That\u2019s, of course, what President Obama announced when the Republicans took the House in 2010: \u00a0rather 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). \u00a0Accordingly, 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.<\/p>\n
And the media take on what\u2019s going on in the Catholic church right now? \u00a0They see this as a model for Pope Francis: \u00a0use your \u201cpen\u201d to overrule the recent Synod and declare new rules on divorce, or use your \u201cphone\u201d to tell local priests to just stop \u201cenforcing the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the Washington Post, \u201cPope lectures Catholic elders at closing of synod on family<\/a>\u201c:<\/p>\n 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\u2019s grace. . . .<\/p>\n Rather than overhaul church doctrine \u2014 or the fundamental truths and teachings of the church \u2014 the question largely facing Francis is whether to alter procedures and empower bishops and priests to make more independent decisions on the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n 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 \u2014 who the church teaches are living in a state of adultery \u2014 to take communion at Mass was left vague.<\/p>\n 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. . . .<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 as well as many non-Catholics \u2014 who have heralded him as an agent of change.<\/p>\n But going too far beyond the synod\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n And here\u2019s the Los Angeles Times (as also printed in its sister paper, the Chicago Tribune), \u201cCatholic synod moves closer on Communion for remarried divorcees<\/a>\u201c:<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 an ongoing theme of Pope Francis\u2019s tenure. . . .<\/p>\n 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And in the meantime \u2014<\/p>\n Well, after griping yesterday<\/a> about the disturbingly empty pews at my local church (seriously \u2013 it\u2019s as if everyone who goes away over the summer just en masse<\/em> 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\u2019s website<\/a>, the key paragraphs of which describes a planning process to deal with legacy costs and shrinking membership:<\/p>\n We know that the landscape of\u00a0the Church in Chicago has changed since many of our parishes were founded, with demographics\u00a0shifting greatly over time. Some of our parishes have aging facilities that cost more to repair than we\u00a0have. We also have fewer priests available to pastor our parishes. We are sometimes challenged to\u00a0fully live out the mission because we are spreading resources too thin. Pope Francis reminds us that\u00a0we have the creativity to take on these challenges with joy if we are open to the possibilities the\u00a0Spirit opens up to us.<\/p>\n Earlier this week I met with all priests in the Archdiocese to begin the discussion of how to\u00a0address these challenges in the coming years. This is just the beginning of a long process to\u00a0determine how to serve the pastoral needs of the Archdiocese and strengthen parish vitality for the\u00a0long-term future. As the process moves forward, I am committed to a process that involves\u00a0discipline, wide consultation and community involvement. We want to ensure that our plans for the\u00a0future best meet the needs of the people of God, respond to the Church\u2019s call to mission, and offer\u00a0long-term sustainability.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n In other words, it\u2019s time for another round of church closures.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" That\u2019s, of course, what President Obama announced when the Republicans took the House in 2010: \u00a0rather 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). \u00a0Accordingly, he upped the ante, and expanded his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3098","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n