First Things First: Cdl. Burke (UPDATED)

N.B.:  A friend emailed to suggest an update, given a new LifeSite item on this matter.

The rift between Cdl. Burke and Steve Bannon is not hard to explain.  For a time, they had been allies in a proposed school for political reformers.  However, when Bannon met with the author of a tell-all on the Vatican Gay Mafia (which may be at least partially-'fake news') the Cardinal backed out.  That's because to +Burke, the Church is first, and politics is a distinct second.

Martel reported that Bannon told him during their encounter that, “if the majority of bishops are either homophile or gay”, there are “no solutions to change the Church without changing profoundly her doctrine on celibacy, chastity and marriage”. Bannon has since clarified that he does not believe married priests are the solution to the vocations crisis or the abuse scandal. But Burke said he found it “objectionable” for Bannon to call into question “the Church’s discipline of perpetual continence for the clergy”.

Bannon is a bright guy with excellent political skills.  But as a Catholic?  Not so much.  [Ed:  that's by his own admission in the LifeSite item.]  Frankly, Bannon stepped off the cliff when he took Martel's word about the pervasiveness of homosexuality among Bishops.  After all, Martel is a notorious homosexual and we all know that homosexuals always inflate the numbers in their favor--that is, they want the world to think that it's 10% queer, when it's really less than 5%.

But even if it's as bad as Martel claims, so what?  There are no scheduled 'elections' for Bishop upcoming, are there?

+Burke, a serious player in Canon Law, knows that the Church's legal structure places the Pope as chief lawmaker, judge, and jury.  Further, the Bishops are regents in their Dioceses.  Them's the rules, like it or not.  The laity holds two significant powers:  prayer and sacrifice, and The Purse.  Yes, the laity can get in the faces of Bishops and be less than polite.  That's about it.  Bannon apparently thinks that a bunch of grass-roots organizing and 'populist' cage-rattling will take down foundational Canon Law.  He's nuts.

Bannon's next serious error came when he proclaimed that the only solution for the homosex problem is for the Church to 'profoundly change her doctrine' on matters sexual.  Bannon may well be a brilliant political strategist, but he's a ding-a-ling in matters of moral theology.  UPDATE:  In an interview with LifeSite News, Bannon said this:

 Married priests are not the solution to the sexual abuse scandal

My original closing line for the article:

The Cardinal saw the problem(s) with Bannon's thinking and chose wisely.  First, the Church.  Politics can take the hindmost.

Well, now.  Cdl. Burke is no dummy.  He didn't run away from Bannon due to what we now know about Bannon's thoughts.  I think there's more to the story.