Consistorium 2022: A Missed Opportunity

 Cardinal Walter Brandmüller laments Pope Francis' gag order for the cardinals who are supposed to advise him.

By Roberto de Mattei*

There is a relationship between grace and nature analogous to that between faith and reason. There is an imbalance when there is faith without reason or grace without nature and vice versa, but the perfect balance is not in putting these realities on an equal footing. On the contrary, it consists in bringing them into their legitimate order, subordinating nature to grace, of which the former is the premise, just as the premise of faith is the reason, but which is subordinate to faith.

This helps us understand what "spirit of faith" or "supernatural spirit" means, depending on whether we are referring to the primacy of faith over reason or grace over nature. It means not renouncing the indispensable role of reason and nature, but seeing everything through the eyes of faith and expecting even the impossible from the work of grace.

Today that spirit of faith has been lost in the Christian people, beginning with their church leaders. The spirit of faith and the supernatural has been replaced by the political spirit with which Christians claim to understand and intervene in reality through reason alone, without resorting to the decisive action of grace.

Pope Francis has repeatedly recalled that the true reformers of the Church are the saints, yet his approach to the world's great issues always appears political and therefore "worldly" rather than "supernatural" and moved by a spirit of faith. This “political” approach dominated the recent consistory, held August 29-30th in the Vatican in the presence of some 180 cardinals, which missed a great opportunity to address the serious problems afflicting the Church today. The focus of the meeting of the cardinals was officially the reform of the Curia, which is contained in the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium being proposed, but the Pope has prevented the cardinals from expressing themselves in joint session on this and other subjects, as it were, he muzzled them.

The consistory is a meeting of the pope with the cardinals, who according to the code of canon law (canons 349-359) are his first advisers. For at least seven years, Pope Francis has not allowed the cardinals to speak and express their opinions at this solemn gathering. Everyone had expected this to happen at the end of the August meeting, but the consistory was fragmented into language groups at the behest of the pope, paralyzing the cardinals and preventing the open and direct dialogue that last took place in February 2014.

We are reminded of this truth by an important cardinal and great historian, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, whose voice, which was not allowed to be heard in the consistory hall, echoes outside the hall. The Vaticanist Sandro Magister has allowed us to get to know them by publishing the speech that the cardinal had prepared but was not allowed to deliver.

Cardinal Brandmüller recalls in his document the function of cardinals anchored in canon law, which in ancient times found its symbolic expression in the rite of the "aperitio oris", the opening of the mouth. A rite, the cardinal explained, which “meant the duty to speak openly one's convictions, one's advice, especially in consistory. This openness – Pope Francis speaks of 'parrhesía' – was particularly important to the Apostle Paul. At the moment, unfortunately, that openness has been replaced by a strange silence. The other ceremony of closing the mouth, which followed the 'aperitio oris', referred not to truths of faith and morals, but to official secrets”.

"Today, however," Cardinal Brandmüller added, "we should emphasize the right, indeed the duty, of cardinals to speak clearly and frankly, especially when dealing with the truths of faith and morals, the 'bonum commune' of the Church. The experiences of the last few years have been very different. In the consistories - which were convened almost exclusively for the canonization processes - cards were distributed to ask for the floor and of course spontaneous interventions followed on any subject, and that was it. There was never a debate, an exchange of arguments on any particular subject. Apparently a completely useless procedure", although the primacy of the Successor of Peter in no way "precludes a fraternal dialogue with the cardinals, who are obliged to cooperate conscientiously with the pope” (can. 356). The more serious and urgent the problems of pastoral leadership, the more necessary is the involvement of the College of Cardinals”.

 

The cardinal, who is a Church historian, continues:

“When Celestine V wanted to renounce the papacy in 1294, recognizing the special circumstances of his election, he did so after intensive discussions and with the consent of his electors. A completely different view of the relationship between pope and cardinals was represented by Benedict XVI, who - a unique case in history - renounced the papal office for personal reasons without the knowledge of the college of cardinals that elected him. There were only 70 electors until Paul VI, who increased the number of electors to 120. This increase in the size of the electoral college, almost doubling it, was motivated by an intention to conform to the hierarchy of lands far from Rome and to honor those churches with the Roman purple. The inevitable consequence was that cardinals were installed who had no experience with the Roman Curia and thus with the problems of the pastoral leadership of the universal Church. All of this has serious consequences when these cardinals from the periphery are called to elect a new pope.”

Currently, it is like this:

“(...) many, if not the majority, of the voters do not know each other. Yet they are there to elect the Pope, one of them. It is obvious that this situation makes it easier for operations of cardinal groups or classes to favor one of their candidates. In this situation one cannot rule out the danger of simony in its various forms.”

The Cardinal's document concludes with a suggestion:

"Finally, it seems to me that the idea of restricting voting rights in the conclave, for example, to cardinals resident in Rome deserves serious consideration, while the other cardinals could share the 'status' of cardinals above octogenarian."

 

These are clear, unmistakable words that should make the entire College of Cardinals think.

Pope Francis' refusal to give the floor to the cardinals stems from the political and secular perspective of his pontificate. He fears that free and open discussion will weaken the exercise of his power, unaware that the truth can never harm the Church and the souls subject to Her. The spirit of faith, which is opposed to the spirit of politics, consists precisely in seeking in all things what is highest and most sublime, what is best for the glory of God and the good of souls, always looking to the commandments of the Gospel.

The alternative is between the truth of the Gospel and the power of the world. Proclaiming the truth of the Gospel does not mean talking about immigration or the climate emergency, but about the novissima- Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell - and the divine providence that governs all events of the created universe. Preaching the Gospel means using the voice of the Church to condemn sin, especially public sin, foremostly abortion and LGBT doctrines, which the world considers “civil rights achievements”. It means speaking of holiness and not of synodality, because it is from holiness and not from political mechanisms that the necessary reform (renewal) proceeds within the Church: a renewal of the people who form Her and not of Her divine ones and immutable constitution.

A cloak of silence has now fallen over the consistory. And the silence of those who should speak is the greatest punishment our Lord can inflict on His Church.

* Roberto de Mattei , historian, father of five children, professor of modern history and history of Christianity at the European University of Rome, chairman of the Lepanto Foundation, author of numerous books, most recently in German [Possibly English] translation:  Defense of Tradition: The Insurmountable Truth of Christ, with a foreword by Martin Mosebach, Altötting 2017 and  The Second Vatican Council. A Hitherto Unwritten Story, 2nd ext. Edition, Bobingen 2011.

Books by  Prof. Roberto de Mattei in German translation and books by  Martin Mosebach are from our partner bookshop..

Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Cardinal Brandmüller: "Luther Was a Heretic"

In the year of the Reformation, opinions are divided on Martin Luther. For the historian Cardinal Walter Brandmüller it is clear that the exclusion of Luther from the Church was correct.Ecumenism | Stuttgart - 11.04.2017

In the view of the German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, the reformer Martin Luther was wrong. "Naturally I regard him as a heretic, he was rightly excluded from the Church," said Brandmüller in an interview for the ARD documentary thriller "The Luther Matrix".

Luther was, on the one hand, highly intelligent and ingenious, but suffered great mental problems on the other hand. "I do not believe he was able to question himself," said the former head of the Pontifical Commission of Historians.

Cardinal Müller: "Selling indulgences was a fraud"

The German Curial Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller also commented in an interview for Luther's television production. The reformer had been right with his criticism of indulgences. "The indulgence trade was a fraud against the faithful," said the Prefect of the Roman Congregation for the Faith.

The Church had made the mistake of having excommunicated Luther without addressing his concerns. "It would have been more critical to distinguish what he really wanted," said Müller.

In "The Luther Matrix", director Tom Oeckers combines a fictitious crime drama about a whistleblower in the Federal Chancellery with expert interviews. The SWR production will be shown in the ARD on Tuesday at 11 pm. (Rom / KNA)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Statement by Rota Dean "Corrected": "Francis Will Not Take Away Cardinal's Rank"

Interview of Dean of Roman Rota was "Revised"

(Madrid) Last Tuesday, 29 November,  a report by Religion Confidencial struck like a bomb - and led to a significant image problem for Pope Francis. Now a "corrected position" has appeared, with which the image problem was corrected.The criticism by the four cardinals, on the other hand, was not withdrawn.

Msgr. Pius Vito Pinto, Dean of the Roman Rota , one of the supreme courts of the Catholic Church, was took part the day before in a conference on the new marriage tribunal process in Madrid. On this occasion he gave an interview to the Spanish news site, Religion Confidencial.  He was quoted as saying that Pope Francis would strip the four cardinals Brandmüller, Burke, Caffarra and Meisner of their dignity as cardinals,  because by posting their Dubia (doubts) to the controversial post-synodal Letter Amoris laetitia, they had given "serious offense".

The words of the Rota Dean, coupled with further criticism of the four Dubia presenters was understood as threat and intimidation.

The old and the new version

Meanwhile a "correction" was made in the publication Religion Confidencial, which is more of a clarification (RC). RC said that Msgr. Pinto had answered the questions in Italian and that the translation into Spanish was "incorrect". The new title of the RC interviews is now: "Under another pope, the four cardinals who wrote him could lose their cardinalatial dignity."

First, RC had published the following reply from Msgr. Pinto:

"What church are these Cardinals defending? The Pope is faithful to the teaching of Christ. What they have done is a very serious offence which could cause the Holy Father to deny them the Cardinal's hat, as has happened in other times in the Church. "

The revised body is now:

"What church defend these cardinals? The Pope is faithful to the teaching of Christ. What they have done is a very serious offence. He continued, that Pope Francis, however, is not a pope of the past, who would take away the Cardinal's hat, as Pius XI. did with the famous French Jesuit theologian Louis Billot. 'Francis will not do that,' he said." 

The tarnished image that was feared has been left behind - but criticism of the four cardinals remains

After Msgr. Pinto's statement, which was first distributed by RC, caused worldwide attention, there seems to have been a corresponding intervention to reduce the position. The original statement conveyed a very bad impression of not very "merciful" administration by Pope Francis. The image of a pontificate in which even the highest dignitaries are heavily punished just because they ask questions, could be an image shredder.

It is striking that the first version was consistently indicated as a statement by Monsignor Pinto, whereas in the revised version, the controversial passage is only indirectly reproduced. RC reported a translation error.  We are more closely acquainted with the fact that the results obtained by Mgsr. Pinto last Monday, reveals a threat posture in Rome some because active imagination went too far. Still the criticism of the four cardinals was not weakened by the "correct position".

According to Pinto, the attitude of the four cardinals is so serious that they would deserve to lose the cardinalatial dignity, but it is just their good luck that it is Pope Francis who is reacting and not "another pope."

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Religion Confidencial (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Is Benedict XVI the Last Pope? "Everything is Possible," says Benedict himself.

Is Benedict XVI the Last Pope?

(Rome) "Who is Pope today and how many are there exactly?"  Italian journalist Antonio Socci, who is known by his accentuated criticism of Pope Francis asked on Saturday in his publication for the daily  Libero. General confusion reigns in the Church, and the new interview book by Benedict XVI., "The Last Conversations,"  instead of clearing away the fog, adds to it.

Socci had questioned 2014/2015 the validity of the election of Pope Francis. He has more recently distanced himself from this thesis though, yet he doesn't seem to have given it up so completely. The still surprising resignation of Benedict XVI, still disturbs him and other Catholics too.  It's an inner restlessness that is constantly fueled  anew by the pontificate of Francis.

In the new article, Socci has occupied himself once more with the validity of the official renunciation of Benedict and its even more surprising step, to introduce a previously completely unknown figure of "emeritus pope."  Is Benedict still Pope? How can there be two popes? These questions not only arise to Socci, as leading canonists have warned of the introduction of this figure. Such things were raised by Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, a close confidant of Benedict XVI., who does not approve of the step in the "retirement." Therefore, the cardinal warned last July against the institutionalization of a "papa emeritus", also because there are groups in the Church, who still hold Benedict for the legitimate pope, and thus is a dangerously explosive force with the risk of schism in the air  (see Cardinal Brandmüller: Figure of an "Emeritus" Pope poses "Serious Risks" for Unity of the Church in German).

 The Most Curious Detail

"I start with the most curious detail," says Socci. Peter Seewald asked Benedict XVI. if he knew the prophecy of Malachi, who allegedly created a list of all future popes until the end of the world in the Middle Ages. According to this list the papacy, and therefore the Church, would end with Benedict XVI.. Seewald didn't ask the question about the last Pope directly but took a  turn from it: What if Benedict XVI. actually were to be the last pope, who has represented the figure of Peter's successor in the unprecedented form?

"The response from Ratzinger is surprising: 'Alles kann sein.'  Everything is possible? Even that Benedict is the last pope, although for more than three years his successor has ruled? In Seewald's book Benedict adds:  'This prophecy probably arose in the circles around Philip Neri.'"

"He calls them, 'prophecy,' and returns to a great saint and mystic of the Church, and then to loosen up concluding with a joke, but that was his answer," says Socci.

The Break

"Does  Benedict XVI. believe his is the last papacy (at the end of the world or at least the end of the Church)?"  asks Socci. "Probably not. But then does he think  - at least according to the recounting of his interlocutor -- one who has exercised the papacy in the recognizeable form for the last two thousand years? Perhaps. This statement can be heard, because the papacy can not be changed by human will as a divine institution as is well known, of the Church."

But what change will it involved? "Is there a break in the uninterrupted tradition of the Church? Another point in the book points in this direction. Do you see yourself as the last pope of the old or as the first of the new world?'  Benedict XVI's answer to Seewald's question: 'I would say both. '"

"But what does that mean," asks Socci. What does "old" and "new world" mean, especially for someone like Benedict XVI., who always opposed an interpretation of Vatican II as a 'break' with tradition and instead emphasized its continuity?

Seewald ascribes to  Benedict XVI. a "revolutionary"  conduct with which he, "like no other pope of modern times, changed the papacy."  Socci wonders whether this assertion, "clearly alludes to the  introduction of 'emeritus pope,'"  a reference to a concrete statement by Benedict XVI. in the book which he had made and thought to be valuable.

The Detective Story

Socci recalls that the figure of an "emeritus pope"  is completely alien to Church history and emphasizes the canon emphatically that a Pope who waives his office, automatically returns to the status he had prior to his election, because the papacy, in contrast to the episcopal ordination, is not a sacrament. While the bishops, therefore, remain bishops, even if they no longer exert a particular jurisdiction, this was not the case with a Pope.

Nevertheless, Benedict XVI announced in the last days of his pontificate against the opinion of all canonists  that he would become an "emeritus pope"  after his resignation. He did not offer a canonical or theological justification of his unusual step, which was even more unusual than the resignation itself. Rather, he said, during his last general audience on February 27th: "My decision to dispense with the active version of the office, this does not withdraw it back [being a pope]."

He coupled this statement with his announcement of remaining at the Vatican and continuing to wear the robe of a pope and the papal coat of arms and to be introduced with his papal name, including the honorary title "His Holiness".

"That was enough to ask the question of what is happening, and whether he was really withdrawn from the papacy." Therefore, Socci had, as early as 2013, been concerned in numerous articles with the unusual resignation and the subsequent conclave.

Meanwhile, the canon lawyer Stefano Violi, examining the Declaratio,  with which Benedict XVI. announced his resignation, came to the conclusion: "Benedict XVI. agreed to renounce the ministerium [service]:  not the papacy under the provisions of Boniface VIII, nor of the munus [Official] according to Canon 332, paragraph 2, but to the ministerium, or as clarified in his last audience, to the active exercise of the ministry."

After Antonio Socci had pointed the finger at inconsistencies in several articles,  the Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli, very closely linked to Pope Francis,  asked Pope Benedict XVI in February 2014  why he had remained "emeritus pope". The answer was:

"The maintenance of the white robe and the name Benedict is simply a practical matter. At the time of the resignation there were no other garments available. "

There were no other garments available?

"Tornielli broadcast his 'sensational news' in all directions, but on closer inspection, the words must have proven an elegant joke to suggest a question that Benedict XVI. then could not speak on (Who believes that there were no black cassocks in the Vatican?)," says Socci. "But he speaks now about three years later, and explained the reasons for its decision, which have nothing to do with sartorial affairs."

"It means that he is pope"

In the new interview the considerations on the bishops come out. When it was stipulated there would be a limit of their tenure at 75 years, the "Bishop Emeritus" was created because it was said that a father always remains father.

Benedict XVI. now says that also about himself. Even if the children are already grown, the father remains father, even if he no longer bears the whole responsibility connected to fatherhood.  He remained a father in a deeper, more intimate sense, said Benedict XVI.

Socci speaks of a "poetic idea", others speak of a transfigured representation. but on the theological level it was "explosive", because "it means that he is pope."

His personal secretary, Archbishop Curia Georg Gänswein, announced last May in his speech at the Gregoriana   at what Benedict XVI. now sets forth in his interview book. Gänswein went even further and in detail.

Gänsweins speech, which was concealed by most media, "struck the Roman Curia like a nuclear bomb", according to Socci. Gänswein said the papal service hasn't been the same as before, since February 11, 2013. The papacy has in fact been the foundation of the Catholic Church, but it was altered by Benedict XVI. through his "exception pontificate" fundamentally and permanently.

His resignation and the creation of the figure of "emeritus pope" was a "weighty step of a millennially historic proportions."  It's a step that had never happened before, because Benedict XVI. never gave up his Petrine ministry, but "renewed" it.

The novelty lies in the "extension" of the papacy from a "collegial and synodal dimension" to an office exerted "quasi communally."  Although there really are not two popes, it's  a de facto "expanded" papacy with an "active and contemplative" Pope.

One of two people effecting a common Office? One wonders seriously, what the situation is and rubs his eyes in disbelief. Paul Badde had already asked Gänswein a few days after his Gregorian speech about the Malachy prophecy. Such things might be add a little spice to an interview or an article by a journalist, but it hardly helps the Church much in its current situation.  Gänswein gave the impression in his Gregorian speech and  Badde interview for EWTN  that he wanted to ultimately transfigure the incomprehensible step of Benedict XVI.  and subsequently charge through a constructed meaning, which actually made all rather worse. Especially Gänswein's response to Badde, he would have "no problem"  with four or five popes emeritus, lacks of seriousness. The whole situation of Benedict's resignation  is problematic enough, without the need for sloppy swaggering.

Torpedo against Benedict

Socci does not stop till he reaches his next goal. Until the Gänswein speech "Bergoglio must have already heard these things by Benedict XVI  without understanding them, as the emeritus papacy was explained:" The Resignation of Benedict XVI. was a "government action" comparable to a bishop who renounces and retires his jurisdiction.

Since the Gänswein speech of May "the Court of Bergoglio has only just become aware of the scale of the problem," says Socci, hence as Francis issued upon returning from Armenia, the clear rejection of the notion of a "common Petrine ministry."

In August Tornielli ( "The Thermometer of the Curia") published an interview with the eminent canonists and representatives of the Roman Curia, Titular Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, who unreservedly shredded the figure of an "emeritus pope." "The uniqueness of Peter's successor does not allow further discrimination or duplication of the Office" or even the nominal service as an honorary title. There is especially  no distinction between the office and its exercise (see New Broadside Against "Emeritus Pope" - Canonist Sciacca: "Legally and Theologically Untenable" in German).

So Socci gets in the core of his column to a question which is quite legitimate, but at the same time, of which Cardinal Brandmüller recently warned:

"Benedict XVI. had decided to retain the authority of the Pope and to dispense only with the active exercise of the office. If this  decision of his is inadmissible and void, does it mean that even his resignation is null and void?"

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: MiL
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Müller to Mainz, Schönborn and Maradiaga to Rome? Who is Playing the Game of Rumors?

(Rome) At certain intervals the rumor mill surrounding the Roman Curia will run. Currently, there are several speculations, of which the most important would be particularly worrisome. Currently, however, it is unclear who is playing what game with the rumors, and which part of the gossip has veracity.

The previous Prefect, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, it is rumored, will be the new Bishop of Mainz and  succeed there Cardinal Karl Lehmann, who was retired last May 16 with the completion of his 80th year. The new Cardinal Prefect of the Roman Congregation is supposed to be Vienna Archbishop Christoph Schonborn.

The fact is that the relationship between Pope Francis and Cardinal  Müller is severely strained, while the President of the Austrian Bishops' Conference is currently experiencing a flight of fancy in the papal favor. Both such contrasting movements have not the least to do with the Post-Synodal Exhortation Amoris laetitia. It's not about questions of sympathy but  a tangible and fundamental factional dispute. Behind this is the question of where Pope Francis will lead the Church. The Pope has ignored Cardinal Müller, who recently, along with the entire CDF, recently attacked. though only indirectly, the unassailable Pope Francis, but with a breathtaking statement, accusing the Pope's  ghostwriter, Titular Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, of being "heretical". The three magisterial documents by the Pope: Evangelii gaudium (2013), Laudato si (2015) and Amoris laetitia (2016)  all come from the pen of Fernandez.

Cardinal Schönborn

Cardinal Schönborn in turn was also rumored in 2005 to succeed  Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger in the CDF. However, the German pope decided otherwise. In 2012,  the Vienna archbishop hailed the decision, to appoint the then Bishop of Regensburg, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, as the new CDF, as an "excellent choice". Since then, however, much has changed, especially the Pope in Rome.

Opaque backers and intentions

The rumor is to be treated with caution: First, the explosive reshuffle has been disseminated by the progressive media. In German-speaking parts it's KNA, the press agency of the German Bishops' Conference was responsible. Secondly, KNA published its information on the basis of information  published in the faraway Malaysia Catholic Herald newspaper of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur. Verification was not even possible on demand. The probability that a diaspora institution would serve as the first media reporter of so far-reaching a reshuffle is not impossible, but extremely low.

The closer one comes to the progressive Spanish news site Religion Digital, which is known for its notorious papolatria since the recent conclave. It took over  the role of KNA in the Spanish-speaking world and maintains good contacts with the Honduran Cardinal, Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga. The progressive organ headlined several times in recent months, with headlines in the way: "Francis Builds, Müller Destroys."

Rylko back to Poland, Maradiaga still on his second attempt to Rome?

The rumors of personnel changes affect not only the cardinals Müller and Schönborn. According to the same source, the 77-year-old Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, the longtime first secretary of Pope John Paul II., is to be replaced as Archbishop of Krakow by Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the current President of the Council of the Laity. This would be due to the dissolution of the Council for the Laity, whose responsibilities will be incorporated into the upcoming September 1 Congregation for Family, Laity and Health Pastoral. The first prefect of the new congregation would be likely to be the Pope confidant Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga of Honduras.

 Cardinal Maradiaga

Maradiaga, who received the title of "Vice Pope"  because of his euphoric appearance in the first months of the current pontificate is coordinator of the C9-Cardinal Council in support of Pope Francis in the reform of the Curia and the guidance of the universal Church. Recently, however, it was become pretty quiet around the Honduran Cardinal.

In 2010, he was already being talked about as candidate for a Prefect of a Roman Congregation. He was to take over the management of the Congregation of Religious. However,   the Brazilian Joao Braz de Aviz was appointed, who has been hunting the  Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate since 2013. Stubborn voices wanted to know if Cardinal Maradiaga had recommended himself recommended for the Roman post.

Cardinal Angelo Amato, the current prefect of the Congregation of Saints is to be replaced because of his age of 78 years by the current substitutes of the Cardinal State Secretariat, Curia Archbishop Angelo Becciu. New assistant and thus right hand of Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin will be the current apostolic nuncio in Lebanon, Titular Archbishop Gabriele Caccia.

The next few days and weeks will bring clarity. Until then, the rumor mill should be given little credence, since for the time being things remain opaque, what game is to being played at and which part could be true. The fact is that the rumors claiming personnel switches around the CDF would drive the wedge of Pope Francis and his entourage deeper into the body of the Church. In the past few days another German cardinal, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, warned of  the "very great danger" of a schism.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image: Religion Digital (screenshots)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG

Interview of Cardinal Brandmüller on "Amoris laetitia": "Exceptions Are a Dead End"

Vatican City (kath.net/KNA) Many commentators believe that after the Pope's Letter on Marriage and Family "Amoris laetitia," there was a possible admission of remarried divorcees to communion in individual cases. In the interview with the Katholischen Nachrichten-Agentur (KNA), Cardinal Walter Brandmüller (87) explained how he thinks this is a misinterpretation, for example, how the footnote number  351 is read and that  "Amoris laetitia" can be  a "wake-up call" for the Catholic Church in Germany.

KNA: your Eminence, you were described by the newspaper "Bild" as a critic of the post-synodal letter "Amoris laetitia" of Pope Francis. What do you not like about this document on marriage and family?

Brandmüller: On that I must disagree. This is a misrepresentation of the facts. I have not yet publicly expressed myself after the publication of the letter. I have published an aid to interpreting the expected document only before publication. So to talk about a criticism is also incorrect. 

KNA: In your guide to interpretation you speak against any exceptions for the admission of those divorced and remarried in individual cases. But many commentators have understood "Amoris laetitia" exactly as this. Are your fears justified then? 

Brandmüller: Yes, some interpretations in fact go wrong. To allow exceptions in individual cases is a dead end. I made ​​that clear in my aid to interpretation. What is fundamentally impossible for reasons of faith, it is also in the individual case. This was prior to the appearance of "Amoris laetitia" as well as afterwards. It is Catholic doctrine that a validly concluded and consummated marriage can not be dissolved by any power on earth -  certainly not by the Church. Jesus says: "What God has joined together, man must not separate." And: Whoever divorces his wife from the marriage and marries another, commits adultery against her. Even a woman commits adultery when she divorces her husband and marries another." So now the question: Can I really receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ, that is, Himself, being aware what He said and yet disregarding  it?

KNA: Pope Francis himself answered the question in the affirmative, if through his writing, where "specific new possibilities" for the divorced and remarried have been created.  What are these then?

 Brandmüller: There are parts of the letter "Amoris Laetitia" that are very beautiful and leading spiritually  into the depths and has more significant things to offer than answers to the marginal problems of the so-called  remarried divorcees.  Anyone who thinks there is an opportunity to receive absolution and communion  in "Amoris laetitia",  they would have to seek it  in the footnote 351 in Chapter 8. There is talk that such believers in the Church could be provided the means to the Sacraments, in certain cases. This was interpreted in fact in the said sense. 

But: the nature of specific cases which might be, remains unsaid. Also, it must be asked whether a footnote of about three lines is sufficient to overthrow the entire teachings of popes and Councils on this subject. Certainly not! Rather  this footnote should be interpreted even more strictly in accordance with the constant teaching of the Church. The Church can not contradict itself. 

KNA: What does this writing mean for the Catholic Church in Germany?

Brandmüller "Amoris laetitia" should really serve as a wake up call in Germany. It is now at last insists not only upon focusing in the marriage preparation on sociology and psychology, but to convey the profound teaching of the Church on the sanctity and beauty of authentic marriage and helps young people  to  succeed in marriage and a hand at building a family.

The Regensburg Bishop, Rudolf Voderholzer recently made this insightfully important point: especially  the pastorally unilateral acts should cease that negate the Church's credibility and bring about disagreement and confusion.  "Amoris laetitia" could be the new start to an ecclesial pastoral care of marriage, if one choses to align pastoral practice clearly with the doctrine of the faith. Everything else would fail from its own inner untruthfulness. (C) 2016 CBA Catholic News Agency. All rights reserved. Photo: (c) kath.net

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Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Cardinal Brandmüller: "The Churches Empty, and the Coffers Are Filled"

Cardinal Brandmüller criticized German bishops: have not the bishops promised at ordination to proclaim the Gospel of Christ faithfully and to preserve the deposit of faith in the Church always holding tradition pure and complete?

Rome (kath.net) The German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller has directed harsh criticism of the German Bishops on certain social developments in an interview with the "Rheinische Post". When asked whether the affluent Church has a lesson to learn by being publicly beaten, Brandmüller said that it is the forces that dominate so-called public opinion, which has succeeded in formulating laws of "political correctness". Anyone contrary to this, is risking a media execution.

At the same time we have the phenomenon of the spiral of silence. In this succession, the majority which may see such an execution sits in silence. "The fact that such behavior was appropriate to Christians when it comes to fundamental questions of faith and morals of Christ's Gospel, no one will argue. What did we say when received the Sacrament of Confirmation? And: Did not the bishops promise at their ordination, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ faithfully and to preserve the deposit of faith, according to what was always and everywhere held in the Church's tradition, purely and completely," said Brandmüller. The cardinal recalled that the good Shepherd is not likely to be afraid of the wolves. He sees the Christian spirit the most in youthful movements and communities, but not in "ecclesiastical establishment."

Critical to Brandmüller was then also critical of the "institutional tank" of the Catholic Church in Germany. "What good is a 'Catholic' kindergarten when Santa Claus, an the Easter Bunny, etc. is mentioned instead of Jesus Christ? What help is a Catholic 'hospital when there get there no priest, no sister, who prays for the sick and operations are performed, which are contrary to the Christian moral law? It would be better, indeed necessary, in fact, that the Church is separated from such ballast, if it is not possible to fill the empty vessels with a Christian spirit," says the Cardinal.

To the development that believers are becoming fewer and that money increases, Brandmüller says that this is absurd. "The churches empty, and the coffers are filled. What is in place is a self-sufficient expensive apparatus, which drowns the voice of the Gospel with his rattling. Here, in fact, detachment from the world is called for, that is a thought that does not follow earthly economic principles, but the truth of the faith. We should at last, instead of preaching a 'Christianity light', have the courage to call for a program contrasted from today's the social mainstream, and exemplify what the Ten Commandments and the ethics of the New Testament contain. This alternative to the morbid world of antiquity was then a successful program. It would also prove its attraction again today. " Entire Interview with: Walter Cardinal Brandmüller in German: "The good shepherd must not be afraid of wolves" Link to Kath.net...

Trans: Tancred vekon99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Cardinal Brandmüller: Whoever Wants to Change Dogma is a Heretic -- Even When He Dons Purple

Cardinal Walter Brandmüller is one of the leading critical voices bracing themselves against the Vatican Family Synod proposals to undermine the Catholic Sacraments- and moral teaching. He is one of five cardinals, who appeared out in the anthology "Stay in the Truth of Christ"  along with Gerhard Müller, De Paolis, Burke and Caffarra for the Synod of Bishops on the family in 2014, where they took a stand against Cardinal Kasper's proposal, to admit those in irregular living situations, to be admitted to communion.

Dr. Maike Hickson interviewed Cardinal Brandmüller for Life Site News . The courageous Catholic ( Open letter a concerned American Catholic Pope Francis ) is considered to have the provided special thanks questions and answers.

LifeSiteNews: Could you present once more for our readers clearly the teaching of the Catholic Church, as it has been consistently taught throughout centuries concerning marriage and its indissolubility?

Cardinal: The answer is to be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1638-1642.

Can the Church admit remarried couples to Holy Communion, even though their second marriage is not valid in the eyes of the Church?

That would be possible if the concerned couples would make the decision to live in the future like brother and sister. This solution is especially worth considering when the care for children disallows a separation. The decision for such a path would be a convincing expression of the penance for the previous and protracted act of adultery.

Can the Church deal with the topic of marriage in a pastoral manner that is different from the continual teaching of the Church? Can the Church at all change the teaching itself without falling herself into heresy?

It is evident that the pastoral practice of the Church cannot stand in opposition to the binding doctrine nor simply ignore it. In the same manner, an architect could perhaps build a most beautiful bridge. However, if he does not pay attention to the laws of structural engineering, he risks the collapse of his construction. In the same manner, every pastoral practice has to follow the Word of God if it does not want to fail. A change of the teaching, of the dogma, is unthinkable. Who nevertheless consciously does it, or insistently demands it, is a heretic – even if he wears the Roman Purple.

Is not the whole discussion about the admittance of remarried to the Holy Eucharist also an expression of the fact that many Catholics do not believe any more in the Real Presence and rather think that they receive in Holy Communion anyway only a piece of bread?

Indeed, there is an indissoluble inner contradiction in someone who wants to receive the Body and Blood of Christ and to unite himself with Him, while in the same time he disregards consciously His Commandment. How shall this work? St. Paul says about this matter: 'Who eats and drinks unworthily, is eating and drinking his judgment...' But: You are right. By far not all Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated host. One can see this fact already in the way many – even priests – pass the tabernacle without genuflection.

Why is there nowadays such a strong attack on the indissolubility of marriage within the Church? A possible answer could be that the spirit of relativism has entered the Church, but there must be more reasons. Could you name some? And are not all these reasons a sign of the crisis of Faith within the Church herself?

Of course, if certain moral standards that have been valid generally, always, and everywhere are not any more recognized, then everybody makes himself his own moral law. That has as a consequence that one does what one pleases. It can be added the individualistic approach to life which regards life as a single chance for self-actualization – and not as a mission of the Creator. It is evident that such attitudes are the expression of a deeply rooted loss of Faith.

In this context, one can state that there was little talk in the last decades about the teaching about the Fallen Human Nature. The dominant impression was that man, all in all, is good. In my view, this has led to a lax attitude toward sin. Now, that we see the result of such a lax attitude – an explosion of inhuman conduct in all possible areas of human life – should this not be a reason for the Church to see that the teaching on the Fallen Human Nature has been confirmed and to therefore proclaim it again?

That is true, indeed. The topic 'Original Sin' with its consequences, the necessity for Redemption through the suffering, death and Resurrection of Christ has been largely suppressed and forgotten for a long time. However, one cannot understand the course of the world – and one's own life – without these truths. It is unavoidable that this ignoring of essential truths leads to moral misconduct. You are right: one should finally preach again about this topic, and with clarity.

The high numbers of abortion especially in the West have done great harm, not only for those killed babies, but also for the women (and men) who decided to kill their child. Should the prelates of the Church not take a strong stance about this terrible truth and try to shake the consciences of those women and men, also for the sake of their salvation? And does not the Church have a duty to defend with insistence the Little Ones who cannot defend themselves because they are not even allowed to live? “Let the Little Ones come to Me....”

Here one can say that the Church, especially under the last popes as well as under the Holy Father Francis did not leave any room for doubt about the despicable character of the killing of unborn children in the womb. This applies no doubt also to all bishops. However, another question is, whether and in which form the teaching of the Church has been witnessed and presented in the public realm. That is where the hierarchy certainly could do more. One only has to think of the participation of cardinals and bishops at pro-life marches.

Which steps would you recommend for the Church to strengthen the call to holiness and to show the path how to attain it?

One certainly has to witness to the Faith in a way that is fitting for the specific situation. In which form this can happen, depends upon the specific circumstances. There opens up a whole field for creative imagination.

What would you say about the recent statements of Bishop Franz-Josef Bode that the Catholic Church has to adapt increasingly to the “life realities” of the people of today and adjust accordingly her moral teaching? I am sure that you as a Church historian have in front of your eyes other examples from the history of the Church, where she was pressured from outside to change the teaching of Christ. Could you name some, and how did the Church in the past respond to such attacks?

It is completely clear and also not new that the proclamation of the teaching of the Church has to be adapted to the concrete life situations of society and of the individual, if the message shall be heard. But this applies only to the way of the proclamation, and not at all to its inviolable content. An adaptation of the moral teaching is not acceptable. 'Do not conform to the world,' said the Apostle St. Paul. If Bishop Bode teaches something different, he finds himself in contradiction to the teaching of the Church. Is he conscious of that?

Is the German Catholic Church permitted to go her own paths in the question of the admittance of remarried couples to the Holy Eucharist and thereby decide independently of Rome, as Reinhard Cardinal Marx pronounced after the recent meeting of the German Bishops Conference?

The well-known statements of Cardinal Marx are in contradiction with the dogma of the Church. They are irresponsible in a pastoral respect, because they expose the faithful to confusion and doubts. If he thinks that he can take nationally an independent path, he puts the unity of the Church at risk. It remains: the binding standard for all of the teaching and practice of the Church are her clearly defined doctrines.

Link to Lifesite...