Catholicism Getting Scary

What would John XXIII have said  about
what's happening to the Church today?

As an American Catholic. I am concerned and dismayed by several events of the past few weeks.


The most disturbing is the following quotation from Pope Benedict XVI:
“It is my hope that the Church’s conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society. ”

Wow! He thinks the Catholic Church responded effectively the sexual abuse of children by priests? If he considers that effective, it is no wonder he thinks rhythm  is an effective method of birth control .  He is saying this at the very time the Church is trying to obstruct civil authorities in Ireland who are investigating  clerical pedophilia. If he wants the "broader community" to follow the Church's example in this situation, then sexual abuse of children is going to continue to be covered up.

Another issue of concern for me is the following quotation that was included a a letter from Bishop Roger Joseph Foys of Covington Kentucky:

"Special note should also be made concerning the gesture for the Our Father.  Only 
the priest is given the instruction to “extend” his hands.  Neither the deacon nor the 
lay faithful are instructed to do this.  No gesture is prescribed for the lay faithful in 
the Roman Missal; nor the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, therefore the 
extending or holding of hands by the faithful should not be performed."


And Catholic bishops wonder why they are irrelevant today in the the United States? Where will such silly nit-picking end? What's next? Is he going to tell Catholic women they have to wear a veil over their head when they attend Mass? Does he think that the early Christians were forbidden from extending their arms or holding hands during the recitation of the Our Father? 


The  third issue is the new mandated, translation of the Roman Missal that is used for the  Eucharistic liturgical celebration - for most of us, that is Sunday Mass. I cannot become too concerned about about the difference between "you" and "your spirit." but I do think the new translation at times seems absurdly Latin in both vocabulary and syntax. For example, "consubstantial with the Father"? Give me a break. Archaic language like that is really going to go over great with U.S. teenagers. 


 But what I am even more concerned about is the obvious attempt to take the Church back to the days prior to The Second Vatican Council. Benedict the XVI seems intent on burying Vatican II in the archives of the Vatican, and the American bishops are marching to his tune with this new translation which they tout as returning to the Roman Missal prior to Vatican II. 


It appears that although they cannot negate Vatican II, they will just ignore it, pretend it never happened.