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1. It's heartening that Father Kennedy (once a priest, always a priest) and his catholic congregation are doing well. Clearly their move hasn't deterred the good people in the parish from practising their faith.

   Posted By: Jeff Kevin

2. Who cares? Haven't we all moved on? Good luck to Peter and may God have mercy on his soul.

   Posted By: Bee Jay

3. I hope there are no staff members from Catholic schools attending, or worse, CSO staff. Amazing how liberals rile against hypocrites, and yet...

   Posted By: Tom McKibbin

4. Still going strong? Wasn't he attracting crowds of a 1000+ during the height of the controversy? The story headline should read, "St Mary's in Exile - numbers halve while still going wrong."

   Posted By: Michael Bernard

5. He certainly knows who his friends are when it comes to promoting a book. I have no doubt Peter Kennedy with his unique brand of neo-Gnosticism will be given full support in Fairfax-ABC media.

   Posted By: Nathan Socci

6. Out of curiosity, I looked up the St Marys in Exile website and read some of the homilies given by various people.
   What struck me was how many of these homilies 'twisted the nose' of the Gospel to get the text to conform to various agendas. This false familiarity with Jesus is a pitfall many fall into, especially when he is no longer recognized as Our Lord, and instead, we carry him around in our pocket to do our bidding.
   One of the temptations presented to Jesus in the wilderness was to dragoon God into his service. (Cast yourself down and He will save you.)
   The ways we fool ourselves into thinking we have God on our side are many.
   And remember, Satan in that encounter is not an object of childish nightmares but a pious man who quotes the psalms.

   Posted By: Phillip Turnbull

7. That's not really anything to brag about. While some parish numbers are diminishing, mine fortunately is doing just fine and is always full, easily rivaling Kennedy's numbers.

   Posted By: Kyle

8. Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Knox, John Calvin... Peter Kennedy... why should we be surprised... no doubt there will be more and those limbs of the true vine will wither and shrivel likewise.
   Disobedience shrouded in "good works" is still disobedience; following a mortal man rather than The Word is a dangerous path indeed.
   Those who might follow Peter Kennedy yet draw their wages from the Archdiocese are displaying contempt and hypocrisy for the values they are supposed to uphold. The word "scandal" may be old fashioned, but if the cap fits...

   Posted By: Allan Slattery

9. All this insecure hostility to Peter Kennedy. Why are some so easily threatened? Perhaps some should, with shame, consider the scandal of their hatred and intolerance being the cause for so many leaving the Catholic Church.
   What Christ is it that proclaimed the message of institutional obedience? Is this what he was killed for? Our priorities and criteria have become truly perverse.

   Posted By: Mark

10. To Mark: My opposition is very secure on the Rock of Peter.
    Neither am I threatened, for the 'gates of hell' will not prevail.'
    The real shame and scandal has been engendered by the heresy and schism emanating from Fr Kennedy's actions leading people into his own private gnostic cult.
    What Jesus showed in his life was obedience to the will of the Father. He also said "He who hears you (the Apostles), hears me." Where is the obedience of Fr Kennedy to the successor of the Apostles?
    What is perverse is your attempt to attack Catholics loyal to the divinity of Christ, the Pope and all other legitimate authority and to replace it with a new form of obedience to self-appointed false prophets.

    Posted By: Michael Bernard

11. Jesus probably feels very at home there.

    Posted By: Cobber

12. "Going strong" to where exactly?

    Posted By: Ivan

13. Cobber: Are you speaking of the same Jesus who probably did not exist, and who if he did exist was just a Galilean peasant who died two thousand years ago according to such great Christian scholars as Peter Kennedy and others?

    Posted By: Adeodatus

14. Allan Slattery: I don't like to think of what Martin Luther, or John Wesley would say to someone who doubted the reality of the cross and resurrection of Christ. I suggest you acquaint yourself with the people who you speak of so readily.
    The other two would be quite willing to burn Peter Kennedy, and with him everyone who disagreed with their particular sect.

    Posted By: Adeodatus

15. Michael Bernard: Some may be at ease with such an authoritarian deity as you proclaim, but I find it strange that some are so ready to refer to phrases as "Rock of Peter" and other related symbols of calicified certainties. Leaving aside the needful exegesis of the passage that you refer to, at least for now consider that this "Rock" upon which many build their idolatry of certainty was a very flawed and, for that reason, endearing person. Peter made many mistakes, grievous ones, as did the other apostles. yet in this frailty we see Jesus expressing love, forgiveness, comprehension. Others may want a stern judge in Christ, and a rock of institutional Authority in peter. But what we have is actually a very tender relationship and revelation in frailty.

    Posted By: Mark

16. Cobber: I imagine Jesus feels comfortable wherever people gather in his name. That said, Peter Kennedy doesn't actually believe Jesus existed - so that might make for awkward conversation if Jesus were to show up in the flesh.

    Posted By: Alex Knight

17. What did Cardinal Pell say about the young Catholic Lady who left the Church for Hillsong after World Youth Day "At least she still follows Jesus" or words to this effect. Jesus came into this World for all those followers who are of good Will, and there appear to be at least 500 in Peter's congregation!

    Posted By: Peter M

18. AS: I owe you an apology. I reacted a little too quickly to your comment, and didn't see that you were making quite a good point.
    I jumped the gun seeing that you were putting PK in with Wesley, and Luther, who for all their many faults, held to varying degrees of orthodox Christology, and Calvin and Knox, who were quite intolerant of any deviance from their line. I apologize for my haste.

    Posted By: Adeodatus

19. Tom: I wonder how many teachers in our Catholic Schools actually attend Mass?I do not see many at Sunday Mass myself these days.(I am a retired teacher who taught in Catholic education for many years). As for Father Kennedy, I may not agree with his ways but I admire his perseverance.

    Posted By: Gavin

20. So Peter Kennedy 'was stripped of his holy orders and banned from preaching, hearing confessions and officiating at weddings'
    I did not think the hierarchy up there in Qld had the guts to do this. Did they do it willingly or were they pushed to do it?

    Posted By: Skye

21. To Mark: Repentance is the first and most important prerequisite of inclusiveness in Christ. Is this part of Fr Kennedy's agenda? If not, he is the one guilty of idolatry by asking for an allegiance that leads them away from the unity of Christ's Body. Filial obedience to an authority set up by Christ is liberating. Those who follow self-appointed authority figures are the blind following the blind.

    Posted By: Michael Bernard

22. Michael Bernard: Repentance, in the Gospels, is actually an openness to the Kingdom of God, not to an institutional re-indentification of the Body of Christ. And where is the Kingdom, Michael? As a mustard seed, as leaven, in the witness of the Samaritan, in what is unclean, and in what is unable to be pinned down by clinical definition and ideological rubric. Jesus refrained from such clinical definition. Generally, the Kingdom is manifest in all of the many ways not sanctioned by the religious structure,it was and is a threat, and like Christ, the proclaimers of such an inclusive and subversive Kingdom are to be silenced.Repent for the Kingdom of God is near.

    Posted By: Mark

23. I, for one, am tired of all the debate about Peter Kennedy and his cult.
    Recently I attended Mass at the real St Mary's and although the congregation was small the spirituality there was great.

    Posted By: Pauline

24. Nothing new about Peter Kennedy, folks like him have been around for 2000 years. Back then they were called agnostics. Whatever is not from the tree of life will wither away and die.

    Posted By: Pat

25. I think that "stripped of his holy orders" is mistaken reporting. As I understand it, a priest's faculties can be removed (so that he can't hear confession, etc.), but he remains a priest forever, even in heaven or hell.

    Posted By: Lance Eccles

26. Mark: How beautifully written, a gold star and a koala stamp for you on behalf of all those silenced Catholics who have been robbed off their diverse voices or have their throats cut.

    Posted By: TJ Lawson

27. And this board is becoming a hate-fest for Peter Kennedy....so sad, and we call ourselves Christians and Catholics. How shameful.

    Posted By: TJ Lawson

28. TJ Lawson: The unkindness to others demonstrated on your posts on a daily basis is hardly in line with your regular proclamation that you are closer to Jesus than the ‘bigots.’

    Posted By: Aquino

29. At the very least, Peter Kennedy is smart enough to leave and say "bye-bye". We're still here and we're still criticising him. Time to move on and work our salvation with fear and trembling. If you really care about Peter & Co, pray for him. At least God is certain that your thoughts are with him.

    Posted By: Collin Michael Nunis

30. Adeodatus: I'm speaking of the Jesus who embraced outcasts and sinners and ate with them much to the disgust of the pharisaical religious right! I doubt if your Jesus and the Jesus of history are quite the same.

    Posted By: Cobber

31. Alex Knight: How do you know Fr Kennedy doesn't believe that Jesus existed? Have you spoken with him?

    Posted By: Cobber

32. TJ Lawson: Gold star and koala stamp warmly appreciated, and shared too with the growing number of posters who are more intent upon witnessing, in their diverse responses, to the life of the Good News rather than the incessant buzzing of the fevered institution :))

    Posted By: Mark

33. I sometimes wonder what Fr Kennedy thinks he's doing at Mass. He very publicly claimed that there's no evidence that Jesus existed.
    If that's the case, what is he doing when he says the words "This is my body"?
    Does he think it's his own body? Surely not.
    Maybe his congregation has some new theology that it's the "body" of all of them.

    Posted By: Lance Eccles

34. Cobber: Fr Kennedy is on public record as saying he doesn't even believe in God, Heaven or Hell. It's nonsense to assert he follows our Saviour.
    I'm sure the trades union members of Queensland (one-third of whom are Catholics and few if any of whom belong to the Kennedyite denomination) are delighted to see that the Queensland Council of Unions is using their union fees to provide free accomodation in the TLC building to the Kennedyite denomination for its religious services, and enable them to save up to buy their own property. Not.

    Posted By: Peter G

35. Peter's success as an outlaw priest says more about the Catholic Church than about him and his followers. They are pretty tame really.
    Most Western countries have Catholic parishes way more far out than these mildly progressive Aussie outcasts and the bishops never blink an eye. They're just glad anyone still comes to mass and baptizes the babies anymore.

    Posted By: reddog

36. Peter G: Once again you've wandered from the point. The question was whether Fr Kennedy believes in Jesus. As for believing in God I doubt that I believe in the same God as you. When it comes to certain types of "God" then I, too, am an atheist. I do however believe in the God revealed in Jesus. Ditto for heaven and hell. All depends what is meant. Anyway I don't think we believe "in" heaven or hell.

    Posted By: Francis

37. Francis: Jesus is God. And there are no other “types of Gods”. These are the most basic doctrines of Christianity. One who does not believe in God does not believe in Jesus.
    If by "believe in Jesus" you merely mean "believe that He was a great teacher/prophet", that includes most of the human race. If you mean "believe that such a person as Jesus existed" that includes virtually the entire human race.
    I don’t know who you mean by “we” apart from yourself, but Catholics by definition believe in Heaven and Hell.
    

    Posted By: Peter G

38. Peter G: Once again, you're missing the point. My response was to Alex Knight's e-mail so you might care to read that. Yes, there are other "Types of God".
    There's the God who is revealed in Jesus and there's the "God" that religious fundamentalists believe in: harsh, punishing etc. Then there's the "God" that might be in your mind only. Your lecturing only leads me to believe that you are not listening.
    We do not believe "in" heaven or hell. You can only believe "in" a person. Besisdes, I believe "hell" has been defeated and that, eventually, all will be saved. Now that is really going to infuriate the religious fundemntalists.

    Posted By: Francis

39. Francis: Read the Gospels. You will find the God Who reveals Himself there in Jesus had a great deal to say about the fact that many will suffer harsh punishments in Hell for disobeying His commands (such as His command to obey those He placed in charge of His Church). This was not invented by “fundamentalists” or anyone else. You ignore His words at your peril. I speak from brotherly Christian concern for you. Don’t let your love of vain disputation become your undoing.

    Posted By: Peter G

40. Peter: Where I can find terrible judgements on those who refuse to feed the hungry etc? I can condemnation of the religious orthodox. Where will I find harsh judgements on those who "disobey" those he has placed in charge of his Church?
    Peter G: Whatever you are you are not my brother. You believe in a cruel God.

    Posted By: Francis

41. God is not cruel. In His infinite love for us He gives us abundant fair warning (through those He placed in charge of His Church and the books which they wrote under His inspiration and selected to comprise Sacred Scripture) what punishments we will inflict upon ourselves by disobeying His commandments. He has frequently praised and never condemned anyone for being orthodox, but has often warned of the dire fate of the wilfully unorthodox, including those hypocrites like the Pharisees our Saviour condemned who made an outward show of being orthodox but were secretly unorthodox; and of those who refuse to listen to His Church, whom He said are thereby refusing to listen to Him. I will continue to obey His command to treat all men as my brothers, even, in fact especially, those who reject any brotherhood with me.
    My brother Francis, you are apparently very troubled and angry with God and His Church. I recommend that over the coming season of His birth you prayerfully study our Saviour’s words in the Gospels, and adore Him regularly in His Blessed Sacrament. If you conscientiously do this I am sure that you will find His peace and His truth which will make you free.
    

    Posted By: Peter G

42. I have followed PK's journey within and without the church, over these troublesome times. I find all he has to say challenging and also very freeing. Challenging... because it is obviously difficult for the church to embrace the social justice issues closely, let's keep it all at arms length please; and freeing...because we are a community in process, God is after all a 'verb'. Are we not moving towards
    a new and deeper understanding of the harmony of all life?

    Posted By: silenagig

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