Sunday, June 15, 2014

UPDATED: Julian Barkin A Zealous Fighter For Toronto’s Cardinal Collins

UPDATE: In order to protect my sources I have removed from this posting the contents of an email sent by Julian Barkin to the Bishops of NL. The reader can easily click on this link to one of Barkin's blog postings to get a good idea of what he said to the Bishops about me.
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Published today to SignOfContradiction.Blogspot.ca

It has come to my attention that Mr. Julian Barkin of the Archdiocese of Toronto has contacted the Bishops of this province, in an attempt to silence me from further criticism of his Cardinal Archbishop, Thomas Collins. The email communication which he sent out to the Bishops of Newfoundland and Labrador can be viewed below and in many ways is self-explanatory. Barkin lays some very serious charges against me, including slander, detraction, and calumny and claims that “the damage this man is unleashing online is gravely sinful”.

Interestingly, he does admit that “some of the arguments in the postings are coherent and well thought out” but nevertheless insists I must not say such things as I do about Cardinal Collins. My blog postings, he states, constitute a “façade of critical discussion using pro-life rhetoric, Scripture, etc.” which seems a very convenient tactic to diminish the weight of crucial elements of my argument. In addition, he labels me a radical traditionalist although I am altogether at a loss to understand how he arrives at such a label, unless he means a Catholic radically (as in “fully”) persuaded of the power and validity of Tradition in the Catholic Church.

Sadly, much of Barkin’s warrant is ill conceived, reactionary and illogical, not to mention replete with ad hominem attack. My criticisms of Cardinal Collins and other Catholic Bishops were quite objective and detailed and demand a thoughtful response, not a knee jerk reaction. I invite the readers of this blog to visit the postings he has referenced in his email below and discover for yourself whether Barkin’s barking makes any sense.

However, even though Barkin needs to do much more homework on the subject of my postings, his communique has been effective in getting the Archbishop of St. John’s, the Rgt. Reverend Martin Currie, to request a meeting with ME, the author of Contra|diction blog two members of the executive of the local Latin Mass community, Una Voce St. John’s, presumably to put some pressure on them to keep me on a shorter leash. Except I am not a member of that group and all of my writings, articles and social media messaging is 100% my own, without collaboration with anyone else. Nevertheless, for what it's worth and for the sake of full disclosure, I do attend the weekly Sunday Latin Mass.

As a final comment in this posting, I commend Barkin for his zeal in defending his shepherd, Cardinal Collins. All Catholics should be so quick and bold to do the same if only their Bishops were worthy and faithful shepherds. Barkin simply cannot—will not—consider the serious criticisms I have levelled against Cardinal Collins, regardless of the evidence I have provided. This is bound to cause him further distress down the road when his understanding deepens and he loses his rose coloured glasses. How much better though if his spiritual shepherd owned up to his full responsibilities and began to set his See in order!

For the reader’s information, and for the fuller picture, here is a complete listing of all relevant posts authored by me on this blog (and elsewhere) referencing Cardinal Thomas Collins.

Toronto Cardinal Collins Risks Charge of Hypocrisy 

Imagine A Conversation Between Cardinal Collins And Adolph Hitler

What Catholic Bishop Is Watching Over Justin Trudeau’s Soul?

Letter To Justin Trudeau From Cardinal Collins Fails Catholic Test

Canada’s Catholic Bishops Debated The Denial Of Holy Communion To Renegade Politicians 

FLASHBACK: Archbishop Collins Of Edmonton Would Withhold Communion

On Catholic Bishops Withholding Communion: Can Religion and Politics Coexist?

Is The Archdiocese of Toronto More Concerned About Saving Paper Than Saving Souls?

FLASHBACK: It’s Time For Pro-Lifers To Change Their Strategy In Canada

Archbishop Prendergast Must Go the Whole Nine Yards

Vote Life, Canada! Calls on Toronto Archbishop to Redress Scandal Surrounding Governor Schwarzenegger's Stem Cell Deal with Ontario Premier McGuinty

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Julian Barkin's email to the Bishops of NL:

Removed


3 comments:

Vox Cantoris said...

Seriously? The Archbishop of St. John's has time to summon you in to discuss this sad rant?

Talk about calumny!

All the best Eric.

ELA said...

Hi David,
Yes, operative word being "sad."
Actually the information I received indicated that the Archbishop requested a meeting with two members of the Una Voce executive. There was no indication that he planned to meet with me. I believe the feeling was that maybe I was "going too far" and somehow hurting the Latin Mass community??? Sounds like a line from Julian Barkin's playbook.
Thanks for the traffic coming my way.
God bless.

Vox Cantoris said...

No, I think the rant from Toronto is what is damaging the cause. I've lost your email address, write me voxcantoris@rogers.com