By now everyone has probably heard or read about Michael Voris. Every one of the bloggers I read have been lovely and kind. The Archdiocese denies that a hit piece was about to come out on Voris which is the expected response. Mr. Voris's aged father looks physically frail in the videos I've seen of him. I hope the poor man knew about all this before this week and if not, I hope the shock wasn't damaging. Some people who commented on the various sites have said that Mr. Voris is smearing the Archdiocese without proof. Others have said they just can't imagine Archdiocese staff doing such a thing. I'm reminded of two things: First there is an old saying that goes, "If you want to lose your Faith go to work for your diocese". It means you will be shocked by some of the people who are running your diocese and even more shocked at how the worst of them seem to have the most influence with the bishop. Second, does no-one remember that Cardinal Spellman was rumored to be homosexual himself? Randy Engel's Rite of Sodomy discusses this in painful detail. You don't have to like Michael Voris, his style or his organization, or believe they get every detail correct in their reports to realize that there have been whispers concerning what he has been alleging about the Archdiocese of New York for a long time.
Numerous priests from various dioceses all around the world have said that when they reported to superiors about certain behavior they observed in their rectories, they were punished so, it's no stretch to believe bad stuff is happening in New York. You can read a few things about Cardinal Dolan's diocese at the Restore DC Catholic blog that would shock and depress me if I were a few decades younger.
The main thing about this cautionary tale that many people have missed is if you are going to fight the Powers that Be, you must expect that they will come after you and will look into your past and use it as a weapon. Civil Rights legend, Rosa Parks was not the first person to defy the Jim Crow bus laws. The first person was a brave 15 year old girl but the NAACP did not back her because of her embarrassing sexual past. Instead the NAACP supported Rosa Parks, whose background stood up to hostile scrutiny. If you choose to be a public Catholic you must be brave and you must be smart. Put on the armor of God and expect that your enemies will come after you and don't be surprised if friends great and small step back from you.
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