As I prepare for the meeting of the American Catholic Council (ACC) next weekend in Detroit. I have high hopes. I am also somewhat fearful that our expectations may not be met unless we develop strategies to continue our efforts to resurrect the promise of Vatican II.
I want to begin with a statement from a web site called The Catholic Knight (Why the militaristic title?). The author fashions himself to be a monarchist because he considers monarchy to be the most stable and viable form of governance. Praising Archbishop Vigneron of Detroit for his outright condemnation of ACC, the writer says:
These people [ACC] are the final result of a three-decade long experiment in leniency and innovation. The so-called “Spirit of Vatican II,” which takes upon itself initiatives not called for by the Second Vatican Council, has reached it’s ultimate conclusion – SCHISM! This schism however, does not come without a list of heresies to accompany it. It is a list that I dare say nearly half of all baptized Catholics in the United States, who’s consciences having been dulled by three decades of poor catechesis and liturgical innovation, will most certainly find appealing. It is a list that I fear will soon hit mainstream, and reverberate throughout this nation, pealing one parish after another away from the magisterium of the Church.
What these people in the American Catholic Council want has already been invented. The structures they advocate already exist. It’s called The Episcopal Church. Likewise, once the ACC gets off the ground, it will simply be reinventing the wheel, and the results of this wheel will be identical to those found in The Episcopal Church (or TEC), namely female clergy, gay clergy, gay marriages, acceptance of abortion and birth control, as well as the embrace of Socialism in the form of “Liberation Theology.” Some form of unification between the ACC and the TEC will likewise be inevitable, especially after those adhering to the ACC have been excommunicated from the U.S. Catholic Church.
Sadly, there is virtually a 0% chance that the ACC meeting in June will be canceled. Though the good archbishop’s stand against the organization was strong, there was not much he could do outside of banning his own people from being a part of it, and prohibiting diocesan property from being used for it. However, the ACC never intended to use diocesan property, and the good archbishop cannot restrict people outside his archdiocese from attending. That’s another reason why we need a nationwide condemnation from all the U.S. Catholic Bishops before it’s too late. Mark my words, these people will meet, and they will promote heresy. Likewise they will grow to lead others away from the magisterium of the Church. The only variable that exists is “how big” will their movement become. Strong nationwide action against it now will pull a lot of wind out of their sails. Failure to act now will only result in larger repercussions later. For the sake of unity and orthodoxy within the U.S. Catholic Church, let us pray our bishops act quickly. (http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/10/archbishop-condemns-schismatic-american.html) Continue reading