If my choice is allegiance to a rigid dogmatism that refuses to acknowledges societal evolution, or allegiance to a conscientious Magisterium that seeks, however imperfectly, to understand the Gospels in light of accumulated knowledge, I'll take the latter.

By the way, the word is 'assent,' not 'ascent.' To ascend is to climb, as in seeking a higher plain from which to view reality. You know, like the higher plain provided by Vatican II. ☺️