Tuesday, March 19, AD 2024 4:56am

PopeWatch: Confusion Reigns

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Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture puts his finger upon one of the more significant features of this Papacy:

Don’t let the understated headline fool you. There’s dynamite in this CWN headline story.

It’s not big news that the director of the Vatican press office admits he is “confused” by Pope Francis. We’re all confused. Join the club, Father Lombardi.

But when the Vatican’s chief spokesman reveals that he doesn’t know what’s on the Pope’s schedule—and no one else knows, either, except the Pope himself—that’s astonishing. Indeed all of the remarks by Father Federico Lombardi, as quoted in an otherwise unremarkable article in National Geographic are eye-opening. The papal spokesman limns a picture of a leader who doesn’t give clear directions, doesn’t communicate with his staff, and (at least in diplomatic affairs) doesn’t have a strategic vision.

“No one knows all of what he’s doing,” Lombardi says. “His personal secretary doesn’t even know. I have to call around: One person knows one part of his schedule, someone else knows another part.”

The job of a spokesman is to make his boss look good. These comments by Father Lombardi definitely do not make Pope Francis look good. What’s happening here?

Go here to read the rest.  This of course is related to Pope Francis rarely explaining his remarks, even when they cause widespread confusion.  PopeWatch believes that is clear now that the Pope often acts on impulse.  He rarely shares his day to day schedule because he rebels at any attempt to make him behave according to a plan.  As far as the confusion this causes, PopeWatch suspects that the Pope views this as a feature and not a bug.

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Philip
Philip
Wednesday, July 22, AD 2015 7:24am

I’ll say it again… He who shoots from the hip will eventually shoot himself in the foot.

Prayers are still going up for our Francisco.

Michael Dowd
Michael Dowd
Wednesday, July 22, AD 2015 7:55am

I am shocked — shocked— to find that confusion is going on in the Vatican!

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, July 22, AD 2015 2:00pm

Well, that explains a lot, from a security standpoint.
I’m still going to be worrying, but if he compartmentalizes information like this, it explains how he’s survived this long when he does stuff like ride public transportation.

Stephen E Dalton
Stephen E Dalton
Wednesday, July 22, AD 2015 11:05pm

Back when I was a young man, I fell under the influence of the cultist, Herbert W Armstrong. Herbie had a nickname among some Protestants who opposed him. He was called “Mr. Confusion”, because it was hard to figure out what his cult taught due to the eclectic mixture of ideas and doctrines that the group believed. Well three decades later, I think I’ve found Herb’s heir. The Pope is confusing everybody!

Franco
Franco
Wednesday, July 22, AD 2015 11:46pm

A determined advocate of Marxist inspired liberation
theology, Francis is merging leftist politics with Catholic theology,
and he is insisting all Catholics to bring his political leftist
revolution to their churches and to their local and national politics.

trackback
Thursday, July 23, AD 2015 8:35am

[…] Excerpts from the American Catholic […]

Marie
Marie
Thursday, July 23, AD 2015 11:21am

Preech the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words! — St. Francis of Assisi
That is the Order that Pope Francis belongs to. : )

Foxfier
Admin
Thursday, July 23, AD 2015 12:25pm

Thing is, Marie, that Saint Francis didn’t actually say that; there are a couple of things that are genuine which are sort of close, but the meaning is quite different– one that’s actually from him is about your actions matching your words of love, and one that’s from his order is about the monks not bad-mouthing each other.
He even got his association with animals because when nobody showed up to hear him preach with words, he preached to the birds and beasts instead. (at least in legend)
This article might be of interest:
http://www.catholicvote.org/pope-francis-and-st-francis-preach-the-gospel-always-and-for-the-love-of-god-use-words/

Ernst Schreiber
Ernst Schreiber
Thursday, July 23, AD 2015 9:19pm

Other thing is, that’s not the Order Pope Francis belongs to.

Tom D
Tom D
Friday, July 24, AD 2015 1:29am

Back when migrant labor was in the news a priest I know was driving by a supermarket with a deacon. Suddenly he stopped the car and said, “Let’s go in”. The deacon told me the next thing he knew he was holding hands with the priest and praying over the lettuce and watermelons! I’m sure the priest did not have that episode in mind when he got into the car. Bet Francis is the same way.

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