"He said he “would be interested in a genuine theological exchange with you about the argumentation of these texts, since they try to pave ways to make evangelization possible.”"
As interested as he's been whenever Pope Francis has told him that he can't change Church teaching? Or is this one of those occasions when dialogue is being abused into being a euphemism for something else?
Oh no, not the endgame. We've seen this in other Christian bodies and in politics: The goal is to keep talking until they get their way. Then disagreement is no longer allowed.
Praise God that the Church is protected from defecting from the truth, but that doesn't mean no damage is done.
Spot on. Keep talking to make ‘crazy’ ideas normalized and make people numb to it all… then, voila, changes are implemented because people are too exhausted to fight back. Boil the frog.
I’m not sure how polite synodality really is. I think synodality is where those who think that they have institutional power tell those without to shut up and go away.
It also seems to imply the evangelization is not currently possible. As if truth has somehow become incompatible with those we would seek to evangelize.
> "Such ideas simply belong in the realm of convoluted conspiracy theories" ... "very similar issues arise in many places in the universal Church" ...
Sure, it's not a convoluted conspiracy at all. What is really going on is quite simple because it's the same thing that is always going on: the enemy (as he does on a daily or hourly basis) has tempted everyone, in individual ways, according to which of our virtues are weakest (see Rule 14, rules for the first week, St Ignatius Loyola). It is banal and effective. The best way to combat it, because we are members of a single mystical body and whatever any of us does affects *the entire Church* even on the other side of the world, is to become a saint (God wants to do it, we just don't like to cooperate with Him very much, but we can start any number of steps removed from it by asking "for the desire" to.)
I ask myself … under what right does the president of the bishops’ conference of a Church dare to judge the catholicity of another Church and its episcopate? Let me therefore make it clear that I consider the archbishop’s letter to be a huge overstepping of his authority”
Correct me if I am wrong, but most heresies in Church history were sponsernd by at least one Bishop and then opposed by some other Bishop. So, I would say this is an extremely Catholic and fraternal thing to do.
Thanks for highlighting this comment, Stephen C. This comment jumped out at me also.
The first thought that popped into my head was: fraternal correction among bishops. And as you said, this has been done many times over the years amongst the bishops who “hold and teach the Catholic Faith”.
Archbishop Gadecki is the best. When all the other bishops' conferences allowed governments to shut down churches during COVID, Gadecki did the opposite. He openly defied the Polish government and increase the amount of Masses in his dioceses which all the other Polish bishops followed. He allowed for a government restriction on the amount of people who could attend Mass, but increased the amount of daily Masses so everyone could attend at least one Mass per week. So Poland waa the only country where public Masses were celebrated for Easter and Pentecost of 2020.
I'll admit I didn't read any word. I'm more on the Polish side than Germany for sure; but did the Polish bishop reach out privately to his German counterparts first? If he really publishes his letter at the same time he sent it then I can see the German's disapproval for that part.
Gotta give it to Bishop Georg Bätzing: he knows how to speak language that resonates with the Pontiff. Being "unsynodal" is the worst accusation in this pontificate. Nothing will get you on the Pope's naughty list quite like resisting synodality.
"He said he “would be interested in a genuine theological exchange with you about the argumentation of these texts, since they try to pave ways to make evangelization possible.”"
As interested as he's been whenever Pope Francis has told him that he can't change Church teaching? Or is this one of those occasions when dialogue is being abused into being a euphemism for something else?
Oh no, not the endgame. We've seen this in other Christian bodies and in politics: The goal is to keep talking until they get their way. Then disagreement is no longer allowed.
Praise God that the Church is protected from defecting from the truth, but that doesn't mean no damage is done.
Spot on. Keep talking to make ‘crazy’ ideas normalized and make people numb to it all… then, voila, changes are implemented because people are too exhausted to fight back. Boil the frog.
I’m not sure how polite synodality really is. I think synodality is where those who think that they have institutional power tell those without to shut up and go away.
“Shut up” they explained.
It also seems to imply the evangelization is not currently possible. As if truth has somehow become incompatible with those we would seek to evangelize.
A great piece!!
> "Such ideas simply belong in the realm of convoluted conspiracy theories" ... "very similar issues arise in many places in the universal Church" ...
Sure, it's not a convoluted conspiracy at all. What is really going on is quite simple because it's the same thing that is always going on: the enemy (as he does on a daily or hourly basis) has tempted everyone, in individual ways, according to which of our virtues are weakest (see Rule 14, rules for the first week, St Ignatius Loyola). It is banal and effective. The best way to combat it, because we are members of a single mystical body and whatever any of us does affects *the entire Church* even on the other side of the world, is to become a saint (God wants to do it, we just don't like to cooperate with Him very much, but we can start any number of steps removed from it by asking "for the desire" to.)
I ask myself … under what right does the president of the bishops’ conference of a Church dare to judge the catholicity of another Church and its episcopate? Let me therefore make it clear that I consider the archbishop’s letter to be a huge overstepping of his authority”
Correct me if I am wrong, but most heresies in Church history were sponsernd by at least one Bishop and then opposed by some other Bishop. So, I would say this is an extremely Catholic and fraternal thing to do.
Thanks for highlighting this comment, Stephen C. This comment jumped out at me also.
The first thought that popped into my head was: fraternal correction among bishops. And as you said, this has been done many times over the years amongst the bishops who “hold and teach the Catholic Faith”.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
I’m not sure that’s go so well for Poland given what happened last time…
Poland 😍
Archbishop Gadecki is the best. When all the other bishops' conferences allowed governments to shut down churches during COVID, Gadecki did the opposite. He openly defied the Polish government and increase the amount of Masses in his dioceses which all the other Polish bishops followed. He allowed for a government restriction on the amount of people who could attend Mass, but increased the amount of daily Masses so everyone could attend at least one Mass per week. So Poland waa the only country where public Masses were celebrated for Easter and Pentecost of 2020.
I'll admit I didn't read any word. I'm more on the Polish side than Germany for sure; but did the Polish bishop reach out privately to his German counterparts first? If he really publishes his letter at the same time he sent it then I can see the German's disapproval for that part.
Gotta give it to Bishop Georg Bätzing: he knows how to speak language that resonates with the Pontiff. Being "unsynodal" is the worst accusation in this pontificate. Nothing will get you on the Pope's naughty list quite like resisting synodality.
Cardinal Becciu managed somehow without even mentioning it.