The Ultimate Culprit is the Fake «Reforms» of Second Vatican Council – by Fr Philip Bruno Penguine
It all goes back to the influence of Vatican II. This council was called by John XXIII as a "pastoral" Council, with the indication that there would be no NEW doctrine or proclamation of "dogma" as in previous Ecumenical Councils but would bring the Church up-to-date (aggiornamento) with the "modern" world.
As a consequence "ecumenism" took on a new meaning. There was enthusiastic proclaiming of a "NEW PENTECOST" (so called Catholic Pentecostalism); there was introduction of a NEW LITURGY (Novus Ordo); a NEW understanding of the Church itself etc etc.
What was the result of so many novelties? A revival of the OLD sin.
The only thing to be retained was the absolute authority and the requirement of obedience.
I was privileged to grow up before Vatican II. I entered the seminary in the late 60s, yet the changes were only beginning in those first years. In fact everything remained in Latin for the first two years.
I then commenced Theology. In the second year the Jesuits were replaced by secular priests, mainly unqualified or at least not the high standard of the Jesuit Professors.
Then by the final year everything was chaotic. Which brings to mind the fact that the ethos of the seminary changed from being a spiritual formation, creating an intimate and knowledgeable relationship with Christ through prayer and self discipline, to a free, easy and politicised pursuit of «theological» enquiry.
Some of my peers battled and resisted the pressures of conformity to the NEWness, many gave up and left.
Most importantly at this period, positions of responsibility within the dioceses were only filled by people who embraced and promoted, sometimes fanatically, this NEW-ness.
Parishioners, students and older priests who resisted, were marginalised. Terms of office were limited. Many quite capable parish priests were forced to retire at 75, the others were changed every twelve years. Committees for every conceivable thing were instituted. Parish councils - a Protestant tradition - were instituted. Laity were given roles for which they had no knowledge or experience.
The most influential area of this NEWness was the destruction of the Catholic School system.
Top of the list was the "reform" of Catechesis. Catechisms were abolished. Guidelines were introduced. These were fuzzy attempts at creating a touchy-feely kind of religion where every one would be happy and those horrid pre Vatican II times where everyone lived in fear would be abolished.
One would not teach the TEN COMMANDMENTS. These were deemed to be negative for children. Instead Ten IDEALS would be taught - although teaching itself was politically incorrect. Children would be allowed to experience what in fact were merely aspirations. Teachers would be «facilitators», indeed reduced in many cases to being child minders.
Is it any wonder that the schools no longer produced informed Catholics? When God’s Commandments are jettisoned, so is the sense of sin, and the absolute horror of falling into sin.
Don't forget that, at the same time, there was the phenomenon of Woodstock and the sexual revolution. This was hailed as the freeing up of society. This immorality spread like wild fire.
The Church was opening its windows to the firestorm of sexual liberation and now we can see the result.
The crisis of faith and morals was inevitable and it will continue until the root cause is identified and addressed.
Picture: Second Vaticanum, Wikicommons, CC-BY-SA
