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November 15, 2014, Saturday —
(Continued from Letter #33 of November 14)
The letter I sent yesterday, on the controversial Kasper-Pentin
interview ofOctober 14, which I called the second
"revelatory moment" of the October Bishops' Synod, generated more
anger and criticism than any letter I have ever written.
Dozens of people wrote to me, and a number asked to be taken off
of this email list.
Most of the commenters felt that I had underestimated the grave
danger to Catholic faith and doctrine represented by Cardinal Kasper's
proposals on granting communion to divorced and remarried Catholics.
And many expressed frustration with Pope Francis for not ending
the "confusion" by publicly offering greater clarity about his own
intentions.
At the same time, Catholics in recent days, on the internet and
in publications, have spoken openly about the possibility of a schism in the
Church, with more "progressive" Catholics remaining with Pope
Francis, and more "traditional" Catholics breaking with him.
This would be, obviously, a tragic triumph for those forces
which oppose the Church's teaching on a whole range of moral issues.
And tendentious press accounts are likely to fuel such a
triumph.
The Concern: "Change practice, change of doctrine
follows"
Here is a sampling of the emails I received:
"Propaganda," wrote one reader of what I wrote.
"Doctrine cannot change, but it can certainly be undermined in practice.
This is what the Eastern Orthodox have done with Holy Matrimony, and this is
what is being suggested by Kasper and Bergoglio. If you're going to carry
water for that line, remove me from your email list. Thanks."
"May I ask why your latest article repeatedly assures
readers that Kasper said there will be no change in doctrine?" wrote
another. "When did he ever say there would be? Everyone knows that is
not and never has been the issue. What he (and clearly the Pope) want to
change is the related practice so as to allow people living in adultery to
receive Holy Communion, as Francis allowed in
"It's clear you really don't understand the damage that has
been done," wrote another. "Please unsubscribe me."
And, from a priest, "Change practice, change of doctrine
follows. I do not share in any way your certainty about the Pope's
intentions."
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The third "revelatory moment" at the Synod
The third "revelatory moment" at the Synod was the
moment when Francis read his final remarks to the Synod on October 18.
In those final remarks, Francis provided a framework for
understanding potential conflicting positions on the issues in question.
He suggests that the desire to defend traditional doctrine can lead to a type of “rigorism” and “legalism” which places heavy burdens on consciences. This is why he said there is a temptation in the Church to “hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word (the letter), and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises (the spirit)... From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called — today — ‘traditionalists’ and also of the intellectuals.”
But Francis also suggested that the desire to "relieve
burdens" can lead to a willingness to alter the truth about man, truth
without which men and women cannot find their way to their true happiness.
And this is why Francis also highlighted “the temptation to a
destructive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo],
that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the wounds without first curing
them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the
roots. It is the temptation of the 'do-gooders,' of the fearful, and also of
the so-called 'progressives and liberals.'"
One cannot but interpret them to mean that Francis is well aware
that any illness must be fought by going to the roots of it.
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Here is a complete text of the Pope's final address to the
Synod:
Francis’ Final Address to the Synod: Via Media or... By Pope Francis
October 18 2014
Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past days, with the light of the Holy Spirit. From the heart I thank Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, Bishop Fabio Fabene, under-secretary, and with them I thank the Relators, Cardinal Peter Erdo, who has worked so much in these days of family mourning [note: Cardinal Erdo's twin brother passed away a few days before the start of the Synod], and the Special Secretary Bishop Bruno Forte, the three President delegates, the transcribers, the consultors, the translators and the unknown workers, all those who have worked with true fidelity and total dedication behind the scenes and without rest. Thank you so much from the heart. I thank all of you as well, dear Synod fathers, Fraternal Delegates, Auditors, and Assessors, for your active and fruitful participation. I will keep you in prayer asking the Lord to reward you with the abundance of His gifts of grace! I can happily say that — with a spirit of collegiality and of synodality — we have truly lived the experience of “Synod,” a path of solidarity, a “journey together.” And it has been “a journey” — and like every journey there were moments of running fast, as if wanting to conquer time and reach the goal as soon as possible; other moments of fatigue, as if wanting to say “enough”; other moments of enthusiasm and ardour. There were moments of profound consolation listening to the testimony of true pastors, who wisely carry in their hearts the joys and the tears of their faithful people. Moments of consolation and grace and comfort hearing the testimonies of the families who have participated in the Synod and have shared with us the beauty and the joy of their married life. A journey where the stronger feel compelled to help the less strong, where the more experienced are led to serve others, even through confrontations. And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned: — One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve. From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – “traditionalists” and also of the intellectuals. — The temptation to a destructive tendency to goodness [it. buonismo], that in the name of a deceptive mercy binds the wounds without first curing them and treating them; that treats the symptoms and not the causes and the roots. It is the temptation of the “do-gooders,” of the fearful, and also of the so-called “progressives and liberals.” — The temptation to transform stones into bread to break the long, heavy, and painful fast (cf. Lk 4:1-4); and also to transform the bread into a stone and cast it against the sinners, the weak, and the sick (cf Jn 8:7), that is, to transform it into unbearable burdens (Lk 11:46). — The temptation to come down off the Cross, to please the people, and not stay there, in order to fulfil the will of the Father; to bow down to a worldly spirit instead of purifying it and bending it to the Spirit of God. — The temptation to neglect the “depositum fidei” [the deposit of the faith], not thinking of themselves as guardians but as owners or masters [of it]; or, on the other hand, the temptation to neglect reality, making use of meticulous language and a language of smoothing to say so many things and to say nothing! They call them “byzantinisms,” I think, these things… Dear brothers and sisters, the temptations must not frighten or disconcert us, or even discourage us, because no disciple is greater than his master; so if Jesus Himself was tempted – and even called Beelzebul (cf. Mt 12:24) – His disciples should not expect better treatment. Personally I would be very worried and saddened if it were not for these temptations and these animated discussions; this movement of the spirits, as St Ignatius called it (Spiritual Exercises, 6), if all were in a state of agreement, or silent in a false and quietist peace. Instead, I have seen and I have heard — with joy and appreciation — speeches and interventions full of faith, of pastoral and doctrinal zeal, of wisdom, of frankness and of courage: and of parresia. And I have felt that what was set before our eyes was the good of the Church, of families, and the “supreme law,” the “good of souls” (cf. And this is the Church, the vineyard of the Lord, the fertile Mother and the caring Teacher, who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves to pour oil and wine on people’s wound; who doesn’t see humanity as a house of glass to judge or categorize people. This is the Church, One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and composed of sinners, needful of God’s mercy. This is the Church, the true bride of Christ, who seeks to be faithful to her spouse and to her doctrine. It is the Church that is not afraid to eat and drink with prostitutes and publicans. The Church that has the doors wide open to receive the needy, the penitent, and not only the just or those who believe they are perfect! The Church that is not ashamed of the fallen brother and pretends not to see him, but on the contrary feels involved and almost obliged to lift him up and to encourage him to take up the journey again and accompany him toward a definitive encounter with her Spouse, in the heavenly Jerusalem. The is the Church, our Mother! And when the Church, in the variety of her charisms, expresses herself in communion, she cannot err: it is the beauty and the strength of the sensus fidei, of that supernatural sense of the faith which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit so that, together, we can all enter into the heart of the Gospel and learn to follow Jesus in our life. And this should never be seen as a source of confusion and discord. Many commentators, or people who talk, have imagined that they see a disputatious Church where one part is against the other, doubting even the Holy Spirit, the true promoter and guarantor of the unity and harmony of the Church — the Holy Spirit who throughout history has always guided the barque, through her Ministers, even when the sea was rough and choppy, and the ministers unfaithful and sinners. And, as I have dared to tell you, [as] I told you from the beginning of the Synod, it was necessary to live through all this with tranquillity, and with interior peace, so that the Synod would take place cum Petro and sub Petro (with Peter and under Peter), and the presence of the Pope is the guarantee of it all. We will speak a little bit about the Pope, now, in relation to the Bishops [laughing]. So, the duty of the Pope is that of guaranteeing the unity of the Church; it is that of reminding the faithful of their duty to faithfully follow the Gospel of Christ; it is that of reminding the pastors that their first duty is to nourish the flock – to nourish the flock — that the Lord has entrusted to them, and to seek to welcome — with fatherly care and mercy, and without false fears — the lost sheep. I made a mistake here. I said welcome: [rather] to go out and find them. His duty is to remind everyone that authority in the Church is a service, as Pope Benedict XVI clearly explained, with words I cite verbatim: “The Church is called and commits herself to exercise this kind of authority which is service and exercises it not in her own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ… through the Pastors of the Church, in fact: it is he who guides, protects and corrects them, because he loves them deeply. But the Lord Jesus, the supreme Shepherd of our souls, has willed that the Apostolic College, today the Bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter… to participate in his mission of taking care of God’s People, of educating them in the faith and of guiding, inspiring and sustaining the Christian community, or, as the Council puts it, ‘to see to it... that each member of the faithful shall be led in the Holy Spirit to the full development of his own vocation in accordance with Gospel preaching, and to sincere and active charity’ and to exercise that liberty with which Christ has set us free (cf. Presbyterorum Ordinis, 6)… and it is through us,” Pope Benedict continues, “that the Lord reaches souls, instructs, guards and guides them. St Augustine, in his Commentary on the Gospel of St John, says: ‘let it therefore be a commitment of love to feed the flock of the Lord’ (cf. 123, 5); this is the supreme rule of conduct for the ministers of God, an unconditional love, like that of the Good Shepherd, full of joy, given to all, attentive to those close to us and solicitous for those who are distant (cf. St Augustine, Discourse 340, 1; Discourse 46, 15), gentle towards the weakest, the little ones, the simple, the sinners, to manifest the infinite mercy of God with the reassuring words of hope (cf. ibid., Epistle, 95, 1).” So, the Church is Christ’s — she is His bride — and all the bishops, in communion with the Successor of Peter, have the task and the duty of guarding her and serving her, not as masters but as servants. The Pope, in this context, is not the supreme lord but rather the supreme servant — the “servant of the servants of God”; the guarantor of the obedience and the conformity of the Church to the will of God, to the Gospel of Christ, and to the Tradition of the Church, putting aside every personal whim, despite being — by the will of Christ Himself — the “supreme Pastor and Teacher of all the faithful” (Can. 749) and despite enjoying “supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church” (cf. Cann. 331-334). Dear brothers and sisters, now we still have one year to mature, with true spiritual discernment, the proposed ideas and to find concrete solutions to so many difficulties and innumerable challenges that families must confront; to give answers to the many discouragements that surround and suffocate families. One year to work on the “Synodal Relatio” which is the faithful and clear summary of everything that has been said and discussed in this hall and in the small groups. It is presented to the Episcopal Conferences as “lineamenta” [guidelines]. May the Lord accompany us, and guide us in this journey for the glory of His Name, with the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of [The hymn Te Deum was sung, and Benediction given.] Thank you, and rest well, eh? [Provisonal translation by Radio Vatican]
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The Anthropological Question
"You live in a deranged age, more deranged than usual,
because, in spite of great scientific and technological advances, man has not
the faintest idea of who he is or what he is doing." —Walker Percy (1916-1990),
American Catholic convert and writer, author of The Message in
the Bottle and Lost in the
Cosmos
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Reflections on the Teaching of Vatican II Through the Magisterium of John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis
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