Conservative Catholicism — the Catholicism that developed as a protective bulwark against progressive distortions at the Second Vatican Council — has largely been a resounding success over the past 40 years. But last year it was delivered a sobering blow during “part one” of the drama that was the synod on the family. Many prelates were blindsided last year especially by the midterm report, which brought in troublesome counter-claims to Catholic teaching on sexuality and marriage. Veteran Vatican journalist Edward Pentin broke the whole story of the debacle detailed it in his book The Rigging of a Vatican Synod?, in which it seems very clear that a progressive agenda had been quietly set by a German-speaking liberal elite who had been given administrative control of the synod process.

Alarms were immediately sounded last year, and the final report brought things back into line with the Church’s constant teaching. Some conservatives were relieved; others wondered whether we were in for more of the same this year. The prelates who were blindsided last year were, however, now on high alert.

Read the article “Liberal Pharisees in the Catholic Church” on nationalreview.com.