Fr. McCarthy's unpublished letter to NFLD's Catholic monthly, The Monitor.During the past month or so this province was visited by an expriest, Thomas Groome, who was to expound ex·pound v. ex·pound·ed, ex·pound·ing, ex·pounds v.tr. 1. To give a detailed statement of; set forth: expounded the intricacies of the new tax law. 2. the mysteries of his version of the Catholic Faith to bishops, priests and laity. What was to be gained by the exposure of this man's "theology" is beyond me. From what I have been able to establish, he is as far removed from Catholic truth as night is from day. Why the Canadian Episcopate of the Eastern region decided on this man as a suitable person to address priests and laity alike, I am in the dark as to the power behind the throne The phrase power behind the throne refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of an office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a spouse, aide, or advisor of a political leader (often called a "figurehead") who serves as de facto . Groome's reputation in Australia clearly left people wondering what "faith" it was he represented. The following is the opinion of Groome in the words of a prominent Jesuit, "Groome's work betrays not so much a near-total ignorance of the Catholic Church which its cursory cur·so·ry adj. Performed with haste and scant attention to detail: a cursory glance at the headlines. [Late Latin curs reading might suggest, but rather a thorough-going strategy for the destruction of res Catholica.... The historical concreteness of the res Catholica is subordinated to the absolute goal, the "Vision " of an egalitarian Utopia.... It is in this light from the historical particularity par·tic·u·lar·i·ty n. pl. par·tic·u·lar·i·ties 1. The quality or state of being particular rather than general. 2. of the Catholic tradition that drives Groome's education as politics controls its contents, and defrauds his students of their birthright birth·right n. 1. A right, possession, or privilege that is one's due by birth. See Synonyms at right. 2. A special privilege accorded a first-born. ." (Fr. Donald Keefe. S.J., in Eamonn Keane's, A Generation Betrayed, 1992, p. 34, reviewing Groome's Christian Religious Education.) I am sure that this individual did not grace Gander Gander, town (1991 pop. 10,339), NE Newfoundland, N.L., Canada. Gander's airport, an important base in World War II, is a hub for international flights; it also attracts many refugees. It was the site of a Dec. with his presence for free, and before any more ex-priests are financed I would suggest that more attention be paid to those Canons of the Code which deal with laicized priests and the use made of them in the teaching of religion. |
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