Synod, first day: "Unacceptable" - the danger of the Great Division has arrived

Rotate Caeli ^ | 10/04/15 | New Catholic

[ebb tide]

A follow-up on the procedural rigging created by Cardinal Baldisseri and Archbishop Forte (and the other Bergoglian strongmen) for the 2015 Synod.

The Synod has officially opened today (right now, in fact, with its opening mass), and Xavier Rynne II explains in the Catholic Herald why the manipulation of this year's Synod is even worse than last year's - in fact, it is not a "synod" at all, barely a chat at tea time. More than one Synod father has described both the procedures and the final-report commission as “unacceptable.” ...

Speeches (“interventions,” in Synod-speak) to the full assembly of the Synod will be limited to three minutes in duration, ie, about 750 words – less than the length of a typical daily Mass homily. These interventions, according to the announced procedures, are the Synod’s property and will not be made public.

The bulk of the Synod’s discussions will be conducted in language-based discussion groups (circuli minores, in Synod argot), the results of which will not be made public.

Filtered reports on the Synod will be given at daily press conferences, the speakers being chosen by the Synod general secretariat – presumably, for their reliability in conveying the messages that Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, the general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Archbishop Bruno Forte want conveyed. (Archbishop Forte is Synod-2015’s special secretary and the man who is widely thought to have been the principal author of the deeply flawed Interim Report that caused a large-scale revolt of the Synod fathers at Synod-2014.)

There are, it seems, to be no “propositions” generated by the discussion groups, which means that there will be no votes on propositions, which means that the Synod fathers will not be asked to express their convictions publicly on anything.

As to the final-report commission:

Its membership includes serious churchmen, but as one Synod father put it, very few of the commission’s members have been vocal, public supporters of the Church’s classic teaching and practice on Holy Communion for the divorced and civilly-remarried. Moreover, the commission includes none of those who have most vocally defended that teaching as irreformable because of its basis in divine Revelation. It is also striking that none of the elected American, Canadian, or Australian, or Polish Synod fathers are members of the commission, just as it is striking that none of the four Synod delegate-presidents are members. The commission does, however, include Cardinal Baldisseri and Archbishop Forte.

All of this is quite…remarkable.

There is absolutely no precedent in the contemporary history of the Church for a synod at which there are neither propositions nor votes – the primary instruments by which the Synod fathers make known, publicly, their convictions.

What will it all boil down to? A moment of deep, intense crisis. Rynne recalls insistently that all this manipulation seems to contradict the spirit of "dialogue" promoted by the Pope, but since it is the men whom he trusts most who are rigging the Synod, he should reach the conclusion that is correct: they are acting under higher orders. And, yes, this will reach boiling point, and soon, and it will get nuclear:

Synod-2014 reached its crisis point mid-way through its three weeks of work. Synod-2015 will likely reach its first crisis point in its first days. What is decided in those early days will determine whether Synod-2015 is the “open dialogue” for which the Holy Father has repeatedly called. a dialogue in which the light of Revelation is brought to bear on a set of problems that is causing immense suffering throughout the world; a dialogue that in fact settles the question, at least for this moment of history, of whether the Catholic Church remains a Church founded on, and ultimate governed by, divine Revelation.

Which, in turn, suggests that we return to the original Greek meaning of “crisis,” remembering that a “crisis” is a moment of great opportunity, as well as a moment of considerable danger. (Catholic Herald)

As Father Edward Tomlinson wrote yesterday:

The modernists want to overthrow traditional Catholic teaching and methodology to conform to the Spirit of the age. And with the Synod deck stacked in their favour, and with it now being a matter of public record that they have control of the Vatican and have been manipulating the process for years, we stand at a moment of genuine crisis for those whose desire is to be faithful to Christ. (source) ***

The danger of the great division has arrived. Listen!

The time is coming - it's fast approaching, When wiser men, and greater men, Men with proper authority, Will rise up, and proclaim, Innocent as they are, Innocent as the child by the road: "the Emperor has nothing on!"

[ebb tide]

Speeches (“interventions,” in Synod-speak) to the full assembly of the Synod will be limited to three minutes in duration, ie, about 750 words – less than the length of a typical daily Mass homily. These interventions, according to the announced procedures, are the Synod’s property and will not be made public.

[ebb tide]

Ping

There is absolutely no precedent in the contemporary history of the Church for a synod at which there are neither propositions nor votes – the primary instruments by which the Synod fathers make known, publicly, their convictions.

[miss marmelstein]

Can’t we make these Catholic Caucus? Do we really need undereducated (in Catholic theology) evangelicals posting here? If not, I certainly will not be either reading or posting here. I have my fill of protestant hatred.

[Secret Agent Man]

Just post your own article and make it caucus. You can have your no free speech safety zone if you want.

[ecomcon]

I am a Protestant, and I am interested in how the Catholic church will deal with this horrible corruption. It seems to me that everywhere, at all levels of government and religious administration, there is little but heresy, depravity, and elitism in positions of leadership.

I don’t hate Catholics; I hope that they can defeat this attitude of capitulation to the spirit of the age, and defend righteousness.

[MSF BU]

It will be up to the Africans and Asians to fight this.

[livius]

Thank you!

[miss marmelstein]

No free zone? FR is an amazingly free speech zone. But evangelicals love to hate on Catholics and if you don’t know that you either are a hater or live under a rock. I hope it’s the latter. I speak to Catholic people who post articles here who haven’t waked up to protestant hate on this site.

[Secret Agent Man]

You have so much wrong here it is worthless to comment anything more. See ya.

[miserare]

Me, too.

[BlatherNaut]

There is absolutely no precedent in the contemporary history of the Church for a synod at which there are neither propositions nor votes – the primary instruments by which the Synod fathers make known, publicly, their convictions.

They are there merely to provide window dressing for a predetermined outcome.

[piusv]

The modernists want to overthrow traditional Catholic teaching and methodology to conform to the Spirit of the age. And with the Synod deck stacked in their favour, and with it now being a matter of public record that they have control of the Vatican and have been manipulating the process for years, we stand at a moment of genuine crisis for those whose desire is to be faithful to Christ.

So here we have the "less modernists" warning us against the "more modernists"? Honestly folks, the modernists have been in control of the hierarchy for decades now.

Modernist is as modernist does.

[NKP_Vet]

http://www.onepeterfive.com/8-reasons-to-believe-the-synod-will-be-manipulated/

Here we go again. The rigging of the Synod will once again be accomplished by the exact same cast of heretics that rigged it last year. Francis could care less. He appointed them all.

Despite the widespread accusations of manipulation made against Cardinal Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Archbishop Bruno Forte, Special Secretary of the Synod, they remain in their positions. The allegations against Cardinal Baldisseri and Archbishop Forte are discussed at length in The Rigging of a Vatican Synod?

Fr Federico Lombardi S. J. remains in charge of the Holy See press office despite also being implicated in the manipulation of the Extraordinary Synod. The press conferences held last October were widely considered to have deliberately skewed the reporting of the synod fathers’ interventions. Cardinal Burke, who was present at the synod, stated that “the daily briefings organized by Father Lombardi facilitated the manipulation”. Fr Thomas Rosica, who used his role as English-speaking spokesman to stress those contributions that pushed a so-called “progressive” agenda also remains in his position.

The President of the Synod of Bishops, of course, remains Pope Francis. Cardinal Baldisseri has stressed the centrality of the Pope to the work of General Secretariat:

“The pope is the president of the synod of bishops. I am the secretary general, but I don’t have anyone else above me, such as a prefect of a congregation or a president of a council. I don’t have anyone else above me, only the pope. The pope presided over all the council meetings of the secretariat. He presides. I am the secretary. And so the documents were all seen and approved by the pope, with the approval of his presence. Even the documents during the synod, such as the Relatio ante disceptationem, the Relatio post disceptationem and the Relatio synodi were seen by him before they were published.”

2. The Instrumentum Laboris remains the agenda of the Ordinary Synod despite, as demonstrated in Voice of the Family’s analysis, clearly undermining the entire edifice of Catholic teaching on human sexuality

Cardinal Baldisseri confirmed at a press conference at the Vatican this morning that the Instrumentum Laboris will be the basis of discussions at the synod. The text is divided into three parts, each of which forms the agenda for each of the three weeks of the synod.

In an interview with Portuguese broadcaster Radio Renascenca, which was released on 14 September, Pope Francis confirmed that the Instrumentum Laboris would be the basis for discussion at the Synod. He said:

“As for the synod, you journalists are already familiar with the Instrumentum Laboris. We are going to speak of that, of what is in there.”

3. The Synod Secretariat has “devised a new method” of conducting the Synod. The “new method” has only been made public two days before the Synod begins.

The Ordinary Synod will be conducted in a significantly different manner to the Extraordinary Synod. The synod fathers will spend much more time in small language based discussion groups and comparatively little time in plenary sessions. There will be no relatio ante disceptationem orrelatio post disceptationem. This means that, unlike last year when the relatio post disceptationem revealed the agenda at work and provoked a fight-back, the synod fathers will receive no indication of the content of the final report until the very last day of the Synod.

After being questioned by a journalist Cardinal Baldisseri stated that the synod fathers were informed a month ago that there would be a new method. He very noticeably fell short of affirming that they were actually told what the new procedures would be.

4. Cardinal Baldisseri refused to explain how the membership of the small groups was determined

The cardinals and bishops will spend most of their time at the Synod in small language based groups. There are thirteen such groups which include four groups conducted in English, three in Spanish, three in French, two in Italian and one in German.

Upon being questioned by a journalist Cardinal Baldisseri refused to explain how the membership of each group was determined. This will do little to allay concerns that the synod fathers will be allocated to the small groups in such a way as will best further the agenda of those controlling the synod.

5. Cardinal Baldisseri refused twice to affirm that Article 26 § 1 of the Ordo Synodi Episcoporum will be respected. This article requires a 2/3 majority for approval of items put to vote.

Article 26 § 1 states:

To arrive at the majority of votes, if the vote is for the approval of some item, 2/3 of the votes of the Members casting ballots is required; if for the rejection of some item, the absolute majority of the same Members is necessary.

Paragraphs 52, 53 and 55 of the Relatio Synodi (final report) of the Extraordinary Synod failed to achieve a 2/3 majority of the synod fathers’ votes. According to the rules of the synod they should have been rejected. However these controversial paragraphs, which discussed homosexuality and Holy Communion for those living in public adultery, were included in the published report on the direct instructions of Pope Francis. They were also included in the Lineamenta and theInstrumentum Laboris.

Texts that were rejected by the Extraordinary Synod therefore form part of the agenda of the Ordinary Synod.

Cardinal Baldisseri was asked twice whether Article 26 § 1 would be observed at the Ordinary Synod. He ignored the question the first time it was put to him and the second time he simply stated that it remained in place in the official rules. This gives us little confidence that the voting process will not be abused again.

6. Pope Francis has entrusted leading dissenters with the responsibility of drafting the final report of the Synod

The committee consists of ten prelates, at least seven of whom hold so-called “progressive” views. Voice of the Family has already raised particular concerns about:

Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri, General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops
Archbishop Bruno Forte, Special Secretary of the Synod of Bishops
Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
John Atcherly Cardinal Dew, Archbishop of Wellington
Also considered “progressive” are Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez, Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina, Bishop Marcello Semeraro, Bishop of Albano, and Adolfo Nicholas Pachon, Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

7. A committee has been established to supervise the synod… and it will include Cardinal Baldisseri and Archbishop Forte

At this morning’s press conference Cardinal Baldisseri reassured journalists that there was no need to be concerned about allegations that the synod would be manipulated because a committee of ten would oversee the proceedings. He then announced that the membership of the committee would include himself and Archbishop Forte. In other words, the committee which is supposed to give us confidence that no manipulation is taking place includes the very men most implicated in the manipulation.

Jonathan Swift, the foremost prose satirist in the English language, could not have invented a better tale than the true story of the Synod on the Family.

Voice of the Family also includes some words of warning from Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments, about his concerns for the Synod. Please visit their full article to see the text of his comments.

One thing VoF did not mention is the information we shared with you earlier this week:

8. There have been reports of a “Parallel Synod” already at work on the documents that may be presented at the conclusion of the Synod, despite the fact that the work of the Synod fathers won’t begin until tomorrow.

In this context [that is, of the procedural changes mentioned by Edward Pentin], news has arrived to us for about twelve days that around thirty people, almost all of them Jesuits, with the occasional Argentinian, are working on the themes on the Synod, in a very reserved way, under the coordinatin of Father Antonio Spadaro, the director of Civiltà Cattolica [the official journal of the Holy See], who spends a long time in Santa Marta, in consultation with the Pope.

The discretion in the works extends also to the Jesuits of the same House, the villa of Civiltà Cattolica, Villa Malta, on the Pincio [Hill], where part of the work is done. One possibility is that the “task force” works to provide the Pope the instruments for an eventual post-synodal document on the theme of the Eucharist to the remarried divorced, on cohabiting [couples], and same-sex couples.

From where we sit, this looks like a pretty stacked deck.

[JoeFromSidney]

The Synod is going to be a well-run railroad. The fix is already in. At this point prayer is our only hope.

[Arthur McGowan]

Bergoglio’s thugs want PRECISELY a “synod” which is only a pretense of a synod. The bishops come to Rome. They talk. No propositions. No votes. No documents. They go home. And then Bergoglio’s thugs fan out and do precisely what they always planned.

Just like our Congress, which never passes a budget—it’s primary function.

[Arthur McGowan]

its

[tjd1454]

As a protestant who happens to have a PhD in theology from a Jesuit university I must confess my deep appreciation for the Catholic tradition. I must confess, however, that I am completely confused by the actions of the Pope with regard to the sanctity of marriage. We shall all find out in due time.

[daniel1212]

Can’t we make these Catholic Caucus? Do we really need undereducated (in Catholic theology) evangelicals posting here? If not, I certainly will not be either reading or posting here. I have my fill of protestant hatred.

But I often see undereducated (in Catholic as well as Protestant theology) Catholic posting here who become (I presume) more educated by certain evangelicals. But it seems about all you ever have to say about Prots is how evil they are, and deny that RCs promote their church here. Which testifies to blindness.

Anyway, it is doubtful this synod will became as notorious as the Cadaver Synod (also called the Cadaver Trial; Latin: Synodus Horrenda), the posthumous trial of Pope Formosus.

Probably around January 897, Stephen (VI) VII ordered that the corpse of his predecessor Formosus be removed from its tomb and brought to the papal court for judgement. With the corpse propped up on a throne, a deacon was appointed to answer for the deceased pontiff.

Formosus was accused of transmigrating sees in violation of canon law, of perjury, and of serving as a bishop while actually a layman. Eventually, the corpse was found guilty. Liutprand and other sources say that, after having the corpse stripped of its papal vestments, Stephen then cut off the three fingers of the right hand that it had used in life for blessings, next formally invalidating all of Formosus' acts and ordinations (including, ironically, his ordination of Stephen [VI] VII as bishop of Anagni). The body was finally interred in a graveyard for foreigners, only to be dug up once again, tied to weights, and cast into the Tiber River.

[kinsman redeemer]

You’re wrong about so much.

[Elsie]

Isn’t it wonderful how the Churches teaching has remained the same since the days of Jesus’ sojourn upon the earth!