https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/02/09/pope-denounces-restorationist-orders-takes-shot-medjugorje/ Pope denounces 'restorationist' orders, pokes fun at Medjugorje Inés San Martín VATICAN CORRESPONDENT Pope Francis is framed from the media balcony during his weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017. (Credit: AP Photo/Andrew Medichini.) Pope Francis has said that "the devil is in action" on cases of clerical sexual abuse, that the image of the Virgin as a "superstar" is not Catholic, and that despite the decline of religious vocations in the West, he worries when he hears that new, "restorationist" congregations have many vocations. ROME- Pope Francis said that clerical sexual abuse is the work of the devil, there’s corruption in the Vatican, warned against new religious orders with a “restorationist” mentality, and even appeared to take a gentle shot at reputed Marian apparitions such as Medjugorje, saying the real Madonna is not “the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter.” These are only a handful of the points Pope Francis touched on during a meeting with 140 Superiors General of male religious orders and congregations last November, in an informal, behind-closed doors exchange. The transcript of the encounter was published on Friday by the Jesuit-run magazine La Civiltà Cattolica, which is celebrating its issue number 4,000. Regarding sexual abuse by clergy and religious men and women, Pope Francis said that “it seems that half of those who commit abuse have been victims of abuse,” which is “devastating” because it sows abuse into the future. “If priests or religious are involved, it’s clear that the presence of the devil is in action, ruining the work of Jesus through those who were supposed to communicate Jesus,” Francis said. The pontiff added that as long as “we’re not convinced” this is a disease, the problem won’t be solved. As such, he called for a better screening of candidates for the priesthood, and to never welcome those who have been refused by other seminaries or institutions without clear reasons as to why they were rejected. The meeting between Francis and the religious lasted almost three hours, and took place on Nov. 25. Speaking specifically about the members of religious orders, Francis said that within the dioceses, they “should not be afraid to say things.” “A worldly and princely attitude has entered the structures of the Church, and religious communities can contribute to destroying this malign influence,” he said. According to Francis, there’s no need for a man to be a cardinal for him to believe he’s a prince: “It’s enough to be clerical. This is the worst thing in the organization of the Church. Monks and friars can help with the testimony of a more humble kind of brotherhood.” He also called for religious orders to be poor, because that’s what “the Lord wants.” When they aren’t, he added, God sends a “bursar to send the institute into bankruptcy!” The bursar, the pope said, cannot be attached to money, and that it’s important to be sure of the investments by the banks where religious orders keep the money. “It must never happen that there are investments in weapons, for example. Never.” The pope also acknowledged that he’s worried about the decline of religious vocations in the West, something for which he said he hopes the next Synod of Bishops, directed to youth and vocational discernment, can address and suggest solutions. RELATED: Young people to be more than study subjects in upcoming synod Yet he’s also worried about the rise of some new religious institutes that attract many religious vocations, but which then fail, some because of the scandals of their founders. These, he said, are not inspired by the Holy Spirit but by a charismatic person. Some of these new orders, Francis added, are “restorationist,” seemingly providing security when in reality they give “rigidity.” “When they tell me that there is a congregation that draws so many vocations, I must confess that I worry,” he said. “The Spirit does not follow the logic of human success.” Some of these new religious congregations, Francis denounced, are “Pelagians,” who want a return to asceticism and penance, “soldiers who seem ready to do anything for the defense of faith and morality, and then some scandal emerges involving the founder [male or female].” Don’t put your hope in the sudden, mass blooming of these institutes, the pope told the Superiors General of male religious orders and congregations. “Instead, try the humble path of Jesus, that of evangelical witness,” he said who “put it perfectly when he said that the Church does not grow by proselytism but by attraction.” The pope also repeated some of his usual concepts, such as the need for a Church that “goes out,” which he defined as one that is in the outskirts, both existential and social. “We think of a form of poverty, linked to the problem of migrants and refugees: and more important than international agreements is the life of those people!” he said. Charity, he added, is also a way of ecumenism, because “it’s the poor who united divided Christians!” He also talked about the need for seminarians to be taught discernment, because “In education we are used to dealing with black and white formulas, but not with the grey areas of life. And what matters is life, not formulas.” RELATED: Pope Francis says priests must be taught to see shades of gray Discernment, Francis pointed out, “means moving forward through the gray of life according to the will of God.” One of the questions posed to Francis had to do with the three themes for the upcoming Word Youth Days, meaning the ones held annually in every country and then Panama 2019. All of them are related to the Virgin Mary. The pope said that they had been the only ones suggested to him, but that he was “glad” with the ones proposed, because in Latin America there’s a strong Marian devotion. “But the real Madonna! Not the Madonna at the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter, saying: ‘My children, do this and then the next day do that.’ No, not that Madonna. The real Madonna is the one who generates Jesus in our hearts, a Mother.” The superstar Virgin Mary, who seeks the limelight, the pope insisted, “is not Catholic.” Though he didn’t give examples as to what he was referring to, whenever Francis brings up the image of the Virgin as a “postmistress,” many think of Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where some believe she’s been appearing daily since 1981. RELATED: As debate rages over Medjugorje, maybe a place of prayer is enough Asked about the source of his serenity, Francis said that he’s been at peace since he was named pope, without the need for “tranquilizers.” He acknowledged that among the problems the Church faces is the corruption within the Vatican, but that even on this he’s at peace: “If there’s a problem I write a note to St. Joseph and put it under an image I have of him in my room […] now he sleeps under a mattress of notes!” #PopeFrancis writes problems on slip of paper & puts under statue of St Joseph sleeping, says the saint now has "a mattress of notes"! — Cindy Wooden (@Cindy_Wooden) 6:42 AM - 9 Feb 2017 To live in peace, he also said, a “healthy couldn’t-care-less attitude” is needed, something which he says he picked up from Italians. Before closing the encounter, Francis also called the religious to “go forth with courage and without fear of making mistakes,” because those who make no mistakes are those who do nothing. “We have to go forth! We’ll make mistakes, sometimes, yes, but God’s mercy is always on our side!” he said.
Never any good news. Well trying to be positive some times the things he says are good. Deep and spiritual. I can't explain it. His homilies can be quite excellent sometimes. Trying to be positive. Sigh.
I suspect he has ghost writers for his formal homilies, as has been asserted numerous times elsewhere.
Good man! As for the supposed comment by Pope Francis on Medugorje, here’s a link to a positive take on the quote. “The real Madonna is the one who generates Jesus in our hearts, a Mother” http://www.themedjugorjewitness.org
I checked to see if he was misquoted, I don't think so. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/cathol...vided-catholic-laughs-two-classic-tv-episodes
Crux is pretty liberal/progressive but they are not known for fake news. From your link, it appears he repeated a charge he's made several times: However, he cautioned that while the Marian themes are important, they must focus on “the real Madonna! Not the Madonna at the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter, saying: ‘My children, do this and then the next day do that.’” “No, not that Madonna,” he said, noting that “the real Madonna is the one who generates Jesus in our hearts, a Mother. This fashion for a superstar Madonna, who seeks the limelight, is not Catholic.”
I agree, I am highly suspicious though when there are not quotes around the whole statement and the Superstar Virgin Mary statement bothered me. Therefore, I needed to check it. Keep praying!
Actually, since the homilies written by ghost writers, not him, tend to be fairly solid, I'd agree that those authors are inspired by the Holy Ghost. Unfortunately this just reinforces a reality imposed on us by this pontificate: judge him NOT by what he says [in homilies] but by what he DOES [and says off the cuff]. Deliberately or not, decent homilies tend to quiet the deep misgivings of faithful Catholics who otherwise might ask too many (important) questions.
It is interesting that some critics of Francis have something they dislike even more than the Holy Father - namely Medjugorje! So suddenly Pope Francis is worthy of belief if he speaks against Medjugorje! Well of course he is not speaking about Medjugorje. He is speaking against the large number of false messages out there, many of which are published on this forum. Those who understand the messages of Medjugorje know the Pope's words are not directed against the events there. That will not stop the critics doing their work. Yet all this has to be this way. God's love is to be persecuted. Through that persecution, God is able to redeem. The response at http://www.themedjugorjewitness.org is a good one.
Fail. I don't trust anything he says about Medjugorje, even if he is obviously critical. He has consistently said this in reference to Medjugorje though: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/n...ent-pope-downplays-predictable-visions-20781/ Days after Medjugorje comment, Pope downplays predictable visions by Elise Harris Vatican City, Jun 9, 2015 / 07:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Days after declaring that a decision on the Medjugorje apparitions would be coming soon, Pope Francis cautioned against basing one’s faith solely on predicted visions or anything other than Christ himself. In his June 9 daily Mass at the Vatican’s Saint Martha Guesthouse, Pope Francis cautioned against those who look for God “with these Christian spiritualties that are a little ethereal,” calling them “modern Gnostics.” These people, he said, “tell you this or that: no, the last word of God is Jesus Christ, there is no other!” He also warned against those “who always need novelty of Christian identity. They’ve forgotten that they were chosen, anointed, that they have the guarantee of the Spirit, and they seek.” Francis observed that there are those who might ask, “But where are the seers who tell us today, ‘the letter that the Madonna will send us at four in the afternoon…’” He cited this type of predicted vision as an example of those who base their faith on novelties, explaining that these people “live from this.” However “this isn’t Christian identity. The ultimate word of God is named ‘Jesus,’ nothing more,” he said. The alleged Marian apparitions of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina are the only apparitions said to still happen almost daily since their first occurrence in 1981. Out of the original six children, known as “seers,” who began to experience phenomena which they have claimed to be apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1981, three claim that they continue to receive visions every afternoon because not all of the secrets intended for them have been revealed. Pope Francis’ reference to predictable visions comes just days after he disclosed to journalists that a decision on the authenticity of the alleged Medjugorje apparitions could be coming soon. “We’re at this point of making decisions … and then they will be announced,” the Pope told journalists during a brief in-flight news conference June 6 while on his way back from the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo. He also revealed that “some guidelines will be given to bishops on the lines they will take.” In his daily homily Nov. 14, 2013, Francis cautioned against a misguided “spirit of curiosity” that can also take our vision off Christ, focusing instead on such predictable visions. One might be tempted to say “But I know a visionary, who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady,” he said on that occasion. Our Lady, he stressed, “is the Mother of everyone! And she loves all of us. She is not a postmaster, sending messages every day.” In his June 9 remarks, the Pope also cautioned against broadening one’s conscience “so much that everything enters.” Worldliness is something human, he said, noting that when it seeps into one’s morals and leads one to accept some of Christ’s teachings while rejecting others, this is how “salt loses its flavor.” “We see Christian communities, including Christians, who say they are Christians, but they cannot and are not giving witness to Jesus Christ. So (like this) identity goes backwards, backwards and you lose yourself, and this is the worldly nominalism that we see every day,” the Pope observed. Christian identity is “a beautiful identity which can be seen through witness,” which is the reason Jesus so frequently speaks about it, Francis continued. He cautioned against “watering down” one’s witness by reducing Christianity to a mere idea. Instead, Christian identity, which comes from Christ, “is concrete,” he said, explaining that this can be seen in the Beatitudes. From what Jesus outlines in the Beatitudes “we pass from this religion that’s a bit soft, in the air and on the road of the Gnostics,” the Pope noted. But behind true Christian identity “there is scandal. This Christian identity is scandalous,” he said, referring to Jesus’ death on the Cross. In the history of salvation God, “with his patience of Father, has brought us from ambiguity to certainty, to the concreteness of the incarnation and the redemptive death of his Son. This is our identity.”
The Pope has not consistently said anything in reference to Medjugorje. His only reference to Medjugorje has been in response to a question about when an announcement about Medjugorje might be made. That his answer on that occasion proved not to be accurate is a testament to the continuing opposition within the Vatican to apparitions in general.
Then why is it consistently reported that he is referencing Medjugorje if he is only talking about "other" supposed apparitions? Why no clarification from the Vatican? They were swift to throw Cardinal Sarah under the bus with a "clarification" that ad orientum worship and talk of a "reform of the reform" were no longer appropriate. When our children were acting in a certain way or asserting silly points, I would just hum a few bars of a certain tune, and they instantly knew their thoughts on their current theory were not worthy of further debate... Seems appropriate here. Someone clearly is dreaming. Again.
You mean that the Vatican needs to clarify all ridiculous comments made by the press, even the Catholic press?? They would need to get extra workers in to deal with the workload
When the world has the obvious and overwhelming impression the pope is referring to Medjugorje with these disparaging remarks, their subsequent silence after repeated statements gives consent to this impression. I.e., that's exactly their intent.
The usual tactic of detractors is to throw as much disinformation into the melting pot hoping that others will assume it is truth. It’s a process of sowing seeds of confusion, the darnel, satan’s work. Then there is the attempt to keep stirring the pot. Satan knows who he can rely on to do this as well. Then there are those who attempt to belittle and mock. Satan also has his people for that work too. Sometimes one person is capable of doing all this type of work for Satan. No one is immune from the devil’s temptations. He is no respecter of God’s creation. He even tried it on with Jesus. So if you are confused, feeling angry, righteous and tempted to mock and ridicule others, it may be time for a heart scan and a one-to-one session with the Healer.
I think it's appropriate to post this item again here: FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015 Journalist Paolo Brosio, perhaps the most active promoter of the Medjugorje phenomenon in Italy, met privately with Pope Francis at the Vatican yesterday and gave witness to his conversion experience at Medjugorje. He attended the forty-minute audience with his 94-year-old mother Anna who told the Holy Father she had been praying for her son’s conversion for 34 years. Brosio, his mother and Pope Francis all have origins in the Italian region of Piedmont and greeted each other in the local dialect. Since his conversion at Medjugorje in 2009, Brosio is a prominent promoter of the ‘phenomenon’, appearing regularly on Italian TV to witness. He has encouraged several ‘celebrities’ to make pilgrimage to Medjugorje and has set up charities to support good causes in Bosnia Herzegovina. He is currently commited to constructing a hospital at Medjugorje. In September 2013 Brosio was the subject of a cruel hoax by an Italian TV show when he received a telephone call from someone purporting to be Pope Francis. The call was filmed and later circulated on the internet last January. This was brought to the attention of Pope Francis who invited Brosio to visit him at the Apostolic Palace so that he could hear at first hand the journalist’s witness to Medjugorje. Brosio received a phone call from Monsignor Angelo Becciu of the Vatican Secretariat of State on March 5, informing him that Pope Francis wanted to meet him. The invitation was kept secret until yesterday. Commenting on his visit to the Vatican the TV journalist said, “I felt indescribable emotion, something I will never forget. At 12:30 I entered the papal palace. I was tense. I thanked him and he immediately put me at ease. I told my personal story, the dramatic moments when I got to step back from the brink after my conversion through prayer and faith in Our Lady of Medjugorje.” Brosio added that the Holy Father was aware of his conversion story and also the work he does in bringing pilgrims to Medjugorje. Brosio also presented Pope Francis with a copy of the six books he has authored on Medjugorje, as well as an official T-shirt representing the charity which is raising funds to build a hospital facility there. It is interesting to note that while there is a directive issued to U.S. bishops on behalf of Cardinal Gerhard Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to ‘remind’ the faithful not to witness to the Medjugorje phenomenon, Pope Francis shows us the door is not closed when it comes to ‘speaking of what we have seen and heard’ at Medjugorje. (Acts 4 : 20) All smiles at the Vatican as Paolo Brosio and his mother Anna meet with Pope Francis http://crownofstars.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/pope-invites-medjugorje-promoter-to.html
Seems that the Virgin agrees with the Pope in that she is alleged to have said at one time as she gazed out upon the crowd during an apparition there....that she was happy to see all of her children gathered together but that she said only a very few present actually were doing what she has been asking for so long....that their hearts were not with her in truth. One thing though that the Pope, IF ever referring to Medj, needs to consider is that most of the grumpiest critics claim just the opposite....that our Lady repeats the same messages over and over and for years rather than offering any new news or directions "from the Post Office"!! So THEY, such critics, are the ones always looking for something new and perhaps "exciting" for their own egos. Rather, she's like the mother who with long suffering continues each day to repeat to the clueless kids, "get up; make your bed; clean your shoes; take a shower; don't be late for school, etc." And such constant nearness has never been so necessary as in this confusing time that needs such direction daily!
