BillP:
Way to selectively misquote to create a strawman there fix and you even quote it correctly before you misquote it:
Dissent might not be TOTALLY compatible, but apparantly the Pope (God be good to him) thought it was at least “partially” compatible.
I gave the direct quote from John Paul II in post above.
As you can see form the context, the pope is referring to adherence to Church teaching. One can have “trouble” with the teachings of the Church, but they are still called to willingly adhere to it from “
a loyal spirit, animated by love for the Church.”
"It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions… It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church’s moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a “good Catholic,” and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere.” (Pope John Paul II in his speech to the Bishops in 1987)
John Paul II promulgated the
Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian, where dissent is described as “
public opposition to the Magisterium of the Church” (par. 32)
This is the context which which John Paul II opposes dissent, and it is that context of dissent from the magisterium that is
incompatible with being a “good Catholic” and poses an obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. To assert otherwise is a “grave error.”
Dissent is distinguished from “personal difficulties” according to Church teaching. The
Instruction states,
"It can also happen that at the conclusion of a serious study, undertaken with the desire to heed the Magisterium’s teaching without hesitation, the theologian’s difficulty remains because the arguments to the contrary seem more persuasive to him. Faced with a proposition to which he feels he cannot give his intellectual assent, the theologian nevertheless ***has the duty to remain open to a deeper examination of the question.
For a loyal spirit, animated by love for the Church, such a situation can certainly prove a difficult trial. It can be a call to suffer for the truth, in silence and prayer, but with the certainty, that if the truth really is at stake, it will ultimately prevail. " (par. 31)
Dissent manifests itself in different forms.
“
In its most radical form, it aims at changing the Church following a model of protest which takes its inspiration from political society… **it is asserted that the theologian is not bound to adhere to any Magisterial teaching unless it is infallible.” (ibid., 33).
Another form of Dissent asserts that “
the interventions of the Magisterium would have their origin in one theology among many theologies, while no particular theology, however, could presume to claim universal normative status. In opposition to and in competition with the authentic magisterium, there thus arises a kind of “parallel magisterium” of theologians.” (par. 34)
Dissent also “
appeals to a kind of sociological argumentation which holds that the opinion of a large number of Christians would be a direct and adequate expression of the “supernatural sense of the faith”.” (par. 35)
These forms of “dissent” are what the Church calls harmful to the faith and incompatible with being a “good Catholic.”
The harm that dissent causes is summarized by the Church as, “
As to the “parallel magisterium”, it can cause great spiritual harm by opposing itself to the Magisterium of the Pastors.* Indeed, when dissent succeeds in extending its influence to the point of shaping; a common opinion, it tends to become the rule of conduct. This cannot but seriously trouble the People of God and lead to contempt for true authority.*” (par. 35)
You can read the entire
Instruction here:
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19900524_theologian-vocation_en.html
The parents of almost half of my class do not attend mass weekly, and yet they insist their kids come to class once a week.
