Bishop Exorcises 'Infernal Enemy' Responsible for Marriage Equality

[William769]

While many Illinoisans celebrated yesterday's signing of a marriage equality bill, one Roman Catholic leader was seeking to drive out the forces that led to this 'grave sin.'

While many in Illinois were celebrating Gov. Pat Quinn’s signing of a marriage equality bill yesterday, the Roman Catholic bishop of Springfield, the state’s capital city, was conducting an exorcism of “every unclean spirit” that, he said, led to the legalization of same-sex marriage.

“I exorcise you, every unclean spirit, every power of darkness, every incursion of the infernal enemy, every diabolical legion, cohort, and faction, in the name and power of our Lord Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Thomas Paprocki in reading the church’s rite of exorcism at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report. “Be uprooted and put to flight from the church of God from souls created in the image of God and redeemed by the precious blood of the divine lamb. Dare no more, oh cunning serpent, to deceive the human race, to persecute the church of God, to shake the chosen of God and sift them like wheat.”

In a homily before he read the exorcism rite, Paprocki said he did not mean to imply that supporters of same-sex marriage were possessed by the devil, but he did consider the legalization of such marriages to be the devil’s work.

“Since the legal redefinition of marriage is contrary to God’s plan, those who contract civil same-sex marriage are culpable of serious sin,” he said, according to The State Journal-Register of Springfield. “Politicians responsible for enacting civil same-sex marriage legislation are morally complicit as cooperators in facilitating this grave sin.”

http://www.advocate.com/politics/marriage-equality/2013/11/21/bishop-exorcises-infernal-enemy-responsible-marriage-equality

Compassionate Catholicism? I think NOT! Then he goes on to say it's not about Homosexuality (now talk about a forked tongue!) The bastard can't even admit the truth. This is not any religion I care to embrace as I have stated before. Take your blasphemy someplace else. The God that represents me is a all loving God. End of story.

[gopiscrap]

1. this bishop is an idiot and it is why so many folks do not take the church serioulsy

[Glorfindel]

2. I'd be willing to bet that he gets lots of "contributions" for his efforts

That's all that matters to these oh-so-holy critters anyway.

[gopiscrap]

3. sad to say, you are probably correct

[cleanhippie]

8. That and the total absurdity of most religious beliefs.

[pinto]

4. Oy. He is one of the most extreme, conservative and political voices in American Catholic hierarchy

In November 2008, Paprocki spoke out against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), saying, "It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely. It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil."[9] In a subsequent interview with The Chicago Tribune, he reaffirmed his position, saying, "If Catholic hospitals were required by federal law to perform abortions, we'd have to close our hospitals."[10]

When remarking about who was responsible for the sexual abuse crises in the Catholic Church, he said that the devil was the principal force behind the lawsuits.[11]

On April 20, 2010 he was appointed as the bishop of Springfield in Illinois by Pope Benedict XVI.[12] He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 22, 2010.

In November 2010, he organized a conference on exorcism.[13]

In April 2012, he was named as part of a three-member board of American Catholic Bishops (together with the chair, Seattle's Archbishop, J. Peter Sartain, and Toledo's Bishop, Leonard P. Blair, who had done some preliminary work beforehand) charged by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) with a multi-year investigation into the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).[14] He coined the name of the Fortnight for Freedom, a campaign of the American bishops on behalf of religious liberty.[15]

In September 2012, Paprocki told his parishioners that voting "for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful makes you morally complicit and places the eternal salvation of your own soul in serious jeopardy." His article went on at length discussing how the Democratic Party embraced objectionable doctrines.[16]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Paprocki

[William769]

5. What a spokesman. NOT!

Or is he? Hard to tell.

[pinto]

6. He was appointed by Benedict. Likely supported whittling down the church to only "true believers".

And is overtly political. Even more so than other bishops, if that makes sense. Probably sees John XXIII and the current Francis as blots on the church.

[Blue Owl]

7. Bishop, cease that infernal tootling