In only a matter of two days, the Petition asking the orthodox synod fathers to perform a walkout has reached a number of 2,000 signatures. This is simply incredible. From my understanding, petitions generally gather about 1/10 of the signatures of those who actually do support the petition. That means that in all likelihood, the petition has the support of 20,000 Catholics. Getting this much attention in only a few days with that many signatures is nothing short than a miracle.

This petition is the most important petition of this century. Requesting the Synod Fathers who are defending Christ’s teaching on marriage and the family to walk out is a slap in the face to the heterodox. It shows that the orthodox fathers are indeed following in the footsteps of Christ and refusing to waste their time with those who refuse to listen to the Gospel (c.f. Matthew 10:14, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5).

Since this petition’s release, I’ve seen a number of comments arguing how a walk out would be “giving up” on Christ. I’d like to address these concerns.

It wouldn’t be giving up. A Synod’s purpose is to provide advice to the Pope in order for him to make a decision.  Attendance is not mandatory for a prelate. An invitation is extended to him and he can either accept or decline. Likewise, a prelate can leave at any given moment.

It would be similar to you inviting some friends over to have a discussion on how you should approach a problem. You drafted up some rules and gave them all to your friends. But a few days before your friends were to come over, you changed the rules and stated that you won’t listen to some of your friends. If these friends, which you just insulted, were to walk out of your house after an hour of discussion in which you repeated told them you weren’t going to give their opinions any weight, would they be abandoning you? Absolutely not. You abandoned them by ignoring them.

Another argument I’ve heard, which is rather quite immature, is that walking out on the Synod would be abandoning Christ on the Cross. This is solemn nonsense. Christ died on the Cross to restore mankind from their fallen nature and allow them to be brought back into the state of grace through His sacrifice and giving of Himself. Jesus also stated in the Gospel that man and woman come together and are bound. Divorce is not allowed. Standing behind Christ’s teaching on divorce and remarriage is not “abandoning Him on the Cross”. Rather, those unorthodox prelates at the Synod trying their damnedest to change Church teaching are the ones who are abandoning Jesus on the Cross.

There is also a historical precedence of Bishops walking out of an ecumenical council. Steve Skojec, writing for One Peter Five gives us more:

The two bishops who voted on that day against the decree, as soon as Pius the Ninth had confirmed it, at once submitted and made a profession of their faith. They proved by their adverse vote the liberty which the 55 who left Rome equally possessed; and by their prompt submission they showed to the world that their opposition had been offered not to the truth of the doctrine, but to the expediency of defining it.

In the instance of the First Vatican Council, these 55 bishops removed themselves from the proceedings rather than vote against the promulgation of Pastor Aeternus, and by extension, Pope Pius IX, openly. They opposed something which in fact became a dogma; but these were not schismatic men, nor were they accused of being such. They were faithful sons of the Church, loyal to her teaching, concerned about the potential damage such a proclamation might do, and ultimately, obedient to the legitimate exercise of papal authority on the matter.

If bishops can in good conscience and without culpability leave an Ecumenical Council in protest over the promulgation of something proven to be a Divine Truth, how much more liberty should they be afforded when faced with the possibility of removing themselves from a Synod attempting to introduce pastoral practices which will lead the faithful into error and sin?

Finally, if you believe that the Holy Spirit is going to protect the Church from error, then there is no need to worry if the orthodox bishops and Cardinals walk out, after all, the Holy Spirit will protect the Church, right? If the Holy Spirit will prevent heresy from entering the Church, then we might as well go on auto-pilot and let God sort it out, no?

I signed this petition because I the deck has been stacked against the Truth in regards to divorced, remarried, and actively homosexual to receive Holy Communion. Those who uphold Christ’s teachings are not given much time to discuss. The Synod’s rules have changed in that this is the first Synod with closed doors, no reports, no transparencies. The final document was being drafted before the Synod even began. The Synod is just a show and there is no reason for it to go on. The decisions have already been made.

Sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/p/the-synod-fathers-synod-walkout?recruiter=137122220&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink.