May 1982 Print

By Erven Park

Those who have read Pope Paul's New Mass by Michael Davies will be familiar with the name of Archbishop Hunthausen of Seattle, and the leading part he played in the "American Scandal" of using invalid matter for the Holy Eucharist—cake instead of bread. He has recently gained further notoriety as an advocate of unilateral disarmament on the part of the United States of America, particularly by his call upon Catholics to refuse to pay taxes as a protest against nuclear weapons. The situation in his Archdiocese has become so intolerable that a group of the faithful there now publishes a bi-monthly journal to combat some of the errors he commends or condones. Every issue contains invaluable documentation, and readers concerned in building up a dossier on the "American Church" should certainly add it to their files. The article which follows is from the May-June 1981 issue of "Catholic Truth," Box 999, Kelso, WA 98626. There is no fixed subscription rate but we are sure that the editor, Mr. Erven Park, would be glad to send a number of back issues for a donation of a few dollars. We congratulate Mr. Park on the following article and on his perceptive analysis of the malaise within the Archdiocese of Seattle which is reflected in altogether too many dioceses within the United States!

 

Archbishop Sheen, prior to his death (December, 1979), had a little story that he told priests attending his retreats. It was meant as a warning and as an example of the results that could come about by the leadership and direction being adopted by so many in the hierarchy and religious in our Church today. He said: "You can take a frog and place him in water of normal temperature. You can then gradually increase the temperature of that water every day until the frog is destroyed by the excessive heat of that water. At no time will the frog register discomfort or resistance because the change has come about gradually and he adjusts accordingly. The frog never becomes aware of the lethal nature of the change in his environment and thus becomes a victim to it."

 Archbishop Sheen, in this vivid illustration, is not referring to the destruction of our mortal life but to that of our eternally destined soul. The frog, of course, is reacting naturally within the parameters assigned to it by God for its survival. Man only has been given the intellect to rationalize, act upon and resist an element which could lead to his destruction. Man, having been given this gift and freedom of the intellect by God, must admit that its stewardship demands individual and personal responsibility. Personal responsibility means making personal decisions, and it is on the basis of those decisions, and its results, that each and every one of us shall be judged. If we relinquish this responsibility we are no better than the frog because we were given the power to evaluate our environment and the frog was not.

We are essentially speaking of our spiritual responsibilities. The destiny of our eternal soul depends on how we fulfill those responsibilities. Our mortal bodies are, and have been, destined for death and corruption from the time of our conception, at least until the day of its resurrection and reunification with our soul, and which shall be totally transformed by God.

Let us now take the lethal story of the frog and see if it could possibly apply to us. Let us imagine that there was a particular Roman Catholic Archdiocese of, say, 15 years ago that was not especially holy but at least was orthodox (upholding the true teachings of the Church). The very fundamental teachings and disciplines of the Church, established by God, were fervently upheld and revered. The Mass which is central to the faith because of its capability of offering the only truly acceptable sacrifice to God the Father in the factual form of the Body and Blood of Christ was reverently performed and acknowledged by the bishop, clergy and religious who were responsible for the shepherding of their flock. The teaching of the Church with regard to Faith and Morals was stoutly taught and vigorously defended by all who had authority in this paramount area of responsibility. It was properly understood that the primary mission of the Church was to shepherd souls through their perilous pilgrimage on earth to the ultimate reward which would be eternity in bliss with the Holy Trinity.

Although we have serious and charitable responsibilities to our fellow man on earth, our true destiny, because God created us for eternal existence, demanded that we be tested as to where we spend our eternity. The alternative to this bliss, promised by God to those who were obedient to His merciful teachings, was the abyss of eternal suffering! Consequently our good shepherds always brought forth the love and mercy of God, but, even more emphatically warned about the justifiable Wrath of God. This is also as any loving mother or father would teach. The rewards (the good news) is explained first, but the consequences of disobedience are vividly illuminated last because that is the most important part of the lesson. Christ, after He gave His Sermon on the Mount, explaining the blessings, immediately went into the "woes" that would be experienced by those in disobedience!

We might just briefly list, lest many of us have become befuddled by the increasing water temperature, some of the more important teaching which our Roman Catholic Church staunchly taught and defended, and still does: The Mass is sacred and not a festivity, for Jesus Christ Himself in His Crucified Body and Blood is being offered up to God as the only acceptable SACRIFICE which can be received by the Father. The Mass is not a community festivity or meal and those who advocate or accept it as such are blaspheming their Lord. Knowing, loving and serving your Lord are paramount in your salvation. Total reverence, not frivolity, is demanded in the enactment of Our Lord's Holy Mass. That which is otherwise is terribly offending to God. The teachings of Faith as illuminated by God's Revelations in the Bible, and by the Holy Spirit who governs the proper interpretation of the Bible's teaching, have to be explicitly in accordance with the Tradition and Magisterium of the Church. We are totally to accept the truth and mysteries of the Apostles Creed which has been revealed to us by the august authority of the Holy Trinity. We are to revere Holy Mary as the Mediatrix of Graces which emanate from God through Christ, which are His gift and whose petitions He shall never refuse. We are to revere Mary in the knowledge that not only is she our new Eve made possible by her own submission to the will of God, but that she was the agent for the bringing forth of the Savior Jesus Christ, and that by this obedience and mortal suffering, she was given the power and mission to crush the head of Satan who is the murderous predator of man. We are to revere and petition our saints and special angels for their intercession and assistance, for by their privileged station which is in personal audience with God, they are able to be, and desire to be, soldiers in our behalf against the prince of darkness and the Father of Lies! All of the seven Sacraments of God's Church which were instituted by Christ Himself are to be adhered to without corruption or distortion as to their true nature and meaning. Morals are taught, as the Church has always taught, from the Word of God in the Old Testament through Christ to His Apostles in the New Testament. Adultery and fornication are an abomination in the eyes and justice of God. Homosexuality is not only hygienically filthy, but an abomination in the eyes of God. The teaching of sexual involvement is fundamentally reserved to the parents. The mortal destruction of your soul is assured if you choose to deviate in these merciful instructions as to the deportment of yourself in sexual activities.

The seminary was in existence and the parish convents were well staffed by Religious who had given themselves totally in service to God. In obedience to their calling they performed wondrous deeds for the spiritual growth of the multitudes who willingly followed their direction, acquiring Divine Graces, thus assuring their eternal bliss with the Holy Trinity. The Catholic hospitals, constructed by the very considerable sacrifices of the faithful were abundant and staffed by those dedicated Religious who ministered not only to the bodily tribulations of their patients but also, of supreme importance, to those of their souls!

The true mission of the Catholic Church, which cannot ever change, puts its prime emphasis on the higher expectations of man, which is spiritual and focused on God, and to eternity beyond this existence on earth. All of which has been written here, and much more, is still the factual teaching and discipline of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Man to acquire salvation and peace on earth, must place God and His laws foremost. To put man and his endeavors foremost is to recommit us to the sufferings of Babylon. A lesson the lost souls of history have ever failed to learn!

NOW LET US apply these standards to our own Archdiocese of Seattle in the present day.

Although the changes came gradually (the heating of the water) you are now in a Church which is foreign to the one you attended fifteen years ago. This change has been especially accelerated during the last six-year reign of Archbishop Hunthausen. Many of these changes are aberrations that were not mandated or even suggested by Vatican II. Many abuses rampant in our Archdiocese are soundly condemned by the Vatican and the Holy Father, John Paul II.

The Seminary is boarded up and the convents are barren, their inhabitants scattered to the world of man, their holy vocations turned to mischief . . . The catechisms officially adopted for teaching of both the children and adults are fraught with error and in many instances call into question the unchangeable teachings of Christ and His Church . . . What of the individuals placed in offices of archdiocesan teaching authority by our Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen? Sr. Diana Bader, Office of Religious Education, active in the women's ordination movement, encourages Catholic women in the use of contraceptives (did so on public TV). Sister Bader was just recently awarded a private consultive position with the Catholic hospitals in the Archdiocese of Seattle. Father Lawrence Reilly, former Professor of Christian Ethics at St. Thomas Seminary (now defunct), while in that position, taught the philosophy of the Fundamental Option theory which made acceptable, under certain circumstances, birth control, masturbation, abortion and homosexuality. He is now employed as "Ethictician" for the Sisters of Providence, advising them on moral practices in relation to their hospital operation.

We could carry on this litany for pages, but let it suffice for now to just name some of those at the archdiocesan level who are in open dissent and disobedience to some of the factual teaching and authority of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and our Holy Father. This is not based upon our opinion but by their own statements and writing, all of which is a matter of public record. They are: Fr. Melvin Farrell, Chancery; Fr. Peter Chirico, theologian; Fr. Roger O'Brien, the Chancery; Joyce Stewart, Office of Religious Education. All of these individuals are in offices of particular influence or authority in the archdiocese and reflect the moral positions of our Archbishop, for it is by his pleasure that they are placed in their positions.

The corruption of the Holy Roman Catholic Faith and Morals in this Archdiocese, under the leadership of Archbishop Hunthausen, has even exceeded the excesses of the heretic Archbishop Cranmer of England, whose diabolic duty it was to convert Catholics to Protestantism under the aegis of Henry VIII. At least I am not aware of Cranmer condoning active homosexuality (under certain circumstances) as our Archbishop has, in writing, by his endorsement of the book Sexual Morality, a Catholic Perspective by Fr. Philip Keane; or, in public, by his response to questions asked of him at the Bishops' Panel held at the "Northwest Religious Education Congress" in October of 1980. It is well to point out that the author of the above mentioned book, Fr. Philip Keane, S.S., taught Moral Theology at St. Thomas Seminary. Maybe we should thank the Lord that that institution is now defunct.

If God is not a participant in the building, no Christian structure shall stand. God cannot be a participant if we are disobedient to His teaching and that of His Vicar of Christ on earth. Our Archbishop has been guilty of the disobedience and therefore you and I are witnessing the rapidly accelerating debilitation and tearing down of our Church and the souls within it. Archbishop Sheen: "Whenever you see schism, a splitting apart, a tearing down, there you have the demonic." This schism with our Catholic Church and our Holy Fathers' teaching is far too well documented in our Archdiocese for anyone to deny.

If any of you would care to study the condemnations of St. Pius X, a saint of our own century, who condemned the heresy of Modernism (1907), you will see there explicitly exposed the heresy that our Archbishop, and many other bishops of America, have adopted as their creed—which is a Church foreign to the Holy Roman Catholic Church! St. Pius X factually exposes Modernism as the "synthesis" of all heresies in that its only end result would be atheism.

We now come to the epitome of all betrayal by our Archbishop in his recommendation that we Catholics should capitulate to a philosophy of unilateral disarmament to an enemy which is avowedly atheistic in not only the publication of their Constitution (Communist Manifesto) but in a 65-year history which has never deviated from this allegiance to the precepts expounded by Satan. Any person who has even subjected the atheistic religion of Marxism (atheistic Communism) to a cursory examination will find that they have not deviated one iota from their diabolic mission to prepare the world for Anti-Christ! Now our Archbishop wants us to put God to the test, which Christ rightfully rejected when tested by Satan, by placing our total trust in God without ourselves making a commitment to resist that which is evil!

The capitulation comes forth in the form of the following advocations and admonitions expounded by our Archbishop both in speech and in the secular and local Catholic press. He has expressed that he is against capital punishment, nuclear power and the drafting of young men. He is for gun control, support of those who break the law climbing fences at military installations and public breaking of the law by not paying taxes which would be directed to nuclear defense. This is a parroting of the exact same dialogue and diatribe coming forth from the atheistic Communist sector. Although the Archbishop is careful to state that these are his internal convictions he is not hesitating to utilize the external impact that his office has in issuing these statements publicly. The totally improper stance that our Archbishop has chosen to forcefully interject himself, and the means by which he is doing so, have been soundly denounced by our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II.

The horrors and atrocities of atheistic Communism are legend, and the years of history documenting this aberration absolutely establish the fact that its diabolic leadership shall never allow a deviance from its supernatural leader who is the Father of Lies. For any Christian leader to come forth with a message or instruction to be passive in the face of this abomination stereotypes himself a false shepherd. One would almost categorize such a person as either a madman, or one who believes that they [Marxism] shall prevail and has decided to join their camp. I do not believe Archbishop Hunthausen is a madman! I also find it hard to believe that he is that naive. I do believe however that a considerable amount of recent rhetoric and activity in the Archdiocese by our Archbishop, and many under his command, could support a very strong contention that he, and they, have adopted a philosophy which makes room for atheistic Marxism! This is a marriage which is an absolute impossibility and has been stated so by every Pope since Marxism has surfaced its ugly head.

Let us briefly scan a recent development and proclamation in our Archdiocese which supports the above stated position on Marxism. In the March 24, 1981 issue of the Seattle P. I., there is a full-page ad denouncing U. S. support of the present government in El Salvador. This ad was placed by the "Church Council of Greater Seattle." By far the largest religious participation in this ad was Catholic and it was organized and led by Fr. Pat Hurley, S.J., Pastor of St. Joseph's parish on Capital Hill. The rhetoric and accusations in this ad were decidedly anti-U.S. and echoed the Communist hysteria right down the line. It is well to point out now that the presently presiding prelate of El Salvador, Archbishop Rivera y Damas, has refuted the very accusations that were put forth in this ad! The enlightenment which became public from this ad was the personal signatures of individuals and organizations that sponsored and contributed monies to this obviously Marxist diatribe.

Although our Archbishop's signature was not included in the ad, there were the following: The Communist Party, U.S.A., and twenty-three organizations which are either Communist or have demonstrated by their activities to be sympathetic and supportive of their cause; six Archdiocesan organizations; six parish organizations; twenty-four womens' religious organizations; and 137 individual priests and nuns donated to and signed the ad! Also included in this mess are the Gay Peoples' Association and a pornographic bookstore. The fact that a priest of the Archdiocese of Seattle, Fr. Pat Hurley, was the prime solicitor of this ad is not unbeknownst to our Archbishop. He definitely is not out of control or command, as has been inferred at times by his public statements "that he was not aware of the particular abuses" that were addressed to him. Let one of his priests discourage Communion in the hand because of the very real abuses which stem from it and our Archbishop will be upon that person within hours! Priests that have devoted twenty or more years of their lives have been put out, or strictly censured, simply because of their orthodoxy (loyalty to the true Church teachings) and for no other factual reason.

 

A VERY EVIL WIND is blowing in the Archdiocese of Seattle. The Archbishop and his followers genuflect before the works of man and stand in the presence of Christ! The Church has always taught the truth that the earth is visited by the spirits of both good and evil. History and the Church will tell us that when man turns from God for the things of this world he will suffer terribly, for it is then that God allows the satanic spirits to prevail. All of the terrible persecutions of nations and peoples can be seen to be preceded by periods whereby man turned from God and the obedience that He demands from us whom He created.

The crux of our Archbishop's heterodoxy is illuminated by an answer given by him to a question asked at the Catechetical Congress in Seattle, October, 1980. The questioner wanted to know why our Archbishop did not totally support the constant teaching of the Church, which is reflected in the encyclical Humanae Vitae, and which deals with sexuality. The answer: "I believe that Humanae Vitae is a powerful and beautiful encyclical. However," he said, "I believe that we must follow our conscience."

The truth, if it were stated, demands that our shepherd be responsible for insuring that our conscience be responsibly informed in union with the teaching of the Church. A decision made in conscience, without proper standards, transforms conscience into an oracle, replacing God! Our Archbishop's conscience, by this proclamation of his own, now supercedes the teaching of God through the Magisterium of the Church, and he thus professes his departure from God and his allegiance to this world.

Our Archbishop constantly alludes to the fact, just prior to the next scandal to be announced, that he has spent many hours in prayer and reflection on the matter. One has to seriously wonder as to whom or what he is praying!

 

Almighty, eternal God, by Whose gift Thy servants acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, we beseech Thee that in the firmness of the same faith we may ever be defended from all adversities. Amen