The hits just keep coming for Catholic Relief Services, the “international relief and development agency of the Catholic community in the United States” which was founded by the US Catholic Bishops. Recently CRS was exposed for having helped implement a graphic sex-ed program called My Changing Body. Today, new revelations show a troubling situation within the organization’s leadership. From the Lepanto Institute:
Public records obtained from the Clerk of Circuit Court for the City of Baltimore, Maryland show that Catholic Relief Services’ (CRS) Vice-President of Overseas Finance is in a same-sex “marriage.” His postings on facebook also indicate that he actively and publicly supports same-sex “marriage.”
According to Linkedin, Rick Estridgeis Vice-President of Overseas Finance at Catholic Relief Services. In his online profile, Estridge states his duties at CRS as follows:
“As Vice President of Overseas Finance, I lead the development and implementation of all overseas financial management systems, policies, processes and activities to ensure strong resource stewardship, operational efficiency, consistent financial performance, risk mitigation, and exceptional financial management across all overseas operations. I also act as the lead Finance representative of the Agency to all donors, partners and other stakeholders related to overseas financial reporting, and contract/agreement, policy and compliance matters related to overseas financial management.”
[…]
The Lepanto Institute applied for Estridge’s public marriage record from the City of Baltimore. A link to the document as it arrived in the mail can be viewed by clicking here. Below is a section of the marriage record, with key areas highlighted.
It may be coincidence, but it is worth nothing that Estridge entered into his same-sex “marriage” the same month he was promoted to a vice-presidential position at CRS.
[…]
In addition to being in a same-sex “marriage,” Estridge has clearly advocated for same-sex “marriage” on his facebook page.
I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of these stories. I don’t want to cover them. I don’t want them to exist. We have to demand better.
It’s becoming so commonplace to see abuses in these official institutions of the Church that it’s not even shocking anymore. Maybe that’s the point.
The story isn’t so much that they had a VP in an … irregular domestic situation, but that he was “loud and proud” about it without any apparent fear of consequences from his betters at CRS.
“Nothing new here.”
“Across the pond” Julian Filochowksi, the former director of the British equivalent of CRS, CAFOOD (for Catholic Aid for Oversease Development), has been in a long-term liaison with an ex-Carmelite priest.
In 2001 a Mass in honor of the 25th anniversary of their “relationship” was offered by the Ushaw Seminary rector with two CAFOD-related bishops attending. One of the bishops, who was originally to offer the Mass but backed out at the last moment because of unfavorable publicity about the event, said “I want to make it perfectly clear at the outset that what is being celebrated at this Mass is, as the invitation card indicated, ’25 years of friendship and commitment to justice.’ It is simply that.”
The director retired in 2003 with a big bash attended by members of the British hierarchy including the then Archbishop-Primate of Westminster, Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, who said, “Grateful thanks and appreciation of the Catholic community in England and Wales … deep respect and gratitude not just in the parishes and dioceses of England and Wales but worldwide”.
The ex-director in 2006 legally entered into a “civil partnership” with his partner with a “reflection” (Honorably Catholic and Honorably Gay) by a noted moral theologian at the Pontifical St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland, and later published in The Furrow, a prestigious Irish theological journal.
CAFOOD has other un-Catholic staff members and engages in un-Catholic activites similar to those of CRS. See http://www.christianorder.com/editorials/editorials_2005/editorials_jan05.html for more details.
The FB page deleted?
Sorry, this page isn’t available
Who are we to judge?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2358: “The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do NOT CHOOSE (my emphasis) their homosexual condition; (in the original edition and deleted in 1997) for most of them it is a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination should be avoided…..”
Can you argue that simply because the VP is a homosexual he should not have a position within an institution of the Church which teaches the above?
Keep reading the Catechism, dearest.
What section(s)?
#2357 is good, right about where you were: Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
Additionally, as you noted, the CCC no longer includes all that you quoted. Interesting that you would include it here. Shows weakness of argument, of course, with an attempt to mislead.
Would you agree that someone who also had some other type of intrinsically disordered behavior and was open and unrepentant about it, would necessarily be unfit for a position of authority within a Catholic institution?
It is interesting that a Church catechism would not be thoroughly checked for error or statements that simply are not provable prior to publication.
Absolutely no one is unfit for a position of authority within a Catholic institution. Who has the authority to judge but Christ? I commented on the article which seemed to me to object to an appointment within CRS of a homosexual and after reading the comment by Rich Leonardi who also seemed to find it a problem.
Knowing as we do that the Church has been bedeviled by various false teachings of late, it is not a surprise that the CCC will have various revisions as issues are clarified in the light of Church teaching, as opposed to the various errors in thought abounding today. At any rate, it is a specious argument to now condemn what you touted a comment ago.
To say, “Absolutely no one is unfit for a position of authority within a Catholic institution” is a morally insane statement. Have you woken to find yourself in a “dark wood?”
For you to say that no one has the authority to judge but Christ is to conflate the final judgment of the state of a soul versus the everyday judgments that are made on a plethora of issues.
I’m simply stating the position of Pope Francis who asked “who am I to judge”? and who also has, by his words and acts, made it clear he will encourage those who dissent against Catholic teachings.
And it is obvious that no one is unfit for a position of authority in any of the institutions of the Church or those who use the name “Catholic” in their organizations. If that were not true, all those unfaithful to the teachings of the Church would be stripped of their authority.
“If that were not true, all those unfaithful to the teachings of the Church would be stripped of their authority.”
What actually happens versus what ought to happen does not constitute truth, or justify error; or give anyone a pass to justify error.
“What actually happens versus what ought to happen does not constitute truth, or justify error; or give anyone a pass to justify error.”
We must support a pope and Magesterium which teaches heresy and tries to justify error but where is the line from heresy to apostasy from the faith?
What does that have to do with anything? You asserted that no one is unfit for a position of authority in Church institutions. Pope Francis doesn’t head up CRS, and also I’m fairly certain that when the moment of judgment comes for you and I, the Pope will not be making that decision.
My assertion that no one is unfit for a position of authority in Church institutions is not what I believe but what reality is. Let me make my position clear. I believe the line from heresy to apostasy has been crossed.
Well, no one is unfit for a position of authority in Church institutions unless they are a Catholic who believes as the Church has always believed. 😉
I would not disagree that there are apostates in positions of authority within the Church and her various institutions. I don’t believe that is a new thing, either.
It may not be a new thing that there are apostates in positions of authority within the Church but it is sad indeed that those apostates happen to be its leaders.
Wow….how wrong can a person be. The man in question is a very open and public critic of the Church, promotes sodomite marriage in public, and said people who don’t accept gay marriage should be in prison…………………………….so forget about the fact he is deeply in mortal sin because he is actively engaging in sodomy he should be fired for publicly attacking the Church and by his saying traditional marriage supporters (which includes the pope) should be in jail he makes a mockery of Catholic Relief Services.
Yet with all of this known, he still holds his position. Doesn’t that tell you that it doesn’t matter to CRS what he believes or does? Isn’t the CRS simply following the guidelines in the Catechism? Isn’t it true the church since Vatican II has turned a blind eye to all those who publicly dissent against the moral teachings of the Church and in the case of certain politicians, actively promote the sins which cry out to Heaven?
They’ll have him delete his Facebook page and quiet down, but won’t fire him unless there is major uproar (a.k.a. money stops). Most of N.O. crowd could care less, thanks to the watered down Faith the Bishops teach, so expect that crap to continue. Thank God for most of the African Bishops. They at least have the Faith to make known the evils of this corrupted branch of our mostly lame Bishops, who love the comforts the government $$ they accept afford them.