Pope Francis has called for a Synod on the Family and Evangelization, the Preparatory Document for which concludes with a series of questions that Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, Secretary General of the Synod, has asked the world’s bishops to distribute “as widely as possible” to ensure input from “local sources,” presumably including parishes, other groups and even individual Catholics.
This is how the “synodal” Church in the age of the “New Evangelization” rolls. It is a case study in progressive bureaucraticism wherein a brain trust of elites compile mountains of research as they frenetically prepare for the conference report that will inform the outline for the agenda which will guide the assembly that will ultimately decide to reconvene for further discussion after the establishment of yet another Godforsaken commission.
Dissenters, of course, are ecstatic about the survey. Lifesite News, for example, is reporting, “The American homosexualist group New Ways Ministry, issued a statement calling the questionnaire ‘a great chance to hear the voice of the Spirit working in the church.’”
Even so, if the preparatory phase for the Second Vatican Council is any indication, it’s all a dog and pony show as in the end the bureaucrats will do whatever damn well pleases them anyway.
For example, if the overwhelming majority of respondents implore the Synod to address homosexual activity as an objective moral evil, and same sex attraction itself as psychological disorder, it is just as likely to be ignored as were the numerous requests, coming from countless bishops all over the world, calling on the Council to condemn communism.
About a year ago, in the aftermath of the last Synod of Bishops, I wrote:
We’ve become the Church of Martha, Martha — feminized, frenzied and busy about many things; a Church that is all-too-frequently distracted from the only mission that really matters; converting the world to Christ who didn’t lay down His life to establish a think tank.
All indications are it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
yep!
If only the majority of correspondents would identify such moral evils. I actually fear the opposite.
Regardless, I am not so sure progressive bureaucraticism is such a bad thing – it may be the only way to apply the brakes – however gently – on anything actually getting done that could cause even more damage. The longer they ponder, confer, dialogue, discuss, etc., the less they actually do. May their progressive plans die the death of a thousand committee meetings!
The Church of Martha. Yes. It’s heartening to see that you saw long ago what has only become clear to me under Pope “Marthan imbalance” Francis. This survey just entrenches the Humpty Dumpty word-twisting nature of this supposedly “Ignatian” Pope. And so we pray for him and for all the faithful.
c matt:
Clever, I like it.
There definitely is a “spirit” at work in the new church—-but not a Holy one!
When all the Lazaruses will have died, the Church of Martha, Martha, will hopefully wake up to declare, “Yes, Lord I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God who came into this world.”
Hopefully, we all live to see that day.
What a ‘wrath’……. the blindness of the hierarchy……….
One can only ‘marvel’ at the ‘wisdom’ of the Just God!
Proposition 59 — Go ye therefore to all nations; teaching in firmness and in love all that the Lord has commanded, inviting all to the sanctification made available only through the grace of conversion to the one true Church that He Himself established for our salvation, governing not in the manner of lawyers and legislators but as legates of Christ the King.
Why on earth don’t they just preach the Gospel and tell the world that if you don’t repent and get out of Mortal Sin, you go to hell? That’s not too hard to do. Is it? IS IT?
We’re the Church of Jesus Christ for pete’s sake. I can’t help but wonder what He’s thinking.
You write: “We’ve become the Church of Martha.” Yes, yes, yes !
But the Church of Mary is still with us, just about, in Benedict XVI.
Louie wrote:
“…all-too-frequently distracted from the only mission that really matters; converting the world to Christ …”
I must respectfully clarify your sentiment.
Our Lord did not come into the world to convert it, but rather, through His sacrifice on the Cross, while sufficiently redeeming the whole human race and therefore sufficiently allowing all men to be saved, His redeeming work was primarily to glorify His Father in Heaven, and to positively and efficaciously save only the elect.
The world has already been condemned, as He Himself has said.
And this mission of continuing to expand the Kingdom of God through the Catholic Church alone, until the number of the elect is accomplished, is not the “only mission that matters;” it is rather the only mission which His Church has received from Him AT ALL.
@ Leo
I strongly recommend studying Ludwig Ott´s ´”Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma”.
If only half the world’s bishops would reply with catholic responses the revolution would be stopped dead in its tracks.
Much like the conciliar revolution was not stopped due to the passivity and general apathy of a good many bishops (I recently read in the “Rhine flows into the Tiber” of an anecdote where a huge number of bishops went off to some tourist destination somewhere in Italy during the weekend before an important vote). This was more important than a general council of the church? How seriously were these fellows taking their God given duty????? After reading that, I knew exactly why the conciliar revolution took place with so little resistance.
@Martina
I have read Ludwig Ott. His is one of the best resources available.
“All indications are it’s going to get worse before it gets better.” For you, maybe.
Billy…Is it possible you`re trolling the internet….just a bit perhaps?????
These are steps towards the democratization of what is, in reality and substance, a monarchic institution (specifically designed that way by the Ultimate Designer for good reason). No good can come from this. Only evil, mainly in the forms of discord and dislocation.
My prediction is that the powerful lobby groups (homosexuals, US Nuns, Catholics-in-name-only wanting contraception and divorcees’ rights to sacraments, et al) will screech like banshees to get their views across – because that’s what they do.
They will garner enormous support from “the World” (especially the mainstream media, morally bankrupt politicians of every stripe and even many ignorant in the faith Average-Joe-Catholics) all encouraged and ably assisted by the demon who will use them as his (mostly) unwitting pawns.
Unbearable pressure will mount on the hierarchy to make at least some of the demanded changes or concessions to them and, as we all know – its the squeaky wheel that gets changed. How many signs do we already have that this papacy seems intent on getting closer to – even cosying up with – the World?
I hope my prediction is wrong, but if it isn’t, THAT will be the crunch time for the Faithful.
Billy – if you are trolling the net – God has blessed you – you found the pay load – pay attention and get on board.
The Questionaire’s method and questions implicitly nixes the obligation of faith… infact it replaces the Word Tradition at the beginning with the Second Vatican Council….thus divorcing scripture and magisterium from Tradition…