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Post by shane on Oct 12, 2011 18:21:42 GMT
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Post by hibernicus on Oct 12, 2011 20:47:38 GMT
Where is the priest who expresses optimism for the future? The only priest interviewed that I can see is Fr Tony Flannery and I don't see him expressing optimism - and the only optimist i see in the article is a lay Medjugorje devotee. There are a couple of euphoric types in the combox but they don't identify as priests (one is a woman). The account sounds depressingly accurate, but readers should bear in mind that the National Catholic Reporter is the voice of the extreme left-liberal wing of the US Church (as the nature of most combox comments might suggest) so there is a certain implicit spin involved.
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Post by shane on Oct 12, 2011 21:34:54 GMT
"The pastor said there’s hope when young people get married and return to the faith with their children."
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Post by hibernicus on Oct 12, 2011 23:19:11 GMT
OK, I see it - they devote so much more attention to the lay participants at the gathering than the priest that I hadn't noticed there was one present - and that's the only thing he is noted as saying. One interesting point BTW is the combination of Medjugorje devotees and theological liberals in the same group, given that Medj is often associated with a traditional form of Marian devotion. This would support the view that apparition devotees often see their devotion not as supplementing the official life of the church but as a sort of alternative magisterium alongside it. (Note - although I don't believe Medj is genuine myself I am not making the above comment with the intention of casting doubt on Medj - it is quite possible for genuine and authorised apparitions to be (mis) used in the same way. I'm just offering a sociological observation.)
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Post by hibernicus on Oct 12, 2011 23:21:27 GMT
Shane - I think the sort of unreasoning optimism you describe might more accurately be called "denial". They don't want to face the seriousness of the situation because that would mean having to do something painful about it (such as examining what went wrong, or engaging in re-evangelisation of a type that is not appreciated in polite society).
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Post by bernard on Oct 13, 2011 4:30:23 GMT
Agreed, they pass the loss of the faith off as ebb and flow of the church, something like the business cycle. If, you suggest it had anything to do with all the changes they'll tell you that's ridiculous.
Anyone see the channel 5 documentary on Medugoria, Michael Davies and E. Michael Jones are in it?
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