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Wednesday 20 July 2016

Georg Gänswein says Pope can't change doctrine with "ambiguous footnotes." What does Thomas J. Rosica think about that?

Archbishop Georg Gänswein, serves as the Prefect for the Papal Household to Pope Francis and has made an interesting statement. According to this story in LifeSiteNews, Gänswein said:

“But when a pope wants to change an aspect of the doctrine, then he has to do so clearly, so as to make it binding,” noted the 59-year-old archbishop, a canon lawyer who formerly worked in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. … “Important magisterial tenets cannot be changed by half sentences or somewhat ambiguous footnotes.”

The erudite, Father Thomas J. Rosica, CSB, is the Vatican's English language "volunteer" spokesman and Executive Producer of Salt + Light Television. He has said, on numerous occasions:


"Will this Pope re-write controversial Church doctrines? No. But that isn't how doctrine changes. Doctrine changes when pastoral contexts shift and new insights emerge such that particularly doctrinal formulations no longer mediate the saving message of God's transforming love. Doctrine changes when the Church has leaders and teachers who are not afraid to take note of new contexts and emerging insights. It changes when the Church has pastors who do what Francis has been insisting: leave the securities of your chanceries, of your rectories, of your safe places, of your episcopal residences go set aside the small minded rules that often keep you locked up and shielded from the world."


That is all.


9 comments:

Ana Milan said...

It's good to see Archbishop Gänswein speaking out clearly concerning the ambiguous footnotes in AL. Despite Cardinal Schönborn's insistence that AL is a Binding Document it is plain for all to see that as it stands it is not. Archibishop Gänswein clearly is speaking with PB's knowledge & blessing on this and also the situation in Germany which is an abomination. Jesus must be jumping up & down with rage at the new set of Judases Germany is producing. No-one has His authority to excommunicate anyone for not being able or who are unwilling to pay the extremely high taxes expected by the CC there. Jesus said a servant is worthy of his hire but He never mentioned extortion being a proper means of extracting what was formerly known as donations or tithes.

Michael Dowd said...

I doubt there is anything that Pope Francis has said which constitutes the proclamation of new doctrine. As Archbishop Georg Gänswein has correctly said, ambiguity nullifies all supposed doctrinal claims in AL or any other such statement. Most of Pope Francis "observations" should be dismissed as personal opinion--bad personal opinion at that.

Dan said...

Too bad the pope emeritus hasn't said as much.

DJR said...

"Will this Pope re-write controversial Church doctrines? No. But that isn't how doctrine changes. Doctrine changes when...

This man, a Catholic priest, does not understand the Catholic Faith.

It's not possible for Catholic doctrine to change.

If it could, then he seems oblivious to the fact that, at some future point, a certain doctrine could merely change back to the position he presently doesn't like.

The present occupiers of clerical positions in the Church are among the most ignorant clergymen the Catholic Church has ever known, as many of them don't seem to understand even some of the most rudimentary elements of the Faith.

DJR

Anonymous said...

Another good point by Abp G in the same interview:

“Statements that can be interpreted in different ways are a risky thing... One has to simply accept that his [Pope Francis’s] way of speaking can at times be somewhat imprecise, indeed nonchalant. Every Pope has his own personal style.”

Anonymous said...

Of course doctrine can change, and has changed, and will change in the future.

It's dogma that cannot change. Dogma is revealed truth. Doctrine is not simply "rules" but it is a human interpretation, or application, guided by the holy spirit, of truth.

Unknown said...

People seem to forget that even after Simon received the "keys of the kingdom" and became Peter, he ended up denying he even knew Jesus Christ. Which goes to show you can't trust every word of a Pope! You have to be discerning.

Vox Cantoris said...

Anonymous at 20:42

I clearly cannot publish your comment.

voxcantoris@rogers.com

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