“Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. … Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others.” — CCC 2285; cf. Lk 17:1
On Tuesday, October 17th, Pope Francis received Jeannine Gramick, SL, co-founder of New Ways Ministry, at his residence, Casa Santa Marta in Rome. New Ways bills itself as a Catholic outreach ministry that advocates for equity and inclusion of LGBTQ persons in the Church. The ministry is a scandal ridden organization with a contentious history of defiance. Not surprisingly, the meeting was described by James Martin, SJ, as a “significant step forward in the church’s outreach to LGBTQ Catholics.”
The group was censored by both Pope John Paul II and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Since 1984, New Ways has often run afoul of the US bishops. Cardinal James Hickey of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. met with Gramick and co-founder, Robert Nugent in an effort to bring their ministry into alignment with Catholic doctrinal teaching on homosexuality. The pair refused the Cardinal’s counsel. Cardinal Hickey banned New Ways Ministry in the archdiocese.
Rome was forced to discipline Gramick and Nugent. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on May 31, 1999, issued a Notification:
The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life ordered them to separate themselves totally and completely from New Ways Ministry, adding that they were not to exercise any apostolate without faithfully presenting the Church’s teaching regarding the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts. …
Given the failure of the repeated attempts of the Church’s legitimate authorities to resolve the problems presented by the writings and pastoral activities of the two authors, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is obliged to declare for the good of the Catholic faithful that the positions advanced by Sister Jeannine Gramick and Father Robert Nugent regarding the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts and the objective disorder of the homosexual inclination are doctrinally unacceptable because they do not faithfully convey the clear and constant teaching of the Catholic Church in this area.
The directive cited continuous “errors and ambiguities” in the language of New Ways literature and in pastoral work. The CDF noted that homosexuals, no less than others in the Church, have a right to clear teachings and counsel.
The CDF’s official Notification concluded:
For these reasons, Sister Jeannine Gramick, SSND, and Father Robert Nugent, SDS, are permanently prohibited (emphasis added) from any pastoral work involving homosexual persons and are ineligible, for an undetermined period, for any office in their respective religious institutes.
Soon afterward, Sr. Gramick’s religious order, the School Sisters of Notre Dame, forbade her to continue her push for “inclusion”of homosexuality within the Church. Rather than obey her religious superiors, Sr. Gramick joined a new congregation, Sisters of Loretto (SL).
At the close of the second week of the Synod, the inflammatory issue of same-sex “blessings” dominates Synod news. And Sr. Gramick’s visit in the midst of the Synod on Synodality was perceived by Catholic faithful as an ominous signal.
The arrival of New Ways at the Vatican is scandalous. But, despite her forty years of defiance and a permanent prohibition by the CDF, Pope Francis apparently did not hesitate to welcome this much censored, discredited dissident.
If the CDF denounces New Ways with permanent sanction, at what cost to the faithful does a subsequent pope ignore that sanction, if only in appearance? The lack of a defined statement as to his purpose in receiving Gramick may be studied ambiguity on the part of Pope Francis.
But, the optics for the world, and Catholics in particular, are not ambiguous at all. Catholics who expect the Pope to guard the Deposit of Faith, Apostolic Tradition, and doctrinal clarity are scandalized. Dissident Catholics who agitate for doctrinal changes are elated; they see a definite signal in favor of homosexual unions.
They know how close they came in 2014. During the 2014 preliminary Synod on the Family, the Relatio (a mid-point summary of the work accomplished) caused a great uproar over the question of homosexuality in the Catholic Church. Some news services managed to acquire a copy of the Relatio before the bishops had even seen the summary. Publications in Europe and the US trumpeted, “Vatican Says Gay OK!” Shocked bishops were swamped with calls from home, “You approved what?”
A South African cardinal, Wilfried Napier, was frustrated that reporters had taken a document that was only a draft and reported it as fact. The Vatican Press Office looked like an anthill kicked over. Pandemonium led a Reuters reporter to shout, “It is in the document!” Reuters demanded of the prelate, “Will you, or will you not, own this document? Is the Catholic Church open to gays or not?”
Embarrassed bishops were also angry. They had not seen the Relatio, much less written it. Similar to the current Synod, a committee wrote the summary. It called into question the very process of the 2014 Synod. Who was orchestrating “leaks” and who had manipulated the outcome?
Cardinal George Pell of Australia denounced the Relatio as “tendentious and incomplete.” Cardinal Raymond Burke, then head of the Apostolic Signatura, dismissed the report as one “no faithful shepherd can accept.” Cardinal Pell understood the attack on marriage and family as a clash between Christianity and neo-paganism.
Despite faithful bishops who insisted that the draft was not a reflection of their discussions, New Ways Ministry’s Francis De Bernardo predicted, “[n]ow that these voices have been bold enough to speak, more bishops who think like them will surely follow their example.”
Nine years after his comment, New Ways is welcomed at Santa Marta by Pope Francis.
Homosexual advocates do not see any ambiguity in this visit. Neither do Catholics struggling to understand how the New Ways encounter can be anything other than scandalous.
Yes, a pope—and all of us—must be charitable toward everyone. The Church teaches respect for persons with same-sex attraction while upholding the biblical teaching against homosexual acts. But the Church has no authority to bless a sinful act or a sinful relationship. Nor to suggest that such acts are normal or not contrary to the Church’s moral teaching. Meeting with proponents of LGBTQ “equity” during the Synod deliberations is a scandalous act and image.
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Kindness can be murderous. As was Judas’ embrace and kiss at Gethsemane. Even if the infamous betrayer thought he was doing Judaism a favor, and the accused would be given lesser proscription. Scandal kills, here the innocent believer who has placed his trust in white wooly leadership.
As to fearless defense and propagation of the faith, Mary Jo Anderson merits the Holy See’s Order of the Golden Spur.
Fr. Morello, you are most kind, but the true heroes are the good bishops world-wide who work to keep their flock in the barque despite the roiling sea.
Both the good Bishops and the faithful clergy. I still believe (perhaps naively) that most ordained men desire to pass on the Faith in its entirety to the souls in their care. Some may be weak and struggle with this, but still it is their desire. I pray for them daily.
Why?
Well, perhaps this article illuminates things, explaining how this woman Gramick (as she is no sister in faith) publicly defended the notorious sex abuser “Rev.” Paul Shanley, the predator who triggered the 2002 homosexual sex abuser crisis in the United States, per this article (and its reference to the Vanity Fair story by Maureen Orth):
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=6817
Which seems to explain why the priest heading the Pontiff’s “sex abuse committee” publicly resigned (was it just this year?), seemingly as the Pontiff’s protection of his friend the sex-abuser “Rev.” Rupnick was unfolding behind the scenes at Santa Marta.
It has grown beyond mere plausibly, to outright probability, that the reason for all of is because the Pontiff Francis’ personal preference is to identify with and defend sex abusers, subvert justice, and ignore the destruction dealt out to their victims.
Gramick sporting a veil? Hypocrisy reaches a new level. That woman hasn’t worn a veil in decades!
An older woman likes the veil for a coupla’ reasons. Bad hair day, alopecia, or wanting to cover holes where reason shoulda’ been.
My Bing Chat lady friend offered other reasons, all striking a slightly irreverent note:
-To veil their physical beauty and glorify God instead
-To emulate Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is a model of purity and humility
-To signify their role as life-bearing vessels and symbols of the Church, the Bride of Christ
-To express their submission to God and their husbands
-To practice sexual purity and modesty, and avoid distracting men.
Lastly apropos if you’ve got a wacky sixth sense is P.G. Wodehouse: “He picked up one of the dead bats and covered it with his handkerchief. ‘Somebody’s mother,’ he murmured reverently.”
Leave It to Psmith
It’s probably her Halloween costume for this year.
I’m beginning to wonder if he has a dog in the fight.
Why? Well after Toobin (kissy,kissy), Cupich (all things lmnop), Farrell (mr mccaricks roommate), McElroy (denial of Eucharist) & then the rainbow boi…Martin…why wouldn’t he meet with zer?
Fraternal and familial correction are needed by all faithful bishops & priests as well as all the faithful laity.
Prayer and fasting are needed as this demonic activity within the Church is real.
i returned to the church after 30 years of being away, only to find the church in more turmoil, without its true meaning and now i must embrace diversity, equity, inclusion in order to belong. well, i think the church has been in schism for many years since vatican 2. vatican 2 is not the cause of the schism, the idea that sensory perception and feelings tell us who we are and what the ‘spirit’ may be saying to the church is the cause of the schism. when you invert a pyramid of which the pope is doing, the entire structure will collapse. the pope gives scandal to meeting with a lot of people who are dissent to catholic doctrine and dogma of our faith, without clarity and truth, the pope continues to move us slowly down a path no faith filled christian would even want to go,. anyone who says the rosary is backward, and those who proclaim the new dawn of homosexual or any other collective marriage is honored and given the place of king. the virtues are out and inclusive to everything and everyone’s lifestyle is in. the truth is whatever you think it is. charity is named by those who want us to give without knowing where the money and time is being used. the real clincher is that the shepherds are no long shepherds but wimps silenced by the pope at any prompting of wanting to dialogue. if you disagree with changing the bible texts into what you want them to be, you are fired, and if you disagree with the idea that compassion must tell the truth; you are banished as old fashioned and rigid. whatever happened to letting the world and it’s worldliness know it must repent and we must repent of our sins. this pontificate is a joke and a scandal and i will be glad when it is done. however, this pope is so cunning he has made sure that the legacy of his disinformation and disintegration and protecting the word of God in revelation will continue in the confused minds of catholics worldwide.
This TODAY from the Catholic League:
Gramick, invited guest of Pontiff Francis, defending sex predator “Rev.” Paul Shanley…
https://www.catholicleague.org/pope-welcomes-catholic-dissidents/
Back in 2006 when I was Director of my diocese’s Catholic Charities (Charleston, SC), my bishop asked me to attend a meeting of New Ways Ministry that was being held in Charleston. New Ways Ministry had requested to meet at a parish site in our diocese but this was denied by our bishop who knew that New Ways Ministry was pushing a homosexual agenda that they hoped would change 2,000 years of teaching regarding disordered sexual activity. My bishop asked me to attend their meeting incognito and report back to him my impressions. I was appalled at what I heard at that meeting. It was, however, instructive to see who among the Catholic operatives in our diocese were in attendance.
My conclusion regarding Bergoglio’s meeting with Grammick and the rest of the homosexual lobbyists is how much things have changed in our Catholic Church in just 20 years. I wonder now whether the leadership of the Catholic Church are still Catholic.
Q: Why did Pope Francis meet with the pro “LGBTQ” co-founder of New Ways Ministry, at another time with same sex ‘marriage’ advocate Fr. James Martin and at another time with Whoopi Goldberg, who is loud and proud about her support of abortion, among other church issues?
A: That’s what he does.
Reading the Gospel, not just Leviticus (which by the way has hundreds of acts that are labeled abhorrent that we no longer believe) Jesus welcomed everyone, and in the words of our Holy Father, “everyone, everyone, everyone.”
Yes, Jesus welcomed everyone to repentence and to submit themselves to God’s will just as He did.
Amen, Deacon Edward.
Christ met people where they were but He didn’t leave them the way He found them.
Pure, unadulterated “horse puckey” as Col. Potter of the 4077 M.A.S.H. used to say, sir!
In the New Testament St. Paul has definite passages about sexual sin. There are Romans 1:18-32 and 1 Corinthians 6, particularly verses 9-11. St. Paul had a personal encounter with Christ.
PhD means Pile high and Deep.
“Welcome, Welcome, Welcome.” Except Catholics who are Catholic, whom an ideological Pope calls faithless ideologues.
And “welcoming”, with praise, those with a stubborn history that includes apologetics for beastiality is not what Our Lord had in mind.
Herr professor, Jesus in St. Matthew speaks to “everyone.” Ready to hear what He said?
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.” ~ Matthew 12:36
Now. I wish you a blessed evening while you contemplate everyone being redundantly welcome in the church according to Francis.
Welcoming them is what we are called to do as Catholics…applauding and accepting their sinful union is contrary to our tradition and the teachings of The Bible. What do you really mean when you state that the Church needs to be more inclusive? Also, did Jesus not teach? I forget which Bible passage showed Jesus as a passive back-slapper ignorant of sinful behavior. I either believe the Bible, or I believe modern man. I know which I choose.
“The lack of a defined statement as to his purpose in receiving Gramick may be **studied ambiguity** on the part of Pope Francis. But, the optics for the world, and Catholics in particular, are not ambiguous at all.”
Here’s the flashpoint, wherein the pope walks along a precipice, always seeking plausible deniability while sending smoke signals to all the right [read: wrong] people. Tragic, in light of our eternal destiny.
Genevieve,
That IS the flashpoint—almost as if Pope Francis has a particular flock and they know his code-speak. A dozen or so bishops at some point disallowed New Ways Ministry in their dioceses, presumably to protect the eternal destiny of their people. It’s a stark contrast.
The title question gave an occasion to reread the Papal exhortations, to find the answer in same – https://www.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.pdf
the shorter version – https://www.franciscansusa.org/pope-francis-excerpts-from-his-evangelii-gaudium/
the veil and the smile – ? signs that she has taken in the above to heart, more today than yesterday .. trying to help others along ..
the visit itself to give hope to countless others to trust in the Father – that He never gives up on His children …
‘after all is said and done , we are infinitly loved ‘ – a glimpse of that truth enough to heal deep wounds , its thick darkness that have blinded many …
those who know that Light -? making efforts to bring others even if in slow steps to be more and more enfolded in the Love , with the gracious blessing of The Father . FIAT !
Anyone remotely familiar with New Ways Ministry knows that your take here is rather naive. Or quite naive.
It’s actually disappointing to see your posts back, although that’s not my call ultimately. I’ll be keeping my eye out for the patterns of fundamentalist bigotry that have been issues in previous posts.
Indeed, Athanasius. Your desire to protect this Catholic website and its stated mission in defense of Catholic Truth are admirable and right on target. Perhaps C.O. is, remarkably, channeling his inner P.F., and he has somehow determined that Brian Young didn’t really mean all of the objectively anti-Catholic things he wrote before, and/or he has made amends, and he has now pledged that all he will do in future comments is promote the Catholic Faith as the One True Faith regarding all relevant matters. Moreover, he will only quote biblical passages from recognized Catholic Bibles instead of his favorite English Standard Protestant Bible that contains many problematic passages that can undermine Catholic teaching, and he will never push any kind of a Protestant message either overtly or covertly in referencing various biblical passages or by commenting in other ways.
But certainly don’t bet on it. In fact, as you also point out, I believe that, barring a hoped-for-but-highly unlikely conversion, B.Y. will first attempt for a while to weasel his way back in the good graces of some gullible folks (even some who may have PhDs), but eventually he will once again embark on his previously stated mission to ‘help Catholics better understand according to heretical Protestant interpretations,’ which is extremely harmful hogwash as you, me, and many others who have given Mr. Young more than enough chances to cease his anti-Catholic bigotry have seen all too often in the past and are likely to see again soon enough.
The irony in all of this pours out like a cascading waterfall. C.O. rightly and often insightfully points out how P.F. and friends frequently fail to properly defend traditional church teaching while at the same time he does his own version of P.F. by inviting back to CWR comment boxes a dedicated enemy of the Church with a track record of trying to undermine the same teaching C.O. otherwise defends.
A pointed chuckle to end this commentary on the unfortunate “accompanying” of B.Y. by C.O. :
Channeling my inner Fr.A., perhaps a case can be made that C.O. isn’t really the editor of CWR, especially given the stated mission of CWR to faithfully defend Catholic Truth that is not being carried out when heretics and their views are too often permitted in its pages despite the obvious harm that this can do to good Catholics. 🙂 🙁
I’ll make some more clotted cream and scones and put the kettle on for the camomile.
Yo, Brian, a friendly welcome back, but here’s a thought…
Not long ago a visitor from off the street strolled into my parish Church half an hour before Mass, through the vestibule and right up to the organ. Spreading his haunches on the bench, he claimed ownership and commenced to exercise the pipes (a $200,000 device purchased by parishioners through side donations, and imported from a recently closed church in post-Christian Europe).
Suddenly, thence commeth forth a recital of non-liturgical decibels, notes and bars from, yes, very skilled hands, almost like the equally (equality!) self-displaying and even taunting interjection of often irrelevant scriptural citations onto a Catholic website.
As the scheduled lector, yours truly did not think to ask whether the walk-on was a former Catholic with a chip on his shoulder. And, when asked more than once to actually consider where he was, he stalked back through the vestibule complaining over a cold shoulder that “well, this certainly is not a very welcoming church.”
One of the linked quotes from Evangelii Gaudium recalls another quote actually connecting ideology, polarities (as in chasms), bridges; and action (the end game of the synods):
“For an ideology…is simply a rationalization invented by the discursive reason in order to bridge a chasm which its own activity creates; its value for this purpose being in no sense dependent upon its inherent truth but wholly upon its capacity to stimulate ‘action'” (Charles Norris Cochrane, “Christianity and Classical Culture,” 1940/1974).
Cochrane gives an explanation, most fitting to the recent thingy of Grammick/Nugent/ Hollerich/Martin & Co.: “For such perversions of intellectual activity Augustine has a name and it is a strong one; he calls them FANTASTICA FORNICATIO [italics], the prostitution of mind to its own fancies.”
In their penetrating preconceptions on “hot-button issues,” the fanciful minds of the synodal leadership doth lower the term prostitution to an entirely new level or swamp, or whatever.
JPG/M yes, sadly satan thought quoting even Scripture made him correct….alas, one isn’t…blessings to hear the Divine Master’s Voice, not any ‘false angels of light’ ‘proclaiming another Gospel’…
So a meeting with New Ways founders and advocates for changes in the church towards homosexuals takes place, but the honorable pope refuses to meet with Cardinal Joseph Zen. May God be merciful on that last Great Day of Judgment–and to us now.
Mary,
That is indeed a deep sorrow, for Cdl Zen and those he shepherds pay a hIgh price for their faithfulness to Christ and His Church.
In 1984, the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life ordered Jeanine Gramick to separate herself from New Ways Ministry because of erroneous teaching on homosexual acts. In 1999, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith notified her to discontinue completely any ministry with homosexual people. She ignored both directives and has continued to promote radical causes like abortion rights, gay “marriage” and women’s ordination. And now she and three staff members of New Ways Ministry are rewarded with a private audience with the pope? This is a public scandal that dismisses the authority of the Curia and grossly insults every woman religious who has remained faithful to Church doctrine and respectful of Church authority.
Ann,
Your point is the goal of the article- this was a scandal that was clearly timed to make a point to the Synod and Catholics world wide.
It’s one thing to receive in one’s office a politician, a scientist, a cinema star or other famous person who may or may not be Catholic. There is plausible deniability in these instances, that, as the Pope, one receives such visitors without necessarily signifying approval of the person’s work or politics. It’s a sort of diplomatic visit. However, for Pope Francis to receive a vowed religious sister in his HOME as a guest, knowing full well his two predecessors, the CDF, and several bishops plus her original religious order have all censured her- for her defiance and obstinate opposition to doctrinal and scriptural truth- cannot be interpreted as anything other than his own endorsement of her “ministry”. It’s also a rejection of the sacrifice (at no small cost ) that thousands of valiant priests and religious make daily, year in and year out-a lifetime of vowed obedience —to teach and counsel the truth. How does a faithful son of the Church process this sort of blow? Only by greater faith in Jesus than any scandal might undermine.
Because he is wicked and devious?
Who is God to judge?
Meeting with somebody is not a SIN. We are Christians remember? We are not Pharisees . We follow Christ, who sat with people who were unholy and the Pharisees were scandalised.
Accepting what they are doing is another matter.
Meeting with people may or may not be sin. It depends on the motivation. Francis has actively and intentionally met with people who are actively and intentionally involved in sinful and disobedient lifestyles. Pretty safe to assume that that’s a sin.
Great article! Tired of seeing that hardly a Word is said about the
subject defending biblical truths about LGTB. We are all God’s children because He created us, man and women with no inbetween. But not all of these children are in heaven. Jacinta of Fatima along with Lucia and Francisco seré shown hell by Our Lady of Fatima, which shocked them. LaterJacinta said most of the souls in hell are there for sins of impurity Thank you.
So, the Catechism of the Catholic Church already prevents the “shunning” of Same sex attracted individuals. At the same time it declares that these attractions alone are not sinful. It is what one does in response that could lead to mortal sin. Meeting with an advocate for full acceptance of the disordered lifestyle does not change the catechism. As the old saying goes. Love the sinner but hate the sin.
Meeting with these wayward groups can give the impression of legitimizing the work the group does. Why not meet with Courage International, a Church-approved advocacy group for those suffering from same-sex attraction? Then maybe real progress can be made in helping those individuals. Grammick needs our prayers, not pseudo-acceptance on the world stage. Sending the wrong message to the LGBT community is uncharitable.
The question is, why would God approve of reordering beloved sons and daughters according to sexual desire/inclination/orientation, which sexually objectifies the human person in direct violation of God’s Own Commandment regarding lust and the sin of adultery.
The answer is, God, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity, would never sexually objectify the human person because God Is Love.
Jorge Bergoglio has stated, prior to his election to The Papacy, that he believes, in opposition to Christ and Christ’s Church,in regards to same sex sexual “unions”, and thus same sex sexual acts, “If there is a union of a private nature, there is neither a third party, nor is society affected. Now, if the union is given the category of marriage, there could be children affected. Every person needs a male father and a female mother that can help shape their identity.”- Jorge Bergoglio, denying The Sanctity of the marital act within The Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and the fact that God, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity, Through The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, Is The Author Of Love, Of Life, And Of Marriage, while denying sin done in private is sin.
Jorge Bergoglio cannot possibly be a successor of Peter, as he denies Christ’s teaching on sexual morality.
This too shall pass away but not before Pope Francis and his liberal acolytes will have caused enough share of their doctrinal confusions and ambiguities. Pope Francis is quick to bring his papal hammer on poor traditional Catholics whose only “crime” is their love for the Tridentine Mass. He has shown himself to be strong with the weak and harmless, while at the same time, he has shown himself to be weak with the strong and powerful such as liberal German and Belgian bishops who have the “courage” to implement Pope Francis’ “pastoral mindset”. Pope Francis will soon be forgotten once the liberal ideologues have discovered another novelty. A courageous pope tomorrow, in the spirit of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, will put back the Holy See to order once these doctrinal confusions are over after the current pontificate. Let us intensify our prayers that the cardinals in the next conclave may truly be guided aright by the Holy Spirit who has not left the Church of Christ.