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Published: November 6, 2009
The Pope’s Shoes
Dolan gives the Times, Dowd holy hell
Editor: The following appeared in the New York Post on November 3.
 New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan has condemned the New York Times -- blasting the Gray Lady and its columnist Maureen Dowd for what he says are examples of unfair, prejudicial and just downright mean anti-Catholicism.
Dolan used his blog last Thursday on the Archdiocese of New York's Web site to rail against the Times a day after the paper refused to print his critique as an op-ed piece.
He singled out Dowd -- a poison-penned, Pulitzer winner and former Catholic-school girl -- for "the most combustible," "intemperate and scurrilous" "diatribe" she wrote on Oct. 25, which "rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish or African-American religious issue."
 "She digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans."
Dowd's column, which zinged the Vatican for "two inquisitions" into nuns who eschew "old-fashioned habits and convents," was only the latest Times piece to spin Dolan's skullcap.
To read the entire story click here.
Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 3:10 AM By Victoria
Maureen Dowd has given her opinion, as is her right; just as it is the right of the Editor of the CCD to refer to Dowd as, "a poisoned penned, Pulitzer Prize winner and forner Catholic-school girl." (I am assuming those ARE the words of the CCD Editor, since they were not in quotes and therefore, not credited as the remarks of Archbishop Dolan.)
One thing is for certain, most, if not all, our former Catholic school children write really, REALLY well. Pulitzer Prize. Huh? GOOD FOR YOU MAUREEN!!!!!
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 5:40 AM By ted
If allowed to write columns such as Dowd's unchallenged, the media will keep on doing it.
Every false characterization, every distortion, every bit of their malice should be forcefully yet charitably refuted. Like the children they are, they will continue with their irresponsible behavior until meaningful consequences are the result on a consistent, firm basis.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 5:42 AM By JLS
Dowd is merely displacing her own unrestrained lusts onto the Church. She is an inquisitional insurgent striving to make toy soldiers with the armed forces and a step and fetchit of the Pope.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 5:48 AM By Central Valley
If only we had a strong voice like this to lead the diocese of Fresno, Ca.. A Bishop speaking the truth and defending the faith, it's about time. Thanks be to God.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 6:19 AM By David
Archbishop Dolan deserves praise for his response to Maureen Dowd's anti-Catholic diatribe on Oct. 25th. When I read her op-ed column, I could hardly believe that even the NY Times would print such an uneducated, low-brow, scurrilous piece. It just demonstrates the extent to which the Times has descended to the depths of cheap tabloid journalism in order to keep its ever shrinking readership.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 6:54 AM By Jaime
Good for Archbishop Tim. It's good to know that Archbishop Chaput is not the only bishop in the country with a great zeal for defending the Church in public, and naming names where necessary. Now if the other milquetoasts in purple would follow suit, perhaps the politicians and chattering classes who claim to be good practiciing Catholics would be seen for the frauds that they are.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 7:02 AM By Canisius
What to go your Eminence... The NY Times the nation's leading secular liberal anti-Cathoic Daily, may it soon go bankrupt
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 7:20 AM By John Zakharia
Finally. A bishop with Hootspa. We finally have a bishop who is standing up to the slanderers and liars.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 7:44 AM By OneoftheSheep
Maureen Dowd is no friend of Catholics despite her credentials. Apparently she has sold her soul to the highest bidder and we must pray to ransom her back into the flock.
Shame on our sister in Christ who puts power and worldly acclaim above the care of her soul and the souls of others.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 7:49 AM By Pax Christi
Excellent for giving Dowd the smackdown, your Excellency. She is an utter disgrace to the Catholic faith.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 7:59 AM By John
The Archbishop gives Dowd too much satisfaction.
Better that he should have said, "With columnists like Dowd, it is no wonder that the NY Times is going broke."
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 8:24 AM By Dana
Father Groeschel calls the NYTimes the Gray Witch. He thinks it's become a peddler of sensational journalism rather than serious news. "He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth." Luke 11:23 Ans we all know who scatters...that "enemy the devil {that} prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. I Peter 5:8 Poor Ms Dowd...I truly pity her and her ilk. Imagine being so deluded that you would side with satan over our precious loving Savior. It fairly boggles the mind.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 9:02 AM By St. Christopher
Maureen Dowd is a poor writer, and boring, as well. She is tolerated as an icon of the howling Left, in the same way that many in the NY Times -- Vanity Fair set are tolerated (and self-supporting, although on a continually reduced basis). The Archbishop was correct to respond and, as a bonus, show the world how lost is the NY Times. Please keep this up, Excellency. Soon Ms. Dowd, and her peeps, will be old and their venues bankrupt.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 9:02 AM By Maryanne Leonard
Maureen Dowd is shamefully anti-Catholic, as is much of the media, despite benefiting from a Catholic education as a child. The archbishop is standing up to her evil spoutings and showing leadership in declaring the writer and the NY Times is extremely out of line. The Fresno bishop is a fine human being and has inspired fine men to become priests who are serving with exemplary grace and devotion. I stand up to the comments by Central Valley as also extremely out of line. This writer is not reflecting Catholic teachings, any more than Maureen Dowd. Give thanks for your blessings in having such a wonderful archbishop, even if you do not find him sufficiently aggressive against an outrageous priest who is now gone, something else for which to give thanks.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 11:03 AM By Kristen
I found the rebuttul to lack much substance or address the issues. Yes, the Pope was conscripted, nobody is denying that, the issue was she thought he should be extra cafeful about cozying up to Holocaust deniers. Is that unfair? I don't think so. Also, she said modern nuns who don't wear habits are being targeted in an investigation, because they do social work. Is that true? The response doesn't address that. This is what people want to know, and I think they have a right to know it. Saying she's anti Catholic is beside the point--address the issues. By the way, using the term "schoolgirl" is a not so subtle misogynistic jab. Not really scoring any points there unless you enjoy that type of thing.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 11:19 AM By Peter
At least she didn't lie.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 12:26 PM By Victoria
No, Ted, This is the United States of America and Maureen is exercising her First Amendment Rights: "Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press Assembly and Petition". And GOD Bless Her For It. LONG LIVE THE FOURTH ESTATE!!
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 12:39 PM By Victoria
"Oneof theSheep, I don't think I would bring up the topic of the "Selling" of Souls, if I were you. The Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, seduced by the promise of wealth and power,in exchange for their abdonement of the suffering innocent, have long ago proven themselves GRACELESS TRAITORS to Our Crucified Lord.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 12:49 PM By J H
You are my kind of archbishop (Dolan) when you oppose this NewYork Times article, and the Times would not permit you to respond. Archbishop Dolan, I recently saw you on EWTN's The World Over with Raymond Arroyo. Now I see why Rome appointed you to be the archbishop of Milwaukee...to straighten the mess caused by your predecessor .DOLAN FOR CARDINAL, AND SOON.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 12:50 PM By Thomas Edward Miles
I enjoy reading Dowd, however, the Archbishop does have a point if he wants the red hat, that red hat will match the Popes shoes, the boys will look great together! We all know that Ms. Dowd wants those shoes with heals, of course!!
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 3:50 PM By Grisha
Dear Friends: Ms. Dowd is listed as a Roman Catholic in Notable Names Data Base. She was educated by nuns and counts a number of them as lifelong friends. She sees them as being unfairly, even viciously, attacked. She's really, I mean really, really pissed off at the Church over this. She went wayyyyy overboard in reacting. I wish she'd had the piece published as an Op-Ed in a the Archdiocesan newspaper rather than airing our family fight in the Times. Thaaats all folks!
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:28 PM By Georgina
I was taught by the Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I'm still angry about when the leaders of the church did to them. It was all such a waste.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:45 PM By JLS
Lots of people were educated in a Catholic way, but opted out. St Paul tells us, as do other Apostles and Saints, that a soul who renounces the faith proceeds to become a viscious anti-Christ. We find many of them in the world today.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:47 PM By JLS
Kristen, the article requires a knowledge base on this material. It is not put forward as a primary instruction in history. But you bring up a great point. Now why don't you research it and present the elemental facts?
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 4:48 PM By JLS
Peter, Dowd's whole schtueck is a lie.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 6:52 PM By Dave
Maureen is a good Catholic girl. She doesn't smoke, drink to excess, fornicate with young boys and lie about it. She can communicate on the internet without the help of a staff. She says what she thinks and not what she's told to.
I'm with Maureen. You can have Timmy.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 8:26 PM By Pax Christi
The defenders of Dowd should Google "Kathryn Jean Lopez literally dying" to come up with a eye-awakener of an article that shows Dowd consorting with the wrong kinds of sisters, those whose orders are in need of a defibrillator to shock them back to life for having gone so far off course that no young recruit in her right mind will go near those foul-smelling beasts.
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Posted Friday, November 06, 2009 8:55 PM By Thomas Edward Miles
Pardon me, I mis-spelled heels, that happens when you push send before checking what you have written! I am pleased that I can laugh at myself, I hope you are laughing with me!!
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 6:49 AM By Bob
I read the archbishop's posting on his blog. Pretty strong, and perhaps mostly accurate. I read Ms. Dowd's article in the NYT. Pretty strong and mostly accurate. I then read the rebutal to the Archbishop's blog from an editor of the times. Strong and mostly accurate. I think that the Archbishop had just had it and wanted to get it off his chest. The church has been torn apart in the press for the last few years. As the largest denomination in the country, any thing it does makes news. (If it bleeds, it leads, as the saying goes). Everything Ms. Dowd wrote was true. She, and a large percentage of the people of this country do not believe what we believe. They think we are not fair to homosexuals, we had bishops who allowed priest to get away with all kinds of things with children and didn't report them to the police and de-frock them. We have hundreds of millions of dollars going out in payments to the victims. We have the Vatican on a witch hunt of our congregation of women because they are too feminist, what ever that means. We have the Ryan Report out of Ireland that reports on cruelties to children by priest and nuns that are almost unprintable. People see and hear these things and have negative reactions to the church. We as a catlholic people can be very dogmatic to the point of sometimes forgeting to be compasionate for people who are hurting. All in all, I think the grenade has been thrown by both the archbishop and the NYT and they will blow up on both sides.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 2:50 PM By Mark from PA
I think what you wrote is very thought provoking, Bob. We all need healing.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 7:43 PM By Fr. John
You're wrong, Bob, Dave, Victoria et al. Dowd is a bitter, vitriolic, venom-spewing ex-Catholic who hyperbolizes, obfuscates, and prevaricates on matters of the Church and the Holy Faith, apparently convinced in her spite that she is somehow a spearhead for ideals and reform. She has, of recent time, become something of journalistic bad joke, having been accused last year of shamelessly "borrowing" word-for-word from the thought of a liberal homosexual blogger, and then vigorously denying the whole thing. When I reflect on her life and downward glide into the journalistic sewers, I am reminded of the words of G.K. Chesterton (The Everlasting Man) when I reflect on just how blind with rage and anger this former Catholic school girl has become: ""Now the best relation to our spiritual home - the Church- is to be near enough to love it. But the next best is to be far enough away not to hate it".
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 9:23 PM By JLS
Rational thought can be exemplified by the example in this article. First, rational thought is not an apostate Catholic telling off an orthodox bishop in his teaching charism. There is no second ... that about says it all. I was introduced to Catholicism first by Catholic school girls at the university I first attended. I know exactly what happens to them when they set themselves up as Church authorities. It was fun while it lasted, and I hope that at least most of them turned away from their folly and turned to Christ, as I did. But the longer and deeper one persists in sin, the harder it is to turn from it; and when one eventually does turn from it, there are scars, behavior issues and so forth ... Ain't no party, but it is the only way to a good eternity.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 9:29 PM By JLS
Pax Christi, again I take issue with the slurring of animals. "Foul smelling beasts" !!! In reality, a healthy animal does not smell foul, but smell good ... not counting if they've recently eaten something foul. The error Dave makes in evaluating Dowd is by painting her with some good traits, but omitting the central blasphemonic at issue, which is idolatry. Also, fyi, since idolatry and adultry go hand in hand, it is not really believeable what Dave says about her being a shining example of sexual virtue. But these kinds of pseudo-thinkers do nothing but search for loopholes in Divine Law and the Law of Charity.
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Posted Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:01 PM By Victoria
No, John, You are the one who is wrong. If you are what you say you are, then it doesn't surprise me that you would write such tripe.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 1:46 AM By victoriag
Fr. (?) John, Obviously the Love of Christ and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit has been lost on you. Instead, you threaten like a school yard bully. You speak of, "Venon-Spewing" & "Blind Rage and Anger"? You are the one spewing hatred in defense of a system that has long since abandoned the teachings of Our Crucified Lord; a system that is now a laughing stock around the world. Thing is, the Victims of this morally bankrupt, out of control system are not laughing. And the man who now leads this morally bankrupt system, (more than anyone) could have relieved their suffering, yet he chose to do nothing. And to speak out against this heartless and, in some cases, criminally negligent, system is not speaking against Almighty GOD. Even Pope Pius X said, "The smoke of satan has entered the church". Those in positions of leadership are drapping Our Church down into the gutter.
Finally, you refer to Ms. Dowd as an, "ex-catholic". Unless, and until, she has been excommunicated, Ms. Dowd will always be a Roman Catholic; and it is not your place to say otherwise. And if she chooses not to play the role of subsurvient hand maiden, that is also none of your concern.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 9:12 AM By JonJ
Father John, Maureen Dowd certainly is unhappy with the Catholic Church, but what about her column was untrue? Women religious have a subordinate role in the Church; Dowd thinks this heirarchy is due to sexism, the Church contends it's God's will and natural law. I concede that characterizing the Vatican's investigation into the lives of American women religious as an "inquisition" is hyperbolic, yet the unfortunate truth is that the real inquisition did happen and its use in Dowd's column reminds us that questioning the Church is an unfortunate necessity. Dowd also disagrees with the Church on contraception and, apparently, abortion, which means she questions infallible doctrine. Consequently, you can't really call her a good catholic. She also unfairly infers that the Pope's conscription into the German army has somehow made him sympathetic to anti semitism. Even so, I do not think you grasp that the child abuse scandal has properly cost the Church enormous credibility. I think the bishops, who did enable the abusers, did not truly believe, at an intuitive level, that clergy could act in such a manner. I also believe that contempt for contemporary culture led the bishops to think that many accusations were the consequence of children poisoned by decadent public morals. Even so, the child abuse scandal was a tremendous betrayal of trust, and the public will not soon forget it. It will take generations for the american church to regain its standing; even though the vast majority of catholic clergy are completely innocent, and, I believe, do their best to help mankind. In the mean time, the Maureen Dowd's of the world will scream. As a layman, I can only hope the Church heirarchy has taken a good hard look at the internal biases and blind spots which allowed them to make such horrific mistakes.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 9:37 AM By Grisha
Fr. John - Given the nature of the Internet I will assume your screen name means you are a Roman Catholic priest. If not you might want to let us know. In the sprit of equal dignities, I'll share with you regarding my screen name that although I have an avocational interest in Russia and Russians, I've got not one drop of Slavic blood in by ancestry. That having been said, why do you refer to Ms. Dowd as an "Ex-Catholic?" What information do you have that she has left the Church she was raised in? Every profile of her I can find lists her religion as Roman Catholic.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 6:52 PM By Fr. John
Victoriag: No thanks for your ad hominem attack and, in the same breath, the comment that the Holy Church you call our "system" long ago abandoned Christ and his teaching. Methinks that perhaps you suffer from that of which you accuse me? I will leave Maureen Dowd’s Catholicism (or lack thereof) to her confessor, but one must make a clear distinction between those who are Catholic by heritage and education, and those who actually profess and live out the One, Holy, Apostolic, and Catholic faith. Implicit in the Catholic faith is a measure of obsequium to our bishops and especially the Holy Father, which is entirely absent in her writing for as long as I have had unfortunate occasion to examine her columns. Clearly, one who writes as she does has deep-seated anger issues, as do apparently some of the commentators here who agree with the method and manner of her half-baked drivel and poorly-cloaked nativism. I would simply ask you to educate yourself and read more than one column on this woman. JonJ, I can sort of appreciate what you write vis-a-vis generalized anger about the sex abuse issue, but let's stay on point my friend. I think you know that I know that is not simply an issue of “who is telling the truth”. It is a matter of how the truth of our Holy Faith is presented to the world. It is a matter of not creating even more scandal by airing Catholic laundry out in the NYT. It is a matter of Archbishop Dolan refusing to be bullied by an angry woman on a tirade against anything episcopal. I know Archbishop Dolan and I know Maureen Dowd because I have read the work of both. I choose to stand with the Archbishop.
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Posted Sunday, November 08, 2009 8:16 PM By JLS
JonJ, blame God for how He created man, both male and female. You obviously have a better idea, right? Feminism has taken a sad toll on our society. A priest who speaks in terms of what the Church has always taught, especially prior to the advent of feminism, being accused of lack of charity ... this is absurd. Feminism is dependent upon women finding income in the workplace ... They imagine that this provides them freedom and independence ... but it doesn't; all it provides them with is illusion. The feminists believe that modern economy is better than God. All their planks are correlated exactly with what they can buy, and not with what God wills. If they can't buy it, then they don't believe in it.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 3:33 AM By BJ
MaureenDowd and all those who attempt to eat away at the fabric, traditions and structure of the Catholic church from within are ofcourse still catholics( in name)..... in the same way that a cancer develops from and is certainly part of the living organism it is attacking. We never celebrate anything the cancer does ofcourse, other than when it disappears, and they say if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger so the effect of the cancer ultimately back fires. 'The Gates of Hell will Never Prevail' ....Maureen & Co. Do your worst.....
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 11:50 AM By victoriag
Fr. (?) John,I can tell by your reply to my post that I have hit a nerve. What is it you have to hide that makes you strike out with such anger? "Me thinks thou dost pretest too much".
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 1:22 PM By BeauZeau
I see Maureen Dowd as an aging, overrated Vatican II Catholic (meaning excesses thereof) all too willing to trash the faith of her girlhood to please her unchristian and non-Christian masters at the NYT. As for Archbishop Dolan, he has shown more Catholic attitude in a few months than some Ordinaries (are you thinking Cardinal Mahony?) have expressed in their entire tenure in office.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 2:42 PM By Georgina
victoriag, once again we have a man claiming to be a priest (John) who is filled to the brim with this false divinity that seems to infect the clergy and hierarchy and even some of the laity, of the catholic church. John claims that it all hinges on "who is telling the truth". But as has been proven countless times, the church has lost it's ability to speak on matters of truth and morality. John has to get used to the fact that the days of dropping to one's knees in the presence of clergy, the kissing of rings, the idea of whatever a priest says is "SO", simply because he says it is "SO" and the false divinity bestowed on men who are unfit to hold the Consecrated Host in their hands.....Those days are over. We owe our Love, Devotion and Loyalty to Our Crucified Lord, not to men (and in some cases, women) who have betrayed their vows in the most monstrous and perverted ways. It is the duty of every Roman Catholic to confront dishonesty, perversion and sacrilege wherever it rears it's filthy head. Ms. Dowd is only doing her duty and we should thank her for it.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 4:42 PM By JLS
victoriag, don't you know that it is not only Fr. John who hides and strikes out with great anger ... God hides and also strikes out with great anger.
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Posted Monday, November 09, 2009 5:46 PM By victoriag
JLS, I no longer believe in that Monster god the catholic church tries to promote. The church has always operated using Fear and Superstition to keep the sheep in line; and to get them to part with their money. So, you believe in that god you think is an angry monster; and I'll follow the GOD I know who represents Love and Goodness.
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