While I had been wondering where this one was headed, this result has a Francis-logic to it: maximum stress and anger and then, not a decision, but a postponement and referral where the ultimate decision will be obvious. It is his oft-stated intention that we need to do and think and pray more, and he has said that conflict brings honesty. In the end, the doctrine holds. I wonder how the faithful held on during the Babylonian Caltivity, or the Holy League. This is frankly nothing compared to that.

The priest who had so much to do with my conversion, Fr Columba Enright, TOR, RIP, used to make people think he was a liberal because he was the opposite of Francis, hated conflict. He’s the reason I know so much doctrine, though: he held back as we went to one departmental lunch and bent my ear on a point of doctrine “because I want you to get this right.” That I recently made a mistake on the canonical status of SSPX would have annoyed him, but he was a strictly Roma Locuta Est guy, as am I. During one dinner before he left for another assignment, and then on to his reward, I waited for a moment when everyone was talking and said quietly to him,”You’re pre-conciliar. You believe the Church is always going to win.” He jabbed his finger at me triumphantly and said,”that’s exactly right!” I have grown to appreciate the wisdom of that over the years. Here, the doctrine held.

Oh, and I know this Pope has given the doctrine of infallibility a workout, but he is certainly a corrective to those who think anything a Pope says is of equal authority. But the doctrine held.


Kenneth

http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2018/06/04/francis-blocks-the-document-by-the-german-bishops-in-favor-of-intercommunion-the-complete-text-of-the-letter/