And so, it begins.
Another Synod and another round of ecclesiastical “newspeak”.
Not familiar with the word “newspeak”?
A detailed explanation of “newspeak” is found in the following excerpt from the Appendix to Orwell’s novel, 1984, under the title , "The Principles of Newspeak".
But, in the following quote, allow me to replace Orwell’s reference to Insoc (English Socialist Party) with the word Catholicism. Doing so, the quote would read:
The purpose of Newspeak was not only to provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits proper to the devotees of Catholicism but to make all other modes of thought impossible. It was intended that when Newspeak had been adopted once and for all and Oldspeak forgotten, a heretical thought — that is, a thought diverging from the principles of Catholicism — should be literally unthinkable, at least so far as thought is dependent on words. Its vocabulary was so constructed as to give exact and often very subtle expression to every meaning that a Catholic could properly wish to express, while excluding all other meanings and also the possibility of arriving at them by indirect methods. This was done partly by the invention of new words, but chiefly by eliminating undesirable words and by stripping such words as remained of unorthodox meanings, and so far as possible of all secondary meanings whatever. To give a single example.
The word free still existed in Newspeak, but it could only be used in such statements as ‘This dog is free from lice’ or ‘This field is free from weeds’. It could not be used in its old sense of ‘politically free’ or ‘intellectually free’ since political and intellectual freedom no longer existed even as concepts, and were therefore of necessity nameless.
Quite apart from the suppression of definitely heretical words, reduction of vocabulary was regarded as an end in itself, and no word that could be dispensed with was allowed to survive. Newspeak was designed not to extend but to diminish the range of thought, and this purpose was indirectly assisted by cutting the choice of words down to a minimum.
Let's listen then to the newspeak contained in the opening remarks -- I have italicized and placed in bold type -- which the Pope made to the Bishops today.
Pope Francis opened a month-long worldwide meeting of Catholic Bishops today by exhorting the hundreds of Prelates taking part to guard against falling into moralistic or elitist postures as they discuss the needs of young people today.
During his homily for the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops, which will continue through Oct. 28, the Pontiff also asked the Prelates to listen to one another sincerely and prayerfully, as free as possible from prejudice and conditioning.
Pope Francis said the Bishops should seek to enter into communion with the diverse situations that the People of God experience. Such a venture, he said, protects us from the lure of abstract ideologies that never touch the realities of our people.
Hope challenges us, moves us and shatters that conformism which says, 'it's always been done like this, said the Pope. Hope asks us to get up and look directly into the eyes of young people and see their situations.
Allow me to translate this Papal newspeak into the oldspeak familiar to the many of us who have yet to be re-schooled and indoctrinated into the brave new Catholicism.
Doing just that, here’s what the Pope is saying.
“Bishops, the fundamental doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church should be strictly avoided and intentionally ignored during the reflections which will take place during this Synod. Young people have established their own dogmatic interpretation of reality as well as what is good and righteous versus what is evil and unacceptable. It is now the sole duty of the Church to affirm these beliefs and morals, never questioning or challenging either for fear of alienating or disenchanting their adherents.”
“It is no longer the mission of the Church to teach, or sanctify, let alone (God forbid) govern the faithful (young people especially), but rather to listen. In fact, that is the sole mission of the Church these days, to listen, to affirm and to amplify what it hears.”
“The only usefulness the Sacred Scriptures and Tradition (the oldspeak Deposit of Faith) is to restrict those Successors of the Apostles who would dare seek to expose young people to the Wisdom of the Divine Mind and Will as well as the rich and fertile history of two-millenia of the Church’s experience in proclaiming the way of life to which Christ Jesus calls all humanity.”
“During this Synod, the Gospel is to be replaced with the attitudes, opinions and fancy (hopeful wishes) of youth. The Church is not to lead or guide young people and thereby assist them by the light of faith which prevents them from falling into the pit of error or ruin. Rather, the Church exists simply to accompany them, wherever and in whatever direction they choose to go with little knowledge of the pathways which lead to failure and despair.”
Of course, I understand my words, in the world of Papal newspeak, are now literally “thoughtcrime”.
In the day of oldspeak, I would have been labeled a cynic. In this brave new Catholicism, I am condemned as a “heretic” and we all know what happens to heretics.
Heretics are not “accompanied”. They are eliminated, or rather, they become “unpersons”.
I can't wait until the Synod ends and its “ordinary Magisterial teaching” is promulgated by way of its own report or an Apostolic Exhortation.
Can you?
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