Action Alert!

Cardinal-designate Radcliffe objects...

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Oct 24, 2024

Father (soon to be Cardinal) Timothy Radcliffe, OP, has objected to my recent post about his article in L’Osservatore Romano, and requested that we post this response:

I am told that there is a report in Catholic Culture which asserts that I said that the African Bishops only oppose the marriage of homosexuals because of Russian money. I would be grateful if you could publish my assertion that this is not true. I do not understand how this misunderstanding could have occurred. I did assert that the Catholic Church in Africa is under tremendous pressure from Evangelicals, now Russian Orthodox and Islam, all supported by financial aid. I did not intend in any way to assert that these African bishops, whom I know and love, took their position for financial reasons, or any other reason than sincere conviction.
Thank you,
Timothy Radcliffe OP

The relevant section from Cardinal-designate Radcliffe’s article in L’Osservatore Romano reads as follows:

Another fear raised by Fiducia Supplicans is that there seems to have been no consultation—even with bishops or other Vatican offices—before its release; not exactly, perhaps, a good example of synodality. The African bishops are under heavy pressure from evangelicals, with American money; from Russian Orthodox, with Russian money; and from Muslims, with money from rich Gulf countries. There should have been a discussion with them before, not after, the publication of the statement.

Readers may judge for themselves whether I treated the cardinal-designate’s message unfairly. But careful readers should note that in the post to which he is responding, I did not say that Father Radcliffe had accused the African bishops of taking their stand “because of Russian money.” Quite the contrary. The main thrust of my piece was that if the African bishops were subject to suasion—either by money or by the public pressures that money can buy—they would not have taken their strong united stand against the implementation of Fiducia Supplicans.

Father Radcliffe says that he does not know how I could have misinterpreted his argument. I think I do know why he misinterpreted mine.

Phil Lawler has been a Catholic journalist for more than 30 years. He has edited several Catholic magazines and written eight books. Founder of Catholic World News, he is the news director and lead analyst at CatholicCulture.org. See full bio.

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  • Posted by: oliver_clark58237 - Nov. 04, 2024 8:05 AM ET USA

    Radcliffe and I as students between 1960-65 at Downside Benedictine School, UK were influenced by the position of our housemaster, Fr Martin Salmon osb, on the absolute power of authorisation by consecrated marriage of its helpers reflected in Radcliffe's association with Pope Francis' synod on synodality exposing occult as hidden, incest connected as substitute mate, economic advantage for families of parents in invalid marriages by tax-exemption embezzlements and lower insurance cost by fraud.

  • Posted by: DrJazz - Oct. 25, 2024 8:38 AM ET USA

    Apparently, you cut a little too close to the bone, Phil. He thought he was speaking into the echo chamber, but he "is told" that someone outside of it (i.e., you) had the temerity to criticize his position. So, now he's doing what all the permissives do when caught going too far: Play the victim and start crying.

  • Posted by: ewaughok - Oct. 24, 2024 2:41 PM ET USA

    Fr Radcliffe OP is ideologically bound to the upper class group-think the hag-rides much of the British wealthy. They espouse the most sincere leftist views while taking full advantage of their privileges in their class-dominated society. “It’s almost like hypocrisy!”