This group acting in concert with schismatic leaning clergy and laity in other parts of Europe, i.e Austria, put forth a manifesto and show forth the logic of what those who promoted the theology of rupture with the Church prior to the Second Vatican Council are now fomenting as the last gasp of a group that is becoming anachronistic and quickly fading from the scene. They are seizing the secularization of society to foment anarchy in the Church. You can understand why they despise Pope Benedict and his strong, authoritative teachings and why they absolutely abhor the return of the 1962 missal and the pope's new agenda for the Church which is reform within continuity of what preceded Vatican II. These people who are graying and dying, (think Hans Kung, Charles Curran and others of their generation who remain a small minority in a dying movement) but think they can still exert their revolutionary ideas born of the revolutionary time of the 1960's.
Read on:
Parishes without a priest, Eucharist at inappropriate hours, prayer services without Communion: must all this be? Why are the necessary church reforms not happening? We Flemish believers implore our bishops to break the impasse in which we find ourselves. We do this in solidarity with fellow believers in Austria, Ireland and many other countries, who also insist on reforms that are necessary for the life of the church.
We do not understand why the leadership of our local communities (e.g. parishes) is not entrusted to a man or a woman, married or unmarried, full time or volunteer, who has received the necessary training. We need dedicated shepherds.
We do not understand why these fellow believers should not preside at the Sunday liturgy. Every living community needs liturgical presiders.
We do not understand why – when no priest is available – a Word and Communion service should not be possible.
We do not understand why qualified laypeople and trained religion teachers should not be able to preach. We need the Word of God.
We do not understand why believers of good will who remarry after a divorce must be denied Communion. They equally belong to us.
Fortunately there are already places where such things are done.
We call for both married men and women be admitted to the priesthood as soon as possible. We faithful think this is desperately needed now.
9 comments:
Ho hum, ho hum, vomit...
Dear Heretics. You can find protestant communities very close to you. Seek them out, they will welcome you with open arms.
Fr, this sort of thing goes much further back, especially in those areas, than V-II.
I understand your support for V-II, and I can support it from the same perspective. But the problem is these people either abused the liberality of V-II or viewed it as a wedge for their ages old hegemonic movement against Church and Papal authority. There are dusty bookshelves full of all sorts of flawed theology and contra-doctrine from these philosophies. Heck, Pin has read half of it. So I don't think any of this is new.
My hypothesis is that V-II was not necessarily intrinsically flawed, but that it assumed a greater fielty and sophistication among the congregation than existed and, like giving a key ring with both the car and the liquor cabinette to teenager, we are enduring predictable results.
rcg
Lord, hear our prayer.
Were it not for the insanity in my own parish, I would find such things incredible. How about "communion services" without a priest? What are those?
William, Those are called "feel good parties."
pin, that was my suspicion, so I have never partaken. Still, I wonder why such parties are not forbidden.
I'm sorry that they cannot understand these things. Perhaps they'd understand if they read the catechism, or any one of a number of excellent introductory books on Catholic history and theology.
"...if they read the Catechism..."
Yes, well, when RCIA students can complete their instruction having never heard of the Catechism, why should we wonder that so few know their faith? And as the parish school and CCD classes fall under the same administration....
Ignoring Canon 915 -- which obligates (rather than merely permits) bishops to excommunicate certain flagrant offenders--bears much responsibility for the current mess in the Church.
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