Evil Belgian Bishops Push for "Deaconesses" and the Abolition of Celibacy

Belgium's bishops will propose the introduction of "deacons" and the abolition of "compulsory celibacy" at the second and final session of the Synodality Synod in Rome next October. According to the bishops, the starting point for their reflections is the question of what “society, culture and the times in which we live teach us”.

When exploring this question, they came to the conclusion, on the one hand, that the position of women had developed to such an extent that it made sense to ordain women as “deacons”. In addition, according to the Belgian bishops, the requirement of celibacy for priests is “highly controversial” and should therefore be abolished.

Of course, there is no lack of appeasing restrictions. Belgium's bishops point out that "deaconesses" are not priests and have only limited powers, i.e. they can "only" celebrate weddings and conduct baptisms...

According to the bishops, the abolition of (annoying) celibacy would also clear the way for “viri probati”, i.e. married men with families who are committed to the faith, to be ordained priests. And here too there is the restriction that these married priests cannot become bishops.

However, the reference to “restrictions” is meant quite differently, namely that for the time being only “deaconesses” are wanted. The demand for “priestesses” and “bishops” will be delivered in a next step. The same should apply to married priests, who will also be able to become bishops in the next step. The model of the Belgian bishops is obviously not the Eastern Orthodox Church, but rather Western Protestantism.

“The transfer of greater pastoral responsibilities to women, as well as the ordination of women to the diaconate, should not be universally obligatory or prohibited,” the Belgian bishops write in the draft text they distributed to the country's dioceses to outline their position for the Synodality Synod in October to prepare. Walloon and Flemish bishops agree on this. The German-French Rhenish Alliance of the Second Vatican Council still exists today, as the example of Belgium shows.

According to the Belgian bishops, “gender equality and the importance of equal opportunities for men and 

women are not fashion trends, but rather developments that reaffirm the New Testament understanding of the equality of men and women in Christ”. Even if Jesus Christ himself was probably too much of a man, two thousand years ago he did not seem to have been aware of this in the same emancipatory spirit of the bishops.

The bishops have not explained exactly how this progressive thinking can be derived from Holy Scripture and tradition. Instead, they provide a “striking” example of logical thinking, realizing that “more and more women are taking on pastoral tasks.” Therefore, they concluded, the question is legitimate whether women can also be admitted to the ordained service of the diaconate.” The priority of practice over theory could hardly be demonstrated more clearly.

The bishops answered the question themselves in the expected sense. Since women “take on pastoral tasks,” the question of whether they should also receive ordination positions should be answered with a clear yes.

The sources of these innovations can be found elsewhere than in the Bible and tradition, namely in neo-Marxist thinking, which, for example, drives the Greens, in whose ranks quite a few of today's church hierarchs feel emotionally at home, at least in the German-speaking world, seem. The leanings of certain parts of the church towards the New Left have been known since the student protests of 1968 and can be documented right down to the last diocese. Now that the former New Left is in government in the German-speaking world under different labels, it only seems obvious that its thinking should also try to break ground in the church sector.

The second point of the Episcopal Révolution belge / Belgian Revolutie is similar. Since when revolutions actually start from above is a completely different question. The latter is likely to have something to do with pent-up demand. Neo-Marxist thought lives in the constant, highly romanticized striving for the “revolution” that will make everything new, but which its epigones were never able to implement. Apparently they want to make up for it now that they are in power. Who cares about the contradiction: Practically speaking, practice corrects every theoretical deficit.

Belgium's bishops point to “increasing problems” with priestly vocations. They see the reason for this, again as expected, in a central obstacle: the “lively questioning” of the requirement of celibacy. This is essentially seen as coercion and is rejected.

The implementation scenario resulting from both demands, which are called “proposals”, is known: “Every bishops’ conference or continental assembly of bishops should be enabled to take certain measures regarding the ordination of priests who are viri probati”, which in plain language, means ordaining married men as priests. The same should apply to the introduction of “deaconesses”. No bishop's conference and no bishop should be forced to ordain women, but those who want to should be able to do so.

The method behind it is what Francis describes as the “synodal church” and what he has already told the entire church when admitting believers in irregular situations (homosexuals, adulterers, etc.) to communion through Amoris laetitia and of homosexual couples, in “wilder Marriage” imposed on cohabiting or adulterous couples for blessing by Fiducia supplicans.

The advantage of this method: It can be extended to all areas.

This method is the result of a painful and long learning process in neo-modernist church circles. Painful and long because they were unable to bring the 1968 revolution into the church to the extent and speed they had hoped. Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI stood by them  and in their way for 35 years. And already with Paul VI., they had previously fallen out when the revolutionary impetus became too impetuous and went too far, even though they themselves came from their ranks.

Modernism had failed twice in a century – and in 2013 it seemed almost dead. It failed because there was too much resistance in the church. The lesson learned from this was that another path had to be taken. There should no longer be any attempt to change the doctrine. The election of Pope Francis made the new path possible. By allowing each bishop's conference and each bishop to decide for themselves in their jurisdiction whether an innovation is introduced or not, there is no need for general resolutions that have always failed in the past. There is no decision or resolution that remarried divorced people should be admitted to communion and that gay couples should be blessed. Formally, everything remains unchanged, but it is permitted - for “purely pastoral reasons”, as it is emphasized - if one in a diocese is of the opinion that one would like to do things differently...

The “brilliant” and fatal thing about it is that this instrument can be used universally and everywhere.

According to progressive thinking, it is assumed that once an innovation has been introduced there is no going back. The power of the fact leads to habituation and thus to slow acceptance. In other words: the dioceses led by progressive bishops are rushing forward and the conservative bishops are supposed to block and prevent it, because the decisive breakthrough compared to before has already been achieved. And in the dioceses that are still missing from the progressive appeal, it is only a matter of time before the incumbent conservative, blocking bishop is sooner or later replaced by a progressive one. That takes some time, but is effective, while the direct attack against the traditional religious and moral teachings did not succeed despite massive battering rams.

That's exactly what the Belgian bishops say, and twice: the ordination of women as "deaconesses" "should neither be generally obligatory nor forbidden"; “The priestly ordination of viri probati should be neither generally obligatory nor forbidden.”

The draft they sent to the dioceses should now be examined, discussed and possibly changed by mid-May. A final version should then be formulated and sent to the Synod Secretariat for the second and decisive session of the Synodality Synod.

Someone might say: Belgium only has nine dioceses, but the universal Church has 3,190. So what does it matter if 0.28 percent of diocesan bishops howl at the moon? However, the reality is different.

The coincidence of the thinking of Pope Francis and the Belgian bishops has been known at least since the revelation by Johan Bonny, Bishop of Antwerp, at the general assembly of the German Synodal Way in March 2023. Bonny, a “protege” of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, who was supported by the like-minded Apostolic Nuncio at the time, Karl-Josef Rauber, who foisted him on Pope Benedict XVI., (Pope Francis rewarded Rauber with the dignity of a cardinal for his services), who then announced at the time that since Amoris Laetitia it had been “normal” in Belgium to bless gay couples. Belgium's bishops informed Francis in November 2022 during their ad limina visit to Rome that they had designed their own gay blessing ritual. Francis did not admonish or correct them, but approved of their actions. The only prerequisite for their frontal attack on the Church's teaching on marriage and morality was that "you all agree."

In the area of homo-heresy there is therefore a direct and close agreement between Francis and the Belgian bishops. Why shouldn’t the same interaction also exist in the area of “deaconesses” and married priests? The current move by the Belgian bishops suggests exactly this.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that both points, both the admission of women to ordination and the relaxation of celibacy, were already on the agenda at the Amazon Synod in 2019 . What didn't work back then should now be made up for. In Rome it is said that a step towards women's diaconate could be expected in the coming weeks. It seems clear that everything should be done at the latest with the Synodality Synod in October , as a sort of preparation for the Holy Year 2025, with which it is hoped to calm down the believing people somewhat.

Image: VaticanMedia (screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG