What is it about habits and cassocks that capture the imagination of even secular audiences? Mix those priests and nuns with a murder mystery and you’ve got a ready-made hit in this era of “The Young Pope” and “Making a Murderer.”
Enter Netflix’s Emmy-nominated documentary series “The Keepers.” It begins with the story of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a beloved Catholic high school teacher, who was murdered in 1969 and whose case remains unsolved. But it quickly evolves into something much larger: an excruciating investigation into clerical sex abuse at the school.
This week, we talk to Nick Ripatrazone about the series—and ask why it is important for Catholics to watch shows and films that expose the church’s sins.
And in Signs of the Times, a message from the Holy Father: Stop complaining! At least to the pope. Save it for the Lord; he’s much more patient. Next, a Catholic priest in Texas wins the national home beer brewing award and nuns copyright Mother Teresa’s famous white and blue habit. Finally, Germany’s Cardinal Reinhard Marx says Catholics should be less worried about how the state defines marriage and more concerned about the church’s own record of discrimination toward the L.G.B.T. community.
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Links from the show:
In Netflix's "The Keepers," a nun’s unsolved murder tears apart a Catholic community
Pope Francis puts a sign on his office door: "No whining!"
Catholic Priest Wins National Home Beer Home Brewing Award
Top Vatican cardinal upset over copyrighting of Mother Teresa sari by nuns
What’s on tap?
Limoncello! Good to clean the soul.
— Nick Ripatrazone (@nickripatrazone) July 18, 2017
Jim? You mean Father Martin. It is disrespectful to the priest or religious to refer them in such a casual way, even if they say it is okay My best friend is a priest and even if we are sitting in pajamas watching tv, I still call him father and he calls me brother.
As far as Father Martin is concerned, he is a problem. He supports organizations that have been condemned by the Vatican and the U.S. Bishops (e,g,, New Ways Ministry) and ignores organizations helping homosexuals that have been approved (e.g., Courage and EnCourage). Father Martin is confusing the faithful. He can avoid this by being authentically Catholic, teaching what the Church teaches, supporting organizations that are authentically Catholic instead of those who dissent, etc. For him to say there is nothing wrong with the bathroom issue because "It's doesn't hurt anybody", as he did in a tweet, is deeply disturbing. There have already been cases of child molestation because of this perverted policy. Let us keep it real and truthful. Biologically males need to go to male bathrooms and locker rooms. Biologically females need to go to their facilities. This policy hurts everyone as it tells the lie concerning what is actually a gender confusion, and it hurts all those who must be forced to accept this.
We are not to buy in to the mindset and worldview of the world. As such, Father is wrong about the issue of what names we use (see next paragraph). (See https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2017/06/17/father-james-martin-lgbt-community-bridge-far/ for an essay that speaks to this), There are some troubling issues listed at https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/priest-admonishes-fr.-james-martin-on-transgenderism
As for the so-called L.G.B.T. community, our first duty is to God and to truth. It is not respectful of these people to "call them how they want to be called" when it becomes Orwellian Newspeak or is fantasy. Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness or falsehood. There is no such thing as a pronoun for an individual as "them". The pronouns are "he" and "she". There are no other genders. To accommodate this false multiplicity not only does violence to truth, but it does violence to the person as it enables the dysfunctional behavior. To enable it is to be an accomplice to the sin of it, according to the catechism.
I am not suggesting meanness or discrimination, but doing what the Church teaching requires and telling the truth both in doctrine and in language. It is true that we are not responsible for what the State does, but we are responsible, according to the Church, to lobby our governments on these issues. The same-sex marriage is our business both in the secular world and in the spiritual world. We are to imbue the culture with the mind of Christ. It is the layman's obligation to sanctify the temporal world. So, it is the obligation given to her by Christ, for the Church (and us) to oppose abortion, same-sex marriage, or any other perversion expressed in the secular world. Within the Church, however, we have total control over these issues to not only call them sins, but to apply penalties for these crimes (which is what grave sin is).
As to telling the truth, I did that once with a homosexual woman. As a result of this "truth encounter" the woman began a trek that only two months later lead to her miraculous and complete healing from homosexuality. Had I not been totally truthful about Church teachings and in my language, it is possible this woman would not have been healed (at least at the time she was).
We have an obligation to be truthful in Church teachings and in our language. We should not buy into politically correct language, which by definition are expressions of lies. It may be tough, but the truthful approach is always better.