So. Addressing one topic flying around the internet today. FMC today released a statement detailing their speakers for the last years. Of particular interest is Fr. Nicholas Gruner.
December 2013 – Fr. Nicholas Gruner, founder and director of the International Fatima Rosary Crusade, lectured on the Message of Fatima and its relevance today.
Note: In the days prior to the arrival of Fr. Gruner for his lecture, the College was made aware of allegations that Fr. Gruner had been suspended a divinis. After investigating the public record of this matter and obtaining an explanation directly from Fr. Gruner himself, the College learned that no Bishop has ever issued a sentence suspending Father a divinis, and that Father has two separate letters from the Archbishop of Hyderabad confirming (1995) and reaffirming (1999) his incardination in that diocese. In any event, Father was coming to our campus to speak on the message of Fatima, and not to exercise any priestly ministries. Thus, the College proceeded with the event.
So this leads to more questions. First off, the Apostolic Signatura has confirmed the suspension of Fr. Gruner a divinis. No ifs ands or buts, regardless of what Fr. Gruner says.
It is an incredibly bad idea to have such a man speak at your school.
Maybe I am reading into things too much, but I think the wording here leaves wiggle room. Perhaps Fr. Gruner did not exercise any priestly ministries during the “event,” but did he at any time while on campus or in the chapel? That would be an easy thing to clear up. The passive language quoted above is not unequivocal on the matter, but they need to be.
If Gruner said mass there, the Bishop is right to be concerned. That is not to say that the remedy is appropriate or not, but serious concern would be appropriate.
It would have been very easy for FMC to say, Fr. Gruner did not say mass here. That they have not is troublesome.
Update:
However, their list of priests that have publicly said mass does not include Gruner and includes this statement.
No public Mass of any Form has ever been offered in the College chapel by a priest lacking regular faculties. Over the past three years, the College has been privileged to host priests as overnight visitors to our campus, many of whom used the Chapel to offer private Masses, including priests from the Friars of the Immaculate, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, and the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter.
Reiterating my previous position. The Bishop is in the best position to clear all this up stating clearly why he did this, how it is intended to remedy a problem, and the authority under which he made the decision.
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