Jesus isn't a theo-con, nor a fascist

The Vatican has been making appointments of individuals from the 'new ecclesiastical communities' that have been promoted since the council of the Vatican II. These communities include the Sodalit Family and Opus Dei. At the same time, Pope Benedict (ex. Cardinal Ratzinger) has been promoting his own agenda to remove liberation theologists (or Marxist theology as said by the Sodalit-run Catholic News Agency). I have shown examples of this in Puno, Perú recently, and here is another example in El Salvador.

The second piece talks about how Jesus wasn't a hippy, nor a guru, nor a philosopher, nor a revolutionary, nor a socialist, etc., etc., but the Son of God.
I could agree with the things he was not, provided we also say that Jesus wasn't a neo-con/theo-con, nor a fascist, nor a market liberal either... and nor did he condemn people for disagreeing with human authority on Earth.

The author tries to explain the troubling nature of why Jesus is seen as a 'revolutionary' in Latin America. I think he should also ask why conquistadors and other colonialists are praised for 'bringing God to the Americas', since Jesus wasn't for genocide and oppression... if Jesus did support it, that would make him some sort of a fascist dictator, wouldn't it?

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Vatican Sanctions

Salvadoran archbishop confirms Vatican sanction of Jesuit theologian

Fr. Fernando Saenz Lacalle, S.J.

San Salvador, Mar 13, 2007 / 05:10 pm (CNA).- Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador confirmed this week that on Thursday the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith would issue a Canonical sanction against Jesuit liberation theologian Jon Sobrino.

Sobrino, a Basque Jesuit who has lived in El Salvador since the 1970’s, where he has been a professor of theology at the Jose Simeon Cañas Central American University, which he founded together with several other Jesuits.

Although the sanction will be official made public on Thursday, Archbishop Saenz said during a press conference that “the Holy See tells us that the conclusions of his theological studies are not in accord with the doctrine of the Church.”

The sanction also will prohibit Jon Sobrino from teaching classes at any Catholic institution and from publishing as a Catholic author.

“For some time his writings have been under study, and for years he has been warned,” Archbishop Lacalle said, explaining that Sobrino, like many of his fellow liberationists, emphasizes the human nature of Jesus to the point of putting his divinity in doubt.

Like other authors such as Gustavo Gutierrez, Juan Luis Segundo and Pablo Richard, Sabrino contributed to creating profound division in the Church in Latin America by promoting a Marxist interpretation of theology. He has refused to make any comments until the Vatican officially publishes the sanction.

Archbishop Lacalle has requested Sobrino refrain from further controversies surrounding the activity of liberation theology proponents, especially in view of the upcoming General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council, and that he “conform to the teachings of the Church.”

“I pray to the Lord for Father Jon Sobrino, that he may be docile to the teachings of the Church and will review his conclusions,” the archbishop said.

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Bishops

Jesus was no socialist, guru, or hippie, but rather the Son of God, says Venezuelan bishop

Bishop Mario Moronta

Caracas, Mar 13, 2007 / 10:09 am (CNA).- In an article published this week Bishop Mario Moronta of San Cristobal warned against misinterpreting the person of Jesus as “a Socialist,” a “guru,” or “hippie” and encouraged the faithful to constantly recall that Jesus is Lord, the Son of God.

“The person of Jesus, with his actions and teachings, has always inspired amazement and admiration in many, as well as questioning and even rejection in others,” the bishop wrote in an article for the diocesan newspaper.

“In modern times as well,” Bishop Moronta said, “the question about Jesus remains. The answer given is in accord with those who do the asking: Some have claimed he is an alien who has come from who knows what planet or galaxy in order to carry out a mission. Some have claimed he is a kind of ‘guru’ who, after his death in Israel, supposedly traveled to the Far East to achieve complete wisdom. Some claim he is a great teacher of wisdom. There is even no lack of those who would say he is a myth or an invention of the first Christians,” the bishop wrote.

“In our Latin American continent, there have always been attempts to answer the troubling question about Him,” he continued. “He has been identified as a ‘revolutionary,’ a ‘guerrilla,’ to the point that he has been depicted in paintings crucified on a cross of rifles. In our own national debate, he has been presented as a ‘Socialist.’”

“In every age,” Bishop Moronta said, “to not see Jesus in his true dimension produces in many a reaction against the Church, who is Mother and Teacher.”

“Therefore,” he recommended, “more than confronting those who do not understand the Church’s reasons, what we must do is show where the source of our answers is: in the Gospel, which is the Word of God,” where we find Peter’s profession of faith: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

“Here is the authentic answer to the question about Jesus. It is the recognition of his divine mission, of his divinity, of his final objective—the salvation of humanity,” the bishop stressed.

When somebody claims something about the person of Jesus,” Bishop Moronta added, “the attitude of believers in Christ must be that which is inspired by the Gospel: a profession of faith, made without hesitation and without fear, not to condemn another, but to invite him to understand what the true meaning of the existence of the person and work of Jesus the Lord is.”

“Therefore, neither a revolutionary, nor a Socialist, nor a hippie, nor a philosopher, nor a Gnostic deity, nor an alien, nor a ghost, nor a myth: Jesus is Lord, the Son of the living God, the Savior, the Word incarnate who has made the mystery and plan of God known to us, the Beginning and the End, the faithful witness, the same today, yesterday and forever,” Bishop Moronta emphasized.

Zapatero, a tus zapatos!

Global warming

Global warming threats exaggerated, says Cardinal Pell

Claims of 'doomsdayers' and scientific evidence don't match, Pell says

(From Sodality-Run Catholic News Agency)

Sydney, Feb 19, 2007 / 01:36 pm (CNA).- Cardinal George Pell is calling for caution regarding exaggerated claims of severe global warming and says he’s “deeply skeptical about man-made catastrophic global warming, but still open to further evidence.”

In his weekly Sunday Telegraph column, the cardinal-archbishop of Sydney said people have been “subjected to a lot of nonsense about climate disasters as some zealots have been painting extreme scenarios to frighten us.”

He called those who make claims about ice caps melting and ocean levels rising spectacularly “doomsdayers” and “scaremongers.”

He also called to account journalists who have called for Nuremberg-style trials for global warming skeptics and who have compared skeptics with “Holocaust deniers.” The media during the last 100 years, he also noted, has flip-flopped between promoting fears of a coming Ice Age and fears of global warming.

“What we were seeing from the doomsdayers was an induced dose of mild hysteria, semi-religious if you like, but dangerously close to superstition,” he said. “I would be surprised if industrial pollution, and carbon emissions, had no ill effect at all. But enough is enough.”

The cardinal acknowledged that enormous climate changes have occurred in world history, such as the Ice Ages and Noah’s flood. Long and terrible droughts are not infrequent in Australian history either, he pointed out.

He cited some scientific evidence to try to make sense of it and noted that the evidence on warming is, in fact, mixed.

He noted that:
• Global warming has been increasing constantly since 1975 at the rate of less than one-fifth of a degree centigrade per decade.
• The concentration of carbon dioxide increased surface temperatures more in winter than in summer and especially in mid and high latitudes over land, while there was a global cooling of the stratosphere.
• The East Anglia University climate research unit found that global temperatures did not increase between 1998 and 2005.
• A recent NASA satellite found that the Southern Hemisphere has not warmed in the past 25 years.

“The science is more complicated than the propaganda!” he concluded.

Fuentes de la información - New Links Found

Ahora se han encontrado más 'blogs' que se trata de este conflicto en Ayaviri, el cual es debido de la presencia de los Sodalicios en el Sur Andino.

Perú ¿una iglesia rota? Sodalicio y Sur Andino

Un analisís hecho por un Puñeño

Copía de un nuevo articulo en Caretas (27 de Enero, 2007) que se trata de la politica en el la Iglesía del Sur Andino

Blog que habla de este tema

El Articulo en el Diario El Mercurio (Chileno) - 25 de Enero, 2007

Another Article About the Sodalits

From QuePasa, a Chilean magazine, November 5, 2005:

El batallón peruano del cardenal




Silenciosamente el movimiento peruano católico Sodalitium Christianae Vitae está penetrando en las tierras del Opus Dei, los Legionarios o los jesuitas: jóvenes de clase media y alta se suman a ejecutivos chilenos que enganchan con el mensaje del compromiso laico. Un grupo que no escapa de la polémica: en Lima los acusaron de "lavar cerebros". Aquí cuentan con la entusiasta venia del cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz.
Por: Patricio Corvalán


Relacionados
El benefactor del Opus Dei

La clase alta al diván

María Estela León Ruiz


Para meterse en la tarea de encarrilar a las almas perdidas, los sodalicios prefieren jugar de chico a grande. Saben que es difícil lanzarse a la búsqueda de adeptos de otras comunidades religiosas -como el Opus Dei, los Legionarios y los jesuitas- que les ganan en arrastre, recursos y años trabajados. Por eso lo suyo ha sido más bien silencioso.

Cuando llegaron a Chile, hace seis años y provenientes de Perú, nadie los conocía. La casualidad quiso que cuando este movimiento -que un grupo de intelectuales laicos y conservadores de la clase alta peruana había formado a comienzos de los '70 como defensa de la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia- estaba tramitando la aprobación pontificia ante el Vaticano, el encargado de revisar los papeles en ese momento en Roma era el ahora cardenal Francisco Javier Errázuriz.

Quedó fascinado. Era julio de 1997 y los Sodalitium Christianae Vitae -que traducido del latín sería la Comunidad de Vida Cristiana- postulaban ante el Papa que uno de los objetivos era evangelizar para construir una "civilización del amor", a través de diversas acciones espirituales y de trabajo social. Más allá de las promesas, lo que entusiasmó a Errázuriz fue que los sodalicios les confiaban el papel protagónico a los jóvenes y que, por tratarse de un movimiento de origen laico, podía llegar a ser masivamente más atractivo. Su apuesta ya estaba decidida: había que traerlos a Chile.

Dios lo escuchó en enero de 1999. Errázuriz había llamado a Lima para pedirle al fundador del movimiento, el laico peruano Luis Fernando Figari, que lo ayudara a reimpulsar las pastorales chilenas. Y Figari le respondió enviándole una delegación de cuatro laicos (dos peruanos, un brasileño y un colombiano) para cumplir con sus deseos.

"¿Le parece bien mañana?"

Los sodalicios eran hasta entonces mayoritariamente desconocidos para las comunidades religiosas chilenas. Lo que se sabía era que en Perú sumaban más de diez mil adherentes y que se habían ramificado hacia Colombia y Brasil. Y que eran laicos, porfiados, obedientes y trabajadores. Habían surgido como respuesta a la Teología de la Liberación. En Perú, algunos los tildaban de derechistas y ultraconservadores. "Más ortodoxos que el Opus Dei", decían otros.

La noche en que llegaron desde Lima, el cardenal los alojó en una casa abandonada en Ñuñoa que pertenecía a un noviciado. Después de instalarlos, les contó cuáles iban a ser sus tareas: deberían incorporarse a la pastoral del Colegio Apoquindo -que en ese tiempo se había debilitado por la paulatina partida de los Legionarios de Cristo- y, paralelamente, levantarían una capilla cercana a la avenida Portales, un sobrepoblado sector de Maipú donde la parroquia local no daba abasto para atender a una comunidad de 40 mil personas. Alessandro Moroni ya las oficiaba de superior de la delegación. Apenas Errázuriz terminó de hablar, les preguntó si les parecía empezar en una semana o dos. Moroni miró el reloj y le contestó como sodalicio: "¿Le parece bien mañana?".

La urgencia rindió sus frutos: han logrado penetrar en segmentos juveniles de clase alta y media, convirtiéndose en una alternativa a Legionarios y Opus. El boca a boca es su principal arma de marketing. Pero no sólo han logrado reclutar adolescentes: algunos ejecutivos -como Alejandro Danús, gerente general de Sal Lobos; o Cristián Canevaro, gerente comercial de Viña Concha y Toro- y políticos -como Marta Ehlers, alcaldesa de Lo Barnechea- ya integran sus filas. "Que haya gente de nombre en el grupo nos otorga una cuota de excelencia -dice el vocero de los sodalicios, Andrés Tapia-, porque si ellos están con nosotros es sinónimo de que somos serios".

Ángeles o demonios

No hay medias tintas. En Perú, donde son muy conocidos, se hablan maravillas o calamidades. Si para algunos los sodalicios son una comunidad comprometida y expandida a 19 países, con 14 mil adherentes, 400 consagrados, 20 sacerdotes y un obispo (el auxiliar de Lima, José Antonio Eguren), para otros son una funcional y perfecta lavadora de cerebros jóvenes y confundidos. Es en rigor la figura de Luis Fernando Figari la que despierta las pasiones. Era un alumno aventajado en la Facultad de Teología Pontificia y Civil de Lima cuando en 1971 decidió que el círculo de amigos con los que discutía sobre fe debía ser una comunidad.

Desde ese mismo instante, las aguas se han dividido. Para los seguidores, Figari -hoy con 58 años- ha logrado consolidar el mayor movimiento laical cristiano de los últimos tiempos, lo que le ha valido el reconocimiento del Vaticano, al punto de haber sido invitado por Benedicto XVI para participar en el reciente Sínodo de Obispos. Sus detractores, en cambio, lo han ligado a un grupo violentista llamado Escalones Juveniles Nacionalistas e incluso hablan de acusaciones judiciales que algunas familias peruanas habrían hecho en su contra por haber incitado el abandono de hogar, lo que Moroni -mostrando documentos notariales- se empeña en calificar como mitos sin fundamentos.

Retiros con asados

Curiosamente, esa polémica no atravesó la frontera. La primera imagen de los sodalicios que tienen en Maipú es la de cuatro laicos vestidos de azul y gris, con zapatos lustrados resistiendo las calles de tierra. Llegaban en la mañana, se presentaban en cada casa y terminaban la charla pidiendo los 75 pesos que costaba comprar cada ladrillo para la capilla.

Al otro lado de la ciudad, el rector del Colegio Apoquindo, José Ignacio Concha, recuerda que esos mismos cuatro laicos llegaron también de mañana y que a los pocos días organizaron el primer Convivio, "un retiro que llamó la atención porque mezclaban charlas espirituales con asados y partidos de fútbol mixtos".

Lentamente, la pólvora ya se había encendido. Moroni y compañía terminaron la capilla Madre de los Apóstoles con la ayuda de la comunidad de Maipú, la primera etapa de un proyecto que esperan acabar a fin de año con la obra gruesa del centro apostólico, como llaman a la casa que los alojará definitivamente.

Moroni habla de esto como el siguiente paso para la consolidación. Además de hacerles clases a adultos para que terminen la enseñanza media, y de haber lanzado programas dirigidos a los pobres y a los cesantes, en el 2003 quisieron medir fuerzas. Fue entonces cuando organizaron el Primer Encuentro de la Familia Sodálite -así también se les conoce- como una forma de dimensionar el número de miembros más activos. Esperaban cien personas, como mucho. Llegaron 500.

Para José Ignacio Concha, la clave ha estado en la cercanía con los adolescentes. "Es un movimiento muy conservador, pero que habla de los temas que les interesan a los jóvenes. Es una mirada moderna que interpreta a los católicos de este tiempo". Las cifras le dan la razón. Hay al menos una veintena de estudiantes ligados al Apoquindo -donde incluso el capellán del colegio es el sodalicio peruano Rafael Otero- y al Craighouse que están en una etapa llamada de "discernimiento", en la que podrían optar a convertirse en laicos consagrados o incluso en sacerdotes.

Esto tiene impresionado a Errázuriz. "Existe una resurrección de las vocaciones sacerdotales entre la juventud y en eso es evidente que los sodalicios tienen mucho que ver. Si antes era un carisma casi exclusivo de los jesuitas o del Opus Dei, ahora este grupo silencioso los motiva y más encima les da la opción de ser laicos consagrados", dice un colaborador cercano al cardenal.

Las comparaciones con el Opus Dei son inevitables: conservadores, de derecha, nacidos en la elite. Sin embargo, el peruano Erwin Scheuch, párroco en el lujoso distrito limeño de Monterrico y también vocero de la agrupación, se encarga de marcar las diferencias: "Nosotros somos un movimiento laico, nuestros superiores son laicos y ciertamente no contamos con recursos elevados. No somos una competencia para nadie, porque tenemos nuestro propio carisma. Lo que nos interesa es evangelizar y tener vida comunitaria. Si me preguntan, te diría que somos unos misioneros".

Entonces, ahora las comparaciones apuntan a los jesuitas. "Con los retiros, las misiones, los trabajos en Maipú, los sodalicios están reencantando a los jóvenes -dice José Ignacio Concha-, porque sienten que la religión es más cercana. Y en eso se podría hablar de que a los jesuitas les llegaron refuerzos".

La casa de San Bartolo

En el malecón de San Bartolo, en Lima, donde todos ven la playa, los sodalicios ven la luz. Figari decidió que en esa zona se instalara la casa de formación para quienes hayan decidido consagrarse. El movimiento tiene una compleja estructura que, dicen, garantiza que cuando una vocación está latente se encauce por el buen camino.

Y hay que seguir al pie de la letra las reglas. Cuando algún simpatizante siente su vocación le debe mandar una carta a Figari en la que se le dan las razones por las que se quiere aspirar a integrar el movimiento. "Al aceptársele, la idea es que la persona renuncie a las tentaciones y tenga una vida más acorde", dice Erwin Scheuch. De hecho, esas reglas les imponen a los consagrados el celibato, la obediencia y la comunión de bienes. O sea, los bienes de cada uno son de todos y es un economista designado por Figari quien distribuye las ganancias individuales, las donaciones y el financiamiento del grupo.

Los preceptos sodalicios indican, además, que el aspirante debe estar entre uno y tres años en la etapa de discernimiento. Ahí definirá si se consagra o bien echa marcha atrás.

Al que da el paso hacia delante lo espera la férrea disciplina de San Bartolo. Es un asunto que a menudo se toma literal. Pedro Salinas, un escritor y periodista peruano que perteneció al grupo hasta 1984, publicó una novela titulada "Mateo Diez", en alusión al evangelio que habla de los sacrificios que se deben hacer para seguir a Jesús. En el libro, el protagonista recrea la supuestamente dura filosofía sodalicia, y hace alusión a una vieja frase de la guerra civil española en que a los sacerdotes se les consideraba "mitad monje, mitad soldado", tan acuñada por los detractores del movimiento.

Sodalicios como Scheuch niegan que la formación de los jóvenes sea marcial. Lo que sí confirma es que es intensa. Por ejemplo, después de dormir seis horas, se levantan temprano para correr al borde de la playa y luego nadar 600 metros en el mar. "El deporte es para conseguir la armonía corporal, el temple que se necesita para servir", afirma Daniel Prieto, un estudiante chileno que está a punto de abandonar Derecho para internarse tres años en San Bartolo, lo necesario para convertirse en sacerdote.

Será el segundo chileno en consagrarse con hábitos. El primero es Sebastián Correa, el hijo mayor de la alcaldesa de Lo Barnechea, Marta Ehlers, y quien está en el último año de formación en Lima. Además, una de las hijas de la edil, María José, se transformó en la primera Sierva del Plan de Dios, uno de los movimientos sodalicios para mujeres. Y Fernanda, una de las menores, participa como monitora de un grupo que simpatizan con estas vocaciones.

En todos estos casos, los retiros llamados "Convivios" han jugado un papel vital para que los padres sepan en qué pasos andan sus hijos. "Te plantean conocerte a través de conocer a Dios -dice Luis Germán Edwards, alumno de Ingeniería Comercial en la Universidad de los Andes- y de esa forma te vas respondiendo muchas de las dudas que tienes en esta etapa".

Los críticos apuntan a la sagacidad del grupo. "Hacen como que te escuchan, pero al final terminas metiéndote en una vorágine de compromisos muy intensa, donde si fallas o te arrepientes eres un completo fracasado", dice un renunciado simpatizante. Moroni se ríe. "¿Qué vamos a hacer si alguien quiere irse? ¿Ponerle una pistola en el pecho?".

El próximo gran proyecto de los sodalicios es comprar un colegio o un instituto técnico, probablemente en Lo Barnechea. No les asusta la competencia con el resto de las congregaciones. Para ellos, el rebaño es grande y alcanza para todos.

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Note: this, like many other pieces, was written by an academic. He is also a journalist.

Of course, this work and the red flags it subtly raises about the Sodalits are not in english and therefore can't really be fully appreciated by all in North America.

The Catholic Conservative Connection

An idea of an Opus Dei connection is rather far-fetched, innit? And no, I am not referring to the Da Vinci Code as I am sure the Catholic Church would love. They have developed a great press release to deal with the Da Vinci Code and the Opus Dei issue. I am going to take Opus Dei at face value for what they are: a very conservative movement within the church.

Here are some interesting observations of the Sodalits and Opus Dei connection.

First off, Milagros Peña's work tells the reader that the Sodalits and Opus Dei worked together (along with Benedict - then Cardinal Ratzinger) in order to remove liberation theology during the 80's.

Cardinal Luis Cipriani, the Archbishop of Lima is also Opus Dei. He's also incredibly political, having recently said during a spiritual procession of the people (not of political agendas!) that those who are in favour of the morning after pill and call it safe are 'liars and murderers' seen here and here in the press. He has consecrated Bishops Kay Martin Schmalhausen and Jose Antonio Erguren Anselmi of the Sodality of Christian Life, the only two Bishops of the S.C.V movement that exist. Jose Antonio Eguren Anselmi used to be the Auxilary Bishop of Lima with Cipriani until he moved to Piura.

It's not surprising to see that Bishop Eguren Anselmi succeeded control of the Archdiocese of Piura from Cipriani and that previous to both Cipriani and Anselmi, it was controlled by an Orders of Friars Minors (O.F.M.) Bishop. Also, it's interesting to see that Cipriani has succeeded and been succeeded by members of O.F.M., an organization that has been instrumental to Figari's life (see CLM Canada) and also closely connected to Sodalits and Opus Dei in Denver.

Recently, in December, the Sodalits celebrated their Assembly and anniversary in Lima with Cipriani presiding over the final mass, in which he blessed their labour. Ratzinger (Pope Benedict) also blessed the organization and commended them for their great work.

Then there's the connection of the O.F.M. Archbishop Chaput of Denver, who has welcomed in conservative groups Opus Dei and the Sodality Family into his community. His appointed auxilary Bishop was Opus Dei, until that Bishop was promoted to San Antonio, Texas.


Lastly, when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission authors were outspoken about oppressive issues in the Church, it was Opus Dei and the Sodalits who got together to protest them.


Please ask yourself: why do people in these conservative organizations tend to find each other and work together? Please keep in mind that these are only a few examples of their relationships together that are accessible online. They aren't to show any sort of scandalous behaviour, but are merely here to demonstrate that there have been documented links between each other that are significant. The fact that these links span about 30 years should also be taken into consideration that these relationships have been consistent, from the creation of the Sodalits to the present.

If the Sodalits aren't "so conservative", why are they so close to the Opus Dei and to other conservatives? It's absolutely ridiculous to deny that the Sodalits are not a very conservative wing of the church and it is highly questionable from a their vested interest standpoint to actually pursue social justice activities - those which acknowledge injustices and work to ensure that they know longer continue - considering their strong conservative connections within the church and the Vatican.

These interests haven't taken responsibility for the repression they have caused; in fact, as seen in the speeches and words of Figari and Rafael Aguedas (both experienced on both SEA trips to Peru), they praise some of the church's unjust activities. By never recognizing the root of the social problem and developing "social justice" programs based on ideas that fail to recognize these deep issues means that they can offer is charity to the people in the form of infrastructure, social services and education. They can't offer them the same opportunities as them, nor the same privileges that they have. Since the Sodalits have stamped their names in the communities they give to means that the people are dependent on their resources to survive. The people aren't given the ability to make their own decisions and take care of themselves, at least not without the hands of Sodalits or people that are brought into the community. Otherwise they don't "need" any of them.

The Christian Life Movement USA

I guess this gives some context of how the Sodalit Family, particularly the Christian Life Movement [CLM] is related to North American Politics, as it's more difficult for most Canadians (and Americans) to relate to Latin American politics.

It appears that Denver is the capital of Catholic conservatism in the USA.

Taken from CLM Canada (http://www.clmcanada.org/page2.html):

"When he was 7 years old, he received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Communion, and Confirmation. Presiding over the Liturgy was Archbishop Juan Landázuri, O.F.M., who would later have an important role in the approval of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, as well as in other religious societies Luis Fernando established."

The CLM USA stronghold is within the city of Denver, whose diocese is run by O.F.M. Archbishop Chaput.



Chaput's political motivations during the 2004 election

"Archbishop Chaput has discussed Catholic priorities in the election in 14 of his 28 columns in the free diocesan newspaper this year. His archdiocese has organized voter registration drives in more than 40 of the largest parishes in the state and sent voter guides to churches around the state. Many have committees to help turn out voters and are distributing applications for absentee ballots.

In an interview in his residence here, Archbishop Chaput said a vote for a candidate like Mr. Kerry who supports abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research would be a sin that must be confessed before receiving Communion."



Support for CLM
"Now present throughout the world [the CLM], both Archbishop Francis Stafford and Archbishop Charles Chaput welcomed the group to the U.S. by way of the Archdiocese of Denver. The consecrated male community was formally established in 2003."


Here is an interesting piece written on the Archdiocese of Denver written by a Catholic newsgroup from Australia


The article acknowledges the relationship of Denver's former Archbishop, now Cardinal Francis Stafford in the Vatican. It is no coincidence that the Sodalit Family can grow in Denver, an area with such support of the Vatican. It is also no coincidence that there are very strong connections between Pope Benedict and the Sodalit Family and strong connections between the Pope and these Archdiocese in Denver. An Opus Dei cleric was appointed as the Auxilary Bishop in Denver as well.

"In Denver, Archbishop Chaput took over an archdiocese that had been patiently refashioned during the ten-year tenure of J. Francis Stafford, a theologian and intellectual who is now a cardinal and head of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Rome. It was then-Archbishop Stafford, observers say, who first identified Denver as an "emerging city" and set about building a local Church to match its energy and dynamism. He brought in top lay advisers, encouraged new religious orders and movements to relocate there, built close ties with Latin American Church leaders, and made the Church a respected voice on issues ranging from urban sprawl and "hyperdevelopment" to evangelisation and the Internet...

Some critics fault Archbishop Chaput for speaking with what they say is a muted voice on social issues. "There is no deep commitment to the poor - the priority now is with these very conservative theological efforts," complains Loreto Sister Anna Koop, who has run a Catholic Worker house for Denver's needy and homeless for nearly 25 years. Sister Koop complains that Archbishop Chaput has done little to protest against gentrification and development efforts in Denver or the skyrocketing cost of living, all of which have displaced hundreds of poor families and made housing unaffordable except for the very wealthy. The Archdiocese's "only legislative interest is in pro-life and anti-gay and lesbian things," she says....

As he looks forward himself, Archbishop Chaput sees the face of his Archdiocese rapidly becoming Hispanic. The ordination in March of Auxiliary Bishop José Gomez, a 49-year-old Mexican priest of Opus Dei, marked another turning point in the Archdiocese's understanding of itself, Archbishop Chaput says: "We will begin to see ourselves as a diocese that is inherently bilingual, inherently multicultural."



An essay written by Chaput

"I write a lot of letters every day because a lot of people write to me, and my parents always taught me that ignoring anyone is bad manners. So I always write back, which means I have a lot of interesting pen pals, some happy, some angry and a few who are a little strange. One of the angry ones emailed me a few weeks ago to complain that the Archdiocese of Denver was becoming a magnet for every flaky, right wing new group in the Church. And I immediately thought: Thank you for a great way to begin my talk on St. Francis.

It's true that God has raised up many new charisms and communities in the Church over the last 60 years, and especially since Vatican II. It's true that all of them have their special weaknesses along with their special strengths. And it's also true that the Archdiocese of Denver has tended to welcome them with an openness which they may not always find elsewhere. I think that's partly because of the vision of my predecessor, Cardinal Francis Stafford, and partly because of the conversion our own local Church has undergone since World Youth Day 1993.

But in each of these new charisms that has taken root in Colorado -- groups like the Community of the Beatitudes, the Neocatechumenal Way, the Christian Life Movement, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, the charismatic renewal, Opus Dei, Cursillo, the Marian Community of Reconciliation, Families of Nazareth, and most recently a wonderful apostolic society that began 30 years ago in Peru, the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae -- in each of these cases, their spirit is something very familiar to anyone who knows St. Francis.... "

Some Sources of Information

These are the following articles gathered about this organization thus far. Many articles need command of Spanish to understand what is being said.

It is a shame that so much is written in Spanish and that many English speakers do not have access to this information for their own interpretation. It's the same issue as those that live in the poor regions, who can't communicate with mission workers because they don't share the common tongue.



Catholic Totalitarianism in Peru (in Spanish)
"The Sodalit Movement is Nazi-Fascist, it is the Creole Opus Dei..."


A lady complains about the abduction of her child by the sodalites to the Peruvian Government (in Spanish)



Caretas - Los Once Mil Castos (in Spanish)
One family searches for their son who has been apparently brainwashed and kidnapped by the organization... The youth of the movement laugh at the idea of being brainwashed, manipulated; they say they've been evangelized...



Caretas - the Responses to Los Once Mil Castos (in Spanish)
A response from the spokesperson of the organization, threatening about legal action for defamation of the organization. Attached to his message is the son of a family who launched a complaint about the organization, who was apparently kidnapped. The son's message said his dad was threatening his life (spiritual/physical??) and he is fine and happy in Sao Paolo.



The Mysteries of the Sodalits (in Spanish)
Questionable practices of the organization and torturing to show God's love are discussed in this article.



Follow-up to The mysteries of the Sodalits (in Spanish) More threats by the organization. The writer tends to tread back on himself; mentions the goodness of the organization at the end and how they help the poor.



The Sodalits Infiltrate Arequipa [some more](in Spanish)
This is Peru indymedia, which definitely has their own alternative perspective. They state that fundamentalist sodalites try and take over more educational facilities in Arequipa, where youth attend, for the purpose of brain-washing them/manipulating their minds. This article is further vindication that the organization is controversial and involved in manipulative activities, which starkly different journalist sources claim as well.


Parents reject Catholic school to be kept in the hands of a religious sect (in Spanish)
One parent is worried that the fundamentalist organization will brainwash their kids and put them through humiliating and torturing tests to prove their faith. The group is considered an extreme right-winged group from the 60s.


A Discussion Board about Religious Cults and Sects that Discusses The Sodalit Movement (in Spanish)



Argentinians Concerned about the Sodalit Movement(in Spanish)



Peru indymedia wasn't too impressed with the right-wing church movements' protest (Opus Dei, the Sodalit family and other) of a book written by former participatants in the Truth and Reconciliation Comission about right-wing church groups
The Truth and Reconciliation Committee sought to explain the atrocities against campesinos during the 1980s and 1990s. There was a lot of terrorizing happening at this time, not just the Sendero Luminoso and the Tupac Amaru movement; three governments were implicated for human rights violations.


There are still other articles that weren't included in this list! The same themes surface each time.

Some academic literature:


Swatos, W.H. (ed.). 1995. Religion & democracy in Latin America. New Brunswick, N.J., U.S.A.: Transaction Publishers.

Peña, M. 1995. Theologies and Liberation in Peru: The Role of Ideas in Social Movements. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 222 pp.