Fernández is a controversial figure in the Church in Argentina, in part because of some of his past publications. The theologian has published more than 300 articles and books. Pope Francis, who has known Fernández for decades, reportedly entrusted him with drafting his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, a text in which the archbishop cited his own prior scholarship as a source document. The archbishop was also reputedly involved in the drafting of Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation on love in the family, which followed the Church’s two synods on the family. Fernández was heavily involved in both synods on the family in 2014 and 2015 and was on the commission for the writing of the 2015 synod’s final report. Quoting his apostolic exhortations Evangelii Gaudium and Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis wrote that Fernández’s task as the new head of the Vatican’s doctrine office “should express that the Church ‘encourages the charism of theologians and their theological research efforts’ as long as ‘they are not content with a desk theology,’ with ‘a cold, hard logic that seeks to dominate everything.’ It will always be true that reality is superior to the idea.” Fernández was born in 1962 in the small rural town of Alcira, in the Province of Córdoba. He was ordained a priest in August 1986 in Río Cuarto, a mostly rural diocese. In 1988 he obtained a degree in theology with a biblical specialization at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and then obtained a doctorate in theology at the UCA in 1990. He was pastor of Santa Teresita in Río Cuarto (Córdoba) from 1993 to 2000 and was founder and director of the Jesús Buen Pastor Lay Formation Institute and Teacher Training Center in the same city. In the early 1990s he moved to Buenos Aires, where he was appointed a consultor to several commissions within the Argentinean bishops’ conference and the Latin American Bishops Council (CELAM). Having shown a great capacity for writing, Fernández was brought by then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as an expert to the Fifth General Conference of the Latin American Bishops, held in 2007 at the Brazilian Marian shrine of Aparecida. Aparecida, many sources have claimed, solidified the relationship between the future pope and the theologian. From 2008 to 2009 he was dean of the faculty of theology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and president of the Argentine Theological Society. On Dec. 15, 2009, Cardinal Bergoglio appointed Fernández as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. However, Fernández was not able to take the oath of office until May 20, 2011, after he had answered objections to his appointment raised by Vatican officials who expressed concerns about the orthodoxy of certain elements of his scholarship. An avid writer, by the time Fernández was chosen by Bergoglio as the UCA rector, he had written hundreds of articles and books, including, “Incarnated Spiritual Theology” (2004), a book that was featured in the Argentinean soap opera “Esperanza Mía,” about an illicit love affair between a priest and a nun. The book commonly regarded as his most unusual is the 1995 work “Heal Me With Your Mouth: The Art of Kissing.” Regarding the book, Fernández explained that “in these pages I want to synthesize the popular feeling, what people feel when they think of a kiss, what they experience when they kiss ... So, trying to synthesize the immense richness of life, these pages emerged in favor of kissing. I hope that they help you kiss better, that they motivate you to release the best of yourself in a kiss.” The book has disappeared from most official lists of Fernández’s works. Pope Francis appointed Fernández the titular Archbishop of Tiburnia on May 13, 2013, thus making him the first rector of UCA to become an archbishop. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...shop-fernandez-as-prefect-for-church-doctrine
“Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud come out.” I’m past caring. Dom Bede Camm said it would take three generations to put right the abuses of Vatican II. If he was right I won’t see it. A contemplative monk once said his place was in the boiler room. Basically, that meant he was out of the limelight, hidden and doing the church’s heavy lifting, keeping the ship on course. I feel this is my place too, praying and not losing my focus on God.
Yes pray. Let's not lose our focus on Jesus and our peace. Who would have thought we would have to face these aful things in our church. There can't be long more. My heart goes out to young people.
I just have to continue prayer of the Rosary etc. and Adoration and Confession and Mass. Otherwise it’s all so bizarre. Trust in prayer for our families and the world that Jesus will come and that many will repent.
Much of what grieves me appears only to be multiplying, but if the Warning actually reveals all the trash I have hidden in the closet, then I'll be humbled and busy enough with my own house-cleaning. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner! Come Lord Jesus!
Eccles calls Fernandez 'Touchy-Feely". I saw some quotations from his 'kissing' book that someone put up. To describe them as disturbing would be being moderate. Come, Lord Jesus.
And the maps of the world are full of fire. But as it was in the book of Apocalypse---they did not repent but were further hardened in their sin. When I was young reading those passages i used to wonder how in the face of God's chastisements sinners would not fall to their knees and repent. I was so naive.
I believe that Evangeli Gaudium also originates, in part, from a writing begun by Pope Benedict, which was short-circuited by his resignation. I believe this was mentioned even in November, 2013: The theme of last year’s meeting was the “new evangelization” and Benedict XVI had not yet written the Exhortation when he resigned. “There is one problem,” Bergoglio explained at the time: “the encyclical has to come out and it’s an encyclical written with four hands, so to speak, because Pope Benedict began writing it and he gave it to me. It’s a strong document. I will say in it that I received it and most of the work was done by him and I completed it.”
I was reading a lovely piece this morning from Bobby Forest's book, 'The Rosary Behold thy Mother'. It concerns the Third Glorious Mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and Our Lady Assembled in prayer. Scripture lists those present , the Apostles first, with Peter at the Head of the List. However at the end of the List are Mary Magdalen and Mary, Mother of Jesus. Bobby pointed out that The Apostles come first. They are the Head the Leaders of the Church. But at the End we have the Heart of the Church are the two Mary's representing the Heart of the Church. The Church on it's knees,so to speak. He goes on to quote Pope St John Paul, 'The Marian Dimension of the Church precedes the Petrine one, although both are complimentary' Also Pope Benedict,'There is no Church without Mary'. So although we see a lot of bad things happening with the Head, the Leaders of the Church we can console ourselves by looking at the Heart. Every morning when I go to Church I see so many very Holy people, it warms the heart. So many ordinary Catholics coming day after day to Mass. There was one gentleman called Patrick McBride. I noticing him saying the Rosary after Mass. He knelt bolt upright, eyes downcast and was so clearly right into what he was doing. He asked me one time about joining the Legion of Mary. Anyway it turned out Patrick owned a little farm way out in the country and he went on a bus form the city last week to go to his farm. They only later found him dead on the bus after it stopped at the end of the journey. It turns out that Patrick was in charge of the Legion of Mary here. I take it that the reason why he , a farmer was in the city was to take care of Legion affairs. Anyway , people like Patrick remind me of the two Mary's at Pentecost. The Heart of the Church.There is without doubt much to be sad about. But there is very,very much to rejoice about too.
You know when times are very bad, like present in the Church, I find it very helpful to concentrate on the positive ,rather than negative. I know all about the terrible negatives everyone is talking about them. But not everyone talks about the wonderful postives, like God's Saints amongst us living good, saintly lives, or the joy of Christ coming to us in the Eucharist each day. Even in saying the Stations of the Cross there is Light in the Dark, like Mary and St John staying with Jesus to comfort Him. Like the Faith of the Good Thief, Simon of Cyrene and Veronica, little lights twinkling in the Dark.
