Contradictory diversity strikes me as an accurate diagnosis for the state of our Church. But what is the way out? If you are implying that Pope Francis is to blame for our contradictory diversity (or that McElroy is to blame for contradictory diversity among the bishops) and the solution is to reject him, I'd urge you to ponder: would that be your prescription for a marriage afflicted by contradictory diversity (to take up the analogy of Fr. Thomas Dubay you share below)? I think we would agree that the proper course of action is not to eliminate the contradiction by eliminating the person expressing a conflicting viewpoint but rather to help them to see the truth--or, more modestly acknowledging the possibility in principle that you yourself may be mistaken, to seek the truth together. That does start with respect and taking the time to understand where a person is coming from, though it certainly does not end there (as some liberals might suppose).
It sounds like we are in agreement. Prayer and conversion are fundamental to getting in contact with truth. (I trust that you would also recognize a role for learning, reason, and dialogue, that you are not saying prayer and conversion suffice on their own. But they are the ingredients most often undervalued in our culture.)
Could you explain the phrase “contradictory diversity”?
Contradictory diversity strikes me as an accurate diagnosis for the state of our Church. But what is the way out? If you are implying that Pope Francis is to blame for our contradictory diversity (or that McElroy is to blame for contradictory diversity among the bishops) and the solution is to reject him, I'd urge you to ponder: would that be your prescription for a marriage afflicted by contradictory diversity (to take up the analogy of Fr. Thomas Dubay you share below)? I think we would agree that the proper course of action is not to eliminate the contradiction by eliminating the person expressing a conflicting viewpoint but rather to help them to see the truth--or, more modestly acknowledging the possibility in principle that you yourself may be mistaken, to seek the truth together. That does start with respect and taking the time to understand where a person is coming from, though it certainly does not end there (as some liberals might suppose).
It sounds like we are in agreement. Prayer and conversion are fundamental to getting in contact with truth. (I trust that you would also recognize a role for learning, reason, and dialogue, that you are not saying prayer and conversion suffice on their own. But they are the ingredients most often undervalued in our culture.)