Clergyman Tried for Heresy by Diocese

[NNN0LHI]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/H/HERESY_TRIAL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A rare heresy trial was held Tuesday for a Roman Catholic priest who joined a denomination that doesn't accept papal infallibility and has ordained women clergy.

The Rev. Ned Reidy did not attend the one-day closed trial, which was conducted by three priests at the Diocese of San Bernardino. Reidy, 69, called the trial "medieval" and contends it has no authority because he stopped being a Roman Catholic in 1999.

Rev. Howard Lincoln, spokesman for the diocese, said Reidy was automatically excommunicated when he went to another denomination, but under church law he remains a Roman Catholic priest until he is formally excommunicated and defrocked.

The heresy trial would "officially clarify his status within the church," Lincoln said. The court's decision will be announced to Reidy at an unspecified future date.

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. So the church can't afford

to pay victims of the pedophile priests that they continue to protect, but they've got the time and money to waste going after so called heretics?

[acmavm]

2. Next they'll be burning us at the stake. Papal infallibility is a joke.

Anyone who has read about the popes in the Middle Ages or Rennisance (sp) knows that infallibility sure has a strange meaning when it comes to these guys. Or hey, even a few from the 'modern' era as well.

As for women, we've been taking care of people, their hurts both spiritually and physically, since time began. The fact that we shouldn't be officially allowed to minister is ridiculous.

The Catholic Church is now and always has been a good old boys club.

P.S. Am a lapsed Catholic, Catholic school educated. It's not all bad, just hate the way it's twisted and perverted.

[DanCa]

3. Okay lets send support letters to the priest and email the archdiocese

Step up to the plate DU and buzz the pricks. If no one wants to stand up and picket infront of churches than a mass emailing of complaint is the only option. Does anyone have a link of to the archdiocese email?

[Perky]

12. Dan, I am not sure you would take this tact after

reading the ECC website.

[jbnow]

4. I thought it would be Matthew Fox again

He is one of my favorite authors and the church is always kicking him out. Defrocking him but I don't know if he's been tried for heresy.

The ideas of papal infallibility didn't even come up until 1854 so this guy has tradition on his side. And good for him for making women priests.

I bet the spirit of his church is very rich and strong.

[Don Claybrook]

15. My wife is very much into Matthew Fox

He's the guy who wrote The Coming of the Cosmic Christ, right? I guess I was just surprised to see his name mentioned here.

[jbnow]

17. Yes, that's the guy

Original Blessing, On Being A Musical Mystical Bear, a lot of books (with good titles and content)

We don't see his name a lot but the odds go up when it is about a priest in trouble with the church.

[ET Awful]

5. Will he be presented to the Grand Inquisitor for "purification" if

found guilty?

[Perky]

6. I am going to offer a slightly contrarian view on this

"Rev. Howard Lincoln, spokesman for the diocese, said Reidy was automatically excommunicated when he went to another denomination, but under church law he remains a Roman Catholic priest until he is formally excommunicated and defrocked.

The heresy trial would "officially clarify his status within the church," Lincoln said. The court's decision will be announced to Reidy at an unspecified future date."

Look as a celebrant who took vows, he has certain obligations to the Catholic Church...the organization has a right to take steps to protect itself against open schism. If you take a look at the ECC website, you will see that it is not simply about papal inerrancy; It talks about the Apostolic suppession of its leader.

A church has a right to protect itself against what it believes is Heresy. To not do so inevitably would lead to ecclesiastical anarchy.The circumstance and method of his leaving the RCC is what is key. The roots of the ECC are important to consider. I am not saying either was wrong to do what they did, but if the Catholic CHurch believes these guys are in open rebellion, they have obligations to defend the faith.

But here is the flip side. I see the occasional rip of lefty christians for their purported silence when it comes to fundy antics. My suspicion is that were there a way to do it that many DUers would love to see Pat Robertson on Church trial for Heresy: A right the same people would seem to want to deny the RCC to use in this case.

You really can not have it both ways.

Comments?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. I could understand the church's position

if the fellow were giving last rites, communion, etc, as a Roman Catholic. But he's not-he's been out of the church since 1999. Now if he tried to get a position back at a RC church or did any of the things I mentioned as a RC, I could see their concern. But that's not what he's doing. This seems to be a bit of overkill, imho. And since he's comfortable with his new church, I don't think excommunication or heresy is going to bother him all that much-might even be seen as a mark of honor among his new congregation.

[Perky]

8. I am not sure how he left the Church

If he simply got frustrated and walked away then he should probably be deFrocked.

It also says that the ECC offers the Sacraments. Th ey have clearly set themselves up as a rival,even to the point of claiming apostolic succession.

If you go to the ECC website, they are very clearly a renegade group. Which is there right, but like I said The RCC has a right to protect itself against heretical views. I suspect that this is probably the most recent flare-up between the two groups and I suspect there is a WHOLE LOT MORE to the story.

[Bridget Burke]

9. It's not as though he's facing the Stake--or a dungeon.

They will probably officially "defrock" him. In another walk of life, we'd call this "being fired."

[Perky]

10. I agree

and the Church has that right.

[Perky]

11. I agree

and the Church has that right.

[Cleita]

14. I had a friend from high school who was a nun for ten years.

Then she decided to leave. The Church wouldn't release her from her vows unless she stated in writing that she had not been a good nun by taking her vows seriously. She refused.

As she told me, while she was a nun, she was a very good nun and took her vows seriously. There was no way she would sign that so she simply left. Apparently she was never released from her vows as far as I know, although I have lost touch with her.

But really, this is the church's problem, not hers and not the priest's for being so inflexible.

[jbnow]

18. Well Perky,

this is the 2nd heresy trial ever in the United states. I'm sure in a few hundred years celebrant who took vows have done worse things. The lack of heresy trials have not yet brought ecclesiastical anarchy. But most rogue priests do things sneakily so the public doesn't know, like sexually abusing children

I'm not sure why they don't just defrock him as they did Matthew Fox for his"dangerous and deviant" teachings, practice and writings of Creation Spirituality. Or the "dangerous" defrocked Teilhard de Chardin, another of my favorites.

Defrocking seems enough but assuming that they don't have the right to burn or jail him let them have at it. He certainly qualifies as contrary to orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, but then so do Fox and de Chardin.

In any case the highest loyalty must always be to God and not the church. This is just an unusual consequence.

I haven't seen calls for Robertson to go on trial for Heresy and I doubt he's in danger of that. Churches seem much more tolerant when one preaches greater hate and judgment rather then greater love and acceptance. Funny.

[Cleita]

13. That's ludicrous.

I'm sure he's shaking in his collar. The trouble with the Catholic Church is, they seem to think that they are running Heaven and Hell and actually have a say on whom gets to go where. If these places indeed do exist, no clique of celibate old men will be running the show there from a planet far, far away.

[JVS]

16. If he says he's no longer a Roman Catholic, is this necessary?

It would seem that he has conceeded the point.