Pope Francis’ special appointees to the upcoming Synod on the Family include prelates who support positions contrary to the teaching or practice of the Catholic Church.
The list of special papal appointees include the following liberal prelates:
Walter Cardinal Kasper, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity
Godfried Cardinal Danneels, Archbishop Emeritus of Mechlin-Brussels
John Cardinal Dew, Archbishop of Wellington
Oscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa
Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Archbishop of Vienna
Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington
Archbishop Blaise Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago
Reinhard Cardinal Marx, Archbishop of Münich and Freising
Archbishop Bruno Forte, Special Secretary of the Synod
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin
The list of special appointees also includes Mgr Pio Vito Pinto, who headed the commission that introduced radical annulment reforms last week. In an article in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, Mgr Pinto openly stated that the reforms are intended by the Holy Father to (a) benefit the “divorced and remarried” and (b) greatly increase the number of marriages declared null.
In an interview with Portuguese broadcaster Radio Renascenca Pope Francis confirmed that the Instrumentum Laboris would be the basis for discussion at the Synod.
The Instrumentum Laboris constitutes a direct attack on the entire edifice of Catholic doctrine on life, marriage and the family. In particular it does this by:
Undermining the doctrine of Humanae Vitae by proposing a false understanding of the relationship between conscience and the moral law (paragraph 137)
Discussing artificial methods of reproduction without giving any judgement on the morality of such methods or making any reference to previous Catholic teaching, or to the enormous loss of human life that results from their use (paragraph 34)
Proposing the admission of the “divorced and remarried” to Holy Communion without amendment of life (paragraphs 120-125) – Reducing the indissolubility of marriage to the level of an “ideal” (paragraph 42)
Suggesting that cohabitation and “living together” have “positive aspects” and can, to some extent, be considered legitimate forms of union (paragraphs 57, 61, 63, 99, 102)
Preparing the ground for the acceptance of same-sex unions by acknowledging the need to define “the specific character of such unions in society” (paragraph 8)
Denying the full rights of parents regarding the provision of sex education to their children (paragraph 86)
The time has come for all Catholics to recognize the full gravity of the crisis that now engulfs the Church. Everyone has the right and the duty to defend Catholic doctrine and practice from attacks by members of the hierarchy. ∎
by Voice of the Family, from www.voiceofthefamily.info