University women’s volleyball team forfeits game rather than face transgender opponent – ​​RENOVATIO 21

«The Synod had anticipated this misunderstanding», the Dominican. “When the seeds fall into the ground, not much seems to happen. They germinate calmly until spring.” Writing about the ways in which he sees the Holy Spirit at work in the synod, Radcliffe says that “The Holy Spirit invites us to abandon our comfort zones as Western people.” «When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, many claimed that we had entered a new era, the triumph of Western liberal democracy. Every nation was destined to “evolve” towards our lifestyle. If some countries, especially in the South of the world, did not agree with us, for example, on the welcome of gay people, sooner or later they would have had to adapt” writes the new cardinal. «We were wrong. We are entering a multipolar world. The West is no longer the automatic point of reference for a large part of the world’s population (…) » Referring to Begging for Confidencethe declaration of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of December 2023 which opened blessings to gay couples, Radcliffe continued: «Pope Francis also asks us to open the Church to everyone, whoever they are. All, all, all (Everyone, everyone, everyone): the divorced and remarried, the gay, the transgender. But in some parts of the world, welcoming gays is seen as scandalous. Many Catholic bishops in Africa see it as an attempt to impose a decadent Western ideology on the rest of the world. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa, president of the organization representing all the Catholic bishops of Africa, sees it as a symptom of a decadent Western culture. A few weeks ago he declared: “Little by little, they [gli occidentali] they will disappear. We wish them a good disappearance””, “How can we reconcile the two imperatives of Francis’ papacy: to be turned outward to bring the Gospel to the ends of the world, to all cultures, and to be open to all human beings, whatever both their condition and whoever they are? The dilemma exploded with the Begging for confidencethe declaration of the Dicastery for the doctrine of the faith which grants priests permission, especially in very specific situations, to bless couples in “irregular” relationships, including same-sex couples.” «Cardinal Ambongo went to Rome to present the firm rejection of the proposal by the bishops of Africa. Never before had all the bishops of a continent repudiated a Vatican document. Every attempt was made to calm the crisis” “The Pope had approved the declaration. Cardinal Ambongo confirmed that African exceptionalism is an example of synodality. And he pointed out that unity does not mean uniformity. The Gospel is inculturated differently in different parts of the world.” Cardinal-designate Radcliffe then reiterated his claim, made in a speech in May, that the Gospel challenges the Church in Africa to embrace homosexuality. «It is true, the Gospel is always inculturated in different cultures, but it also challenges every culture. Jesus was Jewish, yet he defied the religion of his ancestors. Is the refusal to bless gays in Africa an example of enculturation or a refusal to be nonconformist? Inculturation for one person is another person’s rejection of the nonconformist Gospel.” Cardinal-designate Radcliffe then linked the African bishops’ doubts about homosexuality to “intense” external pressure: “Another fear raised by the Fiducia supplicans is that there appears to have been no consultation — even with bishops or other Vatican offices — before of his exit; not exactly, perhaps, a good example of synodality. African bishops are under great pressure from evangelicals, with American money; of the Russian Orthodox, with Russian money; and Muslims, with money from the rich Gulf countries. There should have been a discussion with them before, and not after, the release of the statement. Whatever we think about the declaration, when faced with tensions, and to overcome them, we must all think and engage with each other on a deep level.”