Cardinal Sarah, commenting on Synod, says the Church must swim against the current
May 28, 2015
Free eBook:
|
| Free eBook: Liturgical Year 2023-2024, Vol. 4 |
Cardinal Robert Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said that “today the Church must fight against the current, with courage and hope, and not to be afraid to raise its voice to denounce deception and manipulation and false prophets.”
The prelate made his remarks during a recent talk at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute in Rome.
At the upcoming Synod of Bishops, “people believe that there will be a revolution, but it will not be so,” he said, “because the doctrine does not belong to anyone, but it is Christ’s.”
At the last synod, he continued, “it was clear that the real focus was not and is not only the question of the remarried divorced persons,” but “whether the doctrine of the Church is to be considered an unattainable ideal, unrealizable and therefore in need of a downward adjustment to be proposed to today's society.”
Cardinal Sarah said that “today one of the most dangerous ideologies is that of gender, according to which there are no ontological differences between man and woman, and male and female identity would not be written in nature.”
“To say that human sexuality does not depend on the identity of man and woman, but a sexual orientation, such as homosexuality, is a dreamlike totalitarianism, it is a real ideology which effectively denies the reality of things … The Church cannot promote a new concept of the family. Homosexual persons are the first victims of this drift."
Stating that the Church should not “use the words that are used in the United Nations,” he said that “we have a vocabulary to express what we believe. If the Eucharist is only a meal, we can also give Communion to divorced persons who contradict the covenant.”
He added:
The fact is that we are imprecise in using Christian words as “mercy.” Without explaining what it is, we deceive people … Christ was merciful, but said that breaking the marriage is adultery. The sinner, without repentance, cannot approach the Body of Christ … [It is] a profanation of His Body.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: nix898049 -
May. 29, 2015 3:02 PM ET USA
He makes reference to the focus on DOCTRINE as unattainable ideal in need of a downward adjustment. The poet wrote, "Man's reach should always exceed his grasp - else what's a Heaven for?" That's what came to mind when I read that. Troubling.
-
Posted by: doughlousek7433 -
May. 29, 2015 1:04 PM ET USA
Really glad to finally see reality in print!
-
Posted by: bruno.cicconi7491 -
May. 29, 2015 2:22 AM ET USA
Cardinal Sarah inspires me!
-
Posted by: Faustina01 -
May. 28, 2015 11:28 PM ET USA
This I recognize as Catholic teaching! Thank you, God, for Cardinal Sarah!
-
Posted by: Randal Mandock -
May. 28, 2015 7:06 PM ET USA
Cardinal Sarah's words should be read by every schoolboy: "Today one of the most dangerous ideologies is that of gender." The ideology of gender represents a shift in the meaning of person. No longer is a person defined by his ontological nature, but rather by his choice of behavior; e.g., masculine, feminine, neuter. Were you and I asked if we wanted to subscribe to this new view of "reality?" No. Thus the Cardinal's identification of the ideology with totalitarianism.
