Response to St. Leo friends,re "Old Catholic"

This response to the post forwarded by McKechnie re Old Catholics includes a) history of doctrine of infallibility; b) Response of John Henry Cardinal Newman; c) history of celibacy; d) what Jesus said and meant; d) a different view of the RC papacy.

My name is Paschal Baute. I was monk and priest at St. Leo’s for a total of 16 years, from 1952 to 1968, ordained in 1959. While there I served in a number of capacities, prefect of minor seminarians, teaching Latin in Prep, Athletic Director and football coach, Prep, chaplain to Holy Name, organizer and director of the physical education and intramural program of the Prep, 1955 on, Chaplain U.S. Navy Reserve, Dean of Men and Dean of Student Affairs, First two years of St. Leo College, Athletic Director and Soccer Coach. I was also elected by my monastic community (in my absence) to serve on the Abbots senior council.

I resigned my vows in 1968 while declaring I would remain a minister of the gospel. This resignation was for both personal spiritual and theological reasons. This was 9 months before Marion was removed as Abbot.

I am now 79 years old, active in ministry for now almost 50 years. In Lexington, the arenas have been Peace and Justice issues, interfaith dialogue, pastoral psychology, marriage and family counselor, spiritual growth network of Kentucky, prison ministry, teaching Human Resource Management at Midway College, still doing some psychological screening (did the monastic candidates at Gethsemani Abbey for several years) writing and a wedding ministry. My web site is found at www.paschalbaute.com My email address is pbbaute@paschalbaute.com

I have my orders accepted by an independent Catholic jurisdiction that accepts married priests. We have Apostolic succession, and agree in all aspects (sacraments, Eucharist, etc) with the Roman church except the legal jurisdiction of the Vatican over the rest of the Catholic community.

I am blessed to be in reasonably good health, still able to serve God in many ministries, survivor of metastized cancer, after 15 years. All this is to be up front with my background, values and the context of my remarks. Friend John Meyer usually visits once or twice yearly. I will always miss the camaraderie we had at St. Leo. It was a kind of Camelot.

The key issue for Old Catholics is Papal Infallibility. Research reveals much that few Catholics know. The doctrine got inserted into theological speculation by Franciscan factions arguing over the assume absolute poverty of Jesus, as Franciscan wealth accumulated. When Pius IX got the first Vatican council to declare this doctrine, it also declared that this had always been the teaching of the church. This is simply not so, as a previous pope had condemned the doctrine. A number of Austrian, Swiss and German bishops walked out, and even Cardinal Newman disagreed, with the notable Catholic historian of the time, I refer you to the Wikipedia article on dissent to infallibility,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility#Disagreement_with_this_doctrine

These bishops declared they would remain faithful to the ancient Catholic faith. Their movement in Europe became known as the Old Catholic church. It is with one of those that I am affiliated with, the Celtic Christian church.

Bishop John Henry Newman also disagreed to the catholicity of this new doctrine, but he later changed his mind, and “came around.”

I believe the current Roman Catholic church is not faithful to the gospel of Jesus in a number of ways. Not only celibacy. But this is far too much for an email post.

Old Catholics believe that the popes elected since the orthodox excommunication do not represent the entire Catholic Church, since large groups of faithful orthodox Catholics have been systemically excluded from official discussions in matters of faith and morals. Some go further than others.

Historically and theologically, it is difficult to make a case for the validity of the teaching of papal infallibility. I have research the issue and written on the issue.

A couple of years ago, I receive a “Cease and Desist” order from the RC chancellor here in Lexington. I was offering a monthly Eucharist in a Retirement village that never saw a priest, as well as a prison ministry program that had ten volunteers participating. I responded that I had never called myself a Roman catholic priest, and was not under their jurisdiction.

The first paragraph of my response is as follows:

"Your demand, sir, disregards the explicit command of the Lord. When the apostle John went to Jesus complaining that there was another who was casting out devils in His name and that he was "not of our company." Jesus said "DO NOT STOP HIM..." See Mark 9:38 ff to the end of the paragraph as it is the one that ends with the millstone around someone's neck because of scandal. Question, reverend sir: What reward in heaven shall a minister of the gospel have who tries to STOP another from ministering where he does not, cannot or will not go? " (end of para)

You, or some of you, might be interested to learn that in one instance I cared more about the Roman Catholic priesthood and the diocese than did the bishop himself. .. In the 1990s, as a psychotherapist, I became aware of priests taking sexual advantage of their pastoral counselees. both married and unmarried. I wrote three times to the bishop urging him to undertake training in the psychology of sex and celibacy lest he face serious consequences to his priests and the diocese. (I did not offer my services.) Three times without a single response. Even though he knew me and I had been in his office a number of times, and to others, he had praised my ministries.

When the scandals finally broke, they were devastating to the faith of many Catholics here in Lexington. The local RC bishop also failed to respond appropriately and with pastoral healing to one mother whose young daughter had been abused by a priest. I took the mother to him personally, and although he was “sincerely” apologetic, there was no follow up of offering counseling or pastoral care. None whatever, even though an episcopal fund and committee had been established to deal with such.

In my view, the current RC system is a anti-gospel CULT of leadership, that undermining and prevents true inclusive ministry of service in the following of Jesus, both on the part of RC laity and RC hierarchy. If you want justification of that tendency consider the “Circle the Wagons” approach of the Catholic bishops since the 1980s in the widespread sexual scandals, which have cost the church close to one billion dollars not to mention the effect on laity, abused children and priests.

Still a priest, and blessed in many ways
Paschal Baute.
Lexington, Ky
“Noblesse oblige”