When Pope Francis was first elected, Rorate Caeli received an opinion on the election from an Argentinian reporter, Marcelo González:
Of all the unthinkable candidates, Jorge Mario Bergoglio is perhaps the worst. Not because he openly professes doctrines against the faith and morals, but because, judging from his work as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, faith and morals seem to have been irrelevant to him.
A sworn enemy of the Traditional Mass, he has only allowed imitations of it in the hands of declared enemies of the ancient liturgy. He has persecuted every single priest who made an effort to wear a cassock, preach with firmness, or that was simply interested in Summorum Pontificum.
Famous for his inconsistency (at times, for the unintelligibility of his addresses and homilies), accustomed to the use of coarse, demagogical, and ambiguous expressions, it cannot be said that his magisterium is heterodox, but rather non-existent for how confusing it is.
His entourage in the Buenos Aires Curia, with the exception of a few clerics, has not been characterized by the virtue of their actions. Several are under grave suspicion of moral misbehavior.
He has not missed any occasion for holding acts in which he lent his Cathedral to Protestants, Muslims, Jews, and even to partisan groups in the name of an impossible and unnecessary interreligious dialogue. He is famous for his meetings with Protestants in the Luna Park arena where, together with preacher of the Pontifical House, Raniero Cantalamessa, he was “blessed” by Protestant ministers, in a common act of worship in which he, in practice, accepted the validity of the “powers” of the TV-pastors.
This election is incomprehensible: he is not a polyglot, he has no Curial experience, he does not shine for his sanctity, he is loose in doctrine and liturgy, he has not fought against abortion and only very weakly against homosexual “marriage” [approved with practically no opposition from the episcopate], he has no manners to honor the Pontifical Throne. He has never fought for anything else than to remain in positions of power.
It really cannot be what Benedict wanted for the Church. And he does not seem to have any of the conditions required to continue his work.
May God help His Church. One can never dismiss, as humanly hard as it may seem, the possibility of a conversion… and, nonetheless, the future terrifies us.
Go here to read the comments
. Papal elections have to be lengthened time wise like the U.S.A. elections. Cardinals must be required to read a two hundred pages by the candidate and a hundred pages about the candidate by non magisterial voices….minimum. I think many voted for him on little more than anecdotes started by those who liked him and the anecdotes spread over meals in the cafeteria in the election venue. Probably no critical essays were available. We have less rigor than a presidential election by far. The Holy Spirit doesn’t help you drive at 17 if you don’t take lessons.
Well that is a dead right description and quite prophetic.
Barbara–less prophetic and, unfortunately, more historic.
Cthemfly25, it was prophetic when written, it’s historical now.
–
Just one line can be disputed in this essay: “…he has not fought against abortion and only very weakly against homosexual “marriage” [approved with practically no opposition from the episcopate]…”.
Pope Francis has done as much as most other bishops on these issues, and perhaps more. Yes, some have done more, but they are a minority, as the line in brackets affirms. We have a Pope who is an honest reflection of the episcopacy, and probably much of the laity.
Georgius Bergoglius demovendus et anathemandus est!
As far as the hope fr conversion goes? I don’t think so. Remember how humbled he was after having visited the burial place of St. Peter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QgP0YaOLT4
…the altar boy kept his hands folded- Francis laughed
Anzlyne.
I’m SURE there was a loss in translation..(cough cough.)
Reverence is for PaPa Frankie alone…not some God he doesn’t know. If he did know him he would of blessed the boy and said, well done, we give honor and praise to God in our demeanor and appearance. Nope. Not this cowboy. He is prayed for because I’m obligated to do so…so I do. It’s obidence to his Chair, and the possibility of his personal conversion.
Can you imagine the feelings of the young altar boy?
This is the Pope after all!
Stuck together?
If the boy would of replied; “Yes your Holiness… you should try it more often,” could you have blamed him?
What a strange place….Black is White, up is down, right is wrong. Go back to Buenos Aires and learn some Catholicism before playing Pope. Please.
bill bannon.
Unfortunately “crash and learn,” could be the outcome of our driver of the Winnebago. A
Learners Permit may not be a bad idea come future conclaves.
I’m still wondering why the choice?
Vocations we’re stagnant.
Weakness prevailed.
Was this not of the Holy Spirit, but rather the dealings of underhanded saboteurs?
Too much reading into the Masonic Lodge and Papal conquests? Yes…I guess so. High fiction many will say. Forgive me for entertaining such thoughts, but this pontiff is doing his best to promote ambiguity.
Clear waters taste so sweet.
Muddy ones only look good from the jack ass’es perspective.
In addition to all the other comments certainly being well-based, this observation by Argentine reporter Marcelo Gonzalez stood out:
…
“Famous for his inconsistency (at times, for the unintelligibility of his addresses and homilies), accustomed to the use of coarse, demagogical, and ambiguous expressions, it cannot be said that his magisterium is heterodox, but rather non-existent for how confusing it is.”
…
There are some who still try to float the notion of how theologically erudite the Bergoglio pontiff is, and that the man obtained a doctorate from the Jesuit Frankfurt theology school (known to be a very rigorous and challenging faculty). Of course, in actual fact, Jorge Bergoglio washed out of the Frankfurt Ph.D. program —it happens—but many of the Francis-defenders continue with the obligatory meme as to his alleged brilliance. My info is that he didn’t even take his comprehensives—the may have been dissuaded by his committee, to avoid a bloodbath. There are people who know at Frankfurt, but they aren’t talkin’.
…
So, in actual fact, his last theological degree was a licentiate in philosophy obtained about the latter 1960’s from the theology school called Collegio San Jose in San Miguel, Argentina. It was not known then or later, as a very good place of training, even if it was a Jesuit faculty.
…
An older Jesuit — prior to all this — who educated me at USF, commented once, “You know, in those days, if you just sat through a 3rd year of philosophy, they gave you the Licentiate at the end of the school year.”
…
No, I cannot find any earthly reason as to why this man, with his seriously deficient mental capacity and gravely undereducated background, became the Supreme Teacher of the Catholic Faith. Kyrie, eleison.
Hear he, hear he…..from Argentina.
Justice..(?)
Pope Francis may want to take some time to refresh himself on these words from the alleged seer.
http://spiritdaily.org/blog/apparitions/bishop-in-argentina-declares-approval-of-dramatic-messages-at-san-nicolas
http://spiritdaily.org/blog/apparitions/messages-of-san-nicolas
http://www.spiritdaily.com/Sannicolasapprovaltext.htm
Maybe we should listen to this Argentinian a little more closely. Pope Francis, this goes for you too.
Philip, please don’t trash cowboys. Have you never seen that painting of a cowboy squatting down in front of his horse saying The Rosary while watching over his cattle? Cowboys are very respectful of our God.
Just You.
Please accept my apology.
I haven’t seen the depiction of Rosary Cowboy.
I’ll search for it.
The scene sounds beautiful.
Philip, It is most beautiful. I do accept your apology. You are a smart man but you must be from up north or back east.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rosary+cowboy&biw=1440&bih=754&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwid7KLmwvPMAhVIIlIKHbhUA8oQsAQIGw#imgrc=vDgd1NVQUX8kwM%3A
Thanks Donald for the site.
It is beautiful.
@Just me.
Bingo on the Call of the North!
Smart?
Not even close.
Blessed is accurate.
Peace.
That picture was on the cover of the Catholic Extension magazine years ago. I saved it and gave it to my cowboy brother.
What RORATE CÆLI did post election is the kind of homework which the Cardinal electors ought to have done pre-conclave. Quite frankly that what I would expect they ought to do going forward instead of relying solely on the “spirit”.