Friday, March 29, AD 2024 7:42am

Who Is He to Judge?

 

Like most leftists Pope Francis tends to be judgmental, so long as the judgment has nothing to do with sexual morality.  Dave Griffey at Daffey Thoughts fills us in regarding this aspect of the current

pontificate:

 

Pope Francis.  The pope who does not judge.  By that, the popular liberal culture means he’s taken issues like homosexuality and LGBTQ rights and abortion and set them aside, declared he has no real desire to judge those things or those who indulge in them, and is moving onto other, juicier topics.

Topics like Man Made Global Warming, abuses of Capitalism, the failures of the Western Democracies, those who hold varying opinions on immigration or simply those Catholics, never clearly defined but often referenced, who fall short of the ideal and are blameworthy for the problems in the Church as well as the world.  Against these things, Pope Francis hurls judgement after judgement, often taking the worst possible interpretations of the events, and doing so with a passion and zeal that wouldn’t disgrace a KJV only fundamentalist Baptist preacher in a tent revival.

So when speaking to his vision of a beautified Europe, he suggested that those countries not entirely embracing the immigration crisis as he expects them to were doing so for ‘quick and easy short term political gains.’  If you think about it, that’s pretty tough.  It’s not just saying they’re wrong.  It’s saying they’re wrong because of their wicked, evil ways and purposes.  That there could be other concerns or legitimate differences isn’t open for debate.  Just like his willingness to accept the idea that opposition to MMGW is the result of corrupt researchers at the behest of evil corporate conspiracies. I’ve noticed he does that sometimes.  Not only does he says X is wrong, but he goes on to suggest those who are guilty are not just wrong, but wrong because of some ulterior motive or bad purpose.

Now there is precedent for this.  The Bible itself hold no brief for those outside of the will of God, and is often quite happy to ascribe to the offenders the worst motives.  So contrary to modern spins on Judas for instance, in the Scriptures Judas is not just a fellow who falls away from the purer faith, he’s a greedy, miserly fellow who wiggles his way into the role of treasurer just to pinch some extra coins into his pocket.  Or take the book of James.  Why are their quarrels among believers?  Why, because of the desires that battle within them.  Not just disagreements, is’t the essence of spiritual warfare that is to blame.

Of course we can pardon Scripture since it is the word of God.  But what of others?  Space doesn’t permit referencing all the times in which Christian leaders, Church Fathers, saints and others throughout the ages who didn’t only judge, but judged harshly those they were against.  As some on the Catholic blogosphere pointed out over the years, judging, calling names, and even accusing motives is a time honored approach to defending the Gospel of Christ.  The Gospel is, after all, the Truth against which our very salvation is measured, and sometimes some butt-kicking is needed.

So is there anything wrong with Pope Francis doing this? No.  This isn’t to say he’s right about the topics at hand.  I’m not saying I agree with his conclusions. I’m saying that this level of judging is merely a time-honored way of Christians defending the faith, the widow and orphan, and those who would defend the Truth against error both deliberate and accidental.  So it’s time to reclaim the joy of judging – when rightly done – as well as perhaps a few other practices that have fallen under the treads of the Leftist assault tanks.

For instance, for too many decades Christians let a post-Christian paganism demand Christians stop converting others so that it could convert Christians.  For too long, Christians allowed a secularized, hedonist society insist there were no absolute morals to be hoisted on others, only to watch those same secularists hoist their morals on the Faithful with a zeal that would embarrass Joe McCarthy.  And for too many generations, Christians were told to stop judging, that judging is wrong and evil and the cause of all suffering in the world, and that despite the Left’s well documented track record of judging anything and anyone in its way, Christians should sit down, shut up and accept everything since judging is so wrong.

 

Go here to read the rest.  When it comes to the traditional teachings of the Church Pope Francis is not interested in judging others.  When it comes to leftist issues like global warming, mass immigration from Islamic countries, socialism, war, etc., Pope Francis judges with a passion worthy of Elijah and Elisha calling down the wrath of God upon erring Israel.  The problem for Catholics of course is that the Pope is using the prestige of his office to further agendas that have bupkis to do with Catholicism.  The world desperately needs a Pope who judges in accord with the teachings of Christ.  Instead we have a Pope who judges in accord with the teachings of the New York Times.

0 0 votes
Article Rating
7 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
.Anzlyne
.Anzlyne
Tuesday, May 10, AD 2016 6:47am

We all of sinned and fallen short and so we know, having been misunderstood ourselves, that no one can really know another person’s heart. Impugning the motives is a terrible mode of judgement! Discrediting others at their very core – at their cross-section of intellect and will is really mean. Exalting oneself as above others.
The spiritual conflict playing out today seems to becoming more visible.
.
We know we can’t judge the pope’s heart, or the hearts of the liberal priests in our own parishes, tho they seem “holier than thou” My reaction is to be self-defensive which doesn’t help.
If God will help us react honestly to the known effects of their words and actions instead of likewise acting holier than thou- maybe we can yet stay on the right path.

Felix M
Felix M
Tuesday, May 10, AD 2016 6:57am

Most of Pope Bergoglio’s strictures relate to his political opinions, not on Catholic teaching.

As a previous comment said, we can’t judge his heart. But his actions sure do look hypocritical to me.

bill bannon
bill bannon
Tuesday, May 10, AD 2016 9:15am

Go here for Lady Gaga probably taking a Pope Francis quote erroneously because its worded so as to be erroneously taken. The Pope could have loaded the sentence with the needed corrective. He didn’t. The Eucharist is food for the weak who have made a worthy, repentent confession. His sentence should be a Catholic high school test question….make this sentence doctrinally correct so that it does not hurt the permissive person.

https://churchpop.com/2016/05/10/lady-gaga-thanks-priest-beautiful-homily-eucharist-facebook/

Steve Phoenix
Tuesday, May 10, AD 2016 1:25pm

My answer now when someone accuses me of harsh judgmentalism is, “So what difference does it make?” What’s good for Hil-liar-y is good enough for me :

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Tuesday, May 10, AD 2016 4:38pm

Jorge Bergoglio judges people, not things.
.
We are to judge things, not people.
.
Therein lies the difference.
.
I still say Jorge Bergoglio should be deposed and anathematized.

Guy McClung
Admin
Thursday, May 12, AD 2016 8:18am

LQC-if Jorge B has proclaimed heresy, he has deposed himself. How about: AL 296 “The way of the Church is not to condemn anyone forever.” or AL 297: “No one can be condemned forever, because that is not the logic of the Gospel. . . Here I am not speaking only of the divorced and remarried, but of everyone, in whatever situation they find themselves.” What if I “find myself” and my “situation” is saying Jorge B is no longer pontiff since he proclaimed heresy. Is such a person within the scope of Jorge B’s “everyone.”? Guy McClung, San Antonio, Texas

Mary De Voe
Thursday, May 12, AD 2016 9:53am

Principles are to be judged. People are to be suffered and corrected. Persons excommunicate themselves through mortal sin, as surely as Obama impeaches himself through treason and tyranny. The free will of individual persons, unless freely surrendered to God is the surest, fastest way to damnation. And Hillary wants us to follow her…”What difference does it make?” between freedom and enslavement.

Discover more from The American Catholic

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

Scroll to Top