Go here to read the story. Go here to read the study document. This is the latest document in a malign tradition that holds that if we just water down enough Catholic teaching the Orthodox and the Protestants will flock to join. Two observations: It ain’t happening. Second, if it did succeed, what they would be joining would have little resemblance to Catholicism as traditionally understood. Such totally misguided efforts do little except to weaken the faith of Catholics. Fortunately the documents produced in this ongoing effort to square theological circles, almost always attract little attention, and usually fall still born from the press.
Endless useless verbiage. More wastes of time and money (ours). The bringing of souls to Christ and the protection of souls from evil are simply not on this Vatican’s agenda.
Bet on it.
At the risk of annoying all here with my repetition of the same theme: this document only seeks to continue what The Council™️ started, with the same misguided purpose as you outlined, Donald. The result, then and now, is the opposite of the goal. Instead of drawing the schismatics back home to the true Church, it drives even more people away.
One world religion, anybody? But not under Our Lord and Savior of course. How long, O Lord?
For once, I disagree 100 percent.
Yes, one ought to be wary of the offerings of the theological minds of this pontificate. But the all-singing, all-dancing papacy of Vatican I, which could do such marvels as order married Ruthenian priests and their families to leave the United States and play 52 Pickup with the Roman Rite is in desperate need of a re-think. Then there’s the little matter of Fiducia, which made the Copts slam the door. The primacy of an authoritative shepherd is one thing. The supremacy of a Dear Leader is quite another.
John Paul II, whose mother was a Byzantine Catholic, asked for discussion of how papal primacy would work in a reunited church in Orientale Lumen. This document–which includes the work of dialogues before 2013–is worth a fair examination. A wary one, but fair nonetheless.
Sorry, it wasn’t Orientale Lumen, it was Ut Unum Sint:
Whatever relates to the unity of all Christian communities clearly forms part of the concerns of the primacy.
As Bishop of Rome I am fully aware, as I have reaffirmed in the present Encyclical Letter, that Christ ardently desires the full and visible communion of all those Communities in which, by virtue of God’s faithfulness, his Spirit dwells.
I am convinced that I have a particular responsibility in this regard, above all in acknowledging the ecumenical aspirations of the majority of the Christian Communities and in heeding the request made of me to find a way of exercising the primacy which, while in no way renouncing what is essential to its mission, is nonetheless open to a new situation.
For a whole millennium Christians were united in “a brotherly fraternal communion of faith and sacramental life … If disagreements in belief and discipline arose among them, the Roman See acted by common consent as moderator”.154
In this way the primacy exercised its office of unity. When addressing the Ecumenical Patriarch His Holiness Dimitrios I, I acknowledged my awareness that “for a great variety of reasons, and against the will of all concerned, what should have been a service sometimes manifested itself in a very different light. But … it is out of a desire to obey the will of Christ truly that I recognize that as Bishop of Rome I am called to exercise that ministry … I insistently pray the Holy Spirit to shine his light upon us, enlightening all the Pastors and theologians of our Churches, that we may seek—together, of course—the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned”.155
I don’t have an issue with explaining how the Papcy would work in a Church where Romans and Orthodox were united. I do have a problem that comes from or by authorization of that heretical Marxist Peronist Caudillo who is demonstrably unworthy of the Papal Office that he currently occupies. I also think that something needs to be done about reigning in a wayward Pope like the current one. Primacy doesn’t give him authority to overturn Sacred Scripture and 2000 years of Sacred Tradition as he has done.
Anything watered down, from religion to whiskey, loses it effect and character.
[…] Francis:PopeWatch: Papal Primacy – Donald R. McClarey, Esq., at The American […]