Old Liberal Pastoral Theologian Wants Old Mass

Pastoral theology is in the scope of academically unilluminating old liberal Theology, intellectually settled on the lower depths. This was recemtly attested to by a faculty member at Fulda.


[kreuz.net] In the past June the old liberal, Fulda Theologian, Prelate Richard Hartman, once again coughed in disapproval of the Church.

Prelate Hartman is the director of the Conference of German Speaking Catholic Pastoral theologians.

His recently published website text bears the baroque title: "Roll backwards or break from the future -- post-pentecostal observations. Commentary on the situation in Germany."


Very familiar Argument Structure

As expected the Prelate began with the media staged abuse-hysteria.

This will now "afford a new opportunity" for the Bishops.

As for the reasons for the abuse was attributed -- truly --- to the unity of the perpetrators and the "loss of values of the enlightened 68ers" said the Prelate angrily.

The idea, that the bishops finally have recognized their responsibility and "have taken the steering wheel in hand", has made the Pastoral theologian acidic.

For the Bishops attempted "to keep the herd pure with the menace of certain taboos and commandments" -- as he demonized and continued with the following construction:

"The greater the taboos the greater the danger of the darkening of the culture of dishonesty."

What the Prelate doesn't see: with very similar arguments the naked 68ers have labored decades long for a legalization of child abuse.


Preaching with Back to the People?

Now Father Hartmann throws Bishop of Limburg, Msgr Bischop Franz-Peter Tebarttz van Elst in the pan, who had preached at this years Fulda Bonifacius Pilgrimage.

In his Chancellery speech he had -- not surprising for a Sermon -- encouraged the faithful, to look for the good in the Church.

For the German masochism of Prelate Hartman this was the wrong antidote:

"Shepherds, who speak to their flock from a podium and preach these, I have not seen-- besides in the Church --" he bloviated.

Interestingly Prelate Hartman teaches Preaching, where the student is discouraged from doing, what he had criticized in Msgr Tebartz van Elst.

But perhaps the Prelate is acting here as a pastoral-theological advocate for preaching with the back to the people.


Not toward the Flock

Eventually, he showed himself to be heading in this direction. He sees three places, which "cause a departure for the future".

The first: "I see shepherds on the lead of the flock (surely in the view of Christ), where they should not be leaving, rather progressing on new ways and leading the flock to good pasture."

This vision of the Prelate fulfills itself -- unless he hadn't noticed? -- on the in the exemplary way of the celebrating of the Old Mass.

"Therefore not against the flock, rather at the lead" -- said Fr. Hartman with this expression.

Then the pastoral theologian longs for shepherds, who travel "behind the flock", in order to gather up the slow or dreamy.

Why not?

Finally, Prelate Hartman wishes for shepherds "in the midst of the flock", sometimes to one, sometimes turning to the other, with good intentions to them and their opinion in order urge them on in very close contact with them.

That also doesn't sound bad. Prelate Hartmann must also be wary that he doesn't recommend to others what he himself doesn't practice.

According to these nice poetical points come inevitably the same old liberal litanies, whose keen recitation has already led the Protestants and Anglicans in the abyss.

On priestly formation the Prelate plays "strict" against "fruitful".

He naturally encourages the abolition of celibacy, married priests, the abolition of ecclesiastical sexual morals and an old liberal liturgy, which has been in place for a long time.

Finally he pats himself on the shoulder: His old liberal speech is "more important and more far sighted than shibboleths and a return to the prisons of earlier centuries" -- he maintains.

You'd better be careful, dear Prof. Doctor Hartman. The Gospels also belong to the category of "earlier centuries".

Link to original...