QUO VADIS, POPE FRANCIS? – Part 3
“The barque of Peter is capsizing”*1
A critique of Pope Francis
In the Nicene Creed, we profess: “I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”
These are the four marks (or characteristics or properties) of our Church, the marks of the
authentic Church that Jesus established. Tragically, Pope Francis has been erasing these marks. The Church that Pope Francis is building is no longer the authentic Church of Jesus.
One
The Church is one because her source is the Trinity (three Persons in one God). The Church is
the body of Christ on earth. As there is only one Jesus, then there can only be one authentic
Church. The Church is one in the Holy Spirit, who joins the faithful intimately in Christ. Unity is of the essence of the Church.*2
This unity is in diversity, gathering a multiplicity of peoples and cultures, with different gifts,
offices, conditions and ways of life.*3 There are also different rites in the Catholic Church. The biggest, comprising about 98.6% of all Catholics, is the Latin rite.*4 This is what most of us are familiar with. But there are 23 other churches, such as the Maronite, Syro-Malabar, Chaldean, Melkite Greek, Armenian, etc. All accept the primacy of the Pope, and as such are part of the “Catholic Church.”*5
But Pope Francis says all religions lead to the divine. He accepts all religions and all churches, including those who do not accept Jesus as God and those who are even anti-God.*6 He dissuades the Church from trying to bring in people to become Catholic.*7
Pope Francis has succeeded in dividing our Church, basically between liberals and
conservatives, between modernists and traditionalists, between those who look merely to the well-being of man and those who look to the righteousness of God. Modernists today are accepting what had been unacceptable for two millennia, such as homosexual relationships*8 and the other elements of the culture of DEATH.*9 They are blessing same-sex unions, even if the Church is supposed not to be able to bless what is sin.
Sin has lost its place. Where once we were to love the sinner but hate the sin, today we are
to love the sinner, period. Just be nice and accompany people, including grave sinners. While we indeed should reach out to everyone, especially to sinners, the aim is to help bring them to conversion, *10 not to be comfortable in their sin.
After almost a decade of modernist errors, the remaining conservatives in our Church are
now challenging Pope Francis. They are standing up for the authentic faith of Jesus. Our Church is now split in the middle, and is no longer truly one.
Holy
The Church has been established by Jesus in order to bring people to conversion, and then to grow in holiness. We are to be holy as God is holy. *11 In fact, we are called to perfection. *12 We are called to be saints. This happens as the word of God is taught and promoted, and as the ministers of the gospel, especially the hierarchy, exercise their role of guiding and forming the people.
But today many Catholics are being lost. For lack of guidance a people perish. *13 And worse, many bishops, led by the Pope, have become false shepherds, and have become wolves among the sheep. They are the ones leading laypeople astray, with their modernist teachings. What is holy has not only been fed to swine, *14 but Catholics are being thrown into the mire, becoming filthy rather than pure and holy.
Among the Pope’s closest collaborators are heterodox bishops, homosexualists and LGBT
ideologues, rabid pro-aborts, globalists, climate alarmists, depopulationists, New World Order and Great Reset elites, vaccine mandate tyrants. Tell me who your friends are, and I will tell you who you are.
Catholic
The word “catholic” means “universal.” *15 She is sent out by Jesus on a mission to the whole of the human race. *16 To be catholic basically means being open to and accepting of everyone. Indeed the Church of Jesus is open to all, especially to sinners, *17 which we all are. But there is a price of admission: it is repentance and putting our faith in Jesus. Pope Francis has waived this price of admission, and just accepts everyone, with grave sinners remaining in their sin. Priests are being instructed to give absolution in confession, even without repentance for sin and a firm resolve to sin no more.
In fact, with the acceptance of all religions as pathways to the divine, Pope Francis has in
effect set Jesus aside. *18 If you worship Allah or Hindu gods, go ahead. If you are an atheist or even an enemy of the Church, you are welcome still. Come as you are. But we know that Jesus is the only Way, and there is no other name by which people are saved. *19
The Church exists for mission. By her very nature and purpose, she is missionary, just as the
apostles and disciples were, who were sent to proclaim the Kingdom of God. *20 But Pope Francis does not want the Church to proselytize, which simply means to make converts. But that is the very purpose of the Church, to make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Triune God. *21
Pope Francis still speaks of “evangelization,” but to him this has taken on a different
meaning. It is just to reach out to people and to be nice to them, to accompany them. Thus he preaches social justice, *22 buying into such woke abominations as gender identity. Thus he favors so-called international brotherhood (which is a Freemasonic concept; for us, we can only be brethren with those who do the will of God *23 ). Thus he is deep into climate change (the hysteria of which has no factual basis). Thus he collaborates closely with globalists, and such institutions as the UN, with its Agenda 2030 (which pushes abortion and LGBT), and the WHO (with its plan to impose global totalitarian mandates and control on peoples of the world). *24
Apostolic
The Church is founded on the apostles. Through the Holy Spirit, the Church hands on
apostolic teaching through the generations. The apostles are succeeded in pastoral office by the bishops, assisted by priests. *25 Jesus continues his mission through the apostles. *26 All members of the Church share in her mission, 27 both clergy and laity alike.
Pope Francis, who is foremost among all bishops, who takes on the Chair of Peter, has
deviated from apostolic teaching, delving into modernist heresy. He has deviated from the very mission of the Church, which is to save souls, but instead looks just to the material and physical well-being of man. But what good is it to live well in the world but not make it to heaven? *28
As all Catholics participate in the apostolate, we laypeople have a responsibility to oppose
doctrinal error and liturgical abuses. This is part of our prophetic calling, by virtue of Baptism. Out of love for the sinner and concern for the well-being of the Church, we can even call out the Pope. Paul called out Peter, the first Pope. *29
__________________________
1 Paraphrase of remarks of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI at the funeral of Cardinal Joachim Meisner in July
2017.
2 CCC 813.
3 CCC 814.
4 These 23 churches have 18 million members, versus 1.3 billion for the Latin Church.
5 So why can’t Pope Francis accept the Traditional Latin Mass, if there are so many different
liturgies with which to celebrate the Holy Eucharist? The Pope is not only not accepting it, but is
striving hard to stamp it out.
6 These include atheists, Freemasons and Satanists.
7 There were a number of Anglican bishops who wanted to become Catholic, but the Pope
dissuaded them, telling them to stay where they were.
8 Active homosexuality has always been condemned by the Church. See Romans 1:24-32; 1
Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:10.
9 DEATH is an acronym for Divorce, Euthanasia, Abortion, Total population control, and
Homosexual relationships.
10 Mark 1:14-15.
11 1 Peter 1:15-16.
12 Matthew 5:48.
13 Proverbs 11:14.
14 Matthew 7:6.
15 CCC 830.
16 CCC 831.
17 Luke 5:32.
18 There is goodness and truth that can be found in other religions, and indeed they can be a preparation for the gospel. See CCC 843. But the Pope just accepts these other religions,
without particular reference to the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ.
19 Acts 4:12.
20 Luke 9:1-6.
21 Matthew 28:19-20.
22 The Bible speaks only of “justice” and not social justice, which focuses on the well-being of man but often at the expense of the righteousness of God. Justice and righteousness are often interchangeable in Biblical usage.
23 Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21.
24 Under the guise of world health. But the WHO regards abortion as healthcare.
25 CCC 857.
26 Jn 20:21; Mt 10:40; Lk 10:16.
27 CCC 863.
28 Mark 8:36.
29 Galatians 2:11.
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