It’s an impressive lineup. From Bishop Athanasius Schneider and Fr. Linus Clovis to various heads of right-to-life organizations and other marriage and family apostolates around the world, 16 life and family leaders have joined in a video appeal to Pope Francis to make right the wrongs perpetrated by Amoris Laetitia. A teaser of the video can be seen here:
https://youtu.be/zR4xcStBARU?rel=0
The video was produced by LifeSiteNews, which provides more details:
In a spirit of love, humility, and faithfulness, 16 international life and family advocates are asking Pope Francis in a powerful new video to unambiguously speak the truth of the Catholic faith, to end doctrinal confusion, to restore clarity, and to be the Holy Father that Catholics need.
“We are living in a very special time of a deep crisis of faith inside the Church,” said Bishop Athanasius Schneider, the Auxiliary in the diocese of Maria Santissima in Kazakhstan, who opens the video, produced by LifeSiteNews.
“It is not a secret. It is very evident. A lot of people, the simple faithful, are suffering because of the situation of confusion,” he added.
The 30-minute film, titled Plea to the Pope, comes in the wake of confusion caused by the pope’s April release of his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, in which he made a number of concerning statements about marriage, divorce, sin, reception of Holy Communion, and sex education for children. The Exhortation has generated numerous contradictory interpretations from various theologians as well as cardinals and bishops.
Bishop Schneider called it “very urgent” that the pope “states more clearly, in a very unambiguous manner — in such a manner which will not leave any space for misinterpretations — [on] the issues of family and the sacredness of marriage.”
The film contains an impressive lineup of international life and family advocates who decided that the time had come to voice their concerns for the good of the Church, of souls, and of nations.
Some of those featured in the video are:
• John Smeaton – President, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children Co-founder, Voice of the Family
• Colleen Bayer – Papal Dame in the Order of St. Gregory the Great President, Family Life International New Zealand
• John-Henry Westen – Editor-in-chief, LifeSiteNews, Co-founder, Voice of the Family
• Prof. Thomas Stark – Benedict XVI Academy of Philosophy and Theology University of St. Polten, Austria
• Christine Vollmer – Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, Founding member, Founder, Latin American Alliance for Life
• Preston Noell – Director, American Society for Tradition, Family, and Property
• Molly Smith – President, Cleveland Right to Life
• Prof. Roberto de Mattei – Professor, European University of Rome Founder, Lepanto Foundation
• Dr. Thomas Ward – Founder & President, National Association of Catholic Families, Corresponding Member, Pontifical Academy for Life
The full, 30-minute video is available here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQpJqmbYPXg?rel=0
The list of those standing in opposition to the errors in the exhortation is growing – and that’s a very good thing.
