Putting the pessima in corruptio optimi pessima.
From a reader:
Dear Father,
Apparently, the Vatican has accepted P. Wucherpfennig SJ as rector of the Jesuit High School Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt, Germany. He was recently denied the nihil obstat by the Vatican because of his stance for a woman diaconate, and for a blessing of homosexual couples which he suggested might be proper forms of romantic relationships, and which he called “virtuous” – as you may already know.
After theologians from Germany have signed a document supporting Wucherpfennig, and criticizing the cruel and anti-science stance of the Vatican, this Thursday, the Vatican finally gave the nihil obstat to this Jesuit, which means he is confirmed again as rector of the Jesuit High School, where he can continue with his “research”.
I give you my personal translation of the article on kath.net (http://kath.net/news/65895):
“The Jesuit priest Ansgar Wucherpfennig can finally take up his office of rector of the Catholic High School [Hochschule] Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt [Germany]. The Vatican has issued the required confirmation, as the German province of the Jesuits announced this past Thursday in München. The General Superior of the Society of Jesus, Arturo Sosa, has received this required statement of credibility (“nihil obstat”) from the Vatican, and Pater Wucherpfennig has been “appointed the rector of the High School [Hochschule] Sankt Georgen effectively immediately.”
The Congregation for Catholic Education of the Vatican had issued the statement of credibility “after Pater Wucherpfennig accepted a declaration, in which he assured that he as priest and religious was obligated to follow the authentic Magisterium of the Church”, as the press release of the German province states. Where Pater Wucherpfennig’s offices would require it, he would explain the Church’s teaching on the possibility of ordination for women, and on blessing services for same-sex couples “completely and comprehensibly” [vollständig und verständnisvoll].
Pater Wucherpfennig already in February has been re-elected for a third term as rector of the Philosophical-Theological High School [Hochschule] Sankt Georgen. The dioceses of Hamburg, Hildesheim, Limburg, and Osnabrück use this institution for the training of their seminarians. The Vatican rejecting to issue the required “nihil obstat” to Pater Wucherpfennig, caused major upheaval in broad parts of Church, Science, and Society. In Interviews, the Jesuit priest has repeatedly criticized the Church’s dealing with homosexuals and women, and supported a blessing service for homosexual relationships.\
In his declaration addressed to the Vatican, Pater Wucherpfennig – according to the press release – additionally explained that the questions he as a pastor and scientist posed to the Church’s teaching, would also prospectively be labeled as his own by him. As Christian and scientist, he personally hoped for a further opening and advancement of the Church’s teaching regarding those points. His public statements about a women’s deaconate and a blessing service for couples which a sacramental marriage is denied, targeted this very advancement, as Pater Wucherpfennig explained.
The agreement between Vatican and Pater Wucherpfennig also includes Pater Wucherpfennig being obligated to now publish articles wherein he further elucidates and presents the results of his scientific research – “in loyal and creative continuity with the fundamental opinion of the Church regarding both issues”.
Georg Bätzing, bishop of Limburg [where the institution is located], remarks according to a press release of the diocese: “With many others, I have anticipated this decision with great hope”. The Provincial superior of the German Province of the Society of Jesus, Pater Johannes Siebner SJ, showed himself relieved that Pater Wucherpfennig could finally be appointed, and thanked the General Superior, Pater Sosa, expressively for his dedication to the cause.”
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There is a little joke on internet that goes like this: “How do we know that not all jesuits are heretics? Because Fr. Mitch Pacwa is still alive.”
There was a brand new Spanish Jesuit at SLU that used to come to St Francis de Sales and offer the Latin Mass. They transferred him out fairly quickly once they found out he believed in God. Can’t have anyone polluting the young minds. Between him Father Juan maybe, and Father Pacwa I think that’s the most Jesuits that believe in Our Lord in several generations.
Just want to point out that Sankt Georgen is not a High School in the sense of an academic institution teaching young people for four years after grade school, but is more lika a private college where many Catholic priests have had their theological training. Hence the utter importance of a sound leadership.
How much more evidence need be produced to eliminate any doubt that we endure a pontificate outside the parameters of the perennial Magisterium?
The message is clear. Personnel is policy, and this is the man chose above all others.
“and criticizing the cruel and anti-science stance of the Vatican,”
Fr. Lemaitre begins to revolve in his grave. Fra Bacon and Canon Copernicus were unavailable for comment.
As always, Yes Minister hit the nail on the head thirty years ago:
https://youtu.be/-nrZBtKWSfs
Oh how St. Ignatius of Loyola must cry over the Society he founded! The Superior General Father Sosa insists on dressing like a layman and prays to Buddha and far too many Jesuits are heretical and are obsessed with normalizing homosexuality. It is any wonder the Faith has just about been killed in Germany? Who would give up their lives for this brand of “Catholicism”? What young man discerning a call to the priesthood would even consider the Jesuits? The numbers say not too many. The devil himself could not have done a better job in destroying the Catholic Faith than the men the Church has been entrusted to in the last 60+ years.
Inspired by Stephen Crowder, I would love to see a specia version of one of his skits.
Change my mind:
Liberalism, even if orthodox, has done much greater harm in the Church than Conservatism may have done.
Chaswjd, I’ve come to realize that nearly everything in Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minster is absolutely true. It should be a requirement to watch it, for any aspiring politician.
@Clinton R.
For some reason, in my circle of friends, one or two young men did join the Jesuits! Which is kind of weird since they can be counted as “Trads”, just as myself. We discussed this matter one evening, and no one could explain why they would join the SJ. But maybe they belong to a new generation that transforms and reforms the religious institutions from the inside, much like the founders of orders of the Counter Reformation. Our situation is not much different from that time, where the religious also left their monasteries to indulge in a secular lifestyle. Priests were fascinated by the ideas of Luther, and very easily followed this new heresy that obviously went against everything they *should have* believed in. Yet, they had no problem with accepting a new teaching, just because it was more comfortable, and allowed them to sin – with God’s mercy protecting them in the end. The similarities to our time are uncanny, no?
But in the dead of Winter, there are always signs of a new Spring soon to come. And when Father’s estimations are correct (and I think they are), the TLM will be the last Holy Mass celebrated. The NO parishes, communities, and liturgies will long since be gone. The religious orders that embrace such a worldly ideology (like the Jesuits) will vanish, as they do already today. Many orders have no postulants or novices, and the Heart of Jesus congregation in the Netherlands stopped taking postulants years ago: they want to die. But look at communities that are either traditional-minded (such as Heiligenkreuz in Austria), or traditionalist (such as SSPX communities, Silverstream Priory, Norcia, Papa Stronsay), and you won’t find the struggles of the modernist orders there. The only problem is that their capacities are not enough for all the postulants – and that the Vatican seems to actively work against them, when some commissioner decommissions another traditional community.
Brief note concerning the translation of Hochschule:
As this is not a context where the focus is on linguistic precision, let’s just say “university” and be done with it, for this is what it in effect is.
For those who do wish for the precision: there are three kinds of universities in Germany:
1. Universitäten – universities proper,
2. Hochschulen and
3. Fachhochschulen, that is, universities of applied science.
To confuse things, the term Hochschule is also used for the three of them put together in official language; and the Fachhochschulen (3) usually call themselves “Hochschulen” now, which they are in the general but not in the specific sense.
Now though this looks like a list of descending order, the level between (1) and (2) is actually identical. The difference between them is more or less the scope of the universities in question; Universität is functionally a title of honor, and usually given to those that teach and research in more broad areas. If you have theology, philosophy, maths, natural sciences, medicine, and law, you are a “university”. If you have maths, natural sciences, engineering and still something rather unrelated, say: economic science, plus a chair for the philosophy or technology, you might become a “technical university”. If you only have philosophy and theology, then you are a “Hochschule”. But the level is identical.
– Those in (3) are indeed on a somewhat lower level, though more practical. I wonder if they’d agree to what I’m saying though. –
What we are talking about here is a Hochschule, and an actual one, not a Fachhochschule with the title of Hochschule. So, the short of all that is:
Well, it’s a university.
I know a 94 year old Jesuit who is faithful. He sometimes says the TLM. He is in good health for his age.