Saturday, May 30, 2009

'Justice and Peace': dissident 'Catholic' groups

Catholics are naturally concerned with Justice and Peace. What characterises these groups is their complete unconcern about the issues of justice and peace about which Catholics have an important contribution to make to the contemporary debate as Catholics, and their fixation on issues - some genuine, some laregely imaginary - which are popular with the spectrum of opinion represented in the pages of the Guardian. So instead of talking about abortion, the lethal exploitation of the embryo, and the destruction of the family, they talk about third-world debt and climate change.

That, however, is not enough for us to include them in this list. For them to be there there must be pretty solid indications that they do not simply ignore Church teaching, but actually reject it. The joining in with the left-liberal establishment's agenda places the leaders of these organisations in a social context in which support for condoms to fight AIDS, contraception, abortion, and 'non-traditional family structures and lifestyles' is simply taken for granted. So with or without some attempts to veil the fact, these organisations reject the Church's teaching on these issues, to a greater or lesser extent.

What these groups are promoting is the same tired old rubbish as the government, the BBC, and secular quangos and NGOs. But they are doing it with Catholic volunteers and Catholic donations, with the approval of the Bishops (they all appear in the Catholic Directory for England and Wales) and therefore with special access to Catholic schools and parishes. This is a scandal and it must stop.

Click on the names of the groups to see our full dossier on each one.

The 'Justice and Peace' brigade.

Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD) An official agency of the Bishops' Conference, contrary to its protestations, and to the repeated teaching of the Church, it promotes the use of condoms to combat AIDS. It also has a bizarre habit of employing people who reject the Church's teaching on sexuality in their private lives, or line their pockets at the taxpayer's expense: see a separate dossier here.

Progressio formerly Catholic Institute of International Relations (CIIR) It no longer calls itself 'Catholic' but still wants to milk its Catholic history to undermine Church teaching. It attacks the Church's position on the use of condoms against AIDS, and is also linked to groups which promote abortion.

livesimply, a joint project of CAFOD and Progressio, presents itself as applying Catholic teaching on justice, compassion for the poor and concern for the environment, but instead of doing anything - even mentioning - abortion, practical almsgiving, or anything else distinctively Catholic it wants Catholic parishes to promote low-energy lightbulbs and turning down the heating to 'save the planet'. Their 'ecumenical partner' is 'Christian Ecology Link', which supports not only contraception, but abortion, and even the forced abortions of the Chinese 'one child policy': this is so appalling we have done a dossier on them as well.

Pax Christi, a political campaigning group opposing nuclear weapons, the war in Iraq etc., consistently misrepresenting the Church's teaching on war. Without claiming to be a Catholic organisation in its self-description, it is not only listed in the Catholic Directory but collects money on 'Peace Sunday' in parish churches. It is part of the 'Justice and Peace' establishment which produces much hot air on global poverty while ignoring abortion, euthanasia and the attack on the family.

National Justice and Peace Network, an umbrella group and campaigning organisation working from diocesan offices around the country and promoting the ideas of all the above organisations.

The Archbishop Romero Trust, ostensibly promoting knowledge of the Servant of God Archbishop Romero, it has extremely close links to the militant homosexual groups noted here.

10 comments:

JamesP said...

It's a minor point and hardly worth the effort to type this comment but I don't think Cafod ever stood for "Catholic Aid for Overseas Development".

It was the "Catholic Fund for Overseas Development" and they recently (last five years or so) re-named themselves the "Catholic Agency for Overseas Development".

See, I told you it was hardly worth the effort.

Anonymous said...

What!! Catholics trying stop nuclear proliferation, war and poverty? How dare they! Your so right, attacking the likes of the "evil" Justice and Peace Movement is really important and there are not far more important things to get angry about!

Are you sure your not a Prebyterian as you seem to think faith alone will secure your place in heaven. It won't, deeds matter too, you can't stick Catholicism in a little box and take it out on a Sunday.

Unless you belive in predestnation too! I would not be suprised. Why don't you just give up blogging, your out your depth and imposing all your own bagagge onto the Church.

Hercules said...

Anonymous - why not read the post and find out why we object to these groups?

Just a suggestion.

Jackie Parkes MJ said...

Anonymous! Who you scared of? The woman with 10 kids?
Those groups Hercules mentions YUK!! My kids ages 8-22 just love the magisterium of the Catholic Church & hate trendy liturgies & condom promoters & celibacy haters & so forth. They are the new spring-time for the church!

Anonymous said...

Yeah 10 kids, you mentioned that, I get the idea.

You should not bring your kids up to hate anyone especially not your
own Catholic brothers and sisters.

Does Love your enemies or blessed are the peacemakers mean anything to
you people?

Their were Catholic airmen involved in the atomic boming of Nagasaki.
Yet Nagasaki was a city of 63,698 Catholics.

The bomb landed 500m from Urakami Cathedral wiping out churches,
convents, and schools, destroying the community.

Now if people like you think that situation is ok and must not be
changed then there is something wrong with your understanding of the
Church. Don't talk to me about condoms and abortion when you don't
support "Life".

Hercules said...

The bombing of Nagasaki was a terrible crime. There is nothing on this blog, or on Catholic-mom-of-ten, that suggests otherwise.

So, if you can't think of anything true to criticise us about, you resort to making things up?

Anonymous said...

I quote from your article...
"Pax Christi, a political campaigning group opposing nuclear weapons" Do you not frame this as a slur?

Being oppossed to Nuclear warfare does NOT "misrepresent" Church teachings. Nuclear weapons meet none of the criteria of Just war so not to struggle against them is just as wrong as not struggling against the things you care about.

It is vital that we struggle against such things as well as abortion, euthnaisa. Justice & Peace is that group's particular special calling or vocation. Your's is mostly concerned with sexuality and liturgical matters which is fair enough but don't think your's somehow trumps everyone elses. Or that Peacemaking is not an important and entirely valid duty for Catholics.

They should be able to do it with getting called names like aging trendies or condom promoters.

Where is your personalism, please try a little gentle compassion it will get you more support?
Blessed are the meek

Peace be with you Catholic Action

Hercules said...

Can you read? We don't defend the dropping of the bomb on Nagasaki, nothing here suggests anything of the kind, your suggestion is a slur.

Campaigning against nuclear weapons is just part of what Pax Christi does. Why not read the dossier and see for yourself what we think is wrong with them?

Either that or just shut up!

Anonymous said...

I have read it and I strongly disagree that Pax Christi is distorting Catholic teaching on war, and is presenting personal political views.

But I pray for you none the less. Again, I ask you consider your general tone?

Hercules said...

You disagree but you can't point at anything we say which is wrong.

Our claims about Pax Christi are all backed up by references to their own website.

Our claims about Church teaching are backed up by references to the Catechism.

So you're a bit stuck, aren't you?

Pope Leo XIII's Prayer to St Michael

Holy Michael, Archangel, defend us in the day of battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust down to Hell Satan, and all wicked spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen