Dear Pope Benedict XVI and Bishops of Australia,

We, the undersigned Roman Catholics of Australia, those faithful to the Pope and the Magisterium of the One, Holy, Catholic Church of Jesus Christ, wish to strongly oppose an open-letter petition presently being circulated by the Catholics for Renewal Movement of Australia. Let it be known that in no way does this accurately depict our attitude toward our Mother Church. We have seen this petition being touted in so many of our Parishes, hand in hand with an outcry against the removal of Bishop Morris from his Bishopric of Toowoomba, thankfully dismissed after many years of outright disobedience.

We agree that some Priests and liturgical movements of the Catholic Church in Australia no longer inspire many of our communities. They have become pastoral centres of extreme tolerance to all moralities and religions, to such a degree that there is no longer any sense of Catholic identity, absolute Truth, or, in many cases, any belief in the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacraments. Unfortunately, these well-intentioned, but misled Priests in these parishes view themselves as akin to Social Workers for the poor and marginalised, but at the same time often dismiss the importance of the mystical essence of our Faith, and fail to nourish the souls of the faithful.

We concur that there have been very distressing cases of sexual misconduct in the Catholic Church worldwide and that they are reflective of the wider social malaise occurring across all sectors of society. We are thankful to see so many of our seminaries now burgeoning with good, holy, celibate young men. We do not agree with the ordination of women priests, which we see as bowing to the feminist lobby. We fully acknowledge that Jesus Christ himself only ordained men into the priesthood, and therefore the Catholic Church has no authority to change this teaching.

We notice that in modernistic Parishes where these liberal attitudes are pervasive, Sunday Mass has become centred on entertainment rather than the worship of God, and vocations are falling. We support those faithful Priests who are obedient to the traditional teachings of the Holy Catholic Church, and we yearn for the time when the richness of Our Faith will once again be taught and revered.

For the greater glory of God,
The Undersigned