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Cardinal Joseph TobinClaire Chretien / LifeSiteNews

(LifeSiteNews) — After the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops suffered a hailstorm of ridicule in response to a tweet touting banal social justice buzzwords such as inclusivityaccompaniment, and dialogue as integral to the “Synod on Synodality,” Cardinal Joseph Tobin took umbrage, slamming critics as guilty of heresy, exhibiting a “refusal to deal with complexity.”

However, what the Cardinal labels as a “refusal to deal with complexity” — amounting to a demeaning accusation of mental and moral inferiority — many Catholics see as nothing more than resistance to corporate jargon espoused by the weak unmanly forces guiding the Roman Catholic Church, who prefer to focus their attention on social justice rather than on Jesus Christ.

Let’s be clear: Tobin, famous for once tweeting “Nighty nite, baby. I love you,” was defending the church of woke —  serving worldly ideals and dishing up leftist clichés — while deriding the Church militant, which seeks to serve Christ alone.

‘Many of us don’t even feel like we’re speaking the same language of our Church leaders’

Using terms that numb family and working men’s minds while making Church “Karens”  swoon, the USCCB tweeted, “Here are seven attitudes we can all adopt as we continue our synodal journey together. Which one inspires you the most? Let us know in the comments below.”

“How about you adopt this attitude: ‘Christ shed his blood on the cross to save you, so attend with an attitude of repentance, humility, gratitude, joy and worship. Let your lips be full of praise for your savior Jesus,’” shot back Hollywood actress and pro-life activist Patricia Heaton.

Heaton’s tweet garnered an astounding eight times more “Likes” — 1,600 versus 200 — than the USCCB’s tweet.

“Dear USCCB: If the goal is a Listening Church, I sincerely hope you’re listening to this: You’ve been ratioed. The Catholics of Twitter see nothing inspiring in this list,” wrote Twitter user Urban Hannon, who describes himself as an STL student in dogmatic theology at the Angelicum.

“We’re craving something worth living and dying for. No one will be a martyr for an ‘innovative outlook,’” he added.

“Your Excellencies, these words are bland & irrelevant,” reacted Robert H. Woodman.

“How about an attitude of Repentance? How about an attitude of seeking to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)?” asked Woodman.

“I followed Christ into the Catholic Church. I want to be like Christ, not like some corporate HR type,” he concluded.

“Thankfully the Church is more than your attitudes. I am Catholic despite this drivel,” tweeted another.

“Is this entire synod being run by human resources interns?” wrote another. “We’re not a Fortune 500 company, we are literally the body of Christ.”

“This is indicative of a real problem in the Church,” wrote National Catholic Register’s Matt Archbold. “Many of us don’t even feel like we’re speaking the same language of our Church leaders. We don’t feel heard. We don’t feel listened to. And what do they offer us instead? Buzzwords.”

Crowding out profound truth

The USCCB’s social justice buzzwords used to invite comment on the Synod of Synodality crowd out the profound truths of the Catholic faith.

Instead, they roll out the red carpet for woke ideology in all its forms to take up permanent residence within the Church.

The synod’s vademecum, or handbook, calls for a process of “listening,” especially to those who are “at the margins,” including “people who have left the practice of the faith, people of other faith traditions, people of no religious belief, etc.”

Such a process opens the Church to listening to “a whole variety of topics both concerning doctrine, liturgy, and morals,” from those who may not even be in the Church, noted prominent U.S. theologian and former member of the Vatican’s International Theological Commission, Fr. Thomas Weinandy, OFM cap, in October.

“However, if such opinions are contrary to the faith of the Church, and these opinions are loudly proclaimed, then chaos will ensue,” he warned.

He compared the new synod to the controversial and “schismatic” Synodal Path currently underway in Germany. “As the Synodal Path in Germany has created a mess, so the global synodal path could create an ecclesial worldwide mess. I hope that this does not happen, but this is what I fear,” said Weinandy.

Dissident, pro-LGBT Tobin’s defense of the Synod of Synodality raises concern

Given his history as one of the most dissident, pro-LGBT prelates in America, Cardinal Tobin’s strong advocacy for the Synod of Synodality and condemnation of its critics raises a red flag.

For years, Tobin has supported LGBT “Pride Masses” in Newark, personally hosted pro-LGBT retreats, and presided over what numerous priests and seminarians have described as a “homosexual subculture” in his archdiocese.

Among other things, Cardinal Tobin has publicly rebuked Church teaching on homosexuality as “very unfortunate,” hired a homosexual activist as his “senior associate for operations,” and strongly backed the pro-LGBT activism of Fr. Martin. In May, he added his name to a statement by an LGBT organization insinuating that God created homosexual attraction.

Tobin, elevated to the cardinalate by Pope Francis in 2016 and whom Pope Francis additionally appointed to the Congregation for Bishops this year, has also been harshly criticized for his handling of sex abuse allegations, including some regarding his predecessor, ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and for leaving homosexual, abuser priests in active ministry. Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó has attested that Tobin’s appointment to the Archdiocese of Newark was “orchestrated” by McCarrick himself.

Cardinal Tobin’s recent question regarding the “listening” and “dialogue” efforts of the Synod of Synodality, is cause for concern:

I wonder what voices can speak to the church today?

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Doug Mainwaring is a journalist for LifeSiteNews, an author, and a marriage, family and children's rights activist.  He has testified before the United States Congress and state legislative bodies, originated and co-authored amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court, and has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs.  Doug and his family live in the Washington, DC suburbs.

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