That’s, of course, what President Obama announced when the Republicans took the House in 2010: rather than find common ground with the GOP, he would move his agenda forward by means of executive orders, and use his phone to rouse the grass roots (or something like that). Accordingly, he upped the ante, and expanded his prior amnesty for those who came here illegally as children, into a wide amnesty for anyone who themselves brought a child here illegally or had a child while living here illegally, and additionally declared a policy of non-enforcement of immigration law.
And the media take on what’s going on in the Catholic church right now? They see this as a model for Pope Francis: use your “pen” to overrule the recent Synod and declare new rules on divorce, or use your “phone” to tell local priests to just stop “enforcing the rules.”
Here’s the Washington Post, “Pope lectures Catholic elders at closing of synod on family“:
Pope Francis on Sunday appeared to lecture church elders at the closing of a landmark summit on the family here, suggesting they should not be quick to exclude a broad array of people deserving of God’s grace. . . .
Rather than overhaul church doctrine — or the fundamental truths and teachings of the church — the question largely facing Francis is whether to alter procedures and empower bishops and priests to make more independent decisions on the ground.
In perhaps the most significant pronouncement, clerics sought to find more ways for divorced Catholics to participate in church life. Yet, to assuage the concerns of conservatives, the question of whether a door should be opened for divorced and remarried Catholics — who the church teaches are living in a state of adultery — to take communion at Mass was left vague.
Liberals argued that the language paved the way for Francis to endorse such a shift, while conservatives took heart that it does not explicitly call for one. Such a change, however, would reflect a practice already happening, as some parish priests have decided to offer communion to such couples despite church policy. . . .
Yet the ambiguity of the synod also puts Francis in a highly difficult position. If he fails to change the status quo enough, he risks disappointing liberal Catholics — as well as many non-Catholics — who have heralded him as an agent of change.
But going too far beyond the synod’s recommendations could alienate many in his divided hierarchy, triggering an even stronger backlash among conservatives, some of whom are openly questioning the direction of his papacy.
And here’s the Los Angeles Times (as also printed in its sister paper, the Chicago Tribune), “Catholic synod moves closer on Communion for remarried divorcees“:
The issue of giving Communion to remarried Catholics served as a battle line for conservatives and progressives at the synod, with the former defending church laws while the latter pushed for more merciful treatment — an ongoing theme of Pope Francis’s tenure. . . .
The closely watched measure says priests could bring remarried divorcees back into the life of the church on a case-by-case basis. No clear green light was given to offer them Communion, but the language could give Pope Francis a precedent to ease rules in the future.
And in the meantime —
Well, after griping yesterday about the disturbingly empty pews at my local church (seriously – it’s as if everyone who goes away over the summer just en masse decided not to come back), I spent some time looking around via a google search to see what was going in other parishes, and stumbled upon a bulletin which featured both their update on the fundraising appeal plus a letter from the archbishop, also available on the archdiocese’s website, the key paragraphs of which describes a planning process to deal with legacy costs and shrinking membership:
We know that the landscape of the Church in Chicago has changed since many of our parishes were founded, with demographics shifting greatly over time. Some of our parishes have aging facilities that cost more to repair than we have. We also have fewer priests available to pastor our parishes. We are sometimes challenged to fully live out the mission because we are spreading resources too thin. Pope Francis reminds us that we have the creativity to take on these challenges with joy if we are open to the possibilities the Spirit opens up to us.
Earlier this week I met with all priests in the Archdiocese to begin the discussion of how to address these challenges in the coming years. This is just the beginning of a long process to determine how to serve the pastoral needs of the Archdiocese and strengthen parish vitality for the long-term future. As the process moves forward, I am committed to a process that involves discipline, wide consultation and community involvement. We want to ensure that our plans for the future best meet the needs of the people of God, respond to the Church’s call to mission, and offer long-term sustainability.
In other words, it’s time for another round of church closures.
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