By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
In recent weeks the Pope hosted the “Humanum” conference in Rome. In his remarks of welcome he clearly reiterated his commitment to the right of children to have both a mother and a father while stating that marriages and families cannot be redefined by or subject to manipulation by ideologies. (See p. 4B of this week’s Wanderer for the full text.)
Interestingly, those who have attempted to co-opt him for an alien agenda are beginning to bristle with displeasure. In response to Pope Francis’ “Humanum” comments, Franco Grillini, the head of “Gaynet,” responded, according to Alessandro Gisotti of Vatican Radio, with the withering comment that the Pope is “a false progressive” because he affirms as he does that a child needs to have both a mother and a father.
Also in recent days Francis Cardinal George, OMI, stepped down as the ordinary of Chicago and his successor Blase Cupich took the reins. Cupich has already raised the white flag in regard to Catholic culture war issues and has thus ensured himself a warm welcome by the worldly elite in the windy city. News accounts are serving up information about his so-called agenda. We can certainly pray that it will be no less identifiable with the agenda of the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls, as was the episcopal ministry of his wise and good predecessor Cardinal George, and even perhaps as heroic.
In an interview in connection with his transition, Cardinal George commented that “the Church is about true/false, not left/right.” That can be helpful counsel in this period between the Synod on the Family 2014 and its concluding effort at the upcoming Synod 2015. Some media savants continue to feed a narrative of left and right or progressive and conservative.
I would suggest that Cardinal George’s comments might help us better understand where Pope Francis is coming from. George voices what is on the minds of many when he reveals that the question he would like to ask the Pope is, “What are your intentions?” should he get the opportunity to travel to Rome in the time left to him as he continues his battle with cancer.
While there were elements at Synod 2014 that fed the so-called progressive narrative, such as Pope Francis’ surprise appointment of six prelates to help lead the proceedings after the synod bishops themselves elected a group labeled collectively more conservative, together with the publishing of the troubling midterm relatio in a vacuum, after the preceding synod deliberations had been kept secret. Allaying fears was the reassuring final letter by the Holy Father on the occasion of the closing of the synod that quoted Pope Benedict at length.
All of these indicators were then followed by the “Humanum” conference with its stated objective made clear by Pope Francis that male/female complementarity is essential to marriage and cannot be revised by contemporary ideologies.
Also offering context was a recent election within the Italian bishops’ conference, which was lost by Archbishop Bruno Forte. By a vote of 140-60, Bishop Mario Meini of Fiesole defeated Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto in an election for the vice presidency of that conference. Forte came out of Synod 2014 labeled as a villain for his part in the confusing, and for some scandalous, midterm relatio, and the election results may be a hint as to the nature of the review of his performance by his fraternal cooperators.
Vatican correspondent John L. Allen Jr. responded to the event by saying that sometimes “a cigar is just a cigar.” This was followed by a news item on the Rorate Caeli website that made clear Allen’s analysis was very much off the mark.
Signs are that some of the bishops are beginning to find their voice and to demand and promote the clarity in moral teaching that was very much lacking under the synod machinations of Lorenzo Cardinal Baldisseri and Archbishop Forte, who are clearly within the Walter Cardinal Kasper camp.
A seminarian attending the recent talk by Cardinal Kasper at Catholic University in connection with his reception of the Laetare Medal messaged me through Twitter to ask if I planned to attend. When I responded that, no, I was not, he informed me that there was a considerable retinue of priests and seminarians present. I suggested he ask Cardinal Kasper if we are planning to limit marriage to two spouses, one sacramental and the other “any additional one of your choosing.”
This is, in fact, what Cardinal Kasper is recommending by suggesting that a second civil marriage, in addition to an initial sacramental marriage, be blessed by the conferral of the reception of Communion. The departure from logic inherent in such a move would be crossing a kind of Rubicon. Faith is built always upon reason, although some mysteries of faith such as the Trinity beckon us beyond the mere use of reason strictly speaking. The idea, however, that reception of Holy Communion by a person in an un-graced way of living can confer the grace that is lacking is a clear departure from both reason and faith. To demand that our people integrate such a glaring contradiction within the edifice of faith may threaten the whole construction.
The evening of the Kasper talk in Washington, I was a short distance away from D.C., having dinner with a priest friend at a restaurant where a certain visiting cardinal happened in for a meal. I stopped to chat with him on my way out, commenting that he had not attended the Kasper ceremony at Catholic University. He responded wittily, “Who’s Cardinal Kasper?” Clearly not all are glowing in admiration of the great innovator.
As a final thought, perhaps Pope Francis is asking us to accompany others as long as it takes, while keeping in view and enunciating the clear and unchanging moral teaching that is readily accessible to all and sundry in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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(Follow Fr. Cusick on Facebook at Reverendo Padre-Kevin Michael Cusick and on Twitter @MCITLFrAphorism. Father blogs occasionally at mcitl.blogspot.com and APriestLife.blogspot.com. You can email Father at mcitl.blogspot.com@gmail.com.)
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