continued from above... If things are so serious, and a source of embarrassment, isn’t it shocking that so many of the Church’s pastors remain silent? Certainly, the situation is further aggravated by the silence of so many bishops and cardinals who share concern for the universal Church with the Roman Pontiff. Some simply stay silent. Others pretend that there is nothing serious going on. Still others spread fantasies of a new Church, of a Church that takes a totally different direction from the past, imagining for example a “new paradigm” for the Church, or a radical conversion in the Church’s pastoral practice, making it completely new. Then there are those who are enthusiastic promoters of the so-called revolution in the Catholic Church. For the faithful who understand the gravity of the situation, the lack of doctrinal and disciplinary direction on the part of their pastors leaves them lost. For the faithful who do not understand the gravity of the situation, this lack of direction leaves them in confusion, and possibly victims of errors that are harmful to their souls. Many people who have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church, having been baptized into a Protestant ecclesial communion, because their ecclesial communities have abandoned the apostolic faith, suffer intensely from the situation: perceiving that the Catholic Church is going down the same road of abandoning the Faith. The situation you are depicting is apocalyptic … This whole situation leads me to reflect more and more on the message of Our Lady of Fatima who warns us of evil — even more serious than the very grave evils suffered because of the spread of atheistic communism — which is apostasy from the faith within the Church. Number 675 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers” and that “the persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the ‘mystery of iniquity’ in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.” In such a situation the bishops and cardinals have the duty to proclaim true doctrine. At the same time, they must lead the faithful to make reparation for the offenses against Christ and the wounds inflicted on His Mystical Body, the Church, when faith and discipline are not rightly safeguarded and promoted by pastors. The great canonist of the thirteenth century, Henry of Segusio, also known as Hostiensis, facing the difficult question of how to correct a Roman Pontiff who acts in a way contrary to his office, states that the College of Cardinals constitutes a de facto check against papal error. Without a doubt, the figure of Pope Francis is much discussed today. The discussion easily passes from the uncritical exaltation of whatever he does to the ruthless criticism for every ambiguous gesture. But somehow the problem of how to relate to the Pope applies to every pontiff. And so some things need to be clarified. What does the Pope represent for the Church? According to the constant teaching of the Church, the Pope, through the express will of Christ, is “the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, 23). It is the essential service of the Pope to safeguard and promote the deposit of faith, true doctrine and sound discipline consistent with the truths believed. In the interview with Eugenio Scalfari quoted above, the Pope is referred to as “revolutionary.” But the Petrine Office has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with revolution. On the contrary, it exists exclusively for the preservation and propagation of the immutable Catholic faith, which leads souls to conversion of heart and leads all humanity to the unity founded on the order inscribed by God in His creation and especially in the heart of man, the only earthly creature made in the image of God. It is the order that Christ restored through the Paschal Mystery that we are celebrating in these [Easter] days. The grace of the Redemption that emanates from His glorious pierced Heart in the Church, in the hearts of His members, gives the strength to live according to this order, that is, in communion with God and with one’s neighbor. Surely the Pope is not an absolute sovereign, yet today he is perceived in this way. “If the Pope says so….” is the common way of cutting off any question or doubt about various statements. There is a kind of papolatry. How do you respond to this? The notion of the plenitude of power of the Roman Pontiff has already been enunciated clearly by Pope St. Leo the Great. The Canonists of the Middle Ages contributed greatly to the deepening of the power inherent in the Petrine Office. Their contribution remains valid and important. The notion is very simple. The Pope, through the divine will, enjoys all the power necessary to safeguard and promote the true faith, true divine worship, and the sound discipline required. This power belongs not to his person but to his office as Successor of St. Peter. In the past, for the most part, the popes did not make public their personal acts or their opinions precisely so as not to risk the faithful being confused about what the successor of St.Peter does and thinks. At present there is a risky and even harmful confusion between the person of the Pope and his office, that results in the obscuring of the Petrine Office and in a worldly and political idea of the service of the Roman Pontiff in the Church. The Church exists for the salvation of souls. Any act of a Pope that undermines the salvific mission of Christ in the Church, whether it be a heretical act or a sinful act in itself, is simply void from the point of view of the Petrine Office. Therefore, even if it clearly causes very serious damage to souls, it does not command the obedience of pastors and faithful. We must always distinguish the body of the man who is the Roman Pontiff from the body of the Roman Pontiff, that is, from the man who exercises the office of St. Peter in the Church. Not to make this distinction means papolatry and ends up in the loss of faith in the Divinely Founded and Sustained Petrine Office. What should a Catholic hold most dear in his relationship with the Pope? A Catholic must always respect, in an absolute way, the Petrine Office as an essential part of the institution of the Church by Christ. When a Catholic no longer respects the office of the Pope, he is disposed either to schism or to an apostasy from the Faith. At the same time, Catholics must respect the man charged with the office, which means attention to his teaching and pastoral direction. This respect also includes the duty to express the judgment of a rightly formed conscience to the Pope, when he deviates or seems to deviate from true doctrine and sound discipline, or to abandon the responsibilities inherent in his office. Through natural law, the Gospels, and the Church’s constant disciplinary tradition, the faithful are bound to express to their pastors their concern for the state of the Church. They have this duty, which is matched by the right to receive a response from their pastors. So is it possible to criticize the Pope? And under what conditions? If the Pope does not fulfill his office for the good of all souls, it is not only possible but also necessary to criticize the Pope. This criticism must follow Christ’s teaching on fraternal correction in the Gospel (Mt 18:15-18). First, the lay faithful or pastor must express his criticism privately, which will allow the Pope to correct himself. But if the Pope refuses to correct a way of teaching or acting that is gravely lacking, the criticism must be made public, because it has to do with the common good in the Church and in the world. Some have criticized those who have publicly expressed criticism of the Pope, saying it is a manifestation of rebellion or disobedience, but to ask — with due respect for his office — for the correction of confusion or error is not an act of disobedience, but an act of obedience to Christ and therefore to His Vicar on earth.
It's not that this confusion should surprise anyone who has been hearing what various messages have been saying for 100 years about communism. So much of it unfolding as we speak. Look at what was said by Garabandal seer Loli: P. Benac interview Apr-Jun 1984; "Your mother told me that one night you were on the top floor with your father and cried and cried for an hour. After your father said, "I just saw something shocking. Loli crying the whole time while saying "Oh, is it going to be? People will suffer from that? Let me suffer!" Do you remember what you said? Loli: Everything had to do with communism and what will happen in the Church and the people, because all these things are going to affect people. When the Church suffers confusion, people will also. Some priests who are communists, will create such confusion that people do not distinguish right from wrong". Loli, 10/19/1982 Q. Remember what Our Lady told you about the communist tribulation that must precede the Warning? Answer: "It will appear that the Communists have taken over the world and will be very difficult to practice religion, the priests to say Mass or the people to open the doors of the Church"
Oops. Hit reply before I even replied Meant to say time to "strap it on" with the whole armor of God and "stand fast in the evil day." Christ will come.
I meant to thank Blizzard for finding the article about Cardinal Burke's interview, I thought it was too good to not post the whole article. Blizzard, Thank you!!!
He's not alone Padraig, he has the faithful behind him and the Holy Spirit to protect and guid him. There are also other princes of the church defending truth beauty and goodness such as the bishops of Khazakstan etc.
I can only answer by saying that we will feel as Christ did in the garden before his passion. Alone. And the loneliness will get darker and darker as our passion begins. But we must remember, as Jesus did, to keep the will of the Father always on our heart or we will fall as we start to look inward. So long as we understand that our bodies, in the state of sanctifying grace, are the living, breathing, walking temples of the Holy Trinity we will be at peace through it all, as we are not alone. God will bring others within the Divine Will in our company as well.
Padraig, I pray that they are successful at Saturday's conference and that there is a good number in attendance. We need to double down on our prayers or even triple down.
This is puzzling. How does someone not canonically elected still remain a valid Pope? Imho, it's not just diabolical disorientation. The diabolic is in the Church, right at the top. Yes. The Wolf is here. This is truly the key.
According to this article, the Code of Canon Law doesn't contain the process for electing a Pope but stipulates that when the Holy See is vacant "the special laws enacted for this situation are to be followed": http://canonlawmadeeasy.com/2013/02/21/canon-law-and-the-upcoming-conclave/#forward#forward The article goes on to say that the special laws in place were promulgated by Pope John Paul 11 apart from one change made by Pope Benedict concerning the requirement of a two-thirds majority. I haven't time to read through the documents linked in the article so am relying on memory of what I have read about the procedure and what happened at the Conclave. The rules permitted, say, three ballots on any given day. On the day Pope Francis was elected, there was a glitch in the third ballot because a blank piece of paper had found its way into the ballot box (or whatever they used to hold the ballot papers). That necessitated an extra ballot being held on that day, and Pope Francis was elected. Some people have claimed that the election of Pope Francis was thereby invalid, but people who know what they're talking about say it wasn't invalid because all the Cardinals present accepted the result and have never disputed it. There were, however, four ballots held when the special laws only permitted three. Knowing zilch about Canon Law, I can only speculate but if Canon Law provides for special laws to be followed and there was one ballot too many as provided for under those special laws, then we have a valid Pope not canonically elected according to the letter rather than the spirit of the Law. Does that make sense? I'm beginning to confuse myself.
Why is it so difficult for so many to come to the realization that Our Church, like the Leftist Political Parties of the US/EU, has been Hi-Jacked by Lavender Marxist, "Social "Justice & Liberation Theology" Radicals? ....... Eh!!!?? With almost 150 years of abject failure (Paris Commune to Present), the International Left continues to "campaign" for the Policies, "Theology" and Politics of Tyranny and Human Misery. GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
Is this then provided for? That when canon law isn't followed as prescribed, but the result of that 'disobedience' is accepted by all, it then becomes ok? But also, there is the issue of the St Gallen mafia, openly proclaimed by Cardinal Daneels; about how they had plotted and planned for Cardinal Bergoglio to be elected even during the previous conclave. This kind of lobbying had been addressed and specifically forbidden by Pope JPII. Doesn't that add to the problem?
It brings up a whole nother ball of wax IMO and that is why has Clergy homosexuality, drug abuse and pederasty not been rooted from the Church at any expense? Why is Pope Francis choosing to use the redefined words of the gay lobby and not condemning what we all know to be a sin which corrupts the mind and souls of those who are subject to its vice?
CrewDog, Yep! Dolours, I remember writing a very similar post to this one back in December when I read The Dictator Pope. If there is a legal solution maybe they didn't want the scandal but we have the scandal anyway which is confirmed in the following quotes from Cardinal Burke, “It has been a source of profound scandal not only for many Catholics but also for many people in the secular world who have respect for the Catholic Church and its teachings, even if they do not share them,” “This playing around with faith and doctrine, at the highest level of the Church, rightly leaves pastors and faithful scandalized,”
SG, I believe there is a provision somewhere that after a Pope is elected, if he is accepted universally by the faithful, then that "heals" any irregularities there may have been during the election. If memory serves I heard this from one of Fr. Albert's question and answer segments on the Fatima Center's Youtube channel.
