We leave to go east, this time. At Tour d'Auvergne we swim in the lake
and spend the night in the van at the lake's parking lot. The next morning
we spend a considerable amount of time searching for a café before we
give up and decide to just move on, and then we saw one, straight away.
Had some nice cups of coffee there, then we continued to our destination
of Le Mont-Dore, and the Station of Puy-de-Sancy. I climb the peak in
1.5 hour, but the descent takes a little longer.
In the afternoon we visit the shop of Le Tailleur de Sancy, and just behind
it, we locate a hot water source, (volcanic water), but we do not have our
swimming suits with us, so we decide to come back there the next day.
Station of Puy-de-Sancy, Auvergne, Massif Central
We go straight away to the hot water source, it is incredible. The moment
you sink into the hot water, it seems to just penetrate your whole body,
you melt and become incredibly relaxed.
It is fantastic. It is full of minerals, and you just know that it is good for
your body. We alternate between the two different pools of water, the first
one, which is under a betong roof, is even hotter
than the other open pool. I submerge my body in the cold river in between
the turns in the source. Brilliant.
In the afternoon we visit a cave at St.Nectaire, then the local church, followed
by the museum of painters at Murol.
Next day
We start the day with another long Source bath, then we walk to the
waterfall close to Mont-Dore,
followed by a bit of sight-seeing in Mont-Dore.
Had a lie-in this morning in the hostel, then we went for our daily Source
bath.
Went for a spin in the car afterwards, to Les Roches Tuiliére et Sanadoire
where we had lunch, and then we found lake du Guéry where we had did
some sunbathing and reading.
Last day in Station of Puy-de-Sancy, Auvergne, Massif Central, France
We spent over 2 hours in the Source in the morning, with alternating dips
in the cold river, before we took the route to go back. We stopped for a long
time at the lake in Tour d'Auvergne, where we swam.
Back in the Village
As I check my email inbox, I see that I have received an email from the leader
of the catechesis, the one that I had sent a short email message to saying that I
would not be attending the last meeting of the season.
She said that she was really surprised at receiving my email and that she had
never heard any rumours about me at all, she thanked me for my participation,
and said that she really appreciated my presence.
We spend one day at the big market, the annual big fair in Angles sur l'Anglin.
Beautiful village, but very hot.
Our friends, who came to visit us last night, with their daughter, left early
this morning, and none of us got any sleep during the night.
We attended Mass and the public procession last Wednesday, the 15. August,
the Assumption, and when it was finished Father Nicolas was almost running
after me as I left the church.
He looked worried, and embarassed. I spotted him behind me, and just turned
around, shook his hand and said hello as I left. He insists always on the hand
shaking, it is automatic with him.
Why did I shake his hand? I do not know.
The letter that I had written to the diocesan house was to let them know what
is going on in this parish, and to let the priest know that I know what he has
done, and that I think he is a coward and a nasty person.
This is what I said in the letter:
«I can no longer participate in this church, because of the rumours and slander
about me here.
I do not know what they are saying, because nobody wants to say it, but it is
everywhere, at mass, at the preparation of the mass, etc.
It is vicious and cowardly, because I am accused of something that is not being
said out loud. That in itself shows the nature of it.
Saint Matthew ( 18,15)
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him
alone. If he listens
to you, you have gained your brother.»»
Sunday Mass
At the end of Mass Sister Anne comes over to say how happy she is to see us,
and comments on how absent we have been lately.
She is so kind that I cannot hold back the tears. She urges me to come and talk
to her.
The one in charge of the catechesis comes over, and even though she has nice
compassionate eyes, I feel they are not to be trusted.
She reiterates that she has «not heard any rumours about me at all», just like
she maintained in her email to me recently. Nothing at all. She is nice, but she
has short and selective memory and not enough awareness. She was one of the
people that spread the rumour, 5 months ago. She denies flatly ever having
heard anything about me, and then she says that it is clear that I have a problem,
that is
obvious, she says. Wow.
Anything to protect the priest.
This attitude is exactly what enabled the child abuse by priests to go on for
decades.
On the way out, I meet some people who are wondering, when they see my
sad face, «what is going on in this church».
The next day Sister Anne knocks on the door, and after she comes inside,
I tell her that I cannot talk about what is going on, because it is a case of
slander and it is a criminal act.
I tell her that I have taken advice from a solicitor. She tells me that I can
trust her, that she will not tell anybody.
She stays anyway for a while, and gently she introduces the subject of
Father Nicolas.
Bit by bit, I let her know the basics of what happened.
She tells me that she is my friend, and that she hopes that this friendship
will grow. I have never had a true friend. Maybe she will be the first?
This day is also the second and last day of Pope Francis visit to Ireland,
where he was confronted with the full scale consequences of the
COVER UP of all the terrible atrocities that priests and religious have
inflicted on children and vulnerable women over decades.
As if the crimes was not bad enough, everything was made much, much
worse by the lies and the denial of these crimes.
Believing that they were untouchables, above the law, was their
ultimate downfall.
«For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble
themselves will be exalted.»
(Matthew 23,12)
What happened to me is nothing compared to what all these innocents
victims have suffered at the hands of priests and religious, all over the
world, but I see the same attitude in operation. Complete denial.
The Prime Minister of Ireland demands that the current Pope takes action,
that words and apologies are not enough.
On a little bit funny note, when asked a question regarding homosexuality
by a journalist on the plane back to Rome, he answered that «it could be
resolved if psychiatrique intervention was done when the child was very
young, because later on it is much more difficult».
Which of course sparked an outcry.
«What!!! Does he mean that homosexuality is an illness»,
explodes the politically correct controlled media.
The poor man. He is old, and he was probably emotionally drained after his
visit to Ireland. It probably just slipped out.
And actually, if we live in a democracy, which they tell us that we live in,
people have the right
to believe whatever they want. Many people do
believe that homosexuals are deviant.
And the definition of deviancy, is something that is «not in the norm».
And if only 10 percent of the people are homosexual/lesbian, it fits that
definition.
I am listening to the priest's homily after today's gospel regarding the
beheading of John the Baptist.
«This is about zero consciousness», he repeats a few times, and he also
says that
«conformity can very often prevent a person from being conscious».
Yes, just like the priest who started a hate campaign about me, to the
pastoral team, to the leader of the preparation of the mass, and his closest
allies.
They believed it, despite seeing with their own eyes how he was acting,
because of clericalism, but now, 5 months later, nobody has «never heard
anything at all about me».
«Are you suffering from depression?», they asked me last Sunday after
mass.
No, I am not. This happened, and the slander is still alive and active, but
they have not enough light (awareness) in them.
But a lot of automatic mechanisms and yes, conformity.
They trust in men, instead of only trusting in God.
Men cannot be trusted, this we know well.
Priests are also only men.
«Do not put your trust in
princes, in human beings, who cannot save.»
(Psalm 146,3)
«It is better to take refuge
in the LORD than to trust in humans»
(Psalm118,8)
The kind nun came to our house the next day. She said
she was genuinely
concerned about me.
I told her that this was now gone to a legal case level, because
slander is a crime.
I did not want to tell her anything, but in the end I did open up a bit,
and I told her some of the things that had happened.
She was shocked. She came back the next day to clarify a few things,
but she said I should not stop going to mass because of this. I recognized
that she was right. I had not planned to go to the last Mass of Father Nicolas,
because I knew that it would all be about how great he was, but I knew she
was right, that this should not prevent me from going to Mass.
The gospel of the day was from Mark, about the hypocrisy of honoring the
Lord with the lips, but not in the heart, about doing things just because it is
tradition and customs, in other words; conformity to the world, but that what
is important is the heart.
Father Nicolas's last Mass
«For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness,
envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and
defile a person.”
(Mark 7:21-23)
This is the end of today's gospel, read by F.N. and it was with great
interest that I anticipated the homily that would follow. What did he
have to say regarding this very relevant text,
I am sure that I was not the only one that sharpened my ears.
Disappointment though, because he ignored it entirely, and just spoke
about the change of season, children going back to school, and change of
priests in all the dioceses.
The he announced at the end of mass that he would continue to celebrate
Mass for the rest of the week, as he would be still «staying around packing
his bags».
So as he was leaving the parish he was making no reference to anything of
substance, just totally concentrated on continuing as if nothing had happened.
However;
«For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
because of me will find it.»
(Matthew 16, 25)
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