And it really won't be a church either - I suppose it could be an "ecclesial community", but to me, it will be just a collection of heretics and apostates.
SperoNews published an article on Thursday July 2 outlining the plans, players and poofery of the American Catholic Council. For all intents and purposes, it's being driven by Call-to-Action, another group called Take Back Our Church, founded by Robert Blair Kaiser (an ex-Jesuit priest no less) and the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC).
Here's some of the article:
Kaiser and TakeBackOurChurch.org co-founder Robert Miller are extremely supportive of the idea, speaking about it at Call to Action and associated groups’ conferences for some time, promoting an autochthonous – that is, “native” – American Catholic Church. Being American and therefore, presumably, holding democratic ideals as a cultural birthright, this new, American Catholic “church” would elect its bishops and write a constitution for itself “that carefully puts aside the Rome-based secretive, half-vast, culturally-conditioned legalisms codified in canon law in return for the kind of servant Church envisioned at Vatican II.” [www.takebackourchurch.org/node/3, Mar 25, 2009]
Kaiser and Miller say there will be nothing schismatic about creating an American Catholic Church, modeled after all on “the Maronites, the Melchites, the Byzantines, the Copts and sixteen other autochthonous churches in the Middle East that are loyal to the pope, but glory in their own governance, their own married clergy, and their own liturgies.” [www.takebackourchurch.org/node/3, Mar 25, 2009]
I don't think the Maronites, Melchites, Byzantines and Copts will appreciate being compared to this ridiculous bunch. Not to mention those rites have existed for centuries - some as far back as the early years of the Church. This one was spawned in 1976 at the first Call-to-Action, and it still hasn't grown up.
Oh - as to the "nothing schismatic" description... (emphasis mine)
Call to Action’s Leonard Swidler, mentioned above as founder of the Association for the Rights of Catholic in the Church – ARCC, and one of the primary conveners of the American Catholic Council, has been promoting the idea of an independent church for years. Swidler developed VOTF’s “Constitution” with VOTF founding member Jim Muller, seeking election of priests and other members of the hierarchy, as well as endorsing abortion, contraception, homosexual relations, married clergy and women priests, divorce and a host of other Call to Action “reforms.”
Okay - so beyond those minor, insignificant moral issues of abortion, contraception and gay sex, all of which hppen to be intrinsically evil by the way, this Council will not be schismatic. I got it now. And even though Rome has ruled that women cannot be ordained, and anyone who participates in any fake ordintation incurs automatic excommunication, this group won't be schismatic. Oh, and even though Christ taught that there is no divorce and remarriage, this group will not be schismatic. Yeah - sounds Catholic, except it's pronounced "E-pis-co-pal-i-an".
Last quote: Interestingly, one limit to the Council’s commitment to “radical inclusivity” concerns anyone with a traditional understanding of the Church or its teaching. They are the one group that isn’t welcome:
This qualification decision was made to ensure that groups committed to a pre-Vatican II restoration of a clerical, hierarchical Church or who rejected the roles and responsibilities of all baptized did not attempt to co-opt or abort the Council. We realized that the importance of Vatican II was often lost on Catholics born after the 1950s—but we decided that we could articulate the principles of Vatican II without focusing on the Vatican Council itself. [americancatholiccouncil.org/updates, spring 2009]
Darn - I won't be getting an invitation.
And did you catch that part about articulating the principles of Vatican II without focusing on the council itself? In other words - forget about what was written or said. Just focus on the spirit. Just focus on what we want and our interpretation, not what the Church wants and teaches. Let's bring about the "servant Church" envisioned by the council - whatever the heck that means - but let's ignore the documents.
You know, I think I'll do the same. I am going to articulate the principles of the American Catholic Council without focusing on the council itself. In other words - I'll ignore what they're writing and saying, and instead, focus on the spirit. And their spirit is one of dissent, disobedience and discontinuity. In other words, the spirit of the Evil One.
And to think they're going to convene in Detroit. I might be writing my archbishop a letter. I'm sure he's aware of this, but it wouldn't hurt to let him know at least one faithful Catholic in the archdiocese wants this council canceled.
Instant "Acts"ess
