Renew The Church! – website and Blog

Pope Francis was something of a surprise upon his election to the papacy.  His chosen papal name, “Francis” was unique and intriguing, his expressed concern for the poor and humble of the earth was inviting, his behaviors at first promising of a simple, sincere, honest representation of Christ the poor one in a hostile and materialistic world.  That was 10 years ago.

Waving the Rainbow Flag

In those ten years, a revolutionary side of the Jesuit priest Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina, land of revolutionary “liberation theology,” began to emerge.  Traditional conservative Catholics were troubled but trusting; liberal-leaning progressives in the Church were excited and hungry for more.  This latter group, still clinging to the  conveniently pliable “Spirit of Vatican II” that had been suppressed and corrected strongly by John Paul II and reinforced by Benedict XVI, began to emerge with a new and very different hero in the Vatican: Pope Francis.

I will not recount the many troubling acts and words – and inactions and duplicities – of Francis up to now.  It is a long, growing, disturbing foreboding story that may well bring forth the last of the Last Days described by our Lord, times sure to come before the final triumph of good over evil: the second and final coming of Christ as King over all Creation.

The revolution of Francis on the moral issue of homosexuality – specifically, “gay” equivalence – began with his enigmatic “who am I to judge?” comment on the matter years ago, 2013. Today it is bearing bitter and deeply troubling “fruit”.  The LifeSite News headline, become a title to this essay, says it all:

Pope Francis publishes norms for clergy to ‘bless’ homosexual couples

The stunning contradiction to the Catholic Faith that this “new reality” introduces, is obvious by referencing the universal Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoted below.  This Catechism was promoted by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997 as an “authoritative exposition of the one and perennial apostolic faith, and it will serve as a ‘valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion’ and as a ‘sure norm for teaching the faith….’” And although this Catechism was and is for all Catholics, it was written “primarily” for the bishops of the Church, and for all catechists who teach the Faith, that all might communicate the “the one, perennial deposit of faith” with one voice.

Apparently then-Bishop Bergoglio, now Pope Francis, did not agree either then or now.

First see in the Catechism (bold added here for emphasis) the clear Truth entrusted perennially to this Church:

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. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. 

Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity (1), tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered”(2). 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. 

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. 

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. 

Notes:
1. Cf. Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1:24-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10.
2. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1975, Persona humana 8

Pope Francis clearly has a radically different idea, deeply disturbing to the Catholic faithful. Following below is a response from one faithful Catholic priest.  In the light of Catholic tradition and teaching, the Rev. Gerald Murray of the Archdiocese of New York, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in down-town Manhattan, commented on this new and problematic extension of Catholic blessings on homosexual persons in unions together.  The NewsMax interview reports:

“It’s the groundwork for redefining the nature of sin because basically the church has always said that sex outside of marriage is sinful, so all homosexual activity is sinful,” Murray told “The Chris Salcedo Show.” “The document also talks about people who are in invalid second marriages, the church says, according to the words of Christ, that is adultery. So now the church is saying that your behavior is gravely sinful, offensive to God, but the church should bless you. And what does a blessing mean? It means that we ask God to favor you in that relationship. This is absurd. This is a horrific document. It is revolutionary.

“All kinds of distinctions were made [in the document] saying well, this isn’t blessing it, in view of it being recognized as a marriage. Fine, that’s what the church says. But you know exactly what’s going to happen. The document that says people seeking the blessings shouldn’t get dressed up in wedding garments … and come the same day as they have their civil ceremony. Well, people are going to do what they want, and this is really very upsetting. This is not how the Catholic Church has ever conducted himself, and I’m very upset by what the pope has done.”

Murray said the document claims it is an “innovation,” or a “development of the church’s teaching,” but he contended “that is a specious claim.”

“It’s an innovation, meaning it’s something new that was never there before,” he said. “But it’s not a development of the church’s teaching; it’s a contradiction and a corruption of that teaching.

“Here I am, I’m a parish priest, and I give a class on Catholic morality, and I say that homosexual activity is immoral and people shouldn’t do it; well at the end of the class if two men come up to me and say, ‘Well, you know, Father, I heard what you said, but I don’t agree with that. Neither does my partner, and we’re married civilly, and we’d like you to bless our relationship, and by the way, Pope Francis said you should bless our relationship,’ this is the contradiction that we’re living.”

Brothers and sisters, we need to pray as never before, for faithful guidance, for personal fidelity to Truth and for the fortitude to live it.  Contradiction cannot stand!  It will fall.  These are very troubling times!  And they are not over yet.  But in Christ, in His truth, is all that we need to stay safe – if we will remain in Him.  What a privilege He offers to us!  It is possible with and by His grace, to remain in the safety, the holiness and the peace of Christ, King of all Creation!