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<div class="m_-1862033444271906181gmail-article-header"><header><h1 class="m_-1862033444271906181gmail-article-title">Fr Weinandy: Church teaching under ‘subtle, but well-defined attack’</h1>
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<div class="m_-1862033444271906181gmail-article-author">by <b><a href="http://catholicherald.co.uk/author/staff-reporter/" title="Posts by Staff Reporter" rel="author" target="_blank">Staff Reporter</a></b></div>
<div class="m_-1862033444271906181gmail-article-date">posted <time datetime="2018-02-24 01:48:59">Saturday, 24 Feb 2018<br><a href="http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/02/24/fr-weinandy-church-teaching-under-subtle-but-well-defined-attack/" target="_blank">http://catholicherald.co.uk/<wbr>news/2018/02/24/fr-weinandy-<wbr>church-teaching-under-subtle-<wbr>but-well-defined-attack/</a><br></time></div>
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<p class="m_-1862033444271906181gmail-article-standfirst"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>The US theologian said </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the Church's catholicity </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>is being dissolved</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The Church’s unity, apostolicity and Catholicity</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>are under attack
from its own leadership</b></span>, the former head of the US bishops’ doctrinal
committee has said.</p>
<p>Fr Thomas Weinandy, a member of the Vatican’s International
Theological Commission, said <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the Church’s “four defining ecclesial
marks” – the fact it is “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic” as defined
in the Nicene Creed </b></span>– <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>are currently under a “subtle, but well-defined
attack”.</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>That threat is coming, he added, “regrettably from within
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">Church</span> leadership.”</b></span></p>
<p>In a speech at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney, Australia on
February 24, Fr Weinandy called for a “robust defence” of the four
marks, otherwise the Church’s identity will become “disordered”, which
will “enfeeble” its ability to proclaim the Gospel.</p>
<p>“This enfeeblement, then, will also be most visibly enacted within
the Eucharistic liturgy which will not only cause scandal but also, and
more importantly, demean the Eucharistic liturgy as the supreme
enactment of the Church being One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic,” Fr
Weinandy added.</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>Although <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">the Church</span> after Vatican II<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"> has been “rife with divisions”</span>,
there was <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">never</span> any doubt over<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> official Church doctrine during the
pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict X<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><span style=""></span></span>VI</span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">he said</span>.</b></span></p>
<p><b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">“Such is not the case, in many significant ways, within the present pontificate of Pope Francis.”</span></b></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Although much of Pope Francis’s pontificate is “admirable and
praiseworthy”,</b><b> he</b></span> h<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>as at times appeared to identify himself </b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">“not as the
promoter of unity but</span><b> as the agent of division,” </b></span>Fr Weinandy said</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Much of this division stems from the fact some bishops have used<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">
Amoris Laetitia </span>to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">Holy Communion.</span></b></span></p>
<p>“For Pope Francis … as seen in Amoris Laetitia, to re-conceive and
newly express the previously clear apostolic faith and magisterial
tradition in a seemingly ambiguous manner, so as to leave confusion and
puzzlement within the ecclesial community, is to contradict his own
duties as the successor of Peter and to transgress the trust of his
fellow bishops, as well as that of priests and the entire faithful,” Fr
Weinandy said.</p>
<p>The Pope’s approach “strikes at the very essence of the Petrine
ministry as intended by Jesus and continuously understood by the
Church”.</p>
<p>“The successor of St Peter, by the very nature of the office, is to
be, literally, the personal embodiment and thus the consummate sign of
the Church’s ecclesial communion, and so the principle defender and
promoter of the Church’s ecclesial communion,” he said.</p>
<p>“Thus, a manner of proceeding that allows and even encourages
doctrinal and moral divergences undermines the whole of Vatican II’s
teaching on ecclesial communion, as well as that of the entire
magisterial and theological tradition going back to Ignatius.</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>“By seeming to encourage doctrinal division and moral discord within
the Church the present pontificate has transgressed<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the foundational
mark of the Church – her oneness.”</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>Pope Francis</b></span>’<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>s “ambiguous teaching at times appears to fall outside
</b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the magisterial teaching of the historic apostolic ecclesial community</b></span>”
<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>as it “fosters division and disharmony rather than</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>unity and peace </b></span>
within the one apostolic Church. There appears to be, as a consequence,
no assurance of faith.”</p>
<p>In some ways,<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> this is even worse than promoting heresy</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Fr Weinandy added</b></span>.</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">“At least</span> heresy is a clear denial of </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the apostolic faith</b></span> and so can
be clearly identified and as such properly addressed. <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Ambiguous
teaching, precisely because of its murkiness, cannot be clearly
identified, and so is even more troublesome for it fosters uncertainty
as to <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">how it is to be understood</span> and thus <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">how it is to be clarified.</span>”</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The Church’s catholicity</b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> is also being undermined by</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>Pope Francis’s
concept of synodality</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Fr Weinandy continued</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>which creates a kind of
“theological anarchy”.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>“We are presently witnessing the disintegration of<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the Church’s
catholicity</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>for local churches, both on <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)">the diocesan and national
level,</span> are often interpreting <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">doctrinal norms and moral precepts</span> in
various conflicting and contradictory ways</b></span>. <span style="background-color:rgb(249,203,156)"><b>Thus, what the faithful are
instructed to believe and practice in one diocese or country</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>is not in
conformity with</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(252,229,205)"><b>what the faithful are instructed to believe and practice
in another diocese or country,”</b></span> Fr Weinandy said.</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>The Church’s holiness</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>is also “under siege”, especially regarding</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the Eucharist.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Allowing some civilly remarried couples to receive </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Holy Communion</b></span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>while not living in<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"> continence</span> </b></span>a<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>llows a “pastoral situation to evolve”
in which “<u>almost every</u> divorced and remarried couple will judge
themselves free to receive</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Holy Communion.</b></span>”</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">T<b>he moral commandments</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>thus become no longer </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>absolute laws </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>but simply
“ideals”.</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>The result is an “overt public attack on</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>the holiness of what
John Paul terms ‘the Most Holy Sacrament’.”</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Any priest who allows someone who persists in grave sin to receive</b></span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Communion</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>implicitly acknowledges that “sin continues to govern </b></span>
<span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>humankind<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"> </span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>despite</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Jesus’ redeeming work</b></span>,” <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Fr Weinandy added.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>“To allow those who persist in manifest grave sin to receive
</b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>communion</b></span>,<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> seemingly</b><b> as an act of mercy, is both to belittle the
condemnatory evil of grave sin and to malign <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)">the magnitude and power of
the Holy Spirit</span>.”</b></span></p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>“The Church’s very identity, our ecclesial communion</b></span>,<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b> is being
assailed</b></span>, <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>and because</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>she is the Church of Christ, Jesus himself</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>is
being dishonoured along wit</b></span>h <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>his saving work</b></span>,” Fr Weinandy concluded. <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>
“What is presently being offered in its place is an anaemic Church, a
Church where the Holy Spirit is enfeebled, and so a Church that is
incapable of</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>giving full glory to God the Father</b></span>.”</p>
<p><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Fr Weinandy</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>was sacked </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>by the US bishops in November <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">after sending</span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b> an
open letter to Pope Francis in which he said the current papacy was
marked by a “<span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)">chronic confusion</span>”. </b><b>He also accused the Pope of teaching
with a “seemingly intentional lack of clarity”.</b></span></p></div></div></div>
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