Imagine, if you will, an international group of economic experts and other leaders assembled at the Vatican for a conference. The Holy Father, recognizing the importance of the topic, makes a personal appearance to address those in attendance, saying:
Anthropological reductionism causes man to lose his humanity; to become a tool of the system – a social system, an economic system – where imbalances are dominant.
When a man loses his humanity he becomes as a “piece of scrap” that one may discard when no longer useful. Why? Because Our Lord Jesus Christ is not the center. And when Christ is not in the center, there is another thing in the middle and man is at the service of this other thing. The idea then is to rescue man, in the sense of returning Our Lord Jesus Christ to the center: to the center of society, the center of thoughts, the focus of reflection. Place Christ once more at the center!
Thank you. Thank you for the help you give with your work, with your reflection to restore this unbalanced situation and to restore Christ, bring him back to the center of reflection and the center of life. He is the King of the universe! And this is not theology, not philosophy – it is human reality. With this reality we will move forward. Thank you, thank you very much. Thank you!
Just such a conference actually did take place at the Vatican on July 12, 2014, and the Holy Roman Pontiff did in fact address the assembly to set the tone for their discussion saying much the same thing, but with one major difference:
Pope Francis never pointed to Our Lord Jesus Christ and the place of primacy He must occupy in the affairs of men. Not even once! Rather, he pointed, as readers of this space may very well have expected, to man himself, the new god of the new church-of-man.
Following is a transcript of what Pope Francis really said. [Note: The text of this address is available in its fullness on the Holy See’s website here. As of this writing, it is available only in Italian. A report from Zenit is also available. Thank you to Mark J. for pointing this out to me.]
When a man loses his humanity he becomes as a “piece of scrap” that one may discard when no longer useful. Why? Because the man is not the center. And when the man is not in the center, there is another thing in the middle and the man is at the service of this other thing. The idea then is to rescue man, in the sense of returning him to the center: to the center of society, the center of thoughts, the focus of reflection. Place man once more at the center.
Thank you. Thank you for the help you give with your work, with your reflection to restore this unbalanced situation and to restore man, bring him back to the center of reflection and the center of life. He is the king of the universe! And this is not theology, not philosophy – it is human reality. With this reality we will move forward. Thank you, thank you very much. Thank you!
I have written often of the church-of-man that emerged after Vatican II, with the conciliar text serving as the manifesto for the anthropocentric religion that supplanted the true Faith following the Council.
One may wonder how the vast majority of bishops at Vatican II, many of whom certainly had good intentions (e.g., men like Cardinal Ottoviani and Archbishop Lefebvre,) could ever place their vote in favor of such texts?
The answer is large part is that they were true sons of the Church whose esteem for the Petrine Office was such that they never imagined in a million years that any pope would ever allow this pastoral exercise to be leveraged in such way as to overshadow everything that preceded it. Much less did they ever imagine that the pope himself would ever willingly serve as an active agent in the conciliar takeover, dethroning Christ the King and replacing the adoration that is due to Him with a religion consumed with rendering false worship to an idol called “man.”
With this in mind, we must remember that the text of the Council, for all of its deficiencies, is not leading the Church in our day, the sacred hierarchy is. That is to say, the Church is being led by the person of the pope and the bishops in union with him.
Back in October, I wrote that all indications are that Pope Francis and the cardinals who elected him are quite convinced that the humanist takeover has finally reached critical mass, wherein both clergy and laity who prefer “the church of man” over the Church of Christ are now so comfortably in the majority that the time to set forth the humanist agenda without apology has arrived.
Can there be any doubt whatsoever that this is precisely where we find ourselves today?
Look, I’m as disturbed as anyone by the recent comments alleged to have been uttered by the pope about his disinterest in converting heretics and his thoughts on celibacy, but let’s not be distracted. At the heart of the crisis in the Church today is the virtual dethronement of Jesus Christ and the near singular focus of our churchmen – most especially the pope – on the supposed glory of humankind.
If for no other reason – and to be very frank, I can think of no other reason, not even one – we can be grateful for the pontificate of Pope Francis due to his willingness to make the choice that lies before us so crystal clear.
Yes, the days of pretense are indeed over, the picture is coming into increasingly stark focus, and for this we can be thankful. Make no mistake, however, this is a sword that cuts in two directions.
For each and every one of us, and most especially for those of you who have the blessed yet heavy burden of exercising the care of souls as members of the sacred hierarchy, the time of choosing is at hand:
Will you stand up in defense of the Sovereign Rights of Christ the King and the Holy Catholic faith, or will you remain silent as souls are endangered by a pope who repeatedly relegates Our Blessed Lord and the authentic Faith to a place of virtual obscurity?
Holy Scripture (in both the Old and New Testaments–esp. The Book of Revelation) give a very clear blueprint for the end times. When the Sacred has been replaced with the profane, idols and pagans, we will know that we are living in the time of the “abomination of desolation”. That time has come and we must thank Louie Verrecchio, Michael Matt, John Vennari and many others who are sounding the trumpet to wake up the slumbering sheep. God bless all of you. Pray the Rosary daily!!!!
This was the perfect opportunity for the Pope to teach that mankind is the centre and apex of creation and that as such we know that we owe allegiance to the Creator, the King or the Universe. When man chooses to make himself the arbiter of the moral order of the universe, everything becomes relative and the weak will be abused by the strong.
[28] Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. [29] Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. [30] For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
Gospel of St. Matthew 11:28-30
http://www.drbo.org/chapter/47011.htm
While Paul VI, John Paul II, and most especially Benedict XVI could be reasonably thought to be, in some sense, blinded by the logical conclusions of their philosophy and theology, startled by the apostasy they furthered (or, in the latter case, partially arrested, but did not reverse), as you note, Francis really is new territory, and unfortunately we’re learning to what extent more as each month goes by.
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How do the professional neo-Catholic spinsters retain peace of conscience in the face of such things? Will there be more defections to – reality? I mean, we know many of them (such as our friend Fr. Longnecker) either don’t know what the true faith is or know it and dislike it, but one must think that certain eyes & hearts will open – eventually. Even if it costs publishers, sponsors, employment…
Back in Buenos Aires, as he prepared for retirement, then-Cardinal Bergoglio discouraged a would-be biographer from conducting a lengthy interview. To understand his thinking, the future Pontiff said, it would be better to read his letters and sermons. Good advice then, good advice now. Back in Buenos Aires, as he prepared for retirement, then-Cardinal Bergoglio discouraged a would-be biographer from conducting a lengthy interview. To understand his thinking, the future Pontiff said, it would be better to read his letters and sermons. http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=840
I presume the Conclave Cardinals did not have a chance to check out that info before the election.
Good advice then, good advice now.
Catholic Social Teachings of the past seemed to us an attempt to let God’s justice permeate the way we earn our daily bread and live in society, while maintaining the freedom to practice our Faith, own property, and share willingly what we have while providing for our needs.
— Many view the current Pope as overstepping his boundaries as a moral teacher, demanding dramatic changes that can only be accomplished if market-based economies are exchanged for socialism– re-distributing wealth through taxation, which destroys freedom and the family. (Not saying the Pope wishes that destruction). He seems to think great wealth is too much temptation for any man to properly use while remaining virtuous; and at the same time, an injustice to the very poor–two extremes he would like to eliminate?…
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We hesitate to label him a Communist, but the following delighted quotes regarding Pope Francis, are all taken from issues of “Peoples” World”, A Communist on-line magazine which replaced their coast to coast newspapers in this century.: It seems they found a new leader.
“Elected in March after his predecessor stepped down, Francis wasted no time in setting a new course for the church. if not in doctrine, then in practice.. in a modern day global context.
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Pope Francis, stunned the world when he declared, ”We now know that being gay isn’t a choice, but something one is born with. If our Lord decides that someone should come into this world a certain way, who are we to judge his choice?”
–…”.a look at the history of communism over the past century shows mistakes and failures… Whatever our religious or non-religious convictions may be, I think we have much to learn from this man in as he leads one of the most powerful institutions in the world.”
Pope Francis said, “We must find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards, losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.”
— “Why should this matter to progressives? …. If the essence of being Catholic is to oppose abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, then faithful Catholics (and some other Christians) can easily be hoodwinked into supporting rightist candidates who line up with this agenda, disregarding flagrant violations of other aspects of Catholic teaching. ”
–“-Pope Francis knocked the legs out from under this ploy, saying “the message of the Gospel…is not to be reduced to some aspects that, although relevant, on their own do not show the heart of the message of Jesus Christ.”
“And Francis has left no doubt where he finds the “heart” of the Gospel message: in service to and solidarity with the poor.”
–“-The pope… attacks the prevailing capitalist economic ideology that “justifies” these evils , what Marxists term “the ruling class” – and the “prevailing economic system” “Not to share one’s wealth with the poor is to steal from them” … .”.It’s not hard to recognize in what the Pope here denounces precisely the ideology of the Republican Party and other leading capitalist circles.”
—“. what is remarkable here is that Evangelii Guudium is not, on the face of it, centered on social issues; it is devoted to the “churchly” subject of “evangelization.” Francis devotes a lengthy chapter of Evangelii Gaudium to what he insists is the essential social element of the church’s mission.”
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“Nor does Francis believe that the church should “go it alone”, he admits that “neither the pope nor the church have a monopoly on the interpretation of social realities or the proposal of solutions to contemporary problems” –– a clear call to a broad-based coalition to attack the injustices of our current system. This can be taken as an invitation to people of various worldviews and socio-political ideologies and theories to join together with the church in struggling for social justice – an invitation well worth accepting.”
—. ” If Francis’ words can marshal more people into the streets to stand up for ourselves and against the capitalist chieftains who rob us of our money, dignity, self-respect, right to organize and right to keep the fruits – all the fruits – of our labor, all the better.”
our conclusion::
It seems he’s single-handedly managed to relight the fires of the October Communist Revolution. And the Synod is just around the corner.
“convinced that the humanist takeover has finally reached critical mass, wherein both clergy and laity who prefer “the church of man” over the Church of Christ are now so comfortably in the majority that the time to set forth the humanist agenda without apology has arrived.” Any quick glance at bergoglioist apologists confirms this. Can people not see that the church of Man is antichrist? It is antichrist to place anyone but Christ at the centre – and this is why both judaism and islam are and will remain tools of the diabolical; likewise marxism and humanism. But then wojtyla has declared all men christs in their own right – deftly and evilly conflating man and His saviour in a manner where too many will not bother to see the hell-mouth gaping out between the two, It’s diabolical, it’s plainly evil, but the counter-church apologists seem determined to sink in the second vatican council of sand till their lungs are full of the stuff.
p.s. Louie points out that the likes of Bergoglio and Kasper et al. is making “the choice that lies before us so crystal clear”.
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The latest Remnant vid asks the ever crucial question, why do neo-catholics go along with with ANYTHING destructive to the Faith?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpBnZ2iUJfQ&feature=youtu.be
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If Catholics have convinced themselves that they must go along with anything that comes from Rome, no matter how antichrist, they will follow bishops to hell; they have surrendered their God-given discernment to recognise that Christ even has enemies, let alone who they are.
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p.s. and many many people have yet to figure out that an enemy of Christ is an enemy of our very own fragile immortal souls.
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The choice that lies before us should be crystal clear; but for all too many it will remain a mess of hegelian antichristisms wrapped up in a white cassock.
p.s. Matthew pointed out in the forum a few topics back that Luther is the archetypal ‘formal heretic’. For a Catholic reality check, we now have Bishops (including of Rome) who are busily claiming this formal heretic as one of their own.
p.s. I think the Remnant answer simply misses that so many people who call themselves Catholics and go to mass every Sunday don’t have the faith; what they do have is the false-faith being provided by the so-called church of ‘nice’, which is what they prefer.
Somebody said back in October 2013:
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Jorge Bergoglio didn’t skillfully negotiate a more than two decade long episcopal career by sheer naiveté, nor did he earn the red hat from the hands of his humanist predecessor, John Paul II, for lack of cunning.
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Does this mean that Pope Francis is, with full knowledge and deliberate intent, working to undermine the Church of Jesus Christ?
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None among us are able to render such judgment. Even so, the best one can say is that this pope is a useful tool in the hands of the Evil One who has ever sought to destroy the Church. In either case, he is a dangerous man in a powerful position, and barring an about-face that will likely require the intervention of Heaven itself, we can well expect severe repercussions.
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That somebody is our own Louie V. Go back and read the whole article again.
https://akacatholic.com/game-on/
I remember when I first read that article titled “Game on” thinking, “Whoa, Louie. You’re being so uncharitable.” And, “How can Louie read so much into the words of the pope?”
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This was Louie’s response to the first Scalfari interview and time has shown that he was right on target. He understood the modernist jargon perfectly and was able to precisely interpret what was being said. I’m sure he wishes instead that time had proved him wrong….
@Michael, salvemur and all
That is what has drawn us all to this “place” . Louie was blessed by God with a gift of the Holy Spirit–he says so in his earliest talks about how he came to study Vatican II with almost no preparation, and felt so unworthy and unprepared. We all are seeking Truth in our lives, and wish to live by it, to the point where, it seems we all share the desire even to suffer as Our Lord did, the persecutions that come with it. It’s why we struggle so much to iron out our differences. And why Satan works so hard to keep them coming.
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This “sight” of Faith is both a blessing and a burden, as it has been throughout the ages. We’re reminded especially of the prophets lamenting their assignments to go tell people their sins were condemning them, and of course, Our Lord’s interchanges with His captors, and Pilate, who asked Him: “What is Truth?” and then tried to wash his hands of it..
____ “Come to Me all ye who labor and are heavy-burdened…” indeed.
Catholicism making huge inroads in…… Ireland. 😉
http://catholicheritage.blogspot.com/
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… and Irish eyes are smiling!
There’s a lot of handwashing going on, to be sure. I was thinking about Bergoglio’s hatred of what he wrongly calls contemporary ‘pelagians’ (in reality those ancient heretics who grossly over-emphasized personal effort over unmerited Grace when it comes to reaching heaven). What Bergoglio is, at least in practice, is an ultra-antipelagianism – teaching that no matter how careless one is with one’s freewill, one is always reconciled to God; as if one can never sever oneself from salvific grace – hence all the ‘everyone’s going to heaven’ and who is he to judge business, which is the cornerstone of false-catholicism and flies in the face of what Christ and His Church have always, with great care and prudence, taught. No man can serve two masters, but bishops and priests and catechists in great proportion now teach that we can serve whoever or whatever we like, and we are still, ‘miraculously’, serving God.
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p.s. the workers of iniquity – as in those who know exactly what they are doing – are patient in their pernicious purpose. Too bad for them that the war is already won. I guess the soul tally is still up for grabs.
Uggghhh. As Mundabor put it in one of his recent posts… (i may be paraphrasing here a bit)…..”I pray daily for the end to this scourge (bergoglio)”. With every day that he “graces” us with his presence, think of how many souls perish because they had no guidance. St. John Vianney once said (and I’m paraphrasing again) “most Catholics wind up in Hell because they did not know their Faith”. Not because they did not follow it….but because they never KNEW it to begin with. How much does bergoglio contribute to the ignorance???? Ignorance will never be an excuse.
When we compare and contrast the above, with this quote from Catholic.org.
the confusion spreading everywhere today, becomes obvious:
“So what gives? Is he a communist? A socialist of some form? Anti-capitalist to say the least? None of the above. Pope Francis is simply reaffirming Catholic teaching. He’s also modeling badly needed behavior.”
“Analysts say Pope Francis-leader of some 1.2 billion Catholics -is not necessarily calling for the demise of free market theory. Rather, he’s issuing a strong warning to economic leaders,”
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While we can’t refute this opinion because we don’t know for sure what Pope Francis believes regarding socialism or communism versus a free market, we have observed that regarding Catholic teachings on other issues- like the Divine mandate to go teach and Baptize all nations, and the need to repent of Mortal sin before reception of the Eucharist, he has neither been reaffirming Catholic teaching nor modelling badly-needed behavior, but rather doing the opposite.
I guess, in a way, the new ecumenism – speaking on its own terms – subscribes to a sort of Calvinist predestination, but turned on its head, where there is no such thing as a reprobate, and consequently no free will – that’s utopia. Did anyone ever watch that old tv show Logan’s run? It portrayed a utopic world where ‘everything is beautiful’, and there was no free-will; they ‘euthanised’ people when they hit thirty. Britain at the moment is on the verge of legalising assisted suicide:
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http://mundabor.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/reaping-what-you-sow-euthanasia/
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the elimination of free will always begins by liberating people from God’s laws.
Citing quotes of previous popes and placing them next to quotes of the bishop of Rome….. ready for this…. “shocks the ostrich”.
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Full story at CMR here: http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2014/07/shocking-ostrich.html
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Who would have thunk?
Thanks for the link. The Faith is always green and fresh somewhere on God’s good earth.
Rich, one could be forgiven for thinking that the whole point of a Bergoglio or a Kasper or any of that cut and cloth, is to strip people of true knowledge of the Faith.
Exactly.
Observing how he speaks and behaves, it seems he is convinced he is acting as Christ would, in saying to everyone “I welcome you to receive Me no matter how sinful a life you have chosen, no matter what circumstances your bad choices have led you to perpetuate. I know, better than anyone, how trapped you have become in it all, and how “impossible” it feels for you to change, because it would be so gravely inconvenient and economically damaging and depressing. And so I absolve you from all your sins, without your even confessing them or having any intention of doing anything to demonstrate a willingness to change” See my proof of how much I love you?”
What better method could Satan employ to trap souls in Mortal sin for all eternity, than to have the Spiritual leader of the Church, proselytizing the gospel of no need for repentance or change? In this false theology, we are truly hearing the voice of the dragon coming from one with two horns like a lamb. We have been holding back to see if quotes were accurately reported, as we must in circumstances so grave as these. But Louie is right, it’s time to start putting all the evidence out there, and admitting it is overwhelmingly pointing one way.
What makes it worse is having guidance into errors that contradict the Church teachings so many have never studied.
dear Lynda,
brethren,
Exactly ! To your point–we haven’t seen anything yet—-
http://www.sanctepater.com/2014/07/pope-francis-prepares-encyclical-on.html
Precisely.
Heartwrenching at best, devastating at worst. But this is why we must know the Faith, teach it in its entirety, give up the vice of human respect and be strong Catholic soldiers, with the assistance of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom.
I know. Given the access to proper resources these days people have take more responsibility to learn the Faith themselves if the teachers won’t teach true, especially since post-pius catholicism is proving to be something the proper saints would think protestant (unless a Catholic bat happened to be hovering around) and we still haven’t reached the October Revolution. It is a Catholicism that seeks to make itself pointless, it seems to be succeeding. It has bishops who want to embrace every sort of error, including that arch-heretic, luther, who preached that Leo X was an Antichrist because he was too ‘indulgent’ (not in matters of Faith and Dogma, however). What is the sane response to a widespread catholicism-gone-protestant? Here’s an ‘open letter’ to all the quasi-catholics out there with a protestant inside itching to get out – either convert to the True Faith with the Grace you will no doubt have received, or actually have the guts to go and convert to the ‘no real presence’ crowd.
Dear de Maria
If only he were half as concerned about the de-population of Heaven, as he seems to be about the deforestation of the Amazon.
And since we are on the subject of petty, small, vindictive and self centered (read anthropocentric) types, this just in at the EF: http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2014/07/who-am-i-not-to-judge-pope-francis.html
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And Ricca is still at the IOR.
Don Bergoglio. Now he seems to have become the Godfather of the “Gay Lobby”. It is interesting that Don B. recently highlighted the mafia and “pedophile” (really homosexual predator) priests. Because it is Don B. himself who has turned the papal office into a mafioso style capo di tutti capo. His methods are ruthless and his decisions unquestionable.
+ + +
The case in point is that of Msgr. Lorusso:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-spokesperson-dismisses-italian-newspaper-report-on-papal-interview-31234/
“Msgr. Lorusso has been deemed guilty because he defended as a lawyer the former priest Patrizio Poggi, who had been sentenced for pedophilia and laicised, and for supporting Poggi’s accusation against nine priests of the Diocese of Rome. Poggi’s accusation were considered unfounded by judges.”
+ + +
There is more on this case by Sandro Magister which is available in English translation in an article titled ” ‘Who Am I Not to Judge?’ — Pope Francis Dismisses Diplomat from Service: Father Lorusso, Removed Without Charges or Trial”
+ + +
Continuing with my conspiracy theory on this matter…. this appears to be a pre-emptive strike on anyone with any credibility who might accuse Don Bergoglio of connections with the “gay lobby” either in Rome or in Argentina. In that case it is also a warning shot that anyone attempting to make such accusations will be dealt with severely. May Our Blessed Mother give the graces needed to those who may at this moment be prayerfully contemplating how to put an end to this diabolical papacy.
Dear S. Armaticus. Please see my comments to this article below. It seems we were writing our comments at the same time. Your comment regarding Fr. Ricci fits right in with my “conspiracy theory” that Don Bergoglio is the Godfather of the Gay Mafia.
Bergoglio said; ‘And when the man is not in the center, there is another thing in the middle and the man is at the service of this other thing. The idea then is to rescue man, in the sense of returning him to the center: to the center of society, the center of thoughts, the focus of reflection. Place man once more at the center.’
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Leo XIII said: “It is a high crime indeed to withdraw alliegance from God in order to please men, an act of consummate wickedness to break the laws of Jesus Christ in order to yield obedience to earthly rulers…” Sapientiae Christianae, 1890
pleasing men – so long as they don’t moonlight as Catholic-bats – seems to be Bergoglio’s raison d’être.
I am Irish and I’ve lived all my life in Ireland. This good story is most unrepresentative of the terrible state of the Chuch in Ireland. I would venture to say it’s in a worse state in Ireland than in most countries, as the majority of good people have been easily misled and do not know how bad things are in the Church, do not know that what is being “taught” from the pulpit, in Catholic schools, seminaries, etc. is not, for the most part, in accordance with the Deposit of Faith.
@ML, they say that great minds think alike. 😉
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I guess it is “mercy for me, but not for thee” from our “non-judgemental” ‘is ‘ umbleness, Francis.
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@ Lynda, it was much worse. In 1984, there were no proper Catholic masses in Ireland when JPII allowed for the Indult masses. Or anywhere else for that matter. And that was the state of play until the reign of BXVI. (Someone correct me if I am wrong). So anything is an improvement.
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Taking a advocatus diaboli position, maybe it is good that such a crank like Francis occupies the throne of St. Peter. It is better that the cancer becomes visible, rather than the slow rot that wrought the destruction under the Ionnian/pauline gang. They say that sunshine is the best disinfectant.
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Besides, I think those Cardinals at the next conclave will have a real hard time voting to “take another walk on the wild side” like that did with this one.
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PS And I write this with the utmost respect for the present occupant of the chair of St. Peter.
We just researched your link a bit further and found the sad rest of the story on this:
Bernardini was in his time in Argentina, the leading opponent to the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The nuncio had appointed 35 bishops for Argentina in this period against the wishes of Bergoglio.. “who were embossed conservatives”
Among them was also the new Archbishop of Rosario, José Luis Mollaghan .
The appointments caused, progressive bishops unrest and discontent. .
Archbishop Bergoglio, had operated as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in an intensive personnel policy in the appointment of bishops.
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Mollagahan had not only accused the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires of not to defending Catholic doctrine, but of making bold, exaggerated or inappropriate gestures and being too pastorally soft on government.
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While Bergoglio let the theologian who was admonished by Rome, Galician Andrés Torres Queiruga, whom the CDF accused of “implicitly” denying the resurrection of Jesus Christ, continue to speak freely in his diocese in 2012, Mallaghan imposed a ban for his diocese in Catholic institutions.
Archbishop Mollaghan has now been “hit and sunk” by Pope Francis.
And where, Dear God, do we find Your true Church on earth? Who is this one who is Your vicar? Is he a hireling? It does seem so. And the sheep do not recognize their fold anymore. Evils beset us on every side in society and the vicar writes on ecology. Millions of souls are lost in the evil morass of our secular demonic world and the vicar speaks near heresy to atheists. Help us, O Lord! So many souls are perishing. We have no true shepherd on earth.
Yesterday I was speaking with a fairly new convert to the Catholic faith. She had received a pamphlet from Catholic Charities asking for money and noting all the social programs they promote. She noted that there was not one word about Christ or His Mission or about souls and the saving thereof. She said that Evangelicals would have had all that first and then gone to the outreach programs information. That says a lot.
Where is our Church?
There are certain statements of the Pope that looked at objectively cannot be reconciled with the Faith or with the Natural Moral Law. Such statements are made regularly, and are in keeping with things said and done by him before he became pope. These statements are not retracted but rather supported by other statements or actions. Catholics are required to know the umchangeable Faith so that they can defend it against attack, which such statements constitute – Fides et Ratio. Denying what reason shows us to be true brings the Faith and the Church into disrepute, endangering souls. If specific statements of Pope Francis were shown to faithful Catholics without their knowing their origin, they would condemn them for being in opposition to the Faith, to right reason. We must not refuse to condemn that which is untrue, no matter who says it. An objective untruth does not become true because the pope purports that it is. The authority of the pope is entirely dependent on the unchanging truth of the Faith and morals knowable by right reason.
If we might make a small suggestion here: whenever anyone feels like this, pull out your scapular and kiss it, saying “Hail, Mary”.
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As Fr. Nicholas Gruner has spent almost the last 40 years reminding us, God Bless him, that Our Lady said, “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge”. Our Lady always points us to her Divine Son, The Good Shepherd we can always see with the eyes of Faith, until our Faith is rewarded by heaven. .
As the Psalmist says: “Wait for the Lord with courage, be stouthearted and wait for the Lord”
The hierarchy is “temporarily out of order” but a few of us are still around 🙂
Dear Lynda,
We live in the U.S. and it’s the same way here. Do you wonder as we do, how you managed to escape that blindness to what is going on all over?
All we’ve come up with to answer that, is early-in-life suffering things that forced us to be a bit more sober than others around us.
Amen! Spoken like a Faithful Catholic. 🙂
Dear Indignus,
When Cardinal Bergoglio came out on the balcony the night of his election, the first words out of my mouth were, “He is a Communist.” Has God given me the gift of prophecy? I doubt it, but, ‘if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck and looks like a duck” it must be a duck, right?
Pope St. Pius X said the same in his encyclical on catechesis: that souls were perishing for want of knowledge of the faith. Tell that to these Nervously Disordered Catholics who do not believe that anyone goes to Hell because God is not bound by His laws, He dialogues with souls on their way to Eternity, and because the Holy Spirit is ‘ALIVE”, truth changes.
Dear Lynda and Indignus
St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that charity is truth. So when people (especially on line bloggers) call us uncharitable, they are the ones who are in the wrong and are playing ostrich.
My very, very, very favorite quote: “The act of reconciling differences is the lie in the soul. Its punishment is immediate, for those who indulge it are blinded.” Hilaire Belloc
Dear Lake Erie,
There does seem to be something to those “gut reactions”
You’re definitely not alone in that. Check this one out:
http://blog.steveskojec.com/2014/06/07/first-impressions-pope-francis/
“quack, quack”
Dear Lake Erie,
Here are two more:
“Every mighty oak was once a nut, that stood its ground”
and
“Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions”
(G.K. Chesterton) (meaning, of course, tolerance of evil) 🙂
Dear Indignus,
On “escaping the blindness” of so many ostensibly brought up in the Faith? I don’t know, but certainly, it would not be so without the Grace of God. Maybe suffering, particularly from injustice, is a factor in helping one to seek out and recognise the truth (which leads to God, where there is goodwill), and look more to God than to the “world”. I’ve suffered a lot in my life, from childhood. Of course, this would not be the case for many who recognise error, and refuse to go along with perversions and subversions of the Faith, of truth. I still have much suffering now, as I presume does anyone who refuses to endorse evil, or deny objective truth, which causes one to be hated by many family members, and others.
All who stand up for the unchanging Faith and morality, in a relativist, modernist, materialist milieu are suffering persecution, at least of a casual nature. Many are suffering more formal persecution.
Many of us have no true Catholic community to sustain us, because such Catholics are very few in many places. Moreover, many of us do not have access to an orthodox priest (and a spiritual director is something which one could only dream about).
The fact that we are such a small and scattered remnant means that having access to orthodox blogs is very important. Thank you, Mr Verrechio.
One could almost think from time to time that one is going insane, such is the prevalence, nay, aggressive dominance, of the denial of objective truths, especially those knowable by reason alone.
God bless you and your family for your striving to stand up for the truth, in the face of which is likely, not a little suffering. It is painful to experience ongoing contempt for God and His Laws, especially from those in positions of great responsibility and influence in the Church.
There is so much diabolical disorientation in the Church that the person who speaks the truth, and points out obvious and egregious error, is attacked as somehow (irrationally, unjustly) being disloyal or uncharitable or defamatory. The truth spoken for the preservation of the Faith and salvation of souls ought always be lauded, especially when it is very hard to speak it, as for instance, when the pope says or does things which are in contradiction of the unchanging doctrine of the Faith or the Divine or Natural Law.
I’m sure many of us are heartbroken for particular souls who have embraced intrinsic evil due in no small part to Pope Francis. Lord, give us strength to stay true to Thee and Thy Holy Faith.
S. Armaticus, yes, with regard to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass being offered in accordance with Sacred Tradition. However, thirty years ago, many more people in Ireland subscribed to the One True Faith, and the Natural Moral Law. Now, due to many bishops and priests constantly attacking the truths of the Faith, the adoption of mortal sins as a way of life, uncorrected by priest, or Catholic teacher or parent – there is a general, mass darkening of the intellect and hardening of the will against the Faith. Most people acquiesce to the anti-Catholic lies of the so-called “Media”, the government and political parties, and the evil demands of EU, UN, etc.
I have been involved to a greater or lesser extent in fighting against abortion and other killing of the innocent for about 32 years. The hatred and violence against those who stand up for the sanctity of life has grown exponentially. I have suffered many attacks, including a severe physical one. Persecution of such people is now commonplace and accepted. Even many of the bishops and priests cooperate with the persecutors, and refusing to stand up for the truth and defend those who are defending the moral truth. God bless.
In Toronto, Canada, I see a woman who fought against the evil of abortion by bringing the truth, and life, to women about to have their child killed has been released after two years in prison. This is what is happening in Western, atheistic states, to those who dare have the courage to resist intrinsic evil in the world, to try to save babies’ lives, and others’ souls.
St Patrick, St Brigid, St Colmcille, come to our aid.
“there is a general, mass darkening of the intellect and hardening of the will against the Faith” – great way to put it.
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God bless you for your pro-life work!
I agree with you, Lynda. One of the tests of Truth is the passage of time. If something is authentically and objectively true, it should remain so throughout time in memorial.
Like you I have lived all my life in Ireland. I see well meaning observant Catholics at Mass every Sunday. Like you I have no access to TLM so I have no other option but to attend my local N.O. rite,
Our country needs, badly needs, to find God again and to put God at the centre of our lives. God Bless.
Dear Lynda,
You’re life sounds like it so very closely parallels ours, it is astonishing. But isn’t it wonderful we all made it this far, despite all that pain and loneliness for what seemed like endless years. We know exactly what you mean about “almost” going out of your mind, but then God was able to touch us most deeply at those times and after them, leading us to get to know the Faith through the Saints and Church fathers and Our Lady, and Our Lord in the Mass-which has become our greatest treasure. It is truly amazing..
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We’ve been active pro-lifers for about 42 years, and do indeed know the pain of close family and friends’ and priests and bureaucratic rejection, and over several generations now, as well as how much the devil attacks those devoted to the Truth and trying to live holy lives.
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We agree this site of Louie’s is a tremendous gift -a way to exchange ideas with REAL Catholics, rather than living as missionaries with rare encounters with Faithful Catholics. We think the world has just moved into something Biblical right now, especially with the middle east imploding and Russia’s situation, and the Pope’s horrific “solemn nonsense”, all coming to a head at once.
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God’s will through Our Lady of Fatima is still our answer to it all.. And it’s a balancing act-between facing reality and not losing Faith, hope, or charity, but this and daily Rosary and Mass whenever possible have made it easier for us.
God bless you and Louie Verrecchio and all who post or read here.
This has been on our minds for a while, and we’d like to know what others here think about it.
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We want to continue admiring his determination to do what he thinks is right, but we noticed (including last night ) that Michael Voris is still doing “Vortex”es that cite media distortions and false assumptions whenever he mentions the Pope.
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Is it just us, or does he seem ridiculous at this point? Has he produced some serious evidence we missed hearing about that negates all the facts everyone here and on so many other faithful Catholic websites have uncovered and reported, which overwhelmingly demonstrate a pattern of deliberated thoughts and actions expressed and taken by Pope Francis, that are harmful to the good of souls?
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It doesn’t take a theology degree to grasp that “Go ye therefore and Baptize all nations in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, has never before in the history of the Church been publicly labeled “solemn nonsense” by a Pontiff, or that “sharing the good news/evangelizing ” (aka that God loves everyone)while deliberately NOT telling Muslims and Jews that they need to come to believe and profess belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior, is contrary to the mandate to “teach them to observe all that I have commanded you”.
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The Mike Voris we used to watch regularly was alll about saving souls. Now he seems to be all about protecting the public “image” of a man who has been elected to the chair of Peter, who is leading souls away from the only things that will save them, .
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What the heck is it going to take for him to realize it’s time to throw in the towel on his idea that -this can’t be happening, and start doing the job he keeps preaching all Catholics should be doing? Maybe this is more of that diabolic disorientation at work….
Dear Indignus. I love Michael Voris and used to watch the Vortex every day. I stopped because as you say he appears “ridiculous” for his silence regarding Bergoglio violating every teaching of the Catholic Church.
+ + +
A perfect example is Bergoglio’s recent meeting with evangelicals. The “Call me Jorge” blog has more details about this meeting.
http://callmejorgebergoglio.blogspot.com/2014/07/salvation-is-through-faith-in-christ.html
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“We agree salvation is through faith in Christ alone as the only Savior the Son of God.”
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“I’m not expecting any of you to join the Catholic Church. Please understand that’s not what this is about. What we are talking about is a unified position to go before the world and say we are proclaiming Christ as the only hope of salvation.”
+ + +
Sacraments? Priests? The Mass? Pa-a-ah!
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“Aleluia! Praise the Lord!” That’s all you need to know. That’s your ticket to heaven.
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Salvation through faith alone. Sound familiar?
+ + +
Care to comment Michael Voris? No, I didn’t think so.
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Seriously though, it would be great to have the “old” Michael Voris fighting on our side rather than sitting on the sidelines and occassionally firing a cannon shot at us.
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What say ye, Michael Voris? Whose side are you on? Christ or the enemy?
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Needless to say, Michael Voris is in our prayers.
Dear Michael Leon
He’s in our daily prayers, too.
Wow, isn’t that quote you cited from the Pope, amazing? :
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“I’m not expecting any of you to join the Catholic Church. Please understand that’s not what this is about. What we are talking about is a unified position to go before the world and say we are proclaiming Christ as the only hope of salvation.”
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It’s another confirmation of his former indifferentist declaration that everyone is fine in whatever religion their parents taught them, and should be thankful.
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How can he have the Faith, and not be concerned about religions allowing contraception, divorce and remarriage, abortion, same-sex “marriage” homosexual lifestyles, you name it, and with no means of confessing their sins except perfect contrition, which is unlikely because of their being led into attachments to sin.
Pat Archibald of Creative Minority Report, simply posted a quote from Eugene IV and Pius XI with one from Bergoglio in between. The hate mail came in an avalanche.
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http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2014/07/shocking-ostrich.html
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Bergoglio is liberal and neo-cat holy cow – an idol.
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Perhaps Voris is not willing to look a holy cash cow in the mouth.
As was mentioned before, all these ecumenical aberrations are a scandal to all the martyrs of the Church’s 2000 year history even to this very day. Throughout history the head of satan appeared over the horizon of uprisings. Persecution has follower the Church through every generation. We see it again and again even in our time still present. How often society has gone without recognizing its evil presence and intent. We might look back on those eras and ask, “How could it be?” and so often. In some way we might think it could never happen here in America, yet the dissonance of those present events seem to be appearing even here. I write this to remember today one of those events of holy martyrs whose commemoration occurs today: The Blessed Martyrs of Compiegne. http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-07-17 . For a realistic understanding of that day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYq614xqnlI
Anyone presuming to judge the state of his soul would be taking on something God alone can do, and after reading what the Catholic Encyclopedia says about all the conditions of heresy and possibilities of it being mitigated by an enormous number of factors, it’s easy enough to see why it’s best to leave it at that. We do, however, need to keep warning people of the dangers to the Faith which he is promoting with his ideas, while trying to give them the truths they need. He’s making our work so hard. It’s just like the prophecy in the book of Revelations that says “There was silence in the Church for about a half hour”.
Dear rcaamo and all,
Speaking of the frequency of rebellions in the past, does anyone know how the Faithful managed to get through the time of the Arian heresy, when most of the hierarchy fell prey to it?
p.s. the above comment regarding God judging heresy and silence in the Church refers to Pope Francis, of course.
Michael Davies wrote a book on St Athanasius. Athanasius, like John Fisher and Thomas More are excellent examples of ‘one with God is a majority’. Those who did not succumb to Arianism were outcasts – the churches, the clergy by and large belonged to Arianism, but they didn’t have the True Faith which is what Athanasius and the Faithful few had. At any rate, all heresy is decaying even as it walks its walk and talks its talk – a well seasoned Catholic nose should be able to smell it a thousand Ave’s away!
The short answer to your question is:
He’s a protestant — not a Catholic.
Dear rcaamo. Thank you for reminding us of the sacrifice of the martyrs to preserve the unblemished Catholic faith as handed down by the Apostles and their successors. Please remind us again and again. All the saints, pray for us.
Dear Indignus. There is a pretty good talk on St. Athanasius here:
http://www.instituteofcatholicculture.org/hammer-of-the-heretics-st-athanasius-the-council-of-nicaea/
Personally, I think it is still just a little on the liberal side. I would love for Louie to review this same topic and specifically how it compares with the present time and the present pope.
One of my mentors commented once on the changes among the sister fraternities. In the beginning all walked together the path of their rule. Then came Vatican II and the younger sisters took over the reins and it was no longer the congregation that the others jointed so they left. After a while, once the young sisters had enough of their personal rebellion, they left. So what was left was the absolute diehards for power, and the old sisters who continue to hold their order together. The comment that all heresy is self-decaying probably covers the question like manure sinking into the soil with the rains of time. One person said to me once, if you are going to change things, make sure you stay here and live with it. A good admonition! I think we are seeing now what the previous Arian stained Church went through. Like the meek shall inherit the earth, so the faith shall inherit the Church. Some seeds do fall by the wayside. We know that once this frenzy is over. history will again record the rising of the true faith from the ashes of heresy. I know this is not too academic, but it is our reality today. It is a sin that so many will have suffer though it. I have no doubt that God will sort it out.
Vastly oversimplified, our research indicates some big heresies became popular with the powerful, or more educated elite classes first, and were spread to the general populace who followed them; and that jealousy of the Church often factored into it all. The devil planted ideas contrary to truth, and men adopted them and stuck to them because of vices-greed for power and riches,pride, sloth, etc. So they took over Kingdoms, Nations, Empires, armies, etc. and later died out because people stopped believing in them, often led by virtuous and charismatic Catholic leaders.
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Bottom-line, we need to keep growing in holiness, and persevere in speaking and writing truth to demonstrate the falsehood of bad ideas and the benefit of being faithful to the Church.
Thanks, rcaamo and all others for all these inspiring thoughts and answers.
The history books were written about great Saints and leaders mostly, but the faithful of every age, who worked in union with them, are one reason we all are still able to practice it today. It’s nice to know that if Jesus returned today, He would still find SOME Faith on the earth.
We’re not sure he’d even qualify as a protestant, as a lot of them don’t go in for group hugs with Moslems and Jews.
Dear Indignus. Yes this occurred to me as well. He is a humanist/atheist when you come right down to it.
Indignus Famulus,
Thank you for your great witness and fidelity to the Faith and all truth, in the face of great, general hostility. Let us do our best to find true Catholics and support each other. The need for Catholic communities on the ground is great, but they are very few, and it is probably too late for many to start forming/finding efficacious community in respect of protecting against the ultimate effects of tyranny. (The blogger, Supertradmum, has continually stressed the importance of Catholics being in a real community, in order to help them preserve the Faith, endure (or even avoid some of) the effects of persecution, even fight against it. ) Most of the remnant is very alone, in most areas of their lives. Let us all pray for each other and bind ourselves together in Jesus Christ Our Lord.
We must pray for the strength to endure onto death. Lord, give me courage, wisdom, zeal.
Dear Lynda,
Though this is a bit out of order due to lack of reply space, just letting you know we saw your response today, and are with you in spirit on it all.
God knows what he’s doing, and one thing’s for sure–having done without this treasure of like-minded Catholics for so long, certainly does make us appreciate the gift it is right now–no matter what lies ahead.
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And if this “white” martyrdom does end up turning “red”, then we can end by encouraging one another to persevere to the end in fighting the good fight.
God Bless.
Amen. And may we be granted patience as well – more patience than the enemy. During the reign of Elizabeth I, which was basically the reign of William Cecil, his family became a veritable monarchy behind the monarchy. Their family ‘created a dynasty so powerful that members of the Cecil family have remained a periodic force in British politics ever since…’Sero sed serio’ was the family motto— slowly but surely. They were content to wait for years, even decades, for a policy to come to fruition.’ Not to cast aspersions on the Cecils, but this is how the work of perdition ‘thinks’, ‘sero sed serio’. May we in our short lives be given patience as to make the ‘slowly but surely’ enemies seem impatient.
Amen. God bless.