Most marriages today are invalid, Pope Francis suggests

I'm not sure. I don't think so, especially if what he is saying doesn't gel with what the Church has always taught. We are supposed to look first for the good in everyone so I suppose we should look twice as hard for the good in the Pope. Trouble is that I see good intentions in that he wants to make the faith easy for those who have fallen away but I see bad in an agenda to fit the faith to the secular culture. Every time I'm half convinced that he isn't really working to the agenda of people like Cardinals Marx, Kasper, Daneels, etc., there's a new statement that sets me back to square one. It feels disloyal to doubt the Pope, but for me it's getting uncomfortably close to a choice between trusting Jesus and all prior popes or trusting Pope Francis, especially on matters concerning the sinfulness of sex outside a valid marriage and his views on collegiality where adultery in one diocese might not be adultery in the neighbouring diocese. Other things trouble me about him but I suppose they have more to do with his personality and his views on what makes certain people worthy of praise and honour and his repeated denigration of Catholics whom he regards as less merciful than himself. At the rate we're going, the only sin will be saying that sin exists.

There are times I get the impression that the Pope will feel more at home with the Lutherans than with practising Catholics. Hasn't he already said something along the lines of being more comfortable with non-believers? Perhaps I misunderstood that too.

 

I agree with you.However, my family members are always aghast when I question what Pope Francis says or does

 

I need to be honest, I thought this too and then I read the bible again and again, and in my opinion that's not what is going on right now. In addition, I panicked a week ago when I read what other websites were saying about the Pope and that is why I needed to post that I do not feel that he is the FP. I also understand where all of you are coming from, up until a couple of months ago I was unaware of what was going on and most of you have been following all of this for a lot longer than I have. I don't blame you for the frustration that I see in your posts.

I am also somewhat amazed that the Garabandal seers painted a pretty good picture of what is happening, the bishop's synod and the schism (or schism like situation). It has not all unfolded yet but it sure seems like we are well on our way.
In my opinion, some of the articles posted just make the situation worse. Personally, I don't need to read the analysis of every journalist around the world. I feel like I know what is going on, we were warned about it. We even have a relatively good idea of what is going to happen which will change ALL of this. We were even told what to do to prepare ourselves and our families, pray the rosary and receive the sacraments.

What worries me is that if you think that all if this is so bad, what can you imagine things will be like when the anti-Christ and the FP show up. It is going to get worse before it gets better, that is why I choose to defend the Pope.

 

If he only left out that word grace... He still realizes that there is a problem and at least he is honest about it. Rather than not saying anything.

 

When a Pope speaks infallibly, he cannot be doubted.

I'm not sure statements made during an in-plane press conference meet the requirements of infallibility. As far as I can recall, the Pope is only infallible when 1. He makes an ex-Cathedra statement or 2. When he is united with ALL the world's Bishops in defining or clarifying some issue of Faith and Morals.

The following sermon helps put the issue with Pope Francis into the proper historical context. The Church has weathered much worse storms:

 

The only people in my family who like him are those who don't practice the faith. They think he is affirming them. Those who still believe in heaven think he agrees with them that so long as they aren't stealing or murdering they have nothing to worry about. One family member whom I respect greatly, is less volatile than me and truly lives the faith said to me after the Pope's most recent statement "maybe we have been wrong all along; even God seems to be on the other side". This was the first time I ever detected a hint of doubt in a person who defended the Pope and the Church with quiet dignity even during the scandals.

Everyone seems to think that the False Prophet will be easy to spot but if that were the case why would many people be taken in by him unless our faith had already been watered down to the stage where what he preaches appears at first to be a gradual process - a development of Doctrine. That's the trouble with slippery slopes: once you start the slide downhill there's little chance of stopping before you hit the bottom. I believe that Martin Luther was a false prophet who led many people away from the faith, pruned the bible of books that didn't match what he believed and instituted the practice of calling the Pope the Anti-Christ. The Pope is attending a celebration of the Reformation, yet we are merciless for believing that Jesus who said that any man who looks lustfully at a woman who is not his wife commits adultery in his heart might have a problem with His Vicar saying that expecting two people who are not validly married to abstain from sexual relations is placing too great a burden on them. In his first public sermon, Jesus started with the word "Repent". Nowadays that has been softened to "convert" yet we never get a clear teaching on converting from what to what.

 

Early on, I questioned whether or not Pope Francis might indeed be an antipope False Prophet. The only problem with this theory is this: to my knowledge every time that there was a legitimate antipope in Church history, there was also the public counter claims of the legitimate Pope. But we find just the opposite today: Pope Emeritus Benedict resigned freely and in public and has never indicated anything to the contrary.

 

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Jesus Christ chose Peter not because of who he was before he was His Apostle, not because of who he was as His Apostle, not because of who He was after His death, not because of who he was after His Ressurection, not because of who he was after His Ascention, but because of who he became after Pentecost!

In the same way, Pope Francis is now the Vicar of Christ not so much for who he is right now, but for who he will be after the warning. Let's not forget, Pope Francis knows when events are suppossed to happen and we don't. Even saying that, he will be affected by the warning (as we all will be). This is when he will shine.

Keep the faith Brothers and Sisters. The Father is in control and these inconsistencies that we see from the Holy Father right now will somehow make him the guy Christ chose to lead us after the warning. It is true that this is my hope and I have no other knowledge than you do, but I have tremendous peace in this.

Peter was much different after Pentecost. The new great outpouring of the Holy Spirit (which is a continuation of the original Pentecost) will make Pope Francis the first Pope of the new era. This is my own belief and I ask you to pray on this and if it has any fruit for you, pick it. If not, discard it and keep praying for wisdom through our Queen and Mother, Mary.

Our Lady of Victory, Pray for us!

Peace,
Ed
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Here's one theory floating around the interwebs tonight. I'm not saying I agree with it, it has yet to be widely vetted and I'm in no position to do so, but it addresses your question. It's based on the talk last month by the Pope Emeritus' personal secretary Archbishop Gänswein who claimed Pope BXVI truly believes he "expanded" the papacy into a contemplative part and an active part, a diarchy (though he had no authority to do so):

They key here lies in Canon Law, specifically Canon 188.

Canon 188
A resignation made out of grave fear that is inflicted unjustly or out of malice, substantial error, or simony is invalid by the law itself.

They key here is the up-until-now almost incomprehensible and ignored provision for “substantial error”. What could that possibly mean? Up until now, it was speculated that if a pope were to resign thinking erroneously, for example, that he were OBLIGED to resign at a certain age, or some such, that this was what was being referenced. But to think that a pope could be so ignorant is ridiculous, indeed. No. We now know what “substantial error” is. Pope Benedict XVI Ratzinger made a “substantial error” in believing that the papacy could be “expanded” – in this case, bifurcated into a diarchy. Pope Benedict XVI submitted an invalid resignation not because he was coerced, but because he mistakenly believed and continues to believe that he could at once resign, thus allowing for the election of a successor, and yet still remain a Pope – note the use not of the definite article “the”, but of the indefinite article “a”. This is SUBSTANTIAL ERROR if ever, ever there were so, and thus, according to Canon 188, Pope Benedict XVI Ratzinger’s resignation of 28 February ARSH 2013 was “invalid by the law itself”, and thus, he remains the one and only Roman Pontiff, whether or not he believes it or likes it.​

 

Ed, I never thought for a minute that Pope Francis could be the False Prophet, mostly because I believe that we will have at least one and probably a few more popes before we get to the stage where the real deal will arrive and be able to deceive even the elect. Neither do I believe that Pope Francis is the first to take us to the slippery slope. I just get the impression that we are accelerating downwards at a faster pace now than ever before, making it even more difficult for a future pope to pull us back up the hill.

Good for those of you who are expecting a warning. What if the warning doesn't come in your lifetime or your children's lifetime? Each generation has a duty to pass on the Deposit of Faith intact as though the end will come at any minute but might not come for millennia. Will we be answerable for handing on a Deposit of Faith that has been undermined by practices that don't support it or might even contradict it because we expected Heaven to intervene to sort us out?

 

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You are of course right Dolours. This is what all the faithful must do and what we are called to do as the Holy Spirit leads us.
Peace Dear Sister,
Ed

 

Good for those of you who are expecting a warning. What if the warning doesn't come in your lifetime or your children's lifetime?

One would then have to believe that Garabandal is false.

Will we be answerable for handing on a Deposit of Faith that has been undermined by practices that don't support it or might even contradict it because we expected Heaven to intervene to sort us out?

Some would say that that has already happened!!

 

"maybe we have been wrong all along; even God seems to be on the other side".

Pope Francis has made me doubt a lot of things. The Church is now in a season of doubt. And a season of confusion.

He is way too far to the left politically for my liking and this comes across in a lot of his teachings.

I don't think history is going to look too kindly on him (and here I am thinking of Church history).

 

Pope Francis has way too many admirers in the secular world, especially those who are on the left politically.


At the Vatican event, Clooney praised Scholas Occurrentes, saying that it was “wonderful” to see “so many religions talking about inclusion.” He praised Pope Francis for using the best way to combat “fundamentalist attitudes,” namely by focusing on school children. “We have to start with schools, because we know that hatred and fundamentalist attitudes have to be taught. We’re not born this way, it’s a learned behaviour. Pope Francis is focusing on schools, because he knows that this is the only way we’re going to fight it,” he said during the event.

 

I meant that Rorate Caeli might have been doing the editing. Of course, it may just have been an accident too. It just goes to show how misunderstandings can innocently occur very easily. There's a lesson there for us all.

 

the Pope is the Pope. What can I say? If we cannot turn to Peter, then where will we go?
I believe we must wait in prayerful resignation for God to intervene.

 

All things pass, only God is Eternal

 

As we all know, we live in highly unusual times. Whatever's said and done, to have a Pope as well as a Pope Emeritus is indeed unprecedented, and somewhat confusing.

 

God Himself will have to unconfuse it; it is beyond the power of man;it is His Church,He'll have to fix it and He will

 

I love Pope Francis! Why is his statement such a HUGE DEAL???
Is it so wrong to think he's absolutly correct? Couples today aren't prepared, don't know their faith and don't know what the sacrament of martimony really means. Look at the world we're living in. His statement, if not absolutly true, isn't far from it. He didn't say your marriage wasn't valid, so everyone calm down!!!!!!