Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano - What is the meaning of his excommunication by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican? Friday, July 5th, 2024

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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How do we handle conflicts?

People in authority in the Church and in society are much like you and me.

In the face of a difficult situation, we generally want to give other people the benefit of the doubt.

If it's serious enough or it keeps happening, then, we must take a closer look, and even investigate the situation ourselves or ask someone else to do it. This may or may not lead to clarity and to appropriate action. The more complicated the situation, the more time and effort are needed to clarify it and take steps toward the most desirable resolution. 

When complaints accumulate against a person, or when we ourselves come to a well deliberated conclusion that we must intervene, that's usually when we do it.

Each case is unique and there aren't really any cut and dry policies in our lives, and it's pretty much the same with our Church. At certain times in the past, Church authorities deemed it necessary to make judgments and excommunications more frequently, because there were open attacks on the Church or the truths of the Gospel and the Word of God, or the Church itself as the living organism founded by our Lord Jesus Christ on Peter and the Apostles. 

There have been eras in history when people looked at issues more in a black and white perspective, but with the extremely rapid development this past century in the social sciences, as well as the pure sciences, this has enhanced our understanding of the complexities of human life and behaviour. As a result, the Church now tends to be more circumspect and cautious, rather committed to investing more time and focused attention to details, and even reluctant to be shooting off frequent condemnations. In our lifetime, the shooting off of condemnations hasn't been anything resembling common practice; so, this latest excommunication seems unusual, but it really isn't.

Sooner or later, we must all render accounts, and those who make more noise are likely to attract more attention. There is another dimension to this; the personal dimension. So far, we've really only considered the issues, right and wrong, truth and falsehood.

The difference between the ways of the Lord and those of the enemy of humankind

There is also the difference between the ways of the Lord and the ways of the enemy of humankind, which of these we have been integrating into ourselves, and by which of these we live our lives and relations with others.

The enemy makes everything black and white, cut and dried, with no room for nuance, and quick to assign blame and condemn. It is the way of war and the culture of death.

The ways of the Lord reflect the awesome attributes of the Most Holy Trinity. There is truth, but also goodness and beauty. There is justice, but also mercy. God is never quick to judge, but always slow to condemn and eager to save.

When Church authorities, especially those of the Vatican, approach someone against whom there have been complaints or who stands out in criticizing the Pope or the Church itself - as Archbishop Vigano has consistently done since his retirement - the authorities are interested not only in the issues to be clarified, but equally in the attitude, words, behaviour, and actions of the other person.

Will the other approach peacefully, openly, with a docile spirit and willingness to accept the authority of the Church and manifest eagerness to obey and do the will of God? Such a person manifests a soul that is integrating the ways of the Lord into their own life, a life of holiness; a soul that is living in the Kingdom of God.

On the contrary, a person who is belligerent, condemning others left and right, accusing everyone, giving the impression that only THEY have the truth, and that everyone should be obeying THEM; well, such a soul is manifesting itself as caught up in the ways of the enemy of humankind, and the kingdom of this world, and most likely under the influence of the prince of this world; the same one who tempted Jesus in the desert.

What exactly is an excommunication?

Jesus declared that the only sin that cannot be forgiven is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which simply put, is the sin of a soul setting itself up against God, accusing God, closing itself off from God, pushing God aside and trying to take God's place as it were. As long as the gates of the mind, heart, and soul are closed to God, then it stands to reason that his grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love cannot enter into such a soul. It is basically condemning itself.

So, a declaration of excommunication is simply the Church declaring that such a soul has already cut itself off from God and the Church. Therefore, it would be sacrilegious for them in their rebellion to take the sacraments, because they are not in a proper disposition of soul. The excommunication is not a condemnation but an act of justice and mercy that is made in the hope that it will shake the person up and open them up to repentance and conversion.

Secular society, which has adopted the closed perspective of the enemy, sees everything in black and white; therefore, it is almost incapable of understanding the above dynamic and how the Church is ever seeking to help souls open themselves up to the truth, the goodness, the beauty, the justice and mercy of God, and to give God the first place in our lives; rather than setting ourselves up on any kind of personal throne or chair of authority.

Being ordained a deacon, priest, or bishop, or being appointed archbishop or cardinal, is a heavy burden of responsibility which only God's grace can help us carry. It is the same with the daily grace of Marriage. Those who accept daily their grace of vocation are able to carry themselves with humility before God, and are eager to show everyone else kindness and understanding, patience and goodness, mercy, forgiveness, and love, unconditionally; just as God shows each of us all these graces unconditionally and liberally. 

So, you can see from all this, that we are very much in need of having sympathy for one another, of showing kindness and understanding to one another, but also of standing up for the truth, for goodness, for beauty, for justice and mercy. We also need to do this with a calm and peaceful disposition, with only love towards those who disagree with us or cause trouble of any kind. For this we need the grace of God, the power, presence, and action of the Holy Spirit within us, enabling us to stand fast against any and all attacks against God and his purposes in the world and in Creation.

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My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2024 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2024 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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Jesus wants priests, but do we? Let's stop criticizing the Church: "O Lord, You have been our refuge, from one generation to the next."

My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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Last night, Fr. Brian MacDougall of Charlottetown and I found ourselves chatting about the tensions that seem to persist in our Church, from one diocese to the next. Over the years, during my travels, I have heard so many "horror stories" of priests and laity being persecuted for simply receiving with confidence the teachings and discourses of Pope John Paul II, for continuing to believe in our Church's belief in the value of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience, or for other reasons. 

It might be true to say that in most, if not in all dioceses, there exist tensions between clergy and laity who want to remain faithful to the living tradition of faith and others who passionately want Church tradition to catch up to the rapidly moving culture. If we are embarrassed with our Church, then perhaps we will also find ourselves embarrassed at the Lord when we see Him face to face. Jesus declared that if we are embarrassed at Him, then He too will be embarrassed at us when He brings us before his Father in his kingdom after we die. 

For years now, we have been perplexed by the waste of energy and what almost amounts to paralysis, whereby churches don't reach out much to the unchurched or aren't sufficiently enthused about the Gospel to proclaim it high and wide. Those who want to remain faithful to the tradition fear the sharp attacks of those whose demands for reform are unending; while these show signs of contempt for those whom they see as blindly locked up in the past. Our inability or unwillingness to be at peace with our faith tradition and see God's will at work in it is tearing us apart and depleting our vital energy and hope. We can be disheartened by the pressures coming at us from other clergy or other dioceses, or from the people, who seem at times more motivated by what they want than by what they give. 

We sense we are using up too much of our days trying to maintain the sanctuary and not enough in actively shepherding the flock. How many eagerly offer to work with us, to take on all that the laity can do; so that the priests we still have can busy themselves with the sacramental and pastoral labor that is properly theirs? I thank the Lord for those who do practice their faith and actively participate in the mission of the Church with us. Everywhere the Lord is there are signs of life and love. 

Similarly, many religious orders wonder why they are attracting so few vocations, but some of them have become embarrassed about their founders or else have wandered so far from their original spirit or charism and purpose for coming into being. For too long, they were obsessed with their identity or appearance, and struggled against their charism as a yoke they needed to get freed of, rather than see it as a discipline that could give shape to their charity. 

We diocesan clergy have far too often succumbed to similar traps of self-absorption. Is it any wonder that we struggle with vocational sterility? Only the Lord and Giver of Life can restore our generativity. I rejoice at the signs of hope the Lord is raising up in the persons of younger priests and religious who enter into the fray with zeal for the Gospel, enthusiasm for the Lord, and tender pastoral charity for the children of God. Their selflessness, simple joy, eager spirits, and generous labor is just the kind of stimulation and inspiration we needed. Lord, bring them on! 

What exactly is motivating the stresses that are tearing at the fabric of our Church, and where do they come from? I'm all in favor of the current study to enhance the English liturgical texts in order to restore the reverence and deep meaning that were lost in the initial translations. We have become familiar with them and don't realize the poverty of the language until we see better translations of the original latin and french texts. 

However, I don't understand why there continues to be such tinkering with the Liturgy - as though the ritual texts were worn out and we needed to reinvent them - when our attention would be better given to catechesis and evangelization. Do we need to be laboring so much to get more women and laymen into the sanctuary when we are doing so little to promote the foundational vocation of priesthood? 

It was right and good 40 years ago to elevate the dignity of the lay faithful and open up for them their proper place and participation in the mission of the Church, but that is done now; yet we seem obsessed with pounding that dead horse into the ground, while we watch the average age of our priests climb over 65. Must we see the last priest die to realize there is no Eucharist, no Penance and Reconciliation, no full Sunday assembly without priests? As we see what the Spirit is doing in the whole Church, it is plain that Jesus still wants priests; but do we? 

There was a Catholic Japanese faith community that survived for centuries without priests: they could pray, learn and teach about the Holy Scriptures, baptize, and serve those in need, but they couldn't bring about the Holy Eucharist and have the fullness of Christian community. They didn't have a choice because all their priests were martyred, killed. We do have a choice, but we hesitate to make it. We seem embarrassed by the brazen arrogance of our worldwide culture, with its extreme positions in favor of individual supremacy and freedom of choice, and keep silent when we have opportunities to declare ourselves for Jesus Christ and as members of his Roman Catholic Church. 

As families, we stifle even the remote possibility that our sons might be even for a moment attracted to the life and calling of the priest. We are living out the paradox of continuing to want and even demand services of our priests on the one hand, and on the other hand preferring that priests come from somewhere else, from other families. How many priests has your family or clan given to the Lord in the past 25 years? 50 years? 100 years? Among your ancestors, have there ever emerged men who responded to this call and became priests? Have you ever even thought about it? 

Have you ever prayed about it, or been so bold and generous as to ask the Lord to be pleased to grant priestly vocations to your extended family and further asked Him to show you signs of these vocations, that you might encourage the young men to pray about it and remain open to the Lord's call? 

These and other questions are among the very many questions that we priests carry as so many burdens before the Lord as we face his people. The more we see the children of God entirely preoccupied with their own wellbeing and future prospects - with nary a word about God's concerns: the advancement of the Gospel, the conversion of souls, the reform of families and marriages, the discipline and inspiration of the young, the bold proclamation before the world of the holy Name of Jesus, the care of the widow and orphan, assistance to the troubled, the starving, and the poor, and defense of those who are wrongfully accused, exploited, or in any way harmed - the more self-absorbed we see the children of God becoming, the heavier all these questions weigh upon the heart of a priest. 

I believe we would die prematurely of grief were it not for the extraordinary generosity and creativity of those who do reach out and take responsibility for various projects to the poor and for the Gospel. Still, so many members of the Body of Christ seem to remain incognito, afraid to declare their attachment to Jesus openly. Will no one dare any longer to bear the Lord's concerns? Won't you open your heart to allow the Lord to put his mark upon you and burn into your soul the radiant sign of his truth and fill you with confidence in his love and mercy? Will you not speak up for the Lord and for his concerns? 

Will we stubbornly persist in developing and promoting our own plans, without consulting the Lord to know, understand, and promote his plan? He has a wonderful plan, which includes us from conception to death and beyond into eternity. Will we not adopt his plan as our own? 

Of course, our hearts are not only burdened with such questions as these, but they are also lifted up by the generous, apostolic spirits the Lord continues to raise up among his people - those who are glad to follow the leadership of Pope John Paul II, those who come with a simple "Father, what can I do to help?" Consider those who do the unthinkable and accept a poorly paid (in terms of current market salary scales) job in the Church and courageously take on one of the many areas of ministry and service that constitute the life of our local parish churches. There are thankfully also those who persevere in drawing attention to the poor and suffering in our world and try to persuade others to "make themselves a neighbor", as Jesus said, to those in need. 

We priests are also inspired by the army of women and men who courageously take on God's call to live a covenant life of Matrimony and raise children in a society that ridicules those who appear not to be using contraception. The happy children of a family where they know that they are loved continue to give radiant glory to God and hope to a society afflicted with terminal prooccupation with self. It was good for me this morning to go for a walk into the little country cemetery behind this rural church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Alberton, PEI. The sight of all these grave stones and the realization that all these deceased are now in the presence of God our Father, either in blessedness or purification, or in eternal damnation by their own choice, simply put my mind and heart into proper perspective. 

The Word of God in today's Liturgy reinforced my mind's grasp of what the Lord is saying to us and my heart's willingness to follow where He leads us. Whether I live or die, I am in God's hands, and He has not given up his mastery over creation and over human society, nor over his Church. The young man David was anointed by the prophet Samuel at the Lord's command, and from that moment the Holy Spirit rushed upon the lad. 

The day came when the Philistines and their giant Goliath taunted and embarrassed the Israelite King Saul and his army. Filled with zeal for the Lord, David offered to face the warrior and went out with what was familiar to him and had served him well in defending his father's sheep against the bear, wolf, and lion - his sling. He put out of his mind the two armies that looked on, and thought only of the Lord, who was his strength, and his burning desire to defend the Lord's Holy Name. Because David relied only on the Lord and not on his own strength, the Lord helped him, and he overcame the giant. 

"O Lord, You have been our refuge, from one generation to the next! Help us in this time of our confusion as Christian disciples of your Son Jesus, as members of his holy Church, and as people living in the midst of this affluent and confused culture. It appears that only personal motives of greed, the hotbeds of scientific and technological advancement, and the engines of industrial expansion and economic growth, are being so bold as to give shape to our culture, society, and world. 

Strengthen your children once again with the boldness and courage of the apostles and early Christians - let your Spirit rush upon us as He did upon the young David - and fill us with your power and strength; that we may stand before the world and, with the eloquence only your Spirit can provide, stand as witnesses to your revealed truth and make You known before these new generations arising around us in your extravagant and abundant creativity and love. We make this prayer, for your glory, in the Name of Jesus your Son, our Lord. Amen!"

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My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.

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© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal  QC
© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC 

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