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| Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois |
SPRINGFIELD, IL, November 15, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The bishop of Springfield, Illinois will lead prayers of exorcism “in reparation for the sin of same-sex marriage” at his cathedral on November 20 as Governor Pat Quinn signs a state law redefining marriage.
Bishop Thomas Paprocki says he was inspired by Pope Francis, who had condemnedsame-sex “marriage” as a “machination of the Father of Lies” in 2010 when Argentina was preparing to redefine marriage.
“Pope Francis is saying that same-sex 'marriage' comes from the devil and should be condemned as such,” said Bishop Paprocki in a statementThursday.
Illinois’ House of Representatives passed the same-sex “marriage” bill in a 61-54 vote on November 5, sending it to Quinn’s desk for approval. The governor had already pledged to sign it.
The day after the vote, the Chicago Tribune quoted two Catholic state representatives who cited Pope Francis’ famous “who am I to judge?” quote in explaining their decision to support the measure.
"As a Catholic follower of Jesus and the pope, Pope Francis, I am clear that our Catholic religious doctrine has at its core love, compassion and justice for all people,” said Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia.
In his statement, Bishop Paprocki called out those Catholic politicians who “twisted the words of the pope” and said Catholics who voted for the bill are "morally complicit as co-operators in facilitating this grave sin."
"It is scandalous that so many Catholic politicians are responsible for enabling the passage of this legislation and even twisting the words of the pope to rationalize their actions despite the clear teaching of the church," he said. "All politicians now have the moral obligation to work for the repeal of this sinful and objectionable legislation. We must pray for deliverance from this evil which has penetrated our state and our church."
The bishop also pointed that, because same-sex “marriage” violates God’s plan, anyone who contracts such a union is “culpable of serious sin.”
To explain the prayer event, the bishop’s statement quoted from the introduction to the Church’s rite of exorcism, which says that the Church recognizes the devil’s presence “not only in the tempting or tormenting of persons, but also in the penetration of things and places in a certain manner by their activity, and in various forms of opposition to and persecution of the church.”
“If the diocesan bishop, in particular situations, judges it appropriate to announce gatherings of the faithful for prayer, under the leadership and direction of a priest, elements for arranging a rite of supplication may be taken from [the texts provided in these appendices],” it reads.
The prayers of exorcism will take place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on November 20 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
Concluding his statement, Paprocki said, "Pope Francis has also urged us to be mindful of God's mercy, so it is good to recall the profound expression of divine mercy uttered by Jesus as he was dying on the cross to save us from our sins, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do' (Luke 23:34).”
Bishop Paprocki is known for his strong stand on moral issues.
Last month, after a group of homosexual activists from the Rainbow Sash Movement planned a prayer vigil for same-sex “marriage” inside the Cathedral, he issued a strong video statement warning them that they would be guilty of “blasphemy.”
In June, the bishop debated dissident nun Sister Jeannine Gramick on gay “marriage” before a largely gay-friendly crowd. In his opening remarks, he revealed that his former secretary had been murdered by a homosexual activist after she suggested he change his lifestyle. “[Mary Stachowicz]’s murder was widely ignored by the media, despite the fact that she died as a martyr for her faith,” he said.
Leading up to the 2012 national election, Paprocki slammed the Democratic Party’s platform for endorsing the “intrinsic evils” of abortion and same-sex “marriage”.
“My job is not to tell you for whom you should vote. But I do have a duty to speak out on moral issues,” he said. ”I would be abdicating this duty if I remained silent out of fear of sounding ‘political’ and didn’t say anything about the morality of these issues.”
In the Republic Party platform, on the other hand, “there is nothing in it that supports or promotes an intrinsic evil or a serious sin,” he said.
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