...if your father came thousands of miles to visit the country where you lived, and when he got there was too exhausted to meet with you and your brothers.... But he rested up and met with lots of other non-family members and just skipped his time with you altogether. Oh well, sons, I just couldn't fit you into the schedule because it was too full and I was exhausted.
The report of the pope's trip to Sri Lanka and cancelling his meeting with his spiritual sons just made me cry. He had time the next day to make an unscheduled stop at a Buddhist temple. Couldn't he have shortened several other events and skipped the temple stop to squeeze in at least a short time with his spiritual sons. After all, they are the face of the Catholic Church in that country.
Vatican Radio reported some comments
with Fr. Lombardi, head of the Vatican Press Office, about the meeting with 1,000 Buddhist monks and the pope (That's where he got the invitation to visit the temple the next day). "The Pope comes as a Christian leader, in harmony with the Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim leaders on the island and this 'is something historic for the people here.'" You can listen to the Vatican report here.
I think of Jesus telling the woman who came begging for her daughter's deliverance that it was wrong to take the food of the children and give it to the dogs. She begged for the scraps that fall from the table. In this case, the sons didn't even receive the table scraps. But Fr. Lombardi tells us the pope was "in good harmony" with the Buddhists. Fine, but what about the children? The bishops aren't just the pope's spiritual sons; they represent the Catholics of Sri Lanka. Perhaps they had lay representatives ready to welcome the pope and share their smell with their shepherd. We don't know because it didn't happen.
Am I just being a curmudgeon or is there something wrong with this picture?
There is something very wrong. A troubling pattern is emerging in all this disregard of protocol. It speaks of a disdain for his role as spiritual father to us all.
ReplyDeleteyou are not a curmudgeon; there is something definitely wrong with this picture.
ReplyDeleteHis papacy is getting more and more surreal.
The link below is to a most excellent post; and click on the embedded Fulton Sheen clip to watch the whole thing on youtube (not just the 2nd half that is embedded). It is magnificent! Ven. Fulton Sheen....pray for us!
https://ebougis.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/this-struck-a-chord/
Well, I am not one to be the Catholic version of "The X-Files", Fox Mulder... but this raises some questions.
ReplyDeleteCould it be, given Pope Francis' particular leanings towards the Sacred Liturgy, that he did not want to meet with Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith? (former Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (2005–2009) appointed by Pope Benedict XVI)
This is what Wikipedia says about Cardinal Ranjith's... um, feelings about the current state of affairs about the post-Vatican II Mass:
"He has described the liturgical reforms inspired by the Second Vatican Council as "a mixed bag of results." While praising the use of vernacular languages, he also criticized the "quasi total abandonment" of Latin and the "acceptance of all kinds of 'novelties' resulting from a secularizing and humanistic theological and liturgical mindset overtaking the West." He has also lamented the "banalization and obscuring of the mystical and sacred aspects of the liturgy in many areas of the Church in the name of a so-called Konzilsgeist (spirit of the Council).""
Although, here is the CNA take on the... snub:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sri-lankan-cardinal-credits-papal-trip-for-post-election-peace-57811/
Catechist Kev
Thanks for this insightful comment, Kevin. I read the article as well. Both things could certainly be true. I guess we just need to keep praying!
ReplyDelete