QUO VADIS, POPE FRANCIS? – Part 4
“The barque of Peter is capsizing” *1
A critique of Pope Francis
LIBERAL DOUBLESPEAK
A Glossary of Words Modernists Use
We are in a culture war that is dominated by liberal, leftist, modernist forces. A big part of
this war is the use of words. Words are powerful tools to advance one’s agenda. Liberals are
particularly adept at speaking nice words, but with meanings that are contrary to authentic
faith. We are in a war against the father of lies, so the meaning of words are often twisted or
overturned.
Satan comes as an angel of light. His words will be attractive. But like the serpent offering
the forbidden fruit to Eve, his words can be deadly. As the world is under his dominion, if we
want be set free, then we need to know the truth. We need to look beyond the surface
meaning of words and know what is really being said.
Tragically, Pope Francis himself uses liberal doublespeak. He has bought in to woke ideology.
Accompaniment/acceptance
Modernists emphasize the need for acceptance and accompaniment. We are to accept
everyone and accompany them in their journey of life. This is especially true of sinners who
might feel rejected by the Church.
Indeed we are to accept everyone including sinners, but we also need to try to get them out
of their sin. Thus we are to love the sinner but hate the sin. The aim of accompaniment should not be to make sinners comfortable in their sin, but to bring them to repentance.
Being nice
Modernists emphasize the need to be nice to each other. We are to be good, kind and
loving. Indeed we should strive to be good, kind and loving, but being nice is not a biblical
value.
To be nice is to not want to offend. But Jesus was quite offensive and insulting at times,
especially to the Pharisees whom he denounced as hypocrites. Thus Jesus called them all sorts of names, such as blind guides, blind fools, whitewashed tombs, serpents, brood of vipers. *2 And what about Paul who told the Corinthians to expel the wicked man from their midst, and in fact, to deliver the man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh (1 Cor 5:2,5)? Not nice at all.
Being nice is also intended to avoid conflict and division and thus bring peace. But Jesus
came for division, even among the closest of family members. 3 Grave sinners are to be rebuked, and if that leads them to realize their error and repent, then that is what is authentically nice.
Climate change
Liberals used to talk about and warn us all about global warming. But since the globe was
not necessarily warming (there were quite a number of severe cold spells), they changed their tune to climate change. Here they are safe, because climate does change. Climate has changed through the millennia, going to extremes, including Ice Ages and very hot weather.
Today liberals keep on with their climate change hysteria. Through the years, many have
predicted the demise of the planet, the loss of food, the melting of the ice caps, and so on.
None of these have come to pass. And they will not come to pass, since the ideology of climate change with its attendant fear and hysteria is a scam. It is false and has no scientific basis. Liberals blame fossil fuels for pumping too much carbon dioxide in the air, and they blame man for even what they eat (they eat steaks, and cows’ fart raises CO2 levels!). Man is not to blame, as the ups and downs of climate are naturally occurring.
Liberals want a complete shift to green and clean energy. These are solar farms, wind
turbines, electric vehicles, etc. Seems good, but the downside is substantial. While wind and
sunshine are free, renewable and sustainable, harnessing this diffuse, unreliable, weather-
dependent energy to power civilization is not. In reality, the goal of “net-zero” economies,
desired within a few decades, is unrealistic. There are not enough mines, metals and minerals on the entire planet to provide what is needed. For green energy, we have to destroy the planet in order to save it.
Pope Francis is a most vocal and prime proponent of climate alarmism.
Common good
The common good is what would be good for everyone. This has to do with desirable goods
such as peace, justice, adequate provision for needs. Unfortunately these are often what are
lacking in societies and in the world.
The UN has its Sustainable Development Goals which are about a shared blueprint for peace
and prosperity for people and the planet. It includes such goods as ending poverty, economic growth, good health and well-being, quality education, reduction of inequality, clean energy and climate action. Unfortunately it includes the promotion of the culture of DEATH. *4
Pope Francis is a strong advocate of the UN’s SDGs. In being so, he is just looking at the well-being of man but no longer to the righteousness of God. He also wants the UN to have
sweeping powers to enforce (or force) these “goods” upon the whole world.
So when a modernist talks of the common good, be discerning. Just because it sounds good
does not mean it is all good. In fact, the actual good that it tries to bring about is undermined by the fundamental assault on the authentic good that comes from God, which are faith, family, life and salvation.
Communion of saints
The communion of saints is the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth,
the souls in Purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the mystical body under Christ as its head.
Pope Francis however believes that unrepentant grievous sinners are part of the communion
of saints, and claims that the communion of saints includes those who have denied the faith
and denied their baptism. This can explain why he coddles, encourages, supports and extols
those who are for grievous sins such as active LGBT. This is why he enjoys the company of
liberals, modernists, pro-aborts, globalists and depopulationists. This is why he focuses on
social justice issues rather than the righteousness of God.
Dialogue
Dialogue is the process of listening to and talking with each other, so as to clear up negatives and move forward on positives.
Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to listen and dialogue, even to make a mess.
However, his words are not matched by his actions. He ignored the dubia of four Cardinals with regard to Amoris Laetitia. He also later no longer responded to the dubia of five Cardinals with regard to the Synod on Synodality. The Pope however has lots of time for Church dissidents, such as Fr James Martin, Sr Jeannine Gramick and her heterodox New Ways Ministry, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Dignity of persons
Modernists emphasize the dignity of persons, as a reason for being nice to them. Indeed all
persons have inherent dignity as creations of God. However, those who persist in grievous sin are cut off from God, losing their status as children of God. As such, they wallow in the mire and lose all dignity.
Pope Francis strongly looks to dignity in relation to one’s identity. Rather than the basic
identity as Christians, he looks to those who are allegedly oppressed, such as women, ethnic
minorities and sexual minorities. He affords them dignity as such, rather than as children of
God.
Discernment
Discernment is a gift of the Holy Spirit, 5 enabling a person basically to distinguish between
right and wrong, and to choose the path of God. It comes about as one listens to the Spirit. But discernment has become a much misused word. Modernists emphasize listening to the Spirit, but those who persist in sin or acceptance of sin will end up listening to the wrong spirit.
Why is it that Christians are often on opposite sides of various religious or secular issues?
This is with regard to the culture of DEATH, to secular elections, to the issue of women priests, and many more. Both opposing views cannot be right. But both sides might claim to have listened and discerned.
The ultimate test of right discernment is whether one’s position is in line with gospel values.
Diversity
Diversity refers to the range of different social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. People in
the world are certainly diverse, and this should be considered in Church pastoral practice.
But modernists often use this term to refer to different genders and sexual orientations.
Thus there is no longer just male or female, but over 70 genders, the so-called LGBTQ+. *6 This has led to many abuses, such as promoting such diversity in schools by indoctrinating young children through story hours by drag queens.
Pope Francis opens himself up to such diversity, accepting everyone without consideration
of their contradiction of nature.
Equality
Equality *7 is a Christian value, and all men are created equal. All are to have equal rights
which are inalienable, irregardless of their caste, religion, race or gender. All have equal
opportunities with regard to jobs, careers, upward mobility.
Modernists however look on equality as sameness. Thus there is no difference between men
and women and they are interchangeable. As such, men can become women if they want to.
Liberals claim that men can menstruate, be pregnant, have babies and chestfeed, that men can join women’s sports and use women’s bathrooms, that male prisoners can be placed in female detention facilities if they identify as women.
Further, liberals insist that women can excel as well as men in physical sports, or as soldiers,
or in weightlifting. While women can try, this negates the inherent reality of physical strength
or even roles according to Christian tradition. Yes men and women are equal in worth and
dignity, but not in genetics, anatomy, physiology and societal roles.
Family
The basic Christian concept of a family is the nuclear family, composed of a father, a mother
and their children. This is according to God’s design.
Modernists however have expanded the meaning of family, to include a same-sex couple
with an adopted child, or three adult men and/or women in a polyamorous relationship, or a
transgender couple.
Fraternity
Fraternity is about the brotherhood of men. Modernists look to international fraternity,
where everyone is considered part of this brotherhood, with all the positive implications that
that brings.
Indeed there is such brotherhood of all men. But in different ways. First, all are children of
Adam and Eve. Second, there are those who are children of Abraham, especially for the
monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism). But most important are those who are
children of God. These are those who do the will of the Father. These are those who look to
Jesus as Savior and Lord. These are those who share the one true faith. Thus only Christians can be considered as brothers in Christ, and that is the true fraternity.
Pope Francis however looks to fraternity to include everyone, to include those of other
religions or no religion. What results is brotherhood without the Fatherhood of God. This is
ecumenism as a path to a one-world religion.
Freedom of expression
Freedom of expression is an important value and right. But there are limits to such freedom.
It must not violate the rights and dignity of others. But modernists insist on the full exercise of such freedom. As such, the European Commission on Human Rights upheld the right of a
topless feminist to profane a church in Paris. A Methodist church in Florida lets a drag queen, a seminarian, to dress up like a demon and give a sermon to children during a Sunday service.
In the Church, there are many liturgical abuses, such as dancing during the Mass, a priest
blessing people using a guitar to sign them with the cross, an indigenous shaman invoking
prayers, and having drag queens around the altar. Pope Francis has not chastised nor corrected any of them.
Gender
Gender refers to the male or the female sex, in reference to social and cultural differences
rather than biological ones. It also refers to one of a range of other identities that do not
correspond to established ideas of male and female. Sex is scientific, while gender is a social
construct.
Modernists claim that gender is used to oppress racial and sexual minorities, and denounce
the traditional categories of man and woman as a false binary that was conceived to support
the system of heteronormativity, i.e., the white, male, heterosexual power structure. As such,
they do all they can to deconstruct this situation. For them, the best way to do so is to promote transgenderism. Transgenderism is against the naturalized heterosexual order and traditional family values. It seeks to abolish the distinctions of man and woman, to transcend the limitations established by God and nature, and to connect the personal struggle of trans
individuals to the political struggle to transform society in a radical way.
Modernists look to “gender equality,” which is a euphemism that looks to the normalization
of transsexualism, sodomy, and pedophilia.
Then there is the so-called “gender-affirming care.” Here again is a nice sounding phrase. 8
What it actually means is affirming gender dysphoria in children, encouraging them to accept what are contrary to biological truth, and ultimately leads to the mutilation of children.
Globalization
Globalization is the process of interaction among people, companies and governments
worldwide. It is a term used to describe how trade and technology have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place. This would seem just natural, especially with the expansion of travel, tourism, the Internet and social media. This would have many good benefits.
But there is a dark side. There are globalist elites who want to ultimately rule the world. *9
They look to a one-world government, overturning national authorities and opening up
borders. They look to control the lives of people using technologies such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI). They look to impose their ideologies on all, such as clean and green energy to combat climate change, state-sponsored liberal education, LGBT, mandating what we eat (such as bugs rather than beef).
Pope Francis is a globalist, and strongly supports a strong international body that can impose what the global elite thinks is best for the world’s population.
God loves us as we are
Pope Francis told a gender-confused woman, “God loves us as we are.” Well yes, God loves
us as a human being, even when mired in sin. But no, God does not want us to remain in our
sin. To just say that God loves us as we are is to encourage sinners to remain in their sin.
The Pope says young people today are characterized by technological advance, psychological disorders, sexual fluidity, and criminality. So if the Pope tells a gender-confused, sexually-fluid person that God loves him/her just as he/she is, then would he also tell a criminal, a murderer, a thief, a sexual predator, an abortionist that he can remain as he is, since God loves him as he is?
The Pope has been consistent in his approval and support of LGBT. 10 He called a group of
transgenders (biological men) “girls.” He supports the “nun of the trans,” a religious who
provides support and care to transgenders. He is using the Synod on Synodality to get the
Church to accept homosexuality. He does not dissuade Catholic churches in Europe that hosted events that promoted the LGBT lifestyle. He constantly praises the pro-LGBT advocacy of homosexualist Fr James Martin.
Indeed, for the Pope, God loves us as we are.
Gospel
The word “gospel” means “good news.” That good news is the coming of Jesus into the
world, his suffering and dying on the cross for us, his resurrection, and with all these, his
winning for us our salvation.
Modernists however look more to man than to God. As such, gospel or good news to them is about social justice. It is freeing man from the clutches of poverty, discrimination, oppression by the rich and powerful. Thus when modernists speak of proclaiming the gospel or living out gospel values, they mean liberation from injustice but not from sin. Thus, for example, they would work to alleviate poverty but would impose contraceptives, abortion and LGBT on the poor they are helping.
Hate
Hate is intense or passionate dislike. We are to hate what is abhorrent. Thus we are to hate
sin, as this is abhorrent to God. “You who love the Lord, hate evil” (Ps 97:10a). As to those who do grievous sin, we are to hate the sin but love the sinner.
Now hate is a favorite word of liberals. It is used against all who oppose their ideology, in
order to try to silence them and blunt their criticism. To liberals, it is hate speech if you speak
against homosexuality or if you express an opinion contrary to LGBT ideology. They consider it a crime if you are motivated by such hate, such as not baking a cake for a gay couple’s wedding, or if you pray at abortion clinics, or if parents complain about how their children are being exposed to woke ideology.
Such persons, acting out of Christian conviction, are labeled haters, bigots, homophobes,
misogynists. But to speak against homosexuality does not make one a bigot, as there is no
antagonism nor prejudice. Nor does it make one a homophobe, as one can love a gay person while disapproving of his actions. In fact, it is not about hate but about love. The sin is hated but the sinner is loved. The Christian desires that the sinner turn away from sin, and thus cannot condone sinful acts.
Such Christians are also not alt-right nor fascist, which is defined as groups that embrace
beliefs and activities that demean, harass and inspire violence against people based on their
identity traits including race, religion, ethnicity, language, national or social origin, caste,
gender, sexual orientation, gender identity.
Truth is not equal to hate. Christians are to speak the truth in love.
Inclusivity
Inclusivity, as it relates to society and the Church, simply means all are welcome. No one is
shunned or excluded. Indeed, every human person has inherent dignity which should lead to
acceptance. But such dignity must be rooted in the reality of being a creation of God and in
adherence to God’s ways. In the world today, inclusivity implies acceptance of how a person
defines himself or herself, which is not always in obvious conformity with reality. Many today
live lives apart from God, choosing non-Christian lifestyles.
Modernists in the Church insist that all are welcome, even if they live lives contrary to God.
Thus a welcoming church or parish is defined as one that opens its doors and membership to anyone and everyone, including unrepentant sinners. Now indeed sinners, which we all are, are welcome, but there is a price of admission. It is repentance and putting our faith in Jesus. Jesus told the parable of the wedding feast, where the king invited everyone, bad and good alike; but he threw out the one guest who was not dressed in a wedding garment (Mt 22:1-14).
Pope Francis looks to an inclusive church, and practices this by accepting homosexuals, pro-
aborts, atheists, and everyone else, without calling on them to repentance.
Justice
Justice is giving to everyone what is his due. To God is due worship; to man is due respect; to the poor is due an equitable share of the world’s goods. Justice is a very important gospel
value, and is interchangeable with righteousness.
For liberals, however, it is more of social justice, that is, justice that is focused on man. Thus
they are very strong on unfettered immigration, on climate change, on inclusivity. They look to the well-being of man. But such look is apart from the righteousness of God.
Further, in looking to justice for some, they commit injustice to others. For example, they
want women to have full access to abortion, even referring to it as healthcare. But they totally ignore the unborn child that is murdered.
As such, justice is of God, while social justice is of man.
Kerygma
Kerygma is the proclamation of the gospel. It is the preaching of the apostles as recorded in
the New Testament. All Christians are called on to proclaim the gospel of salvation in Jesus.
Modernists no longer proclaim this gospel of salvation, which necessitates repentance and
putting one’s faith in Jesus. For modernists, the gospel or good news is attuned to the well-
being of man. It is just about being good and nice to one another, without need for turning
away from things that are not of God.
Pope Francis has in fact told Catholics not to proselytize. But to proselytize is simply to make
disciples of all nations, which is the final marching order given by Jesus to his disciples. The
Pope wants people who are non-Catholics to remain where they are, and to just focus on good relationships with others.
Liberty
Liberty is the freedom of an individual to do what he wants to do without harming others. It
is freedom of speech, of religion, of choice of work and residence.
Modernists however have adopted an unfettered definition of liberty, that one is free to do
anything, even sin. Thus for those who are in favor of abortion, their mantra is “my body, my
choice.” It used to be that those who were pro-abortion labeled themselves as “pro-choice.”
Now they no longer hide behind euphemisms. They have dumped “pro-choice” and now openly say they are “pro-abortion.”
There is also a great deal of hypocrisy. With regard to COVID vaccines, the state, and even
the Church, imposed vaccination of people, many times against their will. People were forced to be vaccinated, at the fear of losing their jobs or their mobility, even as they dreaded the negative effects. So it is your body, but you have no choice.
Pope Francis himself imposed vaccination on Catholics, even advancing the lie that to refuse
to be vaxxed was an offense against love of neighbor. He terminated employees at the Vatican, including Swiss Guards, who refused to be vaxxed.
Our freedom is in Christ. But such liberty is being set free to do what is right, to be just, and
to be holy.
Listening
To listen to the other is an important value. It is an essential element of dialogue and
interpersonal relationships. It enables us to know what is truly in the mind and heart of the
person we are conversing with.
Pope Francis is very strong in promoting listening. This is especially so in his Synod on
Synodality. However, he wants to listen to everyone when what is discussed in a Synod are
matters of the Church. So he invites everyone, including atheists, proponents of the culture of DEATH, and enemies of the Church. What is there to listen to with such persons? What good can they contribute to the well-being of the Church? Rather, we should be listening to
committed faithful, such as parents dedicated to raising their families in the faith, to piously
cloistered nuns, to orthodox pastors of parishes and dioceses.
Further, in the case of the Synod, we should listen, but there should be real discernment as
to what we should listen to. Again, it is not helpful to listen to attacks by dissidents on the faith and on the Church, which we already know about. Rather, we look to those who desire the good of the Church, and through them see what is happening in the Church.
Living in
Today many Catholics are living together without benefit of the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Society refers to them as “living in.” But one important word is missing, and it is “sin.” They are actually “living in sin.” They are in irregular unions, which can be between a man and a woman, or between persons of the same sex, or even with more than two persons.
Pope Francis seems to be shedding the sin in irregular unions. Thus he favors giving Holy
Communion to those couples with one or both having been married and divorced. Thus he
approves of bishops blessing same-sex unions. Thus he is positively inclined to those in irregular unions (whether of different sexes or the same sex) who display fidelity and stability in their relationship.
Love
The greatest virtue is love. But authentic love, being of God, cannot be convoluted with sin.
Love is not acceptance of sin. Modernists, however, consider love only from the human
perspective. If there are two persons who are in love, they say that that is good, even though
the two persons might be of the same sex. But since this is contrary to the righteousness of
God, then it cannot be authentic love that is of God.
The homosexualist priest, Fr James Martin, thanked Pope Francis for his love for LGBTQ
people, due to the Pope’s various ways of affirming homosexuals. He claims not to judge them. He values fidelity in a homosexual relationship. He approves of blessing same-sex unions. But it is not authentic love that the Pope displays. It is not love to help keep people in their sin.
Pope Francis at the World Youth Day in Lisbon said, “I would like to see a seed for the
world’s future, a world where love is at the center, where we can sense that we are sisters and
brothers.” Sounds good. Love indeed is the greatest virtue. But for the Pope and liberals, love is about the social and not the spiritual. It is of the world and not of Christ. For the Pope, you can be extolled as a loving person even if you are into homosexual relationships or are pro- abortion.
The Pope wants us to be brothers and sisters to one another, but never mentions
brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. We are just to be nice to each other, to accept and
accompany each other, but never to question the other’s sin. Love is just about human
relationships, and not a relationship with Jesus.
Mercy
Mercy is the compassionate treatment of those in distress, especially when it is within one’s
power to punish or harm them. Mercy connotes forgiveness, benevolence and kindness. The
greatest mercy is that conferred by God upon us. We deserve the wrath of God for our sins, but God grants us forgiveness through the sacrificial suffering and death of His own Son Jesus.
Such mercy however is conditional on repentance and turning to faith in Jesus. For those in
grievous sin who do not repent, the wrath and punishment of God will still be upon them. Thus modernists, in accompanying and accepting sinners but without trying to get them out of their sin, offer false mercy. In fact, they ensure condemnation, as sinners become comfortable in their sin and have no reason to change.
Pope Francis has shown selective mercy. He seems to be quite merciful to clerical sex
abusers, such as Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and disgraced Fr Marko Rupnik, but not to
victims of clerical sex abuse, whose grave concerns he has often ignored.
New Evangelization
The so-called New Evangelization is the call of the Spirit to the Church in the new
millennium. It is an urgent call, due to the massive assaults on the faith during these times. A
tsunami of evil is overwhelming the whole world. Faith has grown cold. There is massive
apostasy. As we are in the end times, the call to New Evangelization is to rediscover the true
meaning of evangelization, according to God’s principles. The way forward is the way of
Pentecost, and the missionary spirit lived out in the early Church.
For Pope Francis, however, the good news of New Evangelization is about inclusivity,
alleviation of poverty, climate change, welfare of the indigenous peoples, international
fraternity, synodality. The focus is all on man. The proclamation of the gospel is not as
important. The Pope does not even want the Church to proselytize, that is, to make converts,
which is the very mission of the Church. He looks to all religions being ways to the divine. He no longer proclaims a salvation that is founded exclusively on Christ.
New World Order
Modernists look to a new world where there is no hunger, where all are equal, where
acceptance and inclusivity reign. It looks to utopia. These would seem to be good, but the way to achieve them is not. For modernists, the way forward is a New World Order, triggered by the Great Reset, which will recalibrate all aspects of human life on earth.
For that to happen, there has to be an overall authority to move, mandate, oversee and
maintain the changes. There are already those who are filling the role. These are the global
elite, who intend to dominate and control every facet of people’s lives. Every movement and
transaction will be tracked. Food will be restricted. Perception of reality will be heavily
manipulated. 11 There will be an unprecedented level of control over the masses through
technology. It will be control over what we eat, how we use energy and transport, how we
conduct local politics, how we do law enforcement, how we have information access. There will be a digital public infrastructure, including digital identification systems and digital currency.
Rather than utopia, such a New World Order will be a dystopian nightmare. The elite will
impose a new kind of serfdom through control of every facet of people’s lives.
Pope Francis is very much into such a New World Order. In fact, he insists on the need for a
global authority that would impose itself on the world. He looks to such bodies as the United
Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Economic Forum.
One
The Catholic Church is one. It is the one body of Christ on earth. This also points to the unity
among all believers. Such unity is in Christ.
But Pope Francis stretches the meaning of being one, to literally include everyone. These are
sinners as well as saints. These are proponents of other religions as well as Christians. These are atheists as well as believers. These are enemies of the Church as well as defenders of the
Church. But this is not God’s intent. Being a true Catholic necessitates certain parameters.
Unrepentant sinners are not included. Those who do not look to Jesus as the only Savior are not included.
Further, Pope Francis stretches the meaning of “one” to suit his purposes. For example, he
has suppressed the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in order that there would only be the Novus
Ordo Mass. But the TLM is the Mass of the ages, celebrated by the Church through two
millennia. Further, there actually are many rites within the Catholic Church, as represented by
the Eastern Rite Catholics, 12 and the Pope does not seek to suppress them. In truth, the Pope i just suppressing what is conservative and promoting what is liberal and modernist.
Opposing abortion
Pope Francis tells the world to oppose abortion and to defend life. However, it seems that
this is all talk, as his actions betray his true sentiments. He does not chastise prominent Catholic public servants such as President Biden of the USA, who is a rabid promoter of abortion. The Pope in fact tells him he can receive Holy Communion without repenting of his evil acts.
The Pope has appointed many pro-aborts to sensitive Vatican positions, and have often
given pro-aborts prominent places in Vatican conferences. The Pope has partnered with the UN to include pushing its Social Development Goals which include abortion. The UN and globalists are rabid in pushing abortion throughout the world.
The Pope has publicly praised Emma Bonino, Italy’s leading abortionist. He has extolled
many others as well. He awarded Lilianne Ploumen of the Netherlands, an extreme abortion
and LGBT activist, the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St Gregory the Great.
The Pope has said and done many things that show he does not really oppose abortion, or at the very least, that he would do what he could to oppose and stop abortion. On the contrary, with his actions, the pro-aborts are encouraged in their advocacy for abortion. Thus no amount of talk can overcome the clear and public evil that he in effect endorses.
Patriarchy
Patriarchy is very much of God. Most fundamentally, God is Father. Then, in looking to the
history of God’s chosen people the Israelites, we look to the Patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. And according to Christian teaching, the father is the head of the family, to whom is
owed submission and respect by his wife and children.
In today’s world, however, patriarchy has been given a bad name. It is claimed that this
social system gives rise to tyrannical rule by the patriarch, and largely excludes women from
power and privilege. This way of thinking has entered into the Church, and gives rise to
demands for greater involvement by women, including having women priests.
Now Jesus called only men to be his apostles. Today, bishops are the successors of the
apostles. Jesus also intended the priesthood to be only for men. It is not a question of
discrimination, but of proper roles according to God’s design.
Preferential option for the poor
Jesus loves everyone, but has a preferential option for the poor. The poor are those who lack
what is needed to live a life of dignity as a creation of God. There is both the material/physical poor and the spiritual poor. Jesus healed the sick and drove out demons.
Modernists in the Church also proclaim a preferential option for the poor, but oftentimes
look only to the physical or material poor. These are the homeless, the immigrants, the
oppressed, the marginalized. But in so doing, there is a lack of focus on spiritual poverty.
Modernists strive to help the poor overcome and overturn their sorry situation, but there is
hardly much effort to help them overthrow the dominion of the evil one over their lives.
For example, the UN’s Social Development Goals, which Pope Francis strongly supports, seek to eliminate poverty, but part of this is providing and even imposing contraceptives, abortion and acceptance of LGBT. In fact, material aid is often conditional on acceptance of these elements of the culture of DEATH.
The greatest poverty is sin, and the greatest loss is not making it to heaven. While all people
should have an equitable share of the world’s goods, the greater focus must be on spiritual
poverty and not material poverty. It is better to remain materially poor but make it to heaven, than have riches in this world but miss out on heaven.
Progressive
A progressive is a person who advocates social reform and new liberal ideas. It is intended
for change and improvement, not maintaining the status quo. It seeks to advance the human
condition through social reform. All these seem to be good. But when applied to the age-old ways and teachings of the Church, it leads to a deterioration of faith. It leads to an overturning of the intent of God for His Church. Looking to social reform, it adopts the ways of the world and the wisdom of the age. The focus shifts to man as against God.
Proselytism
To proselytize is to convert someone from one religion, belief or opinion to another. A first-
century convert to Judaism was called a proselyte. With Christianity, proselytism simply means making converts. As such, it is about the very final instruction of Jesus to his disciples before he ascended into heaven. He told them to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19). The very mission of the Church is to make converts.
Pope Francis, however, dislikes proselytism, and tells Catholics not to proselytize. Now papal
apologists say the reason is because proselytism involves forced conversion, that people are
coerced into converting. If this is the case, then indeed this is not right. Catholics should never force anyone to convert and join the Church.
However, this is not the reason of the Pope. For the Pope, he is against proselytism because
he wants people of different faiths to remain where they are. He does not see them as needing to become Christians or Catholics. He looks to the validity of all religions, that they all lead to the divine. He looks to the international fraternity of all peoples, and not to the uniqueness of the Christian faith. In effect, he sees salvation as possible apart from Jesus Christ.
Well, Pope Francis is focused on social justice rather than the righteousness of God. He sees
the evangelistic mission of the Church as caring for the poor rather than looking to lost souls.
Queer/Questioning
The acronym LGBT has morphed into LGBTQ. The “Q” stands for queer or questioning. It is
for those who do not feel that the terms lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (that is, LGBT)
fully represent them.
The woke crowd also expands it further to LGBTQIA+. “I” is for Intersex and “A” is for
asexual. The “+” is for all the other genders or identities, which can number over 60 or 70.
Reproductive health
The term “reproductive health” is a euphemism for abortion. Pro-aborts now claim abortion
is healthcare. How ironic this is, since abortion is always about the murder of the unborn child in the womb. But even for the woman, abortion is dangerous and can result in severe medical complications, as well as emotional trauma.
Right
On the socio-political or ideological spectrum, people are characterized as being on the left
or on the right. Those on the left are the so-called liberals or progressives, while those on the
right are the conservatives or traditionalists. Now to be on the left or on the right is in relation to the center.
For authentic Christians, 13 they are to be centered on Christ. They are neither right nor left
but are to live according to gospel values, which places them at the center.
Liberals look on Christians who stand for gospel values to be part of conservatives, and often
accuse them of being right wing or far-right or alt-right. 14 This is especially as they oppose liberal ideologies. But being in the center, they can only be considered on the right in relation to liberals who are on the left, that is, those who are in the center are on the right of those who are on the left. And the farther left people are, the more far-right they look on those in the center.
Rigidity
Rigidity is inability to be changed or adapted. Modernists today want to change the age-old
teachings of Christ, the apostles and the Church. But Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. God says, “For I, the Lord, do not change.” (Mal 3:6a). There are things that are eternal, and truths that do not change through time, and certainly not to accommodate the culture of the age.
Pope Francis accuses conservatives in the Church of being rigid, because they resist his
liberal and modernist views. Conservatives cling to age-old traditions, which the Church has
observed through two millennia. Jesus himself has said, “Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Mt 5:18).
So for those who want to keep to God’s law, it is not about rigidity but is about fidelity.
Synodality.
The word “synodality” had become popular as Pope Francis has brought about his Synod on
Synodality. There is no clear understanding as to what synodality means. Basically, it is about
walking together as God’s people. It is about listening to the grassroots. It is in a way the
opposite of a patriarchal Church. The movement of the Spirit is not from the top down, but
from the bottom up.
But this is not the way Jesus designed his Church. It is hierarchical, with Jesus as the head,
then his Vicar the Pope, then the bishops, then the clergy, then the whole people of God. It is not a question of listening to everyone, especially to heretics, apostates, atheists and those of other faiths. It is listening to the Holy Spirit. Listening to everyone can easily lead to listening to the spirit of the age.
Indeed we are all brethren in Christ. We are all one Church. We are all pilgrims on our way to
heaven. But we do not have a democratic Church, where everyone gets to vote on the direction of the Church. It is not about majority vote. It is not about what people want (they often want the wrong things because of their fallen nature). Our faith is based on Christ, the apostolic tradition, and Church Magisterium.
Synodality looks to a new way of being Church, a new religion based on human experience
and the culture of the age. But what is right is the age-old way of the apostolic Church
established by Jesus.
Terrorist
A terrorist is a person who uses unlawful violence and intimidation, especially against
civilians, in the pursuit of political aims. This is pretty clear to us. We all have seen the work of
terrorists in different parts of the world.
But liberals today have redefined the word. The USA in particular under the Democrats has
become a police state, with government using state agencies such as the FBI to terrorize
innocent citizens. The prime example of a terrorist in the USA today is a Catholic pro-lifer, who prays at abortion clinics, or a conservative parent, who fights against woke indoctrination of children.
The real domestic terrorists are given a pass, such as Black Lives Matter (BLM) and ANTIFA.
Totalitarian states are more and more infringing on the constitutional rights of citizens. This
is about freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of assembly, freedom of speaking
out against corruption and injustice. These citizens are being treated as criminals and are being arrested and prosecuted without just cause.
Liberals are using terrorism to justify other totalitarian acts, such as forcing vaccine
mandates on populations.
Tolerance
Tolerance is a virtue. Tolerance is about allowing or accepting an action, opinion, object or
person that one dislikes or disagrees with. Tolerance has become a key woke buzzword. It
means accepting the other person, including his sin. It means not speaking out against evil,
because it is hurtful. It means allowing people to do their own thing, no matter how bad it is.
Liberals like to preach tolerance. It is their way of getting people to accept their ideologies.
Those who remain intolerant are called haters and bigots. But once they begin to have their
way, they become very intolerant of those who oppose their views. They preach but not
practice. When they gain power, they suppress those who oppose them, by shaming on social media, by passing laws penalizing those who dissent, by using state power to oppress their opponents. They have done this with vaccine mandates, with the LGBT ideology, with school indoctrination of children.
Pope Francis himself is intolerant of those whom he considers as rigid. This just means those
who oppose his modernist ways.
Tolerance is a virtue, but we must never tolerate what is evil. For example, there must be
zero tolerance for the evil of clerical sexual predation. The Pope however has oftentimes
tolerated such wrongdoing, even shielding some predators.
Tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group from generation to
generation. Tradition with a capital “T” is a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures. The three sources of Church authority are Sacred Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. Tradition is how we describe the way in which things have been understood throughout the history of Christianity, starting with the apostles.
Under Pope Francis, tradition is under attack. He suppresses the Traditional Latin Mass and
is unsupportive of traditional religious orders. 15 As a modernist, he sees Tradition as opposed to changes, even in doctrine, that he believes are required by contemporary culture.
Universal
The Church is universal. It comprises the entire body of Christ. It is a heavenly and
eschatological assembly of everyone—past, present and future—who belong to Christ and his Kingdom. This latter aspect is of utmost importance. To be part of the universal Church is first of all to belong to Christ.
Modernists would like to make everyone, saint and sinner alike, to be considered part of the
universal Church. Thus Pope Francis welcomes everyone. But while the Church is open to
everyone, there are entry requirements. It is repentance and putting one’s faith in Jesus, and
baptism into the Church. Unrepentant sinners cannot be part of the Church.
The ultimate hope of Christians is to make it to heaven and be eternally with God. But
unrepentant sinners cannot enter heaven.
Vicar of Christ
The Pope is the Vicar of Christ. He is the top representative of Christ on earth, and possesses
Christ’s authority in the Church.
Pope Francis however has rejected the title Vicar of Christ. 16 In the 2020 edition of the
Vatican yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, the title “Vicar of Christ” no longer appears under
Pope Francis. This title had always been at the head of the different titles accorded to the
Pope. *17
Does the rejection by the Pope of the title Vicar of Christ point to his going his own way,
since a vicar is one who acts in the person of or as agent for a superior? Does the Pope look to this as charting his own course, even going against the teachings of Christ?
Who am I to judge?
Pope Francis has said, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to
judge?” It seems the Pope is just mindful of Jesus’ words, “Stop judging and you will not be
judged.” (Lk 6:37a). Are we then never to judge others?
There are instances when we can or should judge. Such is the case with judges in a court of
law. They make decisions based on evidence presented. But how about in our day-to-day
interactions? What does it mean not to judge?
We certainly can make a judgment on the rightness of wrongness of another person’s action.
This judging looks at the objective situation. What we must not judge is the internal disposition of the person. We cannot judge his motives, which we are not knowledgeable about. In other words, we are not to be judgmental.
Modernists use this principle of non-judgment to silence those who criticize or condemn
wrongdoing. But it is important to denounce wrongdoing of those in the Church. As Paul says, “Is it not your business to judge those within?” (1 Cor 5:12b). The intent is to preserve the holiness of God’s people. We are not just to judge, but to act on such judgment. “Purge the evil person from your midst.” (1 Cor 5:13b).
Modernists do not judge others, but just let sinners freely involve themselves in the Church.
Woman
A woman is an adult female human being. You obviously know that. 18 But it is a reality that is not obviously known to woke liberals. To them, a woman is one who identifies as a woman.
Thus a biological man can be a woman if he says he is one. These liberals deny biology and
redefine what a woman is.
Many men today claim to be women and insist on being treated as women and having the
privileges of women. Thus they insist on using females-only dressing rooms; they join women’s sports; *19 they are incarcerated in women’s prisons; *20 they win Miss Universe contests; *21 they say they can menstruate, become pregnant, and chestfeed babies.
There are many woke organizations in the West that support all this nonsense. Thus those
who are still right-thinking are cowed into silence, lest they be cancelled.
Pope Francis supports these trans-women (biological men) as he supports Monica Astorga
Cremona, a Discalced Carmelite nun, who is known as the “nun of the trans.” She built a condo complex for trans-women, in Argentina. The Pope told her, “God will repay you.”
Wrongdoing
Wrongdoing is an action that violates the laws of God.
Modernists today have a different view of wrongdoing. To them, actions such as homosexual
sex or using contraceptives are acceptable. What to them would be sinful are such things as
damaging the environment, or being rigid in not accepting the setting aside of tradition in favor of the culture of the age, or refusing vaccine mandates.
***
“…. equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ,
so that we may no longer be infants,
tossed by waves and swept along by
every wind of teaching arising from human trickery,
from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow
in every way into him who is the head, Christ”
(Ephesians 4:12-15)
***
Join <Caveside Chat with the Hermit for current inputs by signing up at
1 Paraphrase of remarks of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the funeral of Cardinal Joachim Meisner in July
2017.
2 See Matthew 23:13-32.
3 See Luke 12:51-53.
4 DEATH is an acronym for divorce, euthanasia, abortion, total population control and homosexual
relations.
5 See 1 Corinthians 12:10.
6 Among the dizzying array of ridiculous genders are the following: ambonec, astral gender, esspigender,
genderqueer, omnigender. Don’t ask me what these mean. We should have no time for such stupidity.
7 Equality, fraternity and liberty are values of the French Revolution (egalité, fraternité, liberté), which
have its roots in Freemasonry.
8 There are many such euphemisms: trauma-informed care; restorative justice; harm reduction; racial
equality.
9 Such as the World Economic Forum (WEF).
10 The Pope, in his pro-LGBT stance, violates the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #2333). He also
goes against scripture, which says we are created as male and female, and which clearly condemns
homosexual actions.
11 Such as is the work of Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse.
12 Such as the Maronite, Syro-Malabar, Chaldean, Melkite Greek, Armenian, etc.
13 There are those who profess the Christian faith, but do not live out the ways of God, and so cannot be
considered as authentic Christians.
14 Abbreviated from “alternative right,” which is a far-right, white nationalist movement based in the
USA whose members reject mainstream conservative politics and espouse extremist beliefs and policies
typically centered on ideas of white nationalism.
15 The Pope wants cloistered nuns to leave their cloisters and mingle in the world.
16 Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, says
that downgrading the title is a “theological barbarism.”
17 Such as Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the universal Church, Primate of
Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman province, Sovereign of the Vatican City-State.
18 When asked to define the word “woman,” Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said she could not, since she
was not a biologist. She was eventually elevated to the US Supreme Court.
19 With males having an advantage is speed, strength and stamina, they end up dominating the
sport and winning the medals deserved by real women.
20 There have already been many rapes and impregnations.
21 For the 2023 Miss Universe pageant, there were two transgenders who represented their
countries—Miss Portugal and Miss Netherlands.
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