Behind Doors in Catholicism

I don't remember anything more interesting than this posting today. It is the Vatican's charge to Bishops who will be attending the second "Synodal" conference this fall in Rome. Supposedly, it represents a synopsis of listening meetings held by local priests across the world. These were then passed onto local Bishops and then into a body of Bishops who drafted this charge for the upcoming conference. 

Bishops across the Catholic system have been unenthusiastic about these listening sessions and the synodal process engineered by a crafty Pope and his inside circle. They rightly saw it was a process that would take away authority from clergy and replace it with authority from those in the pews. This is exactly what is playing out.

The dilemma is, of course, a declining Catholic Church which needs to change. It's rules, however, prohibit the changes that need to take place. The synodal process the Pope has designed uses a tried and true method the Catholic hierarchy has used for centuries: Pronounce nothing has changed then change it anyway. 

The charge given those Bishops who will attend the Synod gathering includes an observation that seems to have come from reading this very blog. It is that every set of religious beliefs exists in a culture and that culture provides context, affects, what people believe. The clergy authors do not go as far as I go to explain the very god that is worshipped is manufactured by the culture. Yet, when they write what people see "as the truth" is influenced by local cultures they are not far from what has been written on these very pages.

Another fun observation made by the Bishops and staff who wrote the document has to do with authority. I'd encourage all to read it. At the beginning of the authority piece, it reminds the faithful that the authority of Catholic clergy comes from God. You may recall the Catholic clergy claim that when Jesus was claimed to have said to Peter "upon this rock start the church." Catholics claim that Peter was the first Pope so the authority given by Jesus to Peter applies to each Pope and is passed along to the lowly priest. But then the document has a disclaimer. If the clergy, the ultimate authorities as named by Jesus, are shown through discernment to be wrong the church has to take note of that. Two opposing positions held simultaneously, well done.