The 72nd National Liturgical Week is currently underway in Italy with the theme “Ministries at the Service of a Synodal Church.”

As you can see, the switch from the “Catholic Church” to the “Synodal Church” is almost complete now, with “synodality” being tossed freely about at every Catholic committee meeting, conference and talkfest.

“Synodality” and its converse – the death of Tradition – is almost a fait accompli. Of course, being of Divine origin, Tradition can never really die, but it certainly can languish in a dungeon while the ape of the Church ploughs on with its programme.

Cardinal Parolin is there at the conference, drawing attention to the great transformation currently underway. He reminds us that these nouveau ministries hold “particular significance for the Church in the present historical moment.” Well, of course they do. These Synodal Ministries will ensure the extermination of the Latin Mass by making the new generation of lukewarm Catholics complicit in the destruction.

Speaking on behalf of the Pope, Cardinal Parolin quoted the pontiff and his desire that the legion of Made-Up Ministers become “experts in the art of encounter,” something with disconcerting undertones in these days of gay-cruising priests, semi-naked liturgical dancers, and episcopal beach houses.

But he probably just means that the Apostles of the Church of Nice will be trained (at the pew-sitter’s expense) to speak nicely about nice topics, referencing the nicest parts of Scripture and generally promulgating the virtue of niceness.

Except when dealing with Trads. Because they don’t count.

Thankfully, the Pope can rest his novel schemes on the solid basis of a predecessor. Who says Francis only relies on his own ideas? What balderdash.

Francis has reached back through the mists of time to draw on the perennial wisdom of the magisterium as it has existed for ……. the last fifty years …… to remind us of the reforms of Paul VI and to dreamily cast his vision for “the renewal of the Church in an increasingly “communal” and less clerical direction.”

What a relief for those billions of victims of heterodox teaching clericalism. After all, clericalism really is the main problem facing the Church today.

Parolin, ever the dutiful son of the Church, reminds the more skeptical among us that the universal priesthood must not be confused with the ministerial priesthood.

Whew. Thanks for that, Your Excellency. I’m sure placing those two terms in the same sentence and in the context of expansion of ministries for the laity definitely won’t produce that effect.