Father João Silveira@joaosilveiraaa
It is rather caricatural to claim that “it is the traditionalists who are creating divisions in the Church.” Does anyone in their right mind actually believe that there is unity in the Church? The disunity is obvious, first and foremost in the way people pray, and then in what they believe:
1. Masses in parishes are quite different from one another, thanks to the “do-it-yourself” liturgy, constant liturgical abuses, the destruction of the sense of the sacred, and the endless creativity of the clergy;
2. Catholic doctrine, although infallible and immutable, is treated as optional - a kind of “à la carte” menu where each person chooses what they like and rejects what costs them or doesn’t suit them, with complete peace of conscience and even pride in demonstrating it publicly;
3. Some Catholics believe abortion should be legal, others that it should be illegal; some Catholics see no problem with same-sex relationships, others believe there is; some think people should have a right to second and third chances when “marriage fails” because everyone has the right to be happy; others hold that marriage is indissoluble; some Catholics believe everyone has a right to the sacraments, while others believe that public and notorious sin without signs of repentance prevents access to them; some Catholics believe women should be able to be priests, while others say this is impossible;
4. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a statement saying that, according to Catholic doctrine, a union between persons of the same sex cannot be blessed - and afterwards, the German bishops organized a ceremony to bless such unions;
5. The vast majority of Catholic couples use contraceptive methods, even though this is condemned by the Church and considered a grave sin;
6. Only about 10% of Catholics attend Mass every Sunday and fulfill the precept of going to confession at least once a year;
7. Seven out of ten Catholics in the United States do not believe that in the Mass there is the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but rather that the Bread and Wine, after consecration, are merely symbols.
I have given only 7 examples here, but in reality the examples are endless. Does anyone really wants to convince us that the problem in the Church is the “traditionalists”?
