Monday, March 24, 2008

Cathedral Protest

Today's Tribune had a front-page article about an anti-war protest during Cardinal George's Easter Mass, which was being held in the parish auditorium, due to ceiling damage in the Cathedral. A small group of "Catholic Schoolgirls Against the War" (all adults and not all "girls") spurted fake blood on parishioners, shouting their opposition to the Iraq war. (Do they even realize that the Catholic hierarchy, all the way to the Pope, have been outspoken in its opposition to the same war?) It seems the group was peeved at Cardinal George for meeting with Mayor Daley and President Bush.
This has become the feature du jour for online comments at the Tribune.
Personally, I think their intervention in the name of peace was an act of social violence, and directed to the wrong audience. (Clearly, they were using the setting and the audience for publicity purposes, not because their message was addressed to this particular audience.) What is your reaction?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

There message (?) was lost in their violence. They just are not credible, they come across as punks being stupid.
I'm glad no one suffered a heart attack doing their violent outburst!

Lisa said...

It's sad, but what I think happens sometimes is that groups desiring to get the attention/have an audience with Church leaders grow so frustrated in their attempts that they take advantage of any opportunity that comes their way, unforunately without thinking about the consequences or impact.
As a result, any value to their message gets totally lost.

Sending prayers,
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Were they Catholic? It seems curious, perhaps they should need their collective heads examined if it is as noted that they are not using good judgment and carrying on inappropriately at an Easter Mass. Most Catholics, it is believed, oppose the war and a meeting with leaders is an effort at better understanding, not misguided malarkey from malcontents. What does the Church do when crazy people come in and try to disrupt Mass?

Anonymous said...

Was it staged in order to be recorded for YouTube?

I ask this because a video of it is already posted by ACTIVISTVIDEOS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrlQF-PbxQ

It's very sad.

Anonymous said...

A comment below the YouTube video exemplifies the incoherence of this act of violence quite well:

Finally the youth of our country are coming out of their parents closets and speaking out against this insanity. This should be done in every house of worship all over the world. Do you think the mother of a dead soldier cares about preachers?
Keep it up and maybe we'll get our country and our children back alive.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you, Sr. Anne...the wrong audience and the wrong messengers...and I agree with the message, 100%, too. What a waste of time and footage. Anything for their 15 minutes...The comment from YouTube is pure propaganda...and yes, I think the Mothers' of dead soldiers do care very much about preachers. We have been preaching against the war since day one. And we pray for the 4000 dead soldiers (and their families as well as the dead on "the other side")every day, too.
Fr. Fred, CMF

Anonymous said...

The YouTube comments are a disgrace.

Oh Well. Did you really expect better from a "Church" that was complicit with the Nazis?

Neuropoet said...

Who comes up with these ideas? I agree - definitely the wrong audience... and the messengers completely lost their message in their actions. I know things like this are only done for attention, but it really isn't fair to the people who are hurt in the process... Ruining innocent people's Easter Celebration is uncalled for - it's not like those parishioners have anything to do with the war... other than praying for the soldiers, and praying for peace in the world every Mass...

*shaking head in disbelief*
Peace be with you,
~Jenny

Anonymous said...

I was shocked and scandalized but then I realized how clever a plan it was (clever in the way the devil is brilliant) because the TV cameras from all the TV news stations in Chicago are rolling at every "big" Mass offered by the Cardinal (I've seen them there every Ash Wed., Holy Thurs., Good Friday). Instant professional recording of the act and plenty of publicity. Fortunately, it meant that the Cardinal's calm and measured response after Mass was broadcast, too, several times over the subsequent 24 hours.

Maureen