Bishops Fearful of Truth, Reject Naming Contraception as Sin

Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., said that the drafters did not include contraception because it was not intended to be a comprehensive list of sins and there was a concern that this "particularly difficult pastoral problem" would distract from everything else in the document. Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, auxiliary of San Diego, argued that not mentioning it would draw even more attention.

Bishop Cordileone, as well as others, are to be commended for attempting to clear up the confusion and the decades of false information coming from bishops and priests regarding the sinfulness of contraception.

...contraception figured heavily into a debate over a document on reception of communion, with the bishops rejecting an effort to name contraception as a reason to refrain from receiving communion.

The fact that not mentioning contraception in the document gives tacit approval to the act, regardless of where it might be mentioned in other documents. Its seriousness as a grave sin is greatly diminished.

I am still reviewing the Tivo'd EWTN coverage since I was out of town - what I have seen so far is sickening...Bishop Skylstad is no leader and a majority of bishops appear to deny that artificial contraception is a moral evil especially in the light of a document discussing one's worthiness to receive Holy Communion. Archbishop Pilarczyk, in speaking against the proposed amendment to include contraception in the example list of sins in the document on the Holy Eucharist, stated that there are still open issues concerning the use of condoms for couples with AIDS...Clueless obfuscation. As has been said before, pity the faithful of the dioceses where bishops are afraid of the truth.

In the short amount of time I viewed the coverage, I witnessed a dichotomy - many faithful bishops with backbones and a number of bishops who are in need of a major conversion...many are a disgrace to the episcopacy and the Church.

I was pleased to see Bishop Bruskewitz remind the conference of its real purpose with quotes from the Holy Father (when he was Prefect of the CDF)...It was a true zinger.