A well written and accurate summary of where we're at. The last line is chilling: "But to choose a path that might have only two destinations — hero or heretic — is also an act of presumption, even for a pope. Especially for a pope."
Thank you Jarg, This is one of the best summations of where we are at and how we got here in the Church under Pope Francis. I would highly encourage anyone who would like a thorough, easy to read overview to read this article.
The problem in the church did not begin with Pope Francis, but it may climax under his papacy. Many holy priests, such as Father John Hardon have spoke and wrote in great length to the apostasy in the church in the 70's, 80's and 90's he spoke to much of it, even within his own order of Jesuits. All anyone interested has to do is go to www.therealpesence.org and you can listen to hundred's of hours of his on mp3 audio speak to these errors.
I find that I am becoming much more rigid in my thinking regarding the Pope and his predecessors since Vatican II. I must pray harder for them all and throw myself into service to others at every opportunity.
One thing Benedict has done in this episode is to cleverly dispel any myth of theological naivity that Pope Francis might pretend to hide behind. I would recommend Father Hunwicke on this matter-he seems very astute, indeed.
The fact that this pope is somehow particularly devout of Padre Pio (I have heard of some good stories in this sense when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires) is a sign of hope to me. We should continue to pray for him no matter what we see comes out of the seat of Peter and his entourage, even when things get more tricky and confused, specially when they seem hopeless... As Padre Pio said, "the Rosary is the weapon given us by Mary to use against the tricks of the infernal enemy." It seems therefore the weapon to use, particularly, for this pope and this pontificate... https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2...-loving-the-church-despite-its-problems-sins/ Pope: Like Padre Pio, keep loving the Church ‘despite its troubles, our sins’ ROME - During a visit Saturday to the southern Italian town of Pietrelcina, the birthplace of Padre Pio, and San Giovanni Rotondo, where the famous Capuchin stigmatic friar lived for more than fifty years, Pope Francis invited the faithful to imitate the saint and continue loving the Church, “despite its troubles, our sins.” The pope broke safety protocol Saturday by walking among the thousands of people, many coming from all over the world, gathered in the town’s main square to celebrate the 50thanniversary of Padre Pio’s death and the 100th anniversary of his receiving the stigmata. After visiting briefly a chapel containing an elm tree under which Padre Pio would usually pray, the pope spoke to the crowd. Padre Pio “loved the Church, with all its troubles, our sins. We are all sinners, we are ashamed, but God’s Spirit gave us this Church, which is Holy. And Saint Pio loved this Church,” Francis said, adding in an off-the-cuff remark that the saint “never denied his country, remember, he never denied his origins, he never denied his family.”
Yes, this and his Devotion to Our Lady, also he appears to defend traditional Catholic Devotional practises. He can certainly be a puzzle.
He had me convinced at the beginning of his papacy, with similar statements, that he was a populist traditionalist. My illusion was soon dispelled with the Synod on the Family and its aftermath. My fear with his recently presenting quite a few eminently orthodox statements is that it might only represent another softening-up process in anticipation of further 'messing'.
It's his usual populist tripe. He knows full well that ordinary Italian Catholics associate him with the anti-national identity, open borders, NWO political agenda and that there's a lot of disquiet in Italy over it. He also knows that the scandals in the Church in Italy have been multiplying under his papacy. Telling them that Padre Pio loved his country and loved the Church, and that he feels ashamed of the scandals, makes it look like he empathises with them and that he's as far removed from the recent scandals as they are. What did Jesus say about hypocrites?
My personal opinion is that the Pope has very complex and complicated psychology. We will probably never understand why and how he thinks and does things.
yes, Prae. He gets my hopes up and then they are dashed. Your opinion is very diplomatic. I can appreciate it!
I think that the following video from September 9th, 2015 is very good and is still very relevant today, maybe even more so now,
I think many of us, myself included, have been expecting some cataclysmic battle in the Church as orthodoxy is being overthrown. It seems though the Church is so overrun with Modernism and Modernist thought that such a battle may not take place. Perhaps the leaders we had hoped would step forward will not. The Church is filled with Hollow Men. A very sad statement for me to write. Perhaps this is the way the Church ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper. Of course the Church can never truly be overcome, just as Christ died and rose again. In the mean time though, maybe the Church will suffer the same fate and seem to be all but gone...
I think the book, To The Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons lays out a good roadmap of what we may expect. It contains an imprimatur. We have to do just as Our heavenly Mother advises so as not to get discouraged. I was at a low point and very annoyed with my local parish, etc. I sat down with that book of messages and even copied several of them down. They calmed me down and helped me understand that we are indeed in a battle against the forces that would take down the Church. Those messages help so much. Were I to only rely on the Fatima messages and those made a few hundred years ago that are approved, I rather doubt that I would have a very healthy prayer life. Our Mother didn't stop advising us with the last message of Fatima. We are in a pitched battle now and our Mother continues to encourage and pray for us.
djm, Your welcome! I feel the same way. I had never seen it before and I wish I had seen it sooner. Maybe many here have already seen it.
