Bishop Athanasius Schneider has issued an open letter praising the “prophetic voice” of the four cardinals who have submitted dubia seeking clarification of Amoris Laetitia.In saying that the papal document has bred confusion, Bishop Schneider writes, the four cardinals “have merely stated real facts in the life of the Church.”
He points to the contrasting interpretations of Amoris Laetitia in different dioceses, with a number of bishops arguing that the Pope has made a substantial change in Church teaching, while other insist that the document upholds Catholic tradition.
In asking for clarification, Bishop Schneider continues, “the four cardinals only did their basic duty as bishops and cardinals, which consists in actively contributing so that the revelation transmitted through the apostles might be guarded sacredly and might be faithfully interpreted.”
Bishop Schneider—an auxiliary of the Archdiocese of Astana in Kazakhstan, who has been an energetic defender of Catholic tradition—observed that Pope Francis himself “often calls for an outspoken and fearless dialogue” on issues confronting the Church.
For that reason, he said, “the unusually violent and intolerant reactions on behalf of some bishops and cardinals against the calm and circumspect plea of the four cardinals cause great astonishment.”