Pope Francis is the duly elected Pope of the Catholic Church, but he is acting like an Anti-Pope. His actions seem tailored to bring about a schism. He constantly undermines the teachings of the Church. He uses the authority of the Church for his pet Leftist political causes. He elevates scoundrels to the highest ranks of the Church and persecutes holy members of the clergy. In every manner possible, he is the exact opposite of what a Pope should be, and what most of his predecessors have been. No faithful Catholic owes him obedience, and all faithful Catholics have a duty to resist him so long as he is on his present destructive course. May God deliver us from this Judas disguised as Peter.
And now almost all our bishops will fall into line like the good company men they are. They care as much for their flocks as a wolf does.
Admonishing sinners and advancing sinners are two separate things. The former is an act of charity. The later is an act of cowardice.
A Christmas present awaits.
Jesus said; ….Take Heart… I have overcome the world.
We don’t owe him obedience.
This is a watershed moment and a line has been drawn in the sand. I know which side I’m standing on.
My prayers are for the faithful priests. Mary is our help at this time.
This is NOT the Roman Catholic Church that I entered under the Pontificate of Pope St. John Paul II when I was early in my recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction almost four decades ago, and if it had been, then I would never have entered it.
There can be no faith if, what the faithful must believe is, up for grabs, or….is, pretty much the same stuff as that believe by the faithless. Why go through the charade of belonging, if the Church and the world’s moral values are the same?
It will be interesting how the professional Popesplainers, such as Mark Shea, Dave Armstrong, and Jimmy Akin are going to convince themselves and try to convince us that Francis is merely ‘misunderstood’. Will they finally accept the reality of the situation, or will they continue to attack those of us who knew the real Francis from the start as rad trads, Trump cultists, racists, fascists, et al?
So WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT? (Besides pray, fast and do penance, of course) At the parish and/or diocesan level? What do you do if your bishop and/or your pastor “fall into line like the good company men they are”? Do we now have an irreconcilable conflict between the First (attend Mass on Sundays and holy days) and Fifth (contribute to the support of the Church) Precepts of the Church, and our duty not to give scandal?
I suppose it was possible back in medieval times for the ordinary Catholic peasant or even pastor to just carry on as always even if there was an anti-pope in office or there were multiple men claiming to be pope. Communication was extremely slow and many ordinary folk wouldn’t even have known who the pope was. But I don’t think that’s possible today. I dread saying this but is it time to consider jumping to the SSPX or some similar group?
So WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?
Speak out at every opportunity and, to quote the Pope, “make a mess”.
Make it clear that what the Pope is pushing is not Catholicism and that Catholicism is far, far more than the current occupant of the throne of Peter.
It seems to me that it is metaphysically impossible to give religious submission of mind and will to this. After all, the same authentic magisterium (and even the same supreme pontiff) that promulgated the 2021 document saying that the Church cannot bless SS unions is now saying in a 2023 document that the Church can bless SS unions.
Whatever Lumen Gentium means (and it’s clearly going to need to eventually make sure that Biff puts on the full second coat of gloss), it cannot mean that the principle of non-contradiction doesn’t apply. Will follows intellect, and thus one cannot willingly submit to a contradictory proposition anymore than one can willingly submit to the notion that 2+2=5. It is metaphysically impossible for the intellect to hold (not simply assert) that A is not A or that 2+2=5. The only way by which to do so is to hold an anthropology in which intellect follows will, which is voluntarism, which has also been condemned by the Church. Although, to be fair, much of the hierarchy seems more than happy to act as if it hasn’t.
On a practical level this is another example of papacy by ouroboros. If the pontiff can contradict not only his predecessors but also himself, then why assume anything the pope says (including the current one about the current thing) has any authority, when he himself by his actions demonstrates that at least some of things he says do not. I imagine the popesplainers might offer the rejoinder that Ladaria was behind the 2021 document, which, sure, is true, but Francis signed it and at any rate is the supreme pontiff and could have stifled its release, immediately disavowed it, or any number of other ways to express disapproval. Besides, this is (it seems to me) the double-edged sword of universal jurisdiction- universal jurisdiction implies universal responsibility. He allowed his curia to release it, he owns it. Anyway, the question then becomes- if I’m supposed to give religious submission of mind and will to the authentic magisterium, then what happens when the same authentic magisterium says one thing now and then says the opposite later? Branch you’re standing on, meet saw.
I think it’s becoming clear that VI and VII have been basically complete disasters and it’ll probably take another Aquinas-level figure to synthesize the way out of this and another Gregory the Great to have the vision, sanctity and fortitude to lead the way. It also wouldn’t hurt to get another St. Louis, but we are probably WAY past the point of having nice things.
Excellent analysis, Jason. May I quote it with attribution (“Commenter Jason at The American Catholic”) on my own seldom-supplemented blog? Thanks
There can be no faith if, what the faithful must believe is, up for grabs, or….is, pretty much the same stuff as that believe by the faithless. Why go through the charade of belonging, if the Church and the world’s moral values are the same?
Sorry Don L, however you and many others who are rightfully upset, are tossing in the towel well before the start of the fourth quarter.
• … if what the faithful must believe is up for grabs.
No. Our faith is a gift from God. Weak faith is found in running away when the paradigm isn’t examined thoroughly. The owner / manager of our team pulls rank on his players. He replaces the players when and how he wants. That includes the quarterback.
I’ve been reading the most disheartening comments about how the game is over… and for the weak individuals it just may be that. One woman in the parish said “That’s it!”
Really? Thats it? Go and find a team that has a record like this one. 2000 plus years of fumbles, setbacks, interceptions yet it continues to advance the cause. It continues to make great progress and Hail Mary long throws have been received when the cause looks like it’s defeated.
This is the end of the Third quarter.
The game is far from over.
Let’s get together and call upon the owner to make the fourth quarter count. He knows what the score is. He’s been deeply involved with his team for two thousand plus years.
Sure. Call me a cheerleader if you want but I’m a recruiter too. Nothing is going to stop me from building His team. Who knows. Maybe one day I’ll find out that a great grandson of an convert that I recruited years beforehand, had become the most valuable player, a quarterback, that lead the team to the final win.
Let nothing disturb your peace or disrupt your mission while on the road to eternity.
The Holy sacrifice of the Mass and the reception of Holy Communion is not invalid.
Take and eat the goodness of the Lord.
We have the food for this journey.
It is what keeps us on the field of play and in the game.
No other Church can fully satisfy or fully nourish us the way Our Lord can.
Evangelize.
—– what else is there? ——
Demoralize?
nope.
we fight!
Frank- yes, no attribution necessary.
I dread saying this but is it time to consider jumping to the SSPX or some similar group?
Please don’t do it.
Give your donations for local outreach only. Your local parish.
Explain why your not fueling Peters Pence and mail that explanation to your Bishop but stay in the Ship.
We have the promise.
Hell itself will not conquer the Holy Catholic Church. Nor will the unrepentant sinners ruin the sacrifice of the Holy Mass.
Jesuits be Jesuits. Peronists be Peronists. He is the embodiment of the law of noncontradiction.
Here’s the thing:
This was a capital ‘D’ Declaration by the Dicastery formerly known as the CDF. That, by definition, is Magisterial. That’s the problem. The Magisterium of the Church now contradicts itself, and the guy who is supposed to keep that kind of thing from happening is behind the whole mess. This doesn’t leave faithful Catholics with a whole lot of options, and the ones it does leave us with may not even be possible. I mean, weren’t we told that the Holy Spirit would guard the Church from teaching error on faith and morals? This topic certainly falls into that category. This isn’t a question about economics or climate change, after all.
Now, because of this, faithful Catholics who have always held that we don’t have the authority to pick and choose which Magisterial pronouncements we adhere to are being forced into a position to do just that.
… It was easier to ignore Francis the Ambiguous when he was pontificating on worldly topics. We don’t have that luxury anymore. Not without jettisoning some other Truth we’ve been told we are required to hold.
See? That’s why people are so distraught over this. With this document, the Pope is requiring us to adhere to a teaching that contradicts divinely revealed doctrine.
Pax
I’ve been reading articles about what the declaration was supposed to mean. Seems like it is ok to give a blessing to same sex “couples” but not their “union.” It’s like—are the priests supposed to ask, “Are you sexual with each other?” If they say no, they can get the “blessing?” Thats not gonna happen. So, regardless of the actual meaning, the result is that the liberal priests, media, LBGT etc etc folks, German heritics and all who want there to be homosexual marriage in the church–will interpret it the way they want—-BECAUSE THATS WHAT THE POPE WANTS TO HAPPEN. Dont kid yourself……..
Pope Francis confuses his parishioners, sovereign persons, the children of God with issues. Issues are opinions and ideologies, not necessarily facts as are the reality of the human beings.
Pope Francis’ only concern must be with the doctrines of the Catholic Faith, doctrines given to us as a gift from God to secure the Redemption of man through the crucifixion and death of His Son, Jesus Christ.
The principle of Separation of Church and State was set forth by Thomas Jefferson to insure man’s conscience was free to follow his religion in his pursuit of Happiness, achieve his destiny and enter into eternal life in the metaphysical heaven.
The principle of Separation of Church and State was used to remove God in all aspects from the citizens of America. This is government obliterating the conscience of man and imposing its form of belief on the citizens who institute government and pay their salaries.
Now, with Biden demanding that Catholic priests wait for green cards to enter the United States; Catholic priests who preach the metaphysical tenets of heaven to man’s rational, immortal soul, Biden impedes the freedom of man to respond to the gift of Faith from God. Biden violates the principle of Separation of Church and State.
The devil speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
Bergoglio is nothing more than Caligula in a Cassock now
Joe Biden has ordered Jesus Christ to get a green card to enter the United States because Joe Biden does not know how to separate the church and the state, or maybe Joe Biden believes himself to be god.
Pope Francis is not ready for heaven and the devil does not want him, so, Pope Francis is still here.
Pope Francis is blessing the blessing of sodomy because Pope Francis does not know the difference between love and lust.
The Infant Jesus is coming and bringing gifts of light and knowledge.
Santa Claus is coming to town bringing gifts of love and knowledge.
One of two things is happening here: either Pope Francis is NOT actually changing Church teaching, but he is making it look as if he is in order to please liberals; or he does want to change Church teaching but for some reason hasn’t the gumption to actually do it, so he skates as close as he can to heterodoxy without actually going over the edge. I would have said he’s the quintessential example of someone who’s trying to please everyone and ends up pleasing no one, except that it’s obvious he doesn’t care about pleasing conservative/traditional Catholics.
CAG, don’t be deceived. The actual Church teaching–that non-marriages are sinful, and those relationships can’t be blessed–hasn’t changed.
It’s simply been surrounded by evil, false “guidance” that is diametrically opposed to the true teaching laid out mere sentences before.
In this, the DDF under Francis (and I hope and pray that a future Pope will revert that name to the CDF, as a sign of a repudiation) has followed the lead of what the current Pontiff has been doing for years: dance right up to the edge of the lines that God literally prevents them from crossing, and give the false impression that said lines have been jumped across.
Those lines haven’t been crossed, and they won’t be–because they can’t.
And Francis and his ilk know it. Much as they might wish otherwise.
All they can do is pretend.
“Those lines haven’t been crossed, and they won’t be–because they can’t.“
… Except that they have … That’s the point.
Will God bless actively homosexual couples? Fornicating couples? Couples engaging in adultery?
If the answer is yes, then the Church has taught error for 2000 years.
If the answer is no, then the Church is now teaching error in a manner which the faithful are bound to submit to.
… And they did it during the third week of Advent.
Gaudete!
To all the naysayers: How can the Catholic Church, the true church of Jesus Christ be universal if Jesus Christ Himself is not universal?
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After years of badgering people on the left for criticizing papal decisions they disagreed with, now the right itself is defying papal authority. What’s clear is that no matter what side of the political spectrum one falls on, respect for papal authority is purely subjective based on one’s own personal beliefs. Both sides have confirmed that reality.
What’s clear is that no matter what side of the political spectrum one falls on, respect for papal authority is purely subjective based on one’s own personal beliefs.
What is clear from this kidney stone of a pontificate is that the job of a Pope is to preach and protect the teaching of the Church. When a Pope attempts to use the authority of the Church for his pet political causes, his opinion stands or falls on the validity of his arguments, just like the arguments of everyone else, no more and no less.