From a priest…
QUAERITUR:
I’m a lowly parochial vicar at a parish whose pastor is people-pleaser.
As I type this, there is a Hindu funeral ceremony going on in the nave of the church, at the foot of the altar. I’m fairly certain that non-Christian rites are forbidden in Catholic churches. There is incense, chanting, but (as far as I can see) no idols present.
I’m angry because many of the priests have lost sight that our job is to get people into heaven, and we evangelise by “osmosis” even in saying “No” to non-Christian ceremonies, we are at least obliquely testifying to the unicity and universality of Jesus as the Saviour.
We are also implicitly signalling to our parishioners who come in and out of here that “one religion is as good as another”.
I’m irked.
Breathe… into a paper bag if necessary.
In situations like this, the prudent young priest asks himself, “What is the best outcome I can achieve in my position of having no power whatsoever?”
In the grand old tradition of Goofus and Gallant, let’s posit two priests, Fr. Prudent and Fr. Impetuous. They are both faced with the scenario that you described. They have different approaches.
Fr. Impetuous rushes into the church, screaming anathemas and waving a crucifix at the pagans worshipping in the space consecrated to the worship of the one true God, driving them out of the church with the point of a sword ripped from the statue of St. Paul in the sanctuary.
Fr. Prudent considers calling the bishop, but then recalls that the bishop and his pastor golf together every Tuesday and reasonably concludes that the bishop will likely take the pastor’s side in each and every argument. Fr. Prudent discretely collects any paperwork or photographs of the event and files them away for a rainy day. Fr. Prudent then spends four hours that night, under cover of darkness, prostrate before the altar praying in reparation before Our Sweet Eucharistic Lord.
AFTERMATH:
A week later, Fr. Impetuous is driven by the Vicar for Clergy to a psychiatric hospital where he will spend the next six months attempting to defend his sanity to a board of atheistic and agnostic psychologists. Upon his release, he finds that his bishop has already begun the process for his laicization.
Some months later, Fr. Prudent finishes his time as assistant (parochial vicar) and is named pastor of a neighboring parish, where he implements a program of reverent liturgy, orthodox catechesis, and sound moral formation that soon attracts hundreds of generous new parishioners after the liberals flee to his old pastor’s parish.
Sapienti pauca.
