On the eve of the Synod of Synodality, Pope Francis presided over a confessional ceremony at the Vatican, where cardinals read out a list of petitions asking for forgiveness for “sins” against the environment, indigenous peoples, immigration, abuse and poverty. , the use of doctrine as a “stone”, and the lack of synodality.
According to Lifesite News, Francis himself wrote a petition asking for forgiveness.
“Gathering in St. Peter's Basilica on Tuesday evening, Pope Francis led the assembled participants of the Synod on Synodality in a mass confession-style event,” Life Site News reported. “The quasi-liturgy, located not around the altar but in the middle of the cathedral's central nave, consisted of a series of testimonies and confessions.”
Victims of abuse gave emotional testimonies, describing not only the abuse they suffered but also how the trauma of that abuse changed their relationship with the church.
“When a prominent institution like the Catholic Church fails to protect its most vulnerable members, it sends a message that justice and accountability are negotiable, when in fact justice and accountability are fundamental. It should be something,” said one abuse victim.
In addition to testifying, seven cardinals made public confessions and asked for forgiveness in the name of the faithful. Some of the “sins” written by Francis and reported by Lifesite include:
- crime against peace
- Crimes against creation, crimes against indigenous peoples, crimes against immigrants
- crime of abuse
- Crimes against women, families and youth
- The crime of stoning doctrine
- crime against poverty
- Congregationalism/Crime against lack of listening, interaction, and participation by all (emphasis added)
As Francis explained during the Mass/Confession event, the Church cannot be “trustworthy” or a “synod” unless it asks for forgiveness.
“The essence of the Church's faith and proclamation has always been relational, and only by healing sick relationships can we become a Synodal Church,” Francis said. “If we do not admit our mistakes and stoop to heal the wounds caused by sin, how can we fulfill our trustworthy mission?
“We cannot call on the name of God without asking for forgiveness from our brothers and sisters, the earth and all creatures. And how can we be a synodal church without reconciliation? ”
While some of the “sins” confessed by the cardinals may not surprise the faithful, the supposed crimes against the synods, the environment, immigration, and the use of Catholic doctrine are crimes of Francis' making.
Cardinal Victor Fernández, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, asked for forgiveness for not recognizing the “eternal newness” of the Gospel.
…The Church, and especially those of us who are pastors who are entrusted with the task of confirming the faith of our brothers and sisters, are failing to protect, present, and “inculcate” the Gospel as a living source of eternal newness. I've always done that. And you risk turning it into a pile of dead stones to throw at others. We are ashamed that we have dogmatically justified inhumane treatment, and we ask for forgiveness.
When we have failed to become reliable witnesses to the fact that truth is free, we have always traveled the path of history and life, sabotaging various legitimate cultures of the truth of Jesus Christ in order to become true. I am ashamed of what happened and ask for forgiveness. He is discovered by those who desire to follow Him with faithfulness and joy. I am ashamed and ask for forgiveness for the acts and omissions that have hindered and continue to make difficult the reconstitution in the Christian faith and the true fraternal unity of all humanity.
The concept of the gospel being eternally new would no doubt have shocked the author of Hebrews 13:8. I wrote“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
Cardinal Christoph Schönborn confessed the “sin” of the lack of synod. Without giving details, Schönborn begged for forgiveness for the “defense of opinions and ideologies” that would stifle “pluralism.”
We are ashamed that we are not hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, preferring to listen to our own voices, and we hold opinions and ideologies that undermine the fellowship in Christ that the Father expects of all at the end of the world. Defend and ask for forgiveness. If we turn authority into power, stifle diversity, do not listen to people's opinions, and make it difficult for many brothers and sisters to participate in the mission of the Church, we are all called to be part of history. I ask for forgiveness, feeling ashamed that I have forgotten that I am. Faith in Christ, becoming a living stone in the one temple of the Holy Spirit. Lord, please forgive me.
Cardinal Michael Cerny of Canada, head of the Vatican's General Human Development Authority, said: “What believers have done to transform creation from a garden to a desert, what we have manipulated it to our liking, and what I He made a confession asking for forgiveness for how much he had failed to do. What should be done to prevent it. ” Cerny also denounced “the times when I was an accomplice to a system that upheld slavery and colonialism.”
This strange ceremony has attracted considerable criticism. Recently excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, an ardent critic of Pope Francis, denounced ” called the crime a “fabricated” and “painful” festival.
Rather than seeking forgiveness for real sins against God and neighbor (sins that Bergorians casually commit), the Synod on Synodality seeks new sins against the earth, immigrants, the poor, women, and the marginalized. are making up. The new pauperism, the politically correct Decal Code. Now, by adding a flaw “on behalf of the faithful” that Bergoglio didn't even know existed, we have learned that those who “turned away (sic) from the sacrament of the poor in favor of adorning themselves” Discover sin. and altars with sinful ornaments that take bread from the hungry. ” These words remind us of Judas’s opposition – the “mercatorpesimus” that Bergoglio admired – when Mary Magdalene breaks the vase of precious fragrance to anoint the Lord’s feet. Masu. So is it given to the poor? ” (John 12:5). And we ourselves can comment today along with the Evangelist. “He said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief and stole what they had in the box while it was in storage.” (John 12) :6). The Synod's “New Course”, launched yesterday with a propaganda campaign in St. Peter's Basilica (a painful church under the banner of green religion and woke ideology), is a step towards a globalist religion Meanwhile, conservatives are preparing to celebrate the Novendiari of Sunmolum Pontificum. Eco-friendly incense swirl.
Viganò is not alone in seeing Francis' new list of “sins” as an attempt to remake the church. Father Gerald Murray, a priest and canon law lawyer, told EWTN that the incident was reminiscent of a “Soviet show trial.”
As Father Murray pointed out, the petition seeking forgiveness for abuse does not explicitly mention the child abuse scandal that has rocked the church. One argument for this omission could be from a liability perspective, and that is probably partly true. Another explanation can be found in the case of Father Marko Rupnik. accused He accused the Jesuit-inspired religious community he co-founded in his native Slovenia of unspeakable sexual abuse against women.
Rupnik was expelled from the Jesuit order for refusing to address allegations of spiritual, psychological and sexual abuse by about 20 women. He has become the focus of much controversy and criticism within and outside the church, as his works now adorn multiple churches and cathedrals. Additionally, Francisco, also a Jesuit, is accused of helping Rupnik flee twice, and reopened the case only under extreme pressure.
It is also hard to imagine that the pope has the right to invent new charges. The Pope may look at current events and say that certain new crimes or phenomena may fall into the category of sins revealed by God's revelation in the Ten Commandments and other teachings; The whole invention of sin is another matter entirely.
The cardinal's recitation of “sin” on behalf of “the faithful” also causes problems.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church p. 1857“For a sin to be deadly, three conditions must be met at the same time: A mortal sin must be serious in purpose and committed with full knowledge and intentional consent. It’s a sin.”
No one can give “deliberate consent” or commit a sin without realizing it with “full knowledge.” Therefore, the cardinal's petition for forgiveness on behalf of the faithful is invalid.
The synod is scheduled to run until October 29th.
