A passionate evangelist for the Catholic faith called out the discrepancy between the hierarchy’s handling of priests who speak in defense of the Church amid the sexual abuse scandal versus those who foster a message counter to the faith.
The disparity adds to the problem, and lay Catholics should not remain silent about it.
Catholic apologist Doug Barry said Wednesday in a Facebook post that cited LGBT-affirming Jesuit Father James Martin and Chicago Cardinal Blasé Cupich in connection to fostering heresy and damaging behavior.
“A priest in the Houston diocese, Fr. Mark Goring, has been silenced for speaking out against the Church scandals and for encouraging action to take down what he has referred to as ‘the corruption network,’” Barry said, before then lauding Goring’s care for souls and love of the Catholic faith.
“Meanwhile, priests like Fr. James Martin, Cardinal Cupich and others who have been either directly teaching heresy or have been complicit in allowing heresy and destructive behavior to be promoted, are going on unchecked!” he exclaimed.
“This is outrageous and continues to feed into the crisis!” Barry said. “The laity cannot become complacent or be silent.”
Father Mark Goring, CC, director of the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston and member of the Companions of the Cross out of Canada, evangelizes regularly via YouTube.
He had spoken critically in a video last week of Washington, D.C. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who is expected to preside as normal over the archdiocese’s Youth Rally and Mass and Vigil Mass for Life at next week’s March for Life despite controversy swirling around him.
Catholics are reasonably angered at the prospect of scandal that would be created by Wuerl officiating as though nothing is wrong at the pro-life events, which draw tens of thousands of pilgrims.
In the video, since removed from YouTube, Goring said, “It communicates the utmost disrespect for the victims of sexual abuse by clergy, that these cases are no big deal and that Church leaders can get away with allowing these situations to be swept under the rug.”
Then in a January 5 video, Goring shared that he was asked to “cease and desist” by one of his “legitimate authorities,” and would immediately do so, explaining the importance of obedience for a Catholic priest.
He did not specify who the authority was – whether it was a superior from his religious community or someone from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, where the Companions of the Cross apostolate that he directs performs its ministry.
Goring said he had not been told to remove any of his videos or banned from speaking about the scandal but felt because of the cease and desist he’d been given it was time for him “to enter into the silence of St. Joseph.”
Three days later, Goring posted another video in which he appealed to Pope Francisto give him permission to continue speaking about the Church’s sex-abuse situation. He again spoke of the importance of obedience, stressed he was grieved over any difficulty he may have caused his superiors, and promised to be honest and comment on the situation with love.
Goring said he felt like he needed to speak because there is a fire burning in his heart he couldn’t contain.
“All I care about is getting to heaven and doing God’s will,” he said. “And I want to fight for the honor of Holy Mother Church.”
In addition to the initial video pertaining to Wuerl being removed from YouTube, since a January 8 LifeSiteNews report on Goring’s appeal to Francis was published that also reported on the earlier two videos — both the January 5 “cease and desist” video and the January 8 appeal to Pope Francis video have been removed.
The “cease and desist” video was archived and can be viewed HERE.
Read more at LifeSiteNews