The Clans, the Canceled Priests & You

OMM looks at cancelled Priests, the Coalition for Canceled Priests, and how we can help them, with some harsh words for the 'professional Catholics' who are sidestepping the problem.

From One Mad Mom

This blog post has been a long time coming. It has been very frustrating to watch this whole “canceled priest” thing unfold and the faithful’s reaction to it. Quite frankly, I’ve been most disappointed with some of the “professional Catholics’” handling of it. These priests are suffering on behalf of the faithful (that would be us), but I feel like they are being used while simultaneously being ignored.

First, I’d like to address the pew-sitters like me. I have friends who are no strangers to activism of all kinds, but for some reason the “canceled priests” scare them. This might be because they seen some persecuted priests go “too far.” I get that. I often think about Peter cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. “Peter! Really?!” Peter ended up being the head of the Church and a saint, yet, sometimes, good guys leap before they look. Organizations like The Coalition for Canceled Priests have to deal with that, too, as do we all. Satan is going to try and get you where he can.  This post could go on and on addressing every one of these priests, but I’m going to limit it to the Coalition for Cancelled Priests in general and their goals and works. Remember, this is a coalition, not each individual personality. I’m glad Fr. Lovell took the time to explain it, and I’m glad One Peter 5 published it.  If you read his explanation, I think you’ll understand what the goals of the coalition are and what they are not. For example, the U.S. and England may have been in the same war and supporting each other to fight an evil empire, but they may have had different ultimate end goals and tactics. As I repeatedly say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We very much have common enemies who are trying to tear down the faith and, in reality, the priests aren’t the only ones they are trying to “cancel.”  It’s you, too. As you will read below, these priests have sought canonical advice and have tried very hard to provide for their flocks while following Canon Law, all with an obedience I would have not been able to maintain after so much injustice.

Next, I’d like to address the “professional Catholics.” You would think that persecuted priests are something the laity could all rally around. In fact, you’d think they would be totally and utterly leading the charge. Gotta say, I was kind of appalled that the biggest story from the professional Catholics to come out of their Reparation Rally in September, which the Coalition for Cancelled Priests held to make reparations for atrocities in Cardinal Cupich’s archdiocese, was Mel Gibson’s message in support of them. It wasn’t even because he was against the persecution of the priests! It was because, “Ooohhhhh!!!! Mel Gibson!!!”  Look, I like many of his movies, but he’s dealt with demons all his life and readily admits it. I think he’s destroyed his family, too, but good on him for supporting the Coalition for Canceled Priests (from here on known as CFCP). And good on the CFCP for not shying away from the support of a broken man who’s trying his hardest. But I have to say, shame on some of the “professional Catholics” who ignored the CFCP up until that message and even after. It was simply clickbait to them. If you’re getting miffed at me right now and it’s not your shoe, don’t put it on. If these are your shoes, get a new pair! I’m sick of the rally cry of “Unite the Clans!” when they can’t even support the priests who are being persecuted for trying to help the faithful get to Heaven. Do they believe that they do that oh so much better than these priests?!?! Geez. Last time I checked, a good chunk of them could not hear confessions or say Mass.

“Unite the Clans!” turns out to be “Unite the Clans! – Oh, but not you, or you, or you who just aren’t Catholic enough or don’t do it my way.” That’s the “circular firing squad” exemplified. Keep at it, people, while the rest of us try to get something done to restore the priests trying to guide our souls. I don’t have to agree with you 100% of the time on tactics and goals, or even on Masses, but I am happy to join in on a cause like this which is basic Catholicism. Protect your priests. It’s hard to believe that some need a more “special” cause than that to pay them attention.

On to the article! Please take time to read because I think many have mistaken beliefs or just a lack of knowledge about CFCP (thanks for nothing, some of you professional Catholics). My comments inserted.

What is a Canceled Priest?

 Fr. John P. Lovell October 4, 2021 0 Comments

This is the question I get asked the most by Catholics unfamiliar with cancel culture. To be honest, I find it surprising amidst the rash of cancelation in various forms that there is still so much confusion – especially after so many bishops closed churches due to Covid and made it seem as if  the source and summit of our faith was not essential. While traditional Catholics are typically familiar with being pushed to the wayside both in society and by the hierarchy of the Church, many of the faithful attending the Novus Ordo Missae are just realizing the gravity of the problem faced by orthodox Catholic priests. So how do we help our fellow faithful Catholics understand what’s happening and what they can do about it? This article offers some critical context and explains what the Coalition for Canceled Priests (CFCP) is doing in response.

Fitting the definition of a canceled priest into a thirty second soundbite or a short paragraph is not easy. In fact, there are many terms and phrases used, such as “sidelined,” “white martyrdom,” and “sent to the farm.” When a group of devout Catholics came together to form the Coalition this past Spring, it was decided that “canceled” is the best way to describe what is happening since the term is so pervasive and generally recognized. The Church is increasingly divided between those who seek to accommodate modern society by adapting to it, and those who stand true to the faith and seek to convert the world. Modernist bishops seeking “unity” with the ever-evolving trends have quietly been removing priests who do not seek to accommodate, but rather to continue the traditional mission of the Church of bringing about the reign of Christ our King.

I’ve seen a lot of effort done to paint them as “Rad Trads.” Most aren’t even “Trads” at all. Most are diocesan, friendly to the trads and non-trads alike.

First, let’s be clear what a canceled priest is not: he is not a priest who’s committed a serious crime or canonical delict. There have been priests guilty of serious crimes and rightly removed, but they do not fall into the category of “canceled” as their removal was due to offenses they actually committed, not due to countering sinful society. It must be noted that guilty or not guilty, priests like everyone else deserve due process of law (both civil and canonical). They have a right to a defense, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and support in the way of housing and sustenance, from the diocese or religious order in which they are incardinated.

This is a question I asked of them at the start. They do as much vetting as they possibly can to weed out true abusers. I’ve personally known true abusers as well as some falsely accused of, well, whatever or nothing. Some in the former club can seem very orthodox. Fr. Lovell is right, though. Due process is necessary. The whole “let’s sideline them forever” even after a thorough process has played out and all authorities have deemed them innocent of no canonical crime needs to stop. Otherwise, all you need to get rid of a priest you don’t like is to make a false accusation, which is already happening as with, well, Fr. Lovell.

Each canceled priest has a unique story, though there are certain patterns and similarities which seem to arise. Canceled priests are those who are being targeted by superiors and who are not afraid to stand up for the Faith no matter how “counter-cultural” it might be. He exudes reverence during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and may celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass or simply be favorable toward it even if he does not know Latin. He loves hearing confessions and pastoral work, in general. He wants to improve his own education and grow in his vocation, realizing that his seminary formation and education was deficient.

Above all, a canceled priest wants to help others get to Heaven, and the cura animarum sustains him and gives him strength to carry on. One of the biggest problems in the clergy today is careerism. Many good men fall victim to the “go along to get along” mentality. Being “pastoral” is no longer seen by many bishops as self-sacrifice for the well-being of souls, but rather, not rocking the boat. So often seminarians and young priests are told that the best priest is one with the fewest complaints, does the most social outreach, and focuses on culture concerns of today such as environmental work and social action. Meanwhile, the priest who focuses most on the Church’s spiritual mission, and thus on the Sacraments, is running counter to our materialist culture and the chanceries that have succumbed to it.

BAM! I have priest friends who live in fear every day for teaching authentic Catholicism, but they still do it knowing they and their flocks are doomed if they don’t. They’re not just there to be bulls in the china shop. They’re there to save souls, and they know if they pass on that, they will have much to answer for. As a parent, I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my days in perfect harmony with my children, but I don’t always get to do that, and for the very same reason. I love them and recognize that all our souls are on the line if we don’t say what we need to say for the salvation of us all. In the end, this life, while it seems long, is fleeting in comparison to the next.

A canceled priest may or may not still have his faculties to celebrate the Sacraments publicly. Those with their faculties usually have no assignment and are designated to live in “approved housing” – many times with priests that are guilty of a serious crime. These priests try to help where they can in their diocese but often know that pastors have been advised not to use them. If they try to find pastoral work outside of their respective diocese, they are not given a “letter of good standing.” Sadly, a celebret, which is usually a credit card-sized document issued yearly that priests carry in their wallet stating they are good standing, is no longer given out. Many dioceses now require a letter of good standing that is less than thirty days old for all priests.

Please understand that, for some of these priests who didn’t get canonical advice early, this could mean NO source of income, no place to live, no healthcare, etc. For those who did, it could still be a very meager income. For most of these priests, money is not falling out of the sky. Quite frankly, I wish some wealthy donor would start buying homes in these troubled dioceses to house these priests so they at least don’t have to be worried about that. They could also live in community and support each other spiritually and morally so they don’t lose hope. At the very least, maybe these wealthy donors would support the CFCP so that priests can get tires, glasses, or a good canon lawyer.  Even the simple things many of us take for granted. I’m sure their flock helps them as much as they can, but nobody should assume this in a diocese like Rockford, which has many priests stuck in this situation thanks to the hideous bishop there. Some of these bishops are such clericalists they will even deny their priests a blessing, as Bishop “Jim, we’re beyond that” Malloy did to Fr. Parker. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishop-tries-to-oust-yet-another-faithful-priest-in-what-appears-to-be-a-pattern/  They don’t care about souls. They care about keeping altar rails out of their churches.

If a canceled priest does not have his faculties, it is usually done in one of two ways. The first is canonical suspension a divinis. Many bishops do not choose this route since it requires a canonical trial which the bishop might lose. For the last several years, many bishops, including my own, opt for “administrative leave in a non-penal, non-judicial way.” Sadly, that is not a spelling mistake. It is the actual language used in the decree against me, and I have encountered many priests across the country who have been canceled with the exact same wording. In plain language, this is the bishop side-stepping Canon Law. If the priest wants to appeal this type of decree, the priest may initiate a hierarchical recourse to the Congregation of Clergy in Rome.

Yeah, this little loophole needs to be closed.

Unlike a canonical trial, the priest is not granted discovery, so the bishop may send the Congregation information that the priest and his canon lawyer (if he can afford one) are not privy to. Many of us have discovered that Rome does not even require evidence from the bishop. The Congregation just assumes that whatever the bishop is stating is true. This is learned by the priest when the Congregation issues its ruling, which tends to highly favor bishops in its rulings. The priest’s one last recourse if he loses this ruling is with the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s supreme court. This is an expensive endeavor which takes years. The priest is obligated to find a canon lawyer approved by the Signatura to argue in front of it. This is a small group of mostly Italians. Rarely does the Signatura reverse a decree by the Congregation.

Again, this hurts the laity, too.

Many bishops know that they have free rein on removing priests they simply do not care for. In the decree for my case, the Congregation of Clergy basically stated that a bishop has the right to remove a priest for any or no reason at all with the caveat that it is only temporary, without defining what temporary means.

“Temporary” usually means until the bishop dies or gets arrested for something.

The Coalition for Canceled Priests (CFCP) has been formed to counter the injustice being perpetrated on priests across the country so that they may receive due process of law, spiritual and material support, and the benefit of knowing they are not alone. Our full mission statement, eligibility criteria, types of support and other insights may be found on our website. Practically, we want to make sure a recently canceled priest is able to make ends meet, know his rights, and connect him with a good canon lawyer and if need be, an attorney. While a bishop has the full use of diocesan stewardship to pay for lawyers, a priest who was just removed with his pay cut usually does not. We want to make sure he has a decent place to live and fraternal support. To date the CFCP is in the process of helping over a dozen priests across the country to address legal needs, medical expenses, and every-day items such as tires for a car.

This isn’t the “buy a vacation villa for the priests” fund. It isn’t an “overthrow the pope” fund. While they may occasionally make reparation for egregious acts, I really want to make that clear. This is a group dedicated to material, spiritual and moral support so these priests are able to canonically fight unfair decrees. Again, the laity should be taking the lead on this with their voices and with their wallets. Heck, some of these guys are exorcists! As the meme goes…Nobody thinks about them until their house is possessed. Yes, it’s a joke, but the reality is you could need one but find they have no faculties! Your diocese may be peachy, but the people in Rockford – again, where there’s a ridiculous amount of sidelined priests – probably isn’t fairing so well. It’s all fun and games until it spills into your area. As the San Diego diocese knows, you’re one heartbeat away from your Catholic world turning upside-down. (If you don’t know what I mean, search my blog.)

The second question I am usually asked by Catholics is this: What can we do to help? While this is not surprising, it is always a pleasure to hear. First and foremost, please pray and fast for canceled priests, who number in the hundreds if not the thousands across the United States. Second, if you know a priest who is canceled, please let him know that your support is available. Finally, if you want to help the mission of the Coalition, please visit our website for more information. So far, we have held two major events with excellent Catholic speakers and conducted numerous interviews to raise awareness and support. If you have not seen the videos yet please check out our website at www.canceledpriests.org, and keep canceled priests in your fasting and prayer intentions.

Please remember that most of these priests don’t have celebrity status or their own fundraising apparatus. They were just out there running their parishes and got whacked upside the head. If we can’t come together and rally around our priests and help them with prayer, fasting and donations to help Fr. Lovell write checks for everything from tires to canon lawyers, then what can we do?