2006 Resolutions of Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

The Members of the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy at their 30th annual Convocation (July 10th – 14th, 2006) in Washington, DC, issued the following resolutions:

1. Encouraged by the recent recommendations of the USCCB to more accurately and faithfully translate the Mass from the typical Latin text into the English vernacular, we ask for a complete and consistent correction of all errors and deletions in the Roman Missal. Rather than a partial repair, we, as daily celebrants of the Divine and Sacred Liturgy, see the need for a complete restoration of sacred language and precise translations, based on the axiom lex orandi, lex credendi. We are particularly concerned for sacrosanct vocabulary such as ‘consubstantial’ defined by the Council of Nicea in 325 (and explicitly mentioned in the Creed) and other areas the literal Latin expresses more reverence and clarity than the current translations.

2. We express our appreciation and gratitude to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for his recent visit to Spain to address the 5th World Meeting for Families where he vigorously reaffirmed traditional values such as sacramental marriage and the intrinsic sanctity of family life as the cornerstone of the society and religion.

3. We urge our fellow clergy (deacons, priests and bishops) to encourage their people to fully support those in public office who consistently and courageously defend the sanctity of life by working for legislation or judicial decisions to end the evils of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research and to uphold the sanctity of marriage as a permanent, faithful and God-willing fruitful union between a man and a woman.

4. We implore our fellow clergy by preaching and teaching to inform and educate parents about the hidden, immanent and devastating threats to their children present on the internet and through cell phone technology. Supervision and prudence are necessities not options to protect our young people from the evils of pornography, violence, the occult and sexual abuse.

5. We are deeply concerned for the long term physical, psychological and spiritual harm being done to women, especially the young, who are unaware of all the consequences and effects of abortion due to the misrepresentation and dishonesty being given to them in the media and secular culture.

6. We renew our filial devotion and love to the Blessed Mother, Queen of the Clergy, and consecrate our ordained ministry to her Immaculate Heart as we contemplated her unique role in salvation history while we celebrated Holy Mass all week in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Given on 17 July 2006
Washington, DC
Rev. Kenneth Brighenti, PhD, editor
Confraternity of Catholic Clergy

www.catholic-clergy.org