The Case of the Heretical Priest from Nashville is closing, we hope. Fr. Joeseph Breen posted a video on his website and committed multiple counts of video heresy. CMR picked up the video and the story went national.
Fr. Breen was given a choice by Bishop Choby of Nashville. Retract your terrible statements made in the video and abide by your promises not to do it again or you are gone. Father Breen chose to retract his statements.
Here is the official statement by the Diocese of Nashville.
Father Breen retracts statements, apologizes
In letters to Pope Benedict XVI and to St. Edward Parish, Father Joe Pat Breen has retracted and apologized for statements made in an internet video and subsequent media interviews that Catholics are not obligated to follow teachings of the Catholic Church as defined by the pope and bishops. In addition, he has agreed to no longer voice his private concerns publically or in the media as required by a document presented to him by Bishop Edward Kmiec in 1993.
The letter to the parish also indicated that he expects to continue as pastor of St. Edward Parish until Dec. 31, 2011.
Father Breen has shared the content of those letters with Bishop David Choby and the letter to the parish will be distributed in the next few days.
Bishop Choby offered Father Breen the choice of retracting and apologizing for his statements or face the process set forth for the removal of a pastor under canon law when a ministry becomes harmful or ineffective.
The offer came during a meeting on Aug. 19, a little more than two weeks after a video interview with Father Breen posted on the St. Edward Parish website received worldwide attention. It was the bishop’s second meeting with Father Breen about his statements contradicting Church teaching. Bishop Choby asked Father Breen to remove the video from the parish site on Aug. 6. The video was removed but copies remain available on the internet and have been viewed more than 14,000 times.
In the letter to the parish, Father Breen said “the meeting was cordial and fruitful.”
The terms of the 1993 ban put in place by Bishop Edward Kmiec prohibit him from making statements that disagree with the authentic magisterium of the Church.
Although the process to remove a pastor has not been used in recent memory in the Diocese of Nashville, it is used with some regularity in the worldwide Church.
“The role of pastor is particularly important as the leader and teacher of a parish,” Bishop Choby said. “The office is a direct link to the authority of the Church as instituted by Christ in the apostles and handed down through the popes and bishops. A pastor holds a public office charged with administering, teaching, and sanctifying the local community of the faithful. The Church expects him to work in unity with its authentic teaching as handed down through the pope and the bishops. It is simply wrong to state, as Father Breen has repeatedly, that one’s conscience frees an individual from the truth revealed and instilled in Church teaching. A deep understanding of Church teaching is, in fact essential to a fully formed conscience, and helps guide an individual in making the distinction between one’s opinions and a decision based soundly on the foundation of a rightly formed conscience. One who chooses to act contrary to Church teaching acts outside of the revealed truth of God’s will.”
“In recognition of his many years of good work among the people of his parish, I want to give Father Breen every opportunity to correct the errors in his teaching, and gracefully enter retirement,” Bishop Choby said, “but in any case, his recent public remarks could not stand.”
While I did call for Fr. Breen’s ouster, I totally respect the Bishop’s judgment in this case. Father Breen will be retiring in a year and the Bishop clearly wanted to give him an exit strategy that allowed him a graceful exit. If Father Breen abides his promises this time, I think the Bishop did the right thing.
May God Bless Bishop Choby and I pray that Father Breen really understands what he did wrong. What do you think?
August 23, 2010 at 7:02 am
@Anonymous
No, the Church does not have the right to choose what it teaches. The Church is bound by God in the promise of Christ to teach only Truth. The Church on Earth is but a custodian at steward of revealed truth.
Have Faith Anonymous for our Lord promise that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against his Holy Church.
1.2 Billion people did not drop out of nowhere, it took 2000 years and when the Church began there were only a dozen who believed in a world that hated them and persecuted them for the Truth who is Jesus Christ.
@Michael,
All that the Church teaches all of its Dogmas are absolutely right and true.
Michael you need to read your Bible more closely he absolutely said that (1 Timothy 3:13)
(Matthew 18:17)
I do not think that it is Christ working in your live right now by calling your brothers hornets, but the Enemy inside you that has you believing things that are not His truth.
August 23, 2010 at 11:32 am
"The terms of the 1993 ban put in place by Bishop Edward Kmiec prohibit him from making statements that disagree with the authentic magisterium of the Church."
Um,… isn't this expected of ALL priests, at ALL times? Surely this 'prohibition' isn't necessary. The Bishop would just remind him of his ordination vows and tell him to do as he had already promised?
August 23, 2010 at 1:34 pm
"Fr. Breen" apologized because he was faced with losing his meal ticket. Like all liberals he has no character. He BELIEVES every word of hate that he spewed and is not willing to stand by it because he would be removed. While I believe Fr. Breen is another out of control, angry, disobedient priest…..if he were a real MAN he would leave the Church he hates and go where his beliefs are in line with that particular "church". But coward that he is when faced with the lose of his endless cash flow from the parish he folded like a lawn chair. I would face arrows before I would deny my beliefs by spineless heretics like Fr Breen value a dollar more than there radical beliefs. And once again another bishop has let an out of control priest remain in charge so that he can do more damage. That parish is beyond help, they are a bunch of protestants because they have been allowed to be misled by "Fr Breen" for decades. Shut it down, sell the property and tell those "parishioners" of fr Breen to join the nearest Episopal churc were they would be able to do whatever they want. From the statements these parishioners make it is obvious they have no clue what being a Roman Catholic is. For instance they all believe in "solo sriptura" they are 100% protestant. Way to go your excellency another heretic permitted a forum.
August 23, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Mass at Fr. Breen's place:
http://www.mydeo.com/videorequest.asp?XID=181625&CID=305144
The law of prayer is the law of belief. It should be no wonder that Fr. Breen is most comfortable on the "dissident" side of the fence.
August 24, 2010 at 3:20 am
Wow! Such venom aimed at a parish of which you have absolutely no first hand knowledge.
I'm amazed and appalled.
August 24, 2010 at 9:21 am
I just watched the video. I'm appalled–did the homilist attempt to compare Mary's life to what Fr. Breen is experiencing now?
Fr. Breen, it has been a painful week–for all of us. The comments left by the members of your parish are painful to witness for the loving Catholics who've come here to try to explain why they are so incorrect.
You and no other person is to blame for the hurt and pain being experienced by all involved, no matter how great or small our involvement.
Your pain, Fr. Breen is entirely self inflicted, but the pain on this earth will not compare to the pain of being separated from the love of Our Lord for all eternity. I am praying for you and all involved here.
"…but if in all honesty we find ourselves arrogant and selfish then most likely God is not our goal. God is not our treasure."
"who has shaped our lives?… I dont know the personal life stories of you folks,but I do know some things about you. When I come here, to St. Edwards, I see that your parish community has indeed been shaped by a compassionate and loving pastor." Tragically this is very true, because the shaping has not been in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
…and the music, sounds more like a campfire gathering. To all the people involved in this parish, please, PLEASE open a GIRM. (General Instructions of the Roman Rite) http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/GIRM.pdf
September 1, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Wow….so many negative comments about a priest you don't even know. From what so many of you have written, you don't even need the Church…your perfect in every way! Hypocrites… what Jesus despised the most!