Letter to Mrs. Don-o's bishop re: the New Paradigm (Cath Caucus)

Mrs. Don-o | February 28, 2018 | Mrs. Don-o

[Mrs. Don-o]

This letter was written and sent a few days before a diocesan conference centering on "The Legacy of St. Pope John Paul II".

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Dear Bishop --------

Please allowed me to ask a few questions which are urgent to me and others of the faithful.

1. The Legacy of Pope John Paul II is being replaced by a New Paradigm being taught by such highly-placed teachers at Cardinal Cupich of Chicago. They claim that previous teaching about Faith, Morals, and Sacramental practice are pastorally unhelpful. They deny that there are acts that are intrinsically wrong. They propose that God has given us suggestions, or high ideals impossible to attain, rather than commandments to be obeyed.

Does this not contradict the Four Marks of the Church, as presented in the Creed and the Catechism, and as still taught by such clear Catholic authorities as Fr. Thomas Weinandy, formerly of the USCCB?

Are we receive this New Paradigm? Ignore it? Or openly resist it?

2. Veritatis Splendor, Familiaris Consortio, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church --- the three towering doctrinal achievements of Pope John Paul II's papacy ---- affirmed the objective nature of Moral Law, and our duty to avoid acts which are forbidden as intrinsically evil, such as adultery, murder, perjury, and apostasy. Can a legitimate application of, for instance, Amoris Laetitia contradict what was taught in Veritatis Splendor?

Must we now teach that no Commandment of God is so firm that it cannot be set aside for the moment --- or indefinitely --- for sufficiently pressing personal reasons?

3. These three great documents of the Pope John Paul II era, deriving so clearly and directly from Sacred Scriptures, are my prime resources as an RCIA teacher. Now the New Paradigm proposes that we should focus on accompanying the "individual conscience" as supreme.

As an RCIA teacher, should I keep teaching from Scripture and Catechism? Or something else?

4. Pope John Paul's Familiaris Consortio reiterated long-settled truths which are now being challenged. Different Bishops are taking opposite stands on this: e.g, in Poland, to have sexual relations in an invalid civil "second marriage" would be a mortal sin, while in Italy it may be a venial sin, while in Germany it may be a moral obligation. What is an evil in Philadelphia may be a move of the Holy Spirit in Chicago. What is abhorred Madison may be celebrated in Newark.

Is not this decentralization of doctrine in contradiction with the Four Marks of the Catholic Church, particularly in that the Church must be One and Holy?

5. The Buenos Aires Bishops' interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, together with a letter from Pope Francis saying "There is no other interpretation," has been published in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS). Does this truly make New Paradigm understandings of Faith, Morals, and Sacramental practice part of the authentic Magisterium? The silence on the part of most Bishops, both in this country and around the world, has been unsettling.

Is silence consent? Have the Bishops received the Buenos Aires Document as Magisterium?

Am I, as a Catholic, obliged to receive with docility of mind and heart what is now presented in the AAS as binding, even if it contradicts the Old Paradigm of the previous Magisterium?

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We want to know Truths of the Faith because we must both teach them and live by them. We are not looking for what is speculative, theoretical and exceptional but rather, according to Our Lord's precept, a Yes which means Yes and a No which means No.

Urgently in Christ,

[signed]

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/fr.-weinandy-we-are-witnessing-the-disintegration-of-the-churchs-catholicit

[nobamanomore]

Francis is a screwball, but there have been some really corrupt popes in the past. The Church will make it just fine.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Exactly. Well said.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This present one, Francis, I’d doing and will continue to do, a great deal of harm. And he’s not the only one.

The next one up could be Tagle or Parolin. Lord have mercy.

[Mrs. Don-o]

IS doing harm

Typo.

My fingers are too arthritic for Kindle.

[RitaOK]

Of course you’re right that finding these Traditional Catholic Church homes of traditional faith and practices would be the answer and the perfect earthly destination, for the starving and abandoned sheep, where the longing for the comfort of faithful shepherds and their faithful traditional teaching still survives, but all together, the numbers of these localities is so few as to be out of reach and inaccessible.

In the entire USA, the last count I saw there were fewer than 235 FSSP LATIN Churches, and a several of those have been choked off by opposing bishops transferring in. The sppx is nonexistent in all but a very few places.

In fly over country it is very bad. Older people can not make the long trip and many can’t afford it. We are told we can not leave these silent-to-sin and agenda driven churches in our diocese, to participate elsewhere outside our diocese. They say “who will bury you?”, and “you must not leave your Sunday obligation to the Eucharist “.

The people are captives to wolves in such a case. It is very stressful to endure the silence and cowardice of the diocesan agenda and terrible NO mass.

[RitaOK]

Personally, all here in this caucus thread have to be very proud of your letter and rather desperate me particularly.

I am so located as if to be held hostage in molasses.

You have made quite a little stand, whether your letter to the bishop is ever answered, and have done what all faithful Catholics should have done, by now.

We will not be rewarded for tolerating the intolerable without becoming complicit ourselves. We accuse the bishops and of their silence and inaction and tolerance of evil, and we sit and do not admonish our bishops and their snail following priests.

Most of us do not know the name of our arch-bishop, cardinal.

Thank you for the ping, very much.

[TADSLOS]

Excellent response.

[Marchmain]

I like this!

First, it’s not a bishop-bashing letter just listing complaints. They get those all the time and a whining diatribe never even gets up to the bishop.

Second, very clear and specific topics and questions. My impression is you’re a concerned rcia teacher. Referencing certain documents and ideas makes your concerns clear and gives some “meat” for chewing to whoever reads the letter.

Also, this letter expresses exactly what informed Catholics are wondering about. To Catholics who read and try to keep up with ideas, this conveys what we’re all wondering. We see an article or treatise, but what are we really to think? Is there a paradigm shift? Everyone is saying so, but does this effect our faith and our own Christisn lives?

It’s sincere, interesting and specific. I hope you will get an answer and share it with us!

[ADSUM]

The Pope cannot destroy the Catholic Church, it may grow a little smaller. Perhaps there is a need to clean house!

One can control his own actions, but not control everything else.

... unless we do it through logic and reason and the Truth of Jesus.

God is love and will conquer all like He conquered death.

Some may reject Him, but I would rather have Him on my side. Or really, I am on His side.

[ADSUM]

I did write to my archbishop on Amoris Laetitia. Silence .. no reply.

I did send a letter to Archbishop Cupich about his public remarks on receiving Holy Communion. I got a postcard without any response.

I have spoken with others - no significant concern.

I can just imagine how Jesus feels and has the humility to allow it.

[ebb tide]

From your location, I assume your bishop is Richard Stika.

From Stika's statement, "I share in the Pope’s desire to be a pastoral Church, filled with love and mercy, and I welcome the guidance the Holy Father has offered in this richly detailed 260- page document. I have encouraged all of our priests, deacons, and religious to read the entire document before rushing to hasty conclusions—and I invite you to do the same", I would not expect a positive, Catholic response from him.

Bishop Stika comments on Amoris Laetitia

[Marchmain]

I cannot imagine a practicing Catholic not knowing his bishop!? Even the least involved person who only goes to mass occasionally would hear the bishop’s name in the prayers.

The bishop comes around for Confirmation, this is a big deal. Even if someone is totally uninvolved there are occasional announcements in the bulletin about the chancery or bishop’s activities (if nothing else than a fundraiser!).

The diocesan paper, goofy though most of these are, has a regular column by the bishop and other big shots.

I don’t think there is any obligation to get more involved than mass, but it can be beneficial.

[RitaOK]

I said most don’t the Archbishop by name. (Or cardinals.). Everyone knows they have one but not everyone can name them.

[SaraJohnson]

It seems to me (and my sisters) that Pope Francis is a liberation theology adherent and believes in moral relativism. I’m no longer a Catholic; I just read the Bible and pray for truth. But my Catholic sisters are with you.

My sisters will never leave the church, and I never encourage that. But for me, the church was not useful nor trustworthy being the authority over Christianity. My sisters are finding out what it is like to live under the spiritual rule of one they see is unworthy of that authority.

Popes are men and it is to be expected that a twisted one will show up now and then. Look at the history of Popes in the church. The solution to this confusion is to read and study the Bible for truth. Give the Pope a rest. Jesus Christ has not changed and is still with you. God bless you.

[Songcraft]

Great letter, Mrs. Don-o!   Excellent questions, presented in clear language, yet well-modulated tones.   If you do get a real response, and choose to share it here at FR, I hope I get a chance to read it.  (I think your references to your RCIA teaching role should trigger a response from at least someone at your bishop's office, and hopefully that will be from the bishop himself.)

On EWTN's Raymond Arroyo show tonight (3/1/18), he featured a prominent Catholic guest who wrote a book you might be interested in reading.   Here's the Amazon link for that book:

"Lost Shepherd: How Pope Francis is Misleading His Flock"
by Philip F. Lawler

God bless you.

(P.S. Can you forward a copy of your letter to Archbishop Chaput in Philadelphia?   I think that might end up bearing fruit in the future.)

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thanks for you kind words, Pray All Day. I have Lawler's book on my lap right now! I am at page 159. Lawler has the virtues of being fair-minded, not driven by contempt or ire, intelligent, honest, faithful and equable: in other words, a solid Catholic. I can't think of a man I respect more.

And this book is devastating. I never dreamed the Church could have such bad leadership in my lifetime. It is deeply disorienting, surreal, like living in a nightmare.

I will send my letter to Chaput. Maybe Paprocki too. Good men. Thanks for the suggestion.

[Songcraft]

You're way ahead of me there with that book!        :-)

(I'm still just planning on ordering that book myself now, after listening to that interview with the author tonight.)

[RitaOK]

That was a riveting interview with canonist, Phil Lawler.
Mr. Lawler looked heartbroken. We can agree, I believe, that he was.

We never should have accepted the Modernism, cooperated with it, and thrown out the Saint Michael Prayer led by the priest following Holy Mass.

Certainly, we are experiencing due chastisement for our neglects.

[Songcraft]

I believe you are right.