Bishop Barron and His Close Relationship with Fr. James Martin

James Martin regards Barron as a “friend” though he admits they have some disagreements. They both were featured speakers in the recent (appropriately named) Los Angeles REC.

Because he has such a large public platform and is not afraid to speak out on controversial issues (e.g., Amoris Laetitia and universal salvation), I’m a bit surprised that the prelate hasn’t had much to say about the controversial priest, who has been given almost carte blanche by his overseers in spreading his lavender gospel. Though he tries to adhere to Church teaching in his recent book, it’s instructive to recall some of Father Martin’s public statements.

This is not an exhaustive list but a beginning: (1) the affirmation to LGBTQ people that “God made them [wonderfully] that way”; (2) “The Church needs to rethink its teachings about homosexuality—its dogmatic teaching. Instead of saying it’s objectively disordered, it should say it’s just differently ordered”; (3) same-sex couples should be able to kiss during Mass: “What’s the terrible thing?”; (4) the Church should reverence homosexual unions; and (5) being against same-sex “marriage” is like being racist.

In contrast, Type D prelates, such as Bishop Joseph Strickland and Cardinal Robert Sarah, have not been afraid to speak out against Martin. Though Barron holds the traditional Catholic view on homosexual behavior and same-sex “marriage,” his silence can easily be interpreted as tacit approval of Martin’s outreach.

Also, in his recent interview with Ben Shapiro, Barron was asked his thoughts on Pope Francis. His past public statements in video and print have always given the Holy Father glowing reviews regarding his emphasis on mercy, the Church being a “field hospital,” and the central message of Amoris Laetitia.

This laudatory tone was somewhat diminished in the Shapiro interview but there was nary a word of criticism. The good bishop commented that every pope has a different emphasis and Francis wears more the mantle of a prophet than a philosopher, theologian, or biblical scholar like the previous two.

He was from Latin America and therefore suspicious of capitalism. His prophetic edge meant that, like Jeremiah, he would often not govern in a constructive manner but more through uprooting (i.e., to “make a mess”) which is redemptive in its own way.

Bishop Barron would be well served to ask himself, among others things, one question: Who gets promoted under Francis? Answering this question honestly provides a clear window into the Francis papacy.

Indeed, when you look at the careers of such prelates and priests as McCarrick, Monsignor Battista Ricca, Bishop Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta, and the defrocked Mauro Inzoli, homosexual activity and predation seem to be a resume-enhancer for the pontiff leading to promotion.

William Kilpatrick writes: “A recent article by journalist Marco Tosatti provides a list of prelates who have been favored, protected, promoted or rehabilitated by Pope Francis despite their record of covering up for abusers. The list includes: Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Cardinal Roger Mahony, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Cardinal Errazuriz Ossa, Bishop Juan Barros, Bishop Juan Jose Pineda, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and Archbishop Kevin Farrell.”

The bottom-line is this: if you’re a priest or prelate in America and have not yet been red-pilled on Father Martin and Pope Francis, you’ve either been living in a hermetically-sealed cave for the last six years or something is wrong with your heart. They are both like ecclesial Rorschach Tests: there’s enough information out there about them that is common knowledge and a matter of public record, and so to live in denial and conduct business as usual is very damaging to the Church and, like a sword, pierces Christ and his Mother again.

Original article: https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/getting-redpilled-on-bishop-barron