The progressive portal "National Catholic Reporter" indicates a disturbing regularity. This year, unlike the erstwhile controversial synods of Francis, there is no serious opposition among the conservative part of Catholic public opinion.
Both in 2015, during the alleged Synod on Family, and during the alleged Synod on Youth in 2018, and then the alleged Amazon Synod in 2019, there was a clear opposition of conservative environments to the direction they took.
During the Synod about the family, a group of cardinals wrote a letter to Pope Francis, cautioning against loosening the doctrine of divorce, re-civil unions or homosexual unions.
Then, during the youth synod, a group of prominent conservative writers and public personalities warned against deviation from the right course. A year later, opposition to the synod was to scope the apogee erstwhile "wandales stole indigenous figures and threw them into Tiber in Rome as part of a protest against the Amazonian synod, which faced environmental problems and deficiency of access to sacraments in the region of 9 South American states" – as reported by the Liberal NCR.
Even as noted, then Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro sent his people to the Vatican to monitor events taking place in Rome and influence media opinion against certain synod proposals.
"However, this year, erstwhile Francis' long-standing synod on synodality is approaching the end of October 27, opposition has effectively stopped," notes the National Catholic Reporter.
The average adds that "this represents a clear contrast" compared to last year, erstwhile "before the first session of the synod on the synodity of utmost right-wing Latin American groups, having deep ties to conventional Catholics in the United States, published a book titled The Synodal Process is simply a Pandora’s BoxIt’s okay. ”
The book was published in 8 languages and reached the hands of respective Synod delegates and Vatican Curia officials. Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke presented the content of the book and his arguments against the synod just before the Synod began.
Today, however, the “conservative” does not even want to make fun of the synod, as Father Raymond de Souza noted in "First Things" on the eve of this year's Synod Assembly.
This year the organization of any event accompanying the synod was abandoned by opponents of the synod process, during which it would be respected. It seems – as the portal writes – that “even reporters from right-wing online media who spent years beating the alarm against the synod.” Printed newspapers are silent and there is no consequence in the Vatican press office.
In translating this phenomenon, Fr Thomas Reese, who has been observing the synod since 1985, claims that “the explanation is truly very simple.” The Jesuit indicates that this is due to the fact that "Franciszek removed all controversial hot issues from the agenda, so the Conservatives have nothing to complain about". They can even blow off a victory.
Controversial issues were moved at the beginning of this year to 10 peculiar survey groups, which would supply "a broader reflection on any of the most disputed issues of the synod, including women's deacon and LGBTQ affairs," we read.
The groups have time to prepare a summary of their work by June 2025. Thus, most of the discussions on cases that dominated synod discussions last year were moved outside the synod room. This resulted in a clear change from erstwhile synods in the Francis era.
Previous synod debates on, for example, the reception of Holy Communion by divorcees surviving in re-union, female services in the Church, or the attitude towards representatives of alleged sexual minorities who do not want to renounce attachment to sinful life, aroused broad media interest as well as church progressive reformers and their opponents.
During this year's synod, the most concrete changes concern the revision of canon law to advance transparency and accountability.
In his final article before his death in January 2023, Australian Cardinal George Pell wrote about the impending "toxic nightmare", the final phase of the synod about synodity. "But erstwhile the Pope's survey groups stopped the dreams of many supporters of reform," NCR suggests, "conservatives" felt that there was no point in beating the alarm.
Cardinal George Pell's article, which published on 11 January 2023 "The Spectator" referred to a brochure published after expected synod consultations in parishes. Hierarch pointed out the inconsistency of the document, its "neomarksist jargon" and "an hostility to the apostolic tradition" and the ignoring of specified fundamental Christian principles as belief in the divine judgment, heaven and hell.
Born in Australia, a clergyman who was liable for the financial improvement of the Holy See, and who endured very bad prison conditions in his native country under false sexual harassment charges before being acquitted, wrote an article without expecting specified fast death. He was “prepared to face the rage of Pope Francis and the organizers” of the synod.
Card. Pell pointed out that the 45-page brochure, which presented a discussion study on the first phase of “hearing and discernment” held in many parts of the world, was “one of the most inconsistent papers always sent from Rome”.
According to the Vatican document, "synodity as a way of being a Church, it is not to be defined, but simply lived. It revolves around 5 creative tensions, starting with extremist inclusion and moving on to a participatory-style mission, practicing joint work with another believers and people of good willIt’s okay. ”
The clergyman noted that “because of differences of opinion on abortion, contraception, priestly ordination of women, and homosexual activity, any felt that it was impossible to establish or propose any definitive positions on these issues. This besides applies to polygamy, divorce and remarriage." "However, the paper makes clear the peculiar problem of the lower position of women and the dangers of clericalism, although the affirmative contribution of many priests is acknowledged. What can be judged about this mishmas, this outpouring of the goodwill of fresh Age? This is not a summary of Catholic religion or the teaching of the fresh Testament. The paper is incomplete, in a crucial way hostile to the apostolic tradition, and nowhere recognizes the fresh Testament as God's Word, normative to all teachings concerning religion and morality. The Old Testament is ignored, the patriarchy rejected, and the Mosaic Law, including the 10 Commandments, is not recognized," the cardinal wrote. Pell.
He added that the last 2 sessions of the synod on synodality “must explain their teaching on moral issues, due to the fact that the Relator (the chief author and manager) Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich publically rejected the Church's basic teachings on sexuality, claiming that they were contrary to modern science. In average times, this would mean that his continued function as a Relator would be inappropriate, even impossible. Synods must choose whether they are servants and defenders of the apostolic tradition in matters of religion and morality, or discernment forces them to assert their sovereignty over Catholic teaching.”
Hierarch wrote: “Beyond the synod, discipline relaxes—especially in Northern Europe, where respective bishops have not been reprimanded, even after the bishop’s right to object; de facto pluralism already exists more widely in any parishes and orders on issues specified as the blessing of homosexual activity. The diocesan bishops are the successors of the apostles, the chief teachers in all diocese and the centre of local unity for their people, and universal unity around the Pope, Peter's successor. Since the time of St. Irenaeus of Lyon, the bishop has besides been a warrant of constant faithfulness to the teaching of Christ, the apostolic tradition. They are governors and sometimes judges, as well as teachers and celebrities of the sacraments, not just wall flowers or symbols.”
Card. Pell, criticizing the principles of the organization and conduct of the synod on synodality, besides pointed out that giving the pope “only the views of the organizational committee so that he can do what he decides is an abuse of synodity, the marginalization of bishops, which is unwarranted by Scripture or tradition. This is not a appropriate process and is being manipulated."
He expected further deepening of divisions and attacking conventional morality. He criticised "the inclusion in the dialog of neo-Marxist jargon on exclusion, alienation, identity, marginalization, voiceless persons, LGBTQ, and the denial of Christian concepts of forgiveness, sin, sacrifice, healing, redemption". He criticized silence about the afterlife, reward or punishment, the eventual things: death and judgment, heaven and hell.
Finally, he pointed out that "the synod road neglected and even degraded transcendence, covered Christ's central place with appeals to the Holy Spirit."
Source: ncronline.org, spectator.co.uk
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