Friday 25 September 2015

Provincial Francis at Congress: A Bitter Disappointment. Updated.

I truly believe Pope Francis has good intentions , but I admit to being bitterly disappointed by his address to the American Congress this week.
While some are saying that his statement that we have a “responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development” are a reference to the evil of abortion, I don’t think they are. They can be taken to refer to abortion, but in that he immediately went on to explicitly mention the death penalty he failed. He failed to mention the slaughter of innocents in the very arena (politics) that defends abortion as a human right for women. Supporters of abortion are thus entitled to say “Francis said to protect and defend human life but he did not mention abortion; he mentioned the death penalty; therefore his remarks are about the death penalty”. Can we really argue with that? Had he meant to include abortion he would have named it, surely, as he did with the death penalty?
At first I thought Francis was simply being a coward; that he is too afraid of offending the USA (or of losing his credibility with the political left) to tackle the supreme humanitarian crime in which the USA and other Western powers such as the UK engage. But it suddenly occurred to me: this is not cowardice. Why Francis does not mention abortion but seems obsessed with the environment and subsidiarity is nothing to do with cowardice, it is that he is simply too provincial to be a world leader; he is still preaching and leading in accord with the problems he saw in Argentina. Annulments there take several years; he has presumed it is the same the world over and imposed laws for rapid declarations of nullity; the condition of the poor in the shantytowns of Buenos Aires is extreme; he has assumed it is the same the world over.
It is not then that the Pope is a coward. Rather, it is that Francis is a provincial guy with a provincial view unsuited to global responsibilities. His mind-set is still in Argentina and he is preaching to Argentina and its problems. He has not progressed to seeing the whole view from his window at the Domus Sanctae Marthae; he still looks out and imagines he sees shantytowns everywhere. Undoubtedly there is poverty the world over, and it certainly needs to be addressed. Only the cold-hearted could say otherwise. But today’s spiritually poverty; the loss of the sense of sin and of grace-  has led to the slaughter of millions of innocent lives by dismemberment while alive in the womb; the killing of the sick rather than the care of the sick, and the destruction of the natural family to which every child has a right. As such some of us see the greatest poverty as poverty of the spirit: until we change minds and hearts by the Gospel we will not end abortion, euthanasia or protect the family. So while we want to feed the hungry, clothe the naked; shelter the harbourless and visit the sick & imprisoned, we know that we must first instinct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful and admonish the sinner -without which hearts and minds will not change. Uninstructed by the Gospel the human person, predisposed by concupiscence, follows sin and darkness, not grace and light. Global leaders cannot afford to make important speeches on huge public stages and fail to mention the gravest evils of the day.  
UP-DATE FOLLOWING CARDINAL DANNEELS REVELATIONS
Revelations (see RorateCaelie here) that several Cardinals banded together in what one of them (Cardinal Danneels) described as a Mafia Club to actively canvas for Jorge Bergoglio so as to get a more modern Church, leaves a bitter taste of subversion. If these Cardinal-electors wanted and canvassed for their man so as to get a ‘modern Church’ (in fact, departure from the constant teaching of the Church), they must have known before hand what kind of catholic Bergoglio was/is, or they would not be seeking to elect him. This puts his actions at last year’s Extraordinary Synod, his nominations for this year’s Synod (and the exclusions he made), very disturbing and a picture of manipulation arising that is hard to avoid. It also puts his trip to the USA in a new light: he appears a willing puppet of men who seek to abandon the Faith of the Gospel for the ideologies of the world. I do hope he turns out to be another Pio Nono and come in liberal but go out strictly orthodox.

While we may yet be in for a period of great turbulence and division within the Church, but she will emerge even stronger than she was after Trent and before Vatican II, for Truth is Christ and Christ has conquered the world they are so enamoured by. Can we off any advice to the Cardinals involved? Yes, the advice of Christ Himself:  “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers treated the false prophets in the same way”. To us Christ advises, “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”, (Luke 6v26-27). In all honesty. if Christ’s words do not worry them, they have lost The Faith. 

16 comments:

  1. he sees shantytowns everywhere

    To a hammer everything looks like a nail, and so possibly to a Jesuit everything looks like a potential Reduction.

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  2. Sadly you are right Fr and also I think he is scared to mention the 'A' word in case he upsets the politicians. I think he is a career priest who has landed the top job. I'm sorry to say this about the holder of the Chair of Peter an office I have the highest respect for.
    Provincial he is and yes he sees everything from the view of Argentina
    I hope he does not create any more damage in the so called Synod on the 'family' next month.

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  3. One could only be disappointed if one were labouring under a false notion of Francis - he has continually opposed the Deposit of Faith and morals, and constantly giving grave scandal. He appoints and promotes men who are longtime evildoers and enemies of the Faith, and persecutes the good. Francis is an enemy of God, a false prophet - which is why all the enemies and persecutors of Our Lord and His Holy Church, laud him and collaborate with him.
    [21] Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh. [22] Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man' s sake. [23] Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets.

    .....

    [26] Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.
    [Luke, Ch 6, Douay Rheims]


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    1. Whether he knows it or not, Francis is not only a false prophet but "The False Prophet" of The Apocalypse. Too many trad Catholics would like to think things are going to get better sooner or later. Wishful thinking or ignorance of the Bible and Catholic prophecy? The Antichrist is near at hand. First comes a most horrible world war. The world has never been this evil. And it will not accept the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

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    2. Very well said, dear A. God bless you!

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  4. How will the world know what sin is if the Church will not enunciate, stand up for and defend the truths of the Faith? Proclaiming the Catholic faith in its entirety in season and out of season, is the greatest contribution she can make to the common good and the whole of humanity.

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  5. The Vicar of Christ who does not mention Christ! See his speech to the U.N.
    I heard a sermon recently in which the priest said, " without the faith of Peter, without the Catholic Faith, you cannot be a True Successor of Peter. "
    Maybe it's time to join up the dots!!!

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    1. Same with the speech in Cuba. No Christ, no redemption, no salvation

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  6. Pope Francis certainly needs prayers. I confess to never having thought of him as a victim of his own shortsightedness, but your commentary all makes perfect sense, in light of all he has tried to/wants to do - especially about annulments, poverty, etc.

    You have a rare insight to things practical and express them quite well, Father. Keep up the commentaries...we all need to hear them.

    I wrote a while back about the Popes upcoming visit and what I would hope he would say to our Congress. Obviously, I was way, way off base. http://hector1088.blogspot.com/2015/02/on-september-2015-visit-to-usa-of-pope.html

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  7. With so much sin in the world today, why is he so focused on the environment?? He should be saving souls and trust God to take care of the environment.

    Francis should have spoken out against abortion, divorce, same-sex marriage and beg God to have mercy on America.

    He is talking out of both sides of his mouth. He said the family is essential. Then, he wants annulments to be granted within 45 days when a civil divorce can take a minimum of 6 months. What is the Church doing to save marriages and keep families intact?

    If Francis wants to a be a real Catholic leader, he should have excommunicated the Catholic Supreme Court judges that passed same-sex marriage, along with other government officials that say they are Catholic but support abortion and same-sex marriage.

    Lord, have mercy on us! I hope and pray the Synod will clarify Church teaching and not cause further confusion/harm.

    Rose

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  8. Great Column, Father, thank you. What Im wondering is, at the Oct Synod after the pope and his appointed men say that adultery is no longer a mortal sin and these people may receive the Eucharist..... what do we do about our Church ? We will truly be a small, orphanless church or "rudderless" as Cardinal Burke said. Do we just huddle under one of the good cardinals as our leader?
    And one other question... When adultery is deemed no longer sinful, what about fornication and polygamy etc, will the pope favor adultery for the good that can be found in it but still call other relationships sinful? Or will he be consistent and do away with all serious sexual sins?

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    1. I would say remain faithful to christ and do not abandon mother church we will be called to proclaim the truth fearlessly without concern for our own life... in the end our ladies immaculate heart will triumph

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  9. If only it was a problem of provincial, rather it is more diabolical than that. The consistent suppression of mentioning sin or necessary repentance and conversion, while promoting mercy as if you can do anything you want is the elephant in the living room.

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  10. I agree with Remnant Clergy. This goes beyond provincialism. Maranatha!

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  11. One may ask in these uncertain times is the Pope Catholic?
    One thing is certain God is Catholic.

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