Skip to main content

The aftermath of the Synod

Image
By
+
JMJ

Some time has elapsed since the conclusion of the Synod, which in theory should allow us to read commentary with greater objectivity.

I wonder which way the Pope will go ... we'll know when the exhortation finally is released.

P^3
Courtesy of SSPX.org



The aftermath of the Synod

November 13, 2015 
District of the USA
The Synod on the Family is over and the delegates have left the meeting hall, but complaints over the Final Report continue to resound.

Pastor's Corner for Sunday, November 15

How will the bishops react to the Final Report of the Synod published by Pope Francis? A highly pressurized synod, a poorly identified social context, a controversial final report allegedly promoting the good of the family, and to top it all, a cotton candy style offered to modern man—are these the wonderful fruits of the Synod on the Family?
It is enlightening to read some comments which are slowly coming out of the woodwork after the dust has settled upon last month’s great commotion surrounding the Synod. One such voice comes from a Romanian doctor, Anca Maria Cernea. Besides the issues with the language and the lack of time to review the reports, she evokes the lacunae of the original document called theInstrumentum laboris.
In this document, I discovered a language quite familiar, having lived in a Communist country. In the 3 minutes granted me on plenary session, I drew attention to all of these terms filled with ideological concepts which have nothing to do with the Gospel language and much more with Marxist ideology.
The main issue of the document is that it does not identify the true evil affecting families today. Beyond the economic and social issues, the first cause of the sexual revolution is cultural and ideological. We are still dealing with Marxism, albeit a cultural Marxism."[1]
On a very different topic, an episcopal voice is heard lamenting the tone of the report. Bishop Huonder from Chur, Switzerland, is unfolding the manifest hypocrisy of the cotton candy language more fit for children, which is utterly out of touch with reality and the people it addresses:
There is more about crescita, about our growth. The important thing ismaturazione, becoming mature. In this process the Church prefers to 'accompany' us rather than to scold. Gently, she wants to help us to 'discern'. But with this NewSpeak is the Church really taking us seriously?”[2]
He accuses the writers of being out of touch with the real issues in the Church, and of immaturity and displaced paternalism.
He then looks at those persons the Church is addressing when dealing with remarried divorcees and the like. Concerning their behavior, they are certainly not children, as they believe that they have maturity and independence:
They do not feel particularly guilty. They are not desperately seeking a mercy that the Church has purportedly denied them for a long time. If they want anything at all from the Church, other than simply being left in peace, then they probably want instead moral approval for their lifestyle, for the standards that are deemed good by the prevailing culture."
Bishop Huonder concludes that, at least the Church's former speech treated their listeners as adults, speaking with the clear language of Scripture:
Previously, the Church was more honest in this respect. With her clear speech she took for granted that we were adults. In the Book of Deuteronomy 30:19, we read: 'I have set before you, life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.' (Deut. 30, 19)."
We can only wish that the bishops had followed and applied the good old rite of episcopal consecration which demanded that they vow to never call evil good and good evil. But, unfortunately, too many of them have done what so many doctors have done with the Hippocratic Oath: belittling the importance of the oath, disobeying it privately, and finally throwing it out altogether so as to not disturb scrupulous consciences.
Footnotes
1 La Revue Item article of November 11, 2015, "Interview a Anca Maria Cernea".
2The following quotes are taken from The Catholic World Report article of November 4, 2015: "Brave New Church: Pastoral Cotton Candy instead of Clear Statements".
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Curious Case of Steve Skojec and the Dangers of Deep Diving into the Crisis Sub-Titled: The Failings of Others

By
 + JMJ It's been a while now since Steve Skojec sold 1P5 and abandoned the Catholic Faith. I've been a 'Trad' since 1982 and in those 40+ years I seen this death-spiral before with a similar end point. It seems that anyone who jumps into the fray unprepared for the enormous task of righting wrongs will, eventually, become discouraged by not the task but the people who surround them.   I remember when Skojec complained of the treatment his family received from a traditional priest.  This seems to have been the start of the end for him. So what can we learn from the likes of Steve Skojec, Michael Voris (maybe?), Louie Verrecchio, Gerry Matatix and other celebrity Catholics? Probably quite a lot about what not to do. First, don't burn out on the crisis?  When you burn out, on work or anything else, little things assume a more greater importance than they are due.   This is one of my 'canary in the coal mine' signals that I've been stretching myself too th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tradical Commentary on: Restore DC Catholicism: SSPX And Austrilian Bishops - Two Different Errors

By
+ JMJ An interesting thing has happened on the discussion that prompted my article on whether it is sinful to attend the Novus Ordo Missae .  The blog owner of RDCC has shut down discussion by locking the article. That is their prerogative, but I am puzzled as to why? Perhaps it has something to do with some of the latter comments. They didn't believe the teaching on intention with regards to confecting the Sacraments.  This is not the first time I've experienced incredulity on this topic ( reference articles ). Really this isn't about what they believe but the truth. They seem to believe that the objections to the Novus Ordo Missae are simply about "overly delicate sensibilities".  In response to this I am reblogging a number of articles by the SSPX. Perhaps it was the comment made by Bishop Schneider, a currently well revered hero (who deserved the accolades) but apparently has said something similar to the SSPX.   I suspect that it is more...
Post a Comment
Read more

Australia: Seal of the Confessional Outlawed at the Federal Level

By
+ JMJ This is simply another step in the attack on the Catholic Church. Interestingly, California's attempt to do the same failed. P^3 Courtesy of FSSPX.news Australia: Seal of the Confessional Outlawed at the Federal Level December 19, 2019 Source: fsspx.news On December 2, 2019, the Australian Conference of Bishops (ACBC) denounced the agreement between the Attorneys General of each state and the Australian federal government, with the aim of standardizing the laws imposing on priests the obligation to denounce any alleged fact of ill-treatment of minors that would be learned in the context of the sacrament of penance. “Counterproductive and unjust” are the terms with which Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Archbishop of Brisbane and President of the ACBC, denounced the new prejudicial legal norms on the sacramental seal of the confessional in Australia. The attorneys gener...
Post a Comment
Read more

Comparision of the Tridentine, Cranmer and Novus Ordo Masses

By
+ JMJ I downloaded the comparison that was linked in the previous article on the mass (here) . ... a very good reference! P^3 From: Whispers of Restoration (available at this link) . CHARTING LITURGICAL CHANGE Comparing the 1962 Ordinary of the Roman Mass to changes made during the Anglican Schism; Compared in turn to changes adopted in the creation of Pope Paul VI’s Mass in 1969 The chart on the reverse is a concise comparison of certain ritual differences between three historical rites for the celebration of the Catholic Mass Vetus Ordo: “Old Order,” the Roman Rite of Mass as contained in the 1962 Missal, often referred to as the “Traditional Latin Mass.”The Ordinary of this Mass is that of Pope St. Pius V (1570) following the Council of Trent (1545-63), hence the occasional moniker “Tridentine Mass.” However, Trent only consolidated and codified the Roman Rite already in use at that time; its essential form dates to Pope St. Gregory the Great (+604), in whose time the R...
Post a Comment
Read more

Morning and Evening and other sundry Prayers

By
+ JMJ Along the theme of P^3 (Prayer, Penance, Patience), and for my own reference ... here is a collection of Morning and Evening prayers from the Ideal Daily Missal along with some additional prayers. In this crisis of the Church, I do not think it is possible to do too much prayer, penance and have patience. P^3
Post a Comment
Read more