Jesuit general: all doctrine is subject to discernment [CWN]

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The superior general of the Society of Jesus has said that all Church doctrine must be subject to discernment.

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Jesuit general: all doctrine is subject to discernment

February 22, 2017
The superior general of the Society of Jesus has said that all Church doctrine must be subject to discernment.

In an interview with a Swiss journalist, Father Arturo Sosa Abascal said that the words of Jesus, too, must be weighed in their “historical context,” taking into account the culture in which Jesus lived and the human limitations of the men who wrote the Gospels.

In an exchange about Church teaching on marriage and divorce, when questioned about Christ’s condemnation of adultery, Father Sosa said that “there would have to be a lot of reflection on what Jesus really said.” He continued:

At that time, no one had a recorder to take down his words. What is known is that the words of Jesus must be contextualized, they are expressed in a language, in a specific setting, they are addressed to someone in particular.

Father Sosa explained that he did not meant to question the words of Jesus, but to suggest further examination of “the word of Jesus as we have interpreted it.” He said that his new process of discernment should be guided by the Holy Spirit.

When the interviewer remarked that an individual’s discernment might lead him to a conclusion at odds with Catholic doctrine, the Jesuit superior replied: “That is so, because doctrine does not replace discernment, nor does it [replace the] Holy Spirit.”

catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=30831
 
What is happening to the Bride of Christ? Are we living in the next big split?
 
You go Father Sosa! It appears I may be a closet Jesuit, and didn’t even know it.
 
It’s this kind of nonsense that is leading to the widespread questioning of certain clergy and their motives in today’s Church. It is very difficult to know who to trust and who is giving sound pastoral advice when such things are said and tacitly approved by higher authority in the Church. We may be reaching the point of no return soon. Things like AL are just symptoms of the problem. The real problem is that a small, but significant and influential number of the Church’s leaders may not fully believe in the teachings of the Church. Eventually there will have to be a day of reckoning where some from within the Church will have to stand up and fight this tide of relativism at the risk of causing a schism, and that day may be closer than many would believe.
 
I tend to think the Superior General has the Pope’s ear and is stating what naturally flows from AL. One really can’t teach discernment is the ultimate guide to a Catholic only on the issue of divorce/re-marriage. Logically it applies to all of the Church’s moral teachings.

Pope Francis has tried to ease this development of doctrine into the Church through AL and the discussions around it. Frankly, that has caused division. As the guarantor of Church unity, I personally would like to see Pope Francis define this doctrinal development ex cathedra. Right now AL and the developments leading from it - as highlighted by the SP’s comments, are in need of formal definition. Too many are using the Pope’s mercy on this to stir up controversy and division in the Church.
 
Neat.

I’m gonna discern the heck out of the parts about loving your enemies and peacemakers being blessed. :cool:
 
Doctrine does not change, but our understanding of doctrine evolves by Magisterial discussion and discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the way the Church has done it for the past 2000+ years? I don’t see what Father is saying that is different from what the Church has always done.

Is there another way to look at it?
 
TheDoctor said:
Doctrine does not change, but our understanding of doctrine evolves by Magisterial discussion and discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the way the Church has done it for the past 2000+ years? I don’t see what Father is saying that is different from what the Church has always done.

Is there another way to look at it?
Click to expand...
That’s what I was thinking.
I didn’t assume he was tossing out 2000 years of scholarship.
 
TheDoctor said:
Doctrine does not change, but our understanding of doctrine evolves by Magisterial discussion and discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the way the Church has done it for the past 2000+ years? I don’t see what Father is saying that is different from what the Church has always done.

Is there another way to look at it?
Click to expand...
True enough. After all, supposedly (as there were no scribes around) Jesus said that peacemakers were blessed. But he never describes how they make peace. Maybe the spirit is guiding us, via the example of WW2, that the best way to achieve peace is through the fist of blessed nuclear weapons. Maybe now the church can toss off this misguided “doctrine” of near pacifism.
 
This is cool.

I’m gonna discern the heck out of the parts about war, torture, the death penalty, etc.
 
pianistclare said:
That’s what I was thinking.
I didn’t assume he was tossing out 2000 years of scholarship.
Click to expand...
TheDoctor said:
Doctrine does not change, but our understanding of doctrine evolves by Magisterial discussion and discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the way the Church has done it for the past 2000+ years? I don’t see what Father is saying that is different from what the Church has always done.

Is there another way to look at it?
Click to expand...
Considering this: “When the interviewer remarked that an individual’s discernment might lead him to a conclusion at odds with Catholic doctrine, the Jesuit superior replied: ‘That is so, because doctrine does not replace discernment, nor does it [replace the] Holy Spirit.’”

So basically it sounds like he *is *tossing out 2000 years’ worth of scholarship. Discernment is all!
 
St_Francis said:
Considering this: “When the interviewer remarked that an individual’s discernment might lead him to a conclusion at odds with Catholic doctrine, the Jesuit superior replied: ‘That is so, because doctrine does not replace discernment, nor does it [replace the] Holy Spirit.’”

So basically it sounds like he *is *tossing out 2000 years’ worth of scholarship. Discernment is all!
Click to expand...
To at all. Even scholarship must be discerned, reflected on and prayed about.
 
In forming their consciences the faithful must pay careful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is by the will of Christ the teacher of truth. It is her duty to proclaim and teach with authority the truth which is Christ and, at the same time, to declare and confirm by her authority the principles of the moral order which spring from human nature itself. - Second Vatican Council, On Religious Liberty (1965), §14
 
Don’t just read the extract read the full text magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/02/22/marriage-and-divorce-the-general-of-the-jesuits-jesus-too-must-be-reinterpreted/

The whole interview, in Italian, can be found here rossoporpora.org/rubriche/interviste-a-personalita/672-gesuiti-padre-sosa-parole-di-gesu-da-contestualizzare.html

He says that they didn’t have tape recorders so how do we know what Jesus truly said. Well they didn’t have video cameras either, so how do we know if Jesus truly resurrected? So the Holy Spirit speaks to him directly, but it was unable to keep error out of the
Bible. I discern I don’t need him, or his ideas.

I also discerned a while ago that unless Pope Francis speakes ex cathedra, I can ignore him also.
 
Jesus’ words about marriage, divorce, and adultery are pretty clear. They have been clear since he spoke them. Shall we now discern his words out of existence, to make them conform to what we want?
 
When the interviewer remarked that an individual’s discernment might lead him to a conclusion at odds with Catholic doctrine, the Jesuit superior replied: “That is so, because doctrine does not replace discernment, nor does it [replace the] Holy Spirit.”
Click to expand...
Sigh… :doh2:

In other words: I can believe whatever I want, as long as I perform the right mental gymnastics. (Or invoke the Holy Spirit).
 
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