As the battle lines
continue to form, traditionalists are turning to their blogs and
social media to counteract what they see as an agenda of “false
mercy” being promoted by supporters of the progressive camp. The
liberal wing, following the lead of Pope Francis and Cardinal Kasper,
hopes to use the upcoming Synod on the Family to further erode the
bastions of Catholicism, by minimizing the sanctity of the
sacraments of the Eucharist and of marriage. Their intent, as is
well known, is to permit those in irregular marital situations or relationships, of
varied types, to receive the Eucharist without qualms to their
conscience.
The worst-case scenario
of embarking on this slippery slope is tragic. Why shouldn't an
unhappy Catholic couple just get divorced, since they can still
receive Communion anyway? Why should Catholic couples or
divorced-remarried Catholics bother with annulments if they will
still be in sacramental Communion with the Church? Why should one be
concerned at all about divorcing and re-marrying if communion with
the Church via the Eucharist is still possible?
As the battle heats up,
two Catholic bloggers/writers in particular have undertaken concrete
attempts to defend the bastions. James Larson, who maintains the
website "The War Against Being," has initiated a Children's Crusade of
Prayer for the Holy Father. He writes:
I
plan to send the following short letter to Pope Francis. It will be
accompanied by a picture taken this past Christmas of all my
children, their spouses, and grandchildren. I think that pictures are
crucial. I believe that every Catholic website and blog should
promote such a "children's crusade" (variations are of
course desirable) from now until the closing of the Synod. The
address of the Holy Father should also be provided.
His
Holiness, Pope Francis
Apostolic
Palace
00120
Vatican City
Holy
Father,
Our
children, and our entire family, are praying the rosary with the
following intention:
"For
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, that he might not promote a false
mercy, but that he might do what is necessary in order to protect
both the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Marriage from sacrilege."
Larson hopes that It will
be difficult for Pope Francis to dismiss such children and their
families as "self-absorbed, Promethian, Neo-pelagians,"
which is the way traditionalists are often characterized.
 |
In his “From Rome”
blog, Franciscan Brother Alexis Bugnolo, writes that Catholics must
band together in a world-wide network. He writes: “To be quiet now,
is to tacitly succumb. If you don’t declare your side publicly
now, it will be too late to recruit an army when the battle starts.
Indeed, the fundamental problem today in the Church arises from the
cowardice of too many clergy to speak out and take initiatives to
oppose the errors.”
Bugnolo is promoting the
Veri Catholici Association,
which takes up the call to preserve the Faith as it has been handed
down through the ages. Members and supporters are specifically
concerned with preserving the Apostolic Eucharistic doctrine:
We are zealously devoted to the defense of the doctrine
revealed by God through St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, in his
First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 26-27, which is:
26: For howsoever often you will have eaten this Bread
and drink this Chalice, you announce the Death of the Lord, until He
comes.
27: And so, whosoever will have eaten the Bread and/or
have drunk the Chalice of the Lord will be liable for the Body and
Blood of the Lord.
(Translation from the Vulgate text)
------------
The
"Shield of Faith"
blog contends that according to Catholic teaching, when the perennial
ecclesiastical Magisterium speaks it must be obeyed, even if it is
not a formal infallible definition of doctrine on faith or morals
(see this link). In this case it is a question of the traditional doctrine on
the immorality
of the reception of Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin.
Therefore the time to object and put a stop to the progressive “false
mercy” agenda is now, before there is any change in pastoral
practice touching on the doctrine of the moral requirements for the
reception of Holy Communion.
Plainly and simply the Pope is a fellow traveler and believes in situation ethics.
ReplyDeleteI think your article is too quick to criticize our pope. Haven't you read the latest: ROME, March 20, 2015 – “This does not resolve anything,” Pope Francis has said with regard to the idea of giving communion to the divorced and remarried. Much less if they “want” it, demand it. Because communion “is not a badge, a decoration. No.” If the Holy Spirit is really in charge of our Church, what is there to fear???
ReplyDeleteThis may indicate that the determined resistance to these proposed changes is having an effect. But now is not the time to let up, since the bulk of his pronouncements indicate he wants change in this area.
ReplyDeleteAs long as the "determined resistance" respects our pope and continue to remain in communion with the pope, then I agree with you on this point. I do disagree with your statement "the bulk of his pronouncements indicate he wants change in this area." I've been following this topic from the beginning. Can you specifically refer to something the pope has said that confirms your statement? I can think of nothing that the pope has said that would strongly suggest that he wants to allow for communion for the divorced.
DeleteTry this link:
Deletehttp://pewsitter.com/view_news_id_198871.php
I would change the prayer to this:
ReplyDelete"For Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, that he does not promote a false mercy, but that he will do what is necessary in order to protect both the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Marriage from sacrilege."