The Pan-Amazonian Synod is coming up in October. Expect it to be highly engineered toward the expectations inhering in the Instrumentum Laboris, now available also in English. HERE
Meanwhile, the experts of organization – who put faithful, traditional Catholics to shame thereby – liberals, especially those theologians and bishops from the modern caput malorum omnium – meet in a semi-clandestine meeting reminiscent of the “deep state” confabs during Vatican II to manipulate the outcome. Edward Pentin has the story. HERE Don’t be surprised that lots of Germans are on the list.
Today Sandro Magister has posted an analysis by someone who really understands Germans and what they are up to.
Walter Card. Brandmüller has written about the Instrumentum Laboris. He is not kind to it, even if he is clear. HERE It makes for dire reading. A sample:
On Denying the Sacramental-Hierarchical Character of the Church
In a similar manner – though expressed rather in passing – no. 127 contains a direct attack on the hierarchical-sacramental constitution of the Church, when it is being asked as to whether it would not be opportune “to reconsider the notion that the exercise of jurisdiction (power of government) must be linked in all areas (sacramental, judicial, administrative) and in a permanent way to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.” From such a wrong view stems then (in no. 129) the call for the creation of new offices which correspond to the needs of the Amazonian peoples.
The liturgy, the cult, however, is the field in which the ideology of a falsely understood inculturation finds its expression in an especially spectacular manner. Here, certain forms from the natural religions shall be positively adopted. The Instrumentum Laboris does not hold back from demanding that the “poor and simple peoples” may express “their (!) faith with the help of pictures, symbols, traditions, rites, and other sacraments” (!!) (no. 126e).
This certainly does not correspond to the precepts of the Constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” nor to the ones of the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, Ad Gentes, and it shows a purely horizontal understanding of liturgy.
Each meeting of the Synod gets interestinger and interestinger.
🎼 Amazoniana Synod! 🎶🎶
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“Instrumentum Laboris” makes “Amoris Laetitia” look like a pious devotional. This critique by Cardinal Brandmüller is absolutely must reading. His reasoning covers a multitude of sins presently holding pride of place in the rationalizations held sacrosanct in Church and society. What will we do when the likes of this man are no longer with us? We will be in the hands of demonic disorientation.
” The Instrumentum Laboris does not hold back from demanding that the ‘poor and simple peoples’ may express ‘their (!) faith with the help of pictures, symbols, traditions, rites, and other sacraments'”
A thought about this excerpt in particular:
Pictures, symbols, traditions, and rites from numerous cultures have been utilized positively throughout the missionary history of the Church, when they can do so without creating doctrinal confusion. These means are not inherently dubious. The goal is to use their own culture as a tool for teaching true Christianity, not to create, as – Cardinal Brandmuller puts it “a natural religion with a Christian masquerade.”
A positive example from the history of my area is the “Catholic Ladder” created by Father Francois Blanchet, missionary to Oregon Territory. There is a parallel to the totem poles some coastal tribes used to record historical narratives or tribal mythology, but it’s purpose was to provide a visual narrative of the Bible and history of Christianity that could be understood and shared without dependence on literacy.
Also, ntote the English translation on the synod website says “sacramentals” not “sacraments.”
About a year ago, Fr. Hunwicke addressed and torpedoed the sort of falsely understood inculturation that Card. Brandmüller is talking about, in my very favorite post of his, entitled “The Corn, The Wine, and the Oil.”
https://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-corn-wine-and-oil.html
I’m really getting tired of these clandestine meetings and ambiguous documents that come out of bishop committees or the Vatican ‘dialogs’ . This whole Amazon thing smacks of testing the waters in a remote part of the world under the guise of missionary work with the goal of having the sacraments more readily available. I’m sorry. After 9 years of ambiguity, pushing the envelope, being accused of breeding like rabbits, I do not have any trust in what is going to happen in Amazon. As I said, testing the waters to see how far they can change things in this little remote part of the world until what ever scheme they have is thrust on the rest of the Catholic world.
I think this 90 year old man said the A-word and may be the only one daring enough to say it.
Forget “married clergy “ and all the other shiny objects meant to distract the faithful. This is apostasy pure and simple. It says that the Christian faith is no different from anything else, such as animism, pantheism, etc and is essentially inferior to them because they’re more “organic” and in tune with the Earth and the Father Mother Creator god.
This has got to be stopped, because it is making the “official” Church into the great apostasy.
The “elders” referred to are the shamans, whom Bergoglio seems to love, and their “rites” are not Christian nor are they expected to be.
Isn’t the whole point of proposing married priests at the PanAmazonian synod a matter of responding to some kind of REGIONAL need? Since when do German cardinals speak for South America? Wouldn’t this go against the ideological colonization Pope Francis has spoken out against so much?
This is merely the crack of the door into allowing married priests world-wide. It’s yet another wrecking ball swaying perilously through God’s holy Church. Why oh why must they meddle, as they have been since 1969, in order to be more like Anglicans?!
Edward Pentin wrote:
“But the working document has been criticized for what some see as excessive emphasis on listening to the Amazon cultures and “ecological conversion.” It is serving a pagan agenda, critics have said, instead of taking Revelation, the Word of God, and conversion to Christ as its starting point.”
Sandro Magister wrote:
“A further aspect is being added, which is to be found throughout the whole Instrumentum Laboris: namely, the very positive assessment of natural religions, to include indigenous healing practices and the like, yes, even mythical-religious practices and forms of cults. In the context of the call for harmony with nature, there is even talk about the dialogue with the spirits (no. 75).
It is not only the ideal of the “noble savage” as presented by Rousseau and the Enlightenment that is being contrasted with the decadent European. This line of thought goes further, up to the turn to the 20th century, when it ends in a pantheistic idolatry of nature.
…
This anti-rational rejection of the “western” culture which stresses the importance of reason is characteristic for the Instrumentum Laboris, which speaks in no. 44 of “Mother Earth” and of the “cry of the earth and of the peoples” (no. 101) respectively.
Accordingly, the territory – that is to say, the forests of the Amazon region – is even being declared to be a locus theologicus, a special source of Divine Revelation. Here are places of an epiphany where the planet’s reserves of life and wisdom show themselves, which speak of God (no. 19). The anti-rational rejection of the “western” culture which stresses the importance of reason is characteristic of the Instrumentum Laboris.
Meanwhile, the subsequent regression from Logos to Mythos is being raised to a criterion of that which the Instrumentum Laboris calls the inculturation of the Church. The result is a natural religion with a Christian masquerade.”
Traductora: Good point.
richiedel: Good questions. I think it was German Cardinal Kasper who, roughly speaking, told the African bishops to shut up.
At two U.S. parishes (perhaps more) a group of lay people formed (apparently just after Laudato Si) something called a “Water Ministry” or “Climate Change Ministry.” These two ministries are enthused about the Amazon Synod.
Here are a few examples of materials they use to proselytize:
1. For meditation: “A Year with Hafiz” by Daniel Ladinsky. Excerpt:
In a holy book I have there are pages from the Bible and the Koran.
And pages from the sutras and from the Upanishads, the Torah, and the Gita.
And pages of the wisdom of animals and their young singing while they played, the way we once did with the stars.
In a holy book I have, in a sacred text I carry, is the face of everyone who will ever be.
2. For meditation: “The Four Noble Truths” by Richard Rohr [Richard Rohr OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation] Excerpt:
After his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, the Buddha sat for some days in his inner liberation, which he called a state of nirvana…Our concepts about things prevent us from really touching them.
3. Sheet music and lyrics: “I Am Your Mother”, by Shirley Murray. Excerpt:
I am your mother, Do not neglect me.
Children protect me, I need your trust.
4. For prayer: “Earth Teach Us To Remember – Ute Prayer.” Excerpt:
Earth teach us stillness
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach us suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
5. Resource for Parishes: “Blessed Tomorrow Carbon Offset Program to Empower Houses of Worship.”
6. Resource for Parishes: “GreenFaith Certification Program: A 2-year environmental leadership program for houses of worship.”
[GreenFaith is an “interfaith NGO” founded around the 1992 Rio Summit and promotes Larry Rasmussen’s book “Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key.”]
7. Resources for Parishes: Promotional Literature for a) the Green New Deal b) the U.N. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development c) Center for Earth Ethics [founded at Union Theological Seminary in 2015] and d) the Circle of Protection [an unusual name for a “Christian inter-faith” group.]
8. Resource for Parishes: “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches about Protecting the Planet by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin.” [Accompanied by two pages of verses from the Koran.]
9. News Items: [This includes an article about starvation in North Korea that focuses on drought without mention of the North Korean regime.]
10. End-Times Literature: One essay titled “Bible Prophecy and Climate Change.” Excerpt:
Climate Change is a herald of the last days…Do not fear it…man cannot prevent it…God will use Climate Change to save his people. [This is an interesting and contradictory element. It is unclear if that essay is circulated as often as the other material, the format suggests that it is not.]
11. For prayer: “Pumping Niagara” by members of the United Church of Christ. Excerpt:
Spirit of the Living God, You who are evolving right now…
Draw near and put us knee deep in evolution.
12. A poem: “Humans! I am Mountain Speaking!” by the Council of All Beings. Excerpt:
Your ancestors long ago venerated my holy places…Clear cutting my forest, you take away my capacity to hold water and release it slowly.
13. Resource for Parishes: “The World Council of Churches Roadmap for Eco-Justice.” “The publication is the fruit of a work led by Rev. Norman Tendis.”
14. Resource for Parishes: “Let’s Talk Faith & Climate – Communication Guidance for Faith Leaders” by ecoAmerica and Blessed Tomorrow. Excerpt:
…how to utilize specific wording that has been tested for its ability to bring people together regarding climate issues. Additionally, this document provides guidance on how to more deeply integrate creation care concerns into one’s own organization, ministry, or denomination.
If you want something academic, and you are not intending to try to go to sleep listening to something soothing, the Great Courses has a long course on Lost Civilizations of South America.
The archaeologist/language guy teaching the course is not a hater. There is good in depth info. But seriously, lots of jaguar gods, headhunting, Moche misuse of the bones of one’s enemies, en masse sacrifices of kiddies, and so on. There were a few pleasant civilizations, but they are not the norm.
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St. Gregory Nazianzen, pray for the synod.
Thanks for sharing the link!