Weigel quotes the new General, Fr Nicolas, as saying that the Jesuits "want to collaborate with the Holy See and to obey the Holy Father," and that "That has not changed and it will not change." He then raises the question of public dissent by Jesuits from papal teaching with a number of obvious examples.
Diogenes offers this comment:
We're told that today the Pope will receive the delegates to the Jesuit General Congregation in private audience. It's reasonable to expect that the Holy Father will communicate to the delegates his hopes for their work that remains. Being Benedict, he almost certainly will not dwell on the history of conflict but will emphasize the Jesuits' positive contributions to the post-conciliar Church, such as those in selenography. As for the questions posed by Weigel, we'll learn a lot about the answers Jesuit leaders would tender in reply by the picture of the audience they want the rest of the Church to have.
6 comments:
The Jesuits as a religious order seem to have well and truly had it, at least in this country. The way they are going is such that they are asking to be suppressed for a second time!
**POSS BLOG ITEM***
P5 Today's Indy - Barry Sheerman MP has suuceeded in getting the Children, Schools and Families ( formerly DFES) select committe to "investigate evidence" that Catholic schools are becoming too religious. Sheerman is Labour chair of the select committee and was very upset by Bishop O'Donaghue's "Fit for Mission" document. Sheerman says he`s concerned at how abortion and sex education is being presented in Catholic schools.
Many thanks indeed for the tip-off, Bernadette. Was going to bed but will take that up now...
Until the Society of Jesus recovers its original identity, it is good to know that the Servants of Jesus and Mary are living the life of Ignatian spirituality in "special loyalty to the Pope".
With its General House in Austria,
this "Ecclesia Dei" community
became a Congregation of papal right in 1994.
It is particularly involved with youth.
Its school in Germany is housed in the von Galen schloss : the Hauss Assen.
I am pleased to say its motto is "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam".
Its numbers are small, as yet, compared with the SJs, but it has vigorous apostolates and is growing.
It is loyal to the Pope and true to the spirituality of St. Ignatius.
I am pretty sure most Jesuit theologians see the need to move beyond the 19th century view of the Church implicit in Weigel's comments. Some degree of theological dissent is necessary for the unfolding of revelation.
Oh yes, "unfolding revelation": I remember it well. Jan Hendrick Walgrave, pal of Schillebeeckx; it was all the rage back in the late 70s. That ambiguous and carefully-worded thesis ended up with tolerance of abortion and support for gay civil unions. As Weigel's explicit comments point out.
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