From Rorate Caeli comes this excellent article which contains the text of the recent Declaration of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) in preparation for the Synod of Bishops this coming October, as well as an analysis of the text. Save yourself some time and aggravation (at least, the tone and content of the Declaration aggravated me) and start by scrolling down to the Analysis.
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/05/blackmail-schism-threats-and-brave-new.html
The ZdK claims it is making "a contribution to the debate" with this Declaration. To me, it looks more like a condescending threat of schism unless the Magisterium follows the Germans' lead in rank capitulation to the secular tyranny that is, before our eyes, purporting to redefine the essence of human sexuality and deny everything the Church has taught on the subject for two millennia. According to the ZdK, Magisterial teaching ought to be based not on natural law and Divine Revelation, but rather on "the life realities of the faithful...". In other words, ZdK openly advocates that the Church adopt a wholly subjective view of the world, which abandons the very foundations of Christian life in favor of the worst possible degree of moral relativism.
What their real motivation is, behind all the disingenuous, ambiguity-laden "mercy-speak", is not stated and is not for us to judge. But we can and must judge the document on its face, and it has to be recognized as pointing to heresy and the road to eternal perdition. The mission of the Church is to save souls in Christ, not to lead them to Hell. Pray, pray, pray for the Church in Germany and throughout the world.
UPDATE: Not all the news from Germany is bad. At least six German Bishops have publicly stated their adherence to Church teaching and strongly criticized the ZdK declaration. For a report see this blog by Edward Pentin of the National Catholic Register. This had already been published when I first posted the above comments, but I missed it.
Laudator Jesus Christus!
Many thanks for your post and referencing this article, Frank. It is really distressing to see this statement issued by this German Catholic organization. To me, it's a classic tilt toward modernism at its worst. I wonder what the "average" German Catholic thinks about this statement...if this ZdK group is in the vanguard of German Catholic consensus...or a scandal to their country's faithful. My hope and prayer is that there will be time before, at and after the Synod this year that this statement will serve as an instructive example of the polar opposite of established Church doctrine and serve to further clarify the role of Magisterial teaching in service to the faithful.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to tell at this stage what the average German Catholic thinks. The ZdK claims they overwhelmingly support capitulation to the Zeitgeist, based on the results of the Holy See survey which was distributed to registered Catholics, but I have seen some credible sources among veteran Church-watchers who are skeptical of the claimed results. Mas attendance there is overall in the single digits, but it may be higher in rural areas where the Faith has always been stronger. We can only continue to watch and pray.
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