Just try and reconcile what Cardinal Burke said recently with what he said publicly less than a year ago. ABS tried, failed, and is now impatiently waiting for cocktail hour (s).
‘Amoris Laetitia’ and the Constant Teaching and Practice of the Church (26725)
‘Amoris Laetitia’ and the Constant Teaching and Practice of the Church (26725)
REGISTER EXCLUSIVE: Cardinal Burke says a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, ‘by its very nature, does not propose new doctrine and discipline, but applies the perennial doctrine and discipline to the situation of the world at the time.’
by CARDINAL RAYMOND BURKE 04/12/2016
Cardinal Raymond Burke
The secular media and even some Catholic media are describing the recently issued post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “Love in the Family,” as a revolution in the Church, as a radical departure from the teaching and practice of the Church, up to now, regarding marriage and the family.
Such a view of the document is both a source of wonder and confusion to the faithful and potentially a source of scandal, not only for the faithful but for others of goodwill who look to Christ and his Church to teach and reflect in practice the truth regarding marriage and its fruit, family life, the first cell of the life of the Church and of every society.
It is also a disservice to the nature of the document as the fruit of the Synod of Bishops, a meeting of bishops representing the universal Church “to assist the Roman pontiff with their counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals and in the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline and to consider questions pertaining to the activity of the Church in the world” (Canon 342). In other words, it would be a contradiction of the work of the Synod of Bishops to set in motion confusion regarding what the Church teaches, safeguards and fosters by her discipline.
The only key to the correct interpretation of Amoris Laetitia is the constant teaching of the Church and her discipline that safeguards and fosters this teaching. Pope Francis makes clear, from the beginning, that the post-synodal apostolic exhortation is not an act of the magisterium (3). The very form of the document confirms the same. It is written as a reflection of the Holy Father on the work of the last two sessions of the Synod of Bishops. For instance, in Chapter Eight, which some wish to interpret as the proposal of a new discipline with obvious implications for the Church’s doctrine, Pope Francis, citing his post-synodal apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, declares:
I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a Church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness, a Mother who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, “always does what good she can, even if in the process her shoes get soiled by the mud of the street” (308). (Dear Franciscus. You desire what we had always had. Why do you denigrate the Church Jesus established?)
In other words, the Holy Father is proposing what he personally believes is the will of Christ for his Church, but he does not intend to impose his point of view, nor to condemn those who insist on what he calls “a more rigorous pastoral care.” The personal, that is, non-magisterial, nature of the document is also evident in the fact that the references cited are principally the final report of the 2015 session of the Synod of Bishops and the addresses and homilies of Pope Francis himself. There is no consistent effort to relate the text, in general, or these citations to the magisterium, the Fathers of the Church and other proven authors.
What is more, as noted above, a document which is the fruit of the Synod of Bishops must always be read in the light of the purpose of the synod itself, namely, to safeguard and foster what the Church has always taught and practiced in accord with her teaching.
In other words, a post-synodal apostolic exhortation, by its very nature, does not propose new doctrine and discipline, but applies the perennial doctrine and discipline to the situation of the world at the time.
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But, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, you were saying the opposite less than a year ago. Back then, you said a change in discipline would mean a change in doctrine.
COMMUNION FOR ADULTERERS & ATTACK ON DOCTRINE
Rorate Caeli: Speaking of that teaching and what we're hearing, you've made news lately by saying you will resist any teaching that's heterodox on marriage, and that Catholics should fight back, which gets to a whole other question we were asking about. What should be the response of faithful Catholics if there is a change in the discipline in regards to Holy Communion for divorced and remarried adulterers?
Card. Burke: I was answering a hypothetical question. Some people have tried to interpret it as an attack on Pope Francis, which it wasn't at all. It was a hypothetical question posed to me, and I simply said, "No authority can command us to act against the truth, and, at the same time, when the truth is under any kind of threat, we have to fight for it." That's what I meant when I said that. When the hypothetical question was put to me, "What if this agenda is pushed?" I said, "Well, I simply have to resist it. That's my duty."
Rorate Caeli: How can a faithful Catholic fight back? Is it in his home? Is it on a blog?
Card Burke: I think you have to keep teaching, in your home and in your own personal life, to hold to the truth of the faith as you know it, and also to speak up about it and to make known to the Holy Father your deep concern, that in fact you cannot accept a change in the Church's discipline which would amount to a change in her teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. Here I think it's very important to address a false dichotomy that's been drawn by some who say, "Oh no, we're just changing disciplines. We're not touching the Church's doctrine." But if you change the Church's discipline with regard to access to Holy Communion by those who are living in adultery, then surely you are changing the Church's doctrine on adultery. You're saying that, in some circumstances, adultery is permissible and even good, if people can live in adultery and still receive the sacraments. That is a very serious matter, and Catholics have to insist that the Church's discipline not be changed in some way which would, in fact, weaken our teaching on one of the most fundamental truths, the truth about marriage and the family.
http://roratecaeli.blogspot.com/2015/03/exclusive-cardinal-burke-interview-with.html
Excuse me, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, but that is exactly what Franciscus just did and yet you gainsay the reality of the situation and claim the exhortation is no biggie.
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La Civilta Cattolica
"AMORIS LAETITIA"
Structure and meaning of the Apostolic Exhortation
post-synod of Pope Francis
Antonio Spadaro SI
Amoris laetitia is the title of the Post-Synodal Apostolic of Pope Francis, signed March 19, 2016 and published on April 8 next. The title says the positive inspiration and open their extensive and rich document. The fundamental concern of the Pope is to reframe the doctrine to the service of the pastoral mission of the Church. The language and the topics covered are permeated by a deep adherence to everyday experience, providing pastoral ways that orient to build strong families and fruitful in God's plan. It also provides a wide reflection on the education of their children and family spirituality . Going beyond all idealism, the Exhortation calls for mercy and discernment even in the face of situations that do not fully respond to what the Lord offers us, reinventing the centrality of conscience and pastoral approach gradually.