Pope solidifies conservatives at the Vatican | "New Evangelization" Appointment isn't an endorsement of a softer view on abortion

(Tridentine South Africa; article includes files from VA-Browser)

Quick Note Article by Marc Aupiais

|Download Audio Version of this Article|


With the replacement of Cardinal Re, who supported the excommunication in the Recife incident, and the appointment of Fisichella to the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation, it may be suggested that Benedict XVI sided with Fisichella in their spat, where Fisichella was accused of seeming to support therapeutic abortion.

After all, Fisichella's statements prompted a clarification by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: saying that abortion in the case of rape was still immoral, when the former head of the Pontical Academy for life, Fisichella criticised a bishop for applying canon law against those practitioning therapeutic abortion in the case of rape.

However, Re's replacement is Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada, an even more outspoken opponent of abortion, even in radically leftest French Quebec. In fact, he directly opposes abortion in the case of rape, the place where Re's nemesis, Fisichella was accused of dissidence. Ouellet is a staunch loyalist to Pope Benedict XVI's more conservative views. He said that the church will not baptise the adopted children of same-sex couples (gays), and holds many loyalist views which will insure that the pope's future bishops will be more compliant to his reformation of the church after the John Paul II papacy. Ouellet has also been appointed to the Pontifical Commission for Latin America: a post retiring Re held before him, in which Re was competent to speak of the Recife affair.

And, Fisichella was long expected to be quietly moved elsewhere, due to the loss of public confidence in his capacity to head the Pontifical Academy For Life. The Pontifical Council for New Evangelization, focusses on evanglising Europe, but is likely to be a small body, and any errors it makes could well be substituted by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Church's general evangelization body.

It seems that the church is acting much like the South African government, in appointing Fisichella to Europe where he fits in better with the groups the church wants to fight, and Ouellet to ensure loyal bishops, and to Latin America where his views will be welcome in fighting the socialist governments [corrected from "government"] there on abortion and gay marriage: while his views will be of great benefit to Benedict XVI.

Fisichella's replacement, in the Church's pro-life body is Mgr. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, a Spanish born member of loyalist group Opus Dei, who is a physician and moral theologian. Opus Dei is a loyalist organization, with a strong fidelity to the dogma of the church on all issues including abortion.



South African Catholic News Service: Twitter|Facebook|Facebook Discuss|CAF|YouTube|UStream News|UStream Editorial



As an internationally collaborative: initiative to provide a more transparent, accurate view of the world: This service is brought to you by the Scripturelink Search Engine (quotations, or confers in this service/initiative, are provided to give perspective independently, or reference some external sources: and do not imply collaboration, or any kind of affiliation, or co-operation with other services, or initiatives, which are quoted or noted in articles)



Check the accuracy, and perspectives of our contents via the above listed search engine: against other "Catholic" services

Subscribe to our articles via email:
Subscribe to South African Catholic
Add your email to our system to: subscribe to: "South African Catholic News Service"'s dispatches: via email

Email:

View Archives