Only then, Ladaria wrote, would bishops “face the difficult task” of deciding what course of action will benefit “the grave moral responsibility” of the local church. After achieving “true consensus,” the U.S. bishops might issue a statement on the matter, the cardinal continued, while recognizing that even then “it could have the opposite effect and become a source of discord rather than unity.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver, who have both pushed for the Communion ban, agreed in a May 25 statement on the need for “serene dialogue.” But likeminded commentators say that given the church’s stance on abortion there isn’t much left to discuss.
“There is little that is unclear here, and further “dialogue” is not going to clarify much of anything,” wrote George Weigel, papal biographer and distinguished senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, in the conservative magazine First Things.
But some influential prelates who are considered close to Francis seem to feel that there is so much to discuss about “Eucharist coherence” that they’ve argued to delay any dialogue until the conference can meet in person: June’s general assembly will be held over Zoom to avoid the risk of COVID-19. In a May 13 letter, 67 U.S. bishops, including Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago, called for a delay.
Cordileone, Aquila and other conservative bishops have objected to a delay, a sign that proponents of a ban are ready to risk public disagreements. This faction is “very explicit that doctrinal purity is greater than church unity,” Gibson said, adding that some members of the U.S. episcopacy “want to create pressure and draw a line in the sand.”
Pope John Paul II and his successor Benedict XVI could count on the obedience of the bishops across the Atlantic — not least because they appointed most of them. Francis is finding that their fealty is to doctrinal positions rather than the seat of St. Peter itself.
“Clearly in the past eight years, if there is one church that has given trouble to Pope Francis directly and openly it’s the U.S., there’s no question about that,” said Massimo Faggioli, professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, on Wednesday (May 26).
According to Faggioli, bishops appointed by Francis, still a small minority, often find themselves “outnumbered and outmaneuvered.” What remains to be seen is what the “silent majority” of bishops will do when the time comes to make a decision in June, Faggioli said.
Regardless of what the U.S. bishops decide, the Vatican has made no secret that it looks forward to close ties with the Biden administration. “I think Biden and the White House have a relationship with the Vatican that does not run through the offices of the USCCB,” Gibson said.
Biden and Francis will likely meet in the coming months, as the pontiff has signaled that he may attend the COP26 environmental summit in Scotland in November. The following month, the G20 meeting of developed nations will be held in Italy, providing another opportunity for the two to talk.
This article originally appeared here.
