"When mortal men try to live without God, they infallibly succumb to
megalomania or eratomania or both. The raised fist or the raised
phallus; Nietzsche or D. H. Lawrence" (Malcolm Muggeridge)
Certain teachings in Amoris Laetitia are exactly the opposite of Church
doctrine in Familiaris Consortio as well as "explicitly atheist" and
deny the existence of objective truth according to Veritatis Splendor.
Father Raymond J. de Souza said:
"Veritatis Splendor, entitled 'Lest the Cross of Christ Be Emptied of Its Power,'
warns precisely against the view that the demands of the moral life are
too difficult and cannot be lived with the help of God’s grace. Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia appears to be exactly what St. John Paul II had in mind in writing Veritatis Splendor."
[http://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/debating-amoris-laetitia-a-look-aheaquestionsXOIYwi]
Francis's semi-official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano wrote:
"There are complex situations where the choice of living “as brothers and sisters” becomes humanly impossible and give rise to greater harm (see AL, note 329)."[http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5346/a_malta_laetitia.aspx]
"Certain currents
of modern thought have gone so far as to exalt freedom to such an extent
that it becomes an absolute... This is the direction taken by doctrines
which have lost the sense of the transcendent or which are explicitly atheist. The individual conscience is accorded the status of a supreme tribunal of moral judgment which hands down categorical and infallible decisions about good and evil... But in this way the inescapable claims of truth disappear."[http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5346/a_malta_laetitia.aspx]
Pope John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio wrote:
"This
means, in practice, that when, for serious reasons, such as for
example the children's upbringing, a man and a woman cannot satisfy the
obligation to separate, they take on themselves the duty to live in complete continence, that is, by abstinence from the acts proper to married couples."[http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5346/a_malta_laetitia.aspx]
Francis and the papal inner circle appear to have redefined mortal
sin and adultery in a way that is contrary to the 2,000 year infallibly
doctrine of the Catholic Church.
They redefine adultery as a "irregular relationship" and say mortal sin is not mortal sin because of the ultimacy of conscience.
This
redefinition of Catholic conscience tells the murderer, rapist, sex
abuser, the person in adultery or anyone in objective mortal sin that
they are not in mortal sin if they are at "peace" with it, if the sinful
behavior is "humanly impossible" to change, "if they can't change their
sinful behavior" or don't know it is wrong.
Under
these conditions, they say those in objective mortal sin may receive
Holy Communion without forming their conscience and changing their
sinful behavior.
Their
redefinition of conscience is wrong. As St. Thomas said "An erroneous
conscience may bind, but it does not excuse" as the great moral
philosopher Ralph McInerny wrote:
"I
think murder is wrong, but make up your own mind...It is pretty clear
that we do not really accept the ultimacy of conscience in this way.
That the rapist and the one raped have different views on the morality
of rape does not much interest us when we consider the kind of deed it
is."
"Each
agent is obligated to follow his conscience, but this is not tantamount
to saying that every agent has a well formed conscience. It is
erroneous to believe that theft is permitted. It is wrong to hold that
adultery is all right...If it is erroneous, we will be interested in his
changing it. Indeed, we often prevent people from acting on their real
or alleged views when those views are erroneous. Professional thieves
are not considered to have an interesting and defensible concept of
private property. As Thomas put it, an erroneous conscience may bind,
but it does not excuse." (Ralph McInerny, "Ethica Thomistica," 1982,
1997, page 110-111)
Carl
Olson wrote that Amoris Laetitia moves Nietzsche-like beyond even
invincible ignorance or a erroreous conscience to the depravity of
making the individual conscience a "supreme tribunal of moral
judgement... in this way the inescapable claims of truth disappear":
"Amoris Laetitia, especially chapter 8... As Dr. E. Christian Brugger argued in these pages back in April 2016, remarking on AL 305: 'In this passage, the German bishops get all they want':"
"But
the passage does not presume that the sinner is in invincible ignorance
or that the pastor supposes that. The passage supposes that people who
are objectively committing adultery can know they are 'in God’s grace',
and that their pastor can know it too... The pastor must help them
find peace in their situation, and assist them to receive “the Church’s
help”, which (note 351 makes clear) includes 'the help of the
sacraments... '"
"Pastors
should help them discern if their situation is acceptable, even if it
is 'objectively' sinful, so they can return to the sacraments."
[http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/5346/a_malta_laetitia.aspx]
Every Pope and saint in the history of the Catholic Church would have rejected the above passage of Amoris Laetitia.
Every
Pope and saint in history would say every Catholic is obliged to have a
well formed conscience and have a firm amendment not to commit mortal
sin in order to receive Holy Communion.
The infallible Church doctrine of Trent teaches that God gives everyone the grace to repent and overcome sinful behavior.
These Catholic Church doctrines can't be redefined, even by the Pope, because they are part of Revelation.
Catholics
who are open to the redefinition of "mercy" to mean the conscience is
the supreme tribunal may cease to be Christians because they deny that
the Incarnate God-man Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins.
Pope John Paul II's Veritatis Splendor warns against this passage of
Amoris Laetitia in the third part called "Lest the Cross of Christ Be
Emptied of its Power."
The conscience as supreme tribunal denies
mercy because if there is no objective sin to be forgiven and one
doesn't have by grace the power to overcome sin then the cross of Christ
is emptied of its power.
Francis and the papal inner
circle who are ostracizing the Dubia Cardinals for questioning the parts
of Amoris Laetitia that reject Veritatis Splendor are apparently
rejecting the cross of Christ and saying it has lost its power.
They talk a lot about atheistic secular issues and social work, but
rarely or never about life after the death of the body, salvation and
damnation.
Francis and his inner circle say Jesus had authority
because he was (past tense) a servant, but rarely or never that Jesus
had authority because he is (eternal now) God.
One reason that
they rarely or never talk about the four last things is that apparently
in making individual conscience supreme, they deny truth, the authority
of God and implicitly the existence of God.
Pope John Paul II said in Veritatis Splendor:
"Certain currents of modern thought... are explicitly atheist. The
individual conscience is accorded the status of a supreme tribunal of
moral judgment... about good and evil... in this way the inescapable
claims of truth disappear."
This may be a valid question to ask Francis and the papal inner circle who promote these redefinitions:
Do
you even believe in the Incarnation and salvation, as every Pope and
saint in history has believed, since you appear to deny the very words
of Jesus Christ and his Church that He died to save us from our sins?
John
Paul II taught that anyone who thinks as you do on the individual
conscience being a supreme tribunal is a "explicit atheist."
Pray an
Our Father now for the restoration of the Church as well as for the
Triumph of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
Pray an Our Father now for reparation for the sins committed because of Francis's Amoris Laetitia.