Unprecedented? Two words: Schism, and Reformation.
Dear OraLabora,
Cordial greetings and a very good day. Thankyou for your response.
Indeed, dear friend, there have been turbulent periods in times past, but the Church addressed them and dealt with them effectively. This is clearly not happening at the present time and thus multitudes of dissidents, both clergy and laity, are not disciplined, rebuked or excommunicated. This is why the present crisis is unprecedented.
At one time, dear friend, the Church and its leaders were strong and whilst some may have hated the Church, many admired it. It is still disliked by many outside of its bosom, but it is no longer admired as it once was. Cherie Blair (a professing Catholic and wife of the former UK Prime Minister) said that she did not accept the Church’s teaching on contraception or the infallibilty of the pope. Now she would never have said such an unorthodox thing forty years ago, for had she done so, she would not have been considered a Catholic.
Surely the monumental failure of the contemporary Church is its inablility to admonish and condemn. Alas, it is common knowledge that many liberal bishops have been appointed and this has given strength to liberal Bishops’ Conferences, which are extremely influential in selecting future bishops and so it goes on. These liberal bishops never tire of telling us that there is no crisis within Holy Mother Church, notwithstanding all the evidence against such a claim.
All the efforts to renew the Church in recent decades have proved fruitless. There may have been many false initiatives and misguided attempts and hidden agendas, but all to no avail. We have had pastoral centres, retreat houses, spiritual centres etc, but all are only vain efforts and substitutes for authentic renewal. For example, here in the UK (Birmingham) a few years back there was this big rallying call to the youth, a 24 hour programme. We were informed that there were ‘workshops’ (God spare us from them); theatre productions - “Find it, Wear it, Like it” - and more; speed dating with friends first, live bands, nightlife! etc. etc. However, if these young people are not saying their prayers and keeping God’s Commandments, all these worldly gimmicks are a sheer waste of time. The real tools for renewal are Holy Mass and the Rosary. Look, dear friend, if the youth have no interest in the Mass, the Sacraments and the Rosary, then all their efforts are doomed and there will not be growth in holiness and a mind fixed upon heavenly things (Col 3: 2). On the contrary, a compromising love of the world will remain and desire to live the faith in accordance with the prevailing decadent culture, which will sadly become their guide and not the good and ennobling standards of our most holy faith.
As Catholics we belong to the one true Church but many, I fear, are ashamed to profess or live the faith of that Church, including living up to its arduous requirements. Some years ago I remember watching Jon Snow, the ITN Channel 4 News Anchor, interview some young Muslim girls. They were not reticent in telling him what they believed and made it abundantly clear that they had no time for the exposure of putative Christian girls in matters of attire and their use of alcohol and pre-marital carnal relations. They spoke quite frankly with no inhibitions whatsoever. Now what answers would professing Catholic girls give if they were asked about birth prevention and sexual relations before marriage? Much of the problem is down to poor catechesis and the Church must share a great deal of the blame for this, but it all a part of the current crisis. All this would have been unthinkable only 60 years ago. Times have changed and we have certainly moved with them alright, that is for sure.
Thankfully, dear friend, all is not doom and gloom and some American bishops are trying to restore the Church. For example, Bishop Vasa of Baker, Oregon, lays down strict conditions for extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. Archbishop Burke of St. Louis is another good chap who is strict as regards Catholic doctrine. Some men extol him for his firmness, whilst others object strongly to his views. He said he could deny Holy Communion to John Kerry, the one-time democratic nominee, who supports abortion and he refused to have anything to do with the singer Sheryl Crow, who also supports abortion. Another stalwart US bishop is Robert Finn of Kansas City in Missouri. This dear man changed the diocese from one focussed upon social engagement and lay empowerment to one that is traditionally Catholic. He closed the modernist catechetical and lay empowerment programmes and restored Corpus Christi processions and other traditional Catholic practices. Moreover, he insisted on the faithful transmission of Catholic teaching. The diocese had focussed on social issues and themes and had spent large sums of cash promoting the same. One could say that the diocese had a thorough ‘makeover’, to use the modern parlance. May it please God to raise up many more solid men like these, especially here in the UK, which is extremely liberal, with the exception of Bishop Patrick O’ Donoghue.
Yes, dear friend, it is manifestly obvious that the current crisis is undoubtedly unparalled in the history of the Church.
God bless.
Warmest good wishes,
Portrait
Pax
which is exactly as relevant as all of these tired old threads about the SSPX are.
