Sed Distinguo..

In the midst of other business like misplacing synodal report translations - odd that the controversial mid-synod paper was translated into several languages in about 48 hours, and the 'final' one was left only in Italian for weeks - we easily miss other things. Like this.

There was a meeting between the holy father and the representatives of the 'Ark Community' founded by the pope's evangelical friend Tony Palmer, currently dead. Ark is according to their own description an "internet-based, Inter-denominational Christian Convergent Community" which in reality seems to be a mishmash of evangelicals and episcopalians. It is all very confusing..

In the private meeting  these people had with pope Francis some things were said. Apparently
“We are sinning against Christ’s will... because we continue to focus on our differences" when; “our shared baptism is more important than our differences.” and that Christians should not wait for theologians to reach agreement, but should walk, pray and work together now.


Now, while all this might sound very fine it really is not. What is praised here is a wild ecumenism that ignores the very real differences that separate the Catholic Church from the various sects and groups. It is an attitude of indifference about truth that is based on the idea that the whole edifice of Catholic doctrine is open to debate, that the "special" "Catholic truths" are peculiarities that we might hold to while others have their own "truths", neither of which really matter that much as long as we can all get along.
Another Francis begs to differ. St. Francis de Sales, when he penned his "The Catholic Controversy" focuses exactly ON what differs. He did it in order to win back those souls that were lead astray by Calvinism. Doubtless, St Francis Xavier did the same when meeting the schismatic Christians in Kerala and around Goa. Were they, the English martyrs, the German martyrs, and so many others "sinning against Christ's will" when they went to the scaffold "focusing on differences" and refusing to equate the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith with half-truths?

Truth, half-truths and outright falsehood are not the same thing. Never have been, never can be.