Jesuits On Their Society And The Holy Father

Fr. Richard John Nuehaus quotes Fr. Paul Shaughnessy, S.J. and Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner from his article entitled, The Catholic Center.

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Remember, for instance, how the Jesuits were once noted for their fierce loyalty to the papacy. They are still loyal, but with a futurist twist of discontinuant devising. Thus the very influential Karl Rahner, in one of his less judicious moments, told his fellow Jesuits: “

You must remain loyal to the papacy in theology and in practice, because that is part of your heritage to a special degree, but because the actual form of the papacy remains subject, in the future too, to an historical process of change, your theology and ecclesiastical law has above all to serve the papacy as it will be in the future.”

Jesuit Paul Shaughnessy comments:

“Jesuits are all loyal to the papacy, but to the future papacy-that of Pope Chelsea XII, perhaps-and their support for contraception, gay sex, and divorce proceeds from humble obedience to this conveniently protean pontiff.”

Shaughnessy goes too far, of course. There are still some admirably loyal Jesuits. But you see the move. As with the above-mentioned bishop, all things are permitted when one is a “forerunner of the Church of tomorrow.” Being a faithful Catholic is becoming now what Catholic will mean when faithfulness is redefined. Liberated by “the spirit of Vatican II” from past and present, discontinuants of the left hold themselves rigorously accountable to a future of their own desiring.

Link (here)