Vatican free Catholicism

February 25th 2006

If you don’t like the constraints of your 2000 year old religion, just change the rules. ¹

The spread of independent Catholic communities — Catholic congregations that reject Vatican teachings on issues such as priestly celibacy, women’s ordination, divorce and papal infallibility — has met skepticism and opposition from many mainstream Roman Catholics.

The spread of independent Catholic communities — Catholic congregations that reject Vatican teachings on issues such as priestly celibacy, women’s ordination, divorce and papal infallibility — has met skepticism and opposition from many mainstream Roman Catholics.

Apparently the new Catholics follow a revised version of the Mass and administer communion. They also offer healing through a laying on of hands. No one kneels during the service, and no references are made to the Pope.

The National Catholic Church of America,² founded in 1994, celebrates ‘diversity’ on its website. Now where have I heard that before?

¹The Miami Herald
²National Catholic Church

6 Comments

stephanie Said,

February 25th, 2006 @1:51 pm

If you want to be a Catholic (or Lutheran or Jew or whatever) follow the rules. Otherwise get a different religion.

pamibe Said,

February 25th, 2006 @2:20 pm

Basically.
These people are looking to keep MOST of what they have, just getting rid of the rules they don’t like. Splintering off has happened many times before, of course, based on what the majority in the sect want to believe.

DixieDarlin' Said,

February 26th, 2006 @12:38 am

Then they ain’t Catholic. But I wonder why it is that so many people don’t like the ‘rules’ of being Catholic, but still want to be called Catholic. (By the way, pamibe, my confirmation name is Bernadette, too. Our priest just came back from Lourdes and brought each person in the parish a medal from Lourdes!!)

February 26th, 2006 @8:08 am

That’s a good point; why not call themselves the brotherhood of mice? Anything but Catholic?

Re: the medals from Lourdes… That was so sweet! Ya’ll are blessed to have someone who cares so much about his parishioners!

Teresa Said,

February 28th, 2006 @6:30 pm

Well, as far as I’m concerned - the ruling class in the Catholic Church did exactly the same thing with Vatican 2. They changed ages old rules to attract more young people… or that was their story.

Personally, being 7 at the time and having had enough of the old stuff beaten into my brain by the nun who taught first grade…. I lost all respect for them. It seemed to me that if something was a “sin” yesterday - then it’s a “sin” today - but they said no - it’s okay now…

The only difference here is that the group changing the rules is not the Pope and his cronies… But since they are rejecting the Pope and whatever rules he wants to enforce - I think they should come up with a new name. After all what you really have here - is yet another Protestant religion. I wonder if it fits the Lutherans or one of the others already out there.

February 28th, 2006 @7:23 pm

I remember Vatican 2 but didn’t go to the parish school and wasn’t ‘indoctrinated’ in that way…

These people may be Lutherans by default and just not know it.

As the article stated, independent movements have been absorbed by the church since the 11th century. This is nothing new, but some of the teachings in this dispute seem to be core beliefs.