3 LAYMEN PUSH BACK AGAINST THE CARDINAL

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"Cardinal Dew basically said we are happy with online Masses, and organizing Mass in our churches under these circumstances was something Catholics generally considered too hard."

Bruce Tichbon, Palmerston North, says "I am struggling to contain my emotions after hearing this interview" (with Cardinal John Dew on RNZ'sCheckpoint yesterday).

"The interviewer constantly tried to lead Cardinal Dew to comment on the disparity between the church limit of 10 people, and 100 for most everyone else.  He deflected the questions and just said "we bishops are disappointed and have written a letter to government".  

The interviewer tried to lead Cardinal Dew on receiving Communion, even mentioning people being able to share food in a restaurant.

Cardinal Dew constantly emphasized physical safety and what the government are doing.  Cardinal Dew basically said we are happy with online Masses and that organizing physical Masses in our churches under the circumstances was something Catholics generally considered too hard. He emphasized that only a minority wanted this.

At every move Cardinal Dew seemed to dumb down the case for getting Masses back. His lack of passion or motivation to take a strong lead seemed evident.

We can only conjecture on why the bishops are taking such a passive role.  Are the bishops afraid to criticize the government in any way, despite the questionable ethics of government towards churches.

Did Cardinal Dew think the interviewer was trying to set him up?"

Michael Fitzgibbon of Palmerston North also is less than ecstatic about Cardinal Dew's attitude towards the cancellation of Masses:

"By about half way through the interview it was obvious that the interviewer was not trying to set the cardinal up. It was equally obvious that Cardinal Dew was ducking all the questions and sticking to a script.

I'm not sure we can describe NZ's Bishops (certainly not Cardinal Dew) as "passive". They are actively pushing the script. And fighting us lay faithful all the way. The interviewer tried to push him and he dogmatically stayed on the message (not sure whose message): 

• No Communion on the tongue
• No shared chalice, so no Blood of Christ
• Social distancing
• No Mass
• Online Mass is good
• People are happy with the changes. 

Sound like changes that the liberals in the Church want and need to remake the Catholic Church so it can be merged with the Protestant Churches.

Many of the churches used for the online Masses have only a Cross and no Crucifix. Frequently, we can't tell if they are Catholic churches.

The interview, with the Cardinal's hostile push-back when pressed, suggests he is under pressure. Cardinal Dew is a Party man, so I think this is coming from Rome. 

Brad Larsen weighs in next:

You speak the truth, Julia.

Alas, I’m fairly sure your message will fall on deaf ears. It’s been some decades already that bishops and their advisors ignore the messages they don’t want to hear and instead vigorously pursue their predetermined agenda. 

Here’s a positive note from the Superior General of the SSPX. We need to remain faithful and patient!

Fr Davide Pagliarani

Fr. Davide Pagliarani was elected as superior general of the Society of Saint Pius X, a canonically irregular priestly society, in 2018 at Sion, Switzerland.

The SSPX was founded by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre in 1970 to form priests as a response to what he described as errors that had crept into the Church after the Second Vatican Council.

Its relations with the Holy See became particularly strained in 1988 when Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated four bishops without the permission of St. John Paul II.

Fr. Pagliarani, 47, succeeds Bishop Bernard Fellay as superior general of the SSPX. He was ordained a priest in 1996.

The illicit episcopal consecrations made in 1988 resulted in the excommunication of the bishops involved. The excommunications of the surviving bishops were lifted in 2009 by Benedict XVI, and since then negotiations “to rediscover full communion with the Church” have continued between the SSPX and the Vatican. 

And in September 2015, the Pope announced that the faithful would be able to validly and licitly receive absolution from priests of the SSPX during the Jubilee Year of Mercy. This ability was later extended indefinitely by Francis in his apostolic letter Misericordia et misera, published Nov. 20, 2016.