It might be reasonable to state that progressive and dissident Catholics are feeling a bit giddy today. They might see the approaching Synod on Synodality as Vatican II, Part II. I might be incorrect about this, however I don’t believe I am incorrect.
Many progressive and dissident Catholics were dissatisfied with Vatican II. They feel Vatican II did not truly lead to any substantial modifications. And now they appear figured out to utilize the Synod to make the BIG modifications in Church mentor they attempted, and stopped working, to cause at Vatican II.
This my takeaway after checking out a short article by dissident Catholic Sister Joan Chittister at the likewise dissident National Catholic Reporter. The post is entitled “Nothing really changed after Vatican II. But synodality may make a difference.” The title lets the cat out of the bag.
It’s been said often times that standard Catholics felt Vatican II went too far. At the very same time, progressive Catholics felt it did not go far enough. And we are now hearing this mantra once again from Sister Joan.
Vatican II
Sister Joan’s view of Vatican II may be summarized in the 6th paragraph of her post.
“Oh, a few churches redesigned their confession boxes and a few more took down the altar rails, but really, other than that and the move to the vernacular in all liturgical events — nothing much did happen. Most of the changes were window dressing.”
Sister Joan might be intentionally downplaying what occurred following Vatican II. Or possibly she truly thinks “nothing much did happen.” Traditional Catholics, nevertheless, may emphatically disagree with both views.
She then asks the concern, why not did anything modification, and continues to address her concern. In her viewpoint, “the 2,000-2,500 bishops from around the world who attended this 21st ecumenical council voted yes for all of its documents, but once back on home soil, many simply ignored them, that’s why.”
On top of this, she says, “But both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI resisted the full force of Vatican II. Though they never denounced the council, they never really promoted it either.”
Apparently, all the works of both Popes explaining the files of Vatican II were useless. Explaining and clarifying is not promoting, according to Sr. Joan.
The Time is Now
But the Synod can correct things, she believes.
“This synodality is various. This time, Pope Francis is having the faithful themselves enter into the agenda-making procedure prior to the synod even assembles.
“This time, the laity themselves have been deemed to determine what topics must be considered — married priests, genderism, marriage theology, equality, women priests, whatever.”
And then the dissident progressive spirit burst forth in all its splendor.
“Two weeks ago,” composed Sister Joan, “I sat in front of my television for several hours and listened to the topics each of the dioceses wanted addressed at the synod in Rome. One at a time, representatives from the entire region read out the topics and the numbers of their groups who most wanted particular topics to be considered by the modern church at this new conciliar process called “synodality.”
“I got a chill. I was listening to a drumbeat of human issues that were separating people from the church, from support, from holiness in this day and age.”
There you have it. The Synod on Synodality is offering dissident Catholics the shivers. They see it as their huge possibility to make some REAL modifications. And provided the rhetoric coming out of the Vatican the last couple of years, it’s possible they might get their dream.
The Agenda
Randall Smith, a Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, just recently used his viewpoint of the North American “Final Document” for the “Synod on Synodality” at The Catholic Thing. He composed, “This synodality “Final Document” resembles a university objective declaration doing not have any substantive vision of instructional quality. Without that compound, such a file supplies neither significant assistance nor the methods to limit administrative wrongdoing. They typically function as a versatile cape of authenticity for whatever the administration picks to do.”
I hope the North American Document is not normal of the 7 continental files that will be utilized to prepare the Instrument of Labor. If it is, the Instrumentum Laboris (due to be launched this month) should produce some intriguing reading. This is the file that will be the program for the basic assembly occurring in October.
But take a closer take a look at Prof. Smith’s contention. If a “document provides neither meaningful guidance nor the means to restrain administrative misbehavior” then it can “usually serve as an all-purpose cloak of legitimacy for whatever the administration chooses to do.”
Prof. Smith is not alone in this issue. Fr. Raymond de Souza raised it prior to the Synod even began.
“Who would decide whether a “consensus” has already been attained, whether a vote was required as “a last resort” or whether to bless a specific position as having been “resolved with an additional discussion”? It would likely be Cardinal Grech and the supervisors of the synod secretariat.
Control
As anybody who has actually ever worked for a big organization of any kind understands, this is all too real. The individual who calls a conference, sets the program, and manages the paperwork dispersed from the conference, remains in overall control of the result. So, insofar as the Synod goes, “whatever the administration chooses to do” is what will be done.
And make no error, progressive and dissident Catholics are managing the Synod. They do not even conceal this reality. As the April 4 news release on the Synod revealing the addition of the laypeople at the Synod states, “This choice is in continuity with the progressive appropriation of the constitutive synodal dimension of the Church and the consequent understanding of the institutions through which it is exercised” [emphasis added].
So when again progressive, dissident Catholics are going to having a go at altering Church teaching. Doctrine on marital relationship, sex, birth control, ladies deacons, and priests, and more, are all in their crosshairs.
A Prediction
I’m not that proficient at forecasting the future, however I did get a forecast right that I made in 2016. The Cubs did win the World Series and we still do not have a devout Catholic president. So, I’m going to attempt once again.
I anticipate that the Synod will prompt a number of modifications in Catholic teaching. These modifications will be used as required modifications. The Synod organizers will state these modifications are the outcome of the Holy Spirit operating in the Church. And it won’t make a little bit of distinction to them that God’s facts cannot be altered.
Sister Joan ends her post stating, “May this council truly begin what the world is waiting for lest the Catholic world gets stopped in its tracks by those who do not want the church to grow with the world.”
But she has it precisely in reverse. It’s the world that requires to grow with the Church, not the Church that requires to grow with the world.
Pope Francis will have the last word on what takes place following the Synod. But he will require to be able to translucent the smoke of Satan that has actually gone into the Church. Pray that the Holy Spirit provides him the capability to translucent the smoke.
