Saturday, 5 March 2011

CAFOD again


The concerns being expressed about CAFOD and its commitment to the fullness of the Church's teaching are compounded by this ongoing story.

The former International Director of CAFOD Lesley-Anne Knight went on to become the General Secretary of Caritas International – the confederation of Catholic Aid Agencies that includes CAFOD - has been prevented by the Holy See from taking up a second term of office. You can read further at Protect the Pope. It would appear that mistrust about some charitable agencies when it comes to being faithful to the Church's teaching goes to the highest levels. The mistake made by some is not believing that, when it comes to important matters and teaching that has been constant over the history of the Church, it may be challenging, it may be counter-cultural but it cannot be "un-pastoral". Not if you believe in the Church as She defines Herself. In an interview in the USA paper The National Catholic Reporter (known in some quarters as the "National Catholic Fishwrap" for it's uber-liberal stand) M/s Knight reveals by her own words what is wrong with her basic approach. My way of being church / your way of being church - ie relativism, the underlying cancer that the Holy Father is trying to combat. The whole tone of what she says is riddled with that self-satisfied, over-confident and in-the-know manner (I think it's called clericalism) that certainly gets my blood boiling! Here is what she says:

It may be that my personal way of being church, or someone else’s, doesn’t fit a particular brand at the moment.

The "brand" she refers to is the Holy See's!
Need I say more.

3 comments:

georgem said...

No, and it doesn't fit with Christ's "brand", either.
We now have Lesley-Annechurch in addition to Tinachurch, Laviniachurch and Oonachurch.

Richard Collins said...

Vaticano is the best brand!

GOR said...

I’m always uncomfortable when people start talking about “being church…” (cfr. The dissident group “We are church” here in the US). It always sounds like a radical feminist mantra (“I am church – hear me roar”). Not exactly what St. Paul meant when he spoke about “putting on Christ”, I suspect.