Saturday, November 15, 2014

A wise voice from Rome. . .



The Extraordinary Synod on Marriage and Family, specifically, the issue of the divorced, has been somewhat of a soap opera.  By the time you read this, undoubtedly the background will be revealed and people will find that the press was irrationally exuberant (to use an old term from Alan Greenspan).  There is not going to be a radical adoption of the secular agenda with respect to marriage, family, homosexuality, etc...

That said I was struck by the wise counsel of Cardinal Pell.  He appears to be both articulate and faithful in his perspective.  I was particularly encouraged when he indicated that the overwhelming majority of speakers noted the initial document's failure to reflect the teaching of Scripture and the tradition of the church.  These are words that warm my heart, and, I suspect, the hearts of many Lutherans like me who watched with both fear and trepidation as Rome's spectacle unfolded in the news.  That is exactly what we need to listen to and hear as well as what we need to speak and proclaim to the world.  The teaching of Scripture and the tradition of the church with respect to marriage and family is not some antiquated and prudish position born of fear but a gift and blessing (to the world as well as the good folk of the Church).

If we heard more common sense spoken like the Australian Cardinal has wisely and faithfully addressed, we would all feel better about Francis as Pope and about the witness of Rome to other Christians and to the world with respect to such an important issue as marriage, family, and homosexuality.  A pastoral tone cannot be a euphemism for ignoring either what the Scriptures have said and the church has witnessed through the ages.  To be pastoral is to be faithful to this wonderful and blessed truth.

5 comments:

David Gray said...

" There is not going to be a radical adoption of the secular agenda with respect to marriage, family, homosexuality, etc... "

For now. When Francis has had a few years to put his sort of men in place it could end differently.

Janis Williams said...

Personally, I am thankful there are still men in the RCC who are faithful. We must not forget there are those who ignore their church's anathema of the Gospel. It includes parishioners, and yes, some priests.

Whether Francis will be able to do as politicians do and surround himself with sycophants remains to be seen. Christ sort all.

Anonymous said...

I wonder what this means?

Putting the official stamp on months of rumours and what LifeSite had confirmed on Sept. 17, the Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has removed Cardinal Raymond Burke from his position as prefect of the Vatican's Apostolic Signatura - the highest court of the Catholic Church.

Instead, the cardinal, who until today was the highest ranking American at the Vatican, will be sent to serve as the patron for the Order of the Knights of Malta.

The move to the largely ceremonial position is almost universally being reported as a demotion for the outspoken cardinal, who is widely viewed as the number one English-speaking defender of the Catholic Church's teaching on life and family issues.


https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-its-official-cardinal-burke-removed-from-vatican-post

Abby

Anonymous said...

How refreshing. A RC Cardinal clearly stating the Catholic church cannot depart from Scripture or church tradition when it comes to traditional marriage, sexuality and sin. Pope Francis should make this Cardinal his spokesman.

James

Kirk Skeptic said...

Cardinall Pell is not the pope, hwo has developed the habit of demoting troublesome conservatives. If he keeps bucking the sodomite agenda, the good cardinal may find himself counting paperclips in some backwater diocesan office.