Gen Ex-Catholic and the McCarrick Report with Steve Skojec

[@robertcarlin4876]

This is so sad with them both having left the Church.

[@OndrejSc]

God bless your work!

[@billmonteith1161]

Joseph, God bless you and thank you. Just so you know, you are one of the good men who inspire me to stay in and fight. I am a Deacon candidate in my Diocese and I think my vocation arises from wanting to help purify the Church in whatever way God sees fit. Thank you for being an example of pure holiness and struggle. Bishop Sheen said once; "Live bodies struggle against the raging current while dead bodies just float downstream."

[@tomann-marienowak2476]

Thank you for hashing through what many faithful Catholics are feeling, thinking and praying about.

[@eileen6780]

I appreciate the frank conversation. Thank you Joseph and Steve.

[@davidhepler800]

Shockiningly true assessment at 48 minute mark!

[@johnharkness6304]

I This is most interesting, I'll finish watching later. Love listening to Steve. Irish, living in France for the past 30 years. Love you guys. 👍🏻

[@billschrader5139]

Joseph - excellent video!!

[@charlieadams9401]

Done with Bishop Barron! He can take his feel good ineffective message and take a hike.

[@blueyedmule]

"Dare we hope...". No, Bishop, I don't need to. Jesus' words and the scope of Scripture plus the witness of Tradition refute you.

[@l21n18]

Skojec is an atheist now

[@Taurocasio]

God bless you Joseph !!!!!!!

[@absolutelypitiful3837]

Thank you Joseph, I'm a lapsed Catholic veering toward Evangelical, and all your videos about the decay of the church hit home so much with me. I also never met a Catholic priest who was conservative and firm about the church, or a functional Catholic Church. I got involved in a Baptist Church because I also wondered why I would get involved with the church of my childhood that didn't want me or didn't respect me for wanting to promote her own doctrine.

[@l21n18]

Should t it be based on actual beliefs

[@l21n18]

You’re going to find scandal in every organization you look into

[@gigachad2221-g4n]

The Baptists are filled with sex scandals. I'm not even Catholic, but talk about out of the pan into the fire.

[@matthias.9834]

Thanks for these discussions. In your discussion here of JPII, McCarrick, and Maciel , glad to hear that Steve finally cited the money issue. JPII was tremendously in the thrall of the latter two clerics for substantial cash-flow into the Vatican. It certainly seems to me that this in-flow of money influenced, more than we'll ever know, why JPII turned a blind eye to these miscreants. Sorry to say, this sad fact renders JPII even more culpable.

[@scientiaexpandinghorizons]

It’s not just that JPII was used to the Church’s enemies lobbing false, twisted accusations of sex abuse, but he was a very trusting, faith-filled, jubilant person perhaps to the point of naïvety. Have you ever met someone who is just so good that he/she is gullible or overly confident in the goodness of others? I think JPII was so pure/innocent & of such a positive temperament that he couldn’t imagine that such disgusting, gut-wrenching accusations could possibly be true. It is also the case that Sodano & his personal secretary, whom he trusted more than anyone because of their long history, Dziwisz, apparently assured him that Maciel was innocent of the accusations. Psychopaths are master manipulators & being saintly does not, unfortunately, render someone psychic or immune to such, contrary to what we sometimes assume. Mother Theresa was also fooled by a serial priest predator & I don’t think anyone thinks she’s perverse. The McCarrick report was also Francis’ attempt to subtly shift blame onto JPII, whose legacy Francis disdains (look at what he did to the JPII Institutes) even though he was forced by popular pressure to canonize him (a canonization he undermined by canonizing John XXIII simultaneously, even forfeiting the miracle requirements for such in his case to do so). The most brain-splitting reality is that people are capable of doing both great good & great evil practically concurrently. As a former LC I heard many testimonies of people who were helped tremendously by Maciel’s spiritual advice & charitable work, and yet he is one of the sickest, most disturbed, demonic monsters in history. He inspired thousands of young men to give their lives to the priesthood in service to the church but also in service to a cult mentality that still ensnares many and oppresses many more who have left for decades past their exodus. The good news is that God brings good out of evil, only Christ is perfect, and the perfect creation awaits those who persevere at the end of history. Maranatha!

[@blueyedmule]

I have compassion for cradles who are leaving, but I've been where they're going and it's not better. By God's grace I studied my way in, and I'm not relying on fifth grade catechism, 9th grade confirmation and a few years of altar serving to carry me. We all have to take responsibility for our own catechesis

[@blueyedmule]

I don't have any higher degrees. High school and six years military. I encourage everyone to shed the idea you are incapable of reading the catechism and Holy Scripture. There are good teachers online. Get after it! You can do it.

[@davidhepler800]

Final remarks: "Good lay men who are married and are fathers" is what is giving hope!

[@dpetem]

It is Christ's church; he will return, and he will impose justice on faithless bishops. Also, I think these revelations are providential. How much worse would it be if it were still covered up!

[@davidhepler800]

Such honest assessment of the rot in the Catholic church at the 38 minute mark. I don't really recommend joining the Catholic church unless you are ready to endure all the crap that is in it! I say that as someone who goes to Mass every week and prays daily.

[@blueyedmule]

Once you get to the point of "this is diabolical"....now you've got your weapon pointed downrange in the right direction.

[@blueyedmule]

The "we deserve it" is not individual, it is corporate. Why? If, as the Church Militant, we keep pursuing our own sinful desires rather than God, we are left to the natural results of our actions. It's deeply rooted in the salvation history of the Jews of the Old Testament. Don't make the mistake of extrapolating that to individual instances of predation. I know there is some internal tension here.

[@aaf6711]

I remember that fruity Catholicism. And I hated it. My prayer was God, I really want to be here, but I hate this so much. I could t understand what was going on

[@blueyedmule]

Strickland. Vigano. Schneider. And I believe my Archbishop Samples. God willing some others. God always has a holy remnant for the battle.

[@davidhepler800]

LOL 1 hour 45 minute mark. Stay in the Catholic church out of spite! Good one! Whatever your motivation is, keep up the good work and continue the good fight of shining light on all the slime and sleaze!

[@sacredartsource8297]

In the past 5 years I have had to change parishes due to work and explored many parishes and I must say that I found many good parishes with solid priests, while also finding the watered down liturgies in some. So in all fairness, to paint the whole Church as being this LGBT pro watered down liturgy is simply not true and a great disservice to the Church. I think my advice to you is to read the Bible, study the Catechism, keep the commandments, follow Jesus Christ, be faithful to the Sacraments, don’t reduce the gospel to simply attending a beautiful emotional liturgy, don’t politicize the faith, return to the basics; death to the old self, feed the mind with good books, have a structured prayer life and be transformed, You have a conscience, follow it, spend your life in serving and loving God in the service of those in need, and realize that there were, are and will always be liars, hypocrites, adulterers, thieves, murderers, perverts, traitors and all sort of scoundrels among both the laity and the clergy, beginning with Judas Iscariot who was a liar, a thief, a hypocrite and a traitor, who was personally chosen by Christ. Jesus Christ Himself spoke about how there will always be weeds among the wheat, but among the wicked there will always be the saintly and those striving for true holiness. One should not confuse religiousness with holiness. The Pharisees were very religious, fasted, gave alms and talked about God all day, yet God himself called them whitewashed sepulchers because they had all this knowledge yet they had no charity or conversion of heart. Religiosity without conversion of heart always becomes hypocrisy. Read the Scriptures; the answers are all there. Look up what it says about true religion, namely, to love and help those who suffer. Be the love and light of Christ in this dark world. Make up for all those in the Church who are lukewarm or hypocrites. In the end, nobody gets away with anything, as they will have to render an account to God. The Sacraments are there to transform in order to share with others. Yes, there are problems in the Church, but that has always been the case. You thought there wasn’t scandal in the early Church? Salvation History is full of schisms and heresies coming from within the clergy, yet the Church navigates through the ages teaching the truth. We have a Catechism and a Bible; the Church can’t force anyone to read and put it into practice. If you took a time machine into any century you would find scandal and disappointment in the Church, look what happened at the time of St. Francis, or the Reformation, or St. Augustine, or etc. We live in a time in need of holiness and hope, not throwing in the towel.

[@wiadomosci1]

Could you publish a transcript of this video?

[@pascaleleroy9306]

Joseph have you tried Star of the Sea in San Francisco? The Latin Mass crowd is very diverse. People there are just very focused on their prayers but are not abrasive. Kind diocesan priests, too.

[@JosephSciambra]

I know the parish well.

[@christopherfeeney1962]

I actually miss Steve's voice on these things. In this conversation hes absolutely 100% right, but sounds reasonable at the same time. Since leaving the practice of the Faith he, understandably, become terribly bitter. I hope and pray both he and Joseph find real peace.

[@blueyedmule]

I was thinking Jordan Peterson is more like the Mitch Hedberg of masculine philosophy.

[@davidhepler800]

1 hour 17 minute mark: "Not a gay subculture but a gay SUPER culture." WOW!

[@davidhepler800]

"Masochistic ethos" in Catholicism at the 26 minute mark. Indeed, we do have that. Ugh.

[@katelandsmith3760]

The "For the Good of the Church" comments remind me of my relatives saying, "Family doesn't rat on family" in response to me calling DCS on the abusive pedophile who raised me for 12 years. "Family protects family" It's a threat. If you don't stay silent and deal with it, you're not part of the family. You're an enemy, you're outcast. You're less important than this abusive person, and maintaining the status quo. It's sick, and coming from a priest is 10x worse.

[@SteveSkojec]

Exactly this.

[@MartinvonTours11.11]

I have not had encounters with the socalled 'trads' that you describe. Some Catholics have only a rudimentary understanding of the Faith. If I would encounter such people criticizing some practice of a fellow Catholic, I would simply inform them and be at peace. I do not care what anyone may think of me, but I do care what God thinks. I do that with the NO priests, too, when it is called for. Be confident in the Truth of the Faith. As with abusive fathers, space is absolutely necessary for sanity. You have to keep space between yourself and the nutty or heretical priests and parishes. Same goes for Bergoglio. We do not need to listen to most of what he says and does. Instead, we work on our own perfection through the sacraments and prayer. Find a safe space, such as a TLM community. Jesus wants you both in His Church. it does not matter that the bishops or priests do not. Be humble and go to Jesus who loves you so much.

[@axiap001]

But what do you mean by "you don't get to leave"....what does it mean to leave? You don't get to go to the community? Go to the physical Church? Or leave the faith, Christ no more etc?

[@MartinvonTours11.11]

Never be a priest's groupie! I see so many doing that with every priest. Never place them on a pedestal. We always look to Jesus ultimately. The closer laymen comes to a priest, the more we will see the weaknesses and fallibility of that priest. So keep the relationship on a professional and even formal level. It does not help them to be idolized by the parishioners. They also must fight pride and egotism.

[@rtyria]

1:20:00 Sounds like these priests Steve Skojec is talking about have a lot in common with battered wives who refuse to leave their husbands because of the kids. The kids who see the abuse go about carrying the dirty laundry - and that's a heavy, smelly burden. There are nuns in the same boat, by the by. I had one air the family laundry in front of me (I don't even know if she really knew I was there). I was in first grade. When the priest scandal came out I was surprised by how mild it was. There is much more dirty laundry than that, and because they didn't wash it then it'll be an even worse mess when it finally comes to light. The Church has been under a ferocious attack since long before VII. People with malicious intent infiltrated the Church with the intention of completely destroying her. There are none so evil as those who were once holy.

[@MartinvonTours11.11]

It is a mistake to expect priests and bishops to help you overcome trauma and to start healing. That is what Jesus does. Beyond spiritual direction, which is not counseling, I would not go to priest or bishop for such help. That is not what their vocation is. Maybe listen to their homilies or talks, if they are have spiritual truths, but otherwise don't bother them!!! Remember the encounter of Napoleon with the pope and the bishops of France who he had captured. Napoleon raged that he was going to destroy the Church. One bishop shook his head and said sadly, :You will not be able to do that because we bishops and priests have been trying to do that for 1800 years and we have not succeeded.

[@blueyedmule]

If by "the Church" you mean "the mystical body of Christ", then anyone in the state of mortal sin has cut themselves off from said mystical body of Christ. This is how one points at a priest or bishop abuser and differentiates as they do.

[@blueyedmule]

This is theologically correct but probably not helpful to an aniseed person in crisis.

[@christopherfeeney1962]

Actually that's not theologically correct. Mortal sin doesn't cut you off from the Church, it kills the capacity of grace in the soul. It cuts one off from the life of grace. However, one is STILL a member of the Church, merely a dead member. An analogy would be a dead tree branch. The branch is dead, but still attached to the tree.

[@deirdrebreen8126]

I really pray, Joseph that you read this comment. I have been doing a study on Humanae Vitae. It has shown me that the Catholic Church is truly the church that Jesus Christ established. Mainly because the Catholic Church was the ONLY Christian denomination, the only one, including Orthodox, that put a ban on all contraception. Pope Paul VI himself wrote Humanae Vitae. The man who gave us the Norvus Ordo and he suffered for it. I think it was God’s divine grace, that in the turmoil of the sexual Revolution, in which every single institution in modern life has fallen prey. The Catholic Church held fast and in that steadfastness may help us dig out of the mess we find ourselves in today.Think about it

[@blueyedmule]

I believe JPII ignored the dirt on McCarrick because under the USSR good priests faced these kinds of claims to discredit them. Sad to know he had an opportunity to shut him down.

[@blueyedmule]

Y'all are cradles who chose to stay, over time which I do commend, don't get me wrong. I'm an old GenX who converted in 2000. I actively CHOSE this mess. And stayed. I'm in a unicorn N.O. parish because it's necessary for my wife; it's close and she has health issues. Otherwise I'd be in an SSPX parish 35-40 minutes away.

[@st.marymackillopcoalition390]

Have either of you read the book "Something's Not Right," by Wade Mullen? It describes the ins and outs of impression (brand) management and all the crappy human behavior you guys are discussing. The church is so horribly behind in being able to admit to it's own systemically abusive culture. We're going no where.

[@williammoersen4970]

The church has lied and taught that Jesus is God and truly bodily present in the Eucharist in a piece of bread. I ate that bread a million times over many years. It never changed me. Ever. IT WAS A VICIOUS CIRCLE. Confession and Communion and back to Confession. Ad nauseam. It never worked. I always had the same sins.

[@st.marymackillopcoalition390]

Have either of you read the book "Something's Not Right," by Wade Mullen? It describes the ins and outs of impression (brand) management and all the crappy human behavior you guys are discussing. The church is so horribly behind in being able to admit to it's own systemically abusive culture. We're going no where.