Once again, I quote: "A characteristic of all true followers of Christ, lettered or unlettered, is to suffer themselves to be guided and led in all things that touch upon faith or morals by the Holy Church of God through its Supreme Pastor the Roman Pontiff, who is himself guided by Jesus Christ Our Lord." (Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubial) If PF is the true pontiff, one cannot choose to reject his Magisterial teachings. +
Dec. 16, 2019 US Bishops in Rome Ask Pope Francis About Theodore McCarrick Report The Vatican announced that it would conduct a review of files on Theodore McCarrick in October 2018. Courtney Mares/CNA | https://www.ncregister.com/daily-ne...-pope-francis-about-theodore-mccarrick-report VATICAN CITY — American bishops from the Midwest met with Pope Francis this week with questions about the outcome of the Vatican’s investigation of Theodore McCarrick. “I did ask about the McCarrick situation. That was something that all of us were very interested in knowing where this was going. And very glad to hear that a report is coming, and not sure when it will be, probably after the beginning of the new year,” Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing told EWTN Dec. 13. The seventeen bishops from Ohio and Michigan (Region VI of the US bishops) met with the pope for two hours Dec. 10 as a part of their ad limina visit to Rome, and had the opportunity to ask the pope questions. Bishop Boyea said he asked Pope Francis about the promised McCarrick report, and that the pope described it for them. He said that the bishops also discussed the report with the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Cardinal Parolin is "a little more nervous about the reception of this in the public," Boyea added. The Vatican announced that it would conduct a review of files on McCarrick in October 2018. At the U.S. bishops' conference fall meeting in Baltimore Nov. 11-13, Bishop Boyea asked that an update on the Vatican’s McCarrick investigation be added to the agenda. Cardinal Sean O’Malley responded that the Holy See intended to publish the results of the investigation in the new year, “if not before Christmas.” O’Malley said that the bishops of New England also discussed the McCarrick report during their ad limina meeting with Francis in early November before the U.S bishops meeting. The cardinal said he was shown a “hefty document” by the Vatican, which is being translated into Italian for a presentation to Pope Francis, with an intended publication by early 2020. Reports of McCarrick’s history of sexual abuse were initially made public in June 2018, when the Archdiocese of New York announced that a sexual abuse allegation against then-retired Cardinal McCarrick was “credible and substantiated.” Subsequent reports of sexual abuse or harassment of children and seminarians by McCarrick surfaced, and Pope Francis accepted his resignation from the College of Cardinals and assigned him to a life of prayer and penance in July 2018. In August 2018, former apostolic nuncio to the U.S. Carlo Maria Vigano claimed that Pope Francis had known about existing sanctions on McCarrick but chose to repeal them. At their November 2018 meeting, just months after settlements of the Archdioceses of New York and Newark of abuse cases involving McCarrick were made public, the bishops were set to vote on a number of measures to deal with the clergy sex abuse crisis including a call for the Vatican to release all documents about McCarrick in accord with canon and civil law. However, after the Vatican requested shortly before the meeting that the bishops not take action on the abuse crisis until an international summit of bishops in Rome in early 2019, the bishops did not end up voting on the McCarrick measure because of fears they could be viewed at odds with Rome. Pope Francis dismissed McCarrick from the clerical state in February 2019, shortly before convening a summit of bishops from around the world on clergy sexual abuse. The Vatican’s accelerated investigation into McCarrick’s case was an “administrative penal process,” not a full juridical process, but one used when the evidence in the case is overwhelming. Bishops Boyea said that he expects that the anticipated McCarrick report will “be like peeling a scab off” for the Church in the U.S. “It is going to be tough, we know that, but it is better to get that out and get that done with,” he said. "This is ultimately for the good of the Church. The truth cannot hurt the Church," Bishop Boyea told EWTN. *** Edited to add: Vatican chases millions in bid to stop Malta fund from ‘abusive’ sale Millions in euros in Vatican bank cash are at stake in a Maltese court case, as lawyers for the Holy See are now asking the courts to prevent an investment firm from selling its assets to a Hungarian company 14 December 2019, 8:15am | by Matthew Vella | https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/...top_malta_fund_from_abusive_sale#.XfeFJthYZYc
You know I 'd be very, very uneasy to use terms, like 'False Shepherd', or 'Destroyer', or 'Anti Pope' or such like about Pope Francis. Why? Because if I did so my conscience would simply torture me to death. I would really, really fret that I was taking too much upon myself in that I would be entering into Judgement on someone placed above me. I just don't feel qualified on the one hand and on the other I think this power is reserved to God alone. Maybe I am wrong in this. But my conscience kind of screams at me to be careful not to go too far. He's the Pope and I'm Catholic, there's really only so much I can say or do. That there's Red Line I mustn't cross.
There seems to be two Padraig in this forum: Padraig A This is certainly our obligation as Catholic Christians, indeed. Padraig B Padraig B doesn't have a problem with crossing a much much red line: He might have been shown in "prayer", but it certainly didn't come from Heaven: he can be CERTAIN that no one in Heaven would suggest to anyone on earth such a judgement of the conscience of another human being -especially the pope- EXCEPT to invite a self offering of victim for the salvation of that soul in DANGER of condemnation. Doesn't seem that this "privy" knowledge stirred charity, mercy and self sacrifice on behalf of such a needed, pre-damned soul but condemnation -that is the signature of the true origin of this kind of judgment: satan and his minions. Padraig B is not happy with just sending the soul of the supreme pontiff to hell, rather he suggests that there is no possibility of repentance or mercy for him. Does this also come from "prayer"? Which "angel" suggested this? Just for your discernment since there is also this affirmation: Jesus says: Luke 6:42 I am very disturbed by Padraig B comments and I'm praying for him. He needs to see the beam in his own eye. I will probably be banned from the forum after this but I'm saying this with trepidation because of my own sins and in a spirit of fraternal charity. Please, pray for me. I'll see my own darkness in full very soon and I don't want to add the omission of this post to my long life review at the Warning.
I was wondering the same thing, but remember that we're all going through a lot of push and pull from the evil one. We need to keep each other in prayer and in charity remember to pull each other along as things continue to circle the drain. A couple months ago I was given this Psalm and felt it was so very important as the battle intensifies that I have my phone set every morning to remind myself of it. I failed 2 times this past weekend to abide by this wise counsel, so back to the confessional for me this week. We're all in the battle, just keep pulling each other along! "Be still before the Lord; wait for Him. Do not be provoked by the prosperous, nor by malicious schemers. Refrain from anger; abandon wrath; do not be provoked; it brings only harm."
I met with my spiritual director today and I spoke of the situation in the Church today, especially my frustrations caused by the Pope. He reminded me of previous horrific struggles such as the Arian crisis, immoral popes, and the Western Schism. He stated what is unique to our day is not evil within the Church, but the constant bombardment of news which weighs heavy on the heart and threatens to not only rob us of peace, but of the time we take to digest it all. He cautioned me to remember that Christ still sits on the throne and things are not out of control! Nothing occurs without His permission. Therefore, I need to ask myself who there is in my life that I can touch with light of the Gospel and the love of Jesus, and make better use of my time reaching out to them. He promised that the Church remains, and anything that needs to be rectified will be done so soon because the Lord is always faithful to His Bride. I realized that I need a deeper trust in Jesus and a holier use of my time. Father Kermit gave me the example of the elderly pastor of the parish he stays at when passing through Syracuse. Fr. Yennock is 93-yrs-old. He and Father Kermit took a break yesterday evening to go to the movies. In the middle of the show, Fr. Yennock's pager went off because he is on-call at a hospital on Sunday nights. So he left the movie to visit the sick. Fr. Kermit also told me that he heard Fr. Yennock get up and leave before dawn to make another visit before returning to celebrate 7AM Holy Mass. I got the message! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
I think the way forward I have chosen is to keep it simple. I dont have the time to sort out what is happening in the Vatican or understand every word spoken by Pope Francis. I just do not have the intellectual ability either the matters at hand are of the most serious kind and I have wasted loads of time trying to make sense of them, time I should have been praying. So these are the simple points I follow. (1) Pope Francis is the Pope I except him as such and I pray for him. (2) I am obedient to him through my local Bishop. After that I follow what the church has always thought, it's very clear, One important thing however is to defend the truth in all of its manifestations for the good of souls. With this there is no confusion and great peace after all I am about one of the smallest sheep in the flock holding the hand of my Mother Mary through saying the rosary.
Mario, while it's true that the 24/7/365 instant news that is spread via social media is unique to our day, this widespread infiltration by evil into our church is also unique to our day. I am prayerfully hopeful that your spiritual director is not trying to say that this level of evil always existed and it's just the awareness of it that is unique. Cause that ain't the case, evil has had a field day within our church in the last few decades and is boldly mocking us all now. Why do you think the 4 exorcists just called for this unprecedented worldwide day of prayer and fasting to exorcise what has infiltrated our church?
No, Fr. Kermit was not trying to say that. And it so happened that when we were finished, Fr. Kermit mentioned that he had been fasting in response to the request of the 4 exorcists. God bless Fr. Kermit and Fr. Yennock!
It is a time of diabolical disorientation. There are moments when we feel overwhelmed, and we need to vent our frustrations. I am grateful that Padraig has created this forum where we can feel safe in sharing our thoughts. I know that there will always be someone here to bring me back to my senses if I momentarily go off the rails. It is tremendously difficult for the faithful to navigate through this terrible storm that is nothing less than an emotional, and spiritual minefield.
It is a absolute NoNo to call somebody evil, let alone the Pope. Nobody can see into the Heart of a man. The danger here is to bring judgement on yourself. Just pray for mercy for everyone and leave the rest to God.
There are moments when we feel overwhelmed, and we need to vent our frustrations. Jo M the above cannot include Rash Judgment of another person or persons.
If his declared Magisterium contradicts the prior traditional Magisterium of the Church, one cannot be obliged to believe both, under the law of non-contradiction, so one is faced with choosing between one Pope with a new idea or hundreds before him with teaching that can be traced back to Scriptures and even Christ Himself. It is hard to reconcile loyalty with a pope like Bergoglio, but the only way to do it is to interpret everything he says and does, that can be, in the light of Tradition and ignore anything that can't be reconciled except to pray for the unfortunate man.
Your spiritual director is right on the money. The devil has a great weapon in his command of mass communication. It is driving the world into a frenzy. For most of the Church's history, most of the faithful probably didn't know who was their current pope. Now we hear of much of what he says, a lot of that filtered selectively through various partisan agendas. And we are in the fortunate position of being able to share reasonably-informed upbringings in the Faith, with access to other responsible guides and sources of information. Thank God there are still people like Fr. Yennock in the world and it is part of His Glory that there always will be.
