May 5, 2016

www.RiteBeyondRome.com
4Vatican2Rite@gmail.com

PROPOSAL FOR RESOLVING POLARIZATION OF VATICAN
II AND ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEWPOINTS
Position Paper on Raising Vatican II from Council to Operational Rite
as the most adequate solution to saving both Roman and Vatican II
Understandings of Catholicism.

Three areas in which Church polarization is most pronounced
1. Governance
2. Liturgy
3. Theology

What these areas have in common that could be the source of this
destructive polarization
1. Setting continuity and change against each other.
2. Defining tradition as a completed event requiring adherence or rejection.
3. Pre-Vatican and Post-Vatican II models of God are diametrically opposed.

Three relevant historical events that led up to the issue
1. Modernism condemned as “Synthesis of all Heresies” by Pope St. Pius X in 1907
sets stage for suspicion of the modern world vs Vatican II opening to modern world.

2. Vatican II Bishops REQUIRING liturgical and other changes for sake of continuity created
an aura of force against traditional Roman Catholicism.

3. Movement of science from Newtonian understanding of reality as result of unchanging
natural laws to quantum understanding of reality as change.

1 of 3 pages 

May 5, 2016

www.RiteBeyondRome.com
4Vatican2Rite@gmail.com

Trends that Exacerbate the Polarization of the Church today
1. Global trends in government toward democracy undermine defensive postures of a
church trying to hold on to a monarchical model.

2. Open access to information has revolutionized the world taking it into a place where
hope can rise again among those kept out of the know and in a place of
powerlessness for too long. Social networking has opened up the potential for virtual
protest and other gatherings where time and geography would once have prevented such
connections.

Sub-issues associated with Church Polarization.
1. Alienation of women, divorced, remarried & GLBT, etc communities by RCC
2. RC doctrinal and clerical Cognitive Dissonance being exposed by the media
3. Shortage of priests, large scale of sexual abuse scandals, widespread closing of
schools/parishes

What makes each issue so prominent and difficult to solve?
1. Historically embedded reluctance of Catholic Church to own its identity as a humandivine institution rather than as a purely divine institution.

2. Due to parallel progressive and ultra-conservative currents of Vatican II documents,
support for opposite visions of Church emerged resulting in failure to carry out the
original mandate of Vatican II to UPDATE the Church including DOCTRINE.
3. Failure to recognize the “silent schism” which has already taken place in the Church as
evidenced by the loss of highly active and dedicated Vatican II Catholics (including priests
and religious)…all people who are not returning in any substantial numbers as a result of
the “Francis Factor”.

2 of 3 pages 

May 5, 2016

www.RiteBeyondRome.com
4Vatican2Rite@gmail.com

A VATICAN II RITE, the most viable option for reform in the Church today
1. Since Catholics cannot reject the council, the only valid option to date is a watered-down
version of Vatican II in hope that progressive, moderate and ultra-conservative groups might
remain within the ONE Roman Catholic Rite. Church affiliation has only declined since this
strategy was initiated.
2. In the past few decades, a number of conservative Catholic groups have repeatedly
vilified Vatican II as a heretical council. At the same time, the Roman Curia has censored/silenced
well over 100 Vatican II proponents including bishops, theologians and others with no recognition
of their contributions to the Vatican II vision of Church to this day.
3.

Pope Benedict and Pope Francis have reached out to these conservative groups. Vatican

official Archbishop Pozzo’s recent statement that the difficulties raised by the SSPX concerning
religious freedom, ecumenism and dialogue, and liturgical reform remain subject to discussion and
clarification but do not constitute an obstacle to a canonical and juridical recognition of the SSPX.

WHAT IF WE MOVE THE MARGINS AGAIN, AS THE CHURCH DID LONG AGO WITH THE
EASTERN RITES*, as the Church has done more recently with Opus Dei and SSPX? Then there
will room for a Vatican II Rite/Church in union with Rome. Then we can “All be One”
again…DIFFERENT BUT ONE, IN UNION WITH ROME…each able to share its wisdom and
experience with the other, each able to call the other to faithful proclamation of the Gospel.

*Eastern Catholic Churches in union with Rome have 23 different ways of expressing Catholic
perspectives on theology, governance and liturgy, whereas the Western/Latin Church has only
one Rite to date.

3 of 3 pages