Expose and Engage the 'Fifth Column' in the Catholic Church

There is little doubt that there is a 'fifth column' of Catholics who are in open and scandalous dissent.

CHESAPEAKE (Catholic Online) - First, let's begin with some terminology. The term "fifth column" generally refers to a group within a larger community which intentionally and covertly collaborates with an outside enemy so as to weaken that group from within and undermine its leadership and effectiveness. The expression seems to have originated with the Spanish Civil War but has now been expanded to refer to a strategic use of covert activity and dissent within a State, or, as in this instance, even within a Church.

I use the phrase "fifth column" in reference to people within our Church, fellow Catholics. These folks have rejected the teaching of the Church in an area of moral truth and, rather than honestly admit it and seek to change themselves so that they can properly inform their conscience and give a religious submission of intellect and will,(which is our obligation as faithful Catholics), they now attempt to confuse the faithful. However, they go even further. They engage in a covert operation intended to undermine the Church.

This is done in several ways. Sometimes it is through a kind of slow drip of dissent. Other times through a concerted campaign which overtly opposes the 'Magisterium' , the teaching office of the Catholic Church, though still containing its rebellion and opposition within the family of the Church. Still other times it goes beyond all propriety by overtly rejecting the clear teaching of the Church. Then, using a public forum, they intentionally try to hurt the Church and cause a scandal. It is to the last group that I now address this article.

On Wednesday, I wrote a story for Catholic Online entitled "Archbishop Niederauer to be Mocked by Homosexuals for His Support of Marriage". It concerned the plan to publicly ridicule the Archbishop for his clear and courageous defense of marriage. This will be done within the context of the 39th San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade on June 27 and June 28th. Homosexual activists will give him the so called "Pink Brick award" and publicly mock him.

To regular readers of Catholic Online, the extreme antics of some within the homosexual community in San Francisco should come as no surprise. However it is evident from some of our recent letters with our rapidly growing readership that some of our newer readers were shocked by one dimension of this story. That was the participation of some Catholics from the Most Holy Redeemer Parish of San Francisco in this act of public ridicule and defiance.

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Here is an excerpt from just one letter we received: "Dear Catholic Online Editor, Do I understand correctly that there is a Catholic Church (Most Holy Redeemer) in San Francisco that supports the LGBT lifestyle? ... Is the whole parish approving of the LGBT? Has the Archbishop denounced the Parish, if this is the case? I don't understand. Am I the only Catholic left in a total quandary by your posted articles on the activities at Most Holy Redeemer Church and the Archbishop of San Francisco? ."

First, I do not know whether it can be said that the Parish "supports" the lifestyle. However, a trip to the website is quite informative (http://www.mhr.org/). Even a cursory review of its history and public posture seems to point in that direction. However, I do know that a member of their Parish Council, Matt Dorsey, in a May 28, 2009 opinion piece he wrote for the "Bay Area Reporter", proposed the awarding of this Pink Brick to his own Archbishop.

Matt Dorsey appears from accounts to be living an actively homosexual lifestyle with no indication of trying to remain chaste. He openly dissents with the Catholic Church on its unchangeable and authoritative teaching concerning the nature of marriage. At the end of this disturbing column he added these words "Matt Dorsey is a parishioner of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church. The opinion expressed here is his own." This was an apparent attempt to give some "wiggle room" to the parish. It reminded me of the "plausible deniability" approach so often used in political circles.

There is little doubt that there is a "fifth column" in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. It consists of Catholics who are in open and scandalous dissent from the teaching of their own Church. We have republished an article from 2008 entitled "Priest Exposes 'Fifth-column homosexual activists' in Parish" below this piece which demonstrates the positioning of "Most Holy Redeemer Parish" within this effort. The overt rejection of the teaching of the Catholic Church on the dignity of human sexuality and the nature of marriage is not the only area of foundational moral teaching where fifth column participants have staked out their turf within our beloved Catholic Church.

The most egregious example concerns the infallible teaching of the Catholic Church concerning the dignity of every human person from conception to natural death. The truth taught by the Catholic Church concerning the fundamental human right to life and the dignity of every human person throughout the entire spectrum of life is the very ground of all Catholic Social Teaching. It cannot and will not ever be changed. It is written in the Natural Law, confirmed by science and expounded upon in Revelation. Yet, there is a "fifth column" of Catholics in open rebellion with this truth which opposes the fundamental Right to Life. They have strategically infiltrated the Church and use their identification and placement within to harm her. This group not only openly rejects this infallible teaching but seeks to draw others into their error. Finally, they have chosen to use the public forum to engage in a hostile campaign against the Catholic Church.

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It is the same with the truth taught by the Catholic Church concerning the nature of marriage as between one man and one woman, for life, and open to children. The sophistry of those who seek to reframe the debate as a matter of "marriage equality" in order to promote a new kind of judicial or legislative alchemy which calls relationships which are not capable of being marriages to be marriages is particularly egregious when it is engaged in by Catholics. The Catholic Church cannot and will not ever change her position on marriage.

Matt Dorsey's actions in not only rejecting the teaching of his Church concerning marriage but then openly bringing his overt dissent into the public by mocking the Archbishop of San Francisco for his defense of Marriage is a "Scandal". The Catechism of the Catholic Church, to which he is supposed to give his religious submission of intellect and will, defines scandal. Included within the definition is this warning: " Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense. (CCC 2284)"

By then bringing his rebellion and defiance into the public forum and joining with those who are openly opposed to the Catholic Church, he took his place within a "fifth column." His actions must now be exposed and engaged by his fellow Catholics, including his Pastor. We once again urge our readers to contact Fr. Steve Meriwether, the Pastor of Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 100 Diamond Street, San Francisco, CA 94114, to express any concerns you may have over this entire matter and, in particular, the actions taken by a member of the Parish Council of Most Holy Redeemer.

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