{"id":2060212,"date":"2023-10-09T06:57:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-09T10:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-christians-not-just-catholics-should-be-worried-about-pope-francis-synod\/"},"modified":"2023-10-09T07:01:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T11:01:47","slug":"all-christians-not-just-catholics-should-be-worried-about-pope-francis-synod","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-christians-not-just-catholics-should-be-worried-about-pope-francis-synod\/","title":{"rendered":"All Christians should be concerned about Pope Francis&#8217; Synod, not just Catholics."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fall-christians-not-just-catholics-should-be-worried-about-pope-francis-synod%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2060212&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Why Protestants Should Care About the Vatican&#8217;s Synod \u2062on Synodality<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s an unfortunate tendency \u2064among Catholics and Protestants alike to relish the misfortunes of the other. When some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-christians-not-just-catholics-should-be-worried-about-pope-francis-synod\/\" title=\"All Christians should be concerned about Pope Francis' Synod, not just Catholics.\">evangelical \u2063megachurch pastor ham-fistedly embraces<\/a> the LGBT agenda, Catholics will quip that it was\u200d inevitable thanks to the Reformation. When Pope Francis appears to undermine orthodox Christian teaching in a garbled answer to\u200b some interviewer\u2019s question, Protestants will snark about the \u201ccommie pope.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just last week, for example, a short (and admittedly disturbing) video clip of Pope Francis surrounded by scantily-clad circus performers made the rounds on social media, triggering predictable Protestant jeers like, \u201cNever too \u200dlate to join the Reformation!\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>But \u200dsomething is afoot in Rome\u200d right now that should worry\u200d Protestants as much \u200cas Catholics. \u2062The Vatican\u2019s \u201cSynod on Synodality,\u201d which begins today,\u200c at first glance appears to be an exercise in self-referential academese, like having a\u200b conference about conferences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>But the synod isn\u2019t just a bunch of bishops deliberating over ecclesial\u200d governance. The \u200creal purpose and ambition of the \u2064synod\u200c is to\u2062 change the Catholic Church \u2014 something that should \u2064concern Christians everywhere, Catholics and Protestants alike (more on that in a minute). As Michael Brendan Dougherty notes, the entire point of\u2063 the synod is \u201cfor a large group of bishops to debate each other about survey material they guided some \u200bsmall number of lay Catholics through in their home diocese, and whether this pile of papers gives sufficient cover for the pope to begin chucking certain moral\u2063 and dogmatic teachings of\u2062 the church overboard in favor of newer understandings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At this \u2064point, it\u2019s clear that this is exactly\u200d what Pope\u200d Francis \u200bis trying to do. How will he do it? By hiding behind the fig\u200d leaf of \u201cdevelopment of\u200b doctrine\u201d and \u201cpastoral charity.\u201d Take, for example, his startling\u200c remarks about marriage and the possibility of \u2063priests <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jesuit-cardinal-calls-for-change-in-church-teaching-on-homosexuality\/\" title=\"Jesuit Cardinal Calls for Change in Church Teaching on Homosexuality\">blessing homosexual unions<\/a>, \u2063issued privately in July but \u200cmade public just\u200d last week. The comments confirm what\u200d observers of Pope Francis have long \u2063known: He is intentionally vague\u2063 about matters that should be clear-cut, and \u2063this vagueness sows confusion.\u200d Why would he want to sow confusion? To open up room for change. Indeed, one way to interpret the\u200d pope\u2019s muddled remarks about blessing homosexual unions is that he\u2019s opening the door\u2063 to radical \u200cchange in Catholic practice without technically changing Catholic doctrine (something the pope, in any case, cannot do).<\/p>\n<p>Responding to\u2062 a question from a \u2063group of cardinals \u200cabout whether the Catholic Church can bless same-sex unions \u201cwithout betraying revealed doctrine,\u201d Pope \u200dFrancis \u2064said, \u201cpastoral prudence must adequately discern whether there are forms of blessing \u2026 that do not transmit a mistaken conception of\u2064 marriage,\u201d and that, \u201cwhen a blessing is requested, \u2064one\u2063 is expressing a request for help from God, a plea for a better life, a trust in a Father who can help us to live better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The\u200c pope seems to be suggesting something radical here: that it\u2019s possible to bless a \u200bhomosexual relationship. The Catholic \u200bChurch teaches that sexual relations outside of lifelong marriage between \u2063one \u200bman and one\u2063 woman is \u200ca sin. Every \u200cproperly catechized Catholic child knows it\u2019s not possible\u2063 to bless sin. Every such child also knows that when most people\u200b request a blessing they aren\u2019t making a \u201cplea for a better\u2064 life\u201d but seeking approval, endorsement, and affirmation. That\u2019s the common understanding of the thing, which \u2062Pope Francis bends over backward to avoid here.<\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis, it seems, wants to open the way for priests to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/german-bishops-chairman-gay-sex-does-not-harm-ones-relationship-with-god\/\" title=\"German Bishops Chairman: Gay Sex Does Not Harm \u2018One\u2019s Relationship with God\u2019\">bless homosexual unions<\/a>, as some priests in Germany and elsewhere in western \u2064Europe\u200d are \u200dalready doing. He knows he \u2063can\u2019t just \u2063come out\u200b and say this because it clearly contradicts Catholic doctrine, so instead he gives\u2062 a rambling answer that technically affirms the Catholic Church\u2019s de jure position on marriage (lifelong, between one man and one woman) while opening the way for a de facto practice of blessing homosexual unions. No one can accuse the pope of changing Catholic doctrine, but in reality, much will have been changed.<\/p>\n<p>This is precisely the template the Vatican is planning to follow \u2062in this synod. Keep in mind, this synod is\u200b not an ecumenical council, like Vatican II or the Council of Trent. It cannot make decisions on matters of doctrine, and nothing it \u200cproduces will be binding on Catholics. Indeed, the term \u201csynodality\u201d itself is undefined, and this is vital to\u200c the pope\u2019s real\u2062 goal. It\u2019s a neologism, an abstract term \u2014 and therefore malleable \u2014 that\u200b has no \u200bhistory in Catholic doctrine. As Cardinal\u2063 Raymond Burke wrote\u2063 last week, \u201cThere is confusion around the term\u200b synodality, which people artificially try to link to an Eastern practice, \u200cbut which in reality has all the characteristics of a \u200drecent invention, especially\u2062 with \u200bregard \u200bto the laity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The real purpose of employing the \u2062term, Burke says, is \u201cto profoundly change the hierarchical constitution of \u2064the Church.\u201d This will be accomplished in part by \u2064invoking the Holy Spirit as\u2062 the authority under which the synod makes its proclamations. Faithful Catholics will immediately\u200d see the red flag here. The \u2063Catholic \u200bChurch, following the exhortation in the\u2064 First\u200c Book \u200dof John\u2063 to \u201ctest the\u200c spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the \u2063world,\u201d \u2063never relies solely on the \u200dHoly Spirit to guide the church\u200b but also relies on \u200dapostolic tradition and the teachings\u200d of\u200c the\u200c Magisterium.<\/p>\n<p>Much has \u200bbeen said by the Vatican about the\u200d Holy Spirit being the \u201cprotagonist\u201d of this\u2063 synod, but not much has been\u200c said about apostolic tradition or doctrine. Cardinal Burke put it this way: \u201cThe \u200bwhole synod process is presented as a work \u2063of\u2062 the Holy Spirit who\u2063 will guide all the members \u2062of the synod, but there is not a single word about\u2064 the obedience due to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit\u2063 that are always\u200b consistent with the truth of the perennial doctrine and the goodness of the perennial discipline that He has inspired throughout the centuries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Late last week, Diane Montagna, a reporter covering the synod, asked a Vatican official about this, noting that\u2064 the Catholic Church has always discerned the\u200b presence of the Holy Spirit by \u2062determining whether it was in accord with divine revelation and apostolic tradition. \u201cHow is this assembly discerning whether something \u2062comes from the Holy Spirit or another spirit?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n<p>It should be a simple question, but Montagna received a non-response from the official, who unhelpfully cited a line from the Creed, \u201cI believe in the Holy Spirit,\u201d\u2062 and followed it with a vague word-salad about the \u201cpeople of God on \u2064a journey.\u201d When she pressed for a substantive answer, \u200cthe Vatican press office shut down the entire briefing. (Read the whole exchange here.)<\/p>\n<p>While it might seem a trifling thing,\u200c the lack of\u2064 a definition of \u201csynodality\u201d and a \u2062lack of clarity about how the Holy Spirit is \u201cguiding\u201d the \u2064proceedings is central to \u2063the entire scheme. Like Pope Francis\u2019 comments on blessing homosexual unions, \u201csynodality\u201d is a smokescreen for smuggling in changes to Catholicism without formally changing doctrine, which this synod, like the pope, cannot do.<\/p>\n<p>No one will assert \u200dthis synod\u2019s authority over the pope or\u2064 the individual bishops, but whatever de facto changes Pope Francis and his allies \u200cwant to bring about\u2062 will be justified with an appeal to the urging of the \u200bHoly Spirit at the synod. They \u2062will make their \u200cchanges a reality in practice while claiming they have not technically changed doctrine \u2014 a well-known tactic, \u200bby the\u200c way, of revolutionaries.<\/p>\n<p>Now to the question\u2064 of why Protestants should\u200c care about any of this. The reason is simple: Western civilization depends on a Catholic\u2063 Church that upholds and defends \u200cthe unchanging and unchangeable tenets\u200c of the faith\u2063 and the moral order that \u200bproceeds from them. \u200cProtestants might bristle at that, but most of\u2062 them, if they \u200dare being honest with themselves, know it\u2019s true.<\/p>\n<p>The Catholic Church is foundational and vital to the survival of Western civilization. The West can weather the \u200cdisappearance of the \u2064Unitarians and the Quakers and the Episcopalians. It can even survive the paganization of mainline Protestantism. But it\u200c will not survive without the Catholic Church holding the line in society at large. No other Christian sect will step up to replace a fractured Catholic Church. Without it, the West will lose its coherence entirely and its decline, already well underway,\u2064 will accelerate.<\/p>\n<p>Despite all this, there\u2019s \u2064reason for hope. The Catholic Church has in ages past gone \u2062through periods where Catholic practice \u200cdramatically departed from Catholic doctrine in disturbing but ultimately temporary ways. In\u200c the ninth and 10th centuries, it was common for priests to marry and have \u200dfamilies. Simony (the selling of church offices \u2062or spiritual things, like absolution) was also\u2062 common during\u200b this time. But the law of clerical celibacy\u2064 and laws against simony were still on the books, so when Pope Gregory VII came along in\u200b the\u2064 late 11th century, these laws\u200b were once again enforced, and Catholic practice was brought back in line with Catholic doctrine.<\/p>\n<p>We might be\u200b entering another such period of disjunction between Catholic practice and doctrine, which will weaken the Catholic\u200d Church and hasten \u200dthe decline of the West. The Synod on Synodality is part\u2064 of this disjunction; \u2063it is the\u2062 entire purpose of the thing. You might not care about Catholic\u2062 doctrine, \u2062but if you care about Western civilization, you\u2019ll want \u2063to pay attention to this synod. It concerns us all.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What are the potential implications\u200c for \u2064all Christians, including Protestants, as the Synod on Synodality explores topics such as roles for women in the Church and the \u200bdecentralization of authority?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  N the\u2062 door to blessing same-sex unions while still maintaining\u2062 the appearance of \u200dupholding Catholic \u200ddoctrine. This kind of ambiguity and intentional confusion is concerning, as it allows for the erosion of\u2062 traditional\u2062 Christian beliefs \u200din favor of\u200d a\u2063 more progressive agenda.<\/p>\n<p>And it\u2019s not just the issue of same-sex unions. The \u200dSynod on\u2064 Synodality also aims to explore topics such as roles for women\u200d in the\u200b Church and the decentralization of authority. While\u200d these issues may seem like internal matters for the Catholic Church, \u2063they have far-reaching implications for \u200ball Christians, including Protestants.<\/p>\n<p>Traditionally, Protestants and Catholics\u2064 have had theological differences and \u200bdisagreements, and these differences continue to exist. \u2063However, both groups share a common interest in upholding the basic tenets of \u2062the Christian faith, including the\u200b authority\u200b of \u200cScripture and the\u2062 teachings of Jesus\u200d Christ. When the Vatican engages in discussions and debates that \u200ccould potentially undermine these fundamental beliefs,\u200d Protestants should take \u2062notice and be concerned.<\/p>\n<p>The Synod on Synodality \u200bhas the potential to further blur the lines \u200dbetween orthodox\u2062 Christianity and a more progressive interpretation of\u200d the faith. This has already been\u2064 seen in various statements and actions by Pope Francis throughout his tenure. His \u2064emphasis on mercy and inclusivity, while \u200badmirable in many ways, has sometimes resulted in \u200ca watering down of essential\u2063 Christian\u2063 doctrines.<\/p>\n<p>For Protestants, this\u2064 should be a wake-up call to \u2064the need for vigilance and discernment in our own faith communities.\u200d We cannot afford \u2063to be complacent or indifferent\u2064 when \u200bit comes to \u200dissues that have the potential to impact the larger body \u200bof\u200c Christ.\u200c While we may\u2062 not agree on all theological matters, we should stand\u200b together in defense\u200c of core Christian beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>So, why \u200bshould Protestants care about the Vatican&#8217;s\u2062 Synod on \u2062Synodality? Because it represents a significant development within the Catholic \u200bChurch that could \u200chave <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/everything-to-know-about-the-freedom-convoy-trial-in-canada\/\" title=\"Key details on the 'Freedom Convoy' trial in Canada.\">wide-ranging\u2062 implications<\/a> for all Christians. As fellow believers in Christ, we should\u200d be concerned about the erosion of traditional Christian teachings \u200band the potential dilution of the \u2064Gospel message.<\/p>\n<p>Protestants and Catholics \u2062may differ\u200d in their\u200d understanding of certain theological issues, but we can \u2063come \u2062together in our shared\u200b commitment to proclaiming and living \u2062out the truth of Jesus Christ. Let\u2063 us \u2064be watchful, prayerful, \u200band proactive in defending the integrity of the Christian faith, even as we navigate our differences\u200d and seek\u2063 to promote unity \u2064within the body of \u2064Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>often mockingly attribute it to the alleged flaws of Catholicism. This divisive attitude only perpetuates the rift between the two Christian denominations, hindering any potential for unity and understanding. Instead, Catholics and Protestants should strive to find common ground and focus on their shared beliefs, fostering a spirit of respect and cooperation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":518,"featured_media":2060213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2060212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2060212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2060213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2060212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2060212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2060212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}