THE SYNOD: THE INSTANT REPLAY OF 1968?

With the notorious and troubling Synod now underway in Rome the Church is seeing the instant replay of the circumstances surrounding the introduction of Humanae Vitae in 1968.  The script is almost precisely the same: wild exaggerations of new changes to come regarding contraception, clerical scoundrels making their pro-contraception voices heard in a news media anxious to report their every word, a long build-up which included countless interviews with poorly-instructed lay Catholics expressing their hopes that finally the Church will see the light and let them avoid children for as long as they want for any reason they want.  And then the inevitable slap in the face, the promulgation of the document.

Wailing, agonizing and gnashing of teeth followed, organized dissent (created by those same clerical scoundrels high and low), week-kneed Bishops cowering in fear of a media lynching and having long forgotten how to act like men, it all came up at once almost as if it were scripted that way.  Not surprising, because it was scripted that way.

Then reality hit.  The doctrine was proclaimed, (even if somewhat poorly as some wise critics of HV stated at the time) and then the practice, for all intents and purposes, was indeed changed.  Contraception use among Catholics skyrocketed after HV simply because the practice changed.  Priests told their flock whether boldly from the pulpit or secretly in the Confessional to go ahead and contracept.  Bishops, Cardinals and Popes knew what was going on but did nothing to stop it and enforce the doctrine.  So practice became, in effect, the new doctrine.  It is not hard to predict that we are seeing this very same thing happening again right now regarding divorce, remarriage and Holy Communion (they may, I say "may", hold back on sodomitical unions for now).  I would not be surprised if the Synod produces a somewhat wishy-washy restatement of the traditional doctrine, which will be followed by priests telling their penitents to go ahead and receive Holy Communion if they are divorced and remarried.  If the ploy worked once in 1968 there is no reason to believe it wont work again now, especially considering what a vast wasteland current Catholic teaching has become in the intervening years. When a clownish blowhard like Cardinal Dolan can say "Bravo" to some unfortunate queer footballer who imagines himself to be married to another man, what do you think will happen when lesser lights in the Church start guiding their parishioners?

I think the answer is quite obvious.  If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

As in 1968 only worse we have to endure the spectacle of clueless prelates like Milwaukee's Jerome Listecki (and countless others as well) holding "listening" sessions from his flock, asking them what they want to see happen in the Church at this Synod.  I can well imagine what kind of answers he got.  I can also well imagine that he got exactly the kind of answers he was fishing for.

And what of the Pope in all this?

The seriousness of what this man is allowing here cannot be overestimated.  With all his talk of "mercy" and "smelling" the faithful (a rather crude phrase) he has to begin to realize that he may be responsible for unleashing forces in the Church and the world that may be unable to be stopped.  That St Thomas More must be imploring God in Heaven right now to change His mind and not allow this to continue almost goes without saying.  I do not know how particularly well-instructed the current Pontiff is, especially in history.  But I would like to imagine he recalls who More was and what events led to his martyrdom.  And even if he has never heard of him he presumably is aware of the words of Christ which Cardinal Burke has been reminding his fellow Cardinals of recently.  Yet I believe Burke's word are falling on mostly deaf ears; some of these men are entering that Synod with a clear agenda, a game plan to alter Church teaching and practice so I really don't know how much effect Burke and those who think like him will have.  In the case of Burke it is interesting to note that what goes around comes around.  A few short years ago he backed out of an important Catholic conference in London when he discovered that some of the speakers were going to discuss some of the laxity in teaching for which some Bishops were and are widely known.  Afraid of "offending" his brother Bishops whose very ideas are generally in opposition to Burke's, he bowed out on the last day leaving the Conference organizers holding the financial bag.  Now Burke himself has been sidelined.

Pope Francis is standing at the brink of a terrifying moment in the history of the Church, yet he beams a happy face and speaks with a minimum of clarity and a maximum of jocularity.  And the Tribe-owned mass media is busy barking orders at the Church, telling the Pope in precise terms exactly what they expect to come out of the synod.  I am trying to imagine myself at such a crossroads and in such a position as he.  Just one example would, I should think, give any sane man cause to look at these matters more gravely: an onslaught of homosexuals who are eating away at the vitals of the Church while numerous Bishops, nuns and priests are running around demanding the Church look the other way and welcome the sin they are so foolishly committing.  This is ecclesial suicide, pure and simple.  Yet we never hear these unfortunate souls being told to go and sin no more; instead we shout "bravo!"

The Holy Father has, whether he intended to or not, assumed responsibility for what is coming.  What is clear is that, at the moment, he is so far tolerating a heretical teaching being espoused by Cardinal Kasper and those who follow him.  The deviation from authentic promulgated doctrine is clear and there can be no escape from this accusation against Kasper.  In his kindly, grandfatherly way, with his soft and melodious voice and infectious smile, he is leading people on a dangerous path, the result of which if left unchanged is horrible.  "Heresy" is not a word I throw around much on this blog because I am neither a theologian nor a Catholic who has studied the matter in depth under the guidance of great teachers.  But in this instance it is hard to deny that Kasper and Crew are expressing views that directly contradict not only the long teaching and practice of the Church, reaffirmed many times including at the Council of Trent, but are directly contradicting the words of Christ Himself.  It is inescapable.  They are in essence saying (in a grandfatherly way), "Well, yes, Christ did teach this but now we have to face today's situation."  Let us allow that to sink in for a moment: Christ said that, but.....   But what, Your Eminence?  The question remains: what is the Pope going to do, now that he has opened this Pandora's Box?  

What he is doing right now is allowing a few too many priests and prelates give highly misleading (aka, dishonest) statements, some of them trying to suggest that the Council of Trent somehow endorsed the Kasperian view!  On the traditional doctrine, on the words of Christ, on the other hand, we hear from him almost nothing - though I will be pleased to be corrected on that point.   Will this be another debacle like Humanae Vitae, or will it not?

Pope Francis has wittingly or unwittingly unleashed the Hounds of Hell - very literally - on this topic.  Please God that when he next puts his head on his pillow he begins to realize that.   Please God that he starts to realize who he is and what his job is.

Today is, of course, the Feast of the Holy Rosary.  It would not be too hard to find a good reason to recite a second one today for a particular intention.