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1. The wise response of Father Kennedy would be to take sabbatical leave for twelve months, and to genuinely take the opportunity for spiritual renewal. The church still desires his services and abilities; - but a pre-requisite to that is renewal and a change of heart.

   Posted By: Geoff

2. To equate your fellow human being, worse still- your fellow brother Christian and priest - as an 'infection' really demeans the Church's teaching; it is a very sad day to hear a brother (ordained) priest saying something like this to a fellow senior priest who has served the church and the gospel all his life.
   And he is the Chancellor?! Doesn’t say a lot about him, his office or ‘the church’ he is ‘serving’ does it?

   Posted By: TJ Lawson

3. I cannot understand how it is that Fr Peter Kennedy is still holding on to his faculties! Until they are removed the message is being sent that blatent disobedience by the clergy to their bishop and the church is not a problem. And if disobedience is ok for the clergy then why should the rest of us bother trying?

   Posted By: Bernard

4. I would be personally disappointed if, in these days, when our Catholic Church is being humbled by many false philosophies and secularisation, it moved publicly against Fr kennedy in the ways suggested by Fr Farrelly. While I agree totally with the Archdiocese in removing Fr Kennedy from the Administration of the Sth Brisbane Parish, the discipline should end with that. Let Fr kennedy and his supporters be.
   Any further discipline will not achieve any more for the Church. If it is reflected on with honesty, what was the Church doing over the past twenty or so years while Fr kennedy was allowed to foster a DIY Catholic Parish?
   The Brisbane Church should get on with what it is supposed to be doing - being the presence of Christ and that includes to Fr Kennedy and his supporters. Challenge them, yes, but not a challenge that could resemble punishment and a 'closed and bolted door' approach to him and his supporters.

   Posted By: Fr Mick Mac Andrew Bombala-Delegate NSW

5. Is Fr Farrelly likening Fr Kennedy's action to a "small infection"? To me it seems like a HUGE infection.
   He is denying fundamental Catholic teaching.

   Posted By: LEIGHTON CRABB

6. It might only be the stipend from officiating at weddings that Fr Kennedy will miss. I thought he gave up preaching ages ago in favour of talks by the laity. As for Confession, what a laugh - I doubt he's heard anyones Confession for years.

   Posted By: Julie-Ann

7. Fr Mick Mac says "If it is reflected on with honesty, what was the Church doing over the past twenty or so years while Fr Kennedy was allowed to foster a DIY Catholic Parish?"
   I have been to St Mary's on and off for a number of years. In the earlier years there was not that much difference to regular parishes more young people, university student types etc nothing the "temple police" would be too concerned about. It was only in the past few years that things seemed to get more "out of communion" as left wing causes etc seemed to have overtaken him and St Mary's lost spiritual focus as his public statements confirm.
   Still I feel very sad it has come to this as, no-one now wants to acknowledge the terrific work he did in getting the marginalized back to church, feeling welcome and at home in a way few other parishes have managed. There was undoubtedly a vibe, a sense of community etc that I have not felt elsewhere.
   Pity other parishes can not connect with that and we would have the best of both worlds. It was a wonderful opportunity wasted.

   Posted By: Alex

8. Fr Peter Kennedy's loss of faculties will not stop him being a preist: one cannot be un-ordained! He will be like so many other good priests: valid but illicit. If that be the case; welcome to the club Fr Peter. Best wishes for your ongoing service/proclmation of the Gospel of Christ from another valid but illicit!

   Posted By: Fr Greg

9. Actually, the simile of an infection is quite a traditional one: It was used - though I am not sure if it was originated - by Thomas Aquinas, relying on St. Paul and St. John.

   Posted By: Adeodatus

10. You're quite right, Leighton.
    
    Problem is, so much liberal distortion of it by headline-making "commentators" has undermined "Catholic teaching" with the result many now appear to disvalue its authority and necessity to pastoral life and the Church. And when this teaching is not being directly distorted, it is often muted with euphemisms.

    Posted By: Joseph

11. To equate Fr. Kennedy to a virus is obscene. It reminds me of Hitler and his use of similar language about the Jews. Who is the worse heretic. Fr. Kennedy or all the priests who abused children for so many years? How many current priests have similar views to Fr. Kennedy but don't express them? Where's the freedom to be different?

    Posted By: michael Lewis

12. Michael Lewis, child abuse cannot possibly be heresy. Heresy is the promotion by a Christian of false doctrines. Although technically Fr Kennedy is not a heretic because he has gone way beyond heresy into apostasy (complete rejection of Christianity) and in his case even rejection of belief in God.
    
    Some of our priests might be a bit wobbly in doctrine but I feel pretty safe in saying there is not one practising Catholic priest in Australia who shares Kennedy's (ir)religious views or anything similar to them.

    Posted By: Ronk

13. Ronk --you say
    "Some of our priests might be a bit wobbly in doctrine but I feel pretty safe in saying there is not one practising Catholic priest in Australia who shares Kennedy's (ir)religious views or anything similar to them...."
    Do you want names --or what !
    Don't you know ANY priests who have chosen to become and remain Weekend Priests, say Mass, sit in Confession Box for 30 minutes every Saturday, play golf, sit on their computers, raise eyebrows and shake heads at the likes of PK---and Bishops who have CHOSEN NOT to push for evangelisation activities, interchurch gatherings, interfaith friendships in their parishes....basically who have GIVEN UP--
    Are they to be praised and respected and the likes of PK kicked out ?!
    Good on you Ronk, it's a free country !!
    
    

    Posted By: harry

14. What's your point Harry? I never said every priest in Australia is perfect or to be praised and respected in every way. My point is merely that I know of no other priest besides PK who does not believe in God.
    
    Nobody kicked him out, he kicked himself out, then tried to steal a parish and its congregation from the Church on his way out.

    Posted By: Ronk

15. The huge majority of people reading about the Sth Brisbane goings on believe that Peter Kennedy was KICKED OUT. He didn't want to leave, he didn't ask to leave, he didn't choose to leave. Ronk,you don't accept that---fair enough, we're all different !
    I'm not surprised you won't accept it, especially when you seem to think that as long as a priest "believes in God" or says the Credo every Sunday or preaches about the faith of our fathers - then it doesn't really matter if he doesn't do the work that he promised to do at Ordination ie be a good pastor, visit the people, get his flock activated, get the youth going, get Discussion or Bible or Home Groups going. Look Ronk, if you don't see that the church is dying fast because of dying and stale and no-risk-taking and boring and as-long-as-we-keep-our-sunday-OBLIGATION-we're-OK parishes and parish-priests (did you say communities??), then you just don't get it at all.....
    Peter Kennedy knows that Jesus loves the people, he loves the gays, he just doesn't CARE how we baptise the little babies, he just doesn't CARE whether a lady gets up and says a few burning words on Sundays and he certainly doesn't CARE whether or not a statue of buddha appears in a CATHOLIC CHURCH...!!
    But Ronk, I could be wrong----and about 95% of Aussies might be wrong with me...!

    Posted By: harry

16. Yes Harry the gullible majority believe the anti-Catholic secular media’s slavish repetition of Kennedy’s lie that he was kicked out, but you have been informed of the truth, so what’s your excuse? You claim not to see that if somebody goes around saying “Jesus is not God, in fact there’s no God”, he is thereby kicking himself out of the Catholic Church. Yes, “we're all different “, but the truth is not different from one person to another.
    
    I’m sorry, you can’t just invent a new definition of “Catholic” totally contrary to the one which everyone has used for 2000 years, and demand that everyone else subscribe to it. Your definition of “Catholic” would include say the late atheist philanthropist Dr Fred Hollows (which would no doubt enrage him).
    
    All the “works he promised to do” you named are very much secondary to the three big things every priest solemnly promises at ordination: to uphold and proclaim the Apostolic Faith, to faithfully administer the Sacraments, and to obey his bishop as a father. Without them, he’s just a secular social worker at best.
    

    Posted By: Ronk

17. Well, with so much clap-trap about heretics and heresy, here's a challenge to the upholders of pure doctrine:
    Do a list of the pure catholic doctrines that we all must believe; when that list is complete, do a survey of practising catholics, and ask them to identify which is the true doctrine (e.g state "transubstantiation is an infallible doctrine"; "a pagan can be martyred in the name of Jesus Christ and get to Heaven without being baptised" etc etc). The survey could have 3 response options: true, false, and I don't know. My guess - from talking to Catholics over the years - is that you will weed out a plethora of heretics among the "faithful", who don't even realise they are heretics in their beliefs. If I'm right, the heretic hunters will have a very small church. Show me the data that proves me wrong, and you'll have my congratulations.

    Posted By: Boutros Neru

18. Let us all pray for one another.We are all sinners and it is only God's generous graces that keep us all afloat.
    Satan hates anyone drawing closer to God; he targets priests because he is a clever tactician -if he can lure a good priest away and drain them of energy and create false conflict between them and Mother Church he knows many souls will be adversely affected.
    I continue to pray for Father Kennedy and his followers and place them in the care of Our Blessed Mother and Mary MacKillop

    Posted By: Prayer and Pennance

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