The Synod of the Media: Pope Francis needs to provide clarity for the sake of the Faithful

The Guardian has a typical take on the upcoming Synod of the Family. A "devout" man is "denied" Holy Communion, due to "strict rules".  No mention that the Church belongs to Christ, that there is such a thing as objective grave sin, that the Pope is a servant and not a dictator.... and so on. 

The Guardian is also - like most media - quite prone to putting words in the Pope's mouth, distorting the views of the Pope (have they read his recent statements to the Bishops of Chad on their ad limina visit?). 

“it is necessary for the faithful to receive a solid doctrinal and spiritual formation. And the first locus of formation is certainly catechesis. I invite you, with a renewed missionary spirit, to implement the catechetical methods used in your dioceses. First, the good aspects of their traditions must be considered and accorded their due value – because Christ did not come to destroy cultures, but rather to lead them to fulfilment – while that which is not Christian must be clearly denounced. At the same time, it is essential to ensure the accuracy and integrity of doctrinal content”.

The fact is, that the Pope cannot change doctrine - even if he wanted to. Cardinal Newman explored well over a century ago the limits of Papal Infallibility in his letter to the Duke of Norfolk. In other words, the Pope is not a Fuehrer who can arbitrarily overturn the law of Christ. Protestants may try, the secular media may try, Judas bishops and priests may try.... but the Pope cannot, nor will he. 

I do believe that given the past few months of - at times near hysteria - on the web etc., the Pope should, indeed must, provide clarity at the opening of the Synod. It is not just a question of Cardinals speaking to the press, but the very Vatican media agency under Fr. Lombardi. This man is doing a very bad job; his English language assistant, rather than calling for peace, denounced recently a number of Cardinals as "not Gospel people", all the while arranging an interview with Cardinal Kasper. In other words, the very men who should be putting out the fire, are throwing wood on it, to promote their personal, pet ideologies. Shame on Fr. Rosica. Like Lombardi, this apologist for the arch-heretic, Gregory Baum should be dismissed. One might ask: is he willing to grant the "mercy" that Cardinal Kasper speaks of to the Chinese Catholics whom Rosica is suing? Or, is "mercy" selective? 

We cannot suffer twelve more months of lying and twisting and confusing and frightening the Faithful. We cannot endure another re-play of the confusion surrounding the eventual release of Humanae vitae.