My parents and I had another sort of fight tonight, by which I mean, our local newspaper covered a story of a priest who served at my parish church and was now pleading guilty for child molestation, etc.
My dad was furious and did the usual Protestant thing of the Church is evil, etc. And asked me why I defend it. My response was equally bold, I said its because the church is the bride of Christ (unblemished), and that "the Catholic Church is the Kingdom of Christ on Earth". This didn't go over well. My dad kind of stormed off and dragged my mom with him.
They hate it when I cite worse things the Church has done and that I will stand by it no matter what (barring doctrinal contradiction). So I stated worse things imputable to the Catholic faith, and in the interest of education - lest we think we suffer the worst - I will remind everyone of a day not celebrated much anymore: St. Bartholomew's Day.
The St. Bartholemew's Day Massacre:
On August 23, 1572, French Catholics massacred over 5000 Huguenots (French Protestants). Higher estimates say 20 000 Protestants. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Bartholomew's_Day_massacre#Death_toll)
The severed head of the leader of the Huguenots was sent to the Pope as a gift, and when they heard the news in Rome, they rang Church bells in celebration. In fact, the Pope commissioned paintings of this event, because it was a work of divine providence (according to his Holiness).
The Spanish Armada:
The Pope excommunicated Elizabeth I in late 16th century England, even though it is doubtful she was ever a Catholic. This was the late medieval equivalent to painting a target on a ruler, and some say that it was much more like puttinga price on her head. The Pope then supported in 1588 the Spanish in their attempt to invade England and violently overthrow the Queen in order to re-institute Catholicism on the then half-Protestant nation.
Confessional Rumors:
All across Victorian England it was a generally accepted fact that Romish priests had sex with women in the confessional and that Catholic clergy used convents as brothels. There were stories of priests who allegedly ran away with women they had secretly converted and stolen from their husbands, and in general Catholicism was seen as a subversive and virtueless system of priestcraft that destroyed morality and true Christianity. It was illegal until 1829 in Britain.
...so ya. The Roman Church has seen and survived much darker days...
On a different note, I got my package from the Jesuits today and am totally excited by all the info. But for the first time in my life I feel pressured into a more Roman Catholic position because of my parents. When you get alienated that much by your family, and you're even considering priesthood, it kind of skews your options in favor of it, if only to escape home and have someone else take care of you (the Society).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment