lifesitenews--2020-06-05--Leftist leaders abandon social distancing mandates for Floyd protests, still restrict churches

June 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — While civil authorities had ordered churches and many businesses across the USA , Canada , and Great Britain to be closed due to coronavirus fears , many of the same authorities are surprisingly condoning the recent mass protests — that include thousands of people standing closely together — that came after the killing of George Floyd while in police custody .
Millions of people across the world have been ordered to shelter in place since late March because of fears that the COVID-19 coronavirus , which originated in Wuhan , China , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelm national health systems .
So far , the world death toll from the virus is reported to be about 380,000 .
Citizens found outside their homes without a good reason have been challenged by police and in some cases fined .
But now , as both peaceful protests against racism and violent rampages are attracting enormous crowds across the United States , in Canada , Great Britain , and some European countries , public health officials have undergone a change of heart .
On June 2 , Slate magazine published arguments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they “ address the paramount public health problem of pervasive racism.
” An open letter signed by over a thousand public health professionals , infectious disease experts , and “ community stakeholders ” states that “ white supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19.
” “ Open letter advocating for an anti-racist public health response to demonstrations against systemic injustice occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic ” supports such “ public health best practices ” as staying at home .
However , its signatories refuse to condemn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission .
“ We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States , ” they wrote .
On June 1 , NPR published remarks by Dr. Elaine Nsoesie , an assistant professor of global health at Boston University , in which she acknowledged that non-white people have been “ disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in many states.
” However , she also stated that racism is one of the reasons for this disparity .
Nsoesie said that wherever there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of transmitting the coronavirus , but that “ risk of transmission is lower in open spaces.
” NPR also published advice for demonstrators to lessen their chance of catching the disease , some of which was also in the Open Letter .
Such advice included wearing a face covering , remaining with a small group , staying six feet away from other groups , and not yelling .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the face of the public response to the coronavirus epidemic in the United States , has refused to condemn the nationwide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he dodged answering a question about the protests and riots in a recent interview , focusing instead on leisure activities .
“ We ’ ve seen pictures , photos and TV clips of people very much congregated , no masks , together , very closely congregated on a boardwalk , on a beach , in a pool , ” Fauci said in a June 2 interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association ( JAMA ) .
“ That has been and continues to be a concern to me . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers have come outside to applaud the recent crowds of demonstrators , even though they opposed the anti-lockdown demonstrations earlier this spring .
Yesterday , New York ’ s Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that the needs of the demonstrators were of a higher order than those of the financially at-risk shopkeeper or people who want to go to church .
According to Breitbart , de Blasio responded to a question about different rules for different people by saying he wished people would stay at home but that “ 400 years of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ But this is the other piece of the equation , when you see a nation , an entire nation , simultaneously grappling with an extraordinary crisis , seated in 400 years of American racism , ” he said .
“ I ’ m sorry , that is not the same question as the understandably aggrieved store owner or the devout religious person who wants to go back to services.
” PETITION : Yes to reform .
No to riots & revolution !
Sign the petition here .
Health authorities in Canada were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organized in Canada after the American tragedy .
Canada ’ s health minister , Patty Hajdu , seemed to actively encourage them this Monday .
“ Gathering together is a very powerful way to lend that support and to be an ally , ” she said .
“ There are ways to do it more safely.
” Acknowledging that social distancing is difficult when protesting , Hajdu encouraged the demonstrators to wear masks and use hand-sanitizer .
Theresa Tam , Canada ’ s public health chief , also encouraged the public protests , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instead of shouting so as not to spread infection .
“ Shouting and that type of behaviour can potentially project more droplets , ” she said .
“ Be considerate of others .
People are out to protest to support a common goal.
” In Halifax , Nova Scotia , Premier Stephen McNeil ; Dr. Robert Strang , Nova Scotia ’ s chief medical officer of health ; and Mayor Mike Savage voiced sympathy for the demonstrators .
“ As people are coming together to rightfully and respectfully protest , it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still need to understand following public health protocols around social distancing , masking , etc.
, are still critically important , ” Strang said .
According to CTV News , Savage said he had got police to block off space for demonstrators so they would have more room and that he had asked them to wear masks .
CTV noted that Halifax remains in a state of emergency .
People are supposed to remain six feet away from those outside their households and not gather in groups of more than 10 .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just as important as stopping the spread of the virus .
“ Certainly , it 's a concern in a group that size , but it 's also a very big concern when somebody dies with a knee on their neck and that has to bring some kind of response as well , ” he said .
Premier McNeill praised the Nova Scotia demonstrators for wearing masks and staying peaceful .
“ I was pleased to see most of you in masks , ” he said .
“ It would have been better @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but you were respectful of one another , you were peaceful , and you made your point very clear.
” America ’ s rallies and riots have also inspired protests in Great Britain .
Yesterday , Labor M.P .
Barry Gardiner tweeted the news that he had joined a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament .
He did this despite having joined in widespread shaming of Conservative government adviser Dominic Cummings for allegedly breaking lockdown rules .
Cummings ( no relation to the author of this article ) traveled long distances earlier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; he argued that he did so to secure care for his child .
Gardiner tweeted the following on June 3 : “ Been social distancing since March .
Today I broke it to join the # BlackLivesMattter demo outside Parliament and take a knee with thousands of brave young people calling for Justice.
” He was swiftly rebuked by Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage , who tweeted , “ You total hypocrite Barry Gardiner , you attack Cummings 4 times and then ignore social distancing to join a protest that then became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resign.
” The contrast between the reaction to Cummings ’ s controversial travel last month and the encouragement of the recent protests in London had already been noted on June 2 by journalist Brendan O ’ Neill .
“ All the things said about Dominic Cummings — that he shattered the lockdown , that he thinks it 's one rule for him and another for everyone else — are far truer of those protesting at the big Black Lives Matter demo in Trafalgar Square on Sunday , than they are of Cummings , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spectator .
“ The demo ’ s message was clear .
It shouted to the nation that the virtuous and right-thinking are more important than the rest of us , ” he continued .
“ Their views and their rights count for more than ours .
So while people will be shamed for sitting on a beach or taking part in VE Day celebrations , those who have the right opinions can press the flesh in a huge public gathering with seeming impunity.
” The head of London ’ s Metropolitan Police , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were frightened of trying to enforce the lockdown in the face of the George Floyd protests .
According to a June 2 article in the Guardian , Dick asked reporters to put themselves in the shoes of the commander , who has to decide how to police passionate crowds .
“ And judgments have been made , that people are out in such numbers , feeling so strongly , and are refusing to disperse when asked , that the officers have formed the view that if they were to try at that stage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to enforce en masse , we probably would have ended up with very serious disorder and a bad situation , a difficult situation , a challenging situation for everybody , turning into a violent situation , ” she said “ So , these are the sorts of risks that public order commanders have [ to assess ] .
” The Black Lives Matter rallies continued in London yesterday .
Although these protests were mostly peaceful , two Australian journalists were menaced , a group of police officers were physically attacked , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ barriers and glass bottles at the prime minister ’ s residence on Downing Street .
“ Everything we know about history tells us that once you do that , you may not escape the mob , ” he told Steven Edginton of the Sun .
Murray contrasted the shaming of the past two months for people who were tempted to visit their parents or sunbathe despite the coronavirus with Sunday ’ s sudden apparent “ exemption ” to protest a police killing in another country .
“ So everybody in the UK has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not allowed to have gatherings in our houses .
We ’ re not allowed to meet friends .
Now we ’ re allowed to have tea with up to six people in our gardens , if we ’ re fortunate enough to have one , ” he said .
“ Oh , but the exception is if a Minneapolis police officer does something appalling .
And then you can come out in your thousands because then there ’ s an exception.
” What the impact of the London protests will have on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be known for two or three weeks .
However , today it was reported that the United Kingdom has experienced more recent coronavirus deaths than the entire European Union combined .
Face coverings on public transport will be made mandatory on June 15 .
It is clear that those who point out the disparity between the shaming for people who broke lockdown rules before George Floyd ’ s death and the encouragement of mass protests now run the risk of being called racist .
When author JD Vance tweeted that he was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceased as soon as elite-favored protests began taking place , ” he was condemned by several other Twitter users .
He was accused of being “ morally bankrupt , ” “ sad , ” “ misguided , ” and “ a marketing campaign for genteel racism.
” However , Twitter has been kinder to those who report having lost relatives to death during the pandemic and being unable to say goodbye or give them the funerals they wanted thanks to the lockdown .
George Floyd , a Houston native who moved to Minneapolis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ armed robbery , died on May 25 as a police officer , Derek Chauvin , knelt on his neck .
Bystanders filmed Floyd begging for his life before he died .
The footage horrified people in several countries , leading to protests throughout the United States and in Canada , Britain , and Europe .
At times the protests have become violent , leading to looting , arson , assault , and murder .
Retired police chief David Dorn , 77 , was killed defending a pawn shop in St. Louis , Mo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ murder in the third degree , Chauvin has now been charged with second-degree murder .

June 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — While civil authorities had ordered churches and many businesses across the USA, Canada, and Great Britain to be closed due to coronavirus fears, many of the same authorities are surprisingly condoning the recent mass protests — that include thousands of people standing closely together — that came after the killing of George Floyd while in police custody.
Millions of people across the world have been ordered to shelter in place since late March because of fears that the COVID-19 coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, would otherwise kill hundreds of thousands and overwhelm national health systems. So far, the world death toll from the virus is reported to be about 380,000. Citizens found outside their homes without a good reason have been challenged by police and in some cases fined.
But now, as both peaceful protests against racism and violent rampages are attracting enormous crowds across the United States, in Canada, Great Britain, and some European countries, public health officials have undergone a change of heart.
USA
On June 2, Slate magazine published arguments to support the mass demonstrations on the grounds that they “address the paramount public health problem of pervasive racism.” An open letter signed by over a thousand public health professionals, infectious disease experts, and “community stakeholders” states that “white supremacy is a lethal public health issue that predates and contributes to COVID-19.”
“Open letter advocating for an anti-racist public health response to demonstrations against systemic injustice occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic” supports such “public health best practices” as staying at home. However, its signatories refuse to condemn the ongoing protests as risky for coronavirus transmission.
“We support them as vital to the national public health and to the threatened health specifically of Black people in the United States,” they wrote.
On June 1, NPR published remarks by Dr. Elaine Nsoesie, an assistant professor of global health at Boston University, in which she acknowledged that non-white people have been “disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in many states.” However, she also stated that racism is one of the reasons for this disparity. Nsoesie said that wherever there is a gathering, there is a risk of transmitting the coronavirus, but that “risk of transmission is lower in open spaces.”
NPR also published advice for demonstrators to lessen their chance of catching the disease, some of which was also in the Open Letter. Such advice included wearing a face covering, remaining with a small group, staying six feet away from other groups, and not yelling.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of the public response to the coronavirus epidemic in the United States, has refused to condemn the nationwide breach of lockdown rules. In fact, he dodged answering a question about the protests and riots in a recent interview, focusing instead on leisure activities.
“We’ve seen pictures, photos and TV clips of people very much congregated, no masks, together, very closely congregated on a boardwalk, on a beach, in a pool,” Fauci said in a June 2 interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
“That has been and continues to be a concern to me.”
The Daily Wire noted yesterday that hospital workers have come outside to applaud the recent crowds of demonstrators, even though they opposed the anti-lockdown demonstrations earlier this spring.
Yesterday, New York’s Mayor Bill de Blasio suggested that the needs of the demonstrators were of a higher order than those of the financially at-risk shopkeeper or people who want to go to church.
According to Breitbart, de Blasio responded to a question about different rules for different people by saying he wished people would stay at home but that “400 years of American racism” had caused a crisis.
“But this is the other piece of the equation, when you see a nation, an entire nation, simultaneously grappling with an extraordinary crisis, seated in 400 years of American racism,” he said.
“I’m sorry, that is not the same question as the understandably aggrieved store owner or the devout religious person who wants to go back to services.”
PETITION: Yes to reform. No to riots & revolution! Sign the petition here.
Canada
Health authorities in Canada were also reluctant to discourage the mass protests organized in Canada after the American tragedy. Canada’s health minister, Patty Hajdu, seemed to actively encourage them this Monday.
“Gathering together is a very powerful way to lend that support and to be an ally,” she said. “There are ways to do it more safely.”
Acknowledging that social distancing is difficult when protesting, Hajdu encouraged the demonstrators to wear masks and use hand-sanitizer.
Theresa Tam, Canada’s public health chief, also encouraged the public protests, asking only that demonstrators consider using noise-makers instead of shouting so as not to spread infection.
“Shouting and that type of behaviour can potentially project more droplets,” she said. “Be considerate of others. People are out to protest to support a common goal.”
In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Premier Stephen McNeil; Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health; and Mayor Mike Savage voiced sympathy for the demonstrators.
“As people are coming together to rightfully and respectfully protest, it’s absolutely necessary and important, but we still need to understand following public health protocols around social distancing, masking, etc., are still critically important,” Strang said.
According to CTV News, Savage said he had got police to block off space for demonstrators so they would have more room and that he had asked them to wear masks.
CTV noted that Halifax remains in a state of emergency. People are supposed to remain six feet away from those outside their households and not gather in groups of more than 10. However, Savage suggested that the protests were just as important as stopping the spread of the virus.
“Certainly, it's a concern in a group that size, but it's also a very big concern when somebody dies with a knee on their neck and that has to bring some kind of response as well,” he said.
Premier McNeill praised the Nova Scotia demonstrators for wearing masks and staying peaceful.
“I was pleased to see most of you in masks,” he said. “It would have been better if we were able to self-distance yourself, but you were respectful of one another, you were peaceful, and you made your point very clear.”
“You are fed up.”
Great Britain
America’s rallies and riots have also inspired protests in Great Britain. Yesterday, Labor M.P. Barry Gardiner tweeted the news that he had joined a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament. He did this despite having joined in widespread shaming of Conservative government adviser Dominic Cummings for allegedly breaking lockdown rules. Cummings (no relation to the author of this article) traveled long distances earlier this spring to visit his extended family; he argued that he did so to secure care for his child.
Gardiner tweeted the following on June 3: “Been social distancing since March. Today I broke it to join the #BlackLivesMattter demo outside Parliament and take a knee with thousands of brave young people calling for Justice.”
He was swiftly rebuked by Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who tweeted, “You total hypocrite Barry Gardiner, you attack Cummings 4 times and then ignore social distancing to join a protest that then became a violent mob. Perhaps you should resign.”
The contrast between the reaction to Cummings’s controversial travel last month and the encouragement of the recent protests in London had already been noted on June 2 by journalist Brendan O’Neill.
“All the things said about Dominic Cummings — that he shattered the lockdown, that he thinks it's one rule for him and another for everyone else — are far truer of those protesting at the big Black Lives Matter demo in Trafalgar Square on Sunday, than they are of Cummings,” O’Neill wrote for the Spectator.
“The demo’s message was clear. It shouted to the nation that the virtuous and right-thinking are more important than the rest of us,” he continued.
“Their views and their rights count for more than ours. So while people will be shamed for sitting on a beach or taking part in VE Day celebrations, those who have the right opinions can press the flesh in a huge public gathering with seeming impunity.”
The head of London’s Metropolitan Police, Cressida Dick, has admitted that police were frightened of trying to enforce the lockdown in the face of the George Floyd protests. According to a June 2 article in the Guardian, Dick asked reporters to put themselves in the shoes of the commander, who has to decide how to police passionate crowds.
“And judgments have been made, that people are out in such numbers, feeling so strongly, and are refusing to disperse when asked, that the officers have formed the view that if they were to try at that stage, with those sorts of numbers, to enforce en masse, we probably would have ended up with very serious disorder and a bad situation, a difficult situation, a challenging situation for everybody, turning into a violent situation,” she said
“So, these are the sorts of risks that public order commanders have [to assess].”
The Black Lives Matter rallies continued in London yesterday. Although these protests were mostly peaceful, two Australian journalists were menaced, a group of police officers were physically attacked, and a small band of protesters were filmed throwing barriers and glass bottles at the prime minister’s residence on Downing Street.
Conservative British author Douglas Murray condemned pandering to “the mob” in a recent interview.
“Everything we know about history tells us that once you do that, you may not escape the mob,” he told Steven Edginton of the Sun.
Murray contrasted the shaming of the past two months for people who were tempted to visit their parents or sunbathe despite the coronavirus with Sunday’s sudden apparent “exemption” to protest a police killing in another country.
“So everybody in the UK has to lock down. We’re not allowed to have gatherings in our houses. We’re not allowed to meet friends. Now we’re allowed to have tea with up to six people in our gardens, if we’re fortunate enough to have one,” he said.
“Oh, but the exception is if a Minneapolis police officer does something appalling. And then you can come out in your thousands because then there’s an exception.”
What the impact of the London protests will have on the nation’s coronavirus epidemic cannot be known for two or three weeks. However, today it was reported that the United Kingdom has experienced more recent coronavirus deaths than the entire European Union combined. Face coverings on public transport will be made mandatory on June 15.
Has the “moral scolding” ceased?
It is clear that those who point out the disparity between the shaming for people who broke lockdown rules before George Floyd’s death and the encouragement of mass protests now run the risk of being called racist.
When author JD Vance tweeted that he was “amazed at how quickly the moral scolding ceased as soon as elite-favored protests began taking place,” he was condemned by several other Twitter users. He was accused of being “morally bankrupt,” “sad,” “misguided,” and “a marketing campaign for genteel racism.”
However, Twitter has been kinder to those who report having lost relatives to death during the pandemic and being unable to say goodbye or give them the funerals they wanted thanks to the lockdown.
George Floyd, a Houston native who moved to Minneapolis after serving a five-year prison sentence for armed robbery, died on May 25 as a police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck. Bystanders filmed Floyd begging for his life before he died.
The footage horrified people in several countries, leading to protests throughout the United States and in Canada, Britain, and Europe. At times the protests have become violent, leading to looting, arson, assault, and murder. Retired police chief David Dorn, 77, was killed defending a pawn shop in St. Louis, Mo.
Originally charged with second-degree manslaughter and murder in the third degree, Chauvin has now been charged with second-degree murder.
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lifesitenews--2020-06-05--Former apostolic nuncio to Germany ‘alarmed’ at bishops’ plan to ‘reinvent’ Church

WÜRZBURG , Germany , June 4 , 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — A former apostolic nuncio to Germany , Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender , stated that he is “ alarmed ” at the German bishops ’ “ synodal path , ” which seeks to “ reinvent ” the Church rather than effect a genuine renewal .
“ Without any consideration for the genuine sources of faith and revelation , namely Scripture and Tradition , the Church is supposed to reinvent itself , so to speak .
I have read the drafts for the four forums of the ‘ synodal path @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the discussion seems to be taking , ” he wrote in a contribution to German Catholic weekly newspaper Die Tagespost .
The archbishop said , commenting on the bishops ’ plan : “ It is not God and the Church that have distanced themselves from man .
On the contrary — just as in the Old Covenant , people have distanced themselves from the Church and God and steadily become more alienated from Him.
” His remarks , reproduced below in full , came in the context of the discussion of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dissents from Catholic teaching on celibacy , clerical authority , the ban on female ordination , contraception , cohabitation , homosexuality , and gender theory .
He characterized the preparatory documents for the Synodal Path as giving the appearance “ that Scripture and Tradition have been ousted and their place taken by so-called ‘ modern ’ theology and the human sciences.
” “ The draft for the ‘ Forum on Sexuality ’ reminds me of the statement from a senior representative of the Central Committee of German Catholics ( ZdK ) , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rome should keep quiet for a period of time , then we will be able to produce an acceptable moral teaching on sexual matters , ” he added .
PETITION : Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops ’ plan to ‘ Protestantize ’ Church !
Sign the petition here .
The goal of the synodal path , he wrote , “ can not simply be to listen to what people hope for or demand from the Church , but first and foremost to examine and to recognize what God expects from us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Predominantly structural changes in the life of the Church , ” as they are proposed by the synodal path , “ will hardly be sufficient to motivate and encourage anyone to rediscover his faith and love for God in the Church and to live it anew , ” Ender said .
In the readings of the Old Testament , we often come across the lament , “ Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord ” ( Judges 13:1 ) .
We also encounter the prophets ’ reactions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called for repentance and conversion .
To my knowledge , there is not a single prophet who blamed God for the chasm between divine standards and human behaviour , as if God had fallen out of step with the moving times and the desires of men .
Nowadays , this would appear to be a prevailing trend , when the obvious incompatibility between the way of life , desires and demands of “ modern ” people and the moral teachings of the Church is pointed out .
I note with amazement that amidst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Way ” in Germany , hardly anyone is proposing a different , more plausible explanation for the disaffection between people today and the Church .
For it is not God and the Church that have distanced themselves from man .
On the contrary – just as in the Old Covenant – people have distanced themselves from the Church and God and steadily become more alienated from Him .
They are turning their backs on the Church in droves and running from it .
More and more people live as if God does not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s call in Paradise to man who had fallen into sin and was fleeing is as relevant today as it was in the beginning : “ Adam , where are you ?
” ( Genesis 3:9 ) .
Who still speaks nowadays of conversion ?
On that first Easter morning , Christ instructed His Apostles , and thereby all their future successors , with the words : “ As the Father has sent me , so am I sending you !
” ( John 20:21 ) .
And His Father sent Him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ to seek and to save that which is lost ” ( Luke 19:10 ) .
Therefore , the first and foremost role of our shepherds is to make themselves heard and noticed , in both the Church and the world today , when calling on and seeking those who flee and stray .
They are tasked with going after those who are fleeing , not in order to affirm the false path that they have taken , but to encourage them to repent and return to the flock .
Is it not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for conversion is hardly heard , if at all ?
“ Repent and believe in the Gospel !
” Thus declared the Lord the aim of His mission at the beginning of His public ministry .
It is with joy that I am currently reading anew the most important documents of the last Council .
These writings establish and summarise that which the Church has authoritatively proclaimed about herself and the world over her two-thousand-year history , in Holy Scripture , her Saints , teachers and Councils , and which she seeks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Not even sixty years have passed since these authentic and authoritative statements of the Church about herself and her mission in the world today were made .
And yet , these statements from the Council are hardly even acknowledged anymore .
If one were to believe some media reports , then a Reformation-like “ revolution ” is imminent .
Without any consideration for the genuine sources of faith and revelation , namely Scripture and Tradition , Church is supposed to reinvent itself , so to speak .
I have read the drafts for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Way ” and am alarmed at the direction that the discussion seems to be taking .
It would appear that Scripture and Tradition have been ousted and their place taken by so-called “ modern ” theology and the human sciences .
This bears no similarity at all to the perspective of faith of the Council texts .
It is a bit like looking at a church ’ s stained-glass window from the outside instead of from the inside ; as a result , what is depicted and its meaning can hardly be understood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Sexuality ” reminds me of the statement from a senior representative of the Central Committee of German Catholics ( ZdK ) , who expressed words to the effect of : Rome should keep quiet for a period of time , then we will be able to produce an acceptable moral teaching on sexual matters .
The Apostle ’ s warning and the German student movement of 1968 Saint Paul issues a warning in his letter to the Romans : “ Do not be conformed to this world , but be transformed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by testing you may discern what is the will of God , what is good and acceptable and perfect ” ( Romans 12:2 ) .
If the Word of God still means something to us , this should be the primary objective of any renewal process – not to adjust oneself to the world , but firstly to renew oneself , one ’ s way of thinking and acting in the spirit of Jesus Christ .
It can not simply be to listen to what people hope for or demand from the Church @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to recognise what God expects from us , the Church and mankind .
God ’ s will , and not what the “ world ” and the people in it find pleasing and desirable , is the “ gold standard ” for renewal – that which is “ good and acceptable and perfect ” in the eyes of God !
However , I have the impression that in the meantime the “ spirit of 1968 ” has found its way into the ranks of the Church and is now claiming settlement rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then reformulated and adjusted as one sees fit .
In statements and news coverage about the Church in Germany , one has to search high and low in order to find someone who has the courage to openly confront , with a level-headed and critical approach , the widespread trend of “ severe criticism of the Church ” , which unfortunately often finds appreciative applause with many .
It was a layman , unknown to me , who once gave this good advice in a KNA [ official Catholic news agency in Germany @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something negative about the Church without also saying something positive .
The face of the Church has been disfigured by the cases of abuse which have rightfully been deplored and are to be condemned .
However , I am convinced that many of those who gleefully join in and applaud the now widely-accepted criticism of the Church are partly to blame for its poor image in our day : their ranks include some theologians , priests and even bishops .
Just recently , a “ Church publication ” drew its readers ’ attention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Severe criticism of the Church ” , accompanied by a portrait of the author – to a newly-released book by one of its own priests .
The article did not neglect to inform the readers of where exactly the book could be bought , as well as what it costs .
The more “ severely ” one criticises the Church , the larger the platform one finds in the media , even in some Church-run outlets .
And whilst every available opportunity is used to report in detail on the “ Maria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaigns , the “ Maria 1.0 ” movement is deemed as hardly worth a brief comment .
Even during Masses , sermons that pour derision and malice on the so-called ecclesial “ authorities ” are met with praise and applause ; in contrast to some homilies which really deserve such support .
The courage to acknowledge the Man of Sorrows Through such behaviour , we are most of all harming ourselves and the Church .
We should therefore not be surprised when more and more people turn their backs on the Church , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always inevitably been made up of holiness and sinfulness at the same time ( “ casta mereterix ” ) .
In her , the wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest .
Nowadays , the impression is left that we ourselves are not convinced by “ our ” Church and are unwilling to stand by her .
This reminds me of Christ , standing before Pilate .
Even His own friends had deserted Him ( indeed , some of the ones who carried more responsibility ) .
They no longer recognise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the crown of thorns .
They lack the courage to profess faith in Him and to stand up for Him , even as a humiliated and disfigured Man of Sorrows .
And even Pilate ’ s scornful question , “ What is truth ?
” ( John 18:38 ) is often uttered by many today .
Structural matters do not inspire joy in faith Even well-meant “ structural reforms ” will not be able to heal this disparaging and destructive treatment of the Church , if reform efforts do not start from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That is why I consider the alternative draft for the “ Synodal Way ” proposed by the bishops from Cologne and Regensburg to be more honest and promising .
This proposal had been put forward as a new and therefore “ alternative ” pathway , but unfortunately it was rejected by a majority of the bishops .
Only those who find Christ in the Church and encounter God there can also live with the Church , love her and take part in forming her .
Therefore , the main priority of every true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to , with a new , joyful faith , the presence of Christ in His Church .
Before complaining about those who have decided to stop paying their church tax , thereby terminating their membership of the Church , all attention should be focused on those whose faith has lapsed and who have neither attended Mass for a considerable amount of time ( 90 per cent ) , nor taken part in the general life of the Church , because they have become estranged from her .
If Christ no longer means anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply avoid anything to do with the Church and go their own way .
Predominantly structural changes in the life of the Church will hardly be sufficient to motivate and encourage anyone to rediscover their faith and love for God in the Church and to live it anew .
Faith comes from listening and not from debating , criticising and writing agendas .
That is why the proclamation of the Good News , a tangible , active witness of faith , and a convincing evangelisation in word and deed , is the only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In an historical act , Pope Francis has appealed in a letter to all Catholics in Germany .
The reason for his letter , which was published on 29th June 2019 , was the “ Synodal Way ” of the Catholic Church .
In light of the “ erosion ” and the “ deterioration of the faith ” in Germany , the Pope has emphatically called for conversion and evangelisation and at the same time , urged unity with the universal Church .
The Holy Father stated in the letter that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and intrinsic role of the Church , and this must also be the aim of the “ Synodal Way ” .
Instead of focusing on structural issues , the Pope calls for evangelisation to be given the highest priority in the life of the Church .
Like Benedict XVI , Francis also warns of the danger of secularisation in the Church .
“ Without new life and an authentic spirit inspired by the Gospel ” , and without “ fidelity of the Church to her own vocation ” , every structural reform would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Pope ’ s letter provoked mixed reactions from the Catholic Church in Germany .
For example , as a result of the letter , there were demands for a restart of the “ Synodal Way ” .
The course had been set in the wrong direction , complained Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg .
However , the heads of the Bishops ’ Conference and the ZdK felt encouraged by the Pope ’ s letter to proceed further on the “ Synodal Way ” .
Ultimately , the Archbishop of Cologne , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Regensburg presented an alternative draft to the articles of the “ Synodal Way ” .
The alternative draft emphasised the primacy of the new evangelisation , the observance of the “ sensus ecclesiae ” and the consideration of unity with the universal Church , in order to meet the demands of the Pope ’ s letter .
At a meeting of the Permanent Council in August , the German bishops voted on the alternative draft .
21 voted against , three bishops voted in favour and three others abstained .
The article first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ translated by LifeSiteNews staff and is published here with permission .

'I have read the drafts for the four forums of the ‘synodal path’ and am alarmed at the direction that the discussion seems to be taking,' Abp. Erwin Josef Ender wrote.
WÜRZBURG, Germany, June 4, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A former apostolic nuncio to Germany, Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, stated that he is “alarmed” at the German bishops’ “synodal path,” which seeks to “reinvent” the Church rather than effect a genuine renewal.
“Without any consideration for the genuine sources of faith and revelation, namely Scripture and Tradition, the Church is supposed to reinvent itself, so to speak. I have read the drafts for the four forums of the ‘synodal path’ and am alarmed at the direction that the discussion seems to be taking,” he wrote in a contribution to German Catholic weekly newspaper Die Tagespost.
The archbishop said, commenting on the bishops’ plan: “It is not God and the Church that have distanced themselves from man. On the contrary — just as in the Old Covenant, people have distanced themselves from the Church and God and steadily become more alienated from Him.”
His remarks, reproduced below in full, came in the context of the discussion of the synodal path currently underway in Germany that dissents from Catholic teaching on celibacy, clerical authority, the ban on female ordination, contraception, cohabitation, homosexuality, and gender theory. He characterized the preparatory documents for the Synodal Path as giving the appearance “that Scripture and Tradition have been ousted and their place taken by so-called ‘modern’ theology and the human sciences.”
“The draft for the ‘Forum on Sexuality’ reminds me of the statement from a senior representative of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), who expressed words to the effect of: Rome should keep quiet for a period of time, then we will be able to produce an acceptable moral teaching on sexual matters,” he added.
PETITION: Join faithful German Catholics in resisting bishops’ plan to ‘Protestantize’ Church! Sign the petition here.
The goal of the synodal path, he wrote, “cannot simply be to listen to what people hope for or demand from the Church, but first and foremost to examine and to recognize what God expects from us, the Church, and mankind.”
“Predominantly structural changes in the life of the Church,” as they are proposed by the synodal path, “will hardly be sufficient to motivate and encourage anyone to rediscover his faith and love for God in the Church and to live it anew,” Ender said.
* * *
Full article by Archbishop Erwin Josef Ender, originally published by Die Tagespost:
In the readings of the Old Testament, we often come across the lament, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Judges 13:1). We also encounter the prophets’ reactions to this. They denounced evil and vehemently called for repentance and conversion. To my knowledge, there is not a single prophet who blamed God for the chasm between divine standards and human behaviour, as if God had fallen out of step with the moving times and the desires of men. Nowadays, this would appear to be a prevailing trend, when the obvious incompatibility between the way of life, desires and demands of “modern” people and the moral teachings of the Church is pointed out.
I note with amazement that amidst the heated discussions surrounding the “Synodal Way” in Germany, hardly anyone is proposing a different, more plausible explanation for the disaffection between people today and the Church. For it is not God and the Church that have distanced themselves from man. On the contrary – just as in the Old Covenant – people have distanced themselves from the Church and God and steadily become more alienated from Him. They are turning their backs on the Church in droves and running from it. More and more people live as if God does not exist. For this reason, God’s call in Paradise to man who had fallen into sin and was fleeing is as relevant today as it was in the beginning: “Adam, where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
Who still speaks nowadays of conversion?
On that first Easter morning, Christ instructed His Apostles, and thereby all their future successors, with the words: “As the Father has sent me, so am I sending you!” (John 20:21). And His Father sent Him, as He Himself expressly declares, “to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). Therefore, the first and foremost role of our shepherds is to make themselves heard and noticed, in both the Church and the world today, when calling on and seeking those who flee and stray. They are tasked with going after those who are fleeing, not in order to affirm the false path that they have taken, but to encourage them to repent and return to the flock. Is it not then astounding, that today this call for conversion is hardly heard, if at all? “Repent and believe in the Gospel!” Thus declared the Lord the aim of His mission at the beginning of His public ministry.
It is with joy that I am currently reading anew the most important documents of the last Council. These writings establish and summarise that which the Church has authoritatively proclaimed about herself and the world over her two-thousand-year history, in Holy Scripture, her Saints, teachers and Councils, and which she seeks to make fruitful for our present day. Not even sixty years have passed since these authentic and authoritative statements of the Church about herself and her mission in the world today were made. And yet, these statements from the Council are hardly even acknowledged anymore.
If one were to believe some media reports, then a Reformation-like “revolution” is imminent. Without any consideration for the genuine sources of faith and revelation, namely Scripture and Tradition, Church is supposed to reinvent itself, so to speak. I have read the drafts for the four forums of the “Synodal Way” and am alarmed at the direction that the discussion seems to be taking. It would appear that Scripture and Tradition have been ousted and their place taken by so-called “modern” theology and the human sciences. This bears no similarity at all to the perspective of faith of the Council texts. It is a bit like looking at a church’s stained-glass window from the outside instead of from the inside; as a result, what is depicted and its meaning can hardly be understood. The draft for the “Forum on Sexuality” reminds me of the statement from a senior representative of the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), who expressed words to the effect of: Rome should keep quiet for a period of time, then we will be able to produce an acceptable moral teaching on sexual matters.
The Apostle’s warning and the German student movement of 1968
Saint Paul issues a warning in his letter to the Romans: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). If the Word of God still means something to us, this should be the primary objective of any renewal process – not to adjust oneself to the world, but firstly to renew oneself, one’s way of thinking and acting in the spirit of Jesus Christ. It cannot simply be to listen to what people hope for or demand from the Church, but first and foremost to examine and to recognise what God expects from us, the Church and mankind. God’s will, and not what the “world” and the people in it find pleasing and desirable, is the “gold standard” for renewal – that which is “good and acceptable and perfect” in the eyes of God!
However, I have the impression that in the meantime the “spirit of 1968” has found its way into the ranks of the Church and is now claiming settlement rights here. Everything must be questioned, then reformulated and adjusted as one sees fit. In statements and news coverage about the Church in Germany, one has to search high and low in order to find someone who has the courage to openly confront, with a level-headed and critical approach, the widespread trend of “severe criticism of the Church”, which unfortunately often finds appreciative applause with many. It was a layman, unknown to me, who once gave this good advice in a KNA [official Catholic news agency in Germany] article: one should not say something negative about the Church without also saying something positive.
The face of the Church has been disfigured by the cases of abuse which have rightfully been deplored and are to be condemned. However, I am convinced that many of those who gleefully join in and applaud the now widely-accepted criticism of the Church are partly to blame for its poor image in our day: their ranks include some theologians, priests and even bishops.
Just recently, a “Church publication” drew its readers’ attention – under the prominently-displayed, suggestive headline “Severe criticism of the Church”, accompanied by a portrait of the author – to a newly-released book by one of its own priests. The article did not neglect to inform the readers of where exactly the book could be bought, as well as what it costs. The more “severely” one criticises the Church, the larger the platform one finds in the media, even in some Church-run outlets. And whilst every available opportunity is used to report in detail on the “Maria 2.0” movement’s demands and campaigns, the “Maria 1.0” movement is deemed as hardly worth a brief comment. Even during Masses, sermons that pour derision and malice on the so-called ecclesial “authorities” are met with praise and applause; in contrast to some homilies which really deserve such support.
The courage to acknowledge the Man of Sorrows
Through such behaviour, we are most of all harming ourselves and the Church. We should therefore not be surprised when more and more people turn their backs on the Church, which, since being founded, has always inevitably been made up of holiness and sinfulness at the same time (“casta mereterix”). In her, the wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest. Nowadays, the impression is left that we ourselves are not convinced by “our” Church and are unwilling to stand by her. This reminds me of Christ, standing before Pilate. Even His own friends had deserted Him (indeed, some of the ones who carried more responsibility). They no longer recognise the hidden King underneath the scourging wounds and the crown of thorns. They lack the courage to profess faith in Him and to stand up for Him, even as a humiliated and disfigured Man of Sorrows. And even Pilate’s scornful question, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) is often uttered by many today.
Structural matters do not inspire joy in faith
Even well-meant “structural reforms” will not be able to heal this disparaging and destructive treatment of the Church, if reform efforts do not start from the very basics of the faith. That is why I consider the alternative draft for the “Synodal Way” proposed by the bishops from Cologne and Regensburg to be more honest and promising. This proposal had been put forward as a new and therefore “alternative” pathway, but unfortunately it was rejected by a majority of the bishops.
Only those who find Christ in the Church and encounter God there can also live with the Church, love her and take part in forming her. Therefore, the main priority of every true renewal has to be discovering and witnessing to, with a new, joyful faith, the presence of Christ in His Church. Before complaining about those who have decided to stop paying their church tax, thereby terminating their membership of the Church, all attention should be focused on those whose faith has lapsed and who have neither attended Mass for a considerable amount of time (90 per cent), nor taken part in the general life of the Church, because they have become estranged from her.
If Christ no longer means anything to a person, they will quite simply avoid anything to do with the Church and go their own way. Predominantly structural changes in the life of the Church will hardly be sufficient to motivate and encourage anyone to rediscover their faith and love for God in the Church and to live it anew. Faith comes from listening and not from debating, criticising and writing agendas. That is why the proclamation of the Good News, a tangible, active witness of faith, and a convincing evangelisation in word and deed, is the only proven way into the hearts of people.
Background:
In an historical act, Pope Francis has appealed in a letter to all Catholics in Germany. The reason for his letter, which was published on 29th June 2019, was the “Synodal Way” of the Catholic Church. In light of the “erosion” and the “deterioration of the faith” in Germany, the Pope has emphatically called for conversion and evangelisation and at the same time, urged unity with the universal Church. The Holy Father stated in the letter that the proclamation of the faith is the first and intrinsic role of the Church, and this must also be the aim of the “Synodal Way”.
Instead of focusing on structural issues, the Pope calls for evangelisation to be given the highest priority in the life of the Church. Like Benedict XVI, Francis also warns of the danger of secularisation in the Church. “Without new life and an authentic spirit inspired by the Gospel”, and without “fidelity of the Church to her own vocation”, every structural reform would quickly be ruined, the Pontiff said.
The Pope’s letter provoked mixed reactions from the Catholic Church in Germany. For example, as a result of the letter, there were demands for a restart of the “Synodal Way”. The course had been set in the wrong direction, complained Bishop Rudolf Voderholzer of Regensburg. However, the heads of the Bishops’ Conference and the ZdK felt encouraged by the Pope’s letter to proceed further on the “Synodal Way”. Ultimately, the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Woelki, and Bishop Voderholzer of Regensburg presented an alternative draft to the articles of the “Synodal Way”.
The alternative draft emphasised the primacy of the new evangelisation, the observance of the “sensus ecclesiae” and the consideration of unity with the universal Church, in order to meet the demands of the Pope’s letter. At a meeting of the Permanent Council in August, the German bishops voted on the alternative draft. 21 voted against, three bishops voted in favour and three others abstained.
The article first appeared in Die Tagespost. It was translated by LifeSiteNews staff and is published here with permission.
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