I was shocked at how Fr. Z tried to explain this away. I am wondering if he has been warned or told not to criticize the Pope.
That totally disregards Jesus claim that the ONLY WAY is through Himself. Jesus said that He came from God to testify to the Truth. Does God allow other religions, obviously, just as He allows evil. Can He use other religions to work in His great plans, of course. But for the head of the Catholic Church to say God WILLS them, as though they are a good thing, is disturbing...
Fr Z has always been very honest and straight as a dye. I cannot understand it either. Who can read the hearts of men? Sad. But part from anything else I love the old Chinese saying, 'Treat a tiger like a tiger'. The reason why you treat a tiger like a tiger is if you don't it will swallow you up. Islam is a tiger. Many of these Islamic clergy Pope Francis is cosying up too have very,very bad form indeed. They are tigers. Christians are being slaughtered by Islam all over the world. Catholics are not killing Muslims it is they who are killing us. The same goes for the Chinese Communist Government. Treat a tiger like a tiger. Pretending it is a pussy cat just won't cut it.
To me it is just part of the escalating attack on our faith both personal and in the Church. Tightening up inch by inch and stretching us to the limit. What hath Christ to do with Belial? Isnt that in the scriptures.
Yes it reminds me of the start of the Second World War. There were many people in all countries who were appeasers; who believed by feeding the tiger it might leave them alone. But they more they fed the beast the hungrier the beast became. Their mistake was not to treat evil as evil. I am not sure if many people today believe there is even such a thing as evil. Bad mistake.
There was nothing wrong with the Pope going to Abu Dhabi in an attempt to get the Muslims to stop persecuting Christians. From what I have read of it, the agreement wouldn't have been so bad if it had been worded to say that God permits many religions rather than many religions being willed by God. From a purely Catholic perspective, it would have been better had there been no reference to boats because it gives the impression that the barque of Peter is no more than a dinghy sitting on an ocean liner named Pleuralism. That sloppy kind of wording gives the impression that it is deliberately intended as an opening for some future statement along the lines that all religions are the same, much as the wording in Amoris Laetitia was intended to pave the way for divorce and homosexual marriage to be permitted by the Church. Traditionally the Vatican has been extremely careful about the wording of documents, so it would be naive to think that documents approved by Pope Francis haven't been subjected to the same kind of scrutiny. I wonder which Vatican diplomats were involved in drafting the Abu Dhabi document? Was it Cardinal Parolin? Although it was McCarrick who laid the groundwork for the agreement with China, Parolin finished it off. Is Cardinal Parolin a Freemason?
These comments put him totally 'beyond the pale'. If anyone harboured any doubts about his attitude to the Church as being 'one path among many' which has already been implied by several earlier comments, then they can now cease to wonder. I am glad that he is making his position clearer, it makes our own with regard to him clearer too. He is a false shepherd leading many false shepherds who are, in turn, misleading and greatly endangering their flocks. God help us!
Dolours, To answer one of your questions, at least in part, "Informed sources confirm Dominican Father Wojciech Giertych was consulted but did not see the final draft." I just love when someone is almost placed on the hook but not quite. http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/popes-visit-to-arabian-peninsula-a-special-grace ...But the trip was not, perhaps predictably, without controversy, particularly around a passage in the declaration on human fraternity, signed by Francis and the grand imam of Al-Azhar University on Feb. 4. The passage states that the “pluralism and the diversity of religions” are “willed by God.” On the plane back from Abu Dhabi, the Pope stressed the document was written “in the spirit of Vatican II,” and had been checked by the papal theologian. Informed sources confirm Dominican Father Wojciech Giertych was consulted but did not see the final draft. The Visit’s Impact Attention is now turning to the overall impact of the visit. Bishop Hinder said it was “too early” to pinpoint tangible results, but the Pope had left “concrete messages” and a “call to action on how the region can achieve peace,” especially in countries such as nearby war-torn Yemen, which, Bishop Hinder said, need to enact such changes “as soon as possible to avert the humanitarian crises they suffer, such as famine and migration.” As for the UAE, whose widely hailed tolerance analysts caution should be kept in perspective, the papal visit will have helped the country’s Muslim majority to “become aware” of the “vibrant Christian communities that live amongst them,” according to Hellyer. He also believes the UAE’s rulers have also shown themselves to be “fully committed” to respecting “the country’s diverse faiths,” offering Christians “real assurance for now and for the future.” Bishop Hinder called the UAE’s organizing of a public papal Mass a “tremendous move” in the face of “security threats and religious discord in the region.” But full citizenship rights — something still denied to Christian immigrants and other minorities in the UAE and other nations in the Arab Peninsula — remain a thorny issue for the region, even though the joint document on human fraternity called for such rights and an end to the use of the term “minorities,” which, it says, “paves the way for hostility and discord.” Yet just as many never expected such a visit as this, so the Pope is placing the impact of this “trip of God’s surprises” firmly in the hands of God. “Let us therefore praise him and his providence,” he told the faithful on his return to Rome, “and let us pray that the seeds sown may bring fruit according to his will.” Padraig, I have been thinking something similar to what you have stated here. I don't like admitting it but the following scripture is what I have been thinking about in relation to the Pope's trip to Abu Dhabi. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (DRA) 3 For when they shall say, peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape. Edited to add the text from the NCR article directly after the link to the article above.
' There was nothing wrong with the Pope going to Abu Dhabi in an attempt to get the Muslims to stop persecuting Christians' That sounds fine as read. For after all didn't Jesus say, 'Blessed are the peace makers for they be called Sons of God'. What after all could be wrong with a 'Peace Mission'? Well I was thinking about this and taking a time machine back to Rome and Berlin 1938. Pope Pius x11 sets of for Berlin. He meets Adolph Hitler and they shake hands embrace along with other top Nazis an issue statements calling for peace (actually that is not to far short of what did happen ; the Vatican did sign a Concordat with the Nazis which they broke before the ink was dry). So instead of flying to Berlin Pope Pius issued one of the strongest Encyclicals in history condemning the Nazis for persecuting the Church. That's why Pius never flew to Berlin. He was a realist. He knew he was dealing with evil people doing evil things.Pius caught on a little late, but he did catch on. Many of the Islamic Imans he met are similiarly implicated in evil. The front pager he met the Grand Imam of Al -Azhar in Egypt on his own TV channel has called for the death of Muslims who become Christians. I see as much point hugging this man and kissing him as I would Pope Pius xii hugging and kissing Hitler.
Actually I believe what the Vatican should be doing at the minute is advising Christians in certain countries to organise in armed defense groups to protect against annihilation and to sell some paintings or whatever to provide them with good modern weapons. Nigeria is a good example of this. The Catholics there need all the guns and training they can get. The Swiss guards would be good for training. Also to encourage Catholics with a military background to fly out to help these poor people and the Vatican could help there too. Money, training and arms, not hugs and best wishes.
When I was young, about 15 I went out the door one day when turning round I saw a large lorry come up our street with about a hundred Protestant men from down the road flying British flags. They shouted out that our Parish and Church was to be burnt down that night and we should leave the area or we would all be killed. That night a large force attacked our Parish after their pubs had shut. The Catholic men of the area came out and fought them hand to hand through the streets in very fierce manner and drove them off. Defending their Church, their homes and their families. If we had not done so our Church and our entire Parish would have been burnt to the ground. I remember in the Church the next Sunday our Parish Priest bitterly condemned from the Pulpit men from the area who had not come out to fight and called them cowards. He was right. The Catholic Church has never been pacifist. The only thing you can do with bullies is to fight them. We should help our fellow Catholics all over the world to do so. If necessary by fighting along side them. Not as a Charity but as a Christian Duty.
Here's a link to Fr. Mitch Pacwa's interview with the Father Wojciech Giertych. It's an interesting interview but I need to watch it again because I didn't give it full attention due to distractions and interruptions here. At the very end of the interview he answers a caller's question about the apparent changes in the direction of the Church. (I was distracted then so may have misheard both the question and the answer). Fr. Giertych is a Dominican but there is a Jesuit connection. From the bits of the interview that I heard, I got the impression that he is very much on the same page as Pope Francis although he makes a better effort than the Pope at aligning his beliefs with Church teaching. Fr. Giertych was born in England to Polish parents who moved to England in 1945. He was educated by the Jesuits in London - a school which lists among its alumni Bishop Peter Doyle (current Bishop of Northampton), the late Cardinal Heenan, Alfred Hitchcock, and George Martin (produced the Beatles' records). See the list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_educated_at_St_Ignatius'_College He moved to Poland in 1970 to attend university there, and joined the Dominicans in 1975. His brother is a politician in Poland and two of his sisters entered the convent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wojciech_Giertych The part of London where Fr. Giertych was born and raised has something of a reputation for being a Jewish enclave. The reason I mention that is that Fr. Giertych's brother in Poland was involved in a controversy in the European Parliament due to some paper he wrote which was denounced as anti-Semitic. While the anti-Semitism claim was what caused the fuss, I wouldn't discount the possibility that the conservative Fr. Giertych's paper gave some very liberal Europeans a stick to beat him. (That's guesswork on my part because he is very conservative on moral issues and is a proponent of creationism).
Sadly the Church in the West has become Feminized. The main reason for this is that her clergy has become spoilt decadent and very often depraved. They were meant to be become warriors but more closely resemble florists. They were meant to immerse themselves in the masculine spiritual warfare of Penance, fasting and prayer. They did not do so. This is one of the main reasons why Catholics have left the Western Church in their serried droves. People, men and women instinctively know when a man is a real man and a woman is a real woman. The men they encounter as clergy they know not to be authentic men, ..and they flee as far away and as quickly away as they can. The same is true of Western clergy in general. Islam has seen this feminization, smelt victory and press onwards. Islamic warriors , both men and women such as the Taliban are volunteers, unpaid and very willing to lay down their lives very, freely for their beliefs. The Western forces that have opposed them are well paid and comfortable. There is no contest between people who die for their Faith and beliefs to what are , effectively hirelings. The remedy is that the Church should look for men and women willing to volunteer and die too for their beliefs. People willing to pay the ultimate price and do so freely. If I thought hugging and kissing Islamic clergy would do the trick I 'd be the very first to hug and kiss them. But it doesn't do the trick it simply convinces them even more we are weak and ready to be eaten. It is long, long, long past the time we waved our young Catholic men off to war. Nigeria would be an excellent place to start. To reignite the Spiritual and Physical Flames of the Crusades. To go to War. Treat a tiger like a tiger.
In the following World Over segment, Damian Thompson who is editor-in-chief of The Catholic Herald weighs in on the Abu Dhabi document and provides some hope, thankfully. He states that hopefully the purpose of the document is to enable Christians to freely practice their religion in the Middle East. He also discusses a few other topics related to Pope Francis and the Church. In addition, he appears to be very frustrated by the confusion that Pope Francis continues to create. ie. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-says-he-is-against-making-priestly-celibacy-optional-in-the-latin-rite-13209 . In addition, Mr. Thompson supports the priest in Saginaw who was recently relieved of his duties because he was trying to implement some Latin into the Novus Ordo mass. I think that this interview is very good. Mr. Thompson also asks for prayers for his sister, Carmel, who is battling stage 4 ovarian cancer. Ref. Full text of Pope Francis' in-flight press conference from Abu Dhabi 2/5/2019 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-pope-francis-in-flight-press-conference-from-abu-dhabi-50036 Vatican clarifies pope’s comments on sexual abuse of women religious 2/6/2019 https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/vatican-clarifies-popes-comments-on-sexual-abuse-of-women-religious-55499 *** Dolours, Thank you for the background on Father Wojciech Giertych. I still have to watch the video that you posted.
