SYNOD AND TRUTH:
Understanding In Depth the Grave Errors of Cardinal Kasper
- A Major Article by Roberto de Mattei
KASPER’S MESS
The origins of the errors
For them, Christianity is praxis, not justice
Roberto de Mattei
Il Foglio
October 1, 2014
The upcoming Synod of Bishops has been preceded by a rumpus
in the media which attaches to it a historical significance greater than its
ecclesiastical importance as merely a consultative assembly in the Church. Some
are complaining about the theological war the Synod promises to be, but the
history of all the Episcopal meetings in the Church (such is the etymological
significance of the term “synod” and its synonym “council”) has been made up of
theological conflicts and bitter debates on errors and divisions that have
threatened the Christian community since its beginnings.
in the media which attaches to it a historical significance greater than its
ecclesiastical importance as merely a consultative assembly in the Church. Some
are complaining about the theological war the Synod promises to be, but the
history of all the Episcopal meetings in the Church (such is the etymological
significance of the term “synod” and its synonym “council”) has been made up of
theological conflicts and bitter debates on errors and divisions that have
threatened the Christian community since its beginnings.
Today the
subject of communion for the divorced [and remarried] is only the vector of a
discussion that focuses on rather complex doctrinal concepts, such as human
nature and the natural law. This debate seems to translate, on the
anthropological level, the Trinitarian and Christological speculations which
shook up the Church from the Council of Nicaea (325) to the Council of Chalcedon
(451). At that time, discussions
were held to determine the nature of the Most Holy Trinity, Who is one
God in Three Persons and to define in Jesus Christ the Person of the Word, Who
subsists in two natures, the Divine and the human. The Council of Nicaea’s
adoption of the Greek term homoousios, which was translated in Latin to
consubstantialis and, after the Council of Chalcedon with the words “of the
same nature” of the Divine substance, to affirm the perfect equality of the
Word and the Father, marks a never-to be-forgotten date in the history of
Christianity and concludes an era of disorientation, confusion and drama of
consciences similar to the one we are [currently] immersed in.
subject of communion for the divorced [and remarried] is only the vector of a
discussion that focuses on rather complex doctrinal concepts, such as human
nature and the natural law. This debate seems to translate, on the
anthropological level, the Trinitarian and Christological speculations which
shook up the Church from the Council of Nicaea (325) to the Council of Chalcedon
(451). At that time, discussions
were held to determine the nature of the Most Holy Trinity, Who is one
God in Three Persons and to define in Jesus Christ the Person of the Word, Who
subsists in two natures, the Divine and the human. The Council of Nicaea’s
adoption of the Greek term homoousios, which was translated in Latin to
consubstantialis and, after the Council of Chalcedon with the words “of the
same nature” of the Divine substance, to affirm the perfect equality of the
Word and the Father, marks a never-to be-forgotten date in the history of
Christianity and concludes an era of disorientation, confusion and drama of
consciences similar to the one we are [currently] immersed in.
In those
years the Church was divided between the “right” of St. Athanasius and the
“left” of Arius’ followers, (the
definition is by the historian of the Councils, Karl Joseph von Hefele).
Between the two poles the third “party” of semi-Arians wavered, themselves divided
into various factions. The term homoiousios,
which means “of similar substance” was set against the Nicean homoousios, which
means “of the same substance”. This is not a question of nitpicking. In the seemingly minimal difference between
these two words, there lies an abyss: on the one hand, Identity with God, on the other a certain
analogy or resemblance which makes of Jesus Christ an ordinary man.
years the Church was divided between the “right” of St. Athanasius and the
“left” of Arius’ followers, (the
definition is by the historian of the Councils, Karl Joseph von Hefele).
Between the two poles the third “party” of semi-Arians wavered, themselves divided
into various factions. The term homoiousios,
which means “of similar substance” was set against the Nicean homoousios, which
means “of the same substance”. This is not a question of nitpicking. In the seemingly minimal difference between
these two words, there lies an abyss: on the one hand, Identity with God, on the other a certain
analogy or resemblance which makes of Jesus Christ an ordinary man.
The best historical reconstruction of this period is the one
by Cardinal John Henry Newman, The Arians of the Fourth Century (tr.It. Jaca Book,
Milano, 1981) an in-depth study which brings to light the culpability of the
clergy and the courage of “the common people” in maintaining the orthodoxy of
the Faith. Athanasius, as a deacon and champion of orthodoxy, afterwards a
bishop, was forced as many as five times to leave his diocese, to walk the way
of exile.
by Cardinal John Henry Newman, The Arians of the Fourth Century (tr.It. Jaca Book,
Milano, 1981) an in-depth study which brings to light the culpability of the
clergy and the courage of “the common people” in maintaining the orthodoxy of
the Faith. Athanasius, as a deacon and champion of orthodoxy, afterwards a
bishop, was forced as many as five times to leave his diocese, to walk the way
of exile.
In 357, Pope Liberius excommunicated him and two years after
the Councils of Rimini and Seleucia, which constituted a sort of great
Ecumenical Council, representative of the West and the East, abandoned the
Nicene term “consubstantial” and established an equivocal middle way, between
St. Athanasius and the Arians. It was at that time St. Jerome coined the
expression according to which "The
whole world groaned and was amazed to find itself Arian".
the Councils of Rimini and Seleucia, which constituted a sort of great
Ecumenical Council, representative of the West and the East, abandoned the
Nicene term “consubstantial” and established an equivocal middle way, between
St. Athanasius and the Arians. It was at that time St. Jerome coined the
expression according to which "The
whole world groaned and was amazed to find itself Arian".
Athanasius
and the defenders of the orthodox Faith were accused of being stuck obstinately
on words and of being quarrelsome and intolerant. These are the same accusations made today
against those, inside and outside the Synod Hall, who want to raise a voice of
uncompromising firmness in defense of the Church’s doctrine on Christian
Marriage, like the five Cardinals (Burke, Brandmuller, Caffarra, De Paolis and
Muller), who after having expressed themselves individually, gathered together
their statements in defense of the family in a book which by now has become a
manifesto: Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the
Catholic Church, just published by Cantagalli of Siena, Another fundamental text, Divorced “Remarried”,
also owes its publication to Cantagalli. The praxis of the primitive Church, by
the Jesuit Henri Couzel,
and the defenders of the orthodox Faith were accused of being stuck obstinately
on words and of being quarrelsome and intolerant. These are the same accusations made today
against those, inside and outside the Synod Hall, who want to raise a voice of
uncompromising firmness in defense of the Church’s doctrine on Christian
Marriage, like the five Cardinals (Burke, Brandmuller, Caffarra, De Paolis and
Muller), who after having expressed themselves individually, gathered together
their statements in defense of the family in a book which by now has become a
manifesto: Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Marriage and Communion in the
Catholic Church, just published by Cantagalli of Siena, Another fundamental text, Divorced “Remarried”,
also owes its publication to Cantagalli. The praxis of the primitive Church, by
the Jesuit Henri Couzel,
The writers in the “Corriere della Sera” and “La Repubblica”
have been rending their garments at the “theological row” now in progress. On September 8, Pope Francis himself, urged
newly nominated Bishops “not to waste energy in contrasts and clashes”,
forgetting that he had personally assumed the responsibility of the clashes
when he entrusted the job of opening the Synod “dances” to Cardinal Walter
Kasper. As Sandro Magister noted, it was actually Kasper with his report on
February 20, 2014, (made available by “Il Foglio”), who started the hostility
that triggered off the doctrinal debate, thus becoming, far from his
intentions, the standard-bearer of a party. The oft-times reiterated formula by
the German Cardinal is: what has to change is not the doctrine of the
indissolubility of marriage, but pastoral [praxis] for the divorced and
remarried. This has in itself a devastating significance and is the expression
of a theological concept tainted at its roots.
have been rending their garments at the “theological row” now in progress. On September 8, Pope Francis himself, urged
newly nominated Bishops “not to waste energy in contrasts and clashes”,
forgetting that he had personally assumed the responsibility of the clashes
when he entrusted the job of opening the Synod “dances” to Cardinal Walter
Kasper. As Sandro Magister noted, it was actually Kasper with his report on
February 20, 2014, (made available by “Il Foglio”), who started the hostility
that triggered off the doctrinal debate, thus becoming, far from his
intentions, the standard-bearer of a party. The oft-times reiterated formula by
the German Cardinal is: what has to change is not the doctrine of the
indissolubility of marriage, but pastoral [praxis] for the divorced and
remarried. This has in itself a devastating significance and is the expression
of a theological concept tainted at its roots.
So as to
understand Kasper’s thought, we need to go back to one of his first works,
perhaps the main one, “The Absolute in History in the last Philosophy of
Schelling, published in 1965 and translated by Jaca Book in 1986. In fact,
Walter Kasper belongs to the school of Tubinga, which, as he writes in this
study, “started a renewal in theology and in all of German Catholicism with the
encounter of Schelling and Hegel” (p.53). The metaphysics are Schelling’s
(1775-1854), “a solitary giant” (p.90), whose Gnostic and pantheistic character
the German theologian tries in vain to free himself of. In his last work Philosophie der Offenbarung
(The Philosophy of Revelation), in 1854, Schelling opposes historical dogmatic
Christianity. “Schelling – Kasper comments – doesn’t envision the relationship
between the natural and the supernatural in a static, metaphysical and
extratemporal way, but rather in a dynamic and historical one. The essentiality
of Christian Revelation is really this, that it is history.” (p.206).
understand Kasper’s thought, we need to go back to one of his first works,
perhaps the main one, “The Absolute in History in the last Philosophy of
Schelling, published in 1965 and translated by Jaca Book in 1986. In fact,
Walter Kasper belongs to the school of Tubinga, which, as he writes in this
study, “started a renewal in theology and in all of German Catholicism with the
encounter of Schelling and Hegel” (p.53). The metaphysics are Schelling’s
(1775-1854), “a solitary giant” (p.90), whose Gnostic and pantheistic character
the German theologian tries in vain to free himself of. In his last work Philosophie der Offenbarung
(The Philosophy of Revelation), in 1854, Schelling opposes historical dogmatic
Christianity. “Schelling – Kasper comments – doesn’t envision the relationship
between the natural and the supernatural in a static, metaphysical and
extratemporal way, but rather in a dynamic and historical one. The essentiality
of Christian Revelation is really this, that it is history.” (p.206).
Also for Kasper Christianity, before being doctrine, is
history, or “praxis”. In his most famous work, Jesus The Christ, (Queriniana,
Brescia 1974), he develops his Christology in a historical key which is derived
from The Philosophy of Revelation by the German Idealist. The Trinitarian
concept by Schelling is the one of the Sabellian and Modalist heretics, the
forerunners of Arianism. The three
Divine Persons are reduced to three “modes of subsistence” of a one
person-nature (Modalism), while the essence of the Trinity is realised in the
manifesting of “Itself” to the world.
Christ is not the intermediary between God and man, but the historical
realization of the Divinity in the Trinitarian process.
history, or “praxis”. In his most famous work, Jesus The Christ, (Queriniana,
Brescia 1974), he develops his Christology in a historical key which is derived
from The Philosophy of Revelation by the German Idealist. The Trinitarian
concept by Schelling is the one of the Sabellian and Modalist heretics, the
forerunners of Arianism. The three
Divine Persons are reduced to three “modes of subsistence” of a one
person-nature (Modalism), while the essence of the Trinity is realised in the
manifesting of “Itself” to the world.
Christ is not the intermediary between God and man, but the historical
realization of the Divinity in the Trinitarian process.
Coherent with the Christology and ecclesiology of Kasper.
The Church is, first and foremost, “pneuma” “Sacrament of the Spirit”, a
definition for the German Cardinal that “corrects” the juridical one by Pius
XII in Mystici Corporis (The Church, Place of the Spirit, Queriniana, Brescia
1980, p. 91). The Holy Spirit’s field of
action does not coincide in fact, as Tradition wills, with the one of the Roman
Catholic Church, but extends to a vaster ecumenical reality, the “Church of
Christ” which the Catholic Church is part of.
The Church is, first and foremost, “pneuma” “Sacrament of the Spirit”, a
definition for the German Cardinal that “corrects” the juridical one by Pius
XII in Mystici Corporis (The Church, Place of the Spirit, Queriniana, Brescia
1980, p. 91). The Holy Spirit’s field of
action does not coincide in fact, as Tradition wills, with the one of the Roman
Catholic Church, but extends to a vaster ecumenical reality, the “Church of
Christ” which the Catholic Church is part of.
According
to Kasper, the Decree of Vatican II on Ecumenism presses for recognition that
the one Church of Christ is not limited to the Catholic Church, but is shared
with separate churches and ecclesial communities (ivi, p.94). The Catholic Church is “where there is no
selective Gospel”, but everything is expanded in an all-encompassing manner, in
time and space (The Catholic Church – Essence, Reality, Mission, Queriniana,
Brescia 2012, p. 289). The mission of the Church is to “ step out of
Herself” to regain a dimension that
renders her truly universal. Eugenio Scalfari, who is acting like a third
Pope,(i.e. after the Pope emeritus and the one reigning), even if ignorant in
theology, confers the same idea to Pope Francis, asserting, that for him, the
missionary Church is the one that “has to step out of Herself and go into the
world” by implementing Christianity in
history (“La Repubblica”, September 21, 2014).
to Kasper, the Decree of Vatican II on Ecumenism presses for recognition that
the one Church of Christ is not limited to the Catholic Church, but is shared
with separate churches and ecclesial communities (ivi, p.94). The Catholic Church is “where there is no
selective Gospel”, but everything is expanded in an all-encompassing manner, in
time and space (The Catholic Church – Essence, Reality, Mission, Queriniana,
Brescia 2012, p. 289). The mission of the Church is to “ step out of
Herself” to regain a dimension that
renders her truly universal. Eugenio Scalfari, who is acting like a third
Pope,(i.e. after the Pope emeritus and the one reigning), even if ignorant in
theology, confers the same idea to Pope Francis, asserting, that for him, the
missionary Church is the one that “has to step out of Herself and go into the
world” by implementing Christianity in
history (“La Repubblica”, September 21, 2014).
These theories are reflected in Kasper’s moral theology,
according to which, the experience of the encounter with Christ dissolves the
law, or better, the law is a hindrance which man must free himself of to
encounter the mercy of Christ. In his pantheistic philosophy, Schelling absorbs
evil into God. Kasper absorbs evil into the mystery of the Cross, in which he
sees the denial of traditional metaphysics and of the natural law which
proceeds from it. “For Schelling the passage of negative philosophy to positive
philosophy is at the same time[a]passage from the law to the Gospel” (The
Absolute in History, p.178), writes the
German Cardinal, who sees in turn the passage from the law to the Gospel in the
primacy of pastoral praxis over abstract doctrine.
according to which, the experience of the encounter with Christ dissolves the
law, or better, the law is a hindrance which man must free himself of to
encounter the mercy of Christ. In his pantheistic philosophy, Schelling absorbs
evil into God. Kasper absorbs evil into the mystery of the Cross, in which he
sees the denial of traditional metaphysics and of the natural law which
proceeds from it. “For Schelling the passage of negative philosophy to positive
philosophy is at the same time[a]passage from the law to the Gospel” (The
Absolute in History, p.178), writes the
German Cardinal, who sees in turn the passage from the law to the Gospel in the
primacy of pastoral praxis over abstract doctrine.
From this point of view, Cardinal Kasper’s moral doctrine is
at least implicitly, Antinomianist. Antinomianism is a term coined by Luther
against his opponent of the left, Johann Agricola (1494-1568), but dates back
to the antique and medieval heresies indicating the rejection of the Old
Testament and its laws, [which were]thought of as mere constriction and
restriction, in contrast to the New Testament, i.e. to the new economy of Grace
and freedom. More generally Antinomianism means the rejection of the natural
moral law which has its root in the rejection of the idea of nature. For the
Christian Antinomianists there is no law because there is no universal
objective human nature. The consequences are the vanishing of the sense of sin,
the denial of absolute morality, and the sexual Revolution inside the Church.
at least implicitly, Antinomianist. Antinomianism is a term coined by Luther
against his opponent of the left, Johann Agricola (1494-1568), but dates back
to the antique and medieval heresies indicating the rejection of the Old
Testament and its laws, [which were]thought of as mere constriction and
restriction, in contrast to the New Testament, i.e. to the new economy of Grace
and freedom. More generally Antinomianism means the rejection of the natural
moral law which has its root in the rejection of the idea of nature. For the
Christian Antinomianists there is no law because there is no universal
objective human nature. The consequences are the vanishing of the sense of sin,
the denial of absolute morality, and the sexual Revolution inside the Church.
Within this perspective it is understandable how Cardinal
Kasper in his recent book, which appeared in German in 2012 and was then
translated into Italian for the fellows at Queriniana in 2013, (Mercy. The
Fundamental Concept of the Gospel – The Key to life), proposes to break with the traditional
equilibrium between justice and mercy, making of the latter, (which goes
against tradition), the principal attribute of God. However, as Father Serafino
Lanzetta observed in an excellent analysis of his volume, published at
www.chiesa [English version published by Rorate Caeli here], “mercy perfects
and completes justice but does not annul it; it presupposes it, otherwise it
would not in itself have any reason to exist.”
The disappearance of justice and the law makes the concept of sin and
the mystery of evil incomprehensible, save for the reintegrating of them into a
theosophical and Gnostic standpoint.
Kasper in his recent book, which appeared in German in 2012 and was then
translated into Italian for the fellows at Queriniana in 2013, (Mercy. The
Fundamental Concept of the Gospel – The Key to life), proposes to break with the traditional
equilibrium between justice and mercy, making of the latter, (which goes
against tradition), the principal attribute of God. However, as Father Serafino
Lanzetta observed in an excellent analysis of his volume, published at
www.chiesa [English version published by Rorate Caeli here], “mercy perfects
and completes justice but does not annul it; it presupposes it, otherwise it
would not in itself have any reason to exist.”
The disappearance of justice and the law makes the concept of sin and
the mystery of evil incomprehensible, save for the reintegrating of them into a
theosophical and Gnostic standpoint.
We find this error again in the Lutheran postulate of “only
mercy”. The mediation of reason and of nature being abolished, for Luther the
only way to rise to God is in “trusting faith” which has its preamble not in
rational metaphysics, from which it must be totally freed, but in a sentiment
of profound desperation, which has in turn its typical object in the “mercy” of
God, instead of the truths revealed by Him.
This principal, as Silvana Seidel Menchi demonstrated in Erasmus in
Italy 1520-1580 (Bollati Boringhieri, Turin 1987), is developed in the
heretical literature of the 16th Century thanks also to the influence of Erasmus’
treatise, De immense Dei misercordia (1524), which opened up the gates of heaven to “men of good will”
(ivi, pp.143-167). In the sects originating from Erasmus and Luther which made
up the extreme left of the Protestant Reformation, the 4th century
anti-Trinitarian errors reappeared: Arianism, Modalism, Sabellianism, [all]
based on the rejection or distortion of the idea of nature.
mercy”. The mediation of reason and of nature being abolished, for Luther the
only way to rise to God is in “trusting faith” which has its preamble not in
rational metaphysics, from which it must be totally freed, but in a sentiment
of profound desperation, which has in turn its typical object in the “mercy” of
God, instead of the truths revealed by Him.
This principal, as Silvana Seidel Menchi demonstrated in Erasmus in
Italy 1520-1580 (Bollati Boringhieri, Turin 1987), is developed in the
heretical literature of the 16th Century thanks also to the influence of Erasmus’
treatise, De immense Dei misercordia (1524), which opened up the gates of heaven to “men of good will”
(ivi, pp.143-167). In the sects originating from Erasmus and Luther which made
up the extreme left of the Protestant Reformation, the 4th century
anti-Trinitarian errors reappeared: Arianism, Modalism, Sabellianism, [all]
based on the rejection or distortion of the idea of nature.
The only penitential path possible to experience the embrace
of Divine Mercy is the rejection of sin
in which we are immersed, and in the recognition of a Divine Law to respect and
love. This law is rooted in human nature and is engraved in the heart of every
man “by the finger of the Creator, Himself” (Rm 2, 14-15). It constitutes the
supreme judgment of every action and of human events in their totality, that
is, in history.
of Divine Mercy is the rejection of sin
in which we are immersed, and in the recognition of a Divine Law to respect and
love. This law is rooted in human nature and is engraved in the heart of every
man “by the finger of the Creator, Himself” (Rm 2, 14-15). It constitutes the
supreme judgment of every action and of human events in their totality, that
is, in history.
The term nature is not abstract. Human nature is the essence
of man, that is what he is before being a person. Man is a person, a holder of
inalienable rights, because he has a soul. And he has a soul given that, unlike
any other living being, he has a rational nature. Natural is not what
originates from the instincts and desires of man, but what corresponds to the
rules of reason, which must in turn, conform itself to an objective order and
immutable principles. The natural law is
rational and immutable,[thus]because it is immutable inasmuch as it is
spiritual, it is the nature of man. All individuals of the same nature act or should
act in the same manner, since the natural law is written in the nature not of
this or that man, but in human nature regarded in itself, in its permanence and
stability.
of man, that is what he is before being a person. Man is a person, a holder of
inalienable rights, because he has a soul. And he has a soul given that, unlike
any other living being, he has a rational nature. Natural is not what
originates from the instincts and desires of man, but what corresponds to the
rules of reason, which must in turn, conform itself to an objective order and
immutable principles. The natural law is
rational and immutable,[thus]because it is immutable inasmuch as it is
spiritual, it is the nature of man. All individuals of the same nature act or should
act in the same manner, since the natural law is written in the nature not of
this or that man, but in human nature regarded in itself, in its permanence and
stability.
Cardinal Kasper does not believe in a universal and absolute
natural law. In the instrumentum laboris, the official Vatican document which
prepares the ground for the Synod in October, this repudiation of the natural
law is clearly in evidence, even if presented in a sociological key more than a
theological one. “The concept of natural law today turns out to be, in
different cultural contexts, highly problematic, if not completely
incomprehensible. (n.21) – he says – also since “Today, in not only the West
but increasingly every part of the world, scientific research poses a serious
challenge to the concept of nature. Evolution, biology and neuroscience, when
confronted with the traditional idea of the natural law, conclude that it is
not “scientific.” According to Kasper’s program, the spirit of the Gospel whose
values need to be communicated “in a comprehensible way to the man of today”
contrasts the natural law. Which therefore renders necessary “that more
emphasis be placed on the role of the Word of God as a privileged instrument in
the conception of married life and the family, and recommend greater reference
to the Bible, its language and narratives. In this regard, respondents propose
bringing the issue to public discussion and developing the idea of biblical
inspiration and the “order in creation,” which could permit a re-reading of the
concept of the natural law in a more meaningful manner in today’s world. (…)The
recommendation was also made to engage young people directly in these matters.”
(n.30).
natural law. In the instrumentum laboris, the official Vatican document which
prepares the ground for the Synod in October, this repudiation of the natural
law is clearly in evidence, even if presented in a sociological key more than a
theological one. “The concept of natural law today turns out to be, in
different cultural contexts, highly problematic, if not completely
incomprehensible. (n.21) – he says – also since “Today, in not only the West
but increasingly every part of the world, scientific research poses a serious
challenge to the concept of nature. Evolution, biology and neuroscience, when
confronted with the traditional idea of the natural law, conclude that it is
not “scientific.” According to Kasper’s program, the spirit of the Gospel whose
values need to be communicated “in a comprehensible way to the man of today”
contrasts the natural law. Which therefore renders necessary “that more
emphasis be placed on the role of the Word of God as a privileged instrument in
the conception of married life and the family, and recommend greater reference
to the Bible, its language and narratives. In this regard, respondents propose
bringing the issue to public discussion and developing the idea of biblical
inspiration and the “order in creation,” which could permit a re-reading of the
concept of the natural law in a more meaningful manner in today’s world. (…)The
recommendation was also made to engage young people directly in these matters.”
(n.30).
The inevitable consequences of this new idea of morality
which the Synod Fathers will have to discuss, are outlined by Vito Mancuso, in
“La Repubblica” of the 18th September. The natural law “is far too heavy a burden to carry”; we need therefore
to focus on a deep journey of renewal in the matters of sexual ethics” which
should result in the “subsequent necessary openness: yes to contraception; yes
to premarital relations; yes to the recognition of homosexual couples.”
which the Synod Fathers will have to discuss, are outlined by Vito Mancuso, in
“La Repubblica” of the 18th September. The natural law “is far too heavy a burden to carry”; we need therefore
to focus on a deep journey of renewal in the matters of sexual ethics” which
should result in the “subsequent necessary openness: yes to contraception; yes
to premarital relations; yes to the recognition of homosexual couples.”
In the face of this catastrophic itinerary heading towards
immoralism, why be surprised that five Cardinals have published a book in
defense of traditional morality and that other cardinals, bishops and
theologians have supported them in this position? Against those who are calling for a new
doctrinal and pastoral discipline, Cardinal Pell wrote, “an insurmountable
barrier” is being raised, based on “the almost complete unanimity on this
matter which Catholic history has given the proof of for two thousand years.
(Preface, Juan Pérez-Soba, Stephen Kampowski, Oltre la proposta di
Kasper,(Beyond Kasper’s Proposal) Cantagalli, Siena 2014, p. 7).
immoralism, why be surprised that five Cardinals have published a book in
defense of traditional morality and that other cardinals, bishops and
theologians have supported them in this position? Against those who are calling for a new
doctrinal and pastoral discipline, Cardinal Pell wrote, “an insurmountable
barrier” is being raised, based on “the almost complete unanimity on this
matter which Catholic history has given the proof of for two thousand years.
(Preface, Juan Pérez-Soba, Stephen Kampowski, Oltre la proposta di
Kasper,(Beyond Kasper’s Proposal) Cantagalli, Siena 2014, p. 7).
It is to be hoped that it will be a free and open encounter,
without the imposition of rules from on high that falsify the stakes. The
stakes are not just a simple diversity in opinions, but the clarification of
the Church’s mission. It is to be hoped as well, that the faithful prelates of
Tradition will not be intimidated and
will be able to bear patiently with the mass-media’s violence, and even
the unjust and intense ecclesial censuring which they might have to endure.
without the imposition of rules from on high that falsify the stakes. The
stakes are not just a simple diversity in opinions, but the clarification of
the Church’s mission. It is to be hoped as well, that the faithful prelates of
Tradition will not be intimidated and
will be able to bear patiently with the mass-media’s violence, and even
the unjust and intense ecclesial censuring which they might have to endure.
“The best song is still ours” (p.8) writes Cardinal Pell,
and Athanasius is still a model for our times and for all of those who don’t
shrink back from the righteous battle in defense of the truth.
and Athanasius is still a model for our times and for all of those who don’t
shrink back from the righteous battle in defense of the truth.
[Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana]
Labels: Brandmüller, de Mattei, Kasper's Destruction of the
Indissolubility of Marriage, Müller, Newman, Pell, The Bergoglio Pontificate,
The Protestant syndrome, The Reformed Synod of Bishops
Indissolubility of Marriage, Müller, Newman, Pell, The Bergoglio Pontificate,
The Protestant syndrome, The Reformed Synod of Bishops
Posted by New Catholic at 10/01/2014 03:00:00 PM
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