The Day Before: Apprehension about Release of Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia”

One more day till release…

The Day Before:
Novus Ordo Adherents Apprehensive about Post-Synodal “Apostolic Exhortation” Amoris Laetitia

Don’t worry, buddy, Jimmy Akin’s got this!

What, oh what will Francis do?

Nothing shows trust and confidence in the Petrine office as the guarantee of orthodoxy and sound morals better than hysterically anticipating the theological equivalent of a nuclear detonation because “the Pope” will make a decision about whether publicly unrepentant adulterers can receive “Holy Communion”. In the Catholic Church, there would be nothing to decide on this topic. If a document were to be issued on it, it would contain one word: “No!” Or maybe two words: “Heck no!”

In the pseudo-Catholic Vatican II religion, on the other hand, anything is possible. For this reason, its conservative and traditionalist adherents are scared to pieces because the man they believe is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, is about to cast the dice on the issue. And when Jorge Bergoglio — “Pope Francis” — opens his mouth, everybody better run for the hills, because no one does chaos better than Chaos Frank!

The preponderance of indications about the essential content of the upcoming document has been rather dismal:

• “Cardinal” Kasper’s comments that the exhortation will mark a watershed moment
• The choice of the presenters of the document at Friday’s press conference in Vatican City: The two liberal “Cardinals” Schonborn and Baldisseri, joined by Francesco Miano, a philosopher who specializes in situation ethics, and his wife, Giuseppina De Simone, whose doctoral dissertation in theology was on the “phenomenology of Christianity”
• Francis’ advisory council not meeting even once to discuss the exhortation, even though the post-synodal council was created for that very purpose
• “Conservative” Modernists like “Cardinals” Muller and Sarah seeing the need to proactively restate the impermissibility of unrepentant public sinners’ reception of the sacraments
• “Cardinal” Brandmuller’s pre-emptive warning to interpret the exhortation “in light of tradition”!
• “Cardinal” Baldisseri stating that the document will advocate “doctrinal unity in pastoral plurality”!
• The Vatican’s “Pontifical Council for the Family” putting the world’s “bishops” on notice to hold special conferences in their dioceses to “prepare all the faithful” for the reception of the “papal” document
• The Vatican’s reading guide for the exhortation saying: “We are not meant to fit pastoral care to doctrine, but to preserve the original, constitutive pastoral seal of doctrine”
• The Vatican’s preview that Francis condemns rigid “Gnosticism” and “Neo-Pelagianism” in the document
• The fact that under “Archbishop” Bergoglio, reception of the “sacraments” by adulterers was, if not permitted, at least tolerated in Buenos Aires
• The fact that the main drafter of the text — the “ghostwriter”, so to speak — is the infamous Argentine “Archbishop” Victor Manuel Fernandez, who likewise drafted the prior exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, as well as the encyclical Laudato Si’. Fernandez is the author of the book Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing, which we blogged about here, and the rector of the so-called Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina

Surely the wait for the release of this “Apostolic Exhortation” is unbearable for many. At Novus Ordo Watch, we understand this. To help you pass the time, we’ve created a little informational clip on this “Archbishop” Fernandez, who plays such an important role in Francis’ life, with the title “Smoochie the Ghostwriter”:

Still can’t stomach what the news might be tomorrow? Still scared?

Don’t be. Because as a conservative Novus Ordo, you can relax: Jimmy Akin is there. He will no doubt be on stand-by to break it down for you, to “explain” how no matter what happens, all is well, and Francis’ decision is in line with whatever it needs to be in line with, so there is nothing to worry about. It may require 36 things to know and share, but then again, that’s what he gets paid the big bucks to do. “Explaining Francis so you don’t have to” — that’s his job.

Alternatively, if you’re not a conservative Novus Ordo but a “traditionalist” who acknowledges Francis as the Pope of the Catholic Church, there isn’t really anything for you to get bent out of shape over, either. Worst case scenario is that you will simply have one more big thing to add to the ever-growing heap of outrages, blasphemies, heresies, errors, and other scandals that ultimately don’t make a difference to anything for you. It has not affected what you believe or do in the past, so why should it now? As far as your life goes, Francis might as well not be Pope, so what’s the big deal? Keep telling yourself that, even though your religion has nothing to do with the “Pope” at all, you are still a faithful Catholic simply because you believe Francis is Pope. Too bad that this insistence on Francis being Pope has necessarily made you stop believing in the Papacy. But at least you’re not like those evil sedevacantists, who do believe in the Papacy and therefore do not believe Francis is Pope.

If, on the other hand, you’re a sedevacantist: Make popcorn.

Tomorrow, April 8, we will provide full coverage of the release of this so-called Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. Beginning at 5:30 am ET (11:30 am CET/Rome), we will be tweeting live from our Twitter account @NovusOrdoWatch (you can sign up for Twitter here or simply read our live feed here). We will also have special live coverage on this blog, where we will embed the Twitter stream and also the live video broadcast from Vatican City. Our special coverage will feature select links to relevant news stories, commentaries, blogs, and other media. Depending on what the document actually says, we may even produce a special episode of our TRADCAST podcast and release it later in the day.

In short: We will be “watching”! So stay tuned to the Novus Ordo Wire, and remember also that you can stay up to date with us by following us on social media and subscribing to our RSS feeds:

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Although we are but a few hours away from the release of Amoris Laetitia, we’ll go ahead with the following prediction: We predict that the document will offer a “pastoral synthesis” to give each side a little something. The conservatives, as always, will receive words: The dogma regarding the indissolubility of marriage remains untouched, a valid marriage between two baptized people can only end at death, no one can change this, yadda yadda. The liberals, on the other hand, will receive the action: With the agreement of the local ordinary, pastors may decide that specific individuals in exceptional circumstances — wink, wink — can receive the sacraments. This, we predict, will be the authorized practice, a de facto permission at the discretion of the local bishop. They may call it “toleration”, speak of “conscience”, or couch it in other “pastorally sensitive” language, but in essence this is what will happen, we anticipate. Coupled with Francis’ drive-thru annulments, the result will be a virtual free-for-all. Chaos is guaranteed!

And now: Check your microwave. That popcorn should be ready.

A Review of the Synods on the Family (2014/15):

• A Nod to Sin at the Synod: First Document causes Chaos (2014)
• The Day After (2014)
• Oh, the Drama! The Synod is Over (2014)
• What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander: 2014 Synod refutes Vatican II Ecclesiology
• Prelude to Schism? Anti-Synod Video Appears (2015)
• Francis stacks the Deck for the Synod (2015)
• Showdown in Rome: Complete 2015 Synod Coverage
• The Synod’s Grand Finale: All Doors are Open (2015)

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