The heresies and blasphemies of Francis. Cardinals allegedly conspiring to push him aside. The Dubia Brothers gone missing. (Seriously, where in the hell is that “formal act of correction”?) The errors of the Council. The anthropocentric, protestantized Novus Ordo…
The daily fare at here akaCatholic cannot but weigh heavily on those with sensus Catholicus. Maybe a brief timeout to strike a lighter note will do us all some good.
Every Lenten season, fast food chains and other restaurants compete for Catholic market share via advertising campaigns that highlight their seafood offerings.
One will notice that McDonald’s, for instance, starts aggressively pushing their Filet-O-Fish sandwich even during the weeks leading up to Lent.
Apparently, it’s good business. Time Magazine recently reported:
McDonald’s said its fish sandwich becomes the most popular menu item every March because of Lent, a month-long religious observance that involves participating Christians forgoing meat on Fridays … The fast-food giant sells nearly a quarter of the year’s Filet-O-Fish sandwiches during Lent alone, a McDonald’s spokesperson said.
Here in the U.S., an up and coming drive-thru restaurant chain called Checkers (with a sister brand, Rally’s), apparently decided that an edge may be gained by inserting some not-so-subtle subliminal imagery into a television commercial for their shrimp special.
At least that’s what it looks like to me. Here’s a still shot from the commercial:
Coincidental or deliberate? Take a look at the commercial below and decide for yourself.
OK, time out over. Back to our regularly scheduled program…
A longtime reader and kind supporter of this blog recently sent the following to me:
The contrast between the preaching of faithful St. Alphonsus and the blasphemous Francis couldn’t be more stark!
The reason is simple; the contrast between the Masters that each one serves couldn’t be greater. Go back and reread the great Saint’s words substituting “Francis” for “the Devil” and you’ll see what I mean.
Jorge Bergoglio is someone’s vicar alright, but it certainly isn’t Christ.
Well, we know where one of the Dubia Brothers is (PF says that mission is almost concluded) but the other three are incognito. Surely they are not leaving everything to rest on Cardinal Burke? They could easily confirm if the formal correction has been made. With the CC being torn asunder its adherents (on both sides) need to know what the options are – are the four Cardinals & their supporters (if they really have any) going to head-up the Traditional strand while PF is progressing with the NWO strand? What about Apostolic Succession in that case, as only one side can keep it? Where does the SSPX regularisation come into the picture along, presumably, with the other Traditional Orders?
We urgently need to hear from the Dubia Brothers – are they or are they not going to call for an Imperfect Council to rectify the situation? They cannot sit on the fence any longer. It’s crumbling beneath them.
So let’s say the Dubia Brothers call an imperfect council.
A small number of “brave” cardinals show up, declare Francis as an impostor, and elect a new Pope.
What then? The adherents to Francis will be in the majority.
Two rival claimants to the Papacy. Two rival groups of Bishops, each submitting to one of the popes, the “Pope Bergoglio” church and the “Pope Burke” church. Two rival religious communities authorised by two rival bishops, each submitted to one of the popes. Two rival bishops within each diocese, with their own rival parishes, each accusing the other of schism. The SSPX somewhere in the middle. The FSSP – where will they go?
And the laymen and women in the pew left to decide which one, if either, is the Catholic Church.
In re-reading my post, I think I may have figured out why the Dubia Brothers have gone quiet.
Surely they have looked at this as a possible scenario, and have decided it’s better to wait for Francis to die than to go ahead with anything radical.
Your schism scenario sounds a whole lot more desirable than the status quo.
The entire Novus Ordo system collapsing into rubble and dust. It’s an attractive thought.
It would leave a lot of people confused though, but it would certainly force anyone who gives a crumb about the Church to think about what has happened since the Council and the new mass, if they haven’t already done so.
My feeling on the subject is this: if you are still merrily going to your local novus ordo parrish every Sunday, almost FOUR years after Mr. Bergoglio took over, then you are likely long lost already. I dont think a vatican 2 schism would matter to you.
The SSPX would be the only ones to have serious issues….the FSSP, in their blissful ignorance, would simply continue to stick with Bergoglio.
I have a close relative who, just in the last two or three months, has suddenly seen the novus ordo missae for what it really is. Not the guitars and balloons, but the essential nature of the new mass as mass. They (I am deliberately using the plural pronoun) are appalled and can’t believe that they have not seen it all these decades. There is a word for this: Grace. Grace in God’s good time.
There are still souls of good will who are only now beginning to be truly and rightly appalled. My relative has not only decided to stay away from the new mass, but priests ordained in the new rite, (Parish)or in the old rite by bishops consecrated in the new rite (FSSP).
They are going to an SSPX chapel, and have a clear understanding of why. I haven’t gone into what I think about the pope. At this stage, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to get going with the true Mass and good sermons, offered by a Priest whose orders are certain, not just probable or uncertain.
They have rejected everything that has come about since the Council. I would never have guessed that this would happen in a million years, but again, God’s Grace, in God’s time, is something that is not knowable to us until it becomes manifest.
You never know where people are at, which is a good thing, as we keep working in the Lord’s vineyard whether we think any good will come from it or not.
Ana, apostolic succession is maintained even in the event of a schism provided that the bishop who remains outside of the Church consecrates a priest as a bishop. Otherwise, you can have a validly (although illicit) episcopal consecration. We already have that today with the Orthodox churches.
We already have two popes. Benedict and Francis.
Caimbuel, can I ask you a question? What are the requirements to be a Catholic?
Tom, that’s a question only someone with “credentials” like A Catholic Thinker can answer.
A Catholic Thinker has been very busy over at the Suscipe Domine forums of late, by the way, which is why he has not had the time to post here.
I’ve decided not to debate anymore with sedevacantists on this blog. They can’t think properly. Most of them, IMO, suffer from obsessive/compulsive disorder.
Says the guy who declares there are two popes! Funny! Come on, don’t give up now.
To take the non-sede line ends up with you having to believe that the Church and the Pope can lead souls into error and heresy and away from the truth. That can’t be right either, can it?