Bishop Duca Advises His Louisiana Flock To Avoid Drama & Speculation of Ignorant Media As To Future Pope

 I received the Catholic Connection in the mail today which is the official monthly publication for my Diocese of Shreveport in Louisiana. A publication that has very much improved since the Bishop has arrived on the scene if I might say As you can expect Pope Benedict was a topic.

Bishop Duca had a very good article as to his thoughts on this historic change that we saw today. See Forget Speculation; Search for Spiritual Truth .

Its a very good article that touches on many aspects of what we as Catholics will encounter and how we should view this.

As to the media he says ( and I don't think he is talking local media that seems to have some degree of sophistication on religious matters and you know actually talks to the Bishop  ) he says in part :

..It is my hope that you have not been caught up in this endless stream of drama, but see that there is a deeply spiritual side to this moment in history. Unfortunately the secular media mostly seem to understand the Church as a kind of corporation or organization where decisions about dogma are made by the pope reacting to public sentiment or opinion. Of course we know the Holy Father’s primary mission is to receive the faith handed down from the apostles to this generation, and to keep that truth the same so it can be handed on to the next generation of believers. In fact, the Holy Father’s mission is to preserve the faith, not change it.  It is true that it falls to the Holy Father to proclaim the Good News in ways that are understood to the present age, to apply the Gospel to new challenges, to seek justice for all in the unique circumstances of life in countries throughout the world.  So while the pope has many opportunities to make an original impact on the Church, he does not do it by changing the unchanging parts of Catholic teaching.  Forget about all the speculation because it is just that, speculation. Our hope in this time of change, will be found in the spiritual truth of our faith. We believe the Holy Spirit is at work in this process and the Church is always bigger than even the pope.....

Read it all