The signs are not looking good that Pope Francis will uphold traditional teaching forbidding Catholics in adulterous marriages from receiving communion. Edward Pentin at National Catholic Register brings us the bad news:
The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family has confirmed that Pope Francis’ post-synodal apostolic exhortation devoted to the family will be published by the end of March.
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia reportedly disclosed the news today at a conference with priests in Portugal, according to Il Sismografo, a semi-official Vatican news aggregator supervised by the Secretariat of State.
The Italian archbishop said the much-anticipated document, which summarizes the Pope’s conclusions of the two synods dedicated to the family, will be “a hymn to love, a love that wants to take care of the welfare of the young, to be close to wounded families to give them strength, a love that wants to be close to children as well as to all mankind in need. “
Well informed sources have told the Register that the document, which observers believe will probably be released on March 19 — the feast of St. Joseph and the 3rd anniversary of the Pope’s inauguration Mass — is in its third draft. They also say that the chief drafter is Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernández, rector of the the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina in Buenos Aires and one of Pope Francis’ closest advisers.
One reliably informed source, a recognized moral theologian who has seen the draft, said he was “deeply disturbed” by the text as it “calls into question the natural moral law”. A senior Vatican official said he had heard the draft was good, but that was “some time ago”. He said he expects it to be similar to the Ordinary Synod’s final report, almost all of which the synod fathers passed unanimously.
Many are looking to the post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the family to give clarification on where the Pope stands on the issue of Communion for remarried divorcees, and what it will say about other crucial moral and theological issues.
Earlier this week, Vatican analyst Andrea Gagliarducci reported that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has studied the draft and sent a long note with several doctrinal remarks, rumored to be 40 pages in length.
A senior Vatican source told the Register last week that the CDF has offered “all kinds of observations” on other documents as well during this pontificate, “but none of them are ever taken.” The dicastery, like much of the Roman Curia, is largely left out of such processes and is considered to be “isolated”, according to sources.
Go here to read the rest. PopeWatch finds it amusing that defenders of Pope Francis often admonish Catholic critics of the Pope by saying that Pope Francis is the type of Pope that God wants the Church to have at present. If so, apparently God wants the Church to have a Pope who couldn’t care less about Catholic doctrine when it stands in his way.
I still don’t think the pope will explicitly allow communion for Catholics in invalid marriages. I believe that he will just look the other way at Cupich-like bishops (who Pope Francis will create by the boatload when given the chance)who allow it in their dioceses. I find this scenario all the more disturbing because if he does come right and allow the illicit practice, at it can be directly laid at his feet. Whereas with the other scenario, the traditional practice will only be valid on paper, but dead letter in practice by and large. But we’ll see when the exhortation comes out.
Doctrine and dogma cannot be changed, true enough, but like a marriage where the partners are unfaithful to each other, technically it is still a “legal” marriage. That is precisely the mindset that I fear from those that cunningly play the same anti-truth game within God’s Holy Church.
Trusting in God to “eventually” remedy this mess, is pretty much all we have–which really is all that is required. It’s called faith. It’s time to double -down on it.
“Trusting in God to “eventually” remedy this mess, is pretty much all we have–which really is all that is required.”
I disagree. We are God’s instruments in this Vale of Tears and we have a duty to defend Catholic teaching. Over the past half century too many Catholics have sat back in despair as the Faith has been mutilated and treated like a lab experiment.
If the Pope does speak “ex cathedra” in changing the Church’s discipline wwith respect to communion for divorced and remarried couples, then we will be faced with a choice between continuing to be members of a Church headed by a heretic who teaches falsehood or going elsewhere like SSPX. Something has to happen. In good conscience I can not support this Pope or what he says or does any more than I can support President Barack Hussein Obama. I am beyond disgusted. But wicked leaders are a punishment for a wicked people.
Trusting in God, in no way is a signal of despair, nor is it a signal of surrender. it is merely a renewal of purpose in the face of harsh reality, and it is a real cause for joy because our victory is to be guaranteed, perhaps not visible to our eyes, perhaps it might just be even in the fight itself, regardless of how it turns out in this world.
The danger comes when we instead trust in just fighting like all Hades and then fail to win the temporal victories….
Greg–I think you are correct but it will be done more overtly. PF has since the beginning pushed for a “synodal” church devolving ecclesiastical authority to the bishop conferences. See exhortation gaudi.
Donald –you are correct about our obligation as laity, thus, we see Hope witnessed by the massive rally for the family in Rome at which the Bishop of Rome was noticeably absent.
LQC–the Church needs us. The sacraments sustain us. I recommend reading a remarkable interview of Bishop Schneider found at Rorate Caeli. Opposition to very troubling and consequential tendencies of this papacy is not opposition to the Church.
“Trusting in God, in no way is a signal of despair, nor is it a signal of surrender.”
Too often it is an excuse for passivity in the face of evil. In the Talmud it is noted that God did not part the Red Sea until one of the Israelite standard bearers had the courage to leap into the Sea. Faith in God is essential, but it is useless in this Vale of Tears unless it is combined with action.
’14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your[a] works, and I will show you my faith by my[b] works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?[c] 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[d] And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James 2: 14-26
No one knows what the Apostolic Exhortation will contain, or when it will be published.
In the meantime, we should draw confidence from the Holy Father’s words spoken at the beginning of the Synodical process:
“the synodal process culminates in listening to the Bishop of Rome, called upon to speak authoritatively [It. pronunciare] as ‘Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians’: not on the basis of his personal beliefs, but as the supreme witness of the Faith of the whole Church, the guarantor of the Church’s conformity with and obedience to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ and the Tradition of the Church.”
The Holy Father, you will recall, went on to explain that the Synod always acts cum Petro et sub Petro – with Peter and under Peter – a fact that does not constitute a restriction of freedom, but a guarantee of unity. “In fact,” he said, “the Pope is, by the will of the Lord, ‘the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful.’”
We really agree, I suspect. All I’m saying is that this is really God’s battle too, and thus we (his warriors?) need to go back to the well (God) for nourishment, and not rely solely upon our being right, and our willingness to do battle as a cure for what is happening.
Despair comes from assuming it is just ours, when it goes poorly (as now) or that we can control the outcome.
We have our model in Jesus Himself who told Peter to put away the sword and he retreated to rely upon God (His Father) in such times of trouble, when evil even then raised it’s head within His church.
“It is not for you to have knowledge of the time and the order of events which the Father has kept in his control” (Acts 1: 7).
God will destroy this earth and time eventually.
St Paul passively submitted himself to Roman Law, but he still referred in part to that as having “fought the good fight” and today his words still live everywhere.
We really agree, I suspect. All I’m saying is that this is really God’s battle too, and thus we (his warriors) need to go back to the well (God) for nourishment, and not rely solely upon our being right, and our willingness to do battle as a cure for what is happening.
Despair comes from assuming it is just ours, when it goes poorly (as now) or that we can control the outcome.
We have our model in Jesus Himself who told Peter to put away the sword and he retreated to rely upon God (His Father) in such times of trouble, when evil, even then, raised it’s head within His church.
“It is not for you to have knowledge of the time and the order of events which the Father has kept in his control” (Acts 1: 7).
God will destroy this earth and time eventually.
St Paul passively submitted himself to Roman Law, but he still referred in part to that as having “fought the good fight” and today his words still live everywhere.
I would like a suggestion. Exactly what the **** am I or any other Catholic who tries to live by Catholic teaching supposed to do when the Roman Pontiff is hell bent on changing doctrine?
Fight Back? Sure, but how? I can’t vote him out. Pray for him to resign? Pray for his death? Pray that a thunderbolt of wisdom penetrates his head?
He listens to Kasper, who wants to scrap Catholic teaching on divorce and remarriage so the German Church can keep living fat and happy. This is pure hypocrisy from this Roman Pontiff, who is usually bitching about capitalism and pleading the case of the poor.
Pope Benedict tried hard to set things right. He got old and tired and we ended up with this Pontiff. I find it best to deal with him by ignoring him.
How many bishops and priests already ignore Catholic teaching about Holy Communion for dicorced and remarried Catholics without an annulment?
I say it again – I have read that as a Catholic I am to “love” the Pope. Well, I don’t.
“Fight Back? Sure, but how?”
Outlast him. Complain about his initiatives constantly. Support clergy brave enough to speak out. Patronize blogs where Truth is spoken fluently. Teach your kids the Truth. Make sure that the Pope can never rest easy under the assumption there is no opposition to what he is doing. This is not the first bad Pope the Church has had, and he will not be the last. We can do this.
I’m with Donald. We must fight back. We are part of the Church Militant. We have Bishop Schneider on our side. And we believe God is on our side. We have the 100th anniversary of Fatima next year whose message has not been fully revealed due to disobedience which will not go unpunished. Given the condition of His Church and it’s leaders today I expect Christ will manifest his will soon in ways that will be very clear especially to our dear Pope.
“This is not the first bad Pope the Church has had, and he will not be the last. We can do this.”
And given the present makeup of the College of Cardinals, this may not be the last bad pope in our lifetime.
“this may not be the last bad pope in our lifetime.”
Perhaps not, although I suspect that a majority of the cardinals are not enamored of the autocratic ways of Pope Francis. Conclaves can, and often do, produce surprises.
Oh, I will do my best to outlast this Pontiff. My parents kinda dropped the ball when it came to Catholic education, but I am not making that mistake. My boys will know Catholic history, the good and the bad, so when bad characters show up, they know not to lose faith.
“Conclaves can, and often do, produce surprises.”
In this light Pope Francis is right when he says God is the God of surprises.
” If so, apparently God wants the Church to have a Pope who could care less”. It should read:
“couldn’t care less”
Thank-you for keeping Catholic’s informed about what this Pope is doing to the Church.
Dont worry. All these will eventually pass.
http://popeleo13.com/pope/2016/02/04/category-archive-message-board-550-error-will-not-last/