Quote:

Three years later [after sex abuse scandal fallout], Bishop Cullen is closing almost a third of the parishes of the Allentown Diocese, including nearly all of the ethnic parishes. This will destroy the communities centered on the ethnic parishes. Again, Bishop Cullen places the interests of the hierarchy, in this case financial, over the good of the people. In response, the Coalition of Churches was founded by members of closed parishes to appeal the closings to the Vatican.

In a videocast on the Allentown Diocese Web site, Bishop Cullen calls on the faithful to ''bear the cross'' of the closings. He says that the closings are the necessary result of an aging clergy and a lack of vocations to replenish the ranks. He says that missionary priests from abroad should not and cannot be brought to bolster the ranks of priests. The Father, Bishop Cullen tells us, will provide. Click here to read entire piece.

We in the Camden Diocese are far from alone in our struggles. Remember, con man Follieri used the sex abuse scandal and resulting settlements as an opportunity to attempt to butter up various bishops and buy up church properties dirt cheap. So if you thought the sex abuse scandal was over, think again. We, the Catholics in the pews throughout America, are now paying the price for the sins of the abusive priests and the bishops who cared so little for the smallest lambs in the fold that they moved abusive priests around for decades, giving them opportunity after opportunity to abuse more children. As if this wasn't bad enough, now our parishes are being stolen from us and from our ancestors who sacrificed for and built them, and we're not even being told about the true motivations. Perhaps worst of all, we are patronizingly told that we have to "bear the cross" of the loss of our churches and there has been no noticeable repentance for the inaction and irresponsibility that has been shown on the part of too many of our church leaders. Yes we must forgive even the worst of offenses because Christ has called us to, but this does not mean the offenses are acceptable. The word "unjust" does not even begin to scratch the surface. What is occurring and has occurred in many diocese in the United States is simply unconscionable.

The article we link to happens to be about the Allentown, PA Diocese, but they are only one of many diocese facing the same problem. By the way, this article was also forwarded to me by an empathetic Texan.