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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Cardinal Burke Rejects 'Schism', Calls on Pope to Clarify Confusion

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Cardinal Burke Rejects 'Schism', Calls on Pope to Clarify Confusion
This just in from LifeSiteNews – In a new interview, Cardinal Raymond Burke has revealed that he and other “serious-minded” Church leaders are calling on Pope Francis to release a document correcting the confusion emanating from his recent apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia. He also decried characterizations that he is an "enemy" of Pope Francis.

The cardinal says clarification of Amoris Laetitia is essential “for the sake of souls” because of the rampant confusion right now.

“I trust that something will have to happen also because some very formal calls for clarification are in process and they simply will demand a response,” Burke told Religion News Service’s David Gibson in an interview published today. “Not in any kind of hostile or aggressive way, but simply for the sake of souls because people are getting confused.”

“I do believe very strongly that we need to have a clearer direction, a clearer enunciation of the faith and its practice,” he added. “That way would also help to settle down this confusion and the division which follows from it.”

With the growing concern over Pope Francis’ remarks and initiatives, some have speculated that the Church could be approaching schism. But Cardinal Burke insists that he will “die a Roman Catholic” and be no part of dividing the Body of Christ.

Gibson writes:
But when asked directly, Burke is equally firm that whatever happens, he has no intention of leading a breakaway, schismatic movement, an option some on the Catholic right have contemplated.

“Absolutely not,” he said. “I will never leave the Catholic Church. No matter what happens I intend to die a Roman Catholic. I will never be part of a schism. READ MORE HERE
REMNANT COMMENT: We are so very grateful to His Eminence for all he is doing to help stop Pope Francis from further confusing the faithful and scandalizing the Church. As for any potential schism, our concern is that Pope Francis is the one who may end up leaving the Church. He is certainly the one whose bizarre public opinions place him at odds with Tradition and thus on a dangerous trajectory toward schism.

Refusing to abandon the Catholic Church of the ages may well put us all at odds with Pope Francis in the near future....and then what?  In order to prevent a schism, do we go along with his errors—some of which Cardinal Burke himself is attempting to force the Pope to correct and clarify at this very moment? Or do we stay with the infallible teachings of the Church and thus become "schismatic" in the eyes of the modernist human element of the Church?

But isn’t the point and purpose of the Church’s teaching against the mortal sin of schism to protect and defend the truth of Christ and the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church? If we avoid "schism" by betraying the truth are we not sacrificing the spirit of the law in order to adhere to its letter?  How is this not pharisaical?   

What is more important for faithful Catholics—the truth, or the prevention of schism at all costs?

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Last modified on Tuesday, August 23, 2016
Michael J. Matt | Editor

Michael J. Matt has been an editor of The Remnant since 1990. Since 1994, he has been the newspaper's editor. A graduate of Christendom College, Michael Matt has written hundreds of articles on the state of the Church and the modern world. He is the host of The Remnant Underground and Remnant TV's The Remnant Forum. He's been U.S. Coordinator for Notre Dame de Chrétienté in Paris--the organization responsible for the Pentecost Pilgrimage to Chartres, France--since 2000.  Mr. Matt has led the U.S. contingent on the Pilgrimage to Chartres for the last 24 years. He is a lecturer for the Roman Forum's Summer Symposium in Gardone Riviera, Italy. He is the author of Christian Fables, Legends of Christmas and Gods of Wasteland (Fifty Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll) and regularly delivers addresses and conferences to Catholic groups about the Mass, home-schooling, and the culture question. Together with his wife, Carol Lynn and their seven children, Mr. Matt currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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