WHY THERE WILL BE NO SCHISM

The word “schism” denotes the formal separation of a church into two churches or the secession of a group owing to doctrinal and other differences.

The Pontificate of Pope Francis has not been without serious controversy with some Papal decisions having sparked the unusual spectacle of high-ranking Prelates asking the Pope to clarify “doubtful” doctrinal and moral pronouncements which he has made.

Now, as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meets in Baltimore for the specific purpose of addressing the crisis of Clergy homosexual abuse as well as the almost universal strategy of Bishops to cover up the scandal and allow predators to remain in ministry, the Holy See (by way of a letter from the Congregation of Bishops) has insisted that the Bishops stand down from taking any action to institute the reforms and take action on any policies which would have been forthcoming from this gathering.

In anger and frustration, many are once again talking about the threat of schism within the Church.

History shows that the possibility of schism is always present.

But, in order to have a schism, at least one Bishop must sever his fraternal bond with the Pope. If a Priest and his parishioners would decide to split from the Church, that is not a schism. If a Priest leads a breakaway, it usually fades when the Priest dies.

But, Schismatic Bishops can ordain other Bishops and Priests, so the breakaway has a better chance of continuing.  This is was occurred in the Great Schism of 1054 between Eastern and Western Christianity has lasted almost 1,000 years.

On the other hand, the most famous schism of the 20th century was led by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre against many of the reforms mandated by the Second Vatican Council, including ecumenism, religious freedom and putting the liturgy into the vernacular. 

In 1988, Lefebvre (validly but illicitly) ordained four Bishops without the approval of the Pope, but he took only a relatively small number of Catholics with him into schism. After his death, his group has not grown significantly and has experienced its own splits. Pope Benedict XVI also made the group less attractive by permitting greater use of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass.

Now, this is the reason I believe there will not be a formal schism today.

The Catholic faithful are largely ignorant of, and subsequently indifferent to, Church teaching regarding matters of faith and morals.

Doctrinely, most Catholics understanding of the Faith is elementary.  Their knowledge of Sacred Scripture is non-existent and their contact with the Word of God restricted to the Readings of the Mass.  

Most Catholics have no familiarity with Church history and the significance to the Faith of the pronouncements of the Early Fathers of the Church and the Great Councils which forged the primordial truths upon which Catholicism is founded.

Morally, Catholics have largely decided to establish their own individual standards by which their consciences are governed in making choices which they hold are compatible with the Gospel and which do not affect their communion with the Church.

Because the Church has failed miserably in its catechetical role as Mother and Teacher, Catholics do not hold doctrinal and moral positions with the passion that a schism would require.

Simply put, most Catholics maintain affiliation with the Church for reasons other than spiritual or supernatural faith.  

In my experience, especially with young Catholics, its family ties and expectations that keeps them associated with the Church, until such a time that they set out on their own and are no longer under the immediate supervision of parents or extended family members.

A schism will not happen.

But what I have repeated said will occur is this:  the continual quiet exodus from the Church that we have been witnessing for an entire generation of Catholics.

There will be no inter-ecclesial wars, no torches burning before the doors of cathedrals, no formal oaths of allegiance to divergent credal formulas.

Pews will increasingly become vacant as more and more people lose confidence in the Bishops, the Papacy, and refuse to relinquish control of their moral choices to men whom they see as morally compromised themselves.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession, is all but dead as people refuse to submit their moral lives and decisions to the judgment of Clergy for whom they have lost respect.  Instead, Catholics have informally adopted a “protestantized” concept of Divine Forgiveness as they admit their sins before God and asks and presume His Pardon.

Does anyone seriously believe Confession will ever be restored as a vital and vibrant expression of Catholic Faith?

The same experience is underway with regard to attendance at Mass.

Days of precept, the Holydays which once obliged the faithful to attend Mass under penalty of mortal sin, are now largely ignored with a meager few who assist in these ancient celebrations.

More and more younger couples are delaying or deciding against the Baptism of their children.

Few and fewer Catholics are seeking to celebrate Sacramental Marriage.

These are all signs of a broken Church which has lost its relevancy in the ordinary lives of people.

So will there be a schism.

No.

Instead, there will be a continual abandonment of any institutional affiliation with the Church or any community of faith.

That is the real crisis facing the Church.

And the Pope and the Bishops don’t seem to have a clue.

No one is listening to them.  No one cares any longer what they say or do.