Home
Subscribe
Go to Our Forum – the heart of Catholica
Index of Emails
Pray-As-You-Go Daily Meditation
About Us
Contact Us
Donate to Catholica
Advertise With Us
Index of Advertisements
Forum Guidelines
Index of Lead Commentaries
Index of News Stories
Index of Editorials
Index of Multi-Media Commentaries
Catholica Video Channel


Index of all Contributors
Dawn Bowie
Francis Brown
John Chuchman
Fr Patrick Collins
Dr Paul Collins
Brian Coyne
Edgar Davie
Fr Daniel Donovan
Fr Tom Doyle
Fr Peter Dresser
Dr Ian Elmer
Dr Graham English
Vince Exley
Bill Farrelly
Dr Donald Fausel
Dr Brian Gleeson CP
Kerry Gonzales
Daniel Gullotta
Fr Eric Hodgens
Vynette Holliday
Dr Andrew Kania
Gabe Lomas
Dr Anthony Lowes
Milly/Amanda McKenna
Fr John McKinnon
Tom McMahon
Fr Kevin Murphy
Vinnie Nauheimer
Fr John O'Keefe
Dr Anthony Padovano
Dr Allan Patience
Peregrinus
Bishop Pat Power
George Ripon
Holy Irritant/Tony Robertson
Dr Christine Roussel
Emmy Silvius
Richard Sipe
Prof Len Swidler
Kate's TakeWendy's Take
Dr Dick Westley
Occasional Contributions
Lighter Material & Satire
Cindy the Sacristan
View from the Cloister
Ruth's Take
Farmer Jack & Pope Benny
Index to Special Series
Exit Stories
In-depth Interviews with Catholic Leaders
Dr Peter Tannock
Diarmuid O'Murchu
Bishop Kevin Manning
Michael Morwood
Catholica Conversations
Catholic Education
Tom Lee – First 500 Years
Cardinal Mehony – A Novel
Robert Blair Kaiser
Seven Deadlies
Special Editions
Spirituality of Thomas Merton
Sunday Reflections
Sunday Forum
Bishop Geoffrey Robinson
Youth Perspectives
Y-not Question the Sunday Readings
Catholica YouTube Channel
OnLine Catholics Archives
Catholics for Ministry
ABC Religion & Ethics Newsletter

www.google.com


Catholica Web
Spiritual Marketplace
The Case of the Pope

GOOGLE ADVERTISING
Catholica does not necessarily endorse these advertisers. Please use appropriate caution and notify us of inappropriate ads.

DONATE NOW!

Spirituality for Adults

Email a friend Email this page to a friend

Print Print friendly view

Comment Post your feedback in our forum

PETER BEESON…
One layman's response to some of the issues raised by Bishop Manning...
Way over on the other side of this continent in the South West of WA, Peter Beeson, has been mulling over what the Bishop of Parramatta, Kevin Manning, had to say in his interview with Catholica editor, Brian Coyne, last week. He provides a summary of what he thinks were the key points in Bishop Manning's argument and he shares his thoughts on a couple of areas where he finds himself in disagreement with the Bishop and indeed with Church teachings they have been urged on he faithful…

Firstly, summarizing the interview...

I have listened to the lengthy interview with Bishop Kevin Manning and in summary these are the sections of it in summary that most interested me:

  • We have forgotten our poor background and educated ourselves away from that.
  • This education has led our children to be sceptical about the church. We have become a congregation of "know-alls" forgetting a prime necessity — to love the poor and to help them in their sufferings
  • It's great to be intellectual but that doesn't get us away from the need to help people in need
  • By far the most faithful adherents to faith practice are immigrants from the poor countries overseas who need God in their lives
  • People's consciences are not being informed and judgments on conscience are being made without considering the seriousness of obligations to our neighbour (not back to the bad old days of our childhood but perhaps we've gone too the other way)
  • We have lost the value of recognising the church as a vehicle of grace.

I can't quarrel with most of that but at the risk of appearing one of the "know-alls" of whom the Bishop speaks I suggest his answers are very simplistic albeit he is one of the most respected members of the hierarchy in this country. Of course Jesus was simplistic in his demands so who am I to quarrel with that?

Secondly, Peter Beeson's criticisms and queries…

But as with the comment of Brian Coyne on the original page where the interview was published,my major difficulty is with the Bishop's comments on conscience. Illustrating his general objection to wide-reaching disagreement with the dicta in"Humanae Vitae" his tone suggests surprise that there should be difficulties in this regard.

Perhaps one should not be shocked at such stance in a celibate though I am sure ignorance is not regarded as an excuse. After years of dealing with people with marital problems I am staggered that there is so little clerical understanding of the inconsistencies in church dogma relating to many things. In illustration, and limiting my comments to just two matters, how can it be against nature for couples to use contraceptives but be alright not only to resort to thermometers, timetables etc but to support as licit, birth control by means of forcing women to go against the dictates of nature which for many mean a high natural desire or need for intercourse at ovulation time?

Then on the score of celibacy. Surely in this day and age it has been recognised that most people are by nature relational having a deeply ingrained natural requirement for intimacy with a special person; the begetting of children may not be the be-all and end-all of physical intimacy and vice versa there are others who are not relational at all. Yet independent of these natural forces Church law requires that all admitted to priesthood remained celibate; very often therefore against the dictates of nature.

There are many other similar inconsistencies in Church teaching and it is no good beating about the bush. In the current age it is not just a case of disobeying church law, rather it is a loss of respect for the ability of those charged with maintaining the Lord's truth to propagate it to people in a fully understandable and rational manner.

In the current age it is not just a case of disobeying church law, rather it is a loss of respect for the ability of those charged with maintaining the Lord's truth to propagate it to people in a fully understandable and rational manner.

AvatarPeter Beeson is a retired property valuer who lives in the South West of Western Australia. He is well past his "three score and ten" in years of acquiring wisdom, making mistakes and trying to figure it all out. He has been actively involved in marriage counselling in the Church since 1958 and has been involved in work with the Marriage Tribunal after 1967. We didn't have a photo to show you what he looks like so we pinched an avatar from some other codger in cyberspace who calls himself a "Sandgroper". Peter reckons it's a pretty good likeness.

What are your thoughts on Peter's response?
You can contribute to the discussion in our forum.

©2007Peter Beeson

[Index of Occasional Commentaries by Members]

video.catholica.com.au
This Week's Featured Video

Michael Morwood: "The Challenge in Resurrecting Jesus in Society Today"Michael Morwood: "The Challenge in Resurrecting Jesus in Society Today" In this address given to WATAC (Women and the Australian Church) members on 26th March 2013, Michael Morwood outlines the challenges he sees the Church facing in the years ahead. This address was given in the theatrette of the NSW Parliament at a meeting to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council. 33m 34s [Commentary on the Catholica where this address was published on 29Mar2013] | [WATCH THE VIDEO]

Reports 028: 29Mar2013Reports Index

Forum Index Page
Register now for the 8th Annual ACBC-BBI eConference: The Gospel of Mark
Thank you for visiting Catholica

This site was developed and is maintained by
Vias Tuas Communications
www.viastuas.net.au
Click HERE to email the Webmaster