The Ambiguity of the Amoris Laetitia Reveals Far More than it Conceals

 

'Pray for me, that I may not flee, for fear of the wolves.' ~ Pope Benedict XVI, 24 April 2005

Can it possibly be accidental? It seems incredibly unlikely. The ambiguity, the obfuscation, the confusing selection of language served up in Amoris Laetitia is deliberate, planned and carefully constructed. Great thought has gone into it. The deceit is hidden in its employment of intricate language rather than honestly stating what is intended. How can its openness to interpretation be anything other than wilful? This, rather than making the inconsistencies and errors within it more tolerable, makes the authors more blameworthy than excusable, since such effort has been expended on deceiving the Faithful that it is orthodox, when it is anything but.

This is made even more sinister by the fact that this has been the intended outcome of the document despite Bishops voting out those aspects which were poisonous - and yet they were ignored. They might have thought that being invited to the Synod would entail their views being taken into consideration when they were instead arrogantly ignored.

Wolves at play

More sinister and - given its far-reaching audience - criminal is it yet, because this has been the intended outcome for three years, if not more. Their presence at the Synod, then, was to lend legitimacy to the deception, orchestrated, as it was, from the very summit of the Church. Rather than synodality being respected and strengthened, power over the issues at stake and decision-making has been abrogated to a central source with Politburo-esque efficiency. The sheer dishonesty involved in the Synod on the Family, of which Amoris Laetitia is the rotten fruit, is astounding. Now, the mask has finally been removed.

But it is more than astounding. It is chilling because cleverly disguising your true intentions through deceptive means isn't just what politicians do, it is what liars do, what thieves do, what con-men do. It is, in fact, what the Devil himself does. Jesus called him a liar and a murderer, a murder from the beginning. He is not, in fact, a murderer of men's bodies. He is a murderer of men's souls.

The Church is an infallible guide to faith and morals and one of the Successor of St Peter's roles is to speak and teach in such a way that clarity is given to the Faithful regarding both faith and morals, so that none may be led astray. This document fails to do that and I cannot see how - whatever else one may say of this exhortation - this can be interpreted as anything else but a dereliction of papal duty to teach, instruct and guide the Faithful in such a way as to lead the flock in the way of life eternal.

Cdl Brandmuller: Amoris Laetitia must be interpreted in light of tradition

Of course, there will be many who say that those who criticise this document are the real wolves, because they damage the unity of the Church. Most who read this document, however, are genuinely in search of the truth of what it really means. It's ambiguity permits both heterodox and orthodox to claim victory. Today - and until clarification is given - this battle over the document will be fought because it is so very important to the life of the Church.

Only the Pope himself can bring clarification to those passages which have caused confusion and scandal. A relatively short document could be produced that would bring this much needed clarification to the attention of the Church's cardinals, bishops, clergy and laity. With a word - not with 260 pages - the Pope could do this. If he does not, Catholics surely can only assume that the ambiguity itself and the continuation of the confusion that exists among the Faithful over it, is serving some kind of intention within the corridors of the Vatican. Such confusion can only serve the Enemy of God and man. It cannot serve the Lord's purposes. The Lord's precepts are crystal clear. It is only what now flows into the Tiber that is murky.