Jorge the Collegial doubles down

Jorge the Collegial is at it again; issuing yet another motu proprio from on high, this time, with a directive that amounts to a reconstitution of the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences.

The motu proprio, presently available on the Holy See website in Latin and Italian, begins:

Animated by the greatest care for the family, Saint John Paul II, following the 1980 Synod of Bishops of the Family and the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris consortio, 1981, conferred a stable juridical structure on the Pontifical Institute John Paul II for Studies on Marriage and Family.

Some coglioni  this  guy’s got, eh!

Or, sticking with the pseudo-homage to JPII theme, as our so-called “elder brothers in the faith might say,” he’s got some kinda chutzpah, this one.

His Humbleness must have been snickering when he wrote this, as clearly he considers Familiaris Consortio to be about as relevant in terms of enduring Catholic teaching as the Council of Trent; meaning, not at all.

He continued by citing the two Synods on the Family (2014, 2015); referring to Amoris Laetitia as the completion of the “intense journey” that (presumably) began in the early 1980s.

More recently, the Church has made a further synodal pathway by focusing again on the reality of marriage and the family, primarily in the Extraordinary Assembly of 2014 dedicated to “Pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization,”and then in the ordinary one of 2015 on” The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and in the world.” Completing this intense journey was the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, published March 19, 2016.

Conspicuously missing from this little history lesson is any mention of the fact that Benedict XVI in his 2007 post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Sacramentum Caritatis, reaffirmed the teaching found in Familiaris Consortio “of not admitting the divorced and remarried to the sacraments, since their state and their condition of life objectively contradict the loving union of Christ and the Church signified and made present in the Eucharist.” (SC 29)

In any case, what Francis is attempting to establish (or reaffirm, as the case may  be) is that he considers Amoris Laeitita to be every bit as much the Magisterial act as Familiaris Consortio; even if certain Dubia cardinals and others do not.

So, why the motu proprio?

Francis answers:

This [most recent] synodal season has led the Church to a renewed awareness of the Gospel of the family and the new pastoral challenges to which the Christian community is called upon to respond.

In what sense are the “pastoral challenges” new?

For the record, this is a rhetorical question, as everyone worthy of the name Catholic knows very well that the answer is that they are not.

Jorge the Unworthy clearly disagrees:

The anthropological-cultural change, which affects all aspects of life today and requires an analytical and diversified approach, does not allow us to limit ourselves to pastoral and missionary practices that reflect forms and models of the past.

Note very well that the “forms and models of the past” to which Francis refers are what John Paul II rightly described as that which are based upon Sacred Scripture and tradition (cf FC 84).

As Bishop Fellay once zealously declared, “We have in front of us a genuine modernist!”

Protesting just a bit too much, Francis adds:

In the clear purpose of remaining faithful to the teaching of Christ, we must look with the intellect of love and with wisdom of realism to the reality of the family today, in all its complexity, in its lights and in its shadows.

Let’s assume, in charity, that the “clear purpose” – in other words, Francis’ subjective intention in Amoris Laetitia and the effort to push it forward  – really is to “remain faithful to the teaching of Christ” in spite of all appearances to the contrary.

Forgive me for repeating myself yet again, but it must be said that this is irrelevant with respect to his status as a member of the Body of Christ as based upon the nature of his assorted blasphemies and heresies:

“In deciding the meaning of a text the Church does not pronounce judgment on the subjective intention of the author, but on the objective sense of the text.” (Dr. Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma)

Before I conclude, I’d like to point out a couple of mildly amusing portions of the motu proprio (that is, in lieu of crying):

The Theological Institute has the right to give its students the following academic degrees: the Doctorate in Marriage and Family Sciences; the License in the Science on Marriage and Family; the Diploma in the Science on Marriage and Family.

Imagine putting that on your résumé! Seriously, a roll of toilet paper will be more valuable; even after it is used.

Then there’s this gem:

The new institute will … serve the mission of the Universal Church, in the fields of science relating to marriage and the family, and with regard to issues related to the fundamental alliance of man and of the woman for the care of generation and creation.

Why not have the new JPII Institute confer degrees in Green Matrimony (on recycled paper, of course)?

You can’t make this stuff up, folks.

The bottom line here is simple:

Francis is essentially recommissioning the John Paul II Pontifical Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences (adding “Theological” of all things to its name) in order to reflect  – in his words – “the new dimensions of the pastoral task and the ecclesial mission.”

Translation – it’s all about implementing Amoris Laetitia as quickly as possible.

In conclusion:

Is anyone else struck by the timing of the motu proprio; coming as it does on this, the one year anniversary of the very day on which the Dubia was presented to Francis?

Make no mistake, Jorge is sending a message; he is doubling down on his heresy.

Cardinal Burke, the ball is in your court.