Pope Francis: "Whoever is Critical of Fiducia Supplicans is an Ideologue" -- He Doesn't Fear Schism

Pope Francis wants to go "forward" despite the opposition to Fiducia supplicans and does not want to take the objections into account.

(Rome) Once again, Pope Francis defended the declaration Fiducia supplicans of the Roman Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, which introduces gay blessings. It is Francis' second defense in a matter of days. This time it happened in the context of an interview.

The controversial declaration, which has met with resistance in the Church worldwide, was issued on December 18 with the explicit approval of Francis. Responsible for this is his ghostwriter and favorite protégé Victor Manuel Fernández, whom he has helped to a storybook career since 2009. And of whom the Argentine Bergoglian Sr. Lucia Caram declared on Spanish television that he himself was "gay".

First of all, however, Francis has so far officially commented on Fiducia supplicans. This was last Friday, in an address he gave to the members of the Dicastery for the Faith, headed by Cardinal Fernández.

Yesterday, Monday, the Turin daily La Stampa published an interview with Francis. True, the main headline is dedicated to the Middle East conflict, with the Pope calling for the implementation of the two-state solution. Fiducia supplicans, the most radical document of the moral revolution of his pontificate, immediately follows as the second part of the main headline. And that with a fierce announcement:

"They are attacking me because of the gay couples, but I don't fear a schism." 

Francis prefers the path of the "informal magisterium" by giving interviews to friendly media. Almost without exception, these are secular media outlets that are willingly and supportively open to him. This time it was the turn of La Stampa, whose long-time Vatican correspondent Andrea Tornielli was Francis' house and court Vaticanist in the first part of the Argentine pontificate and is now editor-in-chief of all Vatican media.

Criticism has to be endured, Francis said, but it only comes from small "groups" that are also "ideologically" motivated. Two side blows with the heavy hardwood club. The Pope implicitly claims the Holy Spirit for the controversial Roman declaration. He also affirmed that black Africans have a cultural problem, as they still reject homosexuality, while the rest of the world no longer has a problem with it. But he hoped that everything would "gradually" subside. It is therefore only a matter of time before the paradigm shift in the recognition of homosexuality becomes universally accepted.

Francis' statements are not only about what he says and how he says it, but also about the omissions, about what he does not say, about what he is silent about. This includes, above all, his notorious "No, Yes, Yes", a message that the world to which he prefers to address, the secular media understands very well, even and above all those parts that remain unspoken.

Francis, on the other hand, does not fear a schism. In his answer, it is necessary to include an earlier statement when, on December 23, 2016, he let it be known internally that it was "not impossible" that he would go down in history as "the one who divided the Catholic Church." But, as he now let the world know, this did not impress him. In other words, he wouldn't care, because the schismatics, since he is the Pope, are by definition always the others, and ideologues what's more.

Here is the translation of the parts of the interview concerning Fiducia supplicans:

La Stampa: Last summer, in Lisbon, in front of millions of young people, you emphatically declared that the Church is for "everyone, everyone, everyone": is it the great challenge of your pontificate to open the Church to all?

Pope Francis: This is the reading key of Jesus. Christ calls everyone in. All. There is a parable of his own: the parable of the wedding to which no one appears, and then the king sends the servants "to the crossroads, and everyone whom you find, you call to the wedding feast." The Son of God wants to make it clear that he does not want a chosen group, an elite. So maybe someone will "smuggle himself in", but at that moment it is God who takes care of him, who shows him the way. When I am asked, "But can these people, who are in such an inadequate moral situation, go in?" I say, "All of them, says the Lord." I've been asked questions like this especially lately, after some of my decisions...

La Stampa: In particular, the blessing of "irregular and same-sex couples"....

Pope Francis: I am asked how this is possible. I answer: The Gospel is there to sanctify everyone. Provided, of course, that there is goodwill. It is necessary to give precise instructions for the Christian life – I emphasize that it is not the union that is blessed, but the persons. But we are all sinners: so why make a list of sinners who can be in the church and a list of sinners who can't be in the church? This is not the Gospel.

La Stampa: In the much-publicized television interview with Fabio Fazio on the programme Che Tempo Che Fa, you spoke about the price of loneliness that one has to pay after such a step: how do you live with the battle cry of those who rise up against it?

Pope Francis: Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups. Africans are a special case: for them, homosexuality is culturally "ugly". They do not tolerate them. But in general, I hope that everyone will gradually be reassured by the spirit of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith's declaration Fiducia supplican: it wants to include, not exclude. It invites us to welcome people and to entrust ourselves to God.

La Stampa: Do you suffer from loneliness?

Pope Francis: Solitude is as changeable as spring: in this and that season it can be a beautiful day, with sunshine, blue skies and a pleasant breeze; 24 hours later, the weather may be dark. We all experience loneliness. If you say, "I don't know what loneliness is," you're missing something. When I feel lonely, I pray above all. And if I perceive tensions in my environment, I calmly try to start a dialogue and discussion. But in any case, I'm always moving forward, day by day.

La Stampa: Are you afraid of a schism?

Pope Francis: No. In the Church there have always been small groups of schismatic reflections... You have to let them have their way, let them pass... and look ahead.

Text/Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: La Stampa (Screenshot)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Don Nichola Bux Says Pornmonger Fernández Should Resign --- "He has discredited himself"

 Don Nicola Bux: Religious Prefect Fernández has discredited himself and should resign.

Vaticanist Edward Pentin yesterday published an interview with noted liturgist Don Nicola Bux about the controversial document Fiducia supplicans. In it, the long-time confidant of Pope Benedict XVI. and advisor to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that the Declaration of the Dicastery for the Faith “is not part of the authentic Magisterium” and that its author, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, should resign. If Fiducia supplicans, as he is convinced, is not part of the authentic Magisterium, then the declaration is not binding.

Don Bux spoke to Pentin about how the document was received in Italy, what he thinks of Fernández's January 4 clarification, and what all this could mean for the future of the Church and the upcoming conclave. The well-known theologian found clear words.

Because of their “proximity to the Apostolic See,” Italy’s bishops behave like “stupid dogs” who fear “reprisals.” Their attempts to justify would be viewed by believers as well as non-practitioners “as an insult to their intelligence.”

There are the faithful who know the teachings of the Church and therefore raise the first dubium ( doubts) presented : Is it possible that the Church today teaches doctrines that contradict those , which 

She previously taught on questions of faith and morals, be it through the Pope ex cathedra, be it through the definitions of an ecumenical council, be it through the general ordinary Magisterium of the bishops scattered all over the world (cf. Lumen Gentium 25)?

“Certainly the declaration Fiducia supplicans does not belong to the authentic magisterium and is therefore not binding, because what is asserted in it is not contained in the written or transmitted Word of God, which the Church, the Pope or the college of bishops either definitively, that is, through solemn judgment, or proposes to believe as divinely revealed with the ordinary and general Magisterium. It cannot be followed even with the religious consent of the will and mind.”

 The problem, says Don Bux, is that “the majority of the baptized are ignorant because for decades social issues have been preferred to catechesis.” This has consequences: “For irregular heterosexual and homosexual couples, the following now applies: love is love.”

But those “who use logic” are of course of a different opinion and oppose this postulate. This is the second dubium of the five cardinals from summer 2022: Is it possible for a priest to bless marriages between homosexual people under certain circumstances and thereby suggest that homosexual behavior as such does not violate the law of God and man's path to God? This doubt is linked to another: does the teaching held by the general Magisterium remain valid that every sexual act outside of marriage, and in particular homosexual acts, constitute an objectively serious sin against the law of God, regardless of the circumstances in which they take place, and regardless of the intention with which they are carried out?

The declaration of Faith Prefect Fernández on January 4 “is therefore a classic attempt to paper over the cracks”.

Benedict said Don Bux, “in his remarks of April 11, 2019," described the origin of the debacle of Catholic morality and thus of the division among Catholics, "because the cohabitation of both a heterosexual and a homosexual couple is no longer considered sinful”

“The division or schism that was previously hidden has now come to the surface. Whether it will be formally declared at a future Church event, such as a synod or conclave, remains to be seen. The next pope will certainly have to do the math and decide whether he wants to deepen the division or resolve it by calling a council. Whoever will be the candidate for the papacy will have to be asked in the meetings before the conclave to answer the accumulated Dubia.”

The resistance to Fiducia supplicans appears primarily in Africa and Eastern Europe and not in the West because “in the Western Hemisphere after the Second Vatican Council, relativistic ideology” penetrated moral teaching and destroyed natural law.

"A Jewish friend who heard about Fiducia supplicans said to me, 'Does the Pope not know the Bible?' Not to mention the mockery of Muslims and the alienation of the Orthodox, who have now declared unity with the Catholics impossible. Fiducia supplicans and the subsequent statements are the result of the ignorance of Prefect Fernández.” 

The teaching is pastoral, “but if the pastor does not know it, he cannot do pastoral work”:

“The drama of the Church today is the separation of pastoral care from doctrine, that is, the separation from the love of truth. And that will cost us dearly, as John Paul II predicted. Pope Francis should abolish the fiducia supplicans and replace the prefect with a man of “certain, sound and pure doctrine,” in the words of the apostle to Titus.

The current situation will therefore have a significant impact on the coming conclave. According to Don Bux, the next pope will have to ask himself the question:

“What is the mission of the church: to adapt to the world or to save it?”

The unity of the Catholic Church is endangered by Fiducia supplicans , said the renowned Liturgist, “because in practice it accepts opposing views among churches scattered all over the world on such an essential moral truth. An example: the new bishop of Foggia said his church would be the 'Church of Francis who blesses all'. But isn’t the Church the Church of Jesus Christ?”

“Fernández has discredited himself by publishing a document that is the opposite of that of his predecessor, Cardinal Ladaria, in 2021. Is this a 'further development' or rather a doctrinal heterogeneity? The Dicastery and the Holy See have exposed themselves. Someone has already renamed the Dicastery 'for the destruction of the faith'. The suspicion of ignorance and bad faith will weigh on Fernandez in every document he signs. He should resign.”

 

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Red is Not Red, But Green, As Long As You Firmly Believe it

The post-truth Robert Habeck method seems to be popular in Santa Marta

A few years ago the term “post-truth” came up. Is it really enough to say that something is not what it obviously is? Cardinal Tucho Fernández, Pope Francis' favorite protégé, seems to be of this opinion.

A statement by the German Economics Minister Robert Habeck from the Green Party became a popular example of post-truth thinking: When asked whether he expected a wave of bankruptcies this winter, he replied: “No, I don't. I can imagine that certain industries will simply stop producing and selling." Some church leaders seem to have a similar opinion, for example with regard to Fiducia supplicans, the new declaration of the Dicastery of Faith on the blessing of couples in irregular situations (remarried divorcees, homosexuals). When asked whether the Church now blesses homosexual sin, Santa Marta answers: No, it just looks like that, but it is not the case, because nowhere does it say that sin is blessed.

So is a simple denial really enough to deny the obvious and everything is clarified, cleaned up and good? If the prefect of the faith, Victor Manuel “Tucho” Cardinal Fernández, who has been in office since September, has his way, that is the case. He made three media appearances within a short period of time to defend Fiducia supplicans using the Habeck method. Such an approach apparently leads some believers to come to the conclusion that the much older Götz von Berlichingen method is actually being used towards them, which - at least everyone will agree on this - would be less than respectful.

One medium that gave Tucho Fernández an opportunity for his capers is the leading Spanish bourgeois daily newspaper ABC. The interview conducted by Javier Martínez-Brocal was published yesterday, St. Stephen's Day.

ABC: How can you respond to the reactions expressed against the document by various episcopal conferences, cardinals and bishops?

Cardinal Fernández: If you read the text calmly, you will see that it clearly and simply represents what has always been the Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality. It is clear that these conferences or bishops cannot contradict this teaching.

ABC: What happens now? So why do they reject this blessing?

Cardinal Fernández: You point out the impropriety involved in carrying out blessings in your regional environment, which could easily be misunderstood as legitimizing an irregular association. Add to that the fact that there are laws in Africa that punish the mere fact of being homosexual with prison - so imagine a blessing. In reality, it is up to each local bishop to make this decision in his diocese or, in any case, to provide further guidance.

ABC: What element is not taken into account by those who oppose blessing gay couples?

Cardinal Fernández: I don't think it is clear that the central theme of the document is the value of "non-liturgical", "non-ritualized" blessings, which do not constitute a marriage, not even a "consent" or a marriage represent ratification of anything. They are simply a pastor's response to two people's request for God's help. And in this case the priest does not impose any conditions.

ABC: Can you give an example of where this blessing is given?

Cardinal Fernández: Imagine that, in the middle of a great pilgrimage, a divorced couple entering into a new relationship says to the priest: “Please bless us. We can't find work and he is very sick, life is becoming very difficult for us, God help us”. Would you refuse such a blessing?

ABC: I don't see a problem with that.

Cardinal Fernández: And if you were gay, would you reject it? You see, a blessing is neither an acknowledgment of the marriage, nor an affirmation of the life they lead, nor an absolution. It is a simple gesture of pastoral closeness that does not have the same requirements as a sacrament. We will have to get used to understanding that a priest who gives this kind of simple blessing is not a heretic, is not ratifying anything, nor is he denying Catholic teaching on marriage.

ABC: Some have celebrated this as a first step toward doctrinally legitimizing divorce or same-sex marriage. Is this view correct?

Cardinal Fernández: This view is completely wrong, and anyone who says so has either not read the text or has “mala leche” (with bad intention), if you will pardon the expression. The statement clearly states that these are non-ritualized blessings and therefore should not be interpreted as a marriage.

ABC: How should that be interpreted?

Cardinal Fernández: The declaration unequivocally affirms that there is only one marriage (male-female, indissoluble, exclusive, etc.) and that sexual intercourse is permissible only in this context. There is no more classic approach than this.

So much for the favorite of Pope Francis, who is also the new Prefect of the Catholic Church. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the former apostolic nuncio to the USA, described Fiducia supplicans as “hypocritical and deceptive”. The people affected would be “deceived and betrayed”. He contradicts Santa Marta's statement that the new declaration reaffirms the “teaching of all times,” as Tucho Fernández claims. In reality it is a “diabolical falsification” and a “blasphemous forgery”. He even sees an “intrinsically evil purpose” at work with the new document, as it deprives God of honor and exposes souls to the danger of damnation: “It prevents people from doing good and encourages them to do evil.

Text/translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : Wikicommons/pixabay

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG