Recently that
falsely branded newspaper, the National Catholic Reporter, had the audacity to
call on the Church to correct its “unjust
teaching” on the subject of the ordination of women.
In making this
demand the National Catholic Reporter stated that: “Our message is that we believe the sensus
fidelium is that the exclusion of women from the priesthood has no strong basis
in Scripture or any other compelling rationale; therefore, women should be
ordained. We have heard the faithful
assent to this in countless conversations in parish halls, lecture halls and
family gatherings. It has been studied
and prayed over individually and in groups.”[1]
It was however interesting to read what Pope Benedict XVI had to say about the sensus fidelium
in his message to the International Theological Commission at the conclusion of
their Plenary Assembly. Here is an
extract from the pope’s message:
“Today, however, it is particularly important
to clarify the criteria used to distinguish the authentic sensus fidelium from
its counterfeits. In fact, it is not
some kind of public opinion of the Church, and it is unthinkable to mention it
in order to challenge the teachings of the Magisterium, this is because the
sensus fidei can not grow authentically in the believer except to the extent in
which he or she fully participates in the life of the Church, and this requires
a responsible adherence to her Magisterium.”
I think it is abundantly clear that the
National Catholic Reporter is really clueless on the subject of the sensus fidelium and probably many other subjects too. It would therefore be wise if this newspaper decided to stick to simply reporting only factual news and
avoided offering their opinions to the Church.
The full text of
the pope’s message is available here.
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