Chicago Archbishop: No Guns in Our Churches

[Kirk Freeman]

Joining Atlanta, the Archbishop of Chicago announces that Chicago Catholic churches are gun free zones.

Chicago's archbishop says no to guns in churches | Chicago

 

[stocks52]

Charleston didn't teach anybody anything.

 

[halfmileharry]

Glad I'm NOT in Chicago, Glad I'm NOT Catholic, Glad I don't put up with being told what to do by someone that's sticking their nose in my business.

 

[BFP]

This is the same church that swept child molesting under the rug for perhaps 100's of years, and just reassigned priests to other parishes right......And this makes them the moral authority on guns?

 

[halfmileharry]

This is the same church that swept child molesting under the rug for perhaps 100's of years, and just reassigned priests to other parishes right......And this makes them the moral authority on guns?

I think you sorted it out right. Probably don't want the Pedophile Priests shot...

 

[T.Lex]

I don't see any of the Indiana diocese following suit. Even if they did, we're American Catholics. We tend to ignore the rules we don't like - demographically speaking (not dogmatically).

 

[rhino]

Joining Atlanta, the Archbishop of Chicago announces that Chicago Catholic churches are gun free zones.

Chicago's archbishop says no to guns in churches | Chicago

Holy water-slingin' anti-RKBA douche bags in mitres are still anti-RKBA douche bags.

I don't see any of the Indiana diocese following suit. Even if they did, we're American Catholics. We tend to ignore the rules we don't like - demographically speaking (not dogmatically).

I know of one bishop (during a meeting about forming a security team) explicitly forbade carrying guns. See also my response above.

 

[Dead Duck]

Looks like the archbishop needs to sell his coat and buy a gun..........and read the bible........and my sig line.

 

[Leadeye]

He's got an opinion, just like his boss.

 

[SteveM4A1]

Charleston didn't teach anybody anything.

What is/was Charleston?

 

[jblomenberg16]

A few thoughts:

1) Given the scrutiny faced by the Catholic church in recent years (pedophilia included) I could see them being motivated for some "positive" press and by making a public statement like this, could help them gain some political clout with local city and state governments.

2) There is absolutely NOTHING in the Bible that tells us not to defend ourselves, or that personal weapons are bad. This sounds like an interpretation of several Biblical teachings around trusting in the Lord, turning the other cheek, etc. The Bible is clear that "Thou Shalt Not Kill <Murder>" but there is no commandment that "Thou shalt be a victim" either.

3) I know several churches do take into consideration legally carried firearms by church members as part of their emergency response plans for active violence on the church premises.

 

[You'll shoot your eye out]

There are several things that I don't bother to showcase while in church, such as if/when/where/how I have sex with my wife/ neighbor/neighbors wife/girlfriend/random partner. Or perhaps whether or not my offering was 10% of my income before or after taxes....... Or even what my income actually is. Or maybe what I think of the person up front talking and is he/she qualified to tell me anything at all, let alone to be my or anybody's spiritual leader. Or maybe why is the pastors wife half his age and a smoking hottie and just why is she dressed like that for church......

So, if I stay respectable and discrete on these subjects then why would I advertise what I may or may not have in my pockets? If I believed that god hated my gun I should do what I know is decent and right and get rid of the Glock and buy a 1911 like he said in the first place.

We are all sinners. If packing heat in church is the worst thing we ever do, the church would go out of business in short order.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Unfortunately for the archbishop, his diocese are only "gun-free" until some criminal decides differently. If he's worried about his parishioners, he's probably got other issues to tend to.

 

[j4jenk]

Why not just go all the way and declare them sin free zones?

purple?

 

[Bennettjh]

Since criminals follow the law and all...

 

[Fargo]

Joining Atlanta, the Archbishop of Chicago announces that Chicago Catholic churches are gun free zones.

Chicago's archbishop says no to guns in churches | Chicago

I am not a canon lawyer, but I am not certain his statements render those churches GFZ. Canon law reserves some portion of authority to the pastor and this may encroach on that. Additionally, off the cuff remarks at a jail generally do not have juridical effect without formal action.

 

[foszoe]

Ask them to tell you the story of sts demetrios and nestor. Be a Nestor !

In the time of the suffering of St. Demetrius the Myrrh-gusher, there was a young man of Thessalonica, Nestor, who learned the Christian Faith from St. Demetrius himself. At that time Christ's enemy, Emperor Maximian, organized various games and amusements for the people. The emperor's favorite in these games was a Vandal by the name of Lyaeus, a man of Goliath-like size and strength. As the emperor's gladiator, Lyaeus challenged men every day to single combat and slew them. Thus, the bloodthirsty Lyaeus amused the bloodthirsty, idolatrous Maximian. The emperor built a special stage for Lyaeus's battles, similar to a threshing floor on pillars. Spears, points upward, were planted beneath this platform. When Lyaeus defeated someone in wrestling, he would throw him from the platform onto the forest of spears. The emperor and his pagan subjects cheered as some poor wretch writhed in torment on the spears until he died. Among Lyaeus's innocent victims were many Christians: when no one volunteered to duel with Lyaeus, by the emperor's orders Christians were arrested and forced to duel with him. Seeing this horrifying amusement of the pagan world, Nestor's heart was torn with pain, and he decided to come forward for a duel with the gigantic Lyaeus. But first, he went to prison to see St. Demetrius and sought a blessing from him to do this. St. Demetrius blessed him, signed him with the sign of the Cross on the forehead and on the chest and prophesied to him: "You will defeat Lyaeus, but you will suffer for Christ.'' Thus, young Nestor went to duel with Lyaeus. Maximian was present with a multitude of people; everyone felt pity for the young Nestor, who would surely die, and tried to dissuade him from dueling with Lyaeus. Nestor crossed himself and said: "O God of Demetrius, help me!'' and with God's help, he overcame Lyaeus, knocked him down, and threw him onto the sharp spears, where the heavy giant soon found death. Then all the people cried out: "Great is the God of Demetrius!'' But the emperor, shamed before the people and sorrowing for his favorite Lyaeus, was greatly angered at Nestor and Demetrius, and commanded that Nestor be beheaded and Demetrius run through with lances. Thus, the Christian hero Nestor ended his earthly life and took up his habitation in the Kingdom of his Lord in the year 306.

 

[Dead Duck]

Eventually they'll hire Presbyterians to save them.

 

[tbhausen]

I normally tell those who attempt to interfere with my natural right to self-defense straight where they can go. In this case, I think I'd just bite my lip and conceal it.

 

[cobber]

Why not just go all the way and declare them sin free zones?

purple?

That is a most excellent suggestion, and worthy of forwarding to the archbishop.

It would be interesting to see how long it took him to discover the irony...