Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney and a member of the Congregation for Bishops, said: "Sometimes we have to give the Church's moral teaching in a political situation where we know it is almost impossible that it is going to be accepted ... Even in those situations we are still obliged prudently and sensibly to present the truth."
Speaking at a press briefing during the Synod on the New Evangelisation in Rome last week, he said: "I would be tempted to say that we have been a little bit too accommodating. And I am not sure that it has worked to our benefit."
11 comments:
We're all starving for 'prudent and sensible' truth. We can find out about the imprudent and insensible in the religious sections of contemporary bookstores.
He's not sure!! Where has he been for the last forty years??
EF Pastor,
You might well say that, I couldn't possibly comment.
2c,s and 2m,s
Well it's progress from the stance of 'not getting into fights that we cannot win'. However it would be nice to hear an English speaking prelate say that we must proclaim the truth loudly and uncompromisingly and the less popular the truth, the more frequently and loudly it must be proclaimed. Perhaps in that way some souls might be saved.
Accommodating? Capitulation more like. Stating the case according to Catholic teaching doesn't have to be made clear by shouting in battle mode. Calm reason and authoritative theological argument are the better weapons. Of course, they take some intelligence to master.
Sadly, it seems that growing public disquiet reported in the media regarding the LCP and the high rate of abortions is ahead of the church in England and Wales.
accomdodating is a rather nice way of saying being lukewarm/afraid of speaking the truth. Better late than never I suppose.
My experience of Cardinal Pell is that he has never, ever, shrunk from proclaiming the truth even when he knows that he will not be listened to. I would say that the whole of Australia knows that he is no shrinking violet.
Fr Martin Thompson put it this way
"This is the church's teaching. We know it is hard and you are not going to keep to it. The confessional box is over there" [points]
Tell that to Lord Alton of Liverpool!
The attitude in this gentle realization reminds me of what a university chaplain told us on Ash Wednesday: "I'm not going to talk to you about fasting and penance, because you won't do it anyways. But we should try to do more for Jesus.... like loving each other...."
Pastors of souls... say this stuff.... then a few years/decades later realize it's insufficient but lack the will to do anything about it.
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