"Unity [Without Truth]"? Is this What the Cardinals Want?

The Opening Mass for the Conclave this morning called every one of us to conversion.

Opening Mass for the Conclave

Listening to the homily today for the opening Conclave Mass this morning from Cardinal Re, I was struck by one thing, which seemed to be conspicuous by its absence: an emphasis on truth. There was a great emphasis on “unity,” which was good, and “Human universal fraternity.” “communion among persons.” “having in their core the truth that the Church is always called to be a house of communion.” and “communion in diversity.”

But the core and vital aspect of Truth Himself – latent and powerfully present in the 2nd Reading and the Gospel – were not emphasised in the sermon. Instead, another emphasis was given later in the sermon after the talk about “unity,” and that is judgement.

His Eminence mentioned something written by Pope St. John Paul II about how every Cardinal elector must be judged by how he voted at the judgement seat of Christ. And he said the Cardinals must elect a Pope who can face the modern world which has lots of technological progress but is “tempted to forget God.”

All of this reminded me of what the “Doctor of the Church in the Twentieth Century” said about the crisis in the Church:

The valuing of unity over truth plays a central role in the crisis of the Church; for the Church of Christ—the Holy, Roman, Catholic, Apostolic Church—is based on this fundamental principle: the absolute primacy of divine truth, which is the very primacy of God.[1]

Therefore, as Dr. Hildebrand says in his book of the same name, what is conspicuous by its absence since Vatican I in the Church, is the charitable anathema which dogmatically forms the unity of the Church on Truth Himself. A critically important anathema from Vatican I was this:

If anyone shall assert it to be possible that sometimes, according to the progress of knowledge, a sense is to be given to doctrines propounded by the Church different from that which the Church has understood and understands; let him be anathema.[2]

Instead, I fear today that we are still in the same situation with a lack of emphasis on truth.

This is what the Eastern Orthodox say about us: they value unity with the Pope, and no truth. There is a reality here they are correctly diagnosing. The problem is that they themselves, being separated from Rome, are impotent to dogmatise the charitable anathema, since they cannot call an ecumenical council since 787. The Catholic Church alone is able to bring about unity in truth. Not the Orthodox. And certainly not the Protestant sects.

But let us not harden our hearts toward Cardinal Re, if he is truly trying to achieve “unity without truth” (God alone is his judge), but rather let us all examine our own consciences. I myself was tempted to write something acrimonious against Cardinal Re, but this would not serve “unity in truth” either.

We cannot answer any (alleged) failures of our clerics with failures from the laity. God forbid, and save me from this.

Rather, I thank God that He permitted this 2nd Reading today at the Mass. It speaks to me personally, because this is the fundamental text that I wrote about six years ago when we founded our lay apostolate, Meaning of Catholic. It is the “truthing in charity” (ἀληθεύοντες ἐν ἀγάπῃ) which is our means, and our goal is clear from the passage: unto the edifying of [the Church members] in charity (Eph. Iv. 16).

Let us all ask Our Lord in His mercy to give us His grace to fulfill what Our Lord said to the Cardinals today through the Gospel – and to us – that we “love one another” and “keep His commandments,” which, above all, is to hold fast to Truth Himself.

Because whomever the Cardinals elect – we will all have to stand before the judgement seat of Christ (II Cor. v. 10).

Thanks be to God – in the opening Mass we could all sing the Missa de Angelis, and whatever Cardinal Re’s true intention, after the sermon we chanted Credo III. In this anniversary year of Nicaea, let us renew our faith in Christ and His Truth with the charity of His Sacred Heart.

Charity without Truth is a non-profit humanitarian organisation.

Truth without charity is the sin of the Pharisee.

Timothy

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[1] Dietrich von Hildebrand, The Charitable Anathema (Roman Catholic Books: 1993), 1.

[2] Vatican I, Dei Filius.