Clarity and Truth -- the Main Therapy Against Old Liberalism

Father Wolfgang Ockenfels:  The dominant psychologizing tone within the Church , the stilted emotional forms, and the vague double meanings are  becoming a great nuisance  -- and leading to a crisis of ecclesiastical credibility.

 (kreuz.net)The Pope encountered a "seemingly demoralized and confused" society in his Germany visit. 
He deems it "urgently in need of orientation".


The Domincan, Father Wolfgang Ockenfels (64) explained on the 22nd of September in the midst of Benedict XVIs visit to Germany.

The article appeared in the polemical Berlin weekly 'Junge Freiheit'.

Father Ockenfels is a publicist.  He teaches Christian Social Ethics in the Theological Faculty in Trier.

The Old Liberals turn in Dialogue in a Circle

Father Ockenfels sees clearly: "The Church in Germany is suffering from an anti-Roman virus, they are occupied with tormenting themselves and turn within a circle  in "dialogue".

What is also meager for him is the achievement of the highly celebrated ecumenism:

"Some protestant church leaders increasingly withdraw from addressing bio-ethical questions and distance themselves even from the basic goal of ecumenism itself."

Collective Defamation

Father Ockenfels even sees through the abuse-hoax.

The Catholic Church has been "collectively discredited" through a few "deplorable" individual cases":

"They were, in abuse cases that are chalked up to them alone, put in a kind of vice, that they hardly dare to speak on moral subjects and social teaching any more."

The Dominican fools himself: Over eighty percent of the cases brought into view were not pedophilic, rather homosexual in nature.

Ecumenical Degeneration

Father Ockenfels makes an interesting observation:

"Although the Evangelical communities have the same problems as the Catholics, who have been run through the crossfire by the mass media, have lifted hardly a finger, to reject the anti-Catholic smear campaign."

This state of affairs also looks to him as "not putting a very good light on ecumenical solidarity."

For him, it is much more a sign of ecumenical degeneration.

One doesn't know, where one is

The priest is certain that internal-Church debates have sharpened in the last years.

He hopes that the higher clergy will learn, "to speak in clear text."

Because: "The dominant psychologizing tone within the Church , the stilted emotional forms, and the vague double meanings are; becoming a great nuisance; -- and leading to a crisis of ecclesiastical credibility."

And: "One hardly doesn't know any more in Germany, who one is."

As in politics, one ducks from clear decisions.

Ambiguity is frustrating

In times of crisis many long for clarity and truth, Father analyzed:

"Ambiguity doesn't convince, rather, it disorients and frustrates."

Because: "We live, also socially and politically, in times of decision: Either -- or."

It is not possible to be simultaneously Catholic, Protestant or even Muslim.

Father Ockenfels expects of the Bishops, that they clearly manifest themselves -- "as opposed to all of the opportunists, who always hope for advantages, when they position themselves as anti-Roman."

Learning from Necessity

Financial wealth, institutional strengthening and public privileges can - as the Father insists - not hide, "the spiritual misery that spreads out behind magnificent church facades."

He sees a remedy in the spreading of Church horizons: "The view of the world church exempt from pettiness and selfishness."

Ockenfels Father stressed that the threats are growing worldwide.

From these times of trial and defense of the faith, he hopes that perhaps this necessity, will teach the faithful to pray and again exhorts them to courageous public witness for the Faith.

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