WE CAN CONCLUDE THAT NOW THERE ARE NO RULES IN THE CHURCH

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Going by Bishop Charles Drennan's contradictory remarks on his WYD blog at https://pndiocese.org.nz/bishops-blog/wyd-2019/

Bruce Tichbon believes his people can conclude the following:

1) that now there are no rules in the Church

2) That there is such a thing as Church theology (which means doctrine and ‘rules’), but some of the ‘rules’ are wrong

3) That as ‘homosexuality’ and ‘gender dysphoria’ are within God’s plans for humanity already, we don’t need new rules

How does Bishop Drennan’s blog lead us to these conclusions? Let’s analyse the issues in more detail.

1) No rules in the Church: 

Bishop Drennan quotes from Pope Francis’ opening address at WYD:  “Christianity is not a collection of truths to be believed, of rules to be followed, or of prohibitions. Seen that way it puts us off. Christianity is a person who loved me immensely, who demands and asks for my love. Christianity is Christ.” *

Is this a bad translation? But it seems to be the official Vatican version. Surely Pope Francis means ‘Christianity is not merely a collection, etc’.

So should I take the Ten Ccommandments down from my wall?

2) Wrong theology (doctrine):

 Bishop Drennan says: "And in some areas, it’s time theology caught up with science."  Bishop Drennan is obviously saying that doctrine (he uses the word theology, but he clearly means Church doctrine) on homosexuality is wrong, it must change. The science you speak of Bishop, please show us, at least a couple of web links?

3) Bishop Drennan says, "I don’t mind putting my neck on the line for love. To pretend that homosexuality and gender dysphoria do not exist or are somehow outside God’s plan for humanity is a rejection not defense of truth and thus nonsensical." 

He seems to be asking for new rules on homosexuality.  But the Pope says there are no rules now, just ‘love’.

If we’re having a Catholic discussion on homosexuality, we should use Catholic terminology.  Then we know whether we’re talking about same-sex attraction, or homosexual acts.  If you use the unqualified term ‘homosexual(ity)’ the reader doesn’t know if you are referring to one or the other, or bundling them together.

If Bishop Drennan is telling us that homosexual acts are part of God’s plan, doesn’t Sacred Scripture tell us he is potentially sending that person to Hell (and potentially himself too, but to a deeper level of Hell)?

How can homosexual acts be love?  Love, in the eyes of God and His Catholic Church, means doing for others what will bring them closer to Christ and his Kingdom.  By quoting the Pope’s words, Bishop Drennan indicates that homosexual acts are love – but how can he say that?

These high-level statements are contradictory and ambiguous. Coming from Pope Francis and our Bishop, they just don’t cut it. 

They cause confusion in the Church; the Devil is here, in the detail.  So please gentlemen give us the truth – with clarification of the so-called 'science' – in a clear, consistent, statement of doctrine. It is your duty to your flock.

A final comment on our troubled communications: it’s good that our young people at WYD had a chance for group dialogue face to face with their bishop.  We parishioners back home don’t seem to get the same opportunity. 

Without that opportunity we are forced to use web sites to communicate, which makes some in the hierarchy uncomfortable - during WYD, Pope

Francis said, "in some Catholic communications 

media, there is no compassion. Instead, one finds 

schism, condemnation, malice, fury, self-

aggrandizement (and) the denunciation of 

heresy." 

There is a communication problem, but with due

respect, the solution lies mostly in the hands of 

the hierarchy.

* https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-01/pope-francis-panama-wyd-2019-opening-ceremony-full-text.html

MaryAnn Keenan says: Very enlightening -and somewhat disturbing.. What can we do against the Goliaths but be pebbles in the Lords Hand. It only takes one.. He will show us what to do, but we cannot do it individually.. Let me know if I can help in any way.  

Paul Collits says: 
As someone far cleverer that either the Bishop or the current Pope once said, "love" contains within it both eros and agape.
It's Drennan and Francis who are hung up about the eros, not orthodox Catholics. 
And eros can be either ordered (to nature) or not.  
Homosexual desires are radically disordered. Homosexual acts are sinful. This has not changed, nor will it, despite what some temporary occupants of high Church office might think or say. 
Their time will pass. Eternal truths, such as those taught by St Thomas Aquinas, 'the Angelic Doctor'. will not.

I reply:

Dogma has truth, it is more true even than science, and the object of dogma is above and beyond man. Likewise, sins against dogma are the most grievous of all, and errors concerning ideas are more dangerous than those concerning men. 

Take away dogma and you take God away: to touch dogma is to touch God. To sin against dogma is to sin against God. 

- Fr Pierre Rousselot, 'The Intellectualism of St Thomas Aquinas'.