Presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) talks frankly about his Catholic Faith and his relationship to other Christians.
Moderation queue is ON. I don’t want this to turn into a merely political debate about various candidates, as in, “I don’t like Joe Sixpack. I’m for Jane Bagofdonuts!”
Recently Jesuit Antonio Spadaro, who edits La Civiltà Cattolica and who is deeply interested in the life and works of Pier Vittorio Tondelli (HERE), made some observations about the recent Synod of Bishops which has caused eyebrows to rise.
First, take a look at Edward Pentin’s summary at National Catholic Register. It begins:
Jesuit Journal’s Entry at Odds With Synod’s Final Report
Critics say Father Antonio Spadaro’s November reflection on the 2015 synod in La Civiltà Cattolica continues to push a narrative that is contrary to Church teaching.
VATICAN CITY — In early November, the editor of an influential Jesuit periodical wrote a reflection on the Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family in which he controversially claimed the meeting “laid the foundations” for civilly remarried divorcees to be admitted to the sacraments.
But according to synod fathers who have spoken with the Register about the matter, Father Antonio Spadaro’s interpretation is directly contrary to what the synod actually indicated with respect to the matter.[…]
There is a lot more. Pentin pulls the issues apart and presents the critiques of Spadaro’s claims. Spadaro does not fare well.
Also at the NCReg, check out His Eminence Raymond Card. Burke’s response to Spadaro:
The Truth About the 14th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops?
In the Nov. 28 issue of La Civiltà Cattolica, Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, director of the journal and a synod father, presents a summary of the work of the 14th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, dedicated to the vocation and mission of the family (pp. 372-391).
Although the author makes various affirmations about the nature and work of the Synod of Bishops, which demand critical comment in a longer study, one affirmation which necessitates immediate comment is summarized thus by the author:
The synod has also desired to touch wounded persons and couples to accompany them and heal them in a process of integration and reconciliation without barriers. Concerning access to the sacraments for those divorced and remarried civilly, the synod has formulated the way of discernment and of the “internal forum,” laying the foundations and opening a door which, on the contrary, had remained closed in the preceding synod.
I set apart the fact the public declarations by several synod fathers affirm the opposite, that is, they affirm that the synod upheld the constant practice of the Church regarding those who are living in an irregular union. Even as the text of Paragraphs 84 to 86 of the final report of the synod lacks clarity regarding fundamental truths of the faith, the holy Eucharist and holy matrimony, the same lack of clarity has now emerged in the public declarations of the synod fathers.
The fact is that the synod could not open a door which does not exist and cannot exist, namely, a discernment in conscience which contradicts the truth about the supreme sanctity of the Most Holy Eucharist and the indissolubility of the marriage bond. The synod, as the Church has always taught and practiced, has wanted to show love towards the individual who find himself in a situation which is not coherent with the teaching of Christ and his Church.
Christlike love of the individual, however, is not “integration and reconciliation without barriers,” for it is founded upon the irreplaceable truths of nature and grace and is ordered accordingly for the good of the individual and of the whole community. Christlike love accompanies the individual on the way to repentance and reparation, so that he can once again be disposed to meet Christ in the sacraments.
The way of discernment upon which the priest accompanies the penitent who is living in an irregular union assists the penitent to conform his conscience once again to the truth of the holy Eucharist and to the truth of the marriage to which he is bound. As the Church has consistently taught and practiced, the penitent is led in the “internal forum” to live chastely in fidelity to the existing marriage bond, even if seeming to be living with another in a marital way, and thus to be able to have access to the sacraments in a way which does not give scandal. Pope St. John Paul II described the Church’s practice in the “internal forum” in No. 84 of Familiaris Consortio. The Declaration of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts of June 24, 2000, illustrates the teaching in No. 84 of Familiaris Consortio. Both of these documents are referenced in the final report of the synod, but, sadly, in a misleading way.
To give the impression that there is another practice in the “internal forum,” which would permit an individual in an irregular union to have access to the sacraments, is to suggest that the conscience can be in conflict with the truth of the faith. Such a suggestion clearly places priests in an impossible situation, the expectation that they can “open a door” for the penitent, which, in fact, does not exist and cannot exist.
Ultimately and to the most serious harm of the universal Church, it creates the expectation that the Roman pontiff can sanction a practice which is in conflict with the truths of the faith. The Synod of Bishops, in accord with its nature and purpose, cannot be the instrument of such an expectation.
Once again, I am getting a stream of emails from people about the state of the Church and about Pope Francis.
I redirect the readership back to my Long View Approach™ and say “breathe deeply… in.. out… in… out….”
Remember, every pontificate of every pope in the whole history of the Church is but a “parenthesis”.
Some parentheses are long and some are short. Some parentheses are important and some are not. One of these days God will hit the SHIFT+0 key and close this parenthesis. Time will tell what this pontificate will have been and it is not fruitful right now to worry about that too much. (BTW… if God is using an Italian keyboard that day it’s SHIFT+9.) Every pontificate has its benefits and its disadvantages.
And, as a commentator mentioned elsewhere on this blog, Christ promised us the help of the Holy Spirit because He knew that we were going to have a rough time of it.
In the meantime, we must keep close to hand our Rosary, our Confession and Mass (hopefully TLM) schedules, our copies of the Holy Writ, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Roman Catechism, good spiritual reading, our To Do Lists for spiritual and corporal works of mercy, etc., and we might consider paying less attention to ephemera until the decks stop pitching.
Stick closely and fervently to what your state in life calls you to do and you’ll fret less about what’s going on, even as you are aware that not everything is beer and skittles right now.
Remember that Pope Francis has the office of Peter. God is offering him graces so that he can carry out his role. There may come a day when he surprises everyone, a kind of “Paul VI – Humanae vitae Moment”. As St. Yogi might put it: “Imperfectum usque dum perfectum!”
That said, I, having also breathed into a paper bag for a little while, am driven to make an observation about something that Pope Francis said in the Q&A with the press on the airplane while heading back to Rome from Africa.
Q: AIDS is a serious problem in Africa, the epidemic continues. We know that prevention is the key and that condoms are not the only means of stopping the epidemic, but it is an important part of the solution. Is it not perhaps time for the Church to change its position with regard to the use of condoms in order to prevent infections? [The question was a trap, of course. By now newsies know how to get this Pope to say something newsworthy. And it was asked on the eve of World AIDS Day.]
Pope Francis: “The question seems biased to me. [D’ya think?] Yes, it is one of the methods, the morality of the Church faces a bit of a predicament here. The fifth or the sixth commandment: defend life or a sexual relationship that is pen to life. But this is not the problem. There is a greater problem than this: this question makes me think of the question they once asked Jesus: tell me Master, is it acceptable to heal on a Saturday? Healing is obligatory! Malnutrition, exploitation, slave labour, the lack of drinking water, these are the problems. We’re not talking about which plaster we should use for which wound. The great injustice is social injustice, the great injustice is malnutrition. I don’t like making such casuistic reflections when there are people dying because of a lack of water and hunger. Think about arms trafficking. When these problems cease to exist, then I think we can ask ourselves the question: is it acceptable to heal on a Saturday? Why are arms still being manufactured? Wars are the leading cause of death. Forget about whether it is acceptable or not to heal on a Saturday. Make justice and when everyone is healed, when there is no injustice in this world, then we can talk about Saturday.”
While this may simply be a way to divert the question into another track (as Pope Benedict should have done – remember? – HERE), my take away from this is:
Pope Francis: There are people who are hungry, and therefore I am not going to answer the question. Anyone who asks that question now, while people are hungry, are like the Pharisee who asked Jesus about healing on the sabbath.
I recall also that Our Lord said to Judas (the head of the Vatican Bank) that “the poor you will always have with you” (John 12:4). That Christ-confirmed fact didn’t prevent Christ from also teaching “hard teachings” (e.g., John 6:60). And Our Lord, despite the fact of the poor around them, nevertheless told His disciples to go out and “teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19), and not wait until there was global economic parity, universal health care, 0% youth unemployment, and a ban on air conditioners.
Whatever Pope Francis’ motives were during the presser, we Catholics must respond to questions about moral problems with certainty and clarity. Both Pope Francis and everyone of us will have to answer to the Just Judge for how we fulfilled our vocations. We are capable of answering with clarity and, at the same time, concerning ourselves in concrete ways about the plight of the poor both near to us and far away. We are capable of the both/and. We are not limited to the either/or. We are not only capable of speaking with clarity on moral issues, we must do so now, more than ever, and we must do so in the public square.
That said, everyone get back to work! Keep supporting vocations to the priesthood. Keep supporting and encouraging sound young priests, who haven’t yet lived in a time of liberal persecution (which is on the rise). Keep close to the sacraments. Keep examining your own consciences and GO TO CONFESSION! Keep promoting the use of the traditional Roman Rite. Keep praying for the Pope and our bishops.
Keep the Faith.
Sometimes people ask me about reliable charities.
Since I am informed that it is “Giving Tuesday” (who knew?) here are a few charities which I support.
Our Lady of Hope Clinic
I have written about Our Lady of Hope Clinic before. This is one of the worthiest causes I have seen for a while and it could use your help, wherever you are.
In the clinic you see a sign on the wall explaining that
“Our Lady of Hope Clinic practices medicine consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church”
Therefore, they will not refer for abortion, prescribe contraception, refer for sterilization, refer for in vitro fertilization, etc.
And…
“We will practice in complete accord with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.”
They have a DONATION page. Contact Julie Jensen, Director of Development, at (608) 957-1137. Tell them Fr. Z sent you.
Opus Boni Sacerdotii
Opus Bono Sacerdotii (OBS) is a lay organization that assists Catholic priests having difficulties.
Their motto: A Catholic Priest Needs Your Help Right Now!
From the website:
And there is also the
Tridentine Mass Society of Madison
We are working to spread the use of the Extraordinary Form in Madison, and, hopefully, inspire others to do the same elsewhere. Click HERE
I am the president of this group. Your donations to the TMSM are tax-deductible.
Right now we have a vestment project going. HERE
We need support from a large base. HELP!
The Archdiocese for Military Services
To make a donation online, please go to www.milarch.org/waystogive2
_________
I also give to Wounded Warrior Project and in the past to Team Rubicon.
People have asked me about giving to Shriner Children’s Hospital. Shriners are a type of Mason. If you want to give to some large initiative, perhaps better is St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, which began as a shrine by the Catholic actor Danny Thomas. That said, please consider Our Lady of Hope Clinic, which I wrote about, above.
During his recently concluded trip to Africa (HERE), for whatever reason, Pope Francis chose not to speak about the reason why many of the martyrs of Uganda were viciously killed: they resisted the homosexual advances of the ruler, a ritual abuser.
However, this is a good opportunity to fill in the blank with this important historical information about these important members of our Catholic family, St. Charles Lwanga and companions.
I have written about them before. HERE There are also ecumenical reasons to remind you of this. The sodomite king also killed Anglicans.
As I wrote before:
St. Charles Lwanga and many other martyrs died between 1885 and 1887 in Uganda. They were beatified in 1920 and canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1964.
In 1879 the White Fathers were working successfully as missionaries in Uganda. They were, at first well received by King Mutesa.
Then there came a new pharaoh, as it were.
Mutesa died and his son, Mwanga, took over. He was a ritual pedophile.
Charles Lwanga, a 25 year old man who was a catechist, forcefully protected boys in his charge from the king’s sodomite advances.
The king had murdered an Anglican Bishop and tried to get his page, who was protected by Joseph Mukasa, later beheaded for his trouble. On the night of the martyrdom of Joseph Mukasa, Lwanga and other pages sought out the White Fathers for baptism. Some 100 catechumens were baptized.
A few months later, King Mwanga ordered all the pages to be questioned to find out if they were being catechized. 15 Christians 13 and 25 identified themselves. When the King asked them if they were willing to keep their faith, They answered in unison, “Until death!”
[…]
Let the Germans, and others, belittle that! HERE and HERE
I saw some of the coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to Africa. I am not a fan of the dancing and so forth and some liturgical choices (HERE etc.), but I will say this: African bishops still know the difference between a boy and a girl, they still know what male/female sexual organs are for and what they are not for, they still know that marriage is between one man and one woman, and now the they really know how to scare German bishops.
For the Year of Mercy Pope Francis has (in an indirect way) granted to the priests of the SSPX the faculty validly to absolve penitents in routine sacramental confession. HERE
Under normal circumstances, the priests of the SSPX do not have this faculty, without which they cannot validly absolve. They can in case of danger of death, as even “laicized” priests can, of course.
The SSPX Superior, Bp. Fellay, has at their US website, a series of Q & A during which he speaks of Pope Francis’ concession. HERE
Q: On September 1st, Pope Francis, on his own initiative, decided to allow all the faithful to make confessions to priests of the Society of St. Pius X during the Holy Year. How do you interpret this gesture? What does it mean for the Society?
FELLAY: We were in fact surprised by this action of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Holy Year because we, like everyone else, learned about it through the press. How do we understand this gesture? Allow me to make use of an image. When a fire is raging, everyone understands that those who have the means to do so must endeavor to put it out, especially if there is a shortage of firefighters. So it is that through all fifty years of this terrible crisis that has shaken the Church, particularly the tragic lack of confessors, our priests have devoted themselves to the souls of penitents, invoking the case of emergency foreseen by the Code of Canon Law.
As a result of the Pope’s act, during the Holy Year, we will have ordinary jurisdiction. In the image I mentioned, this has the effect of giving us the official insignia of firefighters, whereas such a status was denied us for decades. In itself, it adds nothing new for the Society, its members, or its faithful. Yet this ordinary jurisdiction will perhaps reassure people who are uneasy or others who until now did not dare to approach us. For, as we said in the communiqué thanking the Pope, the priests of the Society wish for one thing only: “To perform with renewed generosity their ministry in the confessional, following the example of untiring devotion that the saintly Curé of Ars gave to all priests.”
Bp. Fellay has taken the usual line that they don’t really need faculties from Holy Church. They, of course, do… just like every other priest.
Of course it is hard to know when the Year of Mercy actually begins. The year is supposed to begin on 8 December. That’s when Francis is to open the Holy Door in Rome. However, Pope Francis opened a door during his trip to Africa. So, I guess it’s underway there. The rest of the world is supposed to get things started on 13 December.
So, do SSPX priests in the Africa where Pope Francis opened the door have faculties now? Will any who are in Rome have them on 8 December? And do priests in the rest of the world have to wait until the local diocese starts things up?
In any event, everyone… GO TO CONFESSION!
Bp. Fellay also makes some comments about the Synod of Bishops, including: ” I will not conceal from you the fact that to me the sorry spectacle that the Synod presented seems particularly shameful and scandalous on more than one count.”
Yep.
How I look forward to the full reconciliation of the SSPX. Hopefully Pope Francis is the man who can get it done.
It’s the legendary “Cyber Monday”. I like to get my Christmas shopping done early, so I don’t have to think about it when things get really busy.
May I ask you, please, if you are going to shop online with Amazon, to use my search box for your shopping session? If you do, I will get a small percentage of the sales.
(Pssst – Can’t see the search box? Turn off your “ad-blocker” for this site!)
Also, please remember to visit the Carmelites in Wyoming for Mystic Monk Coffee and Tea.
And consider also the wonderful Dominican Nuns in Summit, NJ, the famous “soap sisters“. I get their products for my mother.
My friend Fr. Heilman has some pretty cool stuff as it turns out. Great spiritual gifts, especially for men and boys. The new gun metal Rosary is very cool. I have given a lot of these away.
And there is art by Catholic artist Daniel Mitsui.
I have stuff too!
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
My daughter attended a Christian Youth Camp this summer with her girl friends. She asked me if she could renew her baptism vows in Lake [removed]. [Renew “vows” or “promises”? We do that at Easter. But… in a lake? That sounds like water was involved, like a “baptism”, not just a renewal of baptismal promises.] We as parents said yes, thinking it would help her be closer with God. [?] And it did, she came home a different child. She has been attending Mass several times a week. She volunteers weekly at the Covenant House. She is actively involved in the Newman Center at [university name removed]. She prays daily, reads the bible daily and keeps a prayer journal.
Today at mass, which the arch bishop was presiding over, she went up to get communion just as she does every week. Father Andrew stopped the communion line. He said he saw on her facebook page about the baptism. (which i would like to know why he is looking at her facebook in the first place) [Facebook pages are public. A little digging, based on your email and the concrete info you provided, produced your daughter’s Facebook page almost immediately. Someone, an acquaintance in common, could have told the priest involved about what was visible on that public Facebook page. When I saw the page, there was nothing about a baptism at camp, but it could have been … removed after the fact?] Told her that she had renounced her catholic faith when she renewed her baptism this summer. [That priest seems to have seen something that I didn’t see on Facebook.] After admonishing her for several minutes in front of all the other parishioners who were nearby and her extended family who was present at the mass, he refused to give her communion. He told her she was no longer a Catholic. She was humiliated. She has been upset for the remainder of the day.
Is this the normal protocol.
Father learned of something that raised a serious concern. It seems to me that Father, in defending, publicly, the unity of the Church and integrity of our Catholic Communion might have picked a better moment and method, especially if he really admonished her for “several minutes”, which is a long time, particularly in front of his Archbishop. Father must have thought this was grave enough to take that bold step. That suggests to me that he didn’t see … nothing.
To renew baptismal promises and/or to go through something like a baptism with any pouring of water, etc., in a non-Catholic context is a serious issue and deserves attention from one’s pastor.
Consider this: You would be rightly upset with Father if you learned that he didn’t care if some member of his parish had gone out and tried to repeat baptism in some other group, thus committing a public act of schism… and then gave her Communion.
Your daughter’s “baptism” at CYO was a public act. It seems to have been also made public on Facebook, even if that information is no longer there now. Also, if it happened, how Father saw it is now irrelevant.
Seeking baptism in another denomination is a clear act of schism.
This is not arcane knowledge, particularly in light of the fact that we confess “one baptism” in the Creed each Sunday.
Could Father have been more discrete? Yes. Could he have asked her to see him outside of Mass? Yes. That said, he was right to warn her about her situation and the danger she has placed her soul in.
The practice of our Catholic Faith is not all warm hugs and fluffy kitties and moments of sentimentality. We must be ready, as baptized and confirmed Catholics, to stay true to our Catholic Faith and identity in every context, no matter what peer pressure there might be or how our emotions might be sweeping us up in the moment. We have to walk the path of salvation which Our Lord says is narrow.
It is a good thing that we are on the threshold of the Year of Mercy.
There is nothing that we little humans can do which is so bad that, through the ministry of the Church and by the merciful grace of God, we can’t resolve, provided that we are more concerned about our identity and soul than our feelings and appearances.
This is a tough learning experience. Your daughter can make a good confession about this “baptism” at CYO and return to full communion of the Church and then build on the graces God is giving her and those life lessons. We can all recover from momentary embarrassment. Losing Communion is a much greater danger.
Also, this is an object lesson about how she should be careful about what she posts on the internet. Parents: Do you know what your children are posting on Facebook?
The combox is closed.
From a reader…
QUAERITUR:
Hello Father, Happy Advent! Today, our priest didn’t use the Preface for Advent which my hand missal says was promulgated (along with one for the Holy Eucharist, All Saints, and the Dedication of a Church) in
1962 for use. Are these considered ad libitum? If not, what were the restrictions? God bless and thank you for your time!
And a penitentially happy Advent back at you.
It is permitted to use those so-called “Gallican Prefaces” with the 1962 Missale Romanum but it is not obligatory.
They are now a legitimate option for the Extraordinary Form, although many people object to their use. Some think that nothing at all should be introduced to the 1962 book. Period. Others think that the prefaces are okay, but that, right now, it isn’t prudent to incorporate them into the practice of the Extraordinary Form yet. They think that we need a measure of time for us to regain some lost time and territory, as it were. Perhaps in the future they could be used but not now.
I don’t have any objection to their use. Today I might have used the Advent Preface, but the book was already set up with the Preface for the Holy Trinity and it didn’t occur to me at the moment.
The Advent Preface is: [Not as it turns out…]
“It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to Thee, Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God: for through the Mystery of the Word made flesh, new radiance from Thy glory hath so shone on the eye of the soul that the recognition of our God made visible draweth us to love what is invisible. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army we sing a hymn to Thy glory, evermore saying: …”
Vere dignum et justum est, ?quum et salutáre, nos tibi semper, et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine sancte, Pater omnípotens, ætérne Deus: per Christum Dóminum nostrum. Quem pérdito hóminum géneri Salvatórem miséricors et fidélis promisísti: cuius véritas instrúeret ínscios, sánctitas justificáret ímpios, virtus adiuváret infírmos. Dum ergo prope est ut véniat quem missúrus es, et dies afflúlget liberatiónis nostræ, in hac promissiónum tuárum fide, piis gáudiis exsultámus. Et ídeo cum Angelis et Archángelis, cum Thronis et Dominatiónibus, cumque omni militia cœléstis exércitus, hymnum glóriæ tuæ cánimus, sine fine dicéntes: — Sanctus.
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times and places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, almighty Father, eternal God, through Christ our Lord; for in Thy mercy and fidelity Thou hast promised Him as Savior to the lost race of men, to instruct the ignorant with His truth, justify the wicked with His holiness, and help the weak by His power. Now that the time draweth nigh that He Whom Thou art to send should come, and the day of our liberation should dawn, with faith in Thy promises, we rejoice with holy exultation. And therefore with the Angels and Archangels, with the Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts of the heavenly army, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, evermore saying: — Sanctus.
Click for larger…
A while back I posted something about a curious lacuna in Misericordiae vultus which listed some of the spiritual works of mercy but which omitted “admonish the sinner”. HERE
However, it now does in the online version in English HERE.
15. […] It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy. Jesus introduces us to these works of mercy in his preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners [peccatores monere], comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.
We cannot escape the Lord’s words to us, and they will serve as the criteria upon which we will be judged….
Coat of Arms by D Burkart
A Daily Prayer for Priests
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