On October 10, Francis set in motion a mammoth synod on synodality, as if wanting for the first time ever to hear from the whole people of God. But he made it known right away - from the lips of synod secretary general Cardinal Mario Grech - that when the final document comes along it may not even be voted on. The counting of votes will be used only in extreme cases, “as a last and undesired resort.” In any case, to then deliver the document to the pope, who will do what he wants with it.
That this Leninist party practice is the synodality longed for by Jorge Mario Bergoglio comes as no surprise, given the unbridled monarchical absolutism with which he governs the Church, unrivaled by the popes who came before him.
There are at least two overwhelming proofs of this absolutism so far. The first is well known, the second less so.
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The well known proof is given by the way in which Francis steered the three previous synods and in particular that on the family, based in part on what was candidly revealed after the operation by the special secretary of that assembly, Archbishop Bruno Forte.
It was May 2 2016 and Forte, speaking in the theater of the city of Vasto, reported as follows the answer Francis had given him in the run-up to the synod, to his question on how to proceed in the assembly on the incendiary topic of communion for illegitimate couples:
“If we were to speak explicitly of communion for the divorced and remarried, you don’t know what a mess these [the cardinals and bishops against it - ed] would make for us! So let’s not talk about it directly, you make sure the premises are in place, then I will draw the conclusions.”