Cardinal Sarah: ‘The Crisis of the Church Has Entered a New Phase’, by Diane Montagna

ROME – In a rare intervention, Cardinal Robert Sarah has said that “the crisis of the Church has entered a new phase: the crisis of the Magisterium.”

Speaking to a standing-room only crowd on 26 October in Rome, at the launch of Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s new book “Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith” (Sophia Press, 2023), the former prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments observed that “a true cacophony reigns today in the teachings of pastors.”

Bishops and priests “seem to contradict each other” and impose their personal opinions “as if [they] were a certainty”. The result, the Guinean cardinal said, “is confusion, ambiguity, and apostasy. Great disorientation, deep bewilderment and devastating uncertainties have been inoculated in the souls of many Christian believers”.

Yet stressing a crucial distinction, Cardinal Sarah told those present and watching via live-stream (video here): “When we speak of a crisis in the Church, it is important to point out that the Church, as the Mystical Body of Christ, continues to be ‘one, holy, catholic, and apostolic’… The Church, as the continuation and extension of Christ in the world, is not in crisis. It is we, her sinful children, who are in crisis,” he said.

Drawing upon the Lord’s last discourse in the Gospel of St John, the cardinal further insisted that “the authentic Magisterium, as a supernatural function of the Mystical Body of Christ, exercised and guided invisibly by the Holy Spirit, cannot be in crisis; the voice and action of the Holy Spirit are constant, and the truth towards which it leads us is steadfast and unchanging”.

Within this context, he praised Bishop Schneider’s new Compendium as an aid to those “little ones who are ‘who are hungry for the bread of right doctrine,’” adding that “it will also prove to be an important tool in the essential missionary work of evangelization and apologetics in announcing the Saving Truth of Jesus Christ in our world that so desperately needs it”.

Cardinal Sarah’s remarks, delivered during the final week of the “Synod on Synodality”, came less than a month after the release of a set of questions (dubia) which he and four other cardinals sent to Pope Francis ahead of the October 4-29 Vatican assembly, expressing their concerns and seeking clarification on points of doctrine and discipline.

Below is the official English text of Cardinal Sarah’s address, which His Eminence has kindly approved for publication. 

Presentation of Credo: Compendium of the Catholic Faith, by Cardinal Robert Sarah

Rome, Thursday, 26 October 2023

Firstly, I would like to thank His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider for inviting me to take part in this presentation of his latest book.

But how can I not also thank all of you here present for your friendship, and especially for honoring us with your presence? This evening, you have agreed to consecrate your precious time to come and listen to distinguished speakers who help us appreciate this Compendium and the riches of the mystery of our Catholic Faith. ….