Buchanan V Francis

Why would anyone care about some dispute inside the Catholic church on some doctrinal issue?  Because the Catholic Church is the largest and oldest voluntary association in existence, by far.  How it works is an ongoing lesson to those who value freedom.

Buchanan is worried about maintaining faith and morals, and notes:

Cardinal Burke called on the pope for a restatement of Catholic teaching on marriage and morality, saying, “It is long overdue.” The pope has relieved Cardinal Burke of his post.

This provides an excellent insight into this pope (if any of this is true).  St Francis the passive deals with someone who has the temerity to "call on" the pope to do something.  Very bad form.  "You're fired."  Such a call puts the Pope in a no-win situation, if he does not heed Burke's call, then Burke has some high moral ground.  If he does, Burke has some high moral ground.  This Pope for all his niceness, is one tough cookie.  He is not going to let some Cardinal named Ray box him in a corner or lead a faction.  This Pope who sleeps in a dorm room knows his place, and keeps his top dogs in theirs.

The source of the tizzy, in a preliminary report...

The report recognized the “positive aspects of civil unions and cohabitation” and said “homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community.” As for Catholics who divorce and remarry without an annulment, we must avoid “any language or behavior that might make them feel discriminated against.”

So what?  First of, preliminary drafts are up for debate.  Wait until the final report.  Catholic teaching already recognizes the inherent effort to approximate what God ordained in the irregular forms of association.  This pope seems to want to say instead of "this is wrong", emphasize what part is right, and let the hearer draw his own conclusions.  Same with the remarried, divorce usually does end Church association for the whole family.  How come?  Time to look at that.

Cardinal Walter Kasper has been the prime mover of the liberalization of Catholic teaching on sexual morality. When an African bishop objected to the report, Kasper retorted, “You can’t speak about this with Africans. … It’s not possible. … It’s a taboo.”

Really?  A Cardinal named Kasper? Criticizing an African?  Guess who will never be pope.  

In his beatification of Paul VI on Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated change. “God is not afraid of new things,” he said, “we are making every effort to adapt ways and methods … to the changing conditions of society.”

When the church wants to make a point, they elevate someone to sainthood.  Paul VI was the no contraception Pope.  Point being, in this controversy too, church teaching will not change, just possibly some style of communication.

Extreme views get hashed out in a voluntary association.  No one needs to get whacked.

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