It’s protest season and yesterday’s HHS protest in downtown Rochester was another well organized event (previous one here). Once again, I tip my hat to the organizers. There seemed to be more people than the last time. There were also counter protesters present that were slightly disruptive. The counter protesters walked back and forth along the sidewalk in front of the protest. Every so often a few of them would stop for a while towards the end of the block and yell through a bullhorn and chant. However, they were no match for the speaker system and the ones who spoke for freedom were excellent. The two money quotes that stuck out in my mind were from a black woman (paraphrased as I didn’t write them down at the time):
“As a black woman, I can tell you we don’t need any more masters””
referring to voting for Obama because of his color: “freedom trumps color”.
I counted at least 3 priests (I believe 2 of them were speakers).
The D&C reported on this story here. This article originally featured one big picture at the top and it was of the counter protesters. Even though the ratio of protesters to counter-protesters was probably more than 4:1, the D&C highlighted the article with a picture of the counter-protesters. Does this add any more confusion to the confusion? I left a comment on the article and later that day it was replaced with a picture of the protesters… and I thanked them. But now it seems to be back to the counter-protesters. I don’t know if it’s random or what. Either way, I was appalled when I saw the image. Anyone who gets the print version (I don’t) – can you look for the article? Is there a picture with it?
Were you there? Please share your experience in the comments.
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I attended the Canandaigua silent march/protest. The only clergyman there from the Catholic Church was one of the deacon organizers. With this turnout from the clergy, I can only conclude that the Roman Catholic clergy as a whole are boycotting this nation-wide protest.
Will some one explain to me why I (We)am/are a minority in this movement? Is our view and that of the Cardinal so far off base that we are a fringe group of odd balls? Are we out of step? Is the problem that we are not maybe members in good standing of the American Catholic Church because we support what we are told to support by the Pope??
Lastly, are most of our clergy and bishops functionally dead?? Are “ad limina” visits considered trips to the “principals office” and the reprimands, if any are give, are forgotten and ignored as soon as they get home.
Lastly, do the clergy pay lip service to the mandates of the Church but continue as hypocrits by pretending to comply??? This could result in a very schizophrenic approach to morality.
Having vented, I feel better but am very unhappy with the American Catholic Church which looks like it is in a moral schism with the parent Roman Catholic Church.
This is Rochester after all.
“This is Rochester after all.”
So I now belong to the Rochester Catholic Church in instead of the Roman Catholic Church?? Give me a break!!!!
Sorry, Raymond, but your clergy count is wrong. There were two deacons. There also was a seminarian, and a Protestant Clergyman. I will be posting more with pictures tomorrow. Peace.
Ray – I was criticizing your implication that a poor turnout by clergy in Rochester (Canandaigua) somehow translates to a nation-wide boycott. I don’t see how one can come to that conclusion.
Ray,
Those visits could be treated as suggestions and many bishops would try and blow off the Holy Father, hoping they would be only repromanded on the next ad limita visit many years in the future. In the meantime, they could do anything they wanted to do.
The omly perlate that did things different ws the late Cardinal O’Connor. When the issue of Fr. Curran arose, the bishop alledegedly was aggreeing with him, trying to blow him off but the Cardinal personally wrote a press release and made the bishop read it publically.
ANOTHER CORRECTION TO THE ABOVE:
There were three deacons at the June 8th silent procession in Canandaigua. In addition to Deacon Claude Lester and Deacon Tim Sullivan, Deacon Greg Kiley was there. Sorry for not having added his name to the prior list.