Card Sarah of Africa on Synod

Even as it had been decided that the Synod will end today, CNS has a piece about the view of His Eminence Card. Sarah. HERE

African cardinal: Pressure groups behind push to change Church

Vatican City, Oct 16, 2014 / 04:21 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Innacurate media reports about Church teaching on homosexuality published after the synod’s midterm relatio are an attempt to pressure the Church to change its perennial teaching, a cardinal who is also a synod father has affirmed.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, emphasized to CNA Oct. 16 that “what has been published by the media about homosexual unions is an attempt to push the Church (to change) her doctrine.”

“The Church has never judged homosexual persons, but homosexual behavior and homosexual unions are grave deviations of sexuality,” the cardinal, who is from the west African nation of Guinea, added.

Among the criticisms of the synod’s midterm report was the absence of some important statements, a point raised especially by some of the bishops from Africa.

Cardinal Sarah affirmed, however, that “some very important topics are reported in the relatio,” as for example “the Church’s refusal to promote policies linked to gender (theory) in exchange for financial aid.” [Like a… Church Tax?]

“This has been explicitly said in Cardinal Erdo’s relatio, and it is a relevant issue for developing countries as well as for the western countries,” the cardinal stressed.

Cardinal Sarah denounced the “government and some international organizations attempting to suppress the notion of te natural family, based on the man-woman relation; and the Church cannot be silent.”

The relatio read that it is not “acceptable that the pastor’s outlook be pressured or that international bodies make financial aid dependent on the introduction of regulations based on gender ideology.”

Cardinal Sarah said, “there is no Christian family without a glance to Jesus, who Incarnated in a family with a father and a mother.”

This is the reason why, he added, “the reference to Christ is needed, in order to avoid that the Christian vision is reduced to an ideology, and that we are obliged to take stances in contrast with the Magisterium, the history of the Church, and, above all, with the truth of the Gospel.”

The lack of any reference to the Gospel of the Family has been highlighted with concern by all the small groups that discussed the midterm relatio during this week.

Likewise, the small groups have highlighted the need to rewrite the section “Providing for homosexual persons.”

Read the rest there.

Hard to imagine why Card. Kasper didn’t want input from Africans. Not.

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20 Comments

  1. Juergensen says:

    Africa may be the salvation of the Church yet.

  2. Diane at Te Deum Laudamus says:

    One slight correction, it’s “CNA” not “CNS”

  3. VexillaRegis says:

    Music to our ears!

  4. JesusFreak84 says:

    It’s like the west is saying to Africa, “Yeah, forget all of that effort we made centuries ago to convert you.”

  5. wised says:

    I don’t know how I feel about revelations but what is occurring at this synod is too uncomfortably similar to the Akita prophecy. How is it possible that Cardinal Kasper retains any credibility after his heterodox statements regarding Catholic doctrine and now his bald face lie? This experience has made me question exactly what is going on within our church that those who tried to push their agenda actually thought that the faithful would roll over and accept this evil agenda. They are too assured.

  6. Dave N. says:

    “Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, emphasized to CNA Oct. 16 that ‘what has been published by the media about homosexual unions is an attempt to push the Church (to change) her doctrine.'”

    Certainly true enough, but I don’t think the bishops get a pass simply by whining about the media—an excuse that in general has worn pretty thin. At least some of what the media has published is what the Synod itself has published. At a minimum, the bishops need to take responsibility (be held to account?) for their own words.

  7. CrimsonCatholic says:

    Thank you Cardinal Sarah, and may God bless you! I will keep him and the rest of the Cardinals in my prayers.

    Dave N.- It has been established now that the African bishops have had zero say in any media reports, as well as Cardinals Pell, Napier, Burke, etc.

  8. Wade says:

    I know African immigrants (priests among them) who like to say at times like these that when Jesus is in danger he goes to Africa (a reference to the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt).

  9. robtbrown says:

    wised says:

    I don’t know how I feel about revelations but what is occurring at this synod is too uncomfortably similar to the Akita prophecy.

    Akita was in 1973, when all the craziness was already happening. So it seems more descriptive than prophetic.

  10. Jon Haines says:

    What concerns me is that the folks who drafted (and manipulated) the relatio were appointed ad hoc by Pope Francis, not by the Synod fathers- this seems to be the elephant in the room. Does anyone know anything about the two extras he appointed yesterday and their purpose? My optimistic side speculates that by giving the minority/liberals positions of responsibility (and excluding Africans) he wished to make them feel included rather than exiled – which might make them more accepting and have a sense of ownership of the ‘work of the holy spirit’ in the end. Or perhaps he knew their vice would be their undoing as has largely come to fruition. I won’t mention my pessimistic side. What do you think father?

  11. wised says:

    You may be correct but time is irrelevant with God. What struck me was that it was as if the synod participants were following a script. Fatima is much older and still relevant. Too descriptive for my blood.

  12. Franko says:

    This whole synod is playing out in such a bizarre way.

    I wanna know who gave the go-ahead to write and release that Relatio. What a circus.

  13. Long-Skirts says:

    Deo Gratias for these great Truly Catholic Cardinals and especially the Cardinals of Africa!!!!

    THE
    ONYX
    STONE

    “and the gold of that land is good: there is … the onyx stone.” (Genesis 2:12)

    Semi-precious Priest
    Of stone —
    Jet-black onyx
    Skin on bone.

    Somber strength
    The Faith, the tone,
    Your sacrifice
    Our souls we hone.

    A pitch-dark deep
    “Carry your cross” he said.
    Otherwise you’ll be
    The living-dead.

    “Gold of that land”
    South Africa’s own –
    Melchisedech’s new
    Onyx stone!

  14. Joshua08 says:

    Dave N, Cardinal Sarah is aware of the responsibility of the Synod here. E.g., in Gallicus A (of which he was moderator) they wrote

    “I think I should voice also the emotion and confusion which was provoked by the spread of a document that we considered as a simple- though very useful – working document, and thus provisional. What we experienced, namely a counter-productive aspect of this distribution, seems to us to require, with care, an evaluation of the causes and consequences of an event, which sowing confusions and questions, did not aide the reflection.”

    They also raise the “aid” question in Gallicus A

    “In this regard, we thought it important to identify the positive elements of familial situations- the values, the gifts which we witness, which build rather than destroy … that is everything that stimulates the Church in its duty to express a statement of truth and of hope for our contemporaries and of challenge to certain international organizations who bind their aid to the acceptance of their own conception of man, marriage and society.”

    On a whole, the document is very good, and certainly very different with respect to those in different circumstances than Kasper’s attitude.

    I translated the whole of Gallicus A (half way through Gallicus B, and a friend is doing the Italian). It makes me very impressed with Cardinal Sarah. Assuming Fr. Z doesn’t mind, here is the link if you want to see what Cardinal Sarah’s group had to say

    http://stomachosus-thomistarum.blogspot.com/2014/10/relationes-circuli-minores-gallicus-b.html

  15. acardnal says:

    Fr. Dodaro, editor of the book “Remaining in the Truth of Christ”, was interviewed on EWTN last night, October 16. Here is the video and it’s well worth watching.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTCKIEHtnlk&list=UUijDos-LUTh9RQvSCMQqN6Q

  16. robtbrown says:

    wised says:

    You may be correct but time is irrelevant with God.

    The message of Akita happened in Time.

    What struck me was that it was as if the synod participants were following a script. Fatima is much older and still relevant. Too descriptive for my blood.

    Of course, they were following a script. It was all a set up and, as I’ve said here before, following a typical liberal strategy: Get maximum exposure through the press for positions that will next be adopted. The only problem was that good men rose up in opposition.

    Fatima is of course relevant because its message has yet to be realized.

  17. Urs says:

    Geez Fr. Z, I cannot imagine why you would not publish my comment . I have already sent your article and my comment to Culture of Life Africa because I wanted to encourage and appreciate Uju, too. She works sooo hard for the Church and she has such a battle in Africa. Now, I have to tell her you would not publish the comment ( with her faithfully Catholic Pro Life website and with the documentary that someone may have wanted to watch one day…. It never occurred to me that you might not post it. I won’t ever do that again, send something to someone before I see my comment published. I wish so badly now that I had waited ! But I do not understand what was wrong.I was not disrespectful to anyone. I just told you what I thought the reference to the financial aid comment was. I truly have no idea what you could have thought was wrong with my comment. I cannot type and it took me over an hour to put it together and to type. I thought that I was sharing something good.. Now, I feel so disheartened, discounted and unimportant and I do not know what I did wrong. This makes me feel so sad and it makes me cry…what did I do? I do not want you to publish this comment, please. I would just like to know what I said wrong or what I did…please…

  18. Urs says:

    Uh oh!
    …the comment moderation was on….I thought that it was still on …. now I do not know how to delete what WAS a private comment….ugh….I feel so dumb…. and embarrassd…I wonder what happened to the other comment.
    Help Fr. Z !
    Delete these 2 comments of mine please! Do not leave them on for posterity to see my stupidth and my blunders for all time, Please!

  19. Urs says:

    well, the world knows what a baby I am now…I may as well put the comment I was upset at not seeing. As I went through it , I can see that perhaps there was some things that sounded unintentionally disrespectful. I hope that it does not sound that way now.
    Though I am probably wrong, my comment was on what I thought the financial reference in the article was about. I thought this partly because of a video with Cardinal Dolan’s remarks on the African Bishops. Here it is:
    From the article: “the Church’s refusal to promote policies linked to gender (theory) in exchange for financial aid.” [Like a… Church Tax?]
    No, Fr Z, I do not think it is like a Church Tax. I believe the African Bishop means like ‘cultural imperialism’, financial aid from western countries who make these LGBT agenda stipulations before they (we) will give an African nation foreign aid money. Many desperately need money…we are exporting an abortive, contraceptive, and sexually immoral mindset to Africa…If they do not accept these terms, then they will not get the aid. The Church and the African Bishops are fighting valiantly… but it is difficult to fight the money that is often so desperately needed.
    Obianuju Ekeocha( Uju), of Culture of Life Africa, http://www.cultureoflifeafrica.com, works with many African Bishops . It is from her that I learned about cultural imperialism and the fantastic , informative documentary found at the bottom of this link :
    Cultural Imperialism (A riveting and compelling documentary) http://www.cultureoflifeafrica.com/2013/09/cultural-imperialism-riveting.html
    It is also on youtube:
    Cultural Imperialism: The Sexual Rights Agenda (documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INKAv4Y-lW4
    Judging from what Cardinal Dolan said the African Bishops told him, I think that some of them have also seen this documentary….they even used the term ‘cultural imperialism’ with Cardinal Dolan. Even if they haven’t ,it is my opinion that this type of cultural imperialism in this documentary is what the reference to financial aid is about in ‘promoting policies linked to gender in exchange for financial aid’ If you were to watch the documentary you I think you would understand why I am saying this. Uju does a great job working with Africans, including Church leaders and political leaders in many African countries….
    Thank You, Uju and Thank You African Bishops! :)

  20. VexillaRegis says:

    Psst, Urs,
    just E-mail Fr. Z through the link above (in the “sunset list”). Worse things have happened on here, don’t feel bad :-).

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