Razor thin line describes it. We are obliged by filial piety to pray for PF and the Cardinals and Bishops. And guard our hearts. It really is a jungle out there spiritually speaking.
When Vigano says this, he does so knowing full well that saints have declared that a non Catholic CANNOT be pope:
https://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2023/04/vigano-simple-people-understand-that-we.html?m=1 Vigano: "Simple people... understand that we have a Non-Catholic Pope...[causing] problems of a Canonical Nature" & Bp Gracida: "f the [Pope Benedict] Renunciation is Doubtful, then in virtue of Canon 332 §2, it is Invalid for lack of Due Manifestation" April 16, 2023 "We have come to the point that even simple people with little knowledge of doctrinal issues understand that we have a non-Catholic pope, at least in the strict sense of the term. This poses some problems of a canonical nature." - Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano Bishop Rene Gracida summed the "canonical" situation we are in with the doubtfulness of the Pope Benedict XVI resignation: "f the [Pope Benedict XVI] Renunciation is doubtful, then in virtue of canon 332 §2, it is invalid for lack of due manifestation" [https://abyssum.org/ ] It appears that if someone has definite solid reasons from canon law to doubt the validity of Pope Benedict's resignation one can it appears possibly commit a sin if he doesn't resolve that doubt before claiming Francis is definitely pope. The important theological book "Rodriguez and the Confession of Doubtful Mortal Sins" in page 225 says: "If one does not resolve the doubt and deliberately does the action anyhow, it means that he is willing to offend God gravely, and therefore he commits a mortal sin." (Google: Theological Studies -cdn- 1 PDF by U. Adelman - Cited by 1 Related articles) Moreover, Dogmatic theology scholar Fr. Elwood Sylvester Berry (1879-1954), who was professor at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland, in his apologetic and dogmatic treatise which according to his introduction "was originally written in Latin" stated that according to Doctor of the Church St. Robert Bellarmine: "a doubtful pope is no pope... 'if a papal election is doubtful for any reason'" therefore a imperfect council of bishops is needed: "Hence the saying of Bellarmine: a doubtful pope is no pope. 'Therefore,' continues the Cardinal, 'if a papal election is really doubtful for any reason, the elected should resign, so that a new election may be held. But if he refuses to resign, it becomes the duty of the bishops to adjust the matter, for although the bishops without the pope cannot define dogma nor make laws for the universal Church, they can and ought to decide, when occasion demands, who is the legitimate pope; and if the matter be doubtful, they should provide for the Church by having a legitimate and undoubted pastor elected. That is what the Council of Constance rightly did.'" 8 (The Church of Christ: An Apologetic and Dogmatic Treatise, By Rev. E. Sylvester Berry, Page 229, Note 8: Bellarmine, "De Concilio, ii, 19) Pray an Our Father now for reparation for the sins committed because of Francis's Amoris Laetitia. Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church as well as the Triumph of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Stop for a moment of silence, ask Jesus Christ what He wants you to do now and next. In this silence remember God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost - Three Divine Persons yet One God, has an ordered universe where you can know truth and falsehood as well as never forget that He wants you to have eternal happiness with Him as his son or daughter by grace. Make this a practice. By doing this you are doing more good than reading anything here or anywhere else on the Internet. Francis Notes: - Doctor of the Church St. Francis de Sales totally confirmed beyond any doubt the possibility of a heretical pope and what must be done by the Church in such a situation: "[T]he Pope... WHEN he is EXPLICITLY a heretic, he falls ipso facto from his dignity and out of the Church, and the Church MUST either deprive him, or, as some say, declare him deprived, of his Apostolic See." (The Catholic Controversy, by St. Francis de Sales, Pages 305-306) Saint Robert Bellarmine, also, said "the Pope heretic is not deposed ipso facto, but must be declared deposed by the Church." [https://archive.org/stream/SilveiraImplicationsOfNewMissaeAndHereticPopes/Silveira Implications of New Missae and Heretic Popes_djvu.txt] - "If Francis is a Heretic, What should Canonically happen to him?": http://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2020/12/if-francis-is-heretic-what-should.html - "Could Francis be a Antipope even though the Majority of Cardinals claim he is Pope?": http://www.thecatholicmonitor.com/2019/03/could-francis-be-antipope-even-though.html - LifeSiteNews, "Confusion explodes as Pope Francis throws magisterial weight behind communion for adulterers," December 4, 2017: The AAS guidelines explicitly allows "sexually active adulterous couples facing 'complex circumstances' to 'access the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.'" - On February 2018, in Rorate Caeli, Catholic theologian Dr. John Lamont: "The AAS statement... establishes that Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia has affirmed propositions that are heretical in the strict sense." - On December 2, 2017, Bishop Rene Gracida: "Francis' heterodoxy is now official. He has published his letter to the Argentina bishops in Acta Apostlica Series making those letters magisterial documents." Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church by the bishops by the grace of God.
I believe God is much more in charge than most people give Him credit for. So what if Pope Francis is an antipope or not? God allowed him to effectively be the pope. And He has a good reason, because He ALWAYS has a good reason for what He allows. He doesn't just watch things happen and throw His hands up and say, "Well, they got what they deserve I guess." For some reason, so many even good Catholics have fallen into the trap of thinking this mess is mostly in our hands and we need to yell about it and fix it with our righteous anger...but the only "fixing" we laity can even do is what God allows, through our prayer and sacrifices. And we can learn our Faith better and teach it to our children and hold fast to what we know is true...while trusting God to be God and steer His Church as He wills. Or do we think the Freemasons are more powerful than God? Do we think perverts are more powerful than God? Do we think a bunch of bad bishops and cardinals are powerful enough to tie God's hands and wreck His Church? Because all the hand-wringing and bitterness and fear makes it seem like that's what we think. No, God put Pope Francis in charge, in order to achieve a certain end for His Church. God's ways are far above our ways. Whether for punishment, or waking people up, or reasons we can't even comprehend at the moment, God knows what He's doing and we need to not only trust Him, but ACT like we do.
I agree with you that he does indeed walk a very thin line. For Catholics the confusion is real, it's like navigating a minefield. It becomes even more troublesome when we have a celebrity priest like Fr.Altman speaking out. I hope that your article will enlighten Catholics who may be feeling disappointed, angry and on brink of walking away. Perhaps you can convince them to hang in there. I pray that we are all blessed with the patience to endure this trial.
Yes obedience is central for a Catholic Discernment and obedience always springs from humility. On the internet I have the impression that a lot of people are not praying enough before they fire their six guns. Cardinals Burke. Mueller, Zen, Sarah are all very good examples of men who know how to keep their powder dry. All the Dubis Cardinals were like this too. Slow and cautious in their speech.
I do have the impression that some Catholic commentators have gone off the rails on this, Dr Taylor Marshall for instance.
Well, we have to keep watch and pray and the authenticity will be revealed. Probably sooner rather than later.
But only the Church can decide the proper application of Church Law, not us laity. The logic of the arguments against the licit resignation of PBXVI and/or the licit election of PF are stronger than many realize. The lack of anyone acting on this is not due to faulty logic behind the assertions, but dereliction if not malfeasance by those Churchmen entrusted to properly look into it. However, until those Churchmen act, all we can do it pray and sacrifice for the repentance and conversion of PF, and for his confounding if he refuses to turn from his nefarious path. And not to put too fine a point on it, but PF IS leading souls astray, quite possibly to their eternal perdition, so if we have to warn fellow Catholics he might be an antipope so they wake up and do not follow his heterodoxy, that is our duty in God’s eyes. The ultimate goal of the Church, and every Catholic, is the salvation of souls. This duty takes precedence over scruples about criticizing PF.
As bad Pope Francis is, he was able to do unintentionally what the good Popes JPII and Benedict were unable to do, that is, bring the "Deep Church" out of the shadows, into the open, were it can be exposed, confronted and eventually defeated in God's time...
I knew Jennifer’s spiritual advisor. He was a good priest. I don’t know why he left the priesthood, but I don’t think it had anything to do with her.
I will never leave the Barque of Peter! I keep reminding myself how differently any papacy would look, if instant news had been available to analyze their every word, gesture photo-op, etc! instagram, twitter, facebook...
Yes , that is a very good Spiritual way of viewing thing I think we're many people err at the moment is to look at things in a political. human way . But the Church is not a political party, she is the Bride of Christ. God is often most present when he appears most absent .
I don't mind taking the occasional swing at Pope Francis, although I wouldn't want to take it as a full time job . If people by this stage don't know there is a serious problem I don't know My guess would be to focus too much on current goins on would be unhealthy.
