Fr. Linus Clovis, St. Lucia
Fr. Linus Clovis, a priest of St. Lucia, delivered an amazing and outstanding address on May 9th to the Rome Life Forum on “The Francis Effect.” I just emailed the link from LifeSiteNews tonight to almost everyone on my mailing list who has some interest in a perspective on what is happening in the Church and what might be expected regarding the Synod. I included a number of non-Catholic friends as well, who have expressed their confusion to me. If anything can be called a “must read” on the subject, the text of Fr. Clovis’s speech would be it. Please help others to be aware of this clear, cohesive and (just maybe?) inspired insight.
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Another example of the wonderful diversity and tolerance to be found in all of Church history up to the present time.
Diversity is not a virtue.
Tolerance of people is required; not tolerance of erroneous doctrine.
militia!!
brilliant!!!
There are experiences of God, God’s Grace and Truth which bring relief and which ease pain, distress or anxiety. Then there are experiences of God, God’s Grace and Truth which do not ease or eliminate painful trials and tribulations but which instead challenge and prepare the believer for trial in the assurance of confident hope.
Reading THE FRANCIS EFFECT by Father Linus Clovis makes me sit up and take notice. Whether I like it or not; whether or not I have been willing to think about it before, Father Clovis is now challenging me to be uncomfortably honest and do some difficult reflection.
That being said, what I refuse to do is make the kinds of assertions which demand a certain competency and ecclesial authority with which I have not, nor ever will be, endowed. No one will ever hear me use and apply words like heretic or anti-pope to anyone not officially declared.
It would, however, be less than honest not to admit, at work in the marketplace, it has become frustrating trying to explain what Pope Francis really means by what ‘reportedly’ he says and does. It is tiring to hear how much our Holy Father is liked by those, who before his pontificate, had little to like about Christ’s Catholic Church and Christ’s Teachings. While I still try to cling to the possibility that Pope Francis is going to lead everyone to Christ in His Church, I have to admit Father Clovis has got my attention. Yet, I refuse to be silenced.
Father Clovis asks rhetorically, ” With Islam growing in strength, could it in our time provide the remedy comparable to that brought by the Chaldean king?”. (see 2 Chronicles 36: 14-17). For 15 years I have reasoned there has been a frightening rise of violent Jihad and a shocking secularization of western civilization because of our own sinful infidelities to the Gospel and because of our failures to proclaim fruitfully the Good News of Jesus Christ due to fear or erroneous theological theories.
God bless Father Clovis for the courage to challenge Catholics to be prepared.
COME, HOLY SPIRIT, COME!
Dom:
Well said!!
http://finance.yahoo.com/video/pope-francis-issuing-political-messages-164414421.html
vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/…/guerra-del-golfo-gulf-war-bush-g…
The preceding comment at 7:33AM has been deleted as being off-topic and potentially plagaristic by reproducing in its entirety a nearly 4 year old partisan political article, without visible authorization, attribution or rationale.
Of more concern: The Huff and Puff post keeps stroking Pope Francis on issues irrelevant to the major issues of the Catholic Church: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-pruett/pope-francis-integral-eco_b_7460058.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
And matters are astir at the Vatican (LifeSiteNews): http://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/criticisms-of-pope-francis-from-within-the-vatican-curia-made-public?utm_source=LifePetitions+petition+signers&utm_campaign=8668ff4dd5-Catholic_LifePetitions_list_update5_28_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c5c75ce940-8668ff4dd5-397724681
Highlight: “Rusconi starts his article with the stunning quote from one of his sources: “Francis has remained with his heart and mind the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. That would also be fine, if he were not, for two years now, the Bishop of Rome and therewith Pope of the Universal Church.”
Highlight: “the last address of Pope Francis to the Curia on December 22 of last year … still burns under the skin of many Curials. ‘If someone would have had the courage to … leave the Sala Clementina while the Pope was presenting his list [of reproaches and accusations], then, I think, all – or nearly all – would have left: right-wing or left-wing, young or old,….’
Thank you, Diane and others… I so needed to know that I am not alone, nor am I under evil influence, in “feeling” as I do these last couple of years about what is coming from Rome. Having been educated in the Church in the 50s and 60s, I cling to what was “given” to me then and will with God’s grace continue on the proper Way. All else is junk. May God be praised and we blessed in all we do! +JMJ
Wondering why that 7:33 AM political article has reappeared!??
Thanks, JLo, for the heads up. It might be my fault that it reappeared. I only moved it into the “unapproved” section; possibly the software allows the posting action if it isn’t moved to trash in a certain amount of time (or maybe if it is unseen for a certain amount of time.) I don’t know what the parameters are exactly, but it has now be removed to the trash bin. If it reappears, please let me know again. Very helpful! Thanks.
They are really losing it …confusion is not of the Holy Spirit, is it?
http://www.cathnewsusa.com/2015/06/vatican-rift-seen-as-popes-spokesman-defends-cardinal-george-pell-on-sex-abuse-inaction-charges/?newsletter=1
Visit the archive at Raymond Arroyo’s “World Over” to hear his interview last week with Cardinal Kasper. There is a very encouraging level of “back pedaling” as Arroyo nails the issues. Enjoy! http://www.ewtn.com/tv/live/worldover.asp
Personally, I think other Cardinals and bishops, listening to the Cardinal’s evasive and ineffective responses, may realize their own inability to handle such questioning (if they had been favoring the Kasper proposal) and may perhaps bring more careful thinking to the Synod. We pray!
And what meaning might the breaking off of the Cross and Corpus section from the papal staff have on Corpus Christi weekend? Just wondering. http://wdtprs.com/blog/2015/06/staff-breaks-staff-it-out/
Thank you, Diane, for posting Raymond Arroyo’s interview with Cardinal Kasper – very informative, and to me, hopeful if, in fact, +Kasper is now “back pedaling.” That said, it would have been good if Arroyo had asked the cardinal if he considers adulterous those second marriages which would be subject of the parallel “process” of penance that he proposes. I suspect his answer would be something to the effect of “objectively, yes” but the priest would get to take into consideration “the internal forum” of conscience and other factors. Then I’d have asked if, now that the couple is informed of the objectively adulterous nature of their relationship, they would be called to abstain from sexual relations and live as brother and sister (since they can no longer claim ignorance or conscience, their consciences having been corrected!). I’d love to hear how he’d answer that question.
The problem, it seems to me, is a pervasive misunderstanding so prevalent these days (especially in the DoR and by some who post on this site) of “conscience.” Conscience is nowadays seen (erroneously) as a free pass to do that which is objectively evil, rather than the requirement to do what is good regardless of the circumstances.
I’ve had a bit more opportunity to reflect on the Cardinal Kasper interview, and what really piqued my interest was how the Cardinal threw out the argument, rather defensively yet smirky, that what the Church binds on earth will be bound in heaven and what the Church looses on earth will be loosed in heaven, and therefore that Christ’s Teaching can just be changed. He has misled himself on several points. First, it is the Church that has been given the authority, not individual priests under local pressure. Second, there is no power for the Church to approve sin on behalf of heaven. There is an immense blindness to really believe Christ, in essence, was saying to Peter, “and whatever you may disagree with me about, go ahead and do it your way.” Third, Cardinal Kasper seems to be caught in the perennial Protestant dilemma of interpreting Scripture as opinion, and without authority. It is how he personally reads scripture, in his own opinion, and not the way the authority of the Church teaches it. Failure to submit to what Christ taught and the Church has affirmed for 2000 years is a very slippery slope that only goes in one direction.
So what prevents his retreat beyond the back-pedalling he’s done? It would not surprise me if he had (as other German bishops have announced they will) gone ahead and readmitted some to the Sacraments who are prevented from full Communion with the Church due to their failure to repent (and amend their lives.) Now Cardinal Kasper is in the same position. Ironic.
Excellent point ,Diane. I, too, was troubled by +Kasper’s quite cavalier attitude toward Our Lord’s bestowing on the Church the power to forgive or hold bound, which he appears to interpret as a blank check of “mercy.” How can a couple in an irregular relationship be forgiven and readmitted to Holy Communion without any intent to amend their lives and ” Go and sin no more?” There really is no way to intellectually reconcile the indissolubility of marriage and this end-run around the nullify process which the cardinal is advancing. Let us pray that the Holy Father exhibits more intellectual rigor than Cardinal Kasper.