Brussels’ new archbishop: ‘Mercy’ is condescending, Church needs to be more ‘relevant’

Life Site News ^ | November 10, 2015 | Lisa Bourne

[ebb tide]

As Pope Francis’ decreed Jubilee Year of Mercy approaches, one of his As Pope Francis’ decreed Jubilee Year of Mercy approaches, one of his newest appointees suggests the term “mercy” is patronizing to those in need of it, and that the Church needs to more “relevant for society.”

Named last week by the pope to head the see of Mechelen-Brussels in Belgium, Archbishop-elect Jozef De Kesel expressed disappointment that the Vatican’s recently concluded Synod on the Family didn’t go far enough in allowing Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.

“The Synod may not have brought the concrete results that were hoped for, such as allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion,” Archbishop De Kesel said. “But it is unbelievable how much it was a sign of a Church that has changed. The mentality is really not the same anymore.”

“I may be a careful person, but I do not think we should be marking time,” the archbishop continued. “Mercy is an important word for me, but in one way or another it is still somewhat condescending. I like to take words like respect and esteem for man as my starting point. And that may be a value that we, as Christians, share with prevailing culture.”

The Belgian prelate’s comments were made just prior to the announcement of his appointment by the pope in an interview with the Belgian Catholic news outlet Kerknet, translated to English for the Dutch site In Caelo et in Terra, and posted in part by Catholic World Report.

Archbishop-elect De Kesel, known as a progressive, has made statements indicating openness to homosexuality and other things that contravene Church teaching.

De Kesel, a protege of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, is widely believed to owe his nomination to the former Brussels archbishop.

Cardinal Danneels, a leading progressive, reportedly congratulated Belgium’s prime minister after the country’s 2003 legalization of homosexual “marriage,” and more recently admitted to being part of a clerical ‘Mafia’ of liberal cardinals and bishops said to have plotted Pope Francis’ election in order to push the Church in a liberal direction.

When De Kesel’s interviewer asked whether he would “take up the thread of Cardinal Danneels,” the new archbishop responded, “It is of course not my duty to imitate him, but I have certainly learned much from him.”

He spoke repeatedly of the Church as being in the midst of change, including a decrease in size. “A smaller Church must also be an open Church and relevant for society,” the archbishop stated.

Archbishop-elect De Kesel also said he dreamed of a Church “that accepts that she is getting smaller,” and also “which is not only occupied with religious questions, but also with social problems …”

“The Church is in a great process of change and that sometimes hurts,” he stated.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

So is he going to author his own Bible since he has no intention of following the one the Holy Spirit authored?

[hinckley buzzard]

Interesting to note that Church attendance among Belgian Catholics has sunk to 5%. Wonder why.

[hinckley buzzard]

Archbishop-elect De Kesel also said he dreamed of a Church that accepts that she is getting smaller, and also which is not only occupied with religious questions, but also with social problems.

It appears his dream will come true.

[boop]

"Interesting to note that Church attendance among Belgian Catholics has sunk to 5%. Wonder why."

Just following the Protestants in Europe.

Virtually NOBODY goes to church there.

If you can get the same leftist message from the TV soccer match on a Sunday morning, why bother getting out of bed?

[Arthur McGowan]

Another FrancisHeretic appointee. Nothing to see. Move along.

[Arthur McGowan]

What will happen over the next fifty to a hundred years:

The Novus Ordo will continue to do what it has always done: drive people either out of the Church or to the Vetus Ordo. The Novus Ordo will simply have no audience, and the parishes, and dioceses, that offer it exclusively will shrivel and die. This is what Ratzinger has been SAYING would happen for more than thirty years.

Remember: Ratzinger did NOT “give permission” for the celebration of the Vetus Ordo Mass. He declared that NO PERMISSION is needed—and that no permission was EVER needed.

For almost fifty years, the lie was drummed into everyone’s head that the V.O. was FORBIDDEN. All those who dissented were “kooks.” Finally, the Pope declared that the “kooks” were abolutely right. What Ratzinger did can never be undone. There’s no doubt that Bergoglio would LIKE to do so. He just mocked the V.O. again the other day. But he CAN’T DO IT. Ratzinger already declared that NO Pope can do it.

[MDLION]

Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Emeritus Benedict) spoke of a smaller church but he was speaking of a Church persecuted and abandoned by some (many?) of her members because she is unwaveringly orthodox and unworldly.

[MDLION]

Mercy will always be relevant until souls are conceived without Original Sin and don’t commit actual sins, that is, until the end of time.

[Cap'n Crunch]

The empty churches of Europe have been talked about in numerous prophecies by Catholic saints. According to them what comes next is invasion of Europe by Muslims and Russia.

Appears pretty feasible to me at this point.

Anyway, regarding the year of Mercy, I believe it to be directed by Our Lord Himself. I have been reading the ‘Divine Mercy Daily’ e-mail, a portion of St. Faustina’s Diary. Our Lord told her that His Mercy would be mankind’s last chance before He returned.

Here’s a link if anybody is interested:

faustina@lighthousecatholicmedia.org