Saturday, November 26, 2016

Amoris Laetitia And Dubia - Separating Wheat From Chaff

Slowly but surely the Dubia that the four cardinals submitted to Pope Francis is bringing a lot of dissent and heresy to light.  The head of the Greek Bishops' Conference (I won't even attempt that name) wrote to the four cardinals and flat out accused them of heresy.  One Peter Five has the text of the letter, and it is a beeyute!  He opens the letter by stating that the four cardinals should turn in their red caps (I don't know the proper term) and then accuses them of heresy, apostacy and scandal.  One wonders if he actually read the dubia, for all it does is ask the pope to clarify some passages in Amoris Laetitia that seem to contradict the tradition of the Church.  Or maybe he did read them and is simply trying to frighten others into not considering their input.

Cardinal Cupich seems to be mouthing similar things - almost as if they were all given "talking points".  I have written about the sword-crossing between him and Archbishop Chaput when the latter reaffirmed Church teaching in his own diocese.  In an interview, he told Edward Pentin that those who have "doubts and questions" regarding Amoralis Lamentia need "conversion in their lives".  I and others have written extensively about Cupich's dissidence many times.  Please read that list for yourselves for I haven't time nor space to detail just why Cupich may be the one needed conversion.

One wonders if that head of the Greek Bishops' Conference might have such strong words for his German counterpart.  Archbishop Robert Zollitsch openly declared his belief that "Christ did not die for the sins of the people as if God had provided a sacrificial offering, like a scapegoat."  He believes that Jesus only offered "solidarity with the poor."  Now that is heresy.  Will the Greek head say anything about that?  Will the Pope have a rebuke for this heresy-spouting bishop?  I think we'll hear crickets and Zollitsch will retain his post.

However, it does seem that the four cardinals are not standing alone.  Polish Bishop Josef Wrobel says "the four cardinals did well in asking for clarification about Amoris Laetitia".  He added that AL "is not written well".  He offered that as a potential excuse reason for its lack of clarity.

Two American bishops share the same last name: Tobin.  That's about all they share.  Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island opined last July that AL was "marked by ambiguity and that's intentional on the Holy Father's part, I think...so people can do just about whatever they want."  This bishop has consistently stood for the truth.  On the other hand we have Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis.  In the previous link I detailed some issues we've had with him.  He called the four cardinals "troublesome".  Well, it might actually be a good thing to be regarded as "troublesome" to a progressive.  We know now why Joseph Tobin received his red hat!

Bishop Athanasius Schneider published a letter in which he defended the dubia and the four cardinals as a "prophetic voice."  In his letter, Schneider takes aim at the progressive syncophants who lobbed ad hominem attacks at the four cardinals without offering any real clarity, comparing the current situation to that of St Hilary of Poitiers and Pope Liberius.  The letter is worth careful study.

Then there is Bishop Jan Watroba, also of Poland.  He remarked on the ambiguity of AL, saying that he "preferred the clarity of Pope St. John Paul II".  I pray that these three bishops retain their posts and aren't sent to "diocesan siberia", if you get the drift.  I also pray that many more bishops join them to stand for the teachings of Jesus Christ.

LifeSiteNews is conducting a petition effort to ask the Holy Father to respond to the dubia.  Please sign and pass along.

5 comments:

  1. A parish church in Lafayette, Louisiana recently referred parishioners, via weekly bulletin, to a free study guide offered the by the National Catholic Reporter as a "chance to explore Pope Francis' message about marriage and family". Given the NCR's reputation for promoting the liberal agenda, do you have any information about the study "guide offered" by this newspaper?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting. I am an hour and a half away from Lafayette. Do you know the parish? If I am in the area any time soon I could drop by.

      Delete
  2. No I don't, but I share your suspicions regarding lack of orthodoxy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If the NCR is offering a free study guide, I think I myself would keep at least an arm's length away from it.

    Yes, I and H have signed the petition asking Francis to respond, for whatever it's worth, because I feel confident he will again ignore any requests for clarity, and especially from the 'faithful laity' because according to him we are way 'too rigid'.

    Yes you are quite correct in that Cupich is the one who really needs 'conversion', along with
    + Joseph Tobin and others who have 'condemned' the four courageous prelates who are fighting for the truth of Christ in His Church. I am hoping and praying for an 'avalanche' of support for the four, kind of like a snowball gaining in speed and size that has started at the mountain top. Once the snowball starts, it will hopefully give courage to the rest of the faithful Bishops and Cardinals to speak PUBLICLY in their defense. We can only hope and PRAY.

    Cdls. Burke and Pell have now been OFFICIALLY removed from the Congregation for Divine Worship, but it's not like we didn't see THAT ONE coming eh? Francis is stacking the deck with all of his dissenters, and no doubt moving at the speed of light while he still can; cleaning house in a purge of the 'intolerant, rigid pharisees', don't you know!? And all the while keeping his mouth more or less shut and letting his henchmen do his offensive, derogatory and unchristian public 'name calling'. The title of your post, btw, is spot on; 'Separating the Wheat from the Chaff' is exactly what's going on here. Our Lord is lifting the veil for all to see.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is an interesting article. But, I am confused about one thing. Are these "Greek Bishops" Greek bishops members of the Greek Catholic Church (Not really part of the Roman/Eastern Catholic Church), or are they Bishops of the Roman Catholic or Eastern Catholic (recognized) Church who happen to be in Greece?

    (I notice one of them signed OFM Cap. after his name, which would tell me he is part of the Roman Catholic Church, Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.)

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful and courteous to others on this blog. We reserve the right to delete comments that violate courtesy and/or those that promote dissent from the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.