Fishwrap starts to spin Holy See’s smackdown of the LCWR

Let the games begin!

The Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) is now between a rock and a hard spot.

The NSR and LCWR are practically one flesh.  At the same time, NSR has been crooning about Pope Francis new “humble” style.

I have been predicting that liberals will eventually turn on Francis (HERE). He will reaffirm things that they want overturned and they will go for him.

The CDF’s Francis-approved smackdown of the LCWR today present a dilemma.

Over at the NSR, there is a first attempt to spin out from between the rock and hard spot.

The writer, Joshua McElwee, has been among the most zealous supporters of the LCWR.

Watch how McElwee attempts to redirect attention from Francis’ involvement to the role of dicasteries of the Roman Curia.

Pope Francis reaffirms LCWR critique, plan to reform
Joshua J. McElwee

[…]

Notice of Monday’s meeting could reawaken a divide between members of the Vatican bureaucracy over how to handle the sisters’ group.

While the doctrinal congregation may be taking a hard-line approach, [the villain of the story] the Vatican congregation responsible for overseeing the work of religious orders [the good guys] around the world recently has taken a more sensitive tack, even indicating it sought dialogue with the sisters.  [What a load of … peach cobbler!  “hard-line”… “dialogue”… “sensitive”… If you can clear that loud buzzing from your head as you read this, the CDF has been in constant “dialogue” with the LCWR.  McElwee suggests that the CDF refuses to “listen”, as opposed to the “sensitive” Congregation.  Did an LCWR sister ghost write this for him?]

The April 6 appointment of Franciscan Fr. José Rodríguez Carballo as the second-in-command of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Pope Francis’ first appointment to the Vatican bureaucracy, seemed to approve the softer approach: [Oh?] Rodríguez’s colleagues said he is someone who seeks collaboration rather than conflict.

[…]

McElwee is dodging a couple things.

The CDF is the only dicastery that matters for the LCWR right now.

Pope Francis approved what the CDF did today.

Keep your eyes on the ball! 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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21 Comments

  1. Pingback: Pope Francis and the L. C. W. R. | Big Pulpit

  2. LarryW2LJ says:

    “But Father, but Father” ….. peach cobbler? That’s one of my faves.

    ;)

  3. Jean Marie says:

    Ooooh – this is gonna be good! Get the popcorn ready.

  4. catholicmidwest says:

    I doubt that the LCWR will get what it wants. On the other hand, the fact that the new head of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is a religious himself may mean that he understands the history of what’s happened and can deal with the problems more effectively than someone who doesn’t have that experience. I’m telling you, it’s more complicated and long-standing than most lay Catholics realize. It’s a mess.

  5. gjp says:

    You will know the exact moment when the media turns on Pope Francis. They will begin quoting from the classic film “Stripes” and say the following:

    “Lighten up, Francis!”

  6. netokor says:

    The sisterhood of pantsuits needs to leave the Church and follow the geriatric teachings of Barbara Marx Hubbard while they still have time.

  7. catholicmidwest says:

    Hoping that people leave the Church is always a problematic thing, netokor. I mean, yes, we get angry at people and some people are profoundly wrong in their opinions and actions, but wishing them out of the church? No. We can hope and pray that they come around. We can hope and pray that this enormously tangled and unfortunate situation of long-standing is remedied. We can pray for the misled and the captive and those in error. There are a lot of things that are better than just wishing people would go away.

  8. Gaetano says:

    BAZINGA!

  9. onosurf says:

    We’ll see who is reading the tea leaves correctly when there is finally *action*, or lack thereof. This is most intriguing.

  10. tcreek says:

    http://ncronline.org/blogs/where-i-stand/who-are-people-who-were-waiting-pope-francis

    Who are the people who were waiting for Pope Francis?
    Joan Chittister | Mar. 14, 2013
    People are weary of hearing more about the laws of the church than the love of the Jesus who says whatever a person’s struggles, “Remember, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

    No doubt about it: We know who the people are who have been waiting for a pope and why they are weary. The question now is, Does he know how weary they are? And does he care? Really?
    From where I stand, something has to change. Maybe, just maybe, this time …

    Sorry, Sr. Joan

  11. I have been predicting that liberals will eventually turn on Francis (HERE). He will reaffirm things that they want overturned and they will go for him.

    One thing Pope Francis has done is bring to the fore a lack of faith in Catholics both left and right. The lefties hope he will change doctrines; the righties fear he will change doctrines. We know — or should know — from our faith that both the hope and the fear are misplaced.

  12. Soporatus says:

    I’m new. What is the backstory behind the term “Fishwrap” for the NCR? Does is have anything to do with the ancient Christian acronym, ??????

  13. B16_Fan says:

    Great movie gjp! Came out my senior year. Flash forward 30+ years and I can hear the fishwrap with a quivering lip and welled-up eyes moaning “But I thought he was our Uncle Hulka!”

  14. VexillaRegis says:

    Soporatus: Well, no :-). In the olden days the fishmongers used yesterday’s newspapers to make a wrap for the customer to take his fish home with him. The next day the paper would stink, just as Fr. Z thinks the NCR does.

  15. catholicmidwest says:

    Miss Anita Moore OP, you said, “One thing Pope Francis has done is bring to the fore a lack of faith in Catholics both left and right. The lefties hope he will change doctrines; the righties fear he will change doctrines. We know — or should know — from our faith that both the hope and the fear are misplaced.

    BINGO! I agree.

  16. wmeyer says:

    Oddly enough, there are quite a few comments to the article pointing out that the LCWR is not righteous in this disagreement, and that the Pope and CDF are not wrong. Very unusual for the Fishwrap, in my limited experience.

  17. OrthodoxChick says:

    VexillaRegis,
    What-da-ya mean by “in the olden days”? Fishmongers STILL use yesterday’s newspaper for fishwrap. Heck, back in my old neighborhood here in New England, I even get my take-out friday fish ‘n chips handed to me in fishwrap. Although they use their own local liberal rag to do the job…

  18. VexillaRegis says:

    OrthodoxChick: LOL! Well, here (in Scandinavia)the fishmongers switched to white paper some twenty years ago, so I thought you did away with the newspaper wraps even earlier! I got the impression that Soporatus was quite young and hadn’t had his fish with the news of yesterday. Nice though to hear that a custom of The Old World still is alive in The New World ;-)

  19. netokor says:

    Hi, Catholicmidwest. They have caused great harm and scandal. You are correct that balancing charity and the protection of the Faith is a formidable affair. But I don’t think they have been Catholic religious for a very long time now. Does the Faith not deserve protection from recalcitrant heretics?

  20. Soporatus says:

    Vex & Ortho, gratias vobis.
    dormivi & soporatus sum

  21. Bea says:

    “Keep your eyes on the ball! ”
    Fr. Z., I suppose you mean that Soccer Ball as you posted on a latter thread.
    Lets see what the LCWR will bounce back with, in their next talks with CDF.
    Those mean old boys kicking those poor soccer balls around.
    These ongoing talks beats any soap operas the Networks can come up with or any soccer game on ESPN.
    Those soccer balls trying to make a goal with their new-found dogmas:
    as I remember Joan Chittister once said at a nuns conference: “The heresy of today is the dogma of tomorrow”

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