Cardinal Pell rejects conservative call for a walkout at Synod of Bishops

[gilliam]

ROME — Despite an online petition calling on prelates “faithful to Christ’s teaching” to abandon the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, due to perceptions of a “pre-determined outcome that is anything but orthodox,” one of the summit’s most outspoken conservatives says “there’s no ground for anyone to walk out on anything.”

Australian Cardinal George Pell, who heads the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Economy, told Crux on Friday that by the midway point of the Oct. 4-25 synod, concerns about stacking the deck circulating in some quarters have “substantially been addressed.”

The online petition calling for a walkout, which can be found at change.org, has garnered roughly 2,300 signatures in two days.

It asks any bishop alarmed by the prospect of progressive changes to Church doctrine to “do his sacred duty and publicly retire from any further participation in the synod before its conclusion,” and suggests that Pope Francis is responsible for promoting “confusion and scandal.”

cruxnow.com/church/2015/10/16/cardinal-pell-rejects-conservative-call-for-a-walkout-at-synod-of-bishops/

 

[LongingSoul]

People don’t know Cardinal Pell well enough. He is very conservative but he is *Australian *conservative and that means a different thing to American conservative. Pope Francis made an excellent choice in him.

 

[_Abyssinia]

People don’t know Cardinal Pell well enough. He is very conservative but he is *Australian *conservative and that means a different thing to American conservative. Pope Francis made an excellent choice in him.

How is it different?

 

[gilliam]

The Synod isn’t about conservative vs liberal

Interesting insight here
patheos.com/blogs/cosmostheinlost/2015/10/16/family-synod-conflict-is-not-what-you-think-it-is/

 

[Book_Worm]

Twenty-three hundred signatures?

I’ve seen puppies get more “Likes” on Facebook in two hours, not two days.

 

[Sy_Noe]

How is it different?

I was wondering the same thing.

 

[LongingSoul]

How is it different?

There’s always that distinction between ‘Catholic’ conservatism and ‘national’ conservatism in the mix of discussion in the Catholic world. For example Cardinal Pell is a very conservative style Catholic but is anti death penalty and anti suburban gun ownership. That’s one difference. But this group that has sent in the petition calling for a ‘conservative’ walkout… aren’t necessarily ‘catholic’ conservative because a true Catholic conservative trusts in the Pope and the Church and its processes.

 

[_Abyssinia]

Twenty-three hundred signatures?

I’ve seen puppies get more “Likes” on Facebook in two hours, not two days.

Well, Crux reported on the petition and Cardinal Pell responded to it, so, look, I don’t agree necessarily with everything in the petition, but the level of support for something generally doesn’t always say where it’s good or bad or whether even a lot of people have heard about it. This petition appears to express that there are people that are concerned about the Synod, about the things that they’re hearing and that concern should be listened too, even if it’s not always agreed with.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Oh, BROTHER!
*Walk out??!!! *Like kids having a tantrum? That’s crazy.
Yeah, that would be a great way to show the Catholics of the world compassion and mercy…refusing to even discuss a topic and/or listen to people’s thoughts.
Good call–not!

And accusing the pope of promoting scandal?
Are these Catholics singing the petition?!

“Progressive” change means just that–PROGRESS. And how many times does the pope have to repeat, over and over, that they will not be changing doctrine.

.

I agree. Seems a bit hyper-reactive to me by faithful Catholics. They know the Pope can’t change doctrine. But he seems pretty big on dialogue. So why not hang around the synod and dialogue. Knowing if any changes were to be suggested and agreed to by the Holy Father, it won’t be in doctrine and dogma. So I don’t get the fussing either from some of the Catholic faithful.

 

[Sy_Noe]

There’s always that distinction between ‘Catholic’ conservatism and ‘national’ conservatism in the mix of discussion in the Catholic world. For example Cardinal Pell is a very conservative style Catholic but is anti death penalty and anti suburban gun ownership. That’s one difference. But this group that has sent in the petition calling for a ‘conservative’ walkout… aren’t necessarily ‘catholic’ conservative because a true Catholic conservative trusts in the Pope and the Church and its processes.

Are you saying there is a difference in how Australian Catholic conservatives view the death penalty and guns vs American Catholic conservatives?

 

[LongingSoul]

Are you saying there is a difference in how Australian Catholic conservatives view the death penalty and guns vs American Catholic conservatives?

It’s more the distinction between Catholic Australian conservatives and Catholic American conservatives. This group putting up the petition is not speaking for Catholic conservatives because that idea of challenging the Popes authority and hijacking his synod is very non Catholic conservative. That are speaking from a distinct kind of conservatism that’s prominent there.

 

[phil19034]

It’s more the distinction between Catholic Australian conservatives and Catholic American conservatives. This group putting up the petition is not speaking for Catholic conservatives because that idea of challenging the Popes authority and hijacking his synod is very non Catholic conservative. That are speaking from a distinct kind of conservatism that’s prominent there.

I think they are speaking more from a political conservative point of view.

Americans have a subconscious tendency to put their political beliefs ahead of or mixed in with their religious beliefs.

For American Catholics, this is a result of a 150 years of assimilation into America’s secular (formerly Protestant) culture. We still have the scars of Catholics who put being American before being Catholic (pro choice American Catholics and colleges that identify themselves as “in the Catholic tradition” are a prime examples).

 

[LongingSoul]

I think they are speaking more from a political conservative point of view.

Americans have a subconscious tendency to put their political beliefs ahead of or mixed in with their religious beliefs.

For American Catholics, this is a result of a 150 years of assimilation into America’s secular (formerly Protestant) culture. We still have the scars of Catholics who put being American before being Catholic (pro choice American Catholics and colleges that identify themselves as “in the Catholic tradition” are a prime examples).

Yes that is what I was trying to convey. Perhaps even culturally conservative which would include politics. If for example a petition came from here calling for Cardinals and bishops to reject confidence in the Pope and abandon the synod, it would more likely come from the culturally ‘liberal’ Catholics and be a response to a culturally conservative Pope. Our national culture is much more in tune with the national culture of Pope Francis though.

 

[phil19034]

Walking out would be a big mistake because it would insure that an unorthodox document would be submitted.

Honestly, I think it would be less scandalous if the Bishops had a gag order until the document was made public.

However, the sex abuse scandal and clericalism has made transparency a must, even when conducting business behind closed doors would be better.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Walking out would be a big mistake because it would insure that an unorthodox document would be submitted.

Honestly, I think it would be less scandalous if the Bishops had a gag order until the document was made public.

However, the sex abuse scandal and clericalism has made transparency a must, even when conducting business behind closed doors would be better.

Didn’t Catholics have the same thing going on last yr with public comments and some sort of mid synod document which had Catholics all worked up for over nothing in the end as nothing earth shattering occurred? I suspect much the same this go-round.

 

[Book_Worm]

Well, Crux reported on the petition and Cardinal Pell responded to it, so, look, I don’t agree necessarily with everything in the petition, but the level of support for something generally doesn’t always say where it’s good or bad or whether even a lot of people have heard about it. This petition appears to express that there are people that are concerned about the Synod, about the things that they’re hearing and that concern should be listened too, even if it’s not always agreed with.

The point is there are about **1.2 billion ** Catholics in the world. You could probably find 2300 of them who are concerned about just about anything. Is that about .00001%?

Actually, I’m surprised it’s this few.