TUALATIN, Oregon (LifeSiteNews) – A Catholic church in Oregon is promoting non-Christian practices of prayer and is helping raise funds for a Buddhist monastery in India.
On Wednesday, June 26, Resurrection Catholic Parish in Tualatin hosted a talk by Tibetan Buddhist monks on non-Christian “meditation.” The event included a sale of handcrafted items made by the monks in an effort to raise money for their monastery in India.
Resurrection Parish is within the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, under Archbishop Alexander Sample, who is known for his orthodoxy and love for the Church’s traditional liturgy.
LifeSiteNews reached out both to the pastor, Fr. Bill Moisant, and to the Chancery in the Archdiocese of Portland to ask why a Catholic church is hosting a lecture on Buddhist mediation rather than the rich tradition of Catholic meditation and contemplation as found in the writings of the saints, doctors of the Church, and the canonized mystics such as St. John of the Cross or St. Therese of Lisieux, who are proven masters of the spiritual life.
LifeSiteNews also asked why Resurrection Catholic Parish is raising money for monks who are not even Christian, and whether this is not a form of endorsement for another religion. It was also inquired whether the event was hosted with the knowledge and permission of Archbishop Sample.
No reply was forthcoming from either the parish or the diocese before publication.
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