Asian Cardinal Witnesses to Oppressive Climate at Francis' Synod
Cardinal Goh says about himself he is an introvert with a pious childhood ("going to church before class to pray the rosary at the age of 7"). He comes from a "not very religious" family, except for his mother.
Francis "is always popular with many of our Catholics [who have no idea of the real state of affairs in Francis' Vatican], and I think he is a beacon of hope, a beacon of mercy and compassion," Cardinal Goh says.
He is as critical of the former Synod of Bishops as a submissive Asian can be. He testifies to the oppressive climate during the event: "We could not be as open or direct as you would like to be ... for fear of offending people [= Francis] who have different views".
"It takes a lot of courage to say what you have to say and to be open about it," he says. He also speaks about "a subtle pressure" indicating that things will not go "very well" if "what we say is not appreciated in some quarters".
He experienced the Synod as a so-called "democratic parliament". The leaders claimed that the ex-synod was "not a parliamentary session", but then "there is a vote at the end". Goh comments: "I think most people would see the vote as a kind of consensus-building".
Cardinal Goh would like to speak at the level of bishops, but "this synod [with lay people] cannot really be considered a theological dogmatic synod because not all of them are theologically educated". [The point should be the episcopal consecration.]
Picture: William Goh © Wikicommons CC BY-SA, #newsPryecuhwse
