All 30 cardinals are liberal, says [i]Washington Times[/i]

I think the editorial writer at the Washington Times has gone off his meds. This editorial claims that not only are the 30 new cardinals appointed by the Pope not conservative ... every single one is a liberal. Or so they say. Archbishop George Pell, for one, is demonstrably orthodox, and probably the most orthodox of the lot. Sure some are actually liberal, but all of them?

And they claim that John Paul has ensured that a “progressive” will be elected the next pope, because of changes he made to the way a conclave works. Huh?

The editorial reads more like a tract from the SSPX or some other schismatic Rad Trad group than an editorial in a secular newspaper.

For a cardinal to be considered a conservative, the obvious minimal requirement is that he be congruous with the 2,000-year history of Church doctrine. The Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 made an explicit break from the past. All of the prelates elevated to the cardinalate on Sunday are members of the Vatican II generation, and swear allegiance to that revolution >

https://www.bettnet.com/?p=1855

Voice of the Faithful sent out a fundraising letter today:

Dear Friends,
Recently, the Boston Archdiocese agreed to an $85 million settlement with 552 survivors of clergy sex abuse - the largest settlement of sexual abuse claims ever made by the Catholic Church. This historic event in Boston has resounded across the nation. As the media sought Voice of the Faithful’s reaction to the settlement, one reporter asked the most startling question: “Did you (Voice of the Faithful) expect this to be over so soon?” “Over”?

Our reply was clear: the problems facing the Catholic Church—our Church—will never be resolved until the root causes of the problems are addressed, diocese-by-diocese, throughout the United States and beyond. Identifying and rectifying the underlying issues that allowed this horrifying period in our Church’s history to occur has always been at the core of VOTF’s mission and will remain our focus until trust is restored and our Church is healed. Voice of the Faithful will promote this restoration of trust and healing by using our voice for advocacy and reform. We have recently completed a strategic planning process that reinforces the goals of Voice of the Faithful, outlines our next steps and identifies our measures of success. In the coming months, VOTF will continue to provide much-needed support to the survivors of clergy sexual abuse and our priests in their ministry; we will continue to inform and engage fellow Catholics in the work of VOTF; we will continue to call for substantive, active lay involvement in the Church; and we will increase our efforts to establish dialogue with Church decision-makers in an effort to foster honest, open and respectful relationships between the laity, the clergy and the Church leadership. It is an ambitious plan—and can only be accomplished with your help.

Now more than ever, I hope you will consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Voice of the Faithful. While our mission is clear and our path defined, we need your financial support to provide the resources necessary for VOTF to succeed. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this important request. The proposed settlement in Boston does not signal an end to this crisis. Rather, together, we will continue to make unprecedented progress toward the healing of our Church.
With gratitude,
James E. Post
President

While I stand by my observaton that VOTF is fading into irrelevancy, we can see they are not going quietly. Once again, we hear vague demands for “structural change” and reform, but no concrete suggestions. Why won’t they just come out and give examples? No matter how many times they’re asked they dance around the question ... at least in public. But at their own meetings, you get a clearer picture of what they want; all the usual liberal pieties are on parade: ordination of women and gays, a diminishment of the distinction between clergy and laypeople, crazy schemes for electing bishops and popes and pastors.

For example, take their demand for greater lay/clergy dialogue. We already have that. There are plenty of boards at the diocesan level where the bishop meets with laypeople who expert in various fields. And every parish I know has a council of laypeople who assist the pastor in running things. so what kind of dialogue are we talking? Perhaps the kind that changes certain inconvenient or unpopular Church teachings?

And where does all the money that VOTF collects go? They have nice offices in Newton and a staff of people. What do they do all day? What is the money spent on?

Perhaps the Boston Globe or Boston Herald should be examining VOTF with a critical eye rather than chasing after them for a quote everytime some Catholic thing happens in the news. Then again maybe some Catholic journalist should do it. Hmm.