Friday, March 24, 2017

Priestly Society of St. John of Ciudad del Este Abolished -- Legacy of Bishop Livieres Dismantled

Ciudad del Este: Dissolution of the Society of Saint John (CSSJ) by Bishop
Steckling
(Asuncion) On March 16, the Priestly Society of St. John (CSSJ) has been abolished by Bishop Wilhelm Steckling of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay. The abolition is connected with the removal of Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano, who was deposed in 2014 by Pope Francis. Both interventions have something in common: they were done without official naming of reasons, were accompanied by dirty media speculations and are part of a hard factional debate on the understanding of the Church. 

Vocations crisis is no natural phenomenon

When Bishop Rogelio Livieres was deposed by Pope Francis in the late summer of 2014, the Holy See gave no reasons for the radical intervention. Officially, it was never disclosed what the bishop who died in 2015 during an operation had been accused of doing. This provided more space for speculation. From the Pope's decree, however, it was clear that Bishop Livieres had disturbed the "concord" in the Episcopal Conference. In Paraguay, which strongly progressive and liberation theological, lay the crux of the matter.




Bishop Rogelio Livieres (1945-2015)

Bishop Livieres belonged to Opus Dei . He was appointed by Pope John Paul II, and took over a diocese on ropes, which had hardly any priests. Until then, the seminarians of all the dioceses of the country were trained in a central national seminary in Asuncion, whose mind was formed on liberation theology. Bishop Livieres withdrew his seminarians and founded his own seminary. The education was oriented to the teachings of the Church, the sacramental priesthood was emphasized and the reverence for the sacrament of the altar was lived. In the parishes, the bishop intensified the religious instruction by founding Bible study groups and the formation of catechists. In addition, Eucharistic worship and the celebration of Holy Mass were promoted in the traditional Rite.

The diocese prospered, as the strongly increasing number of donated sacraments showed. In the diocesan priestly seminary of Bishop Livieres, almost three times as many seminarians were preparing for the priesthood in 2014, as in the national priestly seminar of all other dioceses. Bishop Livieres had thus proved that the claimed crisis of occupation and the consequent lack of priests represented no natural phenomenon, but could be overcome, and made a considerable part of it.

The dismissal of Bishop Livieres

In fact, the bishops of the other Paraguayan dioceses, indeed the bishops of the whole world should
 have had to travel to Ciudad del Este to study what Bishop Livieres had done and taken over this model as much as possible. The opposite occurred. Bishop Livieres was perceived by the other bishops as a trouble maker, which also had to do with his clear language. Under Pope Benedict XVI Livieres was left alone to do his work. With the election of Pope Francis, it was likewise with the traditionally oriented and equally successful young order of the Franciscans of the Immaculata.
Bishop Livieres, moreover, was Argentinian, like Pope Francis. They knew each other and were obviously not fond of each other. In vain Livieres asked the Pope to receive him. He demanded the right to know what he was accused of and having the possibility of defending himself. Nothing of the kind was granted him. He was lured to Rome so they could exchange the door locks in Ciudad del Este for the episcopal residence during his absence. Pope Francis left Bishop Livieres in Rome in front of closed doors. The bishop learned of his dismissal while waiting for an appointment in the Vatican, from the media.

The new bishop: seminary shut, priestly community abolished






Bishop Wilhelm Steckling OMI


Pope Francis appointed the former General Superior of the Oblates of the Immaculate Virgin Mary (Hunteel Oblates), the newly-appointed Bishop of Ciudad del Este, of the Westphalian descent, Wilhelm Steckling. In 2016 the diocesan priestly seminary, the bone of contention was finally dissolved. The seminarians of Ciudad del Este have been studying since then in the National Seminary in Asuncion. In the Bishop's Conference of Paraguay, "Unity" reigned.
On the 16th of March, Bishop Steckling has raised another piece of the legacy of Bishop Livieres. He had promoted the establishment of various religious and priestly communities in his diocese, which are faithful to the doctrine of the Church, including those who cultivate the traditional rite.
Among the communities supported by Livieres was the Priestly Society of St. John (Comunidades Sacerdotales de San Juan, CSSJ), founded in 2008 in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este by four priests, which was canonically recognized as a society of the Apostolic Life. The Society consisted of a parish in the diocese and had its own seminary and a branch in Argentina. In the joint seminary, almost 40 seminarians were preparing for the priesthood.
Reasons for the abolition of the Society and the seminary were not mentioned by Bishop Steckling. In the diocesan press release, there is only the following lapidary statement:
"We invite those who have been members of the CSSJ society to participate actively in the life of the Church, which offers many options regarding spiritual life and ministry. The seminarians have the opportunity to continue their education as future priests at the National Seminary of Paraguay or within the framework of religious congregations."

Urrutigoity - the charge for all cases





Carlos Urrutigoity

The media has pointed out in the past few days that one of the founders of the Society of St. John, Carlos Urrutigoity. Urrutigoity, who previously belonged to the Priestly Fraternity of St. Pius X, had studied at the seminary in Argentina and was ordained a priest for the FSSPX. In 1999, he was incardinated in the US diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, because of "subversive behavior." He was suspected of having sexually abused a teenager in 2002 in the USA. There was no conviction.
The Argentinian Urrutigoity had been admitted to Ciudad del Este under Bishop Livieres, and he had been assigned as the Vicar General in 2012-2014. In 2015, he left the diocese and returned to his native Argentina. The diocese announced his departure, without mentioning reasons. Bishop Steckling only said in general:
"The Scranton diocese in Pennsylvania, where Don Urrutigoity used to be, assured me that there were no cases pending. That he does not enjoy a good reputation is another problem. "
Urrutigoity has received a lot of attention in recent years. This does not have to do with his challenging personality. In Paraguay, he seems to have provided a general complaint, which is pulled out of a hat like a rabbit for every purpose. In 2014 he served in the media and behind the scenes as a main charge against Bishop Livieres. The Paraguayan juvenile court prosecutor, on the other hand, declared that there was nothing against the Argentine priest. As soon as Livieres had left, Urrutigoity also disappeared from the media in order to reappear.  Again as the unofficial justification of the dismissal.

Counterweight to Liberation Theology - "New Clergy"

Neither the dismissal of Bishop Livieres, nor the abolition of the Priestly Society of St. John is directly connected with Urrutigoity. The reasons for the bishop's dismissal have already been explained. For the same reasons, the priestly community was also abolished, the orientation of which was disturbed by unabated faith. Above all, the majority of Society seminarians came from the diocesan priestly seminary of Bishop Livieres, who did not want to continue their studies at the central priestly seminary in Asuncion.

In reality, behind the Ciudad del Este case, is a fundamental strife in the Church involving the understanding of what the Church is, and fidelity to the Catholic doctrine of faith. Pope John Paul II had appointed Livieres as diocesan bishop to initiate a renewal of the church of Paraguay. A counterweight to the prevailing course was to have been created. Corresponding excitement prevailed when Liviere's nomination was announced in 2004. Livieres saw his primary task of creating a "new clergy" for Paraguay, with which the change of course was to be carried out. The Opus-Dei bishop was on his way. Since in 2014 90 percent of the Paraguayan dioceses had only 28 percent of the seminarians, Bishop Livieres has already trained 72 percent of the future priests.
The Priestly Society of St. John tried to preserve the legacy of Bishop Livieres and at least partially became a catch basin. This is unacceptable in a country where the bishops attach such importance to Liberation Theology, witnesses such as Fernando Lugo, who resigned his bishop's office, because it was more important to be a political activist for the office of State President, and the Archbishop of Asuncion was suspected of being an active aberrosexual. Both were publicly criticized by Bishop Livieres. This is not the behavior with which one makes friends. With the return of Pope Benedict XVI. this was still possible. When the latter resigned, the retribution followed apace.

John Paul II and Benedict XVI's attempt in Paraguay of a change of course must be regarded as a failure. Seeds were nevertheless dispersed and have not yet been completely eradicated.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Photo: ABCcolor / Cronica / Periodista Digital (Screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

35 comments:

  1. Bravo Bishop Steckling....for no other reason than this "Society of Saint John" was born from the ideas of a homosexual predator priest, Carlos Urrigoity, and a few like minded associates in the very early 1990's. Urrigoity was thrown out of the SSPX for being a homosexual pervert. The Society of S.t John tried to form inseld in the USA diocese of Scranton, under the favorable eye of Bishop Timmlin, who in short order however saw the corruption of the "Society" and was horrified by their past. They were espelled from Scranton and disbanded.....only to be reformed in Paraguay. Bishop Livieres should have known better that to allow filth like that into his diocese.
    He was a wonderful Bishop, but very misguided to allow this group any assistance.
    Damian Malliapalli

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    1. I've heard all of this as well and so of the filth was still there, it is good that they were disbanded. But at the same time, even if this was a just thing to do, there is a glaring double standard in that other orders with great corruption and scandalous behavior in the members are allowed to continue without ever being called out on it.

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    2. You are absolutely correct. Who can forget Carlos Urrigoity... the purchase of land for a Catholic town in Scanton USA. He sexual abuse of novices and students. Urrigoity is one of the most manipulative and compulsive homosexuals hiding behind a veneer of pious traditionalism. I recall a connection with St Gregory's Academy and his plying students with liquor, cigars and telling them to commit sexual acts even sharing his bed with them. Just a repulsive man who cannot see himself as his is.

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    3. So how come boyz cardinal keeler is a great saint? din't he abuze boyz? Warn't his seminary in Harrisburg PA a pink palace where 80 year old men went to screw 20 year olds? Oh but frannie praises Keeler and what do you creeps say??? ZERO!

      Philip A. Hower was studying at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, when he was ousted from the Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania by now-Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore. Hower claims he was essentially ‘fired’ and later blackballed from ordination in other dioceses because he ‘blew the whistle’ on the homosexual activities of priests with whom he resided as a priest candidate...In 2002, after diocesan officials confronted Fr. John Allen with an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor, the priest resigned as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church. He reportedly remains on paid administrative leave.

      http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1176673/posts

      But Keeler gets taken care of by da liddle sissies of da poor and when he die frannie praise him: “I join you,” Pope Francis’ telegram concluded, “in commending the soul of this wise and gentle pastor to the merciful love of God our heavenly Father. To all who mourn the late Cardinal in the sure hope of the Resurrection, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Lord.”

      https://zenit.org/articles/pope-expresses-condolences-on-death-of-american-cardinal-keeler/

      Why don't you go rape some deaf boyz (pope francis will protect you as long as you aren't traditional)?
      https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/six-cases-where-the-sexual-abuse-scandal-touches-pope-francis

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  2. Bishop Livieres appears to have been a saint. The socialist agenda of Francis is becoming more than clear. The wraps have been taken off of the gay infiltration of the Vatican that Pope John Paul II was so much concerned with. The gay lifestyle has been determined to be "normal" and the anti Madonna reflection among women religious is being deified.

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  3. The pattern is the same as the expulsion of the Priestly Society of the Holy Apostles (founded by Fr Zanotti-Sorkine) from the diocese of Brussels by the new bishop Mgr de Kesel recently appointed by Francis after the retirement of Mgr Leonard the former bishop who welcome this Society.
    Mgr de Kesel hypocritically said that he wanted not to deprive the Church of France (Fr Zanotti is french) of this society's priests (25 seminarists on the way to priesthood by this time)
    The true reason is that Fr Zanotti is too "traditional" and attracts too much young men in his seminary, while that of Brussels is almost empty.

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  4. When will trads learn? You cannot compromise with the new religion of V2. It isnt Catholic and should be avoided. Trying to work within its system because you think they are Catholic is a recipe for disaster.

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  5. That is why I hope in the end the SSPX refuses to sign the last of the accords with the Vatican of Francis. He and is people are devils, just waiting to pounce on the last true Catholics.
    Damian Malliapalli

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  6. May this good and holy Bishop of God surely not miss his reward.

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    1. That is, Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, deceased.

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  7. Bishop Heinz Wilhelm Steckling, O.M.I. - http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsteckl.html born in Germany. Only a bishop since 2014 (2.26 years).

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  8. And again, who in their right mind wants the SSPX to shake hands with this?

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  9. So to put it simply, they hated and got rid of them because of their tradition. Love it, keep the persecutions coming Bergoglio et al and when it blows back on you it's gonna blow back HARD. What is rotten will fall and what falls will not get up.

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  10. With the SSPX recognized, injustices against Traditionalists will come out in an open battle. If and when the Society is recognized all Traditional orders should band together in one form or another under the authority of the SSPX. Modernism will be crushed by the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As with the Spanish Civil war in Spain and the Cristero war in Mexico, I foresee mass Canonizations for all the brave Bishops and Priests who defended the Church after V2 against the Modernist heresy.

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    1. No, modernism won't be crushed, the sslx will be... It is already liberalising.

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    2. Anonymous, I keep hearing that the SSPX is already liberalizing. In what manner? As in the OT, many of us have hope, even if our hopes against hope is not realized, sooner or later God will count it as justice and God's day of liberation will come. Lets give the situation the benefit of the doubt. We gain nothing by despairing of the situation but gain everything with Hope.

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    3. I’m still waiting for the collapse of the SSPX that all the usual suspects were predicting a year ago.

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    4. Since the "negotiations" between sspx and the "official" church fell apart, the sspx is safe. As long as they stay apart from the modernists they will survive.

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    5. Have they really fallen apart? Everyone thought the worst last year.

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  11. Dream on. The SSPX will enjoy a honeymoon for a while, then a problem will really surface or be artificially created, and then comes the intervention of that great lover of tradition: Francis the Iron-Fisted. Aside from the internal turmoil from a significant numbers of priests or possibly the very sensible, no-compromise and totally traditional Mons. Tissier de Mallerais, the Society will be torn asunder and it will be too late to "get out"---as some have naively suggested---without a major upheaval that will further tear the society into pieces and validate, once more, the false charge of "schism." You think this is very pessimistic? Just wait and see. RCC

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    1. And you won't be around when things turn out otherwise?

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    2. Whether I or you will be around when "things turn around" is known to neither you nor me, Tancred. If I am proven wrong, I will be among those rejoicing. So, don't assume the worst about people you do not know---it is the sin of malice.

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    3. When all you people seem to do is see the worst, what am I to conclude?

      Some of you posters would have turned on Christ Himself at Golgotha and joined with the Jews in reviling Him.

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    4. Man, Tancred....you have really jumped the shark. That's a shame...you used to be rational.

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    5. I'm not the one who thinks she knows it all and mechanically effects a worldweary tedium over every new outrage and assumes the worst of everyone that doesn't display the right colors.

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    6. Perhaps "Eponymous Flower" should just post happy-clappy, touchy-feely "good news" where there is none (as in the Society of St. Pius X wading into dangerous waters infested with sharks) so that readers of this blog won't "see the worst" and join the "revilers" of Christ. You hardly ever publish good news in the Church and the reason is that there are very few as opposed to a barrage of bad ones. What the moderator really wants is agreement with him on a question where we are free to disagree. Susan is right about abandoning reason and basic common sense. So now those who see dangers for the Society and express such concern are "revilers of Christ'! Wow---you need both a good confessor, Tancred, and a solid psychiatrist. Linda S.

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    7. Here is a bold proposition, Tancred: You might conclude when someone differs from your view of what is in the best interest of the SSPX at this crucial and dangerous moment in its history that those expressing such views do sincerely care about the survival of the only large traditional Catholic order left in the world and about the welfare of the Church as the welfare of that order affects it. That at least, it would seem, is what a Catholic and a gentleman would conclude. It is also what sound reason would indicate. Edward Beltran

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    8. Stunning! A traditional Catholic blog where the enemy, if one goes by the irrational insults of its moderator, seems to be traditional Catholics who contribute to it. Shades of Francisquito the Merciful?

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    9. I don't pretend to be a mind reader, a clairvoyant or a bishop like some of you all do. Give a man an internet connection and he runs amok.

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    10. Mind-reading is hardly needed when one uses the brain God gave us to judge what Bergoglio does with Catholics of Tradition and what may await the Society of St. Pius X. Being a bishop might help, though, as most of them are complicit in his crimes. Give a man the moderation of an internet site and he runs amok deluded into thinking he is God hurling bolts of lightning in the form of calumny and insult from on high to those who disagree on discretionary matters in which the children of God have freedom of opinion.

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    11. Actually, you'd have to be a mind reader. Doesn't make any sense to me and people generally commenting on it really have no idea, but it's as if a hardened sinner had never done penance, a Saint Paul had never fallen blind from his horse, etc.... worse than atheists.

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    12. Y'all to need to realize fighting and arguing amongst each other is what the enemy desires.
      I can't figure out why all traditional catholic orders are constantly arguing and bashing each other.
      R & R,Sede,novus ordo indult,and home alone types are all guilty!
      We have more in common with each other than the communists atheists (((tribe))) Muslims etc..

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    13. I’m still waiting for the collapse of the SSPX that cordialiter was predicting.

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  12. Protestant Pop music rules yeah!!! Newsboys rock dude!

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  13. And the signs of contrition and conversion from the Modernist claque that rules the Church today are so much in evidence everywhere! Therefore assuming good will and benevolence on the part of our proven enemies is worse than folly: it borders on treachery.

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