Catholic conservatives criticize Pope Francis' synod

As bishops and laity from around the world prepared to gather at the Vatican, traditionalist Catholics who did not want to be among them organized their own spectacle.

Sitting under the bright lights of a theater near the Vatican, Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, de facto leader of the Roman Catholic Church's opposition to Pope Francis, demonstrated a theatrical sense of timing on Tuesday for the conservative worshipers seated in the red velvet seats.

The day before, Cardinal Burke and d he other traditionalist prelates made public an exchange of letters with Francis in which they expressed serious doubts. on the legitimacy of a large assembly of bishops and laity from around the world who will begin Wednesday to discuss some of the Church's most sensitive topics.

In Their letters urged Francis to close the door to proposals that they said would erode Church doctrine, including the blessing of same-sex unions.

Au Instead, Francis broke the door open. In his response, he appeared to reverse a 2021 Vatican decision that came down hard on blessing gay unions. While the pope clearly supported the Church's position that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, he said priests should demonstrate "pastoral charity" when it comes to requests for blessings.

Cardinal Burke and his allies were horrified.

Francis supporters consider the multi-year meeting, the so-called Synod on Synodality, as the potential culmination of its decade. -a long papacy and a vehicle through which he can bring about great changes. The gathering at the Vatican, which for the first time will include and enfranchise the laity – including women – is at the heart of Francis's ascendant vision for the Church. The pope envisions an inclusive institution that upends the traditional hierarchy and forces bishops to listen and work more with their faithful.

Tuesday, in a theater that usually hosts a hypnotist . , a Barbra Streisand tribute concert and great Italian comedies, Cardinal Burke was the star attraction in what Francis' supporters consider a dangerous spectacle and what his critics consider a fateful last stand.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0 ">“The synod which will open tomorrow”, he said, clearly has the “nefarious objective” of reshaping the hierarchy of the Church with radical, secular and modern ideas .

< figure class=" img-sz-medium css-d754w4 e1g7ppur0" aria-label="media" role="group">ImageA statement by Pope Francis on the blessing of same-sex unions has infuriated conservative Catholics.Credit...Tiziana Fabi/Agence France -Presse — Getty Images

He also said he was shocked by the suggestion by some bishops present at the synod that he wanted to hurt the pope. “These comments reveal the state of confusion and errors of vision that permeate the session of the Synod of Bishops,” Cardinal Burke said.

Francis supporters see Cardinal Burke and his Conservative allies are a small group making a big noise in defeat.

"I can understand why someone like Cardinal Burke is worried", Francis DeBernardo, director...