"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
 Martin Luther King Jr.

The powers that be in the Vatican curia have a particular vision of the  Church which is contrary to the intent and purpose of the Second Vatican  Council. They honestly believe this vision to be true, and they (backed up by  the pope) use every means at their disposal to protect that vision. They  practice "creeping infallibilism" in a desperate effort to enforce  that vision on all through unimpeachable central control.

They silence those who speak out (Teilhard de Chardin, Hans Küng, John  Courtney Murray, Leonardo Boff, Yves Congar, Tissa Ballasuryia, even Remi De  Roo). They dismiss those who teach/act or appear to teach/act contrary to their  view (Bishops Hunthausen and Gaillot, Fr. Robert Nugent and Sr. Jeannine  Gramick, Fr. Jim Callan and the Corpus Christi parish, Rochester, N.Y., and  countless university professors). They attempt to discredit the living and the  dead (Retired Archbishop John Quinn, Richard McBrien, Edward Schillebeeckx,  Gustavo Gutierrez, Henri Nouwen, Anthony DeMello). They write letters in the  name of the pope (Ad tuendam fidem, Ex corde ecclesiae, Dominus Jesus) that they  claim are part of the ordinary teaching of the Church (i.e. infallible), and  that, in fact, are designed to limit, discredit, or utterly control various  pastoral initiatives as well as free and open discussion of issues in the  Church. Indeed, were I of any importance, they would dismiss the above critique  as one more example of the negative rantings of a whining married priest.

All this un-Jesus like repression makes my spirit weep. The pastoral  consequences, so contrary to the Gospels, are enormous. The pain and suffering  it inflicts on so many millions of people (because of its stubborn defense of  theologically flawed positions on contraception, abortion, same sex  relationships, marriage/divorce/re-marriage, women in ministry, a married  priesthood, the rights of bishops and national conferences of bishops, the  protection of known murderers/torturers [Pinochet], and last, but certainly not  least of all: the crushing of the poor through the dismantling of liberation  theology) is increasingly unbearable. I want to cry out: "Lord, Lord, why  have you forsaken us?" In this dark night of the soul, I pray with all my  being that the Spirit of Light might grant me a glimmer of hope that  Jesus Kingdom of Godde is alive and well. I pray and I wait.

Slowly the Spirit lifts the scales from my eyes. I see the married priests  called by the Spirit to be true prophets of Godde, just as Jesus was in his own  time.

Like Jesus, we, married priests, are called in many different ways to reach out and heal the pain and suffering of the marginalized, to show them the Way  that leads all and everything to the Creator of the Universe, that is, to show  them how Godde loves them and calls them to love in return.

Some married priests are called to challenge mainstream Catholics to become  liberated enough to shed the comfort zone of blind obedience to ecclesiastical  authority in order to embrace with profound humility and loyalty the Person and  Message of Jesus. Other married priests are called, like Jesus, to challenge the  Sadducean leaders of our day, blind guides, however sincere they may be, to  fulfill their pastoral responsibilities according to the Gospel of Jesus, rather  than according to the juridical demands of Canon Law. Their strict adherence to  the Laws of the Church for whatever reason: the promise of promotion, the fear  of dismissal, the false threat of excommunication (true communion is spiritual,  not juridical) is a source of pastoral abuse. It is a dereliction of their  responsibilities as pastors, as servant-leaders, the vocation the Spirit has  given them. Like Jesus who was faithful to his Godde-given mission, they must be  faithful to their pastoral mission, knowing full well that they too will be  crucified. The needs of the world are too great to allow for self-serving  compromises. And in writing this, the same applies to me.

François Brassard, Ladysmith, BC