On May 16, 2015, Vatican Radio reported that Pope Francis had named Fr. Timothy Radcliffe OP, whom The Boston Globe’s Catholic website CRUX calls “a strong ally of Pope Francis,” a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Note: The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (PCJP) is a department of the Roman Curia — the administrative apparatus of the Holy See — dedicated to “action-oriented studies” for the international promotion of justice, peace, and human rights from the perspective of the Roman Catholic Church. Proposed by the Second Vatican Council “to stimulate the Catholic Community to foster progress in needy regions and social justice on the international scene,” PCJP was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967.
The pope appoints roughly 40 members and consultors to the PCJP, according to their background and experience, who serve for five years, giving input to the planning for the Council. Vatican.va states that when the PCJP gathers for assemblies, it’s for discernment of the “signs of the times” — whatever that means.
Timothy Radcliffe
Here’s Vatican Radio’s bio of 70-year-old Radcliffe:
Ordained in 1971, Fr Timothy is a long-time friend and contributor to Vatican Radio’s English Service. He is a well-known preacher and speaker, and author of several books including What is the point of being a Christian? He served as Master of the Dominican Order from 1992 until 2001 and is now resident at the Dominican Priory at Blackfriars, Oxford (U.K.). He has been a member of the Las Casas Advisory Board and Director of the Institute. He is an Honorary Doctor of Divinity at the University of Oxford.
Las Casas is a “social justice” institute.
Vatican Radio, however, left out a great deal about Radcliffe that should be of concern to traditional, orthodox, conservative Catholics.
Lisa Bourne writes for LifeSiteNews, May 19, 2015, that Radcliffe is an outspoken proponent of homosexuality, as evidenced by the following:
- In 2005, as the Vatican deliberated the admission of men with homosexual tendencies to study for the priesthood in the wake of the Church sex abuse scandal, Radcliffe said homosexuality should not bar men from the priesthood and that those who oppose it should be banned. (Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, eventually ruled that men with homosexual tendencies are to be barred from being priests.)
- In a 2006 religious education lecture in Los Angeles, Radcliffe said, “We must accompany [gay people] as they discern what this means, letting our images be stretched open. This means watching ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ reading gay novels, living with our gay friends and listening with them as they listen to the Lord.”
- As a contributor to the 2013 Anglican Pilling Report on human sexual ethics, Radcliffe said of homosexuality: “How does all of this bear on the question of gay sexuality? We cannot begin with the question of whether it is permitted or forbidden! We must ask what it means, and how far it is Eucharistic. Certainly it can be generous, vulnerable, tender, mutual and non-violent. So in many ways, I would think that it can be expressive of Christ’s self-gift. We can also see how it can be expressive of mutual fidelity, a covenantal relationship in which two people bind themselves to each other for ever.”
Radcliffe often celebrated Mass for the U.K. dissident group Soho Masses Pastoral Council (now renamed the LGBT Catholics Westminster Pastoral Council). He is also a supporter of the proposal of to allow communion for divorced and remarried Catholics.
Pope Francis’ appointment of Fr. Radcliffe has drawn criticism from many Catholics. Some examples:
- London, Ontario’s Father Paul Nicholson said in his blog that observers can wonder how much Pope Francis knows about Father Radcliffe: “The Holy Father is only a man, and is limited in how much he can know about any and every appointment. His primary language is Spanish and perhaps he has not been sufficiently briefed. And that may be done intentionally by those around him.”
- The Scottish blog Catholic Truth called it an “absolutely shocking papal appointment” and that “It’s very clear indeed now, that to be ‘a priest in good standing’ means to be opposed to all that is truly Catholic – and that includes true morals.”
- Rorate Caeli calls Radcliffe “Uber-liberal” and that while “It is true that Radcliffe has ‘opposed’ ‘gay marriage,’ but his farcical ‘opposition’ rests on grounds entirely contrary to those of the Church: Radcliffe opposes it because, in his words: ‘gay marriage’ ultimately, we believe, demeans gay people by forcing them to conform to the straight world.” Caeli points out that “Radcliffe’s acceptability has just received a major upgrade with this latest appointment,” which is “A tremendous slap to the face of so many good Catholics who had opposed him out of fidelity to the faith.”
See also:
- The Rotten Fruits of Pope Francis: church schism, conservative rebellion, and approval of Iran nuke deal
- The Illegitimate Pope: Election of Jorge Bergoglio as Pope Francis was contaminated by lobbying in violation of papal laws
- Pope Francis praises homosexual children’s book
- Pope Francis calls again for wealth redistribution, while U.S. archbishops live in palatial homes
- Pot calls kettle black: Pope Francis chastises pastors for talking too much
- Pope Francis calls for a new global authority to combat ‘climate change’
- Pope Francis goes after gun makers
- Pope Francis endorses redistribution of wealth by the State
- Father Linus Clovis on the “Francis Effect”
- St. Francis of Assisi’s end times prophecy and the two popes
~Éowyn
