Vatican officials prepared to forget teaching of St. John Paul II?

July 09, 2015

Writing for the Catholic Herald, Father Raymond de Souza argues that some leading Vatican officials seem intent on downplaying the legacy of St. John Paul II.

Father de Souza mentions three pieces of evidence for his complaint:

First, during the canonization of the late Polish Pontiff, there was no public acknowledgement of his longtime personal secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz—who happened to be celebrating his 75th birthday.

Second, the new papal encyclical Laudato Si’ cites St. John Paul II frequently, but ignores the portion of Centesimus Annus in which the late Pontiff defends the free market.

Third and most important, the working document (Instrumentum Laboris) of the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops gives short shrift to the teaching of St. John Paul II on marriage and family life. Father de Souza writes:

On that subject, the Instrumentum Laboris recommends proceeding “without prejudice to recommendations made in Familiaris Consortio” (#121) – a rather odd approach to John Paul’s authoritative teaching. Indeed, the preparatory document labours mightily to obscure what John Paul taught clearly, and to open questions that he had resolved.

 

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Further information:

• Forgetting the unforgettable pope (Catholic Herald)