Not only Burke -- Brotherly Purge of Francis the Merciful

(Rome) The Vaticanist Matteo Matzuzzi analyzed the reasons that led to the removal of Cardinal Burke from two Roman Congregations within a few days for the daily newspaper Il Foglio. He sees the main reason in a "completely opposite" understanding of the Church. An interview with Cardinal Burke, published on 12 December  by EWTN finally led  to the fracture. Cardinal Burke expresses  doubt as to whether the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium could be regarded as part of the papal magisterium at all. The background is also the great influence that the cardinal wielded under Pope Benedict XVI.  on the appointment of bishops in the United States. Part of the American Church saw the opportunity to get rid of this influence under Pope Francis, and to assist them accordingly. Obviously, they met with success. Matzuzzi speaks of a "purge" against the clergy, who are closely related to  Pope Benedict's understanding  of the  Church.  Because of the inflationary celebration of Pope Francis as a "reincarnation" of the "benevolent" Pope John XXIII.,  Matzuzzi writes  of the connection not without a finer, deeper significance between the "cleansing" and the "benevolent Francis". And once again  this signifies the dislike of the new Pontiff against tradition.

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Fraternal Purge of Francis the Merciful

by Matteo Matzuzzi

Not only Burke. Many influential cardinals were also removed. It was predictable (and legitimate). The reasons were because of of  amoveatur without promoveatur .[Removal without Promotion] The focus is on a particular understanding of the Church and ethical issues.

Understanding of the Church at Odds

It could not be otherwise, as they say across the Tiber, when they comment on the removal of Cardinal Raymond Burke at the Congregation for Bishops. Francis'  understanding of the Church  is too far away from that of the prominent canon law expert, whom Benedict XVI. brought from St. Louis to Rome and had asked to  head  the Apostolic Signatura. To start with, Bergoglio is almost in terror of  the idea of entering into his field hospital to see sad priests who are merely guardians of museum churches. Second, Burke, however, is a die-hard supporter of the Tridentine Mass Coram Deo , the brocade miters and Cappa magna,  which have not been seen since the conclave  called 50 years ago by Paul VI,  as though the station of the  Cardinal were still dominated by the Sistine Chapel's baldicchino .

Incompatibility of Positions

And then there's the incompatibility of positions to the non-negotiable principles that tore a deep furrow with time.While Francis celebrated the anniversary of Evangelium Vitae on the forecourt of St Peter's, but was only capable of citing one time   the great encyclical of John Paul II on the protection of life from conception to natural death, , was something considered simultaneously by Burke  at the Pontifical Urban University as penetrated by a precise catechesis of sharpness and clear partisanship for  unborn life. While the Pope extorted  not to harass the people of God and  and obsess,  to speak about the non-negotiable values ​​only in certain contexts,  the American cardinal warned  against the chains of the broadening poison of laicism [secularism].  

"It is enough to open a newspaper or turn on the television to see that the Christian is always less tolerated, that the secular agenda does not decrease in their efforts to suppress the testimony of faithful Christians to the second place, to intimidate and stifle" said the cardinal with the eloquence of a biblical prophet at the opening of a meeting of the Institute Dignitatis Humanae . "We must not succumb to these tactics," Burke said.

The Clear Words of the Cardinal - EWTN Interview Led to the Final Break

Sure, Francis said, but the Church's position on these issues is known, it does not have to be repeated every day. Meanwhile, however, the cardinal prefect  explained apocalyptically, it is sufficient to look to see that "the political leaders are relentlessly busy to liberalize abortion even further" in the United States. A grave sin that calls for a corresponding sentence without long troubling the mercy and goodness of God: "You can not recognize those who support such a serious violation of the moral law and yet do them the honor. This is a scandal, a contradiction, an error", the cardinal said in an interview he gave to a few weeks later to a monthly magazine in Minnesota.

Then a few days ago, the final break  came in an interview with the Catholic television station EWTN: "to refuse Catholic politicians  communion  is absolutely right: it is a question of order. The Eucharist is sacred. It is the body, the blood and the Soul of Christ. Whoever knows that he is in a state of sin, should not even approach Holy Communion."

Can the Evangelii Gaudium be considered as part of the Magisterium?

Everything was reinforced by doubts about the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium . When asked what he meant by  Exhortation, the cardinal said: "To me it is not yet possible to find the exact form to describe this document, but it seems to me that it can not be considered as part of the Magisterium".  EWTN asked what he meant by the fact that, according to Pope Francis too much is spoken about abortion, "gay marriage" and euthanasia. "We can never talk about these issues  enough. We are up against  a massacre of the unborn,"  replied Burke.

Completely opposite viewpoints, therefore. Between the two there is not that consensus which was so strong between the canon lawyer and Ratzinger, who often begged the American cardinal to help name  suitable candidate for American dioceses. The  Los Angeles Times put forward in an editorial that there appears to be a purge of conservative cardinals ongoing,   -  in addition to Burke and Piacenza and Bagnasco who were removed from their duties, there was even Cardinal Charles Chaput,  Archbishop of Philadelphia.   Chaput had publicly criticized the course begun by Bergolio this past July 1st: "I think that the Pope did not intend to be drawn into political issues. But issues such as abortion and marriage are not political questions. These are questions of doctrine and morality. And we bishops, all must speak of these things." The archbishop spoke in the same context of a "certain dissatisfaction"  Pope Francis' course, which were being felt  in faithful parts of the Church.

Progressive Schadenfreude

The decisions of Pope Francis from demotions  and promotions in the Congregation for Bishops,  commented on in the New York Times by the progressive historian Alberto Melloni, would mean that "one does not have to be conservative to become a bishop." The dismissal of  Burke, for example, shows only the legitimate will of the Pope, a new "generation of bishops" to pave the way, also stated the progressive Vaticanist John Allen. A completely different generation than those that have come of age  in recent decades.

Introduction / Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
image: Dona catolica

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

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