Wow. This is truly unbelievable.
This is a video by the Rev. Joseph Patrick Breen, pastor of St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Nashville TN. This video is posted by the pastor on the parish website.
In this video Fr. Breen, as communicated to us by a reader commits multiple counts of video heresy and hits most of the heretical bases.
Women’s ordination – Check!
Reversal of the Church’s teaching on artificial contraception – Check!
Divorce – Check!
He then goes on to slam (married) former Protestant clergy who convert and are ordained Catholic clergy,
He shows open disdain and insults the Pope, the Roman Curia, today’s bishops, today’s seminarians. About the seminarians he says they are intellectually inferior to those of yesteryear and are probably from dysfunctional families.
And there is even more! Watch!
As it turns out, Fr. Breen is a serial offender and a promise breaker.
Back in 1993, Fr. Breen disseminated a letter covering much of the same territory. He was sanctioned at the time by his Bishop, Bp. Edward Kmiec ordering him not to speak publicly about “optional celibacy or other issues involving church teachings or discipline.” Bishop Kmiec went so far as to have Fr. Breen sign a pledge that he would not speak again to the media or media representatives.
So much for promises.
In 2006, Fr. Breen sent a letter to Cardinal William Levada – who he addresses as Cardinal Bill, once again covering much of the same heretical territory.
It is time for Fr. Breen to go.
If you are interested, you can reach Fr. Breen’s Bishop here and let him know what you think of Fr. Breen’s statement.
The Most Reverend David R. Choby
Bishop of Nashville
The Catholic Center
2400 Twenty-first Avenue South
Nashville, TN. 37212
Bishop@dioceseofnashville.com
Update: Father Breen Retracts Statements — Saves Job
Update: As of Sunday August 9, 2010. Fr. Breen’s heretical video has been removed from the parish website! That’s a start!
August 15, 2010 at 8:39 pm
I can confirm that he diregarded orders from Rome, and told the congregation about it. And that he married divorced people. (He performed the marriage ceremony but did not hand in the paperwork to the Bishop from what I understand.)He also said police officers have no business pulling over illegal aliens. He is very political. He does leave out parts of the Mass. People are afraid to speak up because many have children that go to the school and they fear retribution.
August 15, 2010 at 9:47 pm
I'm just curious, what kind of retribution? Has retribution been done in the past? Or is it just imagined? I'm not one of his supporters, but just curious why people are afraid to speak up.
August 15, 2010 at 11:03 pm
No retribution has been reported that I know of. But there is so much division at the parish right now, it is feared because of the children who are caught in the crossfire. I believe Fr. Breen loves the children and would not want any harm brought to them, but obviously many of his administration is very supportive of him and it is those that people worry about. Fr. Breen is very generous with money to people who have fallen on tough times. Even though many disagree, they look the other way because of the financial help.
August 16, 2010 at 2:32 am
I know personally a couple who were married by Fr. Breen who were counseled that birth control was ok. I also witnessed the baptism of a child by Fr. Breen where the godparents were not even Catholic.
Something MUST be done!
August 16, 2010 at 6:55 pm
To Nashville Resident (Not to be taken as an angry note)
"Nashville Resident said…
Melissa C.,
I am a Catholic in a Protestant family. I love them all dearly and feel a very large connection to them. They believe that Christ has died for our sins and that He will come again. In this, I feel a kinship with them. Even so, truth does not accommodate logically inconsistent views. They say that Christ is not in the Eucharist. I say that he is. We cannot both be right. Because Christ is in the Eucharist, being a protestant is like bathing without soap and water. I LOVE my family. And because I love my family, I tell them with charity where we part."
I was raised protestant. However, my view of Protestantism was not totally Protestant. I visited the Catholic Church with my maternal grandparents when I was little. We went to Saturday Night Mass. I liked it; but yet, I was not totally Catholic either.
My view was that Protestants and Catholics were the Body of Christ. Why did I group them was because of Jesus's saying that a house divided can't stand, and Paul saying, pretty much but not in exact words, that we are not Paulians or other things–but all are under Christ. I believed also that people focused too much on Peter or Paul or the others and not totally on the teaching of Christ. The reason why I thought this was because many people I discussed scripture quoted mostly from them.
I also believe that life is a mixture of predestination and freewill (I might have misspelled some words.).
I also believed and still this day that G-d is not subject to nature, and He can not be put in a box. I also believe in the right to choose what I do this day–basically how I handle situations that come my way. Sometimes, I have not represented G-d too well. In addition, I believe I need to live my life 24/7 for Him; it takes hard work. He is in everything were there are good works–acts of human kindess.
Well, I only have a short time to write. Gotta go.
August 16, 2010 at 8:25 pm
This is fot all the "Catholics" who just love the wonderful Fr. Breen. As a priest this man has no right or authority to teach anything that is contrary to the Faith. That's the bottom line. It's much like you cannot go into your place of business and do or say whatever you want to do. I would also like to say to all the good liberal "Catholics" out there, if you do not believe defined teachings of the Church guess what YOU ARE NOT A CATHOLIC. And that's okay, go to a "church" that will teach what you believe, it's called protestanism. In those communities you can be a minister, have your abortions and practice your middle age silliness all you want. These "Catholics" who just love Fr. Breen are typical of liberals who all view the truth as something mean and evil. Grow up and get out, faithful Catholics DEMAND that our priests be truly Catholic. These are the same Catholics who would spit in the face of the Holy Father himself and tell him where to go if he dared to tell them what is right or wrong. But yet they have no problem with Fr Breen defying lawful authority because he is a liberal. And liberalism is easy because it dosen't require any effort or thought. IF you don't believe the faith as it has been handed down to us for 2,000 year then get out and don't let the door hit you.
August 16, 2010 at 11:52 pm
But the Faith has NOT been consistent for 2,000 years.
August 18, 2010 at 5:28 pm
How sad for a priest to be teaching against church beliefs. He needs to be counciled and a strong recommendation be given for him to remove this video.
Unfortunately, our children will probably see this and become confused. I will be praying for him and hope others will also.
August 18, 2010 at 8:40 pm
The sad thing is that this is not extraordinary behavior for Father Breen.
August 21, 2010 at 6:01 pm
As Fr. Z might say….he is "of a certain age"
August 21, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Melissa C.
What would all of you do today if the pope, who has supreme authority over the Catholic Church, said that priest can be married; women can be priest; birth control is okay for those who are not mentally and physically and financial able handle it; and it is okay to keep clergy who have committed a terrible crime against their flock (when it is not known if they will "go and sin no more")–these crimes being pedophilia, rape, sodomy, and fornication during the time when they are clergy?
Father Breen shared opinions when people were asking what is going on with the Catholic Church. He believes that the Catholic Church's flock is important. The way he shows that they are important is that he shared what he believed and what he knew.
Also, I would like to say there are a lot more things to be upset about than this documentary. There are people who are starving; at war; trafficking of men, women, and children; and etc. And you all can only focus on is if this man is a heretic or not? What about all those soldiers who died for this country? What about the acts of human kindness and keeping people safe–men, women, and children safe?
Jesus died, and a criminal was set free…Now, you want to crucify an individual who is trying to give acts of human kindness?
August 25, 2010 at 2:41 am
Peter the rock – the first Bishop of Rome was a married man. Where in God's Word does it say that a man is diqualified from serving God in the priesthood because does not have the gift of celibacy?
October 30, 2010 at 1:36 am
I got the impression that "Father" Breen did not have any love for Jesus Christ in the Real Presence in the tabernacle. If he did, he would understand the reasons for celibacy. Christ was celibate. This would eliminate same sex marriage and contraception and women deacons. It is the woman's duty to produce priests, not to be one. If God wanted me to be a priest, I would have been born a man. It is not the rules of the Catholic Church "father" Breen objects to, it is the submission of his will to the will of God in his life, that this man in his pride and arrogance rejects.