Recently, going through old stuff on my iPad, in order to make some space for a download, I came across the following, from the Irish Catholic, 2013. That paper, and its editor, were consistent critics of the Association of Catholic Priests, and of myself, during those years. But getting an interview with Cardinal Levada, the first head of the CDF that I dealt with, was moving to a new level of attack.
An Irish organization of Catholic priests has responded positively to the Vatican’s recent guidance about transgender people and the sacraments, with the priests group describing the guidance as a “very, very positive” step.
Leaders of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), a church reform organization, heralded as an important step for inclusion the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent document saying transgender people could be baptized and serve as godparents.
As it gradually became evident during the earlier years of the pontificate of Pope Francis that he was determined to restore the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and that he was using the process of synodality as his modus operandi, over time it became clear to me that he was on to something very different, and quite radical.
We knew about synods. After the Council there were one or two interesting ones while Paul VI was still alive, and though they were exclusively a gathering of bishops, there seemed to be some free and interesting discussion going on.
