Just last week I wrote:
It seems that very often when the media reports “Pope Francis blessing” this person or that, the video footage shows him doing nothing of the sort; rather, what I usually see is a gathering of the faithful being given stones instead of bread.
Well, right on queue, the Washington Post (and other outlets) recently published a story on its blog about Pope Francis hopping out of the Humblemobile to greet a child that he saw in the distance shortly after landing on the tarmac in Philadelphia:
The pope emerged, walked up to Michael in his wheelchair, and blessed the boy, who has severe disabilities.
No he didn’t.
You can take a look at the video below and see for yourself. At best, Pope Francis did the same thing his Brother Bishop Tony Palmer presumably used to do when he “blessed” people; i.e., he did the Pentecostal check-your-head-for-a-fever thing.
One cannot help but feel for the child’s parents. Clearly, this was a very special moment for them and understandably so. And yet, for all that this moment may have meant to them, the best he could do is shake their hands and wave?
Notice as well that no words were spoken, presumably due to the pope’s inability to converse in English. One would think that in such a situation making the Sign of the Cross over them – the universally understood gesture of blessing – would have been especially fitting.
It’s flat out odd. No, strike that… it’s flat out telling.
I’m not even certain that this pope makes the Sign of the Cross over the crowds after the Angelus. Look at the video below of his first Angelus. When the time comes to bless the people (at the 13:35 mark) he prays for their blessing, but refrains from making the Sign of the Cross.
I can honestly say that I’ve only seen Pope Francis make the Sign of the Cross in blessing over people outside of Mass once (perhaps he has, but I have only seen it once), and even then it appeared that he did so with mock seriousness; as if there was a joke to be had in the image of Peter blessing the faithful in such a way.
That scene reminds me of the one below where Pope Francis (at the :28 mark) saw fit to make light of an altar boy’s reverence:
What can one say of a pope who harbors a repulsion for pious gestures so deep that he is loathe to make the Sign of the Cross, a sacred action that should come as naturally to the Roman Pontiff as buffoonery obviously does to Cardinal Dolan? (More on him later…)
Look… I’m not saying that Pope Francis is under the control of the Devil, but if ever we do end up with such a pope, as some have said is forewarned in the Third Secret of Fatima, I would imagine that he too will make fun of piety and perhaps even refrain from making the Sign of the Cross as well.
As Catholics we make the Sign of The Cross very often. It indicates that all we do, say, pray, and hope for is done not by our human efforts but with, through and in The Trinity. It’s an action that all can perform easily, many, many times a day – to unite all our duties to their fulfilment – all done for God.
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Perhaps Pope Francis has forgotten that it is not he who ‘works’ for the salvation of souls, or as he would put it “the salvation of the planet,” but He who is our Creator, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
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We are all living under the Sign of The Cross – the sign of ultimate victory. What a sad witness this pope gives.
This very much troubled me also when they kept reporting that he was blessing people and I didn’t see the sign of the cross. But, I did see him make it once on the news while here in giving a blessing so it wasn’t that he never did it.
I know someone who attended the Pope’s “mass” at the National Cathedral. I was told no one understood what was going on because of all the difference languages spoken, Tower of Babel, anyone!!!! And neo-Catholics (with few exception) complain about Latin!!! It’s a dog and pony show, to be sure!!!
If the CEO of the Coca Cola Company never mentioned the merits of Coca Cola or refused to even drink the soda in public (or in private) he would be FIRED!!! Hint! Hint!
I read the text of the Madison Square Garden Homily.
It is your Garden Grown Novus Ordo Homily. Jesus was mentioned but it mentioned nothing of Sin.
It was just like any Novus Ordo Mass, only on a Stage.
And, reportedly, a Gay Male was a Lector.
“For I judged not myself to know anything among you, but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”
In the end, the destroyers will ultimately deny the Cross.
I cannot believe, for one moment, that Bergoglio believes in the salvific mission of Christ’s crucifixion. He seems to hold with non-believers that Christ was a good man, worthy of emulation, but no more than that.
Pray for a conclave.
At the end of his speech at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, Pope Francis clearly avoided making the Sign of the Cross declaring simply “Bless you!” lifting his hand as if to wave good-bye. There were two things I took from this:
1) it was a clear sign of accommodating the faith to Protestant America; and
2) his Papal blessings are not effluent; they are not overflowing with divine graces.
Regarding the 1st point, in the spirit of VII, Pope Francis may have thought by being inclusive he was putting on display the “universality” of the Church, when in fact he was downplaying and watering down the Faith of the Church.
Regarding the 2nd point, the Pope was not acting as the Vicar or Icon of Christ Crucified whose blood and water poured out in abundance from His wounded side.
If I’m not mistaken, I have never seen him genuflect in front of the tabernacle although I believe I have seen it reported that he has some difficulty with his knees. He does not use the Holy Name of Jesus often. All of these ‘little’ things are, in the aggregate, both puzzling and troubling to me.
This is very disturbing especially considering the previous post that shows him praying to a generic father of the world where he never mentioned Jesus or the Trinity or made the sign of the cross in the prayer.
The video making light of the altar boy disgusted me and reminded me of Matthew 18:6.
John Madison,
I don’t believe it for one moment either. You wisely say “Pray for a conclave.” As stated within the des Lauriers Thesis, the entire matter could be resolved rather rapidly.
Also, to this our certain¨adulterous and sinful generation”, Matthew 8:38.
Poor, poor Francis. All the pieces are falling into place. May God now manifest his infinite mercy on him. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spirtus Sancti.
It is all of a piece, and consistent with how he’s behaved all along – like an enemy of the Faith, Our Lord, and an extreme danger to souls. Lord, purify us.
Contempt for piety and goodness.
Louie,
You wrote: “I’m not even certain that this pope makes the Sign of the Cross over the crowds after the Angelus.” … “When the time comes to bless the people (at the 13:35 mark) he prays for their blessing, but refrains from making the Sign of the Cross.” Okay, so I look at the video you presented here, and at the start of the Angelus he makes the personal Sign of the Cross, and at the end of the Angelus, at minute 11:43, he blesses the crowd with the Sign of the Cross three times, while he’s clearly heard saying “Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Spritus Sanctus”. I know you’ve been doing a lot lately but, did you fall asleep? Or were you too trustful of one of those websites that really goes in for the “spiritual pornography”? I’ve said it before and I’ll keep bringing it up as needed: There’s plenty of fodder out there to prove points so don’t fall in with those who are duplicitous, manipulative or outright lying about the facts.
The video of Pope Francis and that little boy is truly shameful. For me that wraps up this papacy. That memory will stay with me as a reminder that we must suffer much more before Our Lord will send us a Pope who will restore all things in Christ.
Mike, I too watched around the 13:35 mark and beyond and I saw Pope Francis waving his hand around but it was NOT the Sign of The Cross. A little earlier he starts to say “May God Bless you…where he should begin slowly to bless with the Sign of The Cross…but stops to add something about Our Lady, misses the moment and continues on with his usual blather.
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There may be the odd time when Francis does use this Holy Sign, but the fact that we have to look for it is a very bad sign (pardon the pun). He should be using it at every opportunity, almost automatically, from years of doing this. Obviously it is not a habit – which says something about him that we should be wary of.
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I know several holy priests who will actually ask one to kneel for a blessing after spiritual direction, or a talk privately. And it feels just so Catholic to receive this blessing.
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With regard to Francis kneeling at the Consecration, or other times when he should…I have never seen him kneel – caveat: I don’t watch him when he is on the tube much because it’s too painful. But from the times I have watched he does NOT kneel. And as for bad knees – well, he did fling himself on his knees before a very startled priest at the Vatican – not in the Confessional box, but right out in front of the priest – all very spontaneous – but he did kneel – so his knees may only bend when he wants them to bend. Has there been any declaration from his handlers that he does have bad knees?
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We all see the elderly with truly bad knees struggling to get down at the communion rail – they do it too. I remember once my very elderly mother, who had dementia, getting down on her knees from simple automatic memory of a life-time, and being admonished by the Novus Ordo priest – he wanted to save her the struggle, but Mum wasn’t having any of that!!!
Whether Francis kneels or doesn’t suddenly doesn’t matter at all. When I read this piece from OnePeterFive with some pretty horrific pictures, and experts from Maureen Mullarkey’s Federalist article, my heart froze.
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http://www.onepeterfive.com/notes-on-a-road-show/
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We are so far behind when we argue over knees, or the sedevacantist position (sic). Looking at the pictures in the link and reading the chilling words brings me back to REALITY. The Faith is being mutilated, millions are being led astray, innocence is destroyed, chastity has no meaning, the family is being mocked, God has turned away His Face from the idolators and He is allowing them to go their own way, and the evil has begun at the top.
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Our Lady warned us over and over that this was coming. This is serious.
Pope Francis prostrate at St.Peter’s Basilica Rome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAJi3q01TUM
Nice clip, Paul. In my earlier remark I’d said “…I believe I have seen it reported that he has some difficulty with his knees…”. I wasn’t being facetious.
True that. He does make the sign of the cross at about the 11:45 mark.
Oi. The ‘photo ops’ of Media heresiarchs are so…what they are. Did anyone watch the ‘Blair Wicth Project’? Scary as hell and soooooo ‘believable’ for the masses. Less effort would have been put into ‘Blair Witch’, than Jorge Bergoglio.
I am no fan of Pope Francis whatsoever, but justice requires us to be honest and accurate. In the first video he does in fact make the sign of the cross three times during the Angelus at the 11:50 mark.
Mike,
I actually totally agree with you on your last sentence. Go figure.
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my dear salvemur,
your delightful ability to provide all with “coffee over the keyboard” moments is unrivaled!
Pope Francis is reading a text at 11:50 mark, where it is indicated to make the sign of the cross three times, for the Trinity. Thus, in my opinion, Pope Francis is not blessing the people at 11:50 mark.
Obfuscation: There is some murmuring about, with some claiming that our dear blog owner is falsely criticizing the Pope. This is what Mr. V said:
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“I’m not even certain that this pope makes the Sign of the Cross over the crowds after the Angelus. Look at the video below of his first Angelus. When the time comes to bless the people (at the 13:35 mark) he prays for their blessing, but refrains from making the Sign of the Cross.”
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Some think they caught Mr. V in a gotcha moment because Pope Francis did make the sign of the cross during the video. The point Mr. V was making wasn’t whether Pope Francis makes the sign of the cross at the appropriate time during the angelus prayers, but whether he makes the sign of the cross AFTER the prayers are OVER while blessing the people.
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In other words, what is the Pope’s inclination when he is in a permissive situation where the sign of the cross is not required as it may be during a liturgy or formal prayer. In such permissive situations, is it the Pope’s inclination to make the sign of the cross in blessing the people? It is noted that after the angelus prayer was over before he left, he merely waived to the crowd. So Mr. V is essentially correct in his claim at least with respect to this one video – that in permissive situations, when the sign of the cross is not required, he is not in the habit of making it, particularly when he could do so in the context of imparting a blessing.
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Further, how does Pope Francis gesture to crowds? Is he in the habit of imparting a clear sign of blessing, like the sign of benediction? Here are the results of an image search for “Pope Francis blessing” (click on the image link to see the images):
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https://www.google.com/search?q=pope+francis+blessing+the+crowd
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In the images visible by clicking on the image link his gesturing is indistinguishable from waving, and some of the same images come up when a search for “Pope Francis waving” is made:
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https://www.google.com/search?q=pope+francis+waving
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In none of the images is he making a sign of benediction for example.
Now what gesture does he use when he wants to impart a message through gesturing?His favorite appears to be the “thumbs up” sign:
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https://www.google.com/search?q=pope+francis+thumbs+up+picture
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It is noted that the thumbs up sign does not impart a Catholic message like a blessing in the sign of the cross, or the sign of benediction.
Now did Prior Popes make signs that clearly imparted a Catholic message? Let’s search for Pius XII:
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https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=pius+xii+blessing+picture
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In these images Pius XII is seen to be making the sign of benediction, which imparts an unequivocal Catholic message to those it is directed to. Does anyone here think that Pope Francis’ apparent substitution of the secular thumb’s up sign for the sign of benediction of his predecessors is in any way defensible, or does it in one picture summarize the total unfitness of the man for the office of Vicar of Christ?
I beg to differ, Mike. This issue is important and indicative of something greater.
Pope Francis while in America was on the world’s stage and ‘in the belly of the Protestant beast’ and he ought to have been more forthright in his blessings according to Christ’s explicit commandment. But in the alignment with the teachings of VII, Pope Francis , as the People’s Pope, attempted to be ‘cool’.
In fact, before the national and international audience, not only did the People’s Pope seem ‘cool’, but so it seemed were Cardinal Dolan, Cardinal Weurl, and Archbishop Chaput.
But thumbs up ‘cool’ is my euphemism for being ‘lukewarm’. And, tell us, Mike, what happens to Bishops when they are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold?
Along with causing Bishops and prelates to be lukewarm, this VII agenda of ecumenical acculturation is the cause why Church has shed so much of its members.
I submit that the American crowds greeting the Pope are residual effects of the Sensus Fidei sustained by the Holy Spirit over centuries, not at all the fruit of VII. Perhaps my betters can elaborate better this last point.
Thanks for searching for these images. Granted that Pope Pius XII was often photographed in formal settings, and Pope Francis is usually photographed in casual settings – that said the difference is obvious.
1) Pius XII did what popes do: he subsumed his personality to the Papacy. He understood that his blessing had efficacy and meaning for his flock.
2) Francis on the other hand has promoted himself as “he is” and he said at the beginning of this pontificate that he did this purposefully. This works well when one is a Pius X, but not so well when one was a Modernist Cardinal Bishop of a very unCatholic city in a very unCatholic country.
3) The pope’s personality should shine through when he is in informal settings to be sure – that hug, that thumbs up, that smile – all well and good. However when a pope is being pope formality must protect the dignity of his state in live, and the Office.
4) Pope Francis reflects the mode of living of ‘the world’ – authority when one likes it, but usually one does one’s own thing. Sloppy dress – no suit and tie for Mass – no red shoes and traditional robes of state. Language that is not fitting for adults, and barnyard talk – dumbing down papal speech in a foolish attempt to be ‘understood’ by the masses.
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We conquer by The Sign of The Cross and under no other sign.
In spite of all the information, all horrific pictures (nothing is new under the sky, in all ages of the holy Church, and the faithful)……do not jump off the ARK! Be Calm! In All Is His Hand!
Accept, that the wrath of God is upon us Catholics (as was in every age in the ancient times on ‘chosen people’)….today we are the Chosen!, but only remnant…..Ave Maria! What will help in this confusion, division and sorrow? Be prayerful, spend more time with God, meditate on the Royal Way of The Cross, on the Sorrows of Mother of God! (this is a path that all faithful, understood in every age, and they endured it), let us be a peace makers, instead of dividers……regardless how the storm is raging, let us look not with our human miserable understanding, but with consideration of the All Seeing God!
Be watchful, and discern, but do not despair! All power (to do good or evil) comes from God……we have no authority to ‘judge’, only God is JUST! Not ALL received the grace to be his theologians…..get that!!!
Have in mind, that while we are accusing the clergy of failing to ‘save souls’, we are no better…..there’s so many confused and weak in faith, that seek on the internet a solution for the havoc, and if all they read is about the evils from the enemy within, and never read about ‘indefectibility’ of the Holy Church…….we by our own authority, by our opinionated opinions – pride…….are participants in the LOSS OF SOULS……GOD FORBID!
Spend less time on the internet, to have itching ears was condemned by none other but Our Lord Himself…….. because the devil will give you, what you are seeking, only to poison your heart, and to deceive you…..to divide us Catholics!
What a Wrath of God is Upon Us! Miserere, Domine, Miserere
Only a fool, cannot see, nor hear!…..so did not, the Scribes and Pharisees! So, God has scattered them to all four corners of the world, and left them in their misery, until their hardened hearts will repent! And so, He did with the unfaithful, lukewarm, proud Catholics…..to all sects, the so-called ‘protestant churches’….and others what-ever is their name……Miserere!.
O Glorious Saint Michael, ora pro nobis!
Viva Cristo Rey!
“Am I my brother’s keeper?”
In all charity, I must post this last comment on this subject….it must be reminded.
All you (God Knows, who), high minded, and in doubt…… educated above your intelligence, not for your own good…….pray, that God in His grace will knock you down from your high horse, so you may become a true disciple, a soldier of Jesus Christ, and a worthy son of the Holy Mother Church!
Do not despair, nor be deceived……in the holy Church of Jesus Christ, there will always be Peter, Thomas, and Judas…..till the end of time, with God’s permission, for our own good!
Keep Calm, and Carry On!
Jesus + Maria + St. Joseph + we love You, save souls!
Omnia Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam!
Viva la Vírgen de Guadalupe!
Viva Cristo Rey!
St. John Chrysostom: When, then, you make the sign of the cross . . .
“When, then, you make the sign of the cross on the forehead, arm yourself with a saintly boldness, and reinstall your soul in its old liberty; for you are not ignorant that the cross is a prize beyond all price.
Consider what is the price given for your ransom, and you will never more be slave to any man on earth. This reward and ransom is the cross. You should not then, carelessly make the sign on the forehead, but you should impress it on your heart with the love of a fervent faith. Nothing impure will dare to molest you on seeing the weapon, which overcometh all things.”
— St. John Chrysostom
No problem kneeling to wash the feet of lay people, of females, of non-practising Catholics, of non-Catholics including Muslims, of a man pretending to be a woman, etc., on the occasion of Holy Thursday in place of the Mandatum, when Christ instituted Holy Orders, the holy priesthood. Lord, have mercy.
I mentioned a damaging statement on another site and I still haven’t anyclue as to why it has yet to be addressed. At vespers in St. Patrick’s cathedral during Pope Francis’ visit it came time for his homily and he had this to say “…we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus, and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.” Is it any wonder to anyone why a man would refrain from making an outward sign of something he views as a “failure”? This statement doesn’t just scandalize, it brings me to a righteous anger.
But Jesus death on the Cross was a failure, humanly speaking. I don’t know the context of Francis’ words – what he says usually does not make sense – but just on the face of it he’s correct here…even St. Paul talks about the ‘folly’ of the Cross – it is hard to explain to pagans why this ‘failure’ was a success in supernatural terms.
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The lack of Signs of the Cross in Francis life is symptomatic of his lack of understanding of the Catholic Faith, and how the papacy must demonstrate it.
FromPoland,
Thanks. When we spend so much effort determining how many angels can fit on the head of a pin, we lose sight of the Love and beauty Our Lord wants us to contemplate in this vale of tears. May those in need of proselytization again say “See, how they love one another” and like Thomas may we say “My Lord and my God!”
That’s a bit of a stretch. In my circles I am an outspoken critic of Francis, but when I see Traditionalists turning to the tactics of the enemy, that is to say perverting truth, engaging in spin, rash judgment or calumny, I start second guessing those whom I assumed were allies. This kind of crap makes me think we’re just dealing with another Voris in the making. That should have been corrected.
My apologies for taking so long to respond to the burgeoning scandal… The Angelus clip was not the best example among the MANY I could have provided since it obviously distracts from the entirely valid point of this post.
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Indeed, it is true, this pope actually does make the Sign of the Cross *during* the Angelus… you know, where the paper he’s reading from prescribes as much. I will readily admit I didn’t watch that part. I already know the Angelus. I was more interested in how he “blessed” the people at the conclusion of his audience.
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For the record, he also makes the Sign of the Cross at the appropriate time during the Mass, and probably even makes it when he offers absolution during confession. Bravo!
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All of that said, the point of this article is clear enough and it stands: There are countless occasions when this pope supposedly “blesses” a group of people, or should reasonably be expected to do so, but refrains from making the Sign of the Cross. It’s deliberate. It started on day one of his pontificate and has been happening ever since.
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As I wrote in a previous post:
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On the first full day of his papacy, the Holy Father raised a very large red flag during his audience with some 6,000 journalists and their families in Paul VI Hall, at the conclusion to which he decided to refrain from offering his Apostolic Blessing by making the sign of the Cross over the attendees while invoking the Blessed Trinity.
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Why? In the pope’s own words, the Holy Father decided not to behave as Christ’s Vicar is expected to behave simply “out of respect for the consciences” of non-Catholics.
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So look… this isn’t complicated. What I said is true, we have a pope who harbors a repulsion for pious gestures so deep that he is loathe to make the Sign of the Cross. It’s just one more indication that the deep crisis of faith in the Church through which all of us are currently living starts at the top; just as Our Lady forewarned.
Louie updated the info below in the comments. Outside of that example I think the rest of the criticisms he made are spot on. I just wanted to ensure the argument being levied was as solid as possible!
True, sadly, Very true Cyprian. For the pope to make the sign of the Cross should never be out of expectation, it should come naturally, generously, and often. As a child, although not devoutly Catholic, rather weak and neglectfully Catholic actually, my mother encouraged us to make the sign of the cross often. The cross is our salvation, our vocation, our strength, and our protection. Poor Jorge has not accepted his vocation. Lord by the sign of the Cross and by Your Most Precious Blood, protect us from all our enemies.
Yes. Interesting how the weaknesses we exhibit today are truly nothing new. St. John Chrysostom lived so many, many centuries ago, yet even in an age when Christianity was fresh there were those who made the Sign of the Cross carelessly.
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In ages past, those we think of as the ages of Faith, there were sinners – committing the same sins we do, going to Confession, doing penance, trying to amend their lives, praying the Rosary…the major difference is that they had the Holy Catholic Church to lean on – and we don’t.
Thanks for your clarification, Louie. If we try to get into this pope’s head we should, as you say, listen to what he actually says. If he will not make the Catholic Sign of The Cross (which is a ‘sign’ of his belief) because he fears offending the consciences of heretics and pagans it signals that he does not believe the Catholic Church is the one true Church, outside of which there is no salvation.
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As you say, this was at the very beginning of his pontificate. And a very clear signal of what he thinks, believes, and lives.
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To me one of the most important questions to ask is this: why is this not the same signal to the man in the pew? What can he be thinking when he sees this, from the Pope no less? Is the man in the pew persuaded that this new inclusiveness (or exclusiveness of things Catholic) is the way to move forward?
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The man in the pew has been softened up. The frog boils slowly.
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I’m still trying to think my way through this mess. Our Lady told us that we would be punished for the sins of the world. She told us that one of the punishments would be the corruption of the clergy from top to bottom. She told us what would save us from this: conversion of life, penance and reparation for sin, prayer, especially the Rosary.
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In my opinion we are still in the middle of the punishment, even though many have done what Our Lady asked. The punishment must be accomplished as God wants it to be even though we can hardly imagine what the continuation of the punishment might look like.
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So in a certain sense we are simply to endure to the end (and the end might be decades from now when we are all dead). In human terms that seems impossible because we want to be active, to do something – anything to stop this suffering and loss of souls.
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The ‘calling out’ of the errors (that’s a mild way of putting it..) this pope and bishops and priests are committing is a legitimate way to act now – I wish it could be done with more charity but zeal sometimes gets the better of our charity – I know I’m guilty of this too.
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It is good for us to have to suffer this crisis – because it has been chosen for us by Our Heavenly Father, who knows what we need, and what we can bear.
Here’s a great book called “The Sign of The Cross” by Msgr. Jean-Joseph Gaume, Loreto Publications.
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Back cover: “The holy Sign of the Cross is the most important prayer and symbol of our Christian faith. It is at once the image of Christ’s passion, the sign of the redemption of all mankind, the awesome testament of the destruction of the power of the devil and of his kingdom on earth.
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Christians rejoice and the demons tremble to see the Sign of the Cross emblazoned everywhere as proof of Christ’s victory over the world. Christ said “all power is given to me in heaven and on earth” and the Cross is the seat of that power. There is no place on earth where a person who makes the Sign of the Cross is not immediately recognized as a Catholic, and there is no miracle that has not been worked under this sign. It is the “nuclear bomb” of prayers and with it the faithful can clear away all enemies and temptations with the simplest of wordless gestures.”
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First: Msgr. Gaume calls the Sign of the Cross a prayer – significant! Second: Pope Pius IX of happy memory attached to the Sign of the Cross, an indulgence of fifty days. Third: the Translator records a lovely dedication for the author to St. Joseph in 1872. Boy, back in the day Catholics were not afraid to speak truth so that all could hear it!
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Get this book. Make the Sign of the Cross many, many times everyday to gain the indulgence. Show the world that there are Catholics out there – to paraphrase: “By the Sign of the Cross shall you know them!”