with almost every action they take these days. It's no skin off my nose.

[Seth]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

Nope, just pointing out obvious facts to people who haven't the wit to see them themselves.

Irrelevant facts are still irrelevant when you spout them, oh wise man of the mountains.

Care to explain how church doctrine that forbid married priests or woman priests being applied to a recalcitrant and apostate Bishop who refuses to adhere to church doctrine, resulting in his dismissal is "irrelevant" to the OP?

[Seth]

Of course the Catholic church are free to follow their principles. And everyone else is free to point out what a bunch of out of touch dinosaurs they are. Ireland's and other Western Catholic country's church attendance is on rapid decline and they nicely continue to accelerate it with almost every action they take these days. It's no skin off my nose.

Of course. But it's ignorant, arrant nonsense to expect any church to change doctrines that are (allegedly) handed down from God merely because modern culture has decided it's not "fair" that women don't get to be priests or that priests ought to be allowed to marry.

If the Catholic church had responded to every cultural shift in history, it wouldn't be catholic or a church. People adhere to the Catholic church in part because it's very determined to maintain its traditions. This is perfectly rational. If you, as a believer, understand that God's commandments require such things as male-only, celibate priesthoods, then the church is abandoning YOU by changing the rules and has itself become apostate and in defiance of God's commandments.

The whole Protestant revolution started by Martin Luther is an example of how people of faith solve such issues. If you don't like the strict doctrines of one church, go form another one.

And yes, it's perfectly reasonable to criticize religion, nobody's saying it isn't. But it's not logical or rational to imply that the religious head of the Catholic church is doing something in the least bit unusual or questionable in defrocking an apostate Bishop.

Of course I also realize that the whole thread is nothing more than a convenient vehicle for Catholic-bashing, which is a common pastime of religious-zealot Atheist anti-Catholic nitwits who can't mind their own business.

So, carry on...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

Nope, just pointing out obvious facts to people who haven't the wit to see them themselves.

Irrelevant facts are still irrelevant when you spout them, oh wise man of the mountains.

Care to explain how church doctrine that forbid married priests or woman priests being applied to a recalcitrant and apostate Bishop who refuses to adhere to church doctrine, resulting in his dismissal is "irrelevant" to the OP?

Well, the fact that you brought it up renders it irrelevant. Or didn't you know that already?

[Animavore]

Seth. Your post is too long to respond to adequately on my PS3 but no one here is suggesting they change their ways just pointing out how the Catholic church is behind the times and doing themselves no favours. The people of Ireland are responding to this by abandoning dogmatic faith in favour of a wishy-washy, anything goes faith or none. The Catholic church are the ones who end up hurt here not everyone else so good luck to them.
Your 'Catholic-bashing' slur is clear baiting I think. I'm not biting.

[Seth]

Pissing and moaning again, Seth?

Nope, just pointing out obvious facts to people who haven't the wit to see them themselves.

Irrelevant facts are still irrelevant when you spout them, oh wise man of the mountains.

Care to explain how church doctrine that forbid married priests or woman priests being applied to a recalcitrant and apostate Bishop who refuses to adhere to church doctrine, resulting in his dismissal is "irrelevant" to the OP?

Well, the fact that you brought it up renders it irrelevant. Or didn't you know that already?

Ah, well, in that case, fuck you.