Major Schism in U.S. Catholic Church Underway

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT is a friend to all priests and bishops in full union with the pope.  However, it pains me to say that a certain number of American priests and bishops have not been in full unity with the Holy Father, especially on matters related to liturgical reform and sound catechesis.

The U.S. Catholic Church is about to suffer a major schism.

Yes, that's right, soon there will be two "Catholic churches" in the United States.  One will be the legitimate Roman Catholic Church in union with the pope, while the other will be a schismatic "American Catholic Church" headed by the "American Catholic Council" and giving lip service to Rome, with no real tangible unity with the Holy Father.  There is no word yet on how many properties will be wrestled away from diocesan bishops in this coming schism, or how quickly Rome will respond with the excommunications.  However, there are many indicators that seem to suggest this schism will be real and sizable, perhaps on a level not seen since the Protestant Reformation in Europe during the 16th century. 

While there is already a schismatic "American Catholic Church" in existence, the emerging American Catholic Council within the mainstream U.S. Catholic Church threatens to draw many Catholics away from the pope and those U.S. bishops in communion with him.  It is unknown whether this emerging American Catholic Council will attempt some from of ecumenical merger with the schismatic "American Catholic Church" or attempt to create some new type of ecclesiastical body.  What is certain is that the schism already exists in the hearts and minds of many U.S. Catholics and that schism will be realized when the American Catholic Council meets for the first time on June 10th through 12th in Detroit.  The Catholic Knight blog has received numerous search engine hits for a previous article written on the American Catholic Council, indicating an increasing interest on the Internet as the council's convention date approaches. 

Far too few bishops have condemned this event, and sadly, this is symptomatic of the problem in general.  The reason why this schism is happening, indeed the reason why it will be much larger than anyone expects, is because so many U.S. bishops have been lax in their approach to liturgy, catechesis and discipline.  As a result, progressive modernists within the Church now have a sense of entitlement.  They are convinced their movement is the product of Vatican II, and it is the old structure of the Catholic hierarchy that stands in their way.  Indeed, a simple review of their website demonstrates beyond the shadow of a doubt that what these people want is nothing short of a complete restructuring of the Catholic Church into a democracy with female clergy, acceptance of artificial birth control, openness toward homosexuality, and elected bishops.  It's a model that already exists within the Protestant Anglican Communion.   Sadly, this message will resonate with hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of Catholics across the United States, creating a crisis and schism that nobody within the USCCB can comprehend at this time.