Troubled Boston Archdiocese Announces 60 Churches Will Close

[displacedtexan]

Kerry bashing doesn't seem to be working... not changing the subject and rallying the faithful.


Troubled Boston Archdiocese Announces 60 Churches Will Close
The Associated Press
Published: May 25, 2004


BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Archdiocese will close 60 of its 357 parishes, a massive restructuring brought on partly by the clergy sex abuse scandal that aggravated already shrinking Mass attendance and weekly collections.

Archbishop Sean O'Malley announced the parish closings Tuesday, completing a process that began in December when he said the Roman Catholic archdiocese would be forced to undergo a major downsizing.

He said the reduction was needed because of declining Mass attendance, a shortage of priests and the inability of the archdiocese to support struggling parishes in the midst of a financial crisis caused in part by the abuse crisis.

more...
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBZA9S9OUD.html

[sniffa]

1. good riddance

[Az]

2. This will have some strong effects on the communities

Differences aside, many people have real ties to these churches and they are effectively losing their extended families. This will not go over well.

The truth is that despite the crowing of the theocratic right religion in America is facing problems. A perpetual barrage of social and scientific progress has caused great turmoil in the various institutions of religion.

Their fixed nature does not deal well with changing societies. In the past they had more control over the society and were able to squelch of redirect such change. But the postmodern society has become too effective at dismantling their rigid structures.

The unfortunate side effect is that as these institutions are dismantled there is nothing taking their place as a extended community for those that no longer hold to the doctrine. We are social creatures and Churches and religions make use of this fact to entwine themself in our societies. They become part of the structure over time. But because they serve their own nature they cannot keep up with a self aware society.

In the vaccum created by the collapse of these structures other social contructs have moved in to take advantage. Corporate entities offer numbing programming to replace your social contacts. They entice you to give up connectivity with others and latch onto the feed they give you.

If we are to take an active hand in how our society progresses and not leave ourselves to the predators our contructs have created we must form new extended families. No longer tied to dogmas. Instead tied to our progress in this world that we are exploring together.

[JHB]

3. You reap what you sow...

...about time the church heirarchy learned that.

[mmonk]

4. the good priests

didn't sow anything bad.

[JHB]

6. Thus I specify the heirarchy...

..., who failed to act on this for decades.

[mmonk]

11. Agree

[Loonman]

5. Close 'em all down

That's 60 less hiding places for the kid fuckers.

Fuck the Catholic Church.

[mmonk]

7. Wonder if my cousin

who was a priest was a kid fucker, eh?

[Forkboy]

9. What about the ones who aren't

"kid fuckers" Loonman? Do you care about them?

[JHB]

10. OK, I may be an atheist, but the family is Catholic...

...bash the church heirarchy all you want, but lay off the rank & file.

And don't forget Protestant churches have plenty of "kid fuckers" hiding among their numbers as well.

[Forkboy]

13. and dont forget

society has plenty of "kid fuckers" hiding amongst their numbers as well.It's not limited to religious people.

[Forkboy]

8. A lot of sad people today

There's a lot of good people losing a big part of thier lives today.

[Monte Carlo]

12. The parishoners didn't deserve this.

But unfortunately, it has affected them. Sometimes you reap what you don't sow.

The church's inability to admit or deal with its mistakes must be addressed. It is causing the death of the church.

[mmonk]

14. That's been a problem

for as long as I can remember concerning mistakes. Plus I don't think the Church in Rome gives too much of a crap what happens to the Church here. That's too bad, especially with the anti-poverty programs and such the Church here gets involved with.

[skippysmom]

15. No one in the pews

Yet bishops insist on bashing Catholic Dems, Catholic gays, Catholic feminists, you name it. Are they trying to chase everyone away?

My 64 year old mother, a lifelong Catholic who still goes to Mass every week, was about ready to quit when she heard bishops say you couldn't be a good Catholic and a Dem.

Fools, I say.