Our Bruin friend at Saint Corbinian’s Bear has listed what he sees as the range of opinions about Pope Francis by Catholics on the net:
- Pope Francis is the respected successor to St. Peter, and, as such, is due slightly more veneration than was Emperor Hirohito in his day.
- Pope Francis may have a wobble in his orbit, but his ordinary magisterium remains just as worthy of respect and assent as any pope’s. That’s the LAW. (Query: if the answer is that we need pay attention only as far as he is right, i.e. in line with other popes, then do we have to memorize Denziger, and how do we know those popes were right? Seems a bit over-engineered for a bunch of Galilean fishermen, if you ask the Bear.)
- Pope Francis can do no damage to the Church short of infallibly declaring some abomination before the Lord an Article of Faith, which is not going to happen.
- Look, you don’t have to pay attention to everything the old fellow says. Only the big stuff. (Like homosexuality and divorce?) The Church will be protected by God.
- Whatever you think about Pope Francis – and let’s admit he’s a few steps short of a tango – he remains THE POPE. Whom one must NEVER criticize. (Paging Michael Voris.)
- Entertain your private doubts, if you must, but you’re in danger of heresy, and in any case must never, ever criticize him for fear of starting up the Know Nothings again.
- Rome, we have a problem. Prudence and good taste dictate, however, that we do not speak of il Papa’s delicate condition.
- We have never quite seen anything like Jorge Bergoglio’s disconnect with the deposit of the Faith nor his willingness to perform end runs around around the Church itself via incessant media exposure. The man is a menace.
- No REAL pope would spout half the nonsense he does. Pope Benedict is still at the wheel and Bergoglio is flat out an antipope.
- No REAL CHURCH would ever elect someone as evil as Jorge Bergoglio, so he is Exhibit A in the case for sedevacantism.
- Jorge Bergoglio is nothing less than Damien in his old age. He is evil. In fact, he is at the very least the FALSE PROPHET. In other words, a cosmic player in the end times.
- We had a good run, but the warranty has expired on the Church. Time to become one of those Protestants that get salmon and honey while the praise band is warming up. (Do not tempt Bear.)
Go here to read the rest. My position would be number 8. He is a worse Pope than Alexander VI in that Pope Alexander VI for all his manifold sins never came close to publicly turning any doctrines of the Church upside down. Apologists for the Pope used to sometimes say that he was handpicked by the Holy Spirit. I don’t hear that much anymore but perhaps it is true. Perhaps God picked Pope Francis because we had gone too far in exalting papal authority and confusing the Pope with the Church. I think I came close to that error in the early years of Pope John Paul II, the golden age for the Church in my lifetime. After Francis I will never be in danger of coming close to falling into that error again.
13. Pope Francis is infallibly ignorant of economics. Instapundit, “His views are exactly what one would expect from an Argentine lefty: Embarrassing.”
14. Pope Francis unabashedly introduces to the whole world a form of ambiguity that tickles the ears of cafeteria (c) atholics and pleases the hierarchy of the lavender Mafia. A unity of difference.
I am number 8. But T Shaw’s and Philip Nachazel’s choices have much merit. God, please have mercy and end this Pontificate by whatsoever means You choose
Pretty true to our struggle. I think many of us have come to a sad conclusion about this pope and don’t know what to do with that conclusion.
I do have to say, though, the the Bear must not read Michael Voris, or he would know that even Michael is shy of pointing out concerns about Francis- he focuses on the bishops and priests.
“if the answer is that we need pay attention only as far as he is right, i.e. in line with other popes, then do we have to memorize Denziger, and how do we know those popes were right?”
“No Catholic would first take what our objectors call history, fact, antiquity and the like, and from them deduce his faith ; and for this reason, the faith was revealed and taught before history, fact or antiquity existed.
These things are but the basis of his faith, nor is the examination of them his method of theological proof. The Church, which teaches him now by its perpetual living voice, taught the same faith before as yet the Church had a history or an antiquity. The rule and basis of faith to those who lived before either the history or antiquity of which we hear so much existed, is the rule and basis of our faith now.
But perhaps it may be asked: If you reject history and antiquity, how can you know what was revealed before, as you say, history and antiquity existed? ‘I answer: The enunciation of the faith by the living Church of this hour, is the maximum of evidence, both natural and supernatural, as to the fact and the contents of the original revelation. I know what are revealed there not by retrospect, but by listening.”
The ordinary and universal Magisterium is found in the teaching of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.” In the absence of a consensus, we are in the realm – the very large realm – of theological opinion, not doctrine.
Bear meant to indicate Michael Voris was the drum major for the never criticize the pope parade, but it is correct that he never reads Michael Voris.