I'm scared of Pope Francis. When he was first elected I was scared of him because I knew nothing about him and was afraid of what might be in store for the Church under this new pope. Now that I know more about who he was as Jorge Cardinal Borgoglio and who he is as Pope Francis, I continue to be scared. The man seems hell-bent on eschewing all the physical trappings of a pontificate with his lack of papal dress (no mozzetta and simple steel cross, black shoes, and ugly, ugly new ferula). He also seems hell-bent on creating a poor Church where priests walk around in sack cloth and all the Church's money is given to the poor (if the Vatican itself were sold for $10 billion and that money used to make 10 billion baloney sandwiches, what happens when those 10 billion baloney sandwiches are eaten?). He's stated that he "has no problem" with traditionalists or the traditional Latin Mass, but not having a problem with the Extraordinary Form is a far cry from appreciating the timelessness and beauty of that same Mass. A constant stream of off-the-cuff remarks seem to come from the man which must be put into context by Vatican officials to make them compatible with Catholic doctrine (e.g. his remarks about homosexuals--"Who am I to judge?"). He seeks to democratize the Church by giving more power to regional bishops conferences (as if the bishops haven't done enough damage the past fifty years!).
Just recently in his own hometown of Buenos Aires pro-abortion and lesbian activists burned him in effigy. A group of men created a human barricade to protect the cathedral from the activists. Below is a video of how the activists responded. Warning: the video depicts the women topless and performing simulated lesbian sex acts to harass the men.
And we Catholics shouldn't "obsess" about abortion and homosexuality? Does the man not know what we're up against? I am a loyal son of Rome, but our present pope scares the hell out of me at times. I hate to say it, but in the words of one Catholic commenting on a blog about Francis "At least he's 76, not 56."
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About Me
- Nick
- I'm a thirty-something Traditional Catholic Monarchist living in Washington state. I have a passion for history, especially German history (with an emphasis on Imperial Germany, even though I'm no expert). I am a self described Germanophile.
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12 comments:
For these activists, abortion, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, and all other trappings of modern liberalism are the signs of a progressive civilization.
However, all of these practices were known in the classical world. They existed in ancient Greece, Rome, and certainly in Sodom & Gomorrah. And back then, the sign of a progressive civilization was the return of morality in form of Judaism (around Sodom & Gomorrah) and later on the introduction of Christianity (in Greece & Rome).
What they are desiring for are not the signs of progress; they are the signs of regress.
Hello! I have kept up with your blog for some time now, but this entry prompted me to speak up.
I'm sorry you are scared, but please try to remember that he is our Holy Father, chosen by the Lord to be Christ's Vicar. I used to be a Traditionalist wannabe, and I still respect and appreciate Sacred Tradition and monarchist tradition, so I am "Traditionalist" in that sense--but putting ideology before God and neighbor is not Catholic, it's Pharisee-like. To complain about the Pope divorced from particular actions of his that we don't like (whether we're right not to like them or not) strikes me as more republican than monarchist.
I don't accuse you of that, I'm only saying please be careful you don't succumb to this--it is very easy to stumble into the Devil's camp even if you're specifically trying not to, and I can personally vouch for this based on my firsthand experience. Jesus doesn't want His Mystical Body broken up further, especially not by those who are trying to avoid just that. Let's all just be Catholic and mean it.
God bless you, and may He guide us both aright in seeking Him, and in whatever we do.
P. S. I thought it was bold of Pope Francis to say not to obsess over abortion and sodomy because you don't have to be Catholic to know those are wrong--we wouldn't need the Church if that were Her primary mission. We must not forget or neglect Her primary mission in our desire to fulfill Her secondary missions. Please try to focus on the good he does and be charitable, rather than obsess over what worries you--I am scrupulous too, and that's been to my detriment this year.
Firstly, the Holy Ghost doesn't pick and choose popes--He preserves them from entering into moral and doctrinal heresy, but I think it's the height of arrogance to claim that each and every pope that has reigned was the hand-picked selection of the Holy Ghost. There have been many bad popes in history--do you think they were God's will? More likely God simply permitted them to be chosen.
Secondly, to criticize the pope is not republican. Even St. Paul criticized St. Peter when he had a legitimate reason to do so.
Thirdly, Pope John Paul II himself wrote that it could be hard to think how we could obsess about abortion. Abortion is the world's worst sin and biggest tragedy of this day. How can we stop "obsessing" about that?
Let us not forget Christian charity and forgiveness: love the sinner, hate the sin. (Included in this, please forgive my rambling--that's a vice of mine, as I don't want to leave out important things.)
I know how Popes are chosen--but I believe that God made most or all of them for just that purpose, it's just that not all of them chose to act in accordance with His will. I believe it's their actions that weren't God's will, not necessarily the men themselves. (At most, maybe some were ordained despite not being called to the priesthood, but do we know which ones those were?) We were all made in God's image and likeness, including the worst of us--and we are all sinners.
Did Paul say of Peter "At least he's 76, not 56", or anything comparable? That's an example of what I said before: criticize the action, not the man himself. Ham was cursed for telling his brothers Noah was naked. John Paul II shouldn't have kissed the Qur'an in public but he was beatified by the Church, and we should hope he is in Heaven.
And please be careful, there: abortion is NOT the world's worst sin, not even of this day. It's certainly one of the worst, and therefore is not to be dismissed (it cries out to God for justice, after all)--but as I said, even non-Catholics can recognize this. Jesus didn't come to Earth for that.
The fourfold primary mission of the Church is what Jesus did when He was here: preach the Gospel, heal the sick, forgive sins, and exorcise demons. I believe that before we can even get very far with stopping abortion in general (which isn't to say we shouldn't be trying to stop individual abortions!), we first have to change the minds and hearts who see it as "a woman's right to choose" and "reproductive rights". Only if that happens will people stop wanting them. Sins against God and the faith are the worst, because all other sins are rooted in this.
We've been trying for 40 years to "change the hearts and minds" of abortion supporters--where has that got us now? Abortion is more rampant and widespread than ever.
Point taken. In any case, I understand your concern--sometimes I fear His Holiness may not be aware of how much his words are being twisted by an unfriendly media. I hope I haven't given the impression that I don't sympathize with your concern at all. I just want for all Catholics (myself included) to remember to love the sinner first, and hate the sin because we love the sinner (and I know the Pope is a sinner--everyone is). And again, evil though abortion is, one need not be Catholic to know it, which is why it isn't part of the primary Mission of the Church, even though it does cry out to Heaven for justice--but that's why it can overtake our own thoughts, and that's how heresies start.
I will probably make this my last comment on this particular blog entry of yours--I don't like to give a bad first impression, and I'm genuinely sorry if I did--though perhaps I will comment elsewhere in a friendlier capacity. I do sympathize with a love of sacred Tradition (I am just concerned now that too many self-proclaimed Traditionalists are dividing the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, whether they mean to or not, not that I'm accusing you of such), and I also sympathize with your passion for German history. Even before I returned to the Church I noted (and thought it unfair) that most books on German history seemed to be about the Nazi period and since.
In any case, I hope to part with you in peace and friendship, not in animosity either begun or provoked. I apologize for anything I may have contributed to that, and forgive the same. And thank you for letting my posts be published even where you didn't agree with them, and for responding to them--that was very big of you. God bless you, and if I don't get to talk to you again in the meanwhile, Merry Christmas!
This might scare you even further:
http://www.lailasblog.com/2014/01/pope-francis-baptises-baby-of-unmarried.html
Did Pair O' Dimes pro-heresy attempts at censorship kill this blog? All these ninnies with their "the holy spirit chose him" nonsense should be mocked to the extreme. What a bunch of idiots.
No, but my 12 month old daughter who never lets her mommy and daddy sleep any more keeps me from posting as often as I'd like!
I needed some time away from this to think, and I thank the Lord for my enlightenment last week, because I didn't realize how messed up I was with regard to the difference between eternal and temporal--power, authority, and punishments. If I had known when I first posted what I know now, that post would have been different.
When I said that the Pope is "chosen by the Lord to be Christ's Vicar", that was off the point from my intent, which was to rebuke you gently: all I really meant to say is that I don't know how else to interpret "At least he's 76, not 56" (I know those words weren't originally yours but you repeated them in a way indicating you agreed) other than "at least he's closer to death"--implying a desire for him to die just so there can be a new Pope, suggesting giving up on the possibility that our Holy Father might change for the better, obviously an un-Christian judgment. If you meant it differently then I retract my rebuke and apologize, but I honestly don't see another interpretation. I'm sure even the bad Popes had it in them to be good Popes, they just chose not to be.
But while I want to be charitable to you, I was a bit upset that you didn't take into account the possibility that my zeal might have overcome my knowledge and wisdom. I'm new at this, and I've already changed my views significantly with a lot of matters (like what I said in my first paragraph here). Plus I have a bit of a short temper, and I wish I didn't. But words like yours can turn people off that way--we shouldn't sugarcoat the faith but we should be peacemakers, and I apologize for anything I did that wasn't in that spirit and ask your forgiveness.
I'll leave it at that. God bless.
Okay, I apologize in advance for this because I don't like it when other people do this--continually posting in multiple posts like this, I mean. Part of me wishes I could just edit my comment, though I guess I can understand why it's only blog entries, not comments.
I just forgot to mention something I meant to say in my previous comment: yes, what I said originally about the Pope being "chosen by the Lord to be Christ's Vicar" was off the point from my original intent--but what I meant to say in my last comment above was that maybe it's just as well that I said it anyway, so that I could learn something I needed to know, and I appreciate that. I don't want to come across as just a complainer--that is definitely not Christian, and it's hypocritical if I do that while rebuking someone else. I need to remove the log from my own eye first.
So thank you, and I apologize for forgetting that. And I do have a better grasp now (I hope) on the difference between eternal and temporal. Temporal authority makes temporal law and temporal punishments, so it doesn't all have to coincide with what God would do because there's a range that God is okay with and He gave us free will.
Before I try to make this the last time I comment on this particular blog entry, I thank you for letting my previous comment be shown, and the only reason I'm not deleting my first comments is to own up to the fact that I said them, not because I still believe or stand by everything I said in them.
God be with you. I really didn't want to make enemies here--I did like your blog and find it interesting that you're a Germanophile.
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