John Heard has banned Fr. O'Leary

John Heard (a.k.a. 'Dreadnought' -- a BA Philosophy Major and LLB cumlaude from the University of Melbourne, former 'Newmaniac,' almost lawyer, surprised corporate type, perpetual writer, conservative 'gay' Catholic who submits to Church teaching on chastity, and has a thing for Finnis-style Natural Law theory) has apparently had enough of Fr. Joseph O'Leary on his website, DREADNOUGHT: Out of Shadows into Truth, where he offers his reasons for banning the renegade Irish priest, in a post entitled: "DREADCENSOR: The Case Of Father Joseph O'Leary (Ireland / Japan)" (December 4, 2005). Heard says: "One does not have to let a screaming protester remain in a Cathedral and one does not have to let a protestant 'priest' have free reign over one's blog." His reasons for the ban are related in detail, including the renegade priest's being a "serial offender" at coopting and dominating comment box discussions for his own liberal agenda, "gutter sniping" and gratuitous sexual innuendo, tendering opinions and comments which, though sometimes provocative, "are usually unworthy of a mere Catholic and certainly improper from a priest." He has, says Heard, variously:

• denied the historicity of the resurrection;
• denied Christ performed miracles;
• supported the Liberation Theology the Church rejected as a sorry amalgam of the politics of envy and dead Marxist nonsense;
• frequently - and perhaps most extensively on DREADNOUGHT - challenged the Church's teaching on human sexuality, same sex attraction, gay marriage, marriage and homosexual acts;
• frequently attacked devout Catholics, disparaged Pope John Paul the Great, Pope Benedict XVI, dismissed the entire Roman Curia as a bunch of lisping authoritarians and bitches intent on extending their rule of corruption across the global bedroom;
• and implied that the Fatima vistionaries were under the influence of a childish delusion.

(He adds: "See Christopher Blosser's rundown for full citations and links.")

Heard concludes: "Other people might either allow or indulge such nonsense but DREADNOUGHT is not at all interested in encouraging potential scandal. It will not occur on my watch and it is totally unwelcome on my blog."

Heard writes in a gutsy style any pertinacious Papist can't help loving. As my son Christopher points out, he offers up a kind of "no holds barred" Catholic orthodoxy that positively infuriates the militant hedonists. He readily acknowledges his homosexual orientation, but embraces Church teaching on homosexuality and utterly eschews the sexually active self-indulgent "gay lifestyle" that militant gays and lesbians promote. In fact, though I don't know how well it would fly, I'm reminded of a distinction that Karl Keating proposes between "homosexual" and "gay" -- the former denoting sexual orientation and the latter denoting a voluntary embrace of a sexually active lifestyle.

Heard on Homosexuality & Catholicism
Regardless of that, read Part II of Heard's great discussion on "Why I Am A Catholic -- Sex" (December 5, 2005), posted in response to those who ask him, "sometimes sneeringly and sometimes with an air of condemnation," why he is "still Catholic," given the fact that the Church condemns homosexual sexual activity. Some brief excerpts:

Why I stay - Simple

i) Briefly, anything that offers the chance of eternal life is probably not the kind of thing to be grouped with bad hair or geeky music. Religion is dreadfully serious. Further, given my whole-hearted 'I do' to the basics of the Catholic faith I believe I am bound, as I detailed last week, to accept the faith in its totality....

Does the Church 'Hate' Me?

ii) Next, I do not think the Church hates me, certainly I am not in danger of being burnt alive.

[Here he quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concludes that individuals with homosexual orientations "do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition."]

This is a rather humane perspective from anyone's vantage. ... and it emphatically demonstrates that the Church considers homosexual Catholics part of the Church. Humane? Inclusive? But doesn't this same Church hate me? Does the Church Hate Me?

There's much, more here -- certain to instruct and provoke, but no less certain to infuriate liberal dissenters from Church moral teaching on sexuality. Read more here.