There's something quite incredible about that when you think about it.

Francis has not turned faithful Catholics into 19th-century "there-is-no-hope-without-the-pope" ultramontanists.

Catholics know that not everything a pope says and does is infallible. And it is even legitimate to criticise the pope, as long it is done in a respectful way.

But he is the pope and should not be addressed, especially in public, as you might address a co-worker; even less as you might disparage a politician or celebrity you don't like.

During these years we have witnessed a negativity towards Francis that seems unparalleled in the contemporary papacy. And it's not just because of his destabilising style.

The radical opposition to him has come from "law and order" Catholics, the party of anti-Vatican II reactionaries.

But it is not just about religious ideology. It is the rise of a certain kind of disenchantment, a cynicism masquerading as "know it all" Catholicism.

Catholic cynics and cognitive superiority

An interesting article, forwarded to me by a colleague, sheds light on what has happened in the last decade.

It helps debunk the "myth of the cynical genius".

That myth is the belief that cynics and their negativity (and even nihilism) represent competence and cognitive superiority over those who are more trusting and less cynical.

The scholarly study was authored by Olga Stavrova and Daniel Ehlebracht of the Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology at the University of Cologne (Germany).

The study was published in 2018 under the title, "The Cynical Genius Illusion: Exploring and Debunking Lay Beliefs About Cynicism and Competence".

Stavrova and Ehlebracht start from the widely shared assumption that "cynicism might be seen as a sign of competence.

These arguments suggest that, in laypersons' beliefs, cynicism might be positively associated with competence".

Their article was published after other studies they authored on solidarity, anti-social and cynical vs pro-social behaviour).

It elaborates data from other studies, one of which is based on the data of about 200,000 individuals from 30 countries.

Stavrova and Ehlebracht challenge the idea, coming from an evolutionary perspective, that "suspiciousness, precautionary reasoning, and endorsement of the 'better safe than sorry' heuristic inherent to cynicism" are signs of a competent decision maker.

With abundance of data, they say that the opposite is true.

"The idea of cynical individuals being more competent, intelligent, and experienced than less cynical ones appears to be quite common and widespread.

"Yet, as demonstrated by our estimates of the true empirical associations between cynicism and competence, is largely illusory," they conclude.

"As Stephan Colbert, an American comedian, writer, and television host, phrased it, 'Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the furthest thing from it'," they say", paraphrasing one of the American celebrities most comfortable and credible in speaking publicly about his Catholic faith.

Anxiety about change in the Church

This scholarly study arguing in favour of anti-cynical behaviour and against the correlation between cynicism and competence applies to what has happened in the Catholic Church, especially in the last decade.

We have seen opponents of Pope Francis parade their negativity and contrarian "insider's view" as a badge of honour - but they are really hiding their anxiety about change in the Church.

We have not only seen ordinary lay Catholics gradually become cynical about the current pope and his pontificate.

We have actually seen this cynical attitude in some leading Catholic figure from the very beginning in 2013.

There are even bishops who refuse to give the benefit of the doubt to the Bishop of Rome, with whom they must be in communion to remain legitimate members of the episcopal college.

The growth of cynicism must be framed in our social and cultural context:

• more than two decades of the Catholic Church's global sex abuse crisis;
• the collapse of institutional narratives once controlled by ecclesiastical and mainstream media;
• the quasi-totalitarian expectation of total transparency;
• the rise of individual and group identity as a marker of authenticity and truth;
• the mania for desecration and entertainment;
• the thin line between suspicion and credulity.

Cynicism is a social and political problem.

It is a "neoliberal effect […] the feeling of living under structural conditions that curtail the kinds of self-determining subjectivities.

These have been taken for granted as a feature of Western, liberal democracies and remain foundational to imagined modes of dissent."

"It's important to know how to give the Church some love".

But cynicism is also a spiritual problem.

It is the consequence of the deep-seated assumption of already knowing, of having nothing to learn from the Church, that is, from brothers and sisters in the faith, and not even from the pope.

Or, even worse, it comes from the nihilistic assumption that it is impossible to know the truth or that it does not even matter.

The Church's polycrisis (abuse, racism, gender) represents a test, but it also offers a lesson on how fidelity and commitment can survive betrayal and disenchantment.

From March 2013 up to the present, we have witnessed an unprecedented public debate on Francis' pontificate.

It has been tailor-made for blogs and social media, for "my-own-Catholicism" militant media, where anyone feels authorised to accuse others of heresy as a matter of course.

There was once a style that protected a certain Catholic form, but it seem to have been lost in the last several years - even by some Church leaders, both clergy and lay.

This applies in a particular way to the radical opponents of Pope Francis, but not only to them.

It's important to work for Church reform, and to fight corruption and clericalism: this requires clear-eyedness, foresight, and the ability to distinguish the true prophets from those who are false.

But as Italian theologian and musicologist Pierangelo Sequeri has said, it's also important to know how to give the Church some love.

There is indeed at work the myth of the cynical Catholic.

But it is exactly the opposite of the wisdom that's required to love the Church as it is right now, not the one we hope will come one day or the one that never really existed.

• Massimo Faggioli is an Italian academic, Church historian, and professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University.
• First published in La Croix. Republished with permission.

In his letter to priests, deacons and lay pastoral workers last week, Bishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann officially sanctioned the blessings.

The same-sex blessings the Speyer diocese gave in the Speyer churches could also be given to remarried couples, he wrote.

At the same time, the ceremony "must differ from a church wedding ceremony in terms of words and signs...".

In addition, it "should explicitly reinforce the love, commitment and mutual responsibility in the couple's relationship as an act of blessing" Weissmann wrote.

Wiesemann says he decide to write the letter after taking into account the German synodal way participants' percent support for the blessings.

The participants endorsed a document calling for "blessing ceremonies for couples who love each other" he says.

The document asked for a "handout" about the blessings to be developed for German dioceses' use.

It should cover "suggested forms for blessing celebrations for various couple situations (remarried couples, same-sex couples, couples after civil marriage)."

Pastoral response

It is "urgently time" for a different perspective "to find a pastoral attitude inspired by the Gospel", Weisemann's letter says.

Many pastors have been practising this "for some time".

This is important, "especially against the background of a long history of deep hurt" he wrote.

"Many couples' prayers for blessing reveal a deep longing to be able to live their lives together under the protection and guidance of God.

"...This is to be taken seriously and points to ... God's presence wherever there is goodness and love.

"Both with regard to believers whose marriages have broken down and who have remarried, and especially with regard to same-sex oriented people, it is urgently time ...

"That's why I campaigned for a reassessment of homosexuality in Church teaching in the synodal way and also voted for the possibility of blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples."

He said he hoped the global synod "can also experience positive development."

Wiesemann's fervent hopes may yet be dashed however.

October's synod on synodality's first session wrap-up report did not mention same-sex blessings or even "LGBT".

Vatican view

In 2021 the Holy See said the Church does not have the power to offer liturgical blessings for same-sex unions.

However, the Pope recently addressed the 'same-sex blessings' topic in response to several dubia cardinals posed ahead of the synod.

It is a matter of pastoral prudence to "properly discern whether there are forms of blessing, requested by one or more people, that do not convey a misconception of marriage" Pope Francis told the cardinals.

"Decisions ... need not be transformed into a norm" he wrote.

His cautionary words may be too late.

Support for same-sex blessings is already established in Belgium.

A matter of choice

Wiesemann says pastors won't be compelled to bless couples.

"... but my request also means that no one who carries out such blessings has to fear sanctions" he stresses.

Until the German bishops' conference completes the handout, Weismann says pastors should refer to an AFK publication called "The celebration of blessings for couples".

Source

• The Pillar

The crowd waved rainbow flags and according to media reports, sang "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles.

The mid-September rites included Catholic priests reciting blessings for same-sex and heterosexual couples and, though held outside of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki's cathedral, represented a bold ecclesiastical affront to the city's conservative archbishop.

Are these rites "weddings"?

That was a crucial issue raised by five cardinals in "dubia" (Latin for "doubts") questions sent to Pope Francis weeks before the Vatican's global "Synod on Synodality," which opened last week.

The five cardinals requested "yes" or "no" answers.

Instead, the pope offered a detailed analysis in which he restated established Catholic doctrines, noting that "the reality that we call marriage has a unique essential constitution that demands an exclusive name."

Thus, the Church should avoid rites giving the "impression that something that is not marriage is recognised as marriage".

Nevertheless, Pope Francis - writing in July - urged "pastoral charity" in this issue.

Thus, the "defense of objective truth is not the only expression of this charity, which is also made up of kindness, patience, understanding, tenderness, and encouragement.

Therefore, we cannot become judges who only deny, reject, exclude.

"For this reason, pastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing … that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage.

"For when a blessing is requested, one is expressing a request for help from God, a plea for a better life, a trust in a Father who can help us to live better."

This drew praise from Francis DeBernardo, leader of the New Ways Ministry for Catholics seeking changes in centuries of Christian doctrine on sexuality.

"The allowance for pastoral ministers to bless same-gender couples implies that the Church does indeed recognise that holy love can exist between same-gender couples, and the love of these couples mirrors the love of God," he wrote.

The Pope's declaration represents "an enormous advance. … This statement is one big straw towards breaking the camel's back of the marginalised treatment LGBTQ+ people experience in the Church."

The Vatican's release of these "dubia" documents underlined the importance of the historic global synod - which will address issues in Church life including the ordination of women, the status of LGBTQ+ believers, clerical celibacy and changes for divorced Catholics seeking Holy Communion.

A strategic leader is Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, who until recently led the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union and was the Pope's choice as "relator general" for the synod, shaping official documents produced before and after the two-year process.

In a 2022 interview with the Catholic news agency KDA, he said Catholic teachings on "homosexual relationships as sinful are wrong...

"I believe that the sociological and scientific foundation of this doctrine is no longer correct.

"It is time for a fundamental revision of Church teaching, and the way in which Pope Francis has spoken of homosexuality could lead to a change in doctrine."

That kind of shift would shake centuries of doctrine, noted the "dubia" authors - American Cardinal Raymond Burke, German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, Mexican Cardinal Sandoval Íñiguez, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah and Cardinal Joseph Zen, former Bishop of Hong Kong.

Thus, they asked: "Is it possible for the Church today to teach doctrines contrary to those she has previously taught in matters of faith and morals, whether by the Pope ex cathedra, or in the definitions of an Ecumenical Council, or in the ordinary universal magisterium" of bishops around the world?

Pope Francis discussed development in doctrines, and claims of absolute truth, during recent remarks in Lisbon, according to a transcript from the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica.

He criticised Catholics guilty of "backwardness," including Americans who let "ideologies replace faith" and cause divisions among Catholics.

"I would like to remind those people that indietrismo (being backward-looking) is useless and we need to understand that there is an appropriate evolution in the understanding of matters of faith and morals," he said.

Thus, it's important to accept that "our understanding of the human person changes with time, and our consciousness also deepens.

"The other sciences and their evolution also help the Church in this growth in understanding. The view of Church doctrine as monolithic is erroneous."

• Terry Mattingly leads GetReligion.org and lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He is a senior fellow at the Overby Center at the University of Mississippi.
• First published in Religion Unplugged. Republished with permission.

My first thought was: Don't swing at pitches in the dirt. And, it is tempting to observe that these dubious cardinals simply had it coming.

Coming on the eve of the opening of the synod, some will complain that Francis is putting his thumb on the scales of discussions before they happen.

At The Catholic Thing, Robert Royal suggested the responses show the synodal game is rigged.

But the disingenuousness of the questions themselves shows that the cardinals were trying to foreclose discussion before it began.

The responses were brilliantly done.

So, for example, on the question of whether or not the Catholic Church can bless same-sex couples, the pope first explained, "The Church has a very clear understanding of marriage: an exclusive, stable, and indissoluble union between a man and a woman, naturally open to procreation.

"Only this union can be called 'marriage.' Other forms of union realize it only in 'a partial and analogous way' (Amoris Laetitia 292), so they cannot be strictly called 'marriage.' "

He continued, "It is not just a matter of names, but the reality we call marriage has a unique essential constitution that requires an exclusive name, not applicable to other realities. It is undoubtedly much more than a mere 'ideal.'"

Any idea that the pope is simply engaged in an effort to overturn the teachings of the church willy-nilly can be set aside.

That is not the end of the story, as it is for the dubious cardinals.

Francis adds: "When a blessing is requested, it is expressing a plea to God for help, a supplication to live better, a trust in a Father who can help us live better."

I cannot think of anyone who should be turned away if this is their intent and Francis, being a pastor at heart, knows that.

There is something else going on here.

The dubious cardinals seem to forget, and Francis reminds them, that the Second Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, did not suggest revelation exists to achieve some degree of self-satisfaction among the doctors of the law.

Revelation is given "for the salvation of all nations" (Dei Verbum, Paragraph 7).

The dubious cardinals think conversion happens before one gets to the church door, once and for all.

Francis, a pastor, knows that conversion never ends, that those who have crossed the threshold and those far from the doors of the church, are all in need of conversion.

Christ died once and for all. Our conversion to the divine will is ongoing.

What is most striking about the responses is the difference in approach from that found in the original dubia.

"The complex issues that the 'Dubia Cardinals' raise can only be answered with the pastoral type of response that Pope Francis gave," Sacred Heart University professor Michelle Loris told me in an email.

"His method of response resonates with the way Jesus often responded to those who would try to trick and trap him — challenging his accusers to go more deeply into their heart and faith."

Boston College professor Cathleen Kaveny had a different take on pope's responses to the dubia.

She suggested that rather than giving a different answer to the issue of same-sex relationships, Pope Francis is changing the question. Read more

• Michael Sean Winters journalist and writer who covers politics and events in the Roman Catholic Church for the leftwing National Catholic Reporter,

The pontiff pointed out that, in some instances, political ideology has begun to overshadow genuine faith. This can prompt a displacement of core religious values.

Francis made the comments on August 5 in a private meeting in Lisbon with members of the Jesuit order during his trip for World Youth Day.

During a question-and-answer session, a Portuguese Jesuit recounted his disheartening experience during a sabbatical in the US.

He lamented the presence of hostility towards the pope's leadership within a segment of American Catholics, even among some bishops.

Addressing this concern, Pope Francis acknowledged the existence of a "very strong reactionary attitude" present within the US Catholic Church. He highlighted its organised nature, noting its influence on emotional attachment and affiliation.

Francis termed this attitude as "backward" and cautioned against the potential pitfalls of such a perspective. He stressed it could foster an environment of narrow-mindedness and closure.

Moreover, Pope Francis underscored the peril of allowing ideological beliefs to supersede genuine faith. He stressed that this trend could erode the authentic tradition of the Church.

He cautioned against the replacement of faith by membership within certain segments of the Church. Then Francis emphasised the importance of upholding the broader unity of the faith.

Pope often criticised by conservatives

In the ten years since his election, Francis has been criticised by conservative sectors of the US Church who are opposed to reforms such as giving women and lay Catholics more roles and making the Church more welcoming and less judgmental towards some, including LGBT people.

Appealing for a more progressive outlook, Pope Francis underscored the necessity of embracing an evolving understanding of faith and morals. He invoked historical examples, highlighting that while certain pontiffs of the past tolerated practices like slavery, the Church has evolved over time.

While the Pope's comments resonate with many who seek a more open and adaptable Church, his sentiments have also ignited reactions.

One prominent critic, Cardinal Raymond Burke, cautioned that Francis' upcoming bishops' meeting in October to shape the Church's future might inadvertently foster "confusion and error and division."

Sources

Religion News Service

Reuters

La Civiltà Cattolica

A new book, "The Synodal Process Is a Pandora's Box: 100 Questions and Answers," addresses the "serious situation" brought on by the synod, Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured, centre) says.

Pope Francis is risking confusion and even schism in leading the upcoming Synod on Synodality in Rome, Burke writes in the book's preface.

"Synodality and its adjective, synodal, have become slogans behind which a revolution is at work to change radically the Church's self-understanding, in accord with a contemporary ideology which denies much of what the Church has always taught and practised," he continues.

It should concern all Catholics "who observe the evident and grave harm" that it has brought on the church.

The word synodality, the cardinal added, is "a term which has no history in the doctrine of the Church and for which there is no reasonable definition."

It leads to "confusion and error and their fruit — indeed schism," he says in the preface.

He backs this view citing the German Synodal Path, where church leaders consulted with lay and religious Catholics in Germany between December 2019 and March 2023.

Female ordination and blessing same-sex couples were among the issues the German consultation explored.

"With the imminent Synod on Synodality, it is rightly to be feared that the same confusion and error and division will be visited upon the universal Church. In fact, it has already begun to happen through the preparation of the Synod at the local level," Burke wrote.

The only way to uncover the "ideology at work" within the Vatican and "undertake true reform," was to turn to the "unchanging and unchangeable doctrine and discipline of the church," Burke's preface says.

He entrusted to the Virgin Mary his prayer that "the grave harm which presently threatens the Church be averted."

The synod on synodality

Francis's aims for the synod are to promote inclusivity, transparency and accountability in the Church.

After three years of world-wide consultations with Catholics, bishops and lay Catholics will gather in Rome in October under the rubric of "Synodality: Communion, Participation and Mission."

Agenda items drawn from concerns Catholics raised in diocesan forums include LGBTQ Catholics' inclusion and female leadership.

Those topics have convinced conservative Catholics that the synod will lead to changes in Catholic doctrine on questions of morality and sexuality.

The authors, the publisher and Burke

Co-authors José Antonio Ureta and Julio Loredo de Izcue are South American scholars and activists.

The publisher Tradition, Family and Property says "despite its potentially revolutionary impact, the debate around this synod has been limited primarily to ‘insiders' and the general public knows little about it."

Burke has long been a vocal opponent of Pope Francis's vision for the church.

He and three other cardinals publicly questioned Francis's decision in "Amoris Laetitia" for divorced and remarried Catholics to receive the Eucharist. Burke has also criticised efforts in the church to promote the welcoming of LGBTQ faithful.

Source

• Religion News Service
• America Magazine

This reflects his push to de-Europeanize the Church and the body that will eventually elect his successor.

It is a very important institutional change.

But the pope, who turns 85 in December, has still not updated the norms regulating the conclave. He needs to do so soon, or there could be serious problems.

A recent article in the Italian journal of politics Il Mulino by the noted Church historian Alberto Melloni (one of my mentors) raises pressing questions concerning the next conclave.

This is a revised and updated version of a very important book he wrote in the early 2000s on the history of papal elections.

It first provides a brief analysis of the most recent changes in the rules for the conclave, especially John Paul II's Universi Dominici Gregis (1996).

This text specifically designated Rome as the only place where the papal election can take place, thus abrogating the old rule according to which the conclave took place wherever the pope died.

Then Melloni mentions the slight modification Benedict XVI's made to Universi Dominici Gregison February 22, 2013, shortly after announcing his resignation from the papacy.

Benedict restored in all cases the necessity of a two-thirds majority for the election of the Roman Pontiff, undoing the possibility of election by simple majority that John Paul had introduced.

Freedom of the next conclave is in danger

Melloni makes it clear that Francis has no obligation to update the norms of the conclave, but he urges the pope to do so based on two new facts.

The first is Francis' creation of new special norms to fight sexual abuse by clergy and the failure of the bishops to act, in a system that can sometimes take the shape of summary justice to the detriment of fairness, due to the external pressure to look tough on offending clergy.

The second is Francis' restoration of the "temporal justice" system in the Vatican, which could expose cardinals to instrumental accusations, capable of excluding them from the conclave or at least the list of papabili (leading contenders).

These new developments, says Melloni, put the freedom of the next conclave in danger.

"Without some modifications in the constitution regulating the conclave, the 21stcentury could mean the return of a formidable veto power capable of altering the result of the papal election: a veto power no longer exercised by Catholic monarchs, but by the new empires of social media and those who have the technology to use them or an interest to mobilize them," he warns.
Four proposed changes

Melloni advances four proposals for updating the rules for the conclave.

His first suggestion is to intensify the clausura. He says all the cardinal electors should be required to reside at the Santa Marta Residence as soon as they arrive in Rome, rather than be allowed to wait until the conclave actually starts.

His second recommendation is that the "general congregations" — that is, the daily pre-conclave meetings of all the cardinals, including non-electors over the age of 80 — should also include sessions in clausura-type atmosphere for electors only.

Melloni's third proposal is to change the frequency of the ballots: only one ballot every day for the first three days; two ballots every day for the next three days; and four for the three days after that.

He says this would give the "different parties" in the conclave more time for discussion. It would also liberate the electors from media pressure coming to produce the new pope quickly.

The fourth and final proposal also has to do with the risks of a hasty election.

Melloni suggest new rules should give the cardinal that has received enough votes to be pope more time to pray, reflect and scrutinize his conscience. This would allow him to see if there is anything in his past (also when he had to deal with cases of abuse) that could expose the papal election to dubia (doubts).

These are all thoughtful and judicious proposals and others could also be added, especially in light of the fact that the current cardinal-electors barely know one another.

Even more serious than once believed

In his more than eight years as pope, Francis has gathered all the living cardinals together for a general meeting only once (February 20-21, 2014). But free-flowing discussion was very limited.

Such gatherings seem to be even more important now than ever before.

First of all, the current group of cardinals includes men from geographical areas that have never been represented before at a conclave.

And second, the old clerical networks that were once part and parcel of the papal election no longer have the same importance they once had. They have been replaced by other networks of influence.

It is important to note that the situation may be even more serious than Melloni acknowledges, for at least two reasons.

The first reason has to do with a particular ecclesial situation in the United States, where we have seen direct threats to the freedom of the pope and, implicitly, to the next conclave.

The sexual abuse case of Theodore McCarrick, the former cardinal, and the opportunistic attacks against Pope Francis by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, former nuncio to Washington, have unleashed a wave of indignation in some Catholic groups and networks.

Anti-Francis ideologues already at work to influence the next conclave

This has revealed the anti-institutional, nihilistic turn of conservatism today - even inside the Catholic Church.

For instance, there is something called "Red Hat Report", which keeps files on all the cardinal-electors. One can only imagine how this will be used they when they again gather in Rome to elect the next pope.

This initiative must be seen in the context of the ideological fury against Pope Francis, which is apparent in certain clerical, intellectual, financial and political circles in the United States.

They are, all of them, well connected with the new media ecosystem that shapes the narratives on the state of Catholicism and Church politics.

It would be a grave mistake to underestimate what they are likely to do with all the information and influence they have amassed in order to shape the outcome of the next conclave.

Before, during and after the 2020 presidential campaign, many Catholics (including some bishops) refused to acknowledge and accept that Joe Biden had been legitimately elected.

A similar scenario could also happen with the election of the next pope. Viganò and his supporters broke the ultimate taboo in institutional Catholicism by demanding that Francis resign. If one can try to unseat a pope, anything is possible.

The Catholic Church in the United States is in a situation of soft or material schism between two different groups. They are sharply divided over Francis' pontificate.

The attempt by Viganò and others to oust the pope in August 2018 was the ecclesiastical equivalent of the January 6 assault on Capitol Hill in Washington by Donald Trump's supporters.

But at the next conclave, there will be a power vacuum in Rome that did not exist in August 2018. The situation could be more, far more dangerous than many expect.

It is naïve to assume that those who have always accused Francis of not being Catholic would refrain from doing anything and everything possible to have their way at the next conclave.

Cranking up the rumour mill

The second reason the situation may now be more perilous than that which Melloni acknowledges in his article (published in May) is what happened on July 4.

That is the evening Francis had surgery at the Gemelli hospital in Rome.

After a ten-day stay at the hospital, the pope is now back home at the Santa Marta Residence. It is not clear what recovery will look like for a man of his advanced age but some are already beginning to speculate about his ability to continue governing the Church.

Rumours about which cardinals have the best chances to succeed Francis have also started up.

The pope's decision to publish the recent "motu proprio" abrogating Summorum Pontificum is a sign of his determination. But some will read it as conveying a sense of urgency in light of the pope's declining health and the approaching end of his pontificate.

Francis can be an effective and incisive legislator, as we have seen in many other areas. But he is sometimes reluctant to change institutional mechanisms, preferring instead to initiate long-term spiritual reforms aimed at transforming the ways of the Church over time.

But he's taking a big risk by not updating the rules that govern the conclave or thinking he can wait until the very end of the pontificate to do so.

This is an urgent matter that cannot wait.

Probably the biggest change since the last two conclaves — which elected Benedict in 2005 and Francis in 2013 — is the power of Catholic influencers in mainstream media, digital media and social media.

Since 2013, small groups of people with extremely idiosyncratic agendas (including some prelates with a vast media and social media following) have been crafting an ideological narrative of the Church.

They cannot resist the temptation to create a media storm when they don't get their way.

Just look at the way some of them have reacted to Francis' "motu proprio" restricting the use of the Old Latin Mass.

Then you'll have an idea of the havoc they could cause at the next conclave.

• Massimo Faggioli is a Church historian, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia) and a much-published author and commentator. He is a visiting professor in Europe and Australia.
• First published by La Croix International. Republished with permission.

John Meyer, the Executive Director of the Institute, says the conference will be an opportunity to discuss "Catholic renewal in a time of great crisis in the Church".

Among the speakers is one of the "dubia cardinals", Cardinal Raymond Burke, who challenged Francis about opening communion for divorced and remarried couples in the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

Other conservative Catholic figures - George Weigel, Jim Daly and Father Robert Spitzer - will also speak at the conference.

In terms of the "crisis of accountability in the Church," Meyer says the Institute plans on putting a special emphasis on the role of laity in the Church.

He denies the conference and its organisers are against Francis and his pontificate.

Rather, Meyer says he welcomes the opportunity for dialogue with progressive and liberal Catholics instead of being stuck "in echo-chambers".

"It's wrong and it's really the work of the devil that we are divided over these issues, instead of working together for the common good," he says.

"We choose to bicker about small things, rather than fight together for the big ones."

Meyer says the idea for the conference itself came out of a letter Archbishop Chaput wrote 10 years ago, where he said that it was going to be difficult if not prohibitive to live out the Catholic values for a Catholic leader in this country, especially for a secular Catholic leader.

"We try to inform people on these issues so that they know how to meaningfully defend the faith, not just knowing what the Church believes on critical issues but why, Meyer says.

Explaining the Catholic Moment theme of next month's conference, Meyer says it has been chosen as the overarching theme "because we are kind of at a critical point in our Church history and we want to look at this Catholic moment, and how to renew the Church from various aspects".

The theme, as he describes it, will move from personal renewal to society and then the parish as a model of renewing the Church at a difficult time.

Meyer says the conference will open with Weigel and Burke offering their thoughts in the state-of-the-Church address.

Then the discussion will move to the true role of the laity - "not the kind of role that has been thrown out there, but the need for lay saints in this time and the role of the laity in the universal call to holiness," Meyer says.

"The second day we are going to be looking more at the cultural issues, renewing the culture as well as the Church, so we are going to have a conversation with Jim Daly from Focus on the Family and Alan Sears [Founder of Alliance Defending Freedom]."

Meyer says the final day will focus on practical issues, such as parish renewal.

Source

• Crux Now
• napa.institute.org

The bishops have published a document saying some divorced and remarried Catholics may receive Holy Communion.

Francis says the document "explains precisely the meaning of Chapter VIII of ‘Amoris Laetitia.' There are no other interpretations."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of State, says a letter Francis wrote to the bishops on 5 September 2016 and the bishops' guidelines for interpreting Amoris Laetitia will be published as official documents on the Vatican website.

Francis wrote the letter in response to guidelines the bishops in the Buenos Aires region published.

Parolin says Francis also wants the letter and the bishops' guidelines to be included in the "Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS)".

The AAS is the official record of Vatican documents and acts.

By applying the character of "official Magisterium" to an exchange of letters, the pope has strengthened the bishops' interpretation's doctrinal significance.

Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, commented on the official Magisterium.

"The fact that the pope requested ... [these documents] ... be published in the AAS means that His Holiness has given these documents a particular qualification that elevates them to the level of being official teachings of the church.

"While the content of the pope's letter itself does not contain teachings on faith and morals, it does point toward the interpretations of the Argentine bishops and confirms them as authentically reflecting his own mind.

"Thus together the two documents became the Holy Father's authentic Magisterium for the whole church."

Open letters that question a "confused" teaching - such as that by the American theologian Fr Thomas G. Weinandy, or those by the four cardinals who wrote the "dubia" ("doubt") - now come up against a new theological obstacle.

Source

• La Croix
• Crux
• Catholic Culture
• In the Light of the Law
• Catholic Culture
• Image: AIC Yellow Jacket

He wants Pope Francis to clarify his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia.

Burke was one of four cardinals who wrote to Francis last year questioning aspects of Amoris Laetitia.

The questions, called dubia, led to the four cardinals being called "the dubia cardinals".

Two of the four have since died.

Burke says he wants to let Francis know how urgent it is that he answer the dubia.

He said "... in exercising the ministry he has received from the Lord, the Pope should confirm ... the teaching regarding both Christian morality and the meaning of the Church's sacramental practice."

Francis has not yet responded to the original five-question dubia.

One of the questions concerns Church teaching which forbids holy communion to civilly remarried divorcees who are engaging in sexual relations.

Some bishops conferences are saying these Catholics can now receive communion.

Others say they can't.

Burke says confusion has led some to propose a "paradigm shift" regarding the Church's entire moral practice.

In his view, the result is "subversive of essential parts of the Tradition."

He says he (and others) need to know "precisely what the Pope wanted to teach as Successor of Peter."

Concerning Christian morality, he says "some claim that absolute moral norms need to be relativised" and that a "subjective, self-referential conscience" needs primacy in moral matters.

He also says the Pope's letter to the Argentine bishops containing comments on the bishops' pastoral guidelines "could not be considered an adequate response to the questions posed".

The questions concerned the acceptability of their guidelines that left open the possibility of some sexually active unmarried couples receiving Communion.

"On the one hand, these guidelines can be interpreted in different ways; on the other, it is not clear that this letter [Francis's response] is a magisterial text in which the Pope intended to speak to the universal Church as the Successor of Peter.

"Far from diminishing the importance of our questions," he says the current situation only makes them "still more pressing."

Source

• The Tablet
• National Catholic Register
• Image: SlideShare

Burke had earlier served as a prefect of the court for six years. It is nearly three years since Francis removed him.

Over that time Francis has removed or failed to reappoint Burke as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which are responsible for liturgical policy.

Burke is often seen in the media criticising Francis on key points, especially in relation to the possibility (as expressed in Amoris Laetitia, the pope's encyclical on family life) that divorced and civilly remarried Catholics might be able to receive holy communion.

Burke was also one of four cardinals who sent Francis a list of questions called dubia, asking for clarity on aspects of Amoris Laetitia to settle what they called "grave confusion".

While there's little indication the disagreement over Amoris Laetitia has subsided, both Francis and Burke say impressions of a rupture between them are overblown.

Burke recently described media depictions of conflict between himself and the pontiff as a "caricature."

"They depict Pope Francis as a wonderful, open person and there's nothing wrong with that, but they depict me as just the opposite," he says.

"It's meant in a certain way to advance their own agenda, but the pope is actually not in favour of their agenda."

"They're making a caricature of someone who's asking for clarity about certain matters, they're saying ‘well, he's the enemy of the pope' and he's trying to build opposition to the pope, which of course isn't the case at all," Burke says.

Source

• Catholic Herald
• Crux
• Image: Novus Ordo Watch

In a question and answer session with members of the Jesuit order in Colombia earlier this month, Francis referred to the dubia, saying:

"I want to repeat clearly that the morality of Amoris Laetitia is Thomist, the morality of the great Thomas."

He was referring to 13th century Dominican theologian St. Thomas Aquinas.

"I want to say this so that you can help those who believe that morality is purely casuistic," he said.

"Help them understand that the great Thomas possesses the greatest richness - still able to inspire us today."

The pope's conversation with the Jesuits may help Cardinal Gerhard Müller, who is the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

In Müller's view Francis is surrounded by "false friends" who are acting like "children in a boarding school by privately denouncing people they disagree with."

Müller says this is also happening in colleges and universities, where people who question Amoris Laetitia, particularly the much-discussed Footnote 351, put their careers in jeopardy.

He says there is a climate of fear in the Curia as people worry that "spies" will bad-mouth them to the Pope.

"These people, who speak bad words and lies against other persons, are disturbing and disrupting the good faith, the good name of others whom they are calling their brothers.

Regarding the ongoing debate over Amoris Laetitia, the Cardinal called for dialogue and criticised those who try to silence their opponents, accusing them of "un-Christian behaviour".

"It is a great danger for the Church that some ideological groups present themselves as the exclusive guardians of the only true interpretation of Amoris Laetitia. They feel they have the right to condemn all people of another standpoint as stupid, rigid, old-fashioned and medieval."

On this point, Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin is in agreement.

He says it is "important to have dialogue even within the Church" in response to last week's ‘filial correction' about Amoris Laetitia.

"People who disagree express their dissent, but on these things we have to reason, to try to understand one another," he says.

Source

• Catholic Herald
• Catholic Herald
• NCR
• National Catholic Register
• Image: Riposte Catholique

Pope Francis published Amoris Laetitia last year after two synods on the Family.

Sixty-two clergy, theologians, academics and a bishop from the Society of St.Pius X - a Catholic break-away cult - have written to him correcting aspects of the post-synodal document.

The letter, called a "filial correction", accuses Francis of breeding seven heretical positions about marriage, moral life and the sacraments in Amoris Laetitia and subsequent "acts, words and omissions."

Organisers say the last time a filial correction was made was in 1333.

Francis received the 25-page letter, entitled "Correctio filialis de haeresibus propagatis" (A Filial Correction Concerning the Propagation of Heresies), at the beginning of August.

The signatories stress they are not accusing Francis of formal heresy (when a person departs from the faith by doubting or denying some revealed truth with a full choice of the will).

They also say they are not making a "judgment about Pope Francis's culpability in propagating the seven heresies" as it is "not their task to judge whether the sin of heresy has been committed ... [and] ... speak for a large number of clergy and lay faithful who lack freedom of speech."

The filial correction follows the dubia (questions/doubts) put to Francis last year by cardinals Carlo Caffarra, Raymond Burke, Walter Brandmüller and Joachim Meisner. The four so-called "dubia cardinals" sent Francis five dubia last year, asking him for clarification.

Francis has not answered their questions. Nor has he commented about the filial correction or answered its signatories.

In the year since the dubia were sent to Francis, both Caffara and Meisner have died.

Source

• National Catholic Register
• Catholic Herald
• America
• Chicargo Tribune
• Crux
• Image: correctiofilialis.org

Since Francis has not answered the five questions, Burke and three other cardinals put to him last June, he has developed plan to correct Francis's teachings.

"It seems to me that the essence of the correction is quite simple," Burke says.

A summary of Burke's concerns and proposed correction is outlined in the 12 points below.

1) The correction will attempt to clear up the confusion and heal the divisions in the Church caused by differing interpretations of Amoris Laetitia.

2) The correction will follow the five dubia (questions) about the doctrinal implications of Paragraphs 300-305 of Amoris Laetitia.

3) The dubia and accompanying letter were signed by Burke and Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Carlo Caffarra, the late Joachim Meisner.

4) Pope Francis has chosen not to respond to the dubia. This has led to confusion and division regarding Amoris Laetitia, which must be corrected.

5) Burke says "Bishops tell me that when they insist on authentic Church teaching with regard to irregular matrimonial unions, people are simply rejecting their teachings. They say that another bishop teaches differently, and they choose to follow him."

6) Burke is shocked the Maltese bishops "follow Francis's teaching and not that of other popes."

7) There are several precedents (albeit centuries-old) for correcting popes.

8) The proposed correction will clarify the Church's teaching on marriage, the family, intrinsically evil acts and other matters "thrown into doubt by Amoris Laetitia" and compare these with what Francis is teaching.

9) If there is a correction, Pope Francis will be asked to conform his teaching in obedience to Christ and the Magisterium of the Church.

10) The correction will be a formal declaration to which Pope Francis will be, in Cardinal Burke's opinion, "obliged" to respond.

11) Burke says the Pope is the principle of unity of all the bishops, and so it's his responsibility to stop to the division among them by clearly affirming Church teaching.

12) Burke believes there is apostasy within the Church, as predicted by Our Lady of Fatima.

Source

• LifeSite
• LifeSite
• National Catholic Register
• Image: infocatolica.com

Meisner, and cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Carlo Caffarra and Raymond Burke are called the "dubia cardinals" because of a series of five questions (dubia) they put to Francis last September. They asked him to clarify aspects of Amoris Laetitia.

Meisner was the archbishop emeritus of Cologne and was known as a strong defender of the Church's doctrine and orthodoxy. Read more

The Vatican says the consistory will have a courtesy meeting today and Mass will be celebrated tomorrow, which is the Solemnity of the Saints Apostles Peter and Paul.

At this time Francis will impose the Pallia on the new cardinals. (The Pallia is a vestment symbolising the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See).

The traditional pre-consistory meeting is an opportunity for the Pope to consult with members of the College of Cardinals, who act as his closest advisors.

Francis held pre-consistory meetings in February 2014 and 2015. They lasted two days, and enabled Francis to hear about issues and concerns from around the world.

He also updated the cardinals on Vatican-related issues and those of the universal Church.

Last November when Francis chose not to hold pre-consistory meetings, Vatican journalist Marco Tosatti speculated it was to prevent the "Dubia cardinals" from meeting Francis.

He said by sidestepping the pre-consistory meetings, Francis prevented the dubia cardinals from using the opportunity to press him to reply to their demands for clarification of Amoris Laetitia.

Source

• National Catholic Register
• Catholic Culture
• Image: The Independent

Francis has not answered their request or replied to the letter.

They released a copy of their letter to the press.

The letter was written by Cardinal Carlo Caffarra on behalf of Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Raymond Burke, and Joachim Meisner.

It begins with the four renewing "our absolute dedication and our unconditional love for the Chair of Peter and for Your august person, in whom we recognize the Successor of Peter and the Vicar of Jesus: the ‘sweet Christ on earth.'"

They go on to "most respectfully" ask for an audience with him as they have received no response to the letter containing their five questions, or doubts (dubia) they sent him on 19 September last.

They told Francis their concern is a great division in the Church on basic morality has resulted from Amoris Laetitia. Excerpts of the letter say:

"Despite the fact that the Prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith has repeatedly declared that the doctrine of the Church has not changed, numerous statements have appeared from individual Bishops, Cardinals, and even Episcopal Conferences, approving what the Magisterium of the Church has never approved, the letter says.

"Not only access to the Holy Eucharist for those who objectively and publicly live in a situation of grave sin, and intend to remain in it, but also a conception of moral conscience contrary to the Tradition of the Church...

"Numerous competent lay faithful, who are deeply in love with the Church and staunchly loyal to the Apostolic See, have turned to their Pastors and to Your Holiness in order to be confirmed in the Holy Doctrine concerning the three sacraments of Marriage, Confession, and the Eucharist...

"Faced with this grave situation, in which many Christian communities are being divided, we feel the weight of our responsibility, and our conscience impels us to ask humbly and respectfully for an Audience.

Source

• National Catholic Register
• LifeSite News
• The Tablet
• Image: LifeSite

Burke says the Pope must answer the dubia questions as they are about the foundations of moral life and the Church's teaching about good and evil concerning "various sacred realities like marriage and Holy Communion and so forth". Read more