Francis X. Maier, writing at First Things, has been having off the record conversations with twenty American Bishops. What these conversations reveal are interesting, especially this:
The most sensitive matter in my various interviews involved bishops’ attitudes toward Pope Francis. All of the men I spoke with expressed a sincere fidelity to the Holy Father. Many praised his efforts to reshape the Roman curia toward a more supportive, service-oriented posture in dealing with local bishops. But many also voiced an equally vigorous frustration with what they see as his ambiguous comments and behavior, which too often feed confusion among the faithful, encourage conflict, and undermine bishops’ ability to teach and lead. Francis’s perceived dislike of the United States doesn’t help. In the words of one baffled west-of-the-Mississippi bishop, “It’s as if he enjoys poking us in the eye.”
When pressed, none of the bishops I queried could report a single diocesan seminarian inspired to pursue priestly life by the current pope. None took any pleasure in acknowledging this.
Go here to read the rest. At this point in his Pontificate how many Catholics in general are simply ignoring the Pope as best they can? This calls to mind Pope Paul VI, especially in the latter stages of his papacy, when that poor, weak man presiding over a Church that seemed to be dissolving seemed to be living out a favorite poem of Churchill:
“Who is in charge of the clattering train? The axles creak, and the couplings strain. For the pace is hot, and the points are near, and Sleep hath deadened the driver’s ear: And signals flash through the night in vain. Death is in charge of the clattering train!”
Since Pio Nono Catholics have been used to looking to the Pope for leadership as well as being their spiritual father. Is Pope Francis the anti-Pio Nono? Will his main legacy be a weakened papacy, at least for a time, a papacy usually ignored by most Catholics, at least far more so than Popes have been since the reign of Pio Nono?
Clearly the Bergoglian “papacy” is the worst in history. The Catholic Church as we know it is ending. Divine intervention is needed to restore true Catholicism.
I don’t know about this being “the end”, but it’s clearly on life support with the sheep being more concerned about prowling wolves than are the shepherds. God, in his plan, has allowed this, sometimes one has to lose a limb to save one’s life. It does look like the hierarchy is beginning to be amputated to excise the gangrene that has set in since Vat II. The clue to me is that their remains few, if any, visible martyrs…unless we include those like Burke, Vigano, and Athenasius Schneider.
At this point in his Pontificate how many Catholics in general are simply ignoring the Pope as best they can…’Who is in charge of the clattering train?'”
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My most recent frustration is over the various Covid vaccines with ties to abortion (some more than others). The Pope clearly has his. The CDF submitted a statement, various bishops have, a group of pro-life theologian types submitted one. The chief research officer of Children of God for Life issued an article over at CWR. (The NCRegister has written about most of the other groups and offered up its own opinions and guide on the subject.) They are not unified statements.
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It seems to me what the CDF said should be the Catholic Church’s position, and everyone should fall in line, but I guess not. Basically, pick an opinion you like and go with that.
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DJH: “ Basically, pick an opinion you like and go with that.”
As a convert of now nearly sixteen years, this statement encapsulates most of what I have seen in the Church since my reception. The outliers (i.e., those who hold to the traditional teachings from prior to the Modernist revolution) are relatively few but, as far as I can see, our numbers are growing. The Modernists who accept abortion, contraception, and other current cultural dogmas, while giving lip service to the truth, will eventually disappear by their own actions. We have to continue imparting the truth, as much as we can to whomever we can, in the meantime.
Michael Dowd – Not even close. We’ve just had a good run in the past century.
“Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.”
― G.K. Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
https://www.ccel.org/ccel/chesterton/everlasting.v.v.html
I don’t know, Michael. Maybe I’m delusional – probably the case – but to me it seems like every globalist institution is on the verge of collapse, supportable only through unbelievable levels of money printing. I also get the sense that the populist revolt is really global. Also, does anyone really think someone like Jack Dorsey is going to take over the world?
Big concerns for me include legal efforts to annihilate the food supply – see the ballot initiative in Colorado.
A weakened papacy in theory would be a good thing. Even if it only occurs in the minds of the faithful, who desperately need to be cured of their papal positivism.
Vatican I defined truths, but it inadvertently gave birth to the functional hyperdulia for the papal office we see today. That culture is well past toxic.
Alas, the ego of the current office holder ensures that the entire planet will continue to wait with bated breath on his every utterance.
I pay attention to Francis only to see what his latest deviation from the Faith is. But I consider him to be an antipope, anyway.
Frank, as a fellow convert, I am with you. However, I suspect that there may be more of us outliers than you think. I am thinking of my Bible study group, almost exclusively female cradle Catholics, and not a Modernist among us. From what I have observed, Catholics are one of the least socially active religious populations in the country. Very limited getting togetheras Catholics, outside Mass and structured, organized, supervised “Parish Retreats” (which are, frankly, as much a retreat as a trip to the supermarket). My Bible study group meets unsupervised and can get off into some very interesting discussions at time. And we know each other. Perhaps what is needed is more Lay Collegiality in the Church?