Francis A. Boyle: "For the Italian Nun in Somalia who was murdered because of the Pope's desecration of Islam, let us pray to the Lord."

Dear Friends:

The last Prayer of the Faithful I ever led at St. John's Catholic Chapel for the Newman Center at the University of Illinois Noon Mass about one year ago went about as follows:

"For the Italian Nun in Somalia who was murdered because of the Pope's desecration of Islam, let us pray to the Lord."

Thereafter all Prayers of the Faithful were immediately terminated and there have been none for the past year that i am aware of. And this despite the fact that Vatican II gave us laity the right to lead Prayers of the Faithful because Vatican II deemed that the Holy Spirit worked through us as well as the clergy. The male patriarchal hierarchy are now thwarting Vatican II and the Holy Spirit.

We are currently witnessing a Clerical Thermidor against Vatican II and the Holy Spirit.  And this by a male patriarchal hierarchy and clergy that is still deeply implicated in the criminal sexual abuse of children scandal. Even if clerics did not sexually abuse children themselves, how many of them knew that their fellow clerics were sexually abusing children and looked the other way and did nothing to stop it? How much moral credibility do any of them have? If anything, these clerics need to listen to us laity and not put us down, shut us up, and bar us from praying in church.

Francis A. Boyle