Father Weinandy: Parrhesia = The Sack

“Uh? There’s a letter in my grass!”

The strange story of Father Weinandy could be material for another post. However, what counts here is the letter he wrote to Pope Francis.   

This is, very obviously, a through-and-through Vatican II guy, then otherwise he would not work in any capacity for the US Bishops’ Conference. However, this guy is also a Catholic. 

His letter (reported entirely in the link, together with the strange story) does nothing else than state the obvious. However, in this disgraceful start of the XXI century a priest who states the obvious is a menace to his own bishops and Pope.  

Father Weinandy does not mince words. I will make just a couple of examples with my explanation of what they mean in plain English and below the diplomatic varnish: 

To teach with such a seemingly intentional lack of clarity inevitably risks sinning against the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.  The Holy Spirit is given to the Church, and particularly to yourself, to dispel error, not to foster it.  

Tranlsation: you are being not only heretical, but blasphemous. You spit Christ in the face like the Roma soldiers did, and offend the Holy Trinity.  

Yet you seem to censor and even mock those who interpret Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia in accord with Church tradition as Pharisaic stone-throwers who embody a merciless rigorism.   This kind of calumny is alien to the nature of the Petrine ministry.  Some of your advisors regrettably seem to engage in similar actions.  Such behavior gives the impression that your views cannot survive theological scrutiny, and so must be sustained by ad hominem arguments.

Translation: You are exactly the same Christ-hating Pharisee you accuse others to be. You send out your hounds to intimidate those who criticise you. You have no standing, this emperor has no clothes; th eonly strategy that remains open to you is open intimidation and swift reprisal. 

Those who devalue the doctrines of the Church separate themselves from Jesus, the author of truth.  What they then possess, and can only possess, is an ideology – one that conforms to the world of sin and death. 

Translation: You are the enemy of truth, the enemy of the Church, and the enemy of Jesus. 

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Father Weinandy was made to resign from his position at the USCCB in record time after the letter (sent on 31 July) was made public, thus making the case for much of what he writes in the letter himself. No doubt, other sanctions will follow. 

Little by little; one V II theologian at a time; slowly, timidly, something is happening. The constant opposition of real Catholics – whom father Weinandy also mentions – to the present state of things forces the least corrupt of this corrupt system of power to slowly grow a pair and take a stand.  We must “keep up the good pressuring” and keep demanding that our supposed shepherd start doing their job already, beginning with cardinal Burke and the other kitten of the litter.  

Little by little; one V II theologian at a time, slowly and timidly, something big could, one day and with God’s grace, be in the making. 

M