During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Mao and other leaders signaled to the masses, such as gangs of students, whom they should target for attack and public abuse. Quickly the mobs, led by party cadres, began to conduct purges of “enemies of the people”. In those dark days even the slightest suggestion that you were a counter-revolutionary, a foreign agent, an intellectual or a capitalist roader (e.g., anyone whom you don’t like), could result in your being condemned in a public mob trial, physically abused and humiliated, exiled to hard labor, or thrown out of a high window. Children learned to tattle on parents and neighbors and turn them in to the Red Guards for “struggle sessions”. Forgetting or misquoting a slogan from the Little Red Book, could instantly result in your dwelling being trashed, your head shaved, a sign strung around your neck as for hours you performed kowtow to the People begging their forgiveness.

At rallies of the Red Guard, Lin Biao urged the mob to destroy the Four Olds: traditional customs, culture, habits and ideas. What those were, exactly, was hard to specify, but they enthusiastically wrecked havoc, destroyed and assaulted.

In a letter to his infamous wife, Mao wrote in 1966 of his determination to create “great disorder under heaven” in order to achieve “great order under heaven” down the line. Hence, he and the high leaders gave vague signals about whom and what traditional things and thoughts to target, and the mob did the rest.

Something of the same dynamic is rising in the catholic Left.

The new catholic Left cadres have received signals from on high and they are now starting to target anyone whom they deem might not tow their party line. They are whistling and pointing to Enemies of the People.

A perfect example of this can be found today in the synergy of a liberal liturgy blog, Pray Tell, and homosexualist activist Jesuit Fr. James Martin.

Pray Tell, on 22 October, posted about the content of a communication sent from the office of the Vicar General in the Diocese of Madison to all the priests of the diocese. Each Saturday, the VG’s office sends a kind of “saddle bag” of useful information to the clergy. The VG’s saddle bag of 21 October contained the VG’s thoughts about funeral rites for those in same-sex relationships. Apparently, a disgruntled Madison priest sent it to a sympathetic Pray Tell.

Today, homosexualist activist James Martin opened fire against Bp. Morlino on Twitter, picking up from Pray Tell.

Martin post 5 TWEETS about this. Here is the first.

A Catholic bishop recently wrote a directive for priests for funerals for persons in a “Homosexual Civil or Notorious Union,” asking, to minimize “scandal” and “confusion”: “Was the deceased or the ‘partner’ a promoter of the “gay” lifestyle?” 1/5 https://t.co/RuD82IiyL6 — James Martin, SJ (@JamesMartinSJ) October 23, 2017

It should be made clear that this first tweet attack on Bp. Morlino, is not accurate. The thing Pray Tell picked up was a communication from the Vicar General’s office, not from the Bishop. It was not a statement of diocesan policy. Clearly, there cannot be a “one size fits all” policy for complicated situations. What the communication said is that each situation had to be thought through “thoroughly and prudently” and that they could consult with the Bishop.

It is disturbing that a priest of the diocese would so betray his bishop in this manner, but this is a fallen world. That’s bad, but oh well.

What is more disturbing is the trend building among the catholic Left, of building an Enemies List. It’s downright evil.

So, James Martin, SJ, smeared Bp. Morlino – in public – and with something inaccurate. Now watch the black and chilling sleet of hatred that he initiated… on purpose.

I suspect the Jesuit doesn’t care, because his task was fulfilled.

Like a zealous cadre who is “on message” about destroying the Four Olds, Martin worked in conjunction with a liberal blog to signal an “Enemy of the People” to the mobs.

As you read blogs or watch Twitter, watch for this phenomenon, the pattern of, first, an accusation (even with something untrue or inaccurate) from one of the cadres of the chaos (e.g., James Martin SJ, Antonio Spadaro SJ, Thomas Rosica CSB, Michael Sean Winters, Robert Mickens, Gerard O’Connell, Joshua McElwee, Andrea Grillo, Austen Ivereigh, Massimo Faggioli, etc., and entire publications general such as Fishwrap, The Tablet (aka “The Bitter Pill” now pro-abortion), Jesuit-run Amerika, Commonweal, La Croix, etc.), followed by the echo-chamber of hate and division.

And please don’t even try to tell me to tone down the rhetoric. Not today.