Bishop Tobin on Synod: “Pope Francis is fond of ‘creating a mess.’ Mission accomplished.”

The bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, also says the voting approach of the Synod "strikes me as being rather Protestant."

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, R.I. has posted some short—curt?—”random thoughts” on the recently concluded extraordinary Synod on the Family. He offers a warning about capitulation to the dominant culture:

 In trying to accommodate the needs of the age, as Pope Francis suggests, the Church risks the danger of losing its courageous, counter-cultural, prophetic voice, a voice that the world needs to hear.

Suggests some hesitance about the structure and approach of the Synod:

The concept of having a representative body of the Church voting on doctrinal applications and pastoral solutions strikes me as being rather Protestant.

Asks a question that has been on the mind of many observers:

Have we learned that it’s probably not a good idea to publish half-baked minutes of candid discussions about sensitive topics, especially when we know that the secular media will hijack the preliminary discussions for their own agendas?

Praises a fellow American:

Wherever he serves, Cardinal Burke will be a principled, articulate and fearless spokesman for the teachings of the Church.

And, most interesting to me, tosses this out there:

Pope Francis is fond of “creating a mess.” Mission accomplished.

One hopes, of course, that the goal was not to create a mess. One admits, however, that what transpired was messy and more. Read Bishop Tobin’s entire post.


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About Carl E. Olson 1229 Articles
Carl E. Olson is editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. He is the author of Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?, Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"?, co-editor/contributor to Called To Be the Children of God, co-author of The Da Vinci Hoax (Ignatius), and author of the "Catholicism" and "Priest Prophet King" Study Guides for Bishop Robert Barron/Word on Fire. His recent books on Lent and Advent—Praying the Our Father in Lent (2021) and Prepare the Way of the Lord (2021)—are published by Catholic Truth Society. He is also a contributor to "Our Sunday Visitor" newspaper, "The Catholic Answer" magazine, "The Imaginative Conservative", "The Catholic Herald", "National Catholic Register", "Chronicles", and other publications. Follow him on Twitter @carleolson.

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