Have a nice rest sir ! This order is amazing to me. They can preach the hard issues, but are such gentle souls, childlike, not childish. Fr O, he had the ability to part the waves and show Gods and in my life... I so miss Fr O !
To me, for a Pope to tell nuns to have an abortion is an extension of his office. He holds the keys, were talking personnel sin here, like have pre marital sex, were talking taking a life. We will agree to disagree
How the Soviets used their own twisted version of psychiatry to suppress political dissent http://io9.com/5940212/how-the-sovi...n-of-psychiatry-to-suppress-political-dissent "Over the course of its 69-year history, the Soviet Union was notorious for its heavy-handed suppression of political dissent... "... it was during the 1960s and 1970s that the Communist Party took their intolerance for ideological deviance to extremes by diagnosing and institutionalizing so-called counterrevolutionaries with mental illness. It was a frightening episode in Soviet history in which perfectly healthy citizens could be deemed psychotic simply on account of their political views. "And indeed, what better way to deal with activists and naysayers than to diagnose them as being mentally unstable. Dissenters, who were often seen as both a burden and a threat to the system, could be easily discredited and detained. "Moreover, it served as a powerful and disturbing way to convince the masses that they needed to adhere to the party line — and that any deviant thinking was surely a sign of mental instability. As Nikita Khrushchev noted in 1959, it should be impossible for people in a communist society to have an anti-communist consciousness, and "Of those who might start calling for opposition to Communism on this basis, we can say that clearly their mental state is not normal.""
Pretty sad the vatican made a pact with the devil a couple of years later.Vatican II should have condemned Communism. What a massive fail.
I am also fed up reading online how this Pope has reformed the Catholic Church. I awaken this morning to read this rubbish by Sarah Dunant on the BBC news website, a major article that will be read by millions. So let's, just for the hell of it, allow our imaginations to run riot. What might a reformed Catholic Church look like? Start with small steps - allowing communion to divorced or co-habiting couples, the Church not judging gay men in loving relationships (both positions Francis himself has espoused). From there we move to a greater acceptance of homosexuality in general, even to same-sex union and families. How long before we hit celibacy and women priests? At which point there are women in the faith who would want to widen the debate, to suggest that it is the whole notion of an elevated priesthood and hierarchy that needs addressing, encouraging more democracy and community as a way to get better shepherds for the flock. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34866283
A very relevant essay for this thread from Fr Joseph Iannuzzi: Question: I have difficulty with some things this Pope has said and with modern issues he has failed to address. For instance, when he came to the US he did not address the freedom of religion issue or Kim Davis. He said, “Who am I to judge” gays, and the media has taken this as a personal endorsement of their licentiousness behavior. Now he is asking us to welcome forced Muslim refugees who do not believe in Christ. Is it wrong for me to be critical of this Pope? Response: The office of the Papacy that alone enjoys infallibility (a dogma formally acknowledged at the Vat. I Council) on matters pertaining to faith and morals is distinct from the ordained man who fulfills this sacred office. While it is said that this Roman Pontiff does not enjoy the status of theological doctoral alumnus like many of his predecessors, one cannot argue that this makes him less holy than them, and yet, some argue that it impacts his theological and political views. As long as Satan is “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12:31: 14:30; 16:11) and “the ruler of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2), those secular media outlets that are knowing or unknowingly working for him will continue to spin to the advancement of their varied political agendas the Pope's off-the-cuff and unrehearsed comments that may require theological qualification. Despite the dark forces that plague this world where the darnel and wheat must “grow together” until harvest time (Mt. 13:30), God always provides for his Church, even in the face of the opposition of the secular media. Let us recall that God has pre-ordained for the office of papacy this Pope as He has every Pope before him. As illustrated in my publication, “Can a Pope Become a Heretic” (posted on my website), not one validly elected Pontiff in 2,000 years has contradicted or changed one article of doctrine contained in Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition. This is quite an amazing achievement, and it testifies to the infallibility of the Pope on matters ex-cathedra pertaining to faith and morals. Now, apart from faith (doctrine contained in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and articulated by the Magisterium) and morals (what is “good” over what is “bad”), the Pope may remain tacit or not choose to emphasize this or that issue pertaining to ethics (what is “right” over what is “wrong”), and this, sometimes on account of socio-political motives. Now, in answer to the question of whether one may be critical of the Pope in the arena of ethics, so long as one, in being critical of his advice, never loses sight of the fact that he is the Vicar of Christ on earth who possesses the charism of infallibility on matters ex cathedra pertaining to faith and morals, and whose non ex cathedra teachings on faith and morals are to be respected,** it remains one’s prerogative to be so. Otherwise put, we are to walk the fine line Christ demanded of us when he spoke to his disciples in Matthew’s Gospel (Mt. 23:3); we must respect the Roman Pontiff in all things pertaining to faith and morals, while we may reserve such allegiance re. his advice in the arena of ethics which does not pertain to faith and morals. ** "The bishops, when they are teaching in communion with the Roman Pontiff, are to be respected by all as witnesses to the divine and catholic truth... The religious assent of the will and intellect is to be given in a special way to the authentic teaching authority of the Pontiff even when he is not speaking ex cathedra" (Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Vatican Council I, vol. II, op. cit., pp. cap. II-IV, p. 869). No less important to said allegiance or lack thereof is the intentionality and transparency of this Roman Pontiff that accompanies his faith and moral teachings and ethical advice. If few dare to make the baseless assertion that this Pontiff is deliberately seeking to mislead others in the political arena, many more will attest to the genuine nature of his love for the poor and simplicity and, as such, he and his teachings and advice should be viewed. To demand of this Pope the same theological exactness and precision with which we were endowed under the tutelage of the brilliant Pope Benedict XVI (the greatest papal theologian in Church history) is to do him a disservice. As to the approach of one openly badmouthing the Pope for his teachings on faith and morals or his advice on ethics, such an approach is contrary to God’s advice to his mystics whose writings are approved by the Church. I here recall God the Father’s advice to St. Catherine of Sienna on the approach all Christians ought to adopt in this regard: “[It] is My intention that Priests be held in due reverence, not for what they are in themselves, but for My sake, because of the authority I have given them. Therefore the virtuous must not lessen their reverence, even should these Priests fall short in virtue. And, as far as the virtues of my Priests are concerned, I have described them for you by setting them before you as stewards of… My Son’s Body and Blood and of the other Sacraments. This dignity belongs to all who are appointed as such stewards, to the bad as well as to the good... [Because] of their virtue and because of their sacramental dignity you ought to love them. And you ought to hate the sins of those who live evil lives. But you may not for all that set ourselves up as their judges; this is not My Will because they are My Christs, and you ought to love and reverence the authority I have given them. You know well enough that if someone filthy or poorly dressed were to offer you a great treasure that would give you life, you would not disdain the bearer for love of the treasure, and the lord who had sent it, even though the bearer was ragged and filthy… You ought to despise and hate the Priests’ sins and try to dress them in the clothes of charity and holy prayer and wash away their filth with your tears. Indeed, I have appointed them and given them to you to be angels on earth and suns, as I have told you. When they are less than that you ought to pray for them. But you are not to judge them. Leave the judging to Me, and I, because of your prayers and my own desire, will be merciful to them” (Catherine of Siena; The Dialogue, translated by Suzanne Noffke, O.P., New York: Paulist Press, 1980, pp. 229-231). Cf. also the following link: http://www.hprweb.com/2007/03/the-danger-of-criticizing-bishops-and-priests/ In sum, God demands of his flock a genuine respect to his anointed, especially the Roman Pontiff, despite their imperfections. To correct the Pope in a respectful way is admirable, but to openly and publicly belittle his mistakes and encourage others to turn away from his papal teaching authority is nothing short of schismatic. For what pious child who sees his father not speaking when he ought or saying something that is incorrect (though the father believes what he says is correct), runs his mouth to the father or runs off to inform the other siblings of the father's mistake to his embarrassment? Would not the child, if he is pious, while acknowledging the father’s imprudent silence or incorrect speech with no disregard to the 4th commandment, question his father in a filial, and not a contemptuous, tone? Such ought to be our attitude toward every Roman Pontiff. Yes, it is a fine line we are asked to walk, but let us not forget that Jesus had already asked us to walk it. In Christ, Rev. Joseph
And from the Association of Catholic Priests of Pope Francis. Many of us now realise our own dilemma. We want decentralisation. We want the local Church to be sensible and real. We want the Bishop to do his job and not to defer to Rome for every thought. However, now that we have a man in Rome who speaks our language (!), we want our local leaders to take their inspiration from Francis and to imitate his way of doing things. We almost want more centralisation! We whisper to Francis – come help us. It is very true that those who appoint our leaders and those who are appointed are still working out of a model from the past. (The pool is very small). We need and want better than that. It will take years and years for a different mentality to filter down. We are impatient. I expect too that Francis is very impatient. He hasn’t the time. Some of our bishops use the language of Francis but structurally still act out of an autocratic model. ‘They know best.’ Everything has to go through them. All decisions depend on them. Nothing can happen unless it is agreed by them. A Synodal model? Not very likely. They can nod reverently to Francis but carry on as always as this man may die away soon. It is also true that many priests who might shout at the bishops for their methods of working actually work out of a similar model themselves. The very thing they accuse the bishop of doing is what is done locally. In fact, whatever about Francis and whatever about Bishops or other leaders – the Church is local and whatever happens locally is what most people see as Church. Is God celebrated? Is the Liturgy a Celebration of the experience of the locals? Is the language in Church the language of the locals? Are people respected for their experience of God? How often is the congregation passive and asked to listen to Father who still knows best……. . Are people ‘met’ out there where they are (outside of the building)? Francis is quoted yesterday as saying: ‘I will tell you sincerely, I’m scared of rigid priests. I keep away from them. They bite.’ Such rigidity was everywhere up to a very short time ago. It was priests, bishops, Rome, CDF (G Daly illustrates it rather well in his book: The Church – always in need of reform.) It was everywhere. It was respectable and acceptable and the only model in town. Rigidity kills the heart, the imagination, the creative spirit, the freshness of Jesus Christ in the Gospel. The ‘sound men’ who were appropriate as candidates for Bishops were the most unsuitable ones to live the life of a leader in the Church of today. They haven’t got the flexibility or the imagination to face a different and difficult world. But again our local Church is left with many an inflexible minister. I think the structural idea of Clustering is a disaster which is not thought through but I also believe that few of our local parishes make any real attempt to try it out. Is that the same problem? We see daily and sadly what rigidity and fundamentalism does in the bombings and shootings across the world – we cannot leave allow a trace of it among ourselves. Being Godly means being expansive, exuberant, exciting, imaginative. We don’t have to protect God. God is used to our mess. Let’s take hold of the vision from Rome and apply it locally. Antoine Leiris wrote a letter to the killers of his wife Helene Muyal (one of the 89 who died in the Bataclan theatre). The inspiration in that letter speaks loudly from the heart of the Gospels and suggests a way forward for all of us. http://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/2015/11/rigidity-kills-the-heart/
At least he concedes that constructive criticism is allowed. I am worried, very worried about the style of leadership of this Pope and how it is being manipulated by anti-Church forces, and is empowering reformers and apostates to continue with their mandate unopposed. This would be great if the tactic was to bring them out into the open and then prune them from the vine. But this is not what the Pope intends to do in my opinion. Rather he tolerates everything. No, that is not true. He does not tolerate rigidity nor common piety (as evidenced by his intolerance of the prayerful hands of the altar boy). He is concerned about the mental health of seminarians who hold to rigid doctrine. Yet, not a word of the effeminate homosexual lobby who are not fit to be priests of God, they can come flooding through the gates. Pope Francis is presiding over the greatest crisis in the history of the Church, worse than the Protestant reformation, because the body is haemorrhaging from within. There is a real sense of internal disintegration because that is exactly what decentralization will do. I am glad I took five days off to pray about this thread. It has given me a greater clarity. And I have offered my Rosary today for the Pope so I hope I am showing him the genuine respect that he deserves.
I find this video an utter delight! What a pity that anti-Francis sentiments have now reached such a peak that it is being used as a criticism of Francis. There is no way that I can explain to those horrified by this utterly natural and appropriate response by Francis why they are mistaken. Things have reached such a state now that the devil is really succeeding in turning numbers of Catholics against the Pope. This situation will only get worse and this forum will be a good indication of that progress .
Your interpretation of the video is different from mine. It was only after I read the quotes from Pope Francis yesterday about rigidity that I understood why he would make fun of a child who had his hands closed in prayer - because he does not appear to be fond of common piety. If I were in his position I would have praised the altar boy for having his hands in prayer because it is now an uncommon sight rather their hands are usually on a controller of a Playstation or an X-box. But then I work with children and understand their sensitivities a bit more than the Pope, perhaps. I am prepared to accept that he may have done it is jest. And the Pope may not be familiar with children so he has an excuse. But poking fun of praying hands in front of the press and world-wide media could have left that child open to ridicule and embarrassment and maybe even you could concede that? But maybe not. You seem too sure that constructive criticism is the work of the devil. You must think David that the Catholic Church is in the most robust of health. I don't - I see an enormous crisis. And I pray Pope Francis will take the bull by the horns and sort the crisis out. God has chosen him for a reason bigger than we can all see.
St Catherine is pretty well my favourite saint , a true daughter of the Church. So much so that she actually gave her life as a Victim soul for its healing. 'Greater love hath no man than this than that he lay down his life ...' I think St Catherine's character and spirit come across best in her letters. One of them always makes me smile is one to a Cardinal who complained about her great lack of respect towards him. Catherine answered ,simply, 'When your Emminence behaves as someone worthy of respect, I will vouchsafe you respect!' I don't think Catherine would have gotten as much done in her life without playing a good deal of hard ball. She had to deal with a lot of very tough and rough cookies in her day. She wouldn't have gotten too far with pussy footing around. I think this quality of being a heavy hitter comes across so well in her letters. She called a spade a spade. Or to put it another way, she could and did put the fear of God into people. In doing so she came from a Prophetic tradition which goes back thousands of years through Scripture. One of the very first criticisms thrown at Prophets like Catherine and those in Scripture is, 'Show a little respect...'..and the response from Catherine and the other Prophets has always been the same... 'When your Emminence behaves as someone worthy of respect, I will vouchsafe you respect!' Which is why in the long run they always ended up killing the Prophets, they could never get the guys to shut up. http://www.drawnbylove.com/Scudder letters.htm
I don't want to get into an argument about the video but the point that is being missed is that when the Pope was greeting the altar boys, they were not actually serving on the altar. The Mass had finished! As for my view of the current state of the Church, this is best illustrated by a quote from the True Life in God messages: if My House lies in ruin today with atheism reigning in so many hearts it is because your generation refuses Me a place in their heart; I come to find no love, no faith and no hope; My House lies in ruin; reduced into rubble by Rationalism, Disobedience and Vanity; My glorious pastures of the past are now barren, because of the Great Apostasy which penetrated into My sanctuary; (TLIG,October 10, 1989)
"Wanting to live in peace is often the greatest cruelty [to others]. When the boil has come to a head it must be cut with the lance and burned with fire, and if that is not done, and only a plaster is put over it, the corruption will spread and that is often worse than death." Letter T239 St Catherine of Siena.
I am coming round more to thinking that God will allow the disintegration of the Church before the problem is fixed. The Church is riddled with the cancer of sin. Confession is a much neglected sacrament and the greatest crisis is the loss of the sense of sin. As a result then there has been a loss of faith, a crisis of faith where unbelief reigns even in the Church. Most Christians in the west live like pagans of old. It will take a real shock to the system for people to return to God in repentance and contrition.
This is a great article David, thanks for posting it. This is pretty much exactly the line I try to walk. I heard it described by Fr. Malachi Martin in a talk he gave. We are allowed, with charity, to critique anyone, even the Pope. However we need to go that extra mile with the Pope and also follow him in the areas of faith and morals. This is why I don't nitpick over all the small stuff he does. If he or any future Pope ever comes out and tries to promulgate anything which goes against the core beliefs of what the Church has always taught then we know we have a much more serious problem on our hands. We are the sensus fildelium and it is our job to help steer the barque of Peter when it is off course, as was done in the Arian crisis. Well, we are now in the greatest crisis the Church has ever been in. We must be vigilant and use St. Vincent of Lerins' guide for detecting and rejecting heresy in the Church and if something “new” is introduced ask ourselves is this: "That which is believed everywhere, in all times, by all [Catholics]." Christ taught immutable truths, they do not change because society does. We know from prophecy at Akita and many other places that the betrayal of the faith will come from inside the Church at the highest levels, so I encourage all on the forum to stay alert, but do so with charity, both for the good of your own soul and for others. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark! “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops.” - Our Lady of Akita, October 13, 1973.
I have been one of those who questioned Pope Francis in some of his actions and words. I am glad to report this article in which Pope Francis gently "slams" the German bishops: http://abyssum.org/2015/11/22/the-a...hey-now-propose-to-save-the-church-universal/ Pope Francis Calls German Bishops to Account for ‘Eroded’ Faith Pulling no punches, Pope Francis laid out statistic after statistic before a group of German bishops and wondered aloud why the Church in Germany is in freefall. http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...is-calls-german-bishops-account-eroded-faith/ by Thomas D. Williams, Ph.D. In his address Friday, Francis acknowledged that the Catholic Church in Germany is very “professional,” as well as being active in social work and education. At the same time, he urged them to make sure that these activities are genuinely “Catholic” in their character in order that they continue helping to build a more livable society. Francis noted there has been “a drastic drop in Sunday Mass attendance” and in the whole of Catholic sacramental life in Germany, especially in traditionally Catholic areas. “Whereas in the 1960s wherever you went almost every Catholic participated in Sunday Mass,” he said, “nowadays it’s often less than ten percent. Fewer and fewer receive the sacraments and the Sacrament of Penance [confession] has all but disappeared.” “Fewer and fewer Catholics receive the Sacrament of Confirmation or get married in church,” he added, “and the number of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life is severely diminished.” In 2014, the Catholic Church in Germany lost a greater number of faithful than in any previous year in its history for which there are records: 218,000 people, or 39,000 more than the previous year. “When we take all these facts into account,” Francis said, “we can speak of a true erosion of the Catholic faith in Germany.” Francis recognized that the conditions in modern society are not favorable to the faith, and a certain worldliness prevails. “This worldliness deforms souls and suffocates consciousness of reality,” he said. “A worldly person lives in an artificial world that he builds for himself. He surrounds himself with tinted glass so as not to see outside.” At the same time, he insisted, “It is necessary to overcome a paralyzing resignation” that would keep us from doing what is necessary, or just dreaming of “the good old days.” It is time, he said, “for bishops to diligently carry out their mission as teachers of the faith – the faith that is preached and lived in communion with the universal Church – in the manifold areas of their pastoral ministry.” The Pope’s words came barely a month after the Vatican synod of bishops on marriage and the family. As a group, the German clerics have been the most aggressive and most united group in the Church in pushing for a relaxation of sacramental discipline. Despite opposition from Rome, the German bishops seem determined to go it alone. According to Bishop Gebhard Fürst of Stuttgart, the German bishops decided to allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion, despite clear instructions to the contrary from the Vatican’s doctrinal chief. Francis’ words emphasizing the importance of “communion with the universal Church” cannot have been lost on his hearers. The Catholic Church in Germany is quite wealthy, in no small part due to the notorious “church tax.” In 2011, the German Church received somewhere in the neighborhood of $6.3 billion from contributions. Moreover, the Church in Germany is the second largest employer in the country, with only the German state employing more people. Many of those employed are non-believers, and the Church’s considerable institutional presence influences people’s rapport with it, tending to create a more formal, and sometimes utilitarian, relationship. Whether the bishops have the faith and the mettle to stem the exodus of the faithful remains to be seen. Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter @tdwilliamsrome
