Posted on 12/21/2025 6:47:56 PM PST by ebb tide
Bishop Marian Eleganti joins me on this episode of The John Henry Westen Show, filmed at this year’s Rome Life Forum. We discussed doctrinal ambiguity and confusion in the early months of Pope Leo’s pontificate on key issues such as same-sex “marriage,” women’s ordination, and more.
I began the episode by noting that some of the most controversial bishop appointments made by Pope Leo have been those who favor women’s ordination, despite their position clearly contradicting Church doctrine. I asked Bishop Eleganti if this is a sign that the pontiff is moving in the direction of attempting to change Catholic doctrine on women’s ordination.
The bishop first highlighted that the prohibition on women’s ordination is infallible and has been reaffirmed in recent decades by Pope John Paul II. Then he emphasized that perhaps Pope Leo is planning to effectively allow for women deacons without creating sacramentally ordained women.
READ: Bishop Eleganti: Vatican trying to play both sides of the women deacons question
“The danger is (for the Vatican) to create a diaconate which will not be called sacramental ordained diaconate, but somehow a diaconate for women, and then (there) will be confusion,” he said. “What will they do? Will they preach? Will they read the Holy Gospel? Will they baptize? Will they have leadership as the pastoral assistants already have? So (the issue is) not new in this sense, but it would be another step of confusion.”
“It’s always the same twist, they say … ‘the doctrine cannot be changed,’ but in practice, in a pragmatic way, they do something similar, which can cause confusion,” he added. “If two people (do) the same thing, the one because of his ordination, and the other without ordination, just with a mandate or a blessing, that’s also obstructing the sacramental character of the Body of Christ, of the Church,” he added.
Later in the episode, I asked Eleganti about Pope Leo’s scandalous meeting with the notoriously pro-LGBT Father James Martin, who openly contradicts the Church’s teaching on same-sex “marriage.” After that meeting, the Vatican failed to issue any clarification on what the meeting was about or deny Martin’s comments that Leo planned to continue showing the “same openness” toward so-called “LGBTQ Catholics” as Pope Francis did.
READ: Silence in the face of fear: Pope Leo meets with Father James Martin
Eleganti stressed that while there was no issue with Pope Leo meeting and having polite dialogue with the heterodox Martin, it’s important to clarify Catholic doctrine during such meetings or to the faithful when there’s confusion.
“I can imagine that there is a (need for) inclusivity, on the practical … level of (the) relationship, to be inclusive or tolerant, but at the same time, you should give clarity,” the bishop said. “I can speak with (Martin), of course, but I can also clarify that the position of the Church (is that) we do not accept this propaganda of homosexuality, and this kind of activism.”
“So I would not tolerate that the priest continues, (for) years and years, to have such an activist apostolate to normalize homosexuality, because the doctrine of the Church will not change,” he added. “That’s a great problem if the magisterium of the Church becomes inconsistent, auto-contradictive. That’s a very … great problem we have now, that there are many twists in a direction which contradicts prior statements of the magisterium of the Church … in such matters as homosexuality.”
To hear more from Bishop Eleganti, watch my full interview above or by clicking here.
Ping
As a Catholic I believe it is simple. The Vatican is full of homosexuals. They are protecting their lifestyle. Just as McCarrik was disrobed, but found a home in the Vatican.
I didn’t read the article only the headline
Not to say life site isn’t good. It is very trustworthy
From: The Catechism of the Catholic Church, ed. Geoffrey Chapman, London 1994, pp. 353-354.
§ 1577. “Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination.”[66] The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry.[67] The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ’s return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.[68]
And:
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994
Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an
exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great
variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. It psychological genesis remains
largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts
of grave depravity (Cf. Genesis 19:1-29; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Timothy 1:10),
tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” (Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana, 8). They are contrary to the natural law. They
close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual
complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
Because the Roman Catholic Church is no longer Catholic.
What’s to clarify?
One is a sin.
Two is a tradition........
The catholic church of today is at odds with the catholic faith, they are no longer in sync.
Eeeeewwwww ....
I find your explanation highly plausible.
“Why won’t they clarify doctrine?”
Because they are not believers.
De frocked
Give us a break
You are correct.
Because the devil wants the downfall of as many as possible and where better to shop than the Catholic Church and where better to start than at the top.
,,, one thing’s for sure - church politics continues to keep the focus off God and Scripture.
,,, how’s the schedule looking for Gavin Newsom as cardinal for San Francisco?
There are several on this post who apparently believe because the Catholic Church doesn't keep repeating basic Apostolic Doctrine over and over and over again, then the Catholic Church must be supporting violation of that Doctrine - when in fact the Doctrine is already there and doesn't need constant repetition. The Catholic Church is what it is ...
Right
The Catholic Church is not a democratic institution
“Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day be day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except the endless present in which the party is always right.”
Eric Blair (George Orwell)
👍💯🎯🎯🎯
Obviously because the Vatican, the dioceses, the universities, and the missions are breeding grounds for sexual deviants.
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