Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God. For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear?" Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:12-19)
It would seem that the Holy Spirit has come to rest on Bishop Morlino.
If you want to see what a biased, anti-Catholic newstory looks like, you won't have to go much further than Isthmus | the Daily Page. This one of the worst hatchet jobs I've seen to date. I don't know what is being taught in journalism school, but the author interviewed people of only one age group, and they were all dissidents - people who reject Church teaching because it doesn't mesh with their desired life choices. In the body of the article are many theological errors, presented as "authentic" Catholic teaching. Here is a sample (emphases mine in bold; comments bracketed in red).
"People my age," says the 71-year-old Beyers, "are referred to sometimes as Vatican II people." This gathering of bishops and cardinals from around the world, between 1962 and 1965, led to sweeping changes in church policy and practice , most aimed at making it more inclusive [one of the things you will often find is people making claims about Vatican II that simply can't be found in the documents of Vatican II. In fact, it was one of the historical events that has probably been the most peverted by people with wishful thinking. People have distorted it in such a way that they believe it contains things that simply aren't there]. As Beyers puts it, Vatican II "opened the window to let fresh air in" by giving laity an important role in running the church [I wonder if he has ever read what Vatican II's, Dogmatic Constitution of the Church, Lumen Gentium said about the laity? ]. But some within the church "have been trying to slam it shut ever since." [Actually, it is faithful Catholics - lay people, theologians, priests, consecrated persons - all united with their bishops, who are united with the Holy Father (also something explained quite eloquently in LG) who are working to get Vatican II back from those who hi-jacked it)
Beyers thinks Morlino, who has been steeped in controversy since his arrival in Madison in 2003, is clearly in this camp [the real controversy is being created by those who want to create a designer religion out of Catholicism. They want "truth" to be 10 different things at once, and they want it to function like a chameleon - changing colors to suit a given situation]. And he thinks the bishop should be replaced. "This is my church," [no, it is Christ's Church - he founded it, he set up the system ("he who hears you, hears me")] says Beyers. "They're definitely not going to drive me out of it [but if he rejects her teachings, he has effectively left by his own choice!]. I grew up in it, I'm comfortable in it, but the hierarchy lives in a bubble." [Our Lord didn't say the path would be easy and broad, he said it would be difficult and narrow. Following Christ means to follow him right through to crucifixion. That is, we die with Christ by dying to self.].
Madison resident Jim Green, a Catholic brother for eight years in the Divine Word Missionary, was in Rome during the last two years of Vatican II. For the past 40 years he's lived with his life partner, Bill Diederich. [we can pretty much guess that his beef with Bishop Morlino has to do with the fact that His Excellency isn't going to tell him that this is ok]. Both are Roman Catholics and members of Dignity USA, a Catholic support group for LGBTs and their allies. [You can read here about Dignity and contrast it with Courage Apostolate, which supports people with SSA to live a life of chastity, just as any heterosexual single person, such as myself, is called by God to live (Christ came to fulfill the Old Testament, not abolish it so the 10 commandments - specifically the 6th and the 9th, remain in effect)]
"When I speak of the church, I don't think of the institution, the pyramid with the laity at the bottom and the pope at the top," says Green, 71, a member of Call to Action. The documents that came out of Vatican II, he notes, spoke of a circular system with the laity's role as important as those of the priests, the bishops and the pope . It's a system in which everyone has a voice. [I have no doubt that this man has never read the documents of Vatican II, in particular Lumen Gentium. It's not even that long of a read.]
The author, in classic biased fashion, interviewed disgruntled Catholics who are unhappy about the fact that the bishop is taking his teaching office seriously and trying to root out error in his diocese. They want to hear that homosexual activity is accepted, that women can be ordained, and a segment of them are pro-choice on abortion. These aren't people arguing for a fourth person of the Trinity. Rather, they want the Church (and Bishop Morlino) to change things that the Church has no authority to change because.... this is Christ's Church, not your Church, my Church, our Church - but Christ's Church.
Each bishop has to function according to his conscience and like our conscience it must be formed with the mind of the Church. Salvation of the flock has to come before feelings, which amounts to false charity. Most things aimed at salvation will challenge our worldly desires. We want to do as we please and the bishop's job as teacher in his diocese is to ensure that the Catholic faith is presented authentically, and fully aligned with the Magisterium.
What you will find in the article is what is often referred to as a pseudo-magisterium. That is, the mistaken impression that a body of theologians all agreeing on something, makes that something "true" or "authentic" with regards to Catholic teaching. Democracy, in their mind, shapes "truth" which is why polls is often so important to this group. This is not the case. If 99 people in a room all agree that 2+2 = 5, it does not change the objective reality that the true answer is 4.
The dissidence surrounding Humanae Vitae is a classic example pseudo-"magisterium". Yet, Pope Paul VI's words proved to be prophetic (read here, here and here).
Now, read this about Bishop Morlino:
We need to pray for our bishops, as well as for those whose eternal salvation they are working to save.
The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!
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