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US bishop chosen by Francis to attend Amazon Synod has ultra-liberal track record
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</p><p><span class="gmail-article-date"><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishop-chosen-by-francis-to-attend-amazon-synod-has-ultra-liberal-track-record">https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-bishop-chosen-by-francis-to-attend-amazon-synod-has-ultra-liberal-track-record</a></span>
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<p>September 27, 2019 (<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com">LifeSiteNews</a>) — <a href="https://faithfulshepherds.com/bishop/robert-w-mcelroy/">Bishop Robert McElroy</a>
has been selected by Pope Francis to attend the upcoming Amazonian
Synod, where it is believed that many of the long established teachings
and traditions of the Church may be thrown out. </p>
<p>McElroy, who oversees the Diocese of San Diego, has a concerning
history of straying from the Church’s perennial teachings. Throughout
his time in the episcopacy as well as before his elevation to bishop,
His Excellency has proven quite radical in matters ranging from abortion
to homosexuality. </p>
<p><a href="https://faithfulshepherds.com/bishop/robert-w-mcelroy/">Faithful Shepherds</a>,
a site launched by LifeSiteNews to hold bishops accountable and
encourage them to uphold the Deposit of Faith, has chosen to highlight
Bishop McElroy for this week's “Bishop Report Card.”</p>
<p class="gmail-callout" style="background-color:rgb(124,34,67);color:white"><em>Sign up for the FaithfulShepherds.com email newsletter by <strong><a href="http://eepurl.com/dGZUb9" style="color:white;text-decoration:underline">clicking here</a>.</strong></em></p>
<p>In 2005, before being named bishop, McElroy publicly <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-san-fran-bishop-sanctions-against-pro-abort-pols-makes-church-too-repub">criticized</a>
the archbishop of Newark for enforcing Canon 915, which prohibits
pro-abortion politicians from receiving Holy Communion. McElroy stated
that the archbishop’s practice of upholding Church teaching made the
Church appear too “partisan” and “coercive.”</p>
<p>McElroy has also been a frequent culprit of equating the tragedy of
abortion with other social justice issues. For example, in a 2013 <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/san-diegos-new-bishop-champions-seamless-garment-theory-poverty-on-same-mor">interview</a>,
he called poverty the “pre-eminent” issue that the Church should
address. The bishop expressed his disappointment that the conference of
bishops “labeled abortion and euthanasia as the preeminent issues in the
political order.” McElroy also stated that the Church’s focus on
“intrinsic evils” such as abortion has distracted Catholics from the
“structural sin” of poverty. </p>
<p>Another troubling area of Bishop McElroy’s episcopacy is his support
for allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive
Communion. Bishop McElroy has <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/san-diego-diocesan-synod-embraces-internal-forum-proposes-new-office-for-lg">encouraged</a>
divorced and “remarried” Catholics to “utilize the internal forum of
conscience” in making their decision to receive Holy Communion. This
statement by McElroy, which contradicts the Church’s teaching on sexual
morality and the sacraments, effectively allows divorced and “remarried”
Catholics to receive Communion in the Diocese of San Diego.</p>
<p>Bishop McElroy is equally heterodox when it comes to homosexuality. In 2017, McElroy <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/parish/lay-groups-lament-paprockis-decree-denying-same-sex-spouses-eucharist">sided</a>
with San Jose bishop Patrick McGrath, who stated that he would not deny
Catholic funerals to active, unrepentant homosexuals upon their deaths.
McElroy said he agrees with McGrath’s “approach,” calling it the
“appropriate policy” that he hopes priests will observe. He continued by
stating that “our fundamental stance has to be one of inclusion in the
Church.”</p>
<p>More recently, Bishop McElroy was a <a href="https://www.uscatholicpriests.org/news/2018/5/26/an-examination-of-civil-disobedience">keynote speaker</a>
at the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests assembly in 2018. The
Association of U.S. Catholic Priests is a dissident, pro-gay,
pro-women’s ordination group comprising liberal priests from across the
United States. The particular conference attended by McElroy <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-archbishop-hosts-conference-put-on-by-pro-homosexual-priests-who-want-to">featured</a> pro-homosexual merchandise and buttons available for the attendees.</p><p>McElroy has also been a <a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/09/18/bishop-mcelroy-attacks-father-james-martin-expose-cancer-within-us-catholic-church">vocal supporter</a> of the pro-gay priest Fr. James Martin. In a 2017 article, he endorsed Martin’s book, <em>Building a Bridge</em>,
even though the book fails to mention the sinfulness of homosexual acts
and insists that the Church change its teaching on “LGBT” issues.
McElroy praised Martin for encouraging the Church to “embrace fully and
immediately men and women in the L.G.B.T. community.” McElroy also
stated that the opposition to Martin’s message is the result of a
“cancer of vilification” entering the Church.</p>
<p>Bishop McElroy has clearly shown himself to be a radical prelate. In
light of his contrary views, any faithful Catholic would be concerned
with his <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal-omalley-bishop-mcelroy-nominated-to-amazon-synod-66743">recent nomination</a>
by Pope Francis to the controversial Amazon Synod. Because of McElroy’s
growing importance in the Church hierarchy, it is more important now
than ever to encourage him to be faithful to Christ’s timeless
teachings. Please visit <a href="https://faithfulshepherds.com">Faithful Shepherds</a>
to learn more about Bishop McElroy and other U.S. bishops’ views and
past actions and do your part to help hold the Church hierarchy
accountable.</p></div>
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