I Guess I Must Have Dreamed It?

Despite its title, which might ring negative to some, this [Reinhardt, Volker. Luther, der Ketzer: Rom und die Reformation (German Edition) C.H.Beck. Kindle Edition.] was one of the books I picked up and read for the big reformation jubilee of 2017. Among the key takeaways I had from Reinhardt's compelling analysis of the why and wherefore of the tragedy set sail by Martin Luther, was Rome and the Papacy's unresponsiveness to the devastation which would not have had to be or at least would not have had to bring such harm to the edifice of faith and culture starting from the 16th Century. 

The Pope and Rome just did not understand the rage of German folk and others. Justified anger or not, an exaggeration of the case which could be made back then against some of the indulgence fundraisers, the people who could have made a difference either sat back or busied themselves with other issues. As far as today is concerned, I find myself drawing parallels, but there cannot be reasons for drawing parallels with the then of heresy and the now of a lack of due diligence in confronting the disordered lifestyle of significant numbers of men in Holy Orders, can there? I guess I must have dreamed it, right?

Would it be hysterical or off-base to see a link between the negligent attitude of Rome toward Luther's protests and the Protestant Reformation and the kind of hedging by the hierarchy which seems to have characterized the two flareups of indignation by priests and people in the past 12 years to the clerical sex abuse crisis? Aren't we just as much in denial about consequences for the life of the Church of the evident lack of episcopal oversight, not to mention the tolerance by bishops and chanceries of dissolute living on the part of priests and seminarians, the conniving or outright transgression in such matters even by princes of the Church? At least back in Luther's day most the money was going toward building St. Peter's. Today, it's a half million here in hush money or a half million there to feather the nest of a man who in his youth had vowed the evangelical counsels or at least should feel bound by the Council teaching to a life of pastoral poverty.

The TESTIMONY published by His Excellency Carlo Maria Viganò, Titular Archbishop of Ulpiana, Apostolic Nuncio, touches three papacies, just as many cardinal secretaries of state, and almost countless other curial figures. The time frame is not so long as that of the 16th Century, but what Volker Reinhardt analyzes as German sentiment against Rome could be paralleled to present estrangement on the part of the English speaking world from not Italians but perhaps from a lavender mafia of various ethnic persuasions and pedigrees, busy creaming off money for creature comforts. 

Luther over the years had his outrageous demands sustained by his folk and perhaps today various calls for the resignation of whole episcopal conferences or something just as draconian have more sympathy than they should, but the issue is ever one of an adequate response. Ultimately the Catholic Counter Reformation had to supply where honest measures in time failed. In that contrast, the pattern was set for an ever fragmenting Christianity. Had Rome's reaction been timely and earnest, the garment might not have been ripped asunder.

What will be our lot? How will the thing go today? I don't know. Just let me say that genuine responsiveness to people's anger seems preferable to living the nightmare of Bauernkrieg, Bildersturm, and subsequent ills. The Bride of Christ deserved better treatment back then and certainly deserves better treatment on our part today.

As hypocritical as calls for prayer and penance on the part of one and all can sound, their saving grace is that they are for all a genuine antidote to the kind of twisted self indulgence (read sexual, especially homosexual, lifestyle) which is at the core of most of the embezzling and theft of recent years. Normally, we blame the bad example of priestly unchastity for having subverted Catholic marriage. Perhaps a bootstraps effort to recover the sanctity of Christian matrimony, open first and foremost to children, might shame priests back to ordered living. One thing, however, is certain, such a grace cannot help but be crowned by the gift to parents and to the Church of happy and holy priestly and religious vocations.

PROPERANTES ADVENTUM DIEI DEI