Smoking Gun Book™ about last year’s chaotic Synod

Do not… DO NOT… succumb to Synod Fatigue!

We need all hands on deck right now, before the storm, to batten down the hatches and reef the sails.

My spies tell me that this upcoming Synod will not be smooth sailing.  The “other side” has been preparing their machinations ahead of time.  My hope is that the “good guys” are also consulting with each other before the Synod begins.

What can we do?  We can keep ourselves informed, use alternative Catholic media sources for news… you can bet that the liberal catholics will have their outlets as well as the secular MSM on their side.

What else?  You can fast and you can pray.

That said, my friend Edward Pentin’s new book has been released by Ignatius Press (bless them for fighting the good fight).  HERE

The book is not inaccurate!  Note especially the part about how the head of the Vatican’s Synod office, Card. Baldisseri, boosted and hijacked the Five Cardinals Book™, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the Catholic Church (UK HERE), sent through Italian post to the Vatican Post mail slots designated for each Synod member.

It’s Cold War stuff.

The Rigging of a Vatican Synod?
An Investigation of Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family

Excerpt in CWR HERE.

BTW… I don’t think that Communion for the divorced and remarried is going to get anywhere.  I don’t think that that was the true agenda from the start.  There is some discussion of a certain lobby at work.  But I digress….

Pentin, who is fair, tries to view the Synod from different perspectives.  He explains the influence of the media in the controversy.

Is the Holy Father trying to create some “lío” in order to produce clarity down the line?

The Eleven Cardinals Book™ is on its way.

Eleven Cardinals Speak On Marriage and the Family

Eleven Cardinals Book

Edited by Winfried Aymans the Eleven Cardinals Book is slated for release on 25 September (in advance of the Synod on the Family).  For more on the Cardinals, HERE.  The publisher is – who else? – Ignatius Press!

This book has as its focus merciful pastoral ministry to those who are in challenging marriage situations.  It will address marriage preparation, evangelization and conversion, the situation of the divorced and civilly remarried.

Next… slated for release on 28 September (in advance of the Synod on the Family), also from Ignatius Press (who else?)…

Christ’s New Homeland – Africa: A contribution to the Synod on the Family

This is the Ten Africans Book™!  This book may be the German dissidents worst nightmare.

Christs New Homeland Africa

Ten African cardinals and bishops wrote essays about the attitudes of Africans about marriage and the family.   The indomitable Francis Card. Arinze wrote the preface.

Among the cardinals and bishops are

Card. Sarah
Card. Arinze
Card. Tumi
Card. Sarr
Arcbp. Kleda

There will be Kindle versions of both.

Get a Kindle now, if you don’t have one already.  USA HERE – UK HERE

 

 

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in Si vis pacem para bellum!, Sin That Cries To Heaven, Synod, The Coming Storm, The Drill and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

37 Comments

  1. MWindsor says:

    “…one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops.”

  2. juergensen says:

    The true agenda behind this Synod is not Communion for the civilly divorced and civilly remarried, but rather to lay the foundation stone for Church recognition of homosexual civil marriage. That is, once the Church invites to Communion adulterers living in a civil marriage, how can it not also invite to Communion sodomites living in a civil marriage? And if adultery is not a mortal sin that precludes one from Communion, then neither is sodomy. And if adultery and sodomy are not mortal sins, then there are no mortal sins. And if there are no mortal sins, why Christ? This all gives us a glimpse of the real being behind the Synod.

  3. DisturbedMary says:

    Right now I am in duck and cover mode awaiting the arrival of Pope Francis in New York. After the Holy Father delivers his message to Castro, Cardinal Dolan, the UN, the climatists, the unmerciful, the homeless, the rich, the Congress and the President, and if the dust ever settles from the all Families are Families Festival in Philly, I will come out from under my desk to man the Synod wall.

  4. StWinefride says:

    Cardinal Burke has asked for the Chaplet of the Holy Face of Jesus to be prayed by the Faithful for the upcoming Synod in October.

    “Arise, O Lord, and let Thy enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee fly before Thy Face!”

    https://wdtprs.com/2014/10/devotion-to-the-holy-face-of-jesus/

    The 7th International Prayer Congress for Life will be held in Fatima from 2nd – 7th October 2015:

    http://www.hli.org/2015/07/fatima-international-prayer-congress-for-life/

    Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

  5. jacobi says:

    Father, We are in difficult and troubling times, generally, and within the Church

    This Synod on the Family should never have taken place. That has been obvious for some time and much bad will come out of it. So why?

    Is a “Jesuitical” plot, destined to make things better in the end . No. That only happens in novels

    Is it confused thinking. Possibly.

    The Church at present is in a mess. After the Synod it will be in a bigger mess. You don’t have to be clever to see that. So why?

    I don’t know!!

    What I do know is that the Family was never the objective. Something else was. Marriage, homosexual marriage, the Real Presence, the Ordained priesthood, or sin itself. You could make out a case for all?

    One good thing for me personally is a re-newed understanding of and acceptance of the Holy Ghost.

    Only He can get us out of this mess.

  6. John Grammaticus says:

    Father you ask us not to sucumb to ‘synod fatigue’ well how can I when you and every other orthodox blogger has been going on about it for the last year? [you can’t see it, but I am pounding my forehead on the desk after a face-palm.]

    As for praying and fasting, why Bother? God doesn’t listen to me when I beg him to make this life just a ‘little bit easier’, so why would he listen to me on the synod. As a matter of fact why can’t God just sort the likes of Kasper el al out without needing us to ask for him to do so?

    [Fine. Denigrate the use of prayer and fasting and leave us Catholics in the lurch. ‘Bye!]

  7. SimonR says:

    That’s my evening reading sorted. I have just bought my copy from Ignatius Press for the Kindle.

    As an aside, Cardinal Burke met Pope Francis at the end of the General Audience today.

    https://twitter.com/Cindy_Wooden/status/638996602837966848

    What can that mean??? Anything?

  8. Grateful to be Catholic says:

    Whatever the real agenda, and I think it is not a good one, one thing has certainly been accomplished: the Synod and just about everyone else have been distracted from what should have been the main goal, to bolster the understanding and appreciation of forming strong, stable, and large families and supporting them in societies that are now committing demographic suicide.

    Try as I might, I cannot find an explanation that pleases for the actions of Pope Francis, Cardinal Kasper, Cardinal Baldisseri, Archbishop Forte, and their supporters. We are indeed in big trouble and need prayer and fasting as well as much active opposition. Thank you Cardinals Pell and Napier, the Five, the Eleven, the Africans, and all who are working to defend the Truth.

  9. JARay says:

    Father Ray Blake on his blog makes an interesting observation and that is that all this commotion is actually making people turn to what the actual teaching of the Church is and it is forcing the Faithful to look at that teaching with new eyes and real understanding. We are going through a cleansing process right now. I do recommend all to take a look at his blog.

    Fr. Z's Gold Star Award

  10. Cradle Catholic says:

    Just got this at the Rorate Caeli Website: Cardinal Burke will be a key note speaker at the following: [see below, the event will be live streamed for those interested]

    EVENT Pre-Synod Address and Pontifical High Mass – Cardinal Burke at Steubenville – The Synod on the Family: Addressing the Instrumentum Laboris
    Keynote: His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke

    September 8, 2015

    The Ordinary General Synod of Bishops will meet for the 14th time from October 4-25, 2015, in the Vatican adressing the theme, “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world.”

    As the bishops prepare to meet, the “working document” for their preparation and eventual discussion, the Instrumentum Laboris, has received much scrutiny. His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, the Cardinal Patronus of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, will deliver a keynote address at Franciscan University concerning the synod and the issues it will address.

    Following his address, Cardinal Burke will be joined by eight experts in various fields of theology and philosophy. The members of the panel have all submitted essays on various aspects of the Instrumentum Laboris for inclusion in a book to be published by Emmaus Road before the synod.

    The day will begin with a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form offered by Cardinal Burke at St. Peter Parish in downtown Steubenville with sacred music supplied by the University’s Schola Cantorum Franciscana, directed by Nicholas Will, professor of Sacred Music, and accompanied on the organ by Andrew Barnick ’15.

    Live Streaming
    This event will be live streamed. Come back to this page for the live stream on the day of the event.

    http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/08/event-pre-synod-address-and-pontifical.html

  11. Polycarpio says:

    Is this a Church Synod or the Democratic Convention? I ask because I am greatly distressed at the constant campaigning, speechifying, negative attacks, and pushing of wedge issues on BOTH sides. I get that we have red flags in the field–I share the concerns about those issues. But if we don’t want “Synod fatigue,” then may I suggest we dial it down a little bit and make the rational arguments in a calm and collected tone and avoid the “us vs. them” mentality.

  12. Robbie says:

    To say I’m fearful of what may happen at the Synod is an understatement. My concern is twofold right now. First, the Kasper proposal may not have the two thirds support, but Francis may ultimately decide it’s what he wants and goes against the Synod. Second, if the Kasper proposal does get implemented, it could set the stage for a serious fracture among the Cardinals and Bishops.

  13. transparent2one says:

    The goal of the revolutionaries is not to change the teaching of the church. Even if the teaching is made clearer and stronger they win because all they are shooting for are results “. With the help of the msm and various other sources they achieve their desired results. The truth will remain the truth but the lie will be more accepted.

  14. benedetta says:

    Synod Fatigue is not something I will ever be succumbing to, Father — because, I for one am hoping that this Synod GOES ON FOREVERRRRR…(hagan lio). I just never tire of observing au courant and self-styled “liberals” employing the favored tactics totalitarian empires of yore in pursuit of the goal of “dialogue” and “theology”…It’s kind of like watching an epic and gory horror flick unfold in episode by riveting episode, no?

  15. Nan says:

    Card. Burke wasn’t fired, he was unleashed.

  16. Maltese says:

    “Christ’s New Homeland-Africa”–indeed! We in the west have given-up our religious patrimony; maybe it is time to pass-the-torch to the birthplace of St. Augustine.

  17. organistjason says:

    Will the Bishop of Rome invite one of the Brightest minds in the Church? Whom he has had “issues” with? His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke? If he wanted someone who would be honest and speak truth to power, the answer is yes. But alas, I don’t see a last minute addition coming.

  18. Pingback: T -32: The Law of Unintended Consequences Bites! | The Deus Ex Machina Blog

  19. Nicolas Bellord says:

    In May there was the Shadow Synod when the KasperKampf set out their wares. I am no theologian but a mere lawyer and I have tried to analyse the talks of each of the speakers. The results of my endeavours are on:
    guildofblessedtitus.blogspot.co.uk

  20. mcgarveya says:

    Can’t wait to buy all three books that Ignatius is putting out in Septmeber (the 11, the Africans, and the Cardinal Sarah book). I talked to some of the management at Ignatius when the diocese I teach in hosted the NCEA national conference last April. They were mortified about the goings on of the Kasper supporters and they were hawking “Remaining in the Truth of Christ” as hard as I’ve ever seen a publisher try and get a book out, including giving people free copies just so they could be informed, which is how I got my copy. Plus, the priest that was there working the booth made a few witty remarks about “On Eagle’s Wings” that had my sides hurting because I was laughing so hard.

  21. donato2 says:

    http://files.queriniana.it/Books/2074/gdt0383a.pdf

    A book of essays edited by Antonio Spadaro is now being published in Italy. The title is “The Family, Field Hospital.” The introduction, which summarizes the essays, is linked to above (it’s in Italian). Judging from the introduction some of the essays, as might be expected, are oriented toward changing Church practices and/or doctrine (things along the following lines: “tradition means the practices of the People of God,” “the Bible reveals a surprising flexibility to the meaning of ‘family,'” etc.)

  22. Elizabeth D says:

    After meeting Alice Heinzen, a laywoman who with her husband was an auditor in the hall the whole synod, I am not sure I believe all the claims about manipulation. The claims don’t square with what she told me she saw and heard and experienced and I do not see any explanation for this disconnect. It’s disappointing Pentin would write a book without reaching out to the Heinzens to hear their firsthand information. It’s usually been unclear what is the exact source of information and what is the quality of the information for these claims.

  23. Kathleen10 says:

    “Kill the messenger.” To me it’s an odd and unhelpful response to tough things, but so many people fall into this. “I don’t want to hear it, so please don’t talk about it. It is upsetting.”
    Yes, it is upsetting, and yet we have to face it. Because we must! If only avoidance changed reality, I would be all for it. I would be the Queen of Avoidance and my Kingdom would be the beach.
    This is spiritual warfare and even temporal warfare. It’s here, don’t avoid, don’t hide, accept your duty and then do it. What an exciting time to be Catholic! In past generations, it has been easy to be Catholic, but no more, now it’s hard and may cost us something. How glorious! Every time we defend our faith or pray about this we are participants in active, supernatural battle. That is just amazing to consider.
    I would much prefer it if the Holy Father would say all the things I want to hear and did all the things I would prefer he do. But that is not likely. What I do know is that nothing escapes God’s attention and he is in control of his church. This is not a time for fear! We can be confident, very confident, that whatever man does God will ultimately deal with, no matter how bad it looks.

    Thank you to Fr. Z. for keeping us posted on developments. The best thing I can say about the Internet is that at least we are not completely in the dark about these things as we once were, and if these unpleasant matters were not discussed and we were not kept apprised of what is happening, that is a vastly more unsettling place to be. I know. I lived there for thirty years, perceiving growing darkness in the church but not understanding why and definitely not “who”.
    The truth unsettles people and that is understandable, but we MUST know and we do not want to overly focus on “positivity”, which just glosses over hard truths. Battle is not pretty. Gird yourself for battle and get praying.

    JohnGrammaticus, you seem to be going through a temporary snag in faith, but most likely tomorrow will bring a better outlook. We all have those days. Just keep going.
    Many thanks to all for the great links and information.

  24. Kathleen10 says:

    ElizabethD, good point. There are of course other signs of manipulation, one of course being the actual absconding of the Five Cardinal’s books, the way topics discussed were inaccurately summarized, the weirdly rapid release of the written report from the Synod, and so on.

  25. Kathleen10 says:

    Sorry, one last thing. It would be really helpful to know which news outlets, blogs, etc. provide solid information on Catholic news. I am really in the dark about who or what is best for accurate information on what is going on. What sources are reliable?

  26. Mary of Carmel says:

    The problems that we are experiencing with this rising heresy within the Church explains why and how so much spiritual poverty is taking place in most of the nations around the world. It is because so many shepherds have condoned sin, and worse, encourage it as these bishops and cardinals are doing that western civilization is going into its descent.

    I believe our hope lies in the Churches of Africa and even of India for the preservation of our teachings. The cardinals listed by Fr. Z. may be our “St. Francis of Assisi” in supporting the Church.

    I do see a schism taking place here, but wonder which side will our pope be on? This is a horrifying thought for me.

    Our best hope is to pray the Holy Rosary daily (not just five decades, but the complete traditional one of 15 decades–adding the luminous mysteries somehow later). If we do this, we will score a victory as at the Battle of Lepanto.

  27. Elizabeth D says:

    But Mrs Heinzen says she heard nothing of the five cardinals book being stolen and does not believe the story about that, she says she received her copy and everyone seemed to have it. Apparently the synod Fathers did have this book. What really happened? The only individual claiming under his own name that they were taken is Fr Fessio the publisher of Ignatius Press (as far as I have seen) and while I am far from saying he is a liar, what his sources or evidence was is not specified.

  28. Venerator Sti Lot says:

    Elizabeth D,

    Following up on your comment above and that at the CWR excerpt, have the Heinzens been – or attempted to be – in contact with Edward Pentin? And, more importantly, have they written anything about their experiences and published it in any form? Or, if written and not published, are they trying or willing to try to publish? If they have not yet tried to publish or even written anything, yet, do they seem open to doing so?

    Odds and ends like, for example, Paul Butler’s six blog posts are tantalizing and disappointing:
    https://bishoppaulbutler.wordpress.com/

    The more clear, detailed information from witnesses and participants the better, I’d think!

    What you say here is compatible with the excerpt’s distinction of “inside and outside the synod hall,” but what you say there (for example, “She said the interim document did reflect what had been discussed during the first week”) contradicts direct quotations in the excerpt from named, and in some cases, published, sources also present. That is a “diconnect” that would benefit from more information (and analysis).

  29. Elizabeth D says:

    by the way I totally love Fr Fessio and am the biggest fan of Ignatius Press! I just really am not clear about what the facts are or how we know that.

  30. Elizabeth D says:

    Venerator Sti Lot, If I recall correctly Alice Heinzen works for the Diocese of Lacrosse and her husband is a school principal. Alice Heinzen told me to stay away from blogs, she had a deep suspicion of discourse on the internet and while I insisted to her there were people out there doing yeoman work trying to reflect the truth and defend the Church and the Pope, and that these needed the information she was telling us, she did not show any interest in engaging with the internet. She did not seem to be the Catholic news junkie some of us are, just a normal parish Catholic and a diocesan staffer (I think in the area of family life). I do not know her on a personal level but met her at an event where she gave a presentation of her synod experience, and I went up to her and talked to her afterward. She did describe how a ton of press reached out to her and her husband before and during the synod (she and her husband were the only US lay auditors who went to the synod) so they are used to handling press requests by now, if considerably disillusioned both by the secular press and what she sees as internet irresponsibility and distortions.

  31. StWinefride says:

    Elizabeth D.: Bishop Schneider was very clear in the Polonia magazine interview that there had been “moments of obvious manipulation” at the Synod.

    1. Your Excellency, what is Your Excellency’s opinion about the Synod? What is its message to families?

    During the Synod there had been moments of obvious manipulation on the part of some clerics who held key positions in the editorial and governing structure of the Synod. The interim report (Relatio post disceptationem) was clearly a prefabricated text with no reference to the actual statements of the Synod fathers. In the sections on homosexuality, sexuality and “divorced and remarried” with their admittance to the sacraments the text represents a radical neo-pagan ideology. This is the first time in Church history that such a heterodox text was actually published as a document of an official meeting of Catholic bishops under the guidance of a pope, even though the text only had a preliminary character…

    Read the rest here:

    https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-athanasius-schneider-on-the-synod-on-the-family

  32. Venerator Sti Lot says:

    Elizabeth D,

    Thank you for the additional information! I remember hearing that Professor John Finnis never gave broadcast interviews, etc., except live ones so what he actually said would at least get out once, unaltered. And I’ve run into professional writers who only publish their books traditionally to limit ease of online piracy, etc. Of course, once anything is on paper it can be pretty quickly and easily put online in whatever (altered!) form…

    Still, it would be good if someone could encourage them to consider putting something on paper and somehow getting it reliably published or publishing it themselves also on paper. (Maybe Alice Heinzen’s presentation notes would be a good thing to start building out on!)

    And, controversy aside, I’d be glad to know more about how things like being auditors or translators who gave the English translations of all the interventions through an earpiece, and so on, work!

  33. Laura R. says:

    My (cathedral) parish bulletin had several notices about the 54 Day Rosary Novena launched by the Rosary Evangelization Apostolate, and I am praying it. It began on August 15 and concludes on October 7. The intention is “for the family and marriage,” with the Synod and also the World Meeting of Families in mind.

  34. Prayerful says:

    I wonder if the Eleven Cardinals Book will incite Card. Baldisseri to what seemed like burglary again.

  35. Charles E Flynn says:

    First-rate Synod comic relief: Reinhard Marx, Agony Uncle, by Maureen Mullarkey, for First Things.

  36. Nicolas Bellord says:

    There is a lot of speculation about what went on at the Synod and whether it was manipulated etc. As this interesting conversation has shown it is difficult to know where the truth lies. My view is to stick to reading the actual written documents of the Synod. For example if one reads the first Relatio post disceptationem and then the final Relatio Synodi you will see that the latter is a fundamental and complete revision of the former. If as Mrs Heinzen claims the former reflected what was discussed in the first week then there must have been an incredible change of heart leading to the Relatio Synodi. Perhaps the first week was dominated by the KasperKampf and only later did the majority (and it was a very substantial according to the voting) wake up and try and put things right in the Relatio Synodi. But unless one had a transcript of the proceedings one will never know. The fact remains though that the majority of the delegates obviously took a very dim view of the first document.
    It is also clear that the Instrumentum Laboris for the coming session backtracks on the Relatio Synodi. Something is happening behind the scenes!
    Then we have the Shadow Synod upon which I have commented as explained above. To-day however there is a very interesting post by Chiesa at:
    http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351124?eng=y
    Basically one of the speakers at the shadow synod – Professor Eva-Maria Faber has published a book by several authors which goes much further than anything said at the Shadow Synod. In response there is an article A FAREWELL TO CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE by Martin Grichting. He says that those living in adulterous relationships or ‘gay marriages’ are not looking for mercy but approval of their sinfulness. Knowing the arrogance of the liberal lobbies and the LGBTs I am sure that this is correct.
    Professor Faber forecasts an exit from the Church of enormous proportions if they do not get their way. I firmly believe they will not get their way so schism is now looking beyond doubt but I also believe that it will be a fairly small schism confined to middle Europe – about as important as the Old Catholics.

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