ECCLESIOLOGY IN CRISIS

In an earlier article (“No Longer One: The De Facto Schism Within the Church”), I strongly suggested that the disputes among the Bishops arising from Pope Francis’ pastoral initiatives are threatening one of the fundamental principles which has defined the Church:  its Oneness, that is, the unity that must exist in matters of faith and morals which proceed from the Deposit of Faith (Scripture and Tradition).

There is no question that in modern times there have been disputes, serious disputes, which have arisen over matters pertaining to Church doctrine, moral teachings and the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy.  These controversies rose to a deafening crescendo following Vatican Council II.

But never did these contentions threaten to undermine what is and always has been the Oneness of the Church, that is, the unity that has existed between the Universal Vicar of Christ and the College of Bishops.

Both affirmed and assented to the supreme teaching authority of the Pope in union with the Bishops and recognized that this unity is what constituted the Church‘s essential character and mission:  to teach, sanctify and govern in the person and name of Christ Himself.

Recent divisions between the Pope and the College as well as within the ranks of the Bishops themselves suggest that this is no longer the case.

The catalyst for this division appears to have been Pope Francis’s teachings as found in his 2016 Exhortation Amoris Laetitia  and his pastoral initiatives seeking to allow invalidly married couples to receive Holy Communion. 

The Nicene Creed (381 AD) defines and professes that the Church is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.  

These four “marks of the Church” form the theological foundation of the Church’s defining character.  

Each “mark” is necessary to that definition.  Where one or more is missing or seriously impaired, the Church’s very identity and efficacy is destroyed or put at critical risk.

The present bickering and grossly public infighting among the Bishops and between some Prelates and the Holy See risk putting the previously unquestionable spiritual and moral authority of the Church in jeopardy.

I contend that neo-conservative reactionaries and not Pope Francis are responsible for these threats to the Oneness of the Church.  It is they who continue to sew seeds of discord as they resist and refuse to listen to what the Holy Father has suggested is an approach to those in irregular union with the Church to begin a pathway toward conversion.

Let those who demand allegiance to past approaches be careful that, in the process of defending their narrow viewpoints about the power of forgiveness and Grace, the leave a trail of ruin and destruction.

Let those who would separate themselves from the Office of Peter understand that they encourage others less knowledgeable about the Church’s authority and mission to do the same.

If Pope Francis’ moral authority can be questioned and disputed, why not that of Saint John Paul II or Benedict XVI?  Why not the Apostolic Fathers themselves?

Ultimately, what is the role of the Vicar of Christ, if not to be the essential point of unity by which the Church itself is defined.

Make no mistake, those who would break their unity with Pope Francis are engaging in a redefinition of what it means to be Catholic.

The very essence and mission of the Church hangs in the balance -- I can think of no greater blasphemy.