9 Comments

A tall order indeed!

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I don't yet disparage the 2023 Synod. I am actually heartened that there is genuine desire to have clergy at all levels listen to the needs and desires of laity, including those at the margins. (Pretty sure Jesus was documented doing the same while He was among us.) But: before He left, Jesus did not establish His church by gathering as many random passersby together and saying something like, "Use your best judgement! And remember to be nice to each other!" What He did do has been documented, and should/will be the way forward until He returns. So from what I have read of the (scrupulously vague, to the point of inducing intellectual vertigo) Preparatory Document, I am left wondering the following: would it not be more charitable to have spelled out in some detail essentially "What This Synod Is *Not*" in some easily understood form? Surely the Church is aware of the currently extreme (to the point of gleeful self-destructiveness) breadth and depth of Western liberalism. Why allow liberalist adherents to even entertain notions of making will-to-power inroads in the Church? That seems rather un-catholic. (It also opens the door to global media attempts to push the narrative that the Church is engaged in a kind of cultural 3-card monte - and said media has already proven it has no ethical lower bound.)

We'll see what grows from this mustard seed. The Holy Spirit, being an aspect of the Trinity, can move mountains - and even men's hearts (which, when you ponder that, is _really_ impressive). We should remain confident that Mother Church will prevail in the end, but that speaks little to the road which leads there.

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The Synod is inevitable to lead to extreme polarisation, far beyond the already terrible state of affairs in that regard. Can you agree that Vatican 2, whatever your own feelings about it is, have been division and a disjointed church? Well you aint seen nothing yet, because the upcoming Synod will have more division, except multiplied by orders of magnitude, in the divisive climate of social media and hyper-partisan traditional media.

I don't see how anyone can live in the current world of 2021 and not realize that severe fractioning and schism - probably on multiple fronts and far beyond what we have ever seen since at least the 16th century - are inevitable results of such a Synod.

Hence, the most logical conclusion is that there are significant forces at work who *want* such fracturing to happen, and they are at the driving seat to making this Synod happen.

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'McAleese suggested that, despite being an “ultra-conservative”, the “very disorganized” Pope Francis may have “in his own chaotic way” opened the door to the reforms she wants to see via the synodal process. ' She got one thing right! Pope Frances does appear to be very disorganized, and this opens the doors for all kinds of things and people.

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I’m so sick and tired of the Root and Branch Synod type of people. They are clearly Protestants. They and those of their ilk need to acknowledge this and betake themselves to the Anglicans or Methodists or whatever sect is fashionable. No synod, council, or Pope can change Doctrine. Truth is truth. Period. Full stop. People’s feelings, thoughts, and opinions are utterly and totally irrelevant. So, Root and Branch Synod, goodbye and good luck; keep warm and well fed; and don’t let the door hit ya in the posterior.

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i know!!! the church according to pope McAleeze…. why she would do well to wear the mitre as does Joe Biden…. and all the other un listed self mitred people around the world that promotes the very stuff the world wants to hear so anything goes anytime you want it…

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