Matt C. Abbott
Apostolate seeks to oust Chicago cardinal
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By Matt C. Abbott
January 10, 2019

On Jan. 5, I attended a conference organized by Roman Catholic Faithful, headed by veteran Catholic activist Stephen Brady, who was largely responsible for the 1999 resignation of the late disgraced predatory bishop of Springfield, Ill., Daniel Ryan.

It's good to see RCF back in action after a years-long hiatus. The revelations contained in the Pennsylvania grand jury report, coupled with the scandal involving ex-cardinal Theodore "Uncle Ted" McCarrick, prompted the rebirth of the apostolate.

From ChurchMilitant.com (Jan. 8):
    The RCF conference drew hundreds of concerned laity and gave evidence of a rising groundswell of opposition to business-as-usual among the hierarchy.

    [RCF founder and president] Stephen Brady rallied concerned Catholics to confront bad bishops directly and to be creative in fighting to roll back the rot. He told his audience his goal is to see Cardinal Blase Cupich ousted from Chicago by the end of 2019. 'Give me 100 men with a mustard seed of faith and we can retake the Archdiocese of Chicago,' Brady said.

    Attorney James Bendell, an RCF board member, reiterated Brady's bold pledge. 'Our message to Cardinal Cupich is this: We are going down that rabbit hole. And you are coming with us,' Bendell said to thunderous applause. 'I'm here to tell you, one year from now, Cupich will be gone.'
Mr. Bendell provided me with the following statement (slightly edited) on why Cupich should be ousted:
  • It has recently been learned that, while bishop of Spokane, Wash., Cupich knew the Church had parked retired abusive priests at Cardinal Bea House on the campus of Gonzaga University. He was aware of this fact yet failed to inform the university or the public of the presence of these predators. (Source)

  • Cupich banished Father Paul Kalchik – himself a victim of sexual abuse by a neighbor and a priest earlier in his life – without due process, for burning a rainbow flag (which also featured a large cross on it) that was used in the parish many years ago under a different pastor. Father Kalchik should have been praised for this laudatory act in view of the Church's perennial teaching that sodomy is one of the four sins which cry to heaven for vengeance. (Source)

  • Cupich has adopted a policy in the Archdiocese of Chicago that permits active homosexuals living in a 'marriage' to receive Holy Communion and ecclesiastical funeral rites. (Source)

  • Cupich has apologized to Jews for the Church's attempt to convert them. In doing so, he has slandered the many missionaries who truly loved the Jewish people and wanted to bring them to Christ. (Source)

  • Cupich locked out parishioners of a Traditional Latin Mass parish while he was bishop of Rapid City when they wanted to celebrate the Easter Triduum. In doing so, he demonstrated that he's basically a thug. (Source)

  • While bishop of Spokane, Cupich discouraged his priests and seminarians from participating in the 40 Days for Life campaign. (Source)

Also of note: In March 2018, Cupich removed Father C. Frank Phillips – founder and former superior of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius – as pastor of the world-renowned St. John Cantius Church, despite a review board's finding that Phillips did not violate any criminal, civil or canon law after being accused of improper conduct with adult men. The archdiocese never publicly specified the allegations against Phillips, which he vehemently denied. (Source)

In August 2018, Cupich lashed out at critics of Pope Francis and supporters of whistleblower Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, asserting that those who are troubled about Francis' pontificate "don't like him because he's a Latino" and are thus racist bigots. (Source)

Last but certainly not least, Cupich wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune downplaying Planned Parenthood's innumerable monstrosities by espousing the "seamless garment" philosophy. (Source)

It looks like a David (RCF) and Goliath (Cupich and Francis) scenario, but Stephen Brady is up to the task and won't back down.

Stay tuned.

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Related link:

"'Agnes' and the Bernardin legacy"

© Matt C. Abbott

 

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Matt C. Abbott

Matt C. Abbott is a Catholic commentator with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, media, and theatre from Northeastern Illinois University. He also has an Associate in Applied Science degree in business management from Triton College. Abbott has been interviewed on HLN, MSNBC, Bill Martinez Live, WOSU Radio in Ohio, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's 2019 ‘Unsolved’ podcast about the unsolved murder of Father Alfred Kunz, Alex Shuman's 'Smoke Screen: Fake Priest' podcast, WLS-TV (ABC) in Chicago, WMTV (NBC) and WISC-TV (CBS) in Madison, Wisconsin. He’s been quoted in The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets. He’s mentioned in the 2020 Report on the Holy See's Institutional Knowledge and Decision-Making Related to Former Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick (1930 to 2017), which can be found on the Vatican's website. He can be reached at mattcabbott@gmail.com.

(Note: I welcome and appreciate thoughtful feedback. Insults will be ignored. Only in very select cases will I honor a request to have a telephone conversation about a topic in my column. Email is much preferred. God bless you and please keep me in your prayers!)

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