Cardinal Pell bans free speech and makes the Church look ridiculous

To that end, Canon 215 reads:

Christ's faithful may freely establish and direct associations, which serve charitable or pious purposes or which foster the Christian vocation in the world, and they may hold meetings to pursue these purposes by common effort.

If such pious organisations have internal disagreements, or, shock horror, a collective and unanimous “disagreement” with an official Church teaching (not that we would know this, as the ARC conference has yet to occur), the problem is exactly what?

Because: Christ's faithful are at liberty to make known their needs, especially their spiritual needs, and their wishes to the Pastors of the Church. (Canon Law 212(2))

The Church says this. This is enshrined in the Law of the Church. Unless discussion is permitted and indeed encouraged - possibly even funded and facilitated by the hierarchical Church (there's an idea) how might the faithful be able to discern their spiritual needs, in order to make these known to their Pastors?

The fact is that the Cardinal has made the Church look ridiculous. In this heavy-handed and badly thought out decision, Cardinal Pell has called into question the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church in the wider society. If the Church is not permitted to hold discussions freely in a Catholic setting, aided by Catholic clergy, on matters of Catholic interest, just why would Australian society listen to us when we have something to say on a social, political, ecological or justice question? Or perhaps a question relating to higher education?

However Cardinal Pell does tolerate “dissent”. The website Super Flumina, has this to say about George Pell:

When he was Archbishop of Melbourne, George Pell wrote an article in the Melbourne Catholic journal Kairos (June 28-July 5, 1998) in which he said inter alia: “It is certainly true that Our Lord is not physically present” in the Eucharist. He went on to say that the Sacred Scriptures “contain historical and scientific errors and misunderstandings.” These two statements are, each of them, contrary to the Church's clear teaching.

Australian Reforming Catholics has never questioned Cardinal Pell's orthodoxy, yet they have been subject to the current action. Super Flumina remains undisturbed by episcopal interference. And rightly so.

Australian Reforming Catholics aren't members of a political party seeking to hold meetings at some one else's branch office. They aren't even here to “pray, pay and obey”.

Catholics are a pilgrim people on a journey, seeking to help God bring about the Kingdom. That is the will of the Holy Spirit. And there is nothing George Cardinal Pell can do to stop it.