Synod Bishops building bridges between truth and mercy
(Vatican Radio)The Bishop of Northampton in central England, Bishop Peter Doyle says he came out to Rome conscious of that ”gap that has to be bridged” but he adds that some of the small groups are moving in that direction through seeing Jesus as both truth as well as compassion and mercy.
He expresses concern that some bishops sense “a little fear” of reconciling what he describes as “a Church upholding the eternal truth of faith” and “a Church offering healing and mercy to those who have failed to live up to that teaching”. He says those who are wanting to explore “what is God’s will for us are in no way trying to undermine the traditional teaching of the Church”, but adds it’s essential to find a way of responding to those in difficult situations…
Bishop Peter says that in preparation for the Synod he was in contact with supporters of sides of the debate. Regarding the concerns of Catholics from the LGBT community in the UK, he says he’s concerned that the Synod “doesn’t seem to have faced up to those issues”, but rather to have pushed them “into a siding” because the bishops do not know how to respond. He says we cannot “leave people in limbo” yet the biblical understanding of male and female does “not leave room at the moment for same-sex relationships”.
While hoping there may be some further discussion of this topic, Bishop Doyle suggests that issues around homosexuality might merit a Synod of their own, accompanied by further exploration of the theological understanding of anthropology.
In England and Wales, Bishop Peter says, Church leaders are learning to be much more open and recognise people in different situations. "Perhaps we can encourage people to face up to these issues in open dialouge", he adds
9 comments:
We have been told that one of the reasons for the papacy is to ensure unity and orthodoxy. At what point does the pope become responsible for his allowing cardinals and bishops to make these ridiculous statements that go without being rebuked? We have a history wherein a pope was posthumously excommunicated for failing to adequately stand up against the monothelite heresy... In our modern world, with the presence of the media and the worldwide reach of these erroneous statements, how far must things go before we take notice of the damage that is done by failing to clearly inject the truth into these discussions? We are so focused on the limited criteria for papal infallibility that we have lost sight of the other, more usual role of the papacy as the bulwark of orthodoxy and the guarantor of unity.
I live in Buckinghamshire which is part of the diocese of Northampton, so technically Peter Doyle is my bishop! However, three Sundays out of four I attend churches in Oxford and Oxfordshire which form part of the Birmingham archdiocese.
+Doyle won a scholarship to Sandhurst and was destined for the Royal Artillery but instead chose the priesthood and was ordained in 1968. He's a typical middle-of-the road 'Magic Circle' bishop; affable, was a decent rugby footballer, all-things-to-all men, and when it comes to defending Catholic teaching, as firm as a bulrush.
Without the career change he would now be a retired major running a pub in Surrey.
Father,
Here is a link for a statement by Bishop Chaput concerning conscience.
http://catholicphilly.com/2015/10/think-tank/archbishop-chaput-column/truth-conscience-and-the-work-of-the-synod/
Enjoy!
This synod and this Pope are making the strongest argument for Sola Scriptura since Luther and Calvin.
Carol
Thanks for the link.
Archbishop Chaput is one of those prelates who is the paradigm of clarity when it comes to Church teaching.
I read something not that long ago where a bishop(I wish I could remember his name)
made the comment that all the cardinals at the synod should be given a Bible and the Catechism. They do make excellent reference works when it it comes to what the Church teaches.
Fr Ray Blake makes reference to my country's Cardinal - and we only have one so that leaves us in a very bad state:
"The more I read from the Synod, the madder it all seems. Who let Archbishop Cupich make his first Holy Communion, let alone ordained him, have you read him on individual conscience? I can't recogise it as being Catholic. Substitute pederast or necrophile or bestiophiles, along with mass murderers, Klu Klux Klan members, people traffickers and members of the Mafia for the categories of people he would 'accompany' (what does that really mean?) and admit to Holy Communion and see where his thesis leads, "the individuals conscience is supreme" - lunacy!. I thought the inarticulate and unchatechised Cardinal Dew was bad enough. Who appoints these men? Oh!
Now if I had a choice I would brand them both as heretics and not be in Communion with either, I am in Commnion with them because I am in Communion with my Bishop and we are both in Communion with the Bishop of Rome. Now there has been some talk of the Pope dissolving the Catholic Church into national Churches, or Churches based Bishops Conferences. It seems pretty obvious that if all the bishops of he USA were like Cupich or those of New Zealand like Dew some National Churches would simply not be Communion with either. If such local Churches were left to go their own way, how long before the German Church and the Polish Church were excommunicating one another? And even within National Churches could Chaput and Cupich really survive in Communion for long."
Jan
If what we fear is going to happen actually occurs, the question will be asked (and should be) was the Catholic Church ever the true Church to begin with? This should make for interesting discussion.
Luther and Calvin believed that the Catholic Church was originally founded by Christ upon Peter's Confession and was the true Church until a threshold was reached where practice (indulgences) became a de facto change in doctrine. It seems to me we are facing a very similar situation.
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