15 September 2007

The Truth About Korean Catholicism

It is for deep reasons that Koreans boast of Catholicism as their own domestic Catholicism. They acquired it by reading about it, and one young man went to China to study this Catholicism, and later on was ordained priest. He was accompanied by an old priest from China, but he was the main preacher. It did not take long that the enemies of Catholicism began to persecute till they killed him with his parents and other relatives.

Hence Korea Catholicism is not a missionary Catholicism. It is their Catholicism goes so far as even exaggerate in defending it. It was a public shame in Korea when in the month of June was held a Peace Cup Football Game in Korea. The first classes came from Britain, Argentina, France, Korea, and other nations. Since Peace Cup was from the brain of Rev. Moon, looking for different ways to put people together living in harmony, the reaction of Catholics and other Christians were shameful. They put in the papers all that they had against Rev. Moon, and made demonstrations outside the football stadiums. The Korean people were so furious that they called them “Khe- dockyo” which means “Christian dogs.” Look how far they could push people to such dirty words against them.

They went to Afghanistan to meet the Taliban. They were captured and they lost two of them, who were killed. The others, after many negotiations which cost 38 million dollars, were redeemed; and the Koreans themselves got furious against them. But instead of regretting as they came back, they organized rallies and considered themselves heroes, publishing books on their experience, becoming rich, selling other objects which they had during their imprisonment. They publicly declared to go back to Afghanistan till they convert Muslins to Christianity. I do not want to use the terms they use against Muslims, bringing back the process of religious dialogue once more at the bottom of the line.

That is why the Catholic Church is up in arms against Milingo who has no guns except his faith. I have never attended Mass in Korea. Even now here in Brazil I don’t go to Catholic Church. I celebrate Mass, so I did as well in Korea, in my own private chapel, myself celebrating Mass with a wine with some strange ingredients such as aroma and asparagus, as I traveled. Immediately my wife and my secretary went to buy genuine wine from Verona, Italy. I had nothing to do with the Korean Bishop, nor did I Attempt to conduct a Mass or attend a Mass in a Catholic Church in Korea. How happy I am that in my life many catholic dignitaries have made themselves fools as they told lies about me.

I am very busy with a chain of e-mails which arrive every day. I must answer them every day, otherwise they heap up, and the writers heap up, as the writers write back to find out as to whether I received their e-mail. I need no publicity from the Catholic Church. Shame to the Korean Episcopal Conference. You are not dealing with a fool, if only you knew.

Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo

Arch. Milingo's speech of 11 September 2007 in Brazil

Your Excellencies, Right Rev. Bishops and Archbishops of the Married Priests Prelature,

The European Association of the Married Priests, particularly Italian, is advising us to do the following:

I hope you will not take it ill, if I tell you that I answered him in this way, he writes in the name of the Association of the Italian Married Priests. I answered: “Caro Fratello, Io ho un Direttore spirituale chi mi segue e controra la mia conscienza minuto per minuto. Stai nella tua convizione, cosi lascimi libero. Tuo Fratello Milingo.”

“Dear brother I have a spiritual director, who watches me and controls my conscience minute per minute. Hold on to your conviction, and leave me alone. - Your Brother Milingo.”

In my view point these priests are appropriated their fellow poor married priests, and made themselves the brain of them all. I do not know the details of their advantages for forming the associations. If they are happy where they are, and they know the ways to deal with the Roman Catholic Church why have they waited till now, when we have come on the scene?
We are convinced of what we are doing. We are full Bishops of the sacred Catholic Church, and we know that God is with us. Whom did the Catholic Church, “Roman” ever pay attention to all that the people have said against celibacy? We are not doing it alone, still applications are coming in to join us. If we receive a Bishop, we receive as well flock. This is what is happening. What they are looking for is the sense of belonging, with a clear direction of what we are doing. We are restoring to them their human dignity and their priesthood. They are happy that they can be saints and that marriage is not a stumbling-block.

Archbishop E. Milingo

Retired Sydney Bishop Geoffrey Robinson has challenged compulsory priestly celibacy in a new book.

He argues that compulsory celibacy for priests and religious has contributed to sexual abuse, and must at least be on the table for discussion.

He said: "Some may speak all they wish of the benefits of this celibacy for the church, but others will not stop asking, 'How many abused children is celibacy worth'?"

He added that celibacy could contribute to unhealthy psychology, unhealthy ideas, and an unhealthy environment.

"Within the Catholic Church, there is a constant insistence that on all important matters Catholics must look to the Pope for guidance and direction.

"Those older values have for a thousand years included secrecy, the covering over of problems and the protection of the good name of the Church."

Bishop Robinson was a longtime member and chair of the Church's professional standards committee, established by the Australian bishops to deal with the increasing wave of complaints of sexual abuse. He resigned two years ago, disillusioned by the Church's handling of sexual abuse complaints.

 http://www.cathnews.com/news/708/147.php

Following is the full text of Bishop Pat Power's letter to the organisers of the Petition to the Australian Catholic Bishops which Bishop Power released for publication on 21 August 2007…
Open Letter to Petition Organisers...

Paul Collins and Frank Purcell
PO Box 4053
MANUKA ACT 2603

Dear Paul and Frank,

I write in response to your letter of 18 June which I presume was sent to the other Australian Bishops as well. Both of you and the other signatories to the letter are people who have made significant contributions to the Church in Australia and I believe that the issues you raise are of concern to the majority of practising Catholics around Australia. Daily, I hear people express such concerns along with the frustration that their voices are being ignored.

At the heart of the issue is the relationship of the local church to the universal church. I nominated this as a possible subject for the last Synod held in Rome, but there was little support for my proposal. However, for a number of years (some people would say since the beginning of Pope John Paul II's pontificate in 1978) there has been a greater encroachment on the life of the local church which has given the diocesan bishop and his collaborators little scope for effective leadership. I clearly recognise the need for the local church to be in communion with the See of Peter but there needs to be much more reciprocity in the relationship. Circumstances vary enormously around the world and many of the issues your letter raises will have differing consequences in other countries and cultures. That was apparent to me at the 1998 Oceania Synod of Bishops when so many bishops of our region highlighted the particular problems they were facing. Unless diocesan bishops are allowed to exercise the powers intrinsic to their office, many urgent questions will be neglected. The ecumenical movement suggests that we should be seeking unity in diversity. Surely such wisdom needs applying to the Church as a whole. The New Testament shows the first disciples' readiness to embrace such an approach.

Where there is the conviction that the Eucharist is at the heart of Catholic belief and practice, there must be questions asked about disciplinary laws in the Church which have the net effect of denying many Catholics regular access to the Eucharist. This was the precise argument advanced by the National Council of Priests in Australia in the lead-up to the last Synod of Bishops which discussed the Eucharist. They argued that there is little sense in pointing to the centrality of the Eucharist when an increasing number of Catholics in many parts of the world are being deprived of the Eucharist because of the scarcity of priests.

On many occasions since my ordination as bishop in 1986, I have pleaded for consideration of the ordination of married men and the possibility of those who have married to be able to return to the active ministry. I wrote a letter to that effect to Pope John Paul when he visited Australia at the end of that year. In the ensuing twenty years, I have publicly canvassed such views on a number of occasions and I gave voice to them at the 1998 Oceania Synod. But consistent with many papal and other Vatican pronouncements, there has been no acceptance of those views at that level. Yet invariably when I have made such statements the overwhelming response I have received from ordinary Catholics has been one of support and a sense of urgency that the official Church needs to act decisively to bring about reform.

In our own Archdiocese in line with the experience of other parts of Australia, parishes generally and priests personally are under added pressure with an increasing load being borne by a diminishing and ageing clergy. The irony is that in this Archdiocese there are between thirty and forty priests who have married and thereby been debarred from active priestly ministry. Many of them and their families are active in parishes and other areas of Church life, but they are unable to celebrate the Eucharist. There was a recent instance where a priest failed to arrive for Mass and a married priest and his wife sat rather helplessly in the congregation while an acolyte and other members of the parish attempted to lead a liturgy of the word with Holy Communion.

Of course, dioceses need to continue in their efforts to recruit men for the celibate priesthood but the limited response must say something in terms of a long-term solution. Many dioceses have recruited priests from overseas with mixed success. Some such priests have fitted very well into the life of the diocese while others have struggled with issues of culture, language and vision of Church. In any case such solutions can only be partial and short-term.

Your fourth point relating to the participation of women in the life of the Church is crucial for a healthy, life-giving and nurturing Church. While women's roles in the family, Catholic education and health-care are obvious, the opportunities for leadership in terms of the universal, diocesan and even parish Church are extremely limited. The 1997 inquiry into the participation of women in the Church in Australia brought out many of the gaps for which the whole Church, not just women, is the poorer. While I recognise the sensitivity to the question at the level of the Vatican, I am also aware that many loyal and committed Catholics want a more open and thorough examination of the issues around the ordination of women and the whole structure of the priesthood. A less clerical model of the priesthood is more in tune with 21st century societal values and arguably more faithful to the practice of the early Christian communities.

The opportunity which your letter gives for the whole people of God to claim a greater share of ownership in the life of the Church in Australia is most welcome. I hope that the spirit of dialogue promoted by Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Ecclesiam suam and the spirit and teaching of the Second Vatican Council will be brought to bear on the discussions you seek to engender.

Yours sincerely,

(Bishop) Pat Power

source: http://catholica.com.au/gc1/pp/002_pp_210807.php?id=5991

Canberra Auxiliary Bishop Pat Power has questioned current Church discipline that has the effect of denying regular access to the Eucharist saying that it's time for a less "clerical" understanding of the priesthood.

The bishop has written to the organisers of a petition calling for the ordination of married men to the priesthood, Paul Collins and Frank Purcell.

He suggested the heart of the issue is the link between the local Church and the universal Church. He said he'd nominated this as a possible subject for the last Synod in Rome, but received little support.

Bishop Power said: "Unless diocesan bishops are allowed to exercise the powers intrinsic to their office, many urgent questions will be neglected."

He also said that a less clerical model of priesthood would foster the participation of women in the leadership of the Church.

in http://www.cathnews.com/news/708/123.php

To:  The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference

We, the undersigned Australian Catholics, wish to express our support for our bishops who are preparing the Australian Catholic Church for new forms of ministry and leadership. We request the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference to place the following items on the agenda for their plenary meeting in November this year, 2007.

We ask that the Bishops:

1. Acknowledge that there is a major crisis in ministry within the Australian Catholic Church.

2. Acknowledge that there is no doctrinal or theological barrier to the ordination of married men. The Australian Church has already ordained married former Anglican priests.

3. Take practical steps toward ordaining suitably qualified married men.

4. Encourage a wide-ranging discussion of the role of women in ministry and in the authority structures of the Church, including the question of women’s ordination.

5. Establish appropriate scriptural, theological and pastoral training programs (campus, distance and online) to prepare suitable women and men for ministry. These candidates should have the recommendation of their parishes and communities, and should participate in mentored pastoral work.

6. Invite priests who have left the ministry to return to active priesthood, subject to negotiation with the local bishop.

We do this because of our growing concern that three serious issues are putting the future of the Catholic Church in Australia at risk:

• the increasingly acute shortage of suitable priests to maintain our Mass-centred, Eucharistic spirituality and the celebration of the other sacraments;
• The increasing drift of young people from the Church because of the difficulties we face in our ministry to them;
• the lack of full leadership roles for women.

The An appeal to the Australian Catholic Bishops to ordain priests for our parishes Petition to The Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference was created by and written by Paul Collins & Frank Purcell (fpurcell@mcmedia.com.au).

source: http://www.petitiononline.com/PF2544/petition.html

(foto ©sacerdoti sposati)

What a it is to receive excuses from married priests, due to their fixed  ideas against Rev. Moon. Why not come to face the Unificationist  theologians, as we did during the international symposium? If they are truly theologians, let them come and compare their beliefs with what the  Unificationists believe. It is a very poor attitude; pure prejudice. What  will they say if they were to meet a Buddhist, who believes that the word  "God" is a mental creation of Christians. But Buddhists are considered  living Saints in Asia. Stop talking against Rev. Moon, if you do not want  to air your views publicly to the assembly. Buddhists are not atheists, but they will not stand you if you mention God. To them, Buddha is everything and these people take up 25% of the population of Korea.
 
When will Catholic theologians become human loving? The masculine theology with its arrogance to judge and consider every believer other than Catholic to be a fool is certainly not divine. They have the right to  judge so they believe, to condemn, and spread lies about doctrines which  they do not understand. This is intellectual idolatry of their own  beliefs.
 
Let the Italian Married Priests, who are at the source of Catholic  theology in Rome, come to help us whom they believe that we have put  ourselves under the claws of the devil. The morality of the  Unificationists as a body and a community of believers in their "Devine  Principle" is very high. They have absolute sexual morality, do not drink
alcohol, live in poverty, models of family, love living for others, rooted  in Jesus Christ. If we talk exaggerations, we too are accused of  exaggerating the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But one as to have patience and show them that there is no exaggeration. Mary is the new Eve, Mother of Humanity. How long will it take intellectual upper class of the Catholic Church come down to the level of the grass root? If you have  truly learnt to love as God loves, He condemns nobody. He loves everyone with his defects. "Don't judge" he says, "Leave the judgment to me."
"Don't condemn anyone, it is I who have the last word." Have we Catholics ever measured the distance covered by our charity. If our Catholic charity does not go further than our nose, than we are lost.
 
Yours Sincerely,
Archbishop E. Milingo

Thank you, Bishop Marcelo Pires, for correcting a false report.  May the Patriarch of ICAB, Dom Luis Mendes, enjoy many years of good health.  Blessings,
 
+Peter Paul Brennan
Married Priests Now!

In a message dated 8/10/2007 7:52:24 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  Bishop Marcelo Pires writes:
Estimados Irmaos em Cristo,
 
Acabo de falar por telefone com D. Luis Mendes. Ele esta gozando de boa suade e esta muito bem.
 
Infelizmente esta sendo noticiado pela Internet que nosso Patriarca havia falecido ontem, dia 9 de agosto, aos 84 anos de idade.
A noticia esta na pagina da sua Biografia. Mas, gracas a Deus, que isso foi apenas um alarme falso patrocinado por algum mesquinho de ideias curtas. Talvez algum psicopata maldoso e perigoso.
 
Aproveitemos a oportunidade e oremos por Dom Luis Mendes - nosso Patriarca.
 
Em Cristo, pelo Ideal.
 
+Marcelo Pires

google automatic translation - adapted

 
Esteem Irmaos in Christ,
 
I just finished a telephone conversation with D. Luis Mendes. he is enjoying good health and is very well.
 
Unhappily we were notified on the Internet that our Patriarch had deceased yesterday, day 9 of August, to the 84 years of age.  The news was in his biography page.
 
But, thanks to God, this was only one false alarm sponsored by some person of lowly thoughts. Perhaps some evil and dangerous psychopath.
 
Let us use to advantage the chance and let us pray for Dom Luis Mendes - our Patriarch.
 
In Christ, for the Ideal.
 
+Marcelo Pires

The Apostolic Succession of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo

And of Popes Paul VI, Pius XII, Benedict XV, and St. Pius X

PETER PAUL BRENNAN, JOSEPH JEFFREY GOUTHRO, PATRICK ERNESTO TRUJILLO, and GEORGE AUGUSTUS STALLINGS, Archbishops for the Married Priests Now! Catholic Prelature.  Consecrated 24 September 2006, Immani Temple on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C., by the Metropolitan Archbishop Emeritus of Lusaka, Emmanuel Milingo.

EMMANUEL MILINGO, Metropolitan Archbishop of Lusaka in Zambia.  Consecrated 1 August 1969, Kololo Terrace, Kampala, Uganda, by Pope Paul VI, Giovanni Battista Montini, assisted by Sergio Pignedoli, Titular Archbishop of Iconium and Secretary of the Evangelization of Peoples, Roman Curia, later Cardinal-Deacon of S. Georgio in Velabro, and by Emmanuel Kiwanuka Nsubuga, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kampala, Uganda and later Cardinal-Priest of S. Maria Nuova.

GIOVANNI BATTISTA MONTINI, Archbishop of Milano, the future Pope Paul VI. Consecrated 12 December 1954 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugène Cardinal Tisserant, Bishop of Ostia and of Porto e Santa Rufina, assisted by Giacinto Tredici, Bishop of Brescia, and Domenico Bernareggi, Titular Bishop of Famagosta and Vicar Capitular of Milano.

EUGÈNE TISSERANT, Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Iconium. Consecrated 25 July 1937 in Saint Peter`s Basilica, Rome, by Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, Secretary of State, the future Pope Pius XII, assisted by Giuseppe Migone, Titular Archbishop of Nicomedia and Charles-Joseph Ruch, Bishop of Strasbourg.

EUGENIO PACELLI, Titular Archbishop of Sardi, the future Pope Pius XII.  Consecrated 13 May 1917 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XV, assisted by Giovanni Battista Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Agostino Zampini, O.S.A., Titular Bishop of Porphyreon and Sacristan of His Holiness.

GIACOMO DELLA CHIESA, Archbishop of Bologna, the future Pope Benedict XV.  Consecrated 22 December 1907 in the Sistine Chapel, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Saint Pius X, assisted by Pietro Balestra, Archbishop of Cagliari and Teodoro Valfre di Bonzo, Archbishop of Vercelli.

GIUSEPPE SARTO, Bishop of Mantova (the future Pope St. Pius X). Consecrated 16 November 1884 in the Church of San Apollinare, Rome, by Lucido Maria Cardinal Parocchi, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Pietro Rota, Titular Archbishop of Thebes and Giovanni Maria Berengo, Archbishop of Udine.

LUCIDO MARIA PAROCCHI, Bishop of Pavia. Consecrated 5 November 1871 in the Church of Trinità dei Monti, Rome, by Costantino Cardinal Patrizi, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Pietro Villanova Castellacci, Titular Archbishop of Petra and Salvatore Nobili Vitelleschi, Titular Archbishop of Seleucia.

COSTANTINO PATRIZI, Titular Archbishop of Philippi. Consecrated 21 December 1828 in the Church of Santa Caterina da Siena, Rome, by Carlo Cardinal Odescalchi, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Bishops and Regulars, assisted by Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch and Paolo Agosto Foscolo, Archbishop of Corfu.

CARLO ODESCALCHI, Cardinal Archbishop of Ferrara. Consecrated 25 May 1823 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Maria Cardinal Della Somaglia, Bishop of Ostia and of Velletri, assisted by Giuseppe Della Porta Rodiani, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople and Lorenzo Mattei, Titular Patriarch of Antioch.

GIULIO MARIA DELLA SOMAGLIA, Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 21 December 1788 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Hyacinthe-Sigismond Cardinal Gerdil, C.R.S.P., assisted by Nicola Buschi, Titular Archbishop of Ephesus and Pierluigi Galletti, O.S.B., Titular Bishop of Cyrene.

HYACINTHE-SIGISMOND GERDIL, C.R.S.P., Titular Bishop of Dibon. Consecrated 2 March 1777 in the Church of San Carlo ai Catinari, Rome, by Marcantonio Cardinal Colonna, Vicar of Rome, assisted by Orazio Mattei, Titular Archbishop of Colosse and Francesco Antonio Marcucci, Bishop of Montalto delle Marche and Vicegerent of Rome.

MARCANTONIO COLONNA, Cardinal and Titular Archbishop of Corinth. Consecrated 25 April 1762 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Clement XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Cardinal Albani, Bishop of Sabina and Henry Cardinal Stuart, Duke of York, Bishop of Frascati.

CARLO REZZONICO, Cardinal Bishop of Padova (the future Pope Clement XIII).  Consecrated 19 March 1743 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIV, assisted by Giuseppe Cardinal Accaramboni, Bishop of Frascati and Antonio Saverio Cardinal Gentili.

PROSPERO LAMBERTINI, Titular Archbishop of Theodosia (the future Pope Benedict XIV). Consecrated 16 July 1724 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by His Holiness Pope Benedict XIII, assisted by Giovanni Francesco Nicolai, O.F.M.Ref., Titular Archbishop of Myra and Nicola Maria Lercari, Titular Archbishop of Nazianzus.

VINCENZO MARIA ORSINI, O.P., Cardinal Archbishop of Manfredonia (the future Pope Benedict XIII). Consecrated 3 February 1675 in the Church of Saints Dominic and Sixtus, Rome, by Paluzzo (Paluzzi degli Albertoni) Cardinal Altieri, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation de Propaganda Fide, assisted by Stefano Brancaccio, Archbishop-Bishop of Viterbo e Tuscania and Costanzo Zani, O.S.B., Bishop of Imola.

PALUZZO (PALUZZI DEGLI ALBERTONI) ALTIERI, Cardinal Bishop of Montefiascone e Corneto. Consecrated 2 May 1666 in the Church of San Silvestro in Capite, Rome, by Ulderico Cardinal Carpegna, assisted by Stefano Ugolini, Titular Archbishop of Corinth and Giovanni Tommaso Pinelli, Bishop of Albenga.

ULDERICO CARPEGNA, Bishop of Gubbio. Consecrated 7 October 1630 in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace of the Quirinal, Rome, by Luigi Cardinal Caetani, assisted by Antonio Ricciulli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro and Vicegerent of Rome, and Benedetto Landi, Bishop of Fossombrone.

LUIGI CAETANI, Titular Patriarch of Antioch. Consecrated 12 June 1622 in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, by Lodovico Cardinal Ludovisi, Archbishop of Bologna, assisted by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Vulpiano Volpi, Archbishop emeritus of Chieti.

LODOVICO LUDOVISI, Cardinal Archbishop of Bologna. Consecrated 2 May 1621 in the private chapel of his consecrator, near Saint Peter's Basilica, Rome, by Galeazzo Sanvitale, Archbishop emeritus of Bari and Prefect of the Apostolic Palace, assisted by Cosmo de Torres, Titular Archbishop of Hadrianopolis and Ottavio Ridolfi, Bishop of Ariano.

GALEAZZO SANVITALE, Archbishop of Bari. Consecrated 4 April 1604 in the chapel of the Apostolic Sacristy, Rome, by Girolamo Cardinal Bernerio, O.P., Bishop of Albano, assisted by Claudio Rangoni, Bishop of Piacenza and Giovanni Ambrogio Caccia, Bishop of Castro di Toscana.

GIROLAMO BERNERIO, O.P., Bishop of Ascoli Piceno. Consecrated 7 September 1586 in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles, Rome, by Giulio Antonio Cardinal Santoro, assisted by Giulio Masetti, Bishop of Reggio Emilia and Ottaviano Paravicini, Bishop of Alessandria.

GIULIO ANTONIO SANTORO, Archbishop of Santa Severina. Consecrated 12 March 1566 in the Pauline Chapel of the Vatican Apostolic Palace by Scipione Cardinal Rebiba, Titular Patriarch of Constantinople, assisted by Annibale Caracciolo, Bishop of Isola and Giacomo de'Giacomelli, Bishop emeritus of Belcastro.

SCIPIONE REBIBA, Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary of Chieti.  Elected Titular Bishop of Amicle and Auxiliary to Giovanni Pietro Cardinal Carafa, Archbishop of Chieti, 16 March 1541. To date, after extensive research, no record of his consecration has been found.

It is usually suggested that Cardinal Rebiba may have been consecrated by Pope Paul IV, Gianpietro Carafa, but no information about Rebiba’s consecration has been found.  Paul IV was consecrated in 1506 by Oliviero Carafa, Bishop of Napoli.  Oliviero Carafa was consecrated in 1458 by Leone de Simone, Bishop of Nola, who was elected in 1442.

September 19,2006

Respected brothers and sisters of the Roman Catholic clergy,

It is my great honor to spend these two days with you at this historic, international convocation bringing together the founding community of Married Priests Now. I am deeply moved to discover the depth of your life with God, as well as your sacrificial devotion to serve others in your capacities as priests, nuns, and family members of those who have been called to clerical service.

I have learned so much from your theological and historical knowledge, and I have been inspired and lifted up by your pure hearts of gratitude and devotion to God and His children, even in the face of severe persecution and mistreatment by your Mother Church. Roman Catholicism forged itself through centuries of Christian obedience to the sacred Word, and to the leadership of the risen Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. By comparison we Unification members are a young community.
In these two days it has become clear to me that we can learn a great deal from your long established tradition. I pray that our two communities can grow in love and appreciation for one another, becoming ever closer through shared purpose and obedience to God above.

I want to take only a few moments this morning to bring a message of fraternal greetings from our religious founder Father Moon and his family, as well as to tell a tiny bit about his teachings and ministry, especially as it pertains to why he has taken such a great interest in the lives and missions of married, Roman Catholic Clergy. l know many of your friends and associates will have a great deal of curiosity and indeed some will have genuine concern over the matter of Father Moon's relationship with this project and movement.

This js why I will be as clear and open as possible, even though time limitation will allow me only the most surface explanations of Father Moon, his family, and his worldwide movement for peace. I believe that only a trusting and open relationship among spiritual people can truly serve Heavenly Father and His desire to save His children from sin and difficulty.

First of ali, I bring you a message of love, gratitude, and encouragement from Father and Mother Moon, and their family of 3 generations who are serving the Will of God. Father and Mother Moon always ask after ali of you and listen with rapt interest whenever I report what I am learning from Archbishop Milingo, Father's Brennan, Trujillo, Serrone and many others and their families who are charting the path of Married Priests Now. Father and Mother Moon insist that we take the greatest of care to serve ali of you with humility, care and sincerity.

Father Moon and his family members, like so many of you have suffered unspeakable suffering and indignity that has come from persecution and misunderstanding throughout his entire life of 80 plus years serving God. He deeply understands what you have suffered in your determination to follow the voice of God within, even when it meant becoming the object of disdain and mistreatment from others who are deaf to what you hear and know. He prays deeply for the success of Married Priests Now, and tells me that any Unification members who want to support this work must be prayerful and even more serious than the members themselves to see the growth and expansion of this great cause. One thing he tells me is, "please be sure our brothers and sisters and families of Married Priests Now have peaceful and thankful hearts, and no anger toward anyone. With a heart of forgiveness and redoubled focus and efforts on serving those who seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, this group can rise to become the breath of resurrection for the Mother Church.

As many of you know, Father Moon has suffered 6 unjust imprisonments for his faith, including in the United States of America. On every occasion God's heart grieved to see how easily the world turns against those who love and serve in the name of God. But on every occasion both during and after his imprisonments he always sought to love and serve his tormentors, often in substantial ways. When Father Moon was released from Danbury Prison in Connecticut, among the very first to welcome him in a spirit of solidarity were members of the Roman Catholic Clergy. It is these sorts of life experiences that he will never forget, and so he sends you his love, gratitude, and has even devoted a great deal of both human and material resources to help the cause of Married Priests Now in every way he can. Some of your leaders, such as Archbishop Milingo and others have met Reverend and Mrs.
Moon personally. I hope they will be able to tell you about these experiences and what it was like.

But mere common suffering is not the only reason for Father Moon's great interest in Married Priests Now, his devotion to support your cause also grows naturally out of his theology and understanding of God's providence. This time I can explain only a little, but these teachings are very important, and I hope that over time many of you can come to learn about them more fully. They are remarkably close to the courageous courses that ali of you here chose for your ministries many years ago.

Briefly, we understand through our reading of Genesis and through the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, that the very purpose for which Heavenly Father created Heaven, Earth, and Human beings is for the purpose of filling the world with endless love coming from God Centered families. Adam and Eve were directed through God's commandments to grow purely to maturity until which time they would be blessed in marriage and begin as the originai heavenly family in which God could dwell.

Tragically in disobedience to God, and surrender to the deceptions of Satan, Adam and Eve both fell before they could perfect their love, and instead of marrying to start God's own family, they began a history plagued by Satan who took control of their cooperation and obedience. It was not until this tragedy bore the fruit of violent murder in the very children of this couple, that the dispensation to send the Messiah began.
Jesus was sent as savior to rectify and set right the entanglement of evil and violence that arose in the family of our first ancestors.

Jesus our Lord was sent by God to save us, and to begin the traditions meant originally for Adam. He was met with faithlessness and rejection to the point of death at an early age, resulting in his promise to return to build the Kingdom of which he spoke so frequently during the early parts of his ministry.
Fortunately the perfect oneness between Jesus and God the Father allowed for the condition of the resurrection through which believers can be saved and protected until the time of Christ's return.

In solidarity with Lord Jesus' life on earth, a period of indemnity and repentance was needed. This is the impetus for the limited historical period in which celibacy characterized clerical devotion, not only in the Roman Catholic community, but in many religions the world over. But this short period to indemnify the sin of our faithlessness before Jesus had to pass.
It is contrary to the originai Edenic will of God, namely to establish beautiful God centered families to show the world God's love.

Each one of you here now are the one's whom God has called to pioneer the path to end the condition of celibacy on a world wide level. Father Moon knows this is the Will of God. And he knows that you who are the first fruits of this Divine inspiration and therefore are the ones who have had to suffer most.
Please understand that you will never have a greater friend for your cause than Father Moon. If you will forgive me for saying so, it is not a personal, humanistic love for you because you have suffered, rather it is first his love for the Will of God, and for the fact that you suffered for Him(!) that compels Father Moon to devote his loving support to your efforts.

As I say, this is only the tiniest surface of what I want to share.
God willing we will have time ahead to learn more from one another .

I hope I have helped to answer some questions. We are thrilled with the vision and hope from Married Priests Now. May God bless you and your families.