Francis has been more than kind to Sarah, Burke and some sitting U.S. bishops, much like Paul and John Paul were to LeFebvre, Ngo Dinh Thuc and a couple of others in the years after the Council. I suspect that, as his Jesuit training teaches, he is taking the long view. He is certainly playing a long game, and a long game has always been the practice of the church. If we trust the Holy Spirit, who protects the church, this foot dragging by the Lefebvrists, seed vacantists, trades and the collection of visionary kooks are distractions that cannot be sustained. The faith and practice of a billion Catholics cannot be sidetracked by these few thousand unhappy people. Francis knows this and slowly closes the doors on their shenanigans, i.e., the Old Mass.
V interesting comparison Mike. Cardinal Sarah’s protestations of neutrality are not too dissimilar to the message contained in a series of texts I received from a friend on the weekend wherein he stated he would not obey the ‘counterfeit church’ but rather would ‘follow the unchanged church and truths of all times’. In other words, he will not recognise the teaching authority of Pope Francis, as if this papacy is in someway completely detached or isolated from all preceding papacies. It is as if time stood still in (fill in the year that best suits your disposition).
Francis has been more than kind to Sarah, Burke and some sitting U.S. bishops, much like Paul and John Paul were to LeFebvre, Ngo Dinh Thuc and a couple of others in the years after the Council. I suspect that, as his Jesuit training teaches, he is taking the long view. He is certainly playing a long game, and a long game has always been the practice of the church. If we trust the Holy Spirit, who protects the church, this foot dragging by the Lefebvrists, seed vacantists, trades and the collection of visionary kooks are distractions that cannot be sustained. The faith and practice of a billion Catholics cannot be sidetracked by these few thousand unhappy people. Francis knows this and slowly closes the doors on their shenanigans, i.e., the Old Mass.
V interesting comparison Mike. Cardinal Sarah’s protestations of neutrality are not too dissimilar to the message contained in a series of texts I received from a friend on the weekend wherein he stated he would not obey the ‘counterfeit church’ but rather would ‘follow the unchanged church and truths of all times’. In other words, he will not recognise the teaching authority of Pope Francis, as if this papacy is in someway completely detached or isolated from all preceding papacies. It is as if time stood still in (fill in the year that best suits your disposition).