It has been interesting to see the comments that have been posted at the CRUX website and elsewhere about my article this week asking the Holy Father to clearly defend and define Catholic teaching–a remark, which seems pretty much in line with the wishes of a majority of the bishops at the synod. The comments on this article from “liberals” have been uniformly emotional, visceral and mostly vicious…in other words, just like the ugliness of the radical traditionalists they so... Read more
Someone said recently that I have firmly declared myself to be a conservative. Indeed someone from New Jersey once said I am an “arch conservative.” I am happy to take that label. I’m happy to take all the other labels too. To see what I mean go to this post: Call Me an Evangelical, Charismatic, Liberal, Conservative, Progressive Traditionalist. What irks me in the climate which seems to be emerging in the church is that progressives seem to be setting... Read more
UPDATE: Here is John Allen’s summary of the day’s happenings at in Rome. He says the synod is turning out like a high drama soap opera…Go here. Whew! has there ever been such a furore amongst the faithful! We’ve got the clash of cardinals, a bash up among bishops and vitriol in the Vatican! The secular press are ecstatic over the idea that the Catholic Church has capitulated to the spirit of the age while conservatives are furious. Many Catholics... Read more
I had a terrific compliment last week. This person didn’t praise me for being extraordinary. She didn’t thank me for being intellectual or handsome or holy or amazing. She thanked me for being normal. We are so often attracted to what is weird. We follow the details of the lives of the stars of athletics and the arts. We revel in the eccentricities of celebrities and relish the extraordinary, the unusual and the odd. We long for a dash of... Read more
As a former Anglican I distrust church synods. Here’s why. The General Synod of the Church of England is at it’s foundation, a democratically minded, man made institution. It was founded in 1970 on the foundations of the Church Assembly which had been in existence since 1910. The Church Assembly was a consultative body of elected legislators who had powers to change the Church of England. The General Synod expanded the reach of the Church Assembly. They established three houses:... Read more
I have now read what some are calling the “Relativistic Relatio” from the Synod on the family and I’m afraid that I am not impressed. It is not that the language is wishy washy, vague and confusing to the faithful. I’ve commented on that here and here. It fails to impress not because of it’s supposed “radical shift in the Vatican approach…” but because there hasn’t been a radical shift. The vague, wishy, washy language is simply more of the same: “We... Read more
Here is another paragraph from the Relatio that has got people hot and bothered and buzzing with fury. Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community: are we capable of welcoming these people, guaranteeing to them a fraternal space in our communities? Often they wish to encounter a Church that offers them a welcoming home. Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?... Read more
I was interested in this excerpt from the Synod on the Family: With regard to cohabitation in certain regions, it was shown that this is often due to economic and social factors and not a form of refusal of the teachings of the Church. Often, moreover, these and other types of de facto unions are lived while conserving the wish for a Christian life, and therefore require suitable pastoral care. I wish the fathers of the church had been more... Read more
Don’t get me wrong. I love the Divine Mercy mission. I’m all for compassion and mercy, forgiveness and love, warmth and welcome. I’m totally in favor of the priests being like the father welcoming home the prodigal with a kiss, clean clothes and a banquet. The problem I have with the current narrative coming from some Catholic sources is that it doesn’t match up with my experience of the Catholic Church. I get the impression that some folks who are manipulating... Read more
Here I am as a Catholic priest, and I make girls cry. Here is a situation which is typical- I hasten to add that this story is not based on a particular couple, but is a composite of various encounters with real people. A young couple we’ll call Barbie and Ken come to see me. They’ve signed up at the parish, but I’ve never seen them at Mass. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they’re new. I check... Read more
Fr. Dwight Longenecker
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