Hidden within your life is a seed of resurrection.... Pascendi anyone oops I couldn't resist. Have a blessed Easter one and all
catholicculture.org Brace yourself; the Pope is taking another overseas flight By Phil Lawler (bio - articles - email) | Apr 26, 2017 Pope Francis flies to Egypt on Friday. In the past faithful Catholics might have offered up a nervous prayer whenever they heard that the Pope was boarding a plane, because they worried about the safety of air travel. Today most of us feel reasonably confident about planes (although a quick prayer for a safe trip would still be in order), but with this most unpredictable of Pontiffs, we worry about what the Holy Father might say during his usual in-flight meeting with reporters. In case you haven’t noticed, Pope Francis has a habit of making headlines with his unscripted remarks. And it’s not always good press. This past weekend, it didn’t take an airplane trip—just a quick visit to an island in the Tiber—to prompt an unfortunate remark, comparing Europe’s refugee centers to concentration camps. To be fair, it’s not at all clear that the Pope intended that comparison. From the context it seems possible that he used the word “concentration” to refer to overcrowding at those centers, and then stumbled his way out of the sentence. That sort of thing happens, sometimes, even to the best of off-the-cuff speakers. And let’s face it: Pope Francis is not the best of off-the-cuff speakers. But it happens again and again. The hits just keep on coming. In meetings with reporters, in unexpected phone calls, in audiences when he sets aside his prepared texts, the Pope continues to make remarks that cause consternation and controversy—remarks that at best require further explanation. In an statement explaining the “concentration camp” remark, the Vatican observed that Pope Francis was speaking without a text. Indeed he was. Again. Give Pope Francis credit for spontaneity. The very fact that his remarks are unpredictable makes it more likely that people will listen to him attentively. But that’s a mixed blessing. Sometimes it might be better if no one had listened, and better still if he’d stuck to the script.
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/f...fending-catholic-teaching-dont-be-more-papist Pope Francis: Don’t be ‘more Papist than the Pope’ © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk Lisa Bourne Follow Lisa ROME, Italy, April 28, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis spoke critically again of the faithful who have a strong embrace of Catholic doctrine, resorting to pejorative terms he has often used such as hypocritical and phariseeism. “You cannot be more restrictive than the Church herself,” he told a lay association gathered Thursday morning at the Vatican, “nor more Papist than the Pope.” Addressing the Congress of the International Forum of Catholic Action in the Synod Hall, the pope told participants he wanted them to be out among the people and that there is a need for “active mercy.” The theme for the association’s three-day gathering was “Catholic Action is mission, with all and for all.” “Do not be border police,” he told the conference. “Please, open the doors,” Pope Francis stated, “don’t administer Christian perfection tests because you will only promote a hypocritical phariseeism.” The pope has spoken several times as though the idea of a Christian ideal is something unattainable. He also warned Thursday against trying to clericalize the laity. Compelling laypeople into a vocation because they perform valued service to the Church instead leaving this to the Holy Spirit "worries me," Pope Francis said, according to the Catholic Herald. “Do not clericalize!" The pope spoke negatively as well about “proselytism or coercion,” the Herald report said, “which goes against the Gospel.” “It makes me really sad to see people who are in ministry – lay, consecrated, priests, bishops – who are still playing the proselytism card,” he stated. “No! It is done through attraction. That is the genius phrase of Pope Benedict XVI.” The notion of working to convert others to the faith is something he has repeatedly criticized previously. In interview last month with the German newspaper Die Zeit, Pope Francis condemned proselytizing in a discussion about Germany’s vocations crisis. “That has nothing to do with proselytism,” he said of low priest numbers in Germany. “By proselytism, you will not gain vocations … ” He defined proselytism as “the poaching of those with a different faith, like with a charity organization who poaches members. Then many young people come, who do not feel called, and ruin the Church.” The pope stated in October that “there is a very grave sin against ecumenism: proselytism. We should never proselytize the Orthodox!” Later that same month, he called religious proselytism “poison” during a meeting with Lutheran pilgrims in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. In a 2013 interview, the pope said, “Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense.” Addressing an apostolic movement the following year, Pope Francis discouraged proselytism, “because it does not work.” He also cited Pope Benedict then in saying, “The Church doesn’t grow by proselytism, but by attraction.” The pope’s disapproval of Catholics who hold the Church’s teaching and tradition in high regard have been copious throughout his papacy. In January 2016, he said Catholics who say “it’s always been done that way” have a “closed heart,” “will never reach the full truth,” and are “closed to the surprises of the Holy Spirit.” In a homily from June 2016, the pope preached against rigid application of Church doctrine, calling it “the chains of the laws' rigidity.” He said the Church never teaches us ‘or this or that,’ and “This is not Catholic, this is heretical.” In pondering the increasing number of young people embracing the Latin Mass in November 2016, he asked, “Why so much rigidity?” “Dig, dig, this rigidity always hides something, insecurity or even something else,” Pope Francis stated. “Rigidity is defensive. True love is not rigid." His criticisms are so numerous and pointed that they have been continuously tabulated by a blogger in the United Kingdom in a list titled “The Pope Francis Little Book of Insults.”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ewtn-panel-discusses-nearly-anarchic-state-of-the-church EWTN panel discusses nearly ‘anarchic’ state of the Church Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing and EWTN's Raymond Arroyo Claire Chretien Follow Claire April 28, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – An April 20 EWTN panel discussed a host of hot-button issues within the Church, including the appointment of a pro-gay Jesuit priest as a Vatican consultant, how the possibility of women deacons is "certainly something to be concerned about," and Cardinal Robert Sarah's "prophetic warning about the nature of the Church’s present crisis of faith." EWTN's Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing, and canon lawyer Father Gerald Murray (the "papal posse") also discussed the pope's interference in the Order of Malta, how reception of Holy Communion in the hand has caused "lack of faith in the Real Presence of Christ," and another Jesuit priest's suggestion that Jesus' words on divorce were not meant to be taken literally. Arroyo began by asking Royal and Murray for their take on remarks Cardinal Christoph Schönborn made about the female deaconate. Schönborn said, "I can understand the malaise which women feel when they see only men concelebrate [Mass]. I can understand that we must look like a men’s squad up at the altar." Arroyo noted, "Then during the Pope’s Easter vigil homily, His Holiness had this to say about God setting the rules: ‘When the high priest and the religious leaders, in collusion with the Romans, believed that they could calculate everything, that the final word had been spoken and that it was up to them to apply it, God suddenly breaks in, upsets all the rules, and offers new possibilities. God once more comes to meet us, to create and to consolidate a new age, the age of mercy.’" "This came after a reflection on the faithfulness of women in the Church," said Arroyo. "What are you hearing in Pope Francis’ words and in Cardinal Schönborn's suggestions? Is this perhaps paving the way for changes in the Church on the question of women deacons, married priests?" "It’s certainly something to be concerned about because Cardinal Schönborn is a very close associate of Pope Francis," said Murray. He said the cardinal's words were an "ideological take on Revelation." "Jesus did not choose any women to be priests and the apostles did not choose any women to be deacons," explained Murray. "Now we had deaconesses in the history of the Church and they still exist in Orthodoxy – deaconesses are not women deacons. They were not ordained to carry the deaconate functions which in the Catholic Church are part of the Sacrament of Holy Orders." This is because "when a deacon acts, he acts as someone who’s ordained to Holy Orders," he said. "It would be a very, very serious matter if women were proposed for ordination as deacons, and I hope and pray that it doesn’t come to that because it would be very, very serious." Pope Francis "tends to suggest that rules in and of themselves are somehow oppressive as if, say, the rule of law [and] the rule of canon law ... are not facilitators but they are actually oppressive of people per se," said Royal. "Maybe he’s attempting to be prophetic – you could put it in a positive sense – and I think that is one side of his papacy. But there’s another side of it which almost suggests something anarchic – that all rules are somehow an imposition on human liberty." Given this and "other fears we’ve had of what’s been developing in the Vatican, it wouldn’t be improper to worry that this might be the beginning of something much larger," said Royal. Communion debates Royal praised the "very, very strong language" Sarah used in a recent address on liturgy and the crisis of faith within the Catholic Church. "I hear from a lot of different people of various orientations in the Church that they find that the liturgy is flat," said Royal, which is part of the problem. Royal said there's a connection between the push to give Communion to the divorced and remarried without an annulment and the widespread practice of receiving it in the hand. Bishop Robert Morlino of the Diocese of Madison's recent call for the faithful to receive Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue, as was done in Catholic Churches until the last half-century or so, is "great," said Murray. Communion in the hand "has not promoted a deeper faith in the Real Presence," said Murray. "It’s promoted casualness, forgetfulness." The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the literal body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Even one tiny crumb or particle of it is still completely Jesus, meaning the sacrament faces much greater risk if it's received in the hand rather than on the tongue. Morlino has realized "the need to confront a real serious problem, which is lack of faith in the Real Presence of Christ because of the casual way in which the Holy Eucharist has been distributed and received," said Murray. Jesuits' 'stunning renunciation' and 'profound misunderstanding' Father Thomas Reese, SJ's recent suggestion in a National Catholic Reporter piece that Jesus' words on divorce and remarriage being "adultery" weren't literal is "very regrettable," said Murray. "Fr. Reese also says in the article that Jesus gave this as a feminist teaching, and that who knows if he would still say the same thing because women’s rights have progressed now," said Murray. "There’s a lot of silliness going on in the world; this is an example of it." The reason Catholics know that this teaching is in fact literal, Murray said, is because "we don’t believe in private interpretation of Scripture ... the Church is the one who tells us, and the Church has told us clearly: this is a fundamental bedrock teaching and it goes back to the Lord’s own creation." Another Jesuit priest, Father James Martin, was recently appointed as a communications consultant to the Vatican in what Royal called an "unusual" move given Martin's well-known progressive views, especially on the issue of homosexuality. "Fr. Martin recently said that he’s in favor of transgender bathrooms and that he thinks that that’s a right," said Murray. "For me, that indicates a profound lack in his appreciation of Christian anthropology, of modesty, of the respect that we have for the rights of people of privacy in matters relating to their body. I think it indicates a profound misunderstanding of what the Church teaches about male and female." Furthermore, "[regarding] same-sex marriage and the like, Fr. Martin has never, as far as I can tell, been in support of Courage, and institutions in the Church trying to promote chastity and heroic fidelity to Christ’s Gospel," continued Murray. "He always seems to be saying that homosexuality is something that is objectively from God and we have to respect it, and my answer is no, homosexuality is not God’s intent for any human being. It’s a disorder. It’s intrinsically disordered according to the Catechism." This teaching gives people "liberating truth," said Murray. But Martin "doesn’t go that route ... I’m disappointed that the Vatican would not put all these factors into consideration before naming him because for me, it’s disqualifying. If a priest says that men should be able to use women’s rooms if they want to, that’s not the kind of advice I think should be given by a priest." Order of Malta controversy Arroyo said the Pope's interference with the Order of Malta doesn’t seem to show "due regard for the freedom of the members." The Order of Malta "is a sovereign entity," he noted. Murray said the Vatican asking its former leader, who the Pope personally asked to resign, to stay away from Rome during his successor's election is "puzzling." (The Vatican recently reversed this request. The election will be held April 29.) The Order of Malta's former leader was asked to resign after overseeing the sacking of a high-ranking official for distributing contraception in the developing world through the order's charity. Pope Francis reinstated the condom promoter after taking over the order. Sent from my iPhone
Oh my! I am at a loss of words. Thank you Brian for keeping us informed. Mary please keep us in your prayers for strength and courage to hold fast to the barque of Peter.
Today is St Catherine of Siena, a doctor of the Church. She was given by our Lord the grace to see the state of the Church of the time as it really was under the surface, and she was moved by the Holy Spirit to rebuke the Pope and other prelates. She certainly did rebuke them against the politically correct (the 'servile fear to reprimand'), certainly with great love and reverence, but oh boy how tough she was, her words cut through like a sword! I thought this letter exposes the current problems in the church better than anything I have read before, and the solutions - and it can be applied to our own lay lives - worth reading every word: Excerpt from Letter 16 - To a Great Prelate. "Alas, alas, my unfortunate soul! Open your eyes and regard the perversity of the death that has come into the world, and individually into the body of Holy Church. Alas, your heart and soul breaks to see so many offenses to God. Father, see how the infernal wolf does not carry off the creature, the little lambs that graze in the garden of Holy Church, and does not find him who moves to reduction of mouth. The shepherds sleep in their self-love, in greed and garbage; they are so drunk with pride that they sleep and do not feel it, because they see that the devil, infernal wolf, if he does not carry off the life of grace in them, takes that of their subjects. They do not care; and all the cause is the perversity of self-love. Oh, how dangerous is such love in prelates and subjects! If he is a prelate and he has self-love, he does not correct the defect of his subjects; because he who loves himself for himself falls into servile fear, and therefore does not reprimand them. For if he loved himself through God, he would not fear with servile fear; but boldly, with a virile heart, he would reprimand defects, and not be silent nor make pretense of not seeing. I wish you personally to have such love, dearest Father. I beg you to make it so, so that hard word will not be said to you as a reprimand from the First Truth, saying, “Cursed be you who were silent.” Oh, be silent no more! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that, through being silent, the world is spoiled, the Bride of Christ has paled, her color taken from her, because they have sucked the blood from her; that is to say, that the Blood of Christ that is given by grace and not by being owed, they plunder out of pride, taking the honor that is due to God, and damning to themselves; and so they steal through simony, selling gifts and graces that were given by grace, at the price of the Son of God’s Blood. Alas! how it kills me, but I can’t die. Don’t sleep in negligence any longer. Act at the present time, however you can. I believe that there will come a time when you can no longer act; but now, at the present time, I invite you to strip your soul of all self-love, and dress it in hunger and real, true virtue, to the honor of God and the health of your soul. Be comforted in Christ Jesus’ sweet love, for soon we shall see the flowers. Study how the banner of the Cross may rise quickly, and don’t let your heart and affection fail through any inconvenience that you have seen coming; but be comforted more at that time, thinking how Christ crucified is the Maker and Taker of the pangs of desire of God’s servants. I say no more. Remain in the holy and sweet love of God. Drown yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified; put yourself on the Cross with Christ crucified; hide yourself in the Wounds of Christ crucified; bathe yourself in the Blood of Christ crucified."
A great Saint is Catherine.She wasnt afraid to point out the failures of the Pope in her time. Fr Gruner died 2yrs ago today. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord.
This language the Pope uses needs to be clearly defined. Liberal's almost exclusively use words loosely. They refuse to define their meanings, lest they unmask their true objectives. Name calling is one thing all progressives have defined well. It stifles those who have good intentions and those who live by objective truth's. Word's like "legalistic, Pharisees, rigid" etc.. are just a few examples of what Pope Francis and his left leaning puppets use to neutralize opponents to their radical agenda's. If you were to point blank ask them if adultery is a mortal sin, you would never get a yes or no answer. Same thing goes with homosexuality. Pope Francis has redefined the word 'mercy' to now include pandering to these groups who have left the teachings of Christ and his Church. Welcoming them ever so subtly that few will even question their true motives. A true sign of the end times. Fatima's words once again being fulfilled, "the last battle between God and Satan will be on marriage and family". An even greater indication of these end times to me is the great apathy or indifference nearly everyone I know has towards the unchanging truths of the faith. It all reminds me of the most sobering words in scripture when Jesus foretold of his real presence in Holy Eucharist to which, "Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him". Seems many in the Church cannot handle the objective truths of God today. In order to turn hearts their way they have to present false truth, false mercy, false compassion and dress it up as if this false social justice is the new mercy of God. Accept the sinner and their sin, "who are we to judge" sin? Very effective it has been. No one wants to be a fuddie duddie hard nose Christian with no heart. Anyone with their eye's and ear's open have seen this coming, but who would have expected, within the last century of Popes, that it would be shouted and promoted from the highest office in the Church? Especially, since the Catholic Catechism and so many papal encyclical's and documents have come fourth in the past century teaching contrary to what is being pushed today from the same office? "Don't be more Papist than the Pope". Now we have a new coined word to add more guilt if you believe in objective truth. But, once again, which Pope are we more Papist then? Pope Francis or the previous Popes?
You've said this well. The name calling is a well known tactic. I remember it well from the 70's/80's. "Rigid and unpastoral and out of date and stifling the spirit." Yeah. Same old song. It was a wonderful eye opener to read Malachi MRtin's books because they provided a frame work and vindicated the horror I felt at what was going on. It helped steer my whole spiritual life toward reparation to Jesus in the Tabernacle. Things got much better as JPII got a hold of things but here we are again. Never mind us being more papist than the pope. I would settle for francis being more papist than the Pope. (Joke) Well we are in for a long slog maybe.
Praetorian. Did you get to Stockbridge to the Shrine for Divine Mercy Sunday? You haven't posted in awhile. Hope all is well .
AED, speaking of name calling as tactic, you reminded me about this excerpt from the 2011 Gabriele Amorth interview with Zavala, quite interesting as I think Amorth is a very trustworthy source from within the vatican, he was there so long [my translation]: JM Zavala - The book El Vaticano contra Dios [ The Vatican against God] unveils unimaginable insights and provides considerations that could explain the gradual growth of the [masonic] logdes inside the Holy See. I am referring, specifically, to the change in strategy of the vatican freemasonry: from an open confrontation against the catholic Church in the XIX century, to an infiltration of the vatican upper echelons since the beginning of the XX, just as Padre Pio had foretold. Fr. G Amorth - And what is the point of going against God when you can do everything without God? That is their logic. JMZ -A logic inspired in the worldly model, in order to normalize the implementation of the most basic human instincts within the Church [adultery, etc.], in the name of materialistic atheism. Fr. GA - The book explains very well the whole recruitment process of diocesan priests and religious people for masonic lodges. It all the same. They have to be intellectually brilliant youth with a special ability to communicate. To persuade them, it is very important from the beginning that they don't suspect the existence of a masonic hidden agenda. Thus, with exquisite manners and infinite patience, they are flattered in what appear to be coincidental encounters in order to finally resource to favors emanating from bishops, cardinales, diplomats and even presidential cabinet secretaries, tempting them in exchange with promising prospects for their ecclesiastical career. JMZ— All done in a very wily manner. Fr. GA—Of course! Thus, once he is well inserted into his ecclesiastical environment, the new mason will have to discredit, if necessary, the prelates with most integrity and honesty, stigmatizing them as hypocrites and false people. Ah... if St. Pious X could raise his head...! The Pope denounced everything with great clarity in the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis ["Feeding the Lord's Flock"], warning us about the infiltration of the Church by freemansory. --- [original] —El libro El Vaticano contra Dios desvela también extremos insospechados y brinda reflexiones que explicarían el paulatino auge de las logias en el interior de la sede de Pedro. Me refiero, en concreto, al cambio de estrategia de la masonería vaticana: del enfrentamiento abierto contra la Iglesia Católica en el siglo XIX, a la infiltración en la cúpula vaticana desde principios del veinte, tal y como alertaba el Padre Pío. —¿ Y para qué ir contra Dios cuando todo se puede hacer sin Dios? Esa es su lógica. —Una lógica inspirada en el modelo del mundo, para hacer parecer de lo más normal la aplicación en la Iglesia de los más bajos instintos humanos, en nombre del materialismo ateo. —En el libro se explica muy bien todo el proceso de captación de sacerdotes diocesanos o religiosos para las logias masónicas. Lo mismo da. Deben de ser jóvenes brillantes intelectualmente y con habilidad para comunicarse. Es muy importante que al principio no sospechen la existencia del complot masónico para embaucarles. Así, con exquisito tiento e infinita paciencia, se les adula en encuentros que parecen fortuitos hasta recurrir finalmente al ofrecimiento de favores emanados de obispos, cardenales, embajadores y hasta de ministros, tentándoles con inmejorables perspectivas en su carrera eclesiástica.
I'm amazed that we have gone 84 pages on this subject!! Sooooo ... if THE BIG SHTF Moment comes in 2017 .. or 2037... and the Vatican implodes along with Western Civilization, are YOU going to dissolve into a depressed heap in a dark corner of your crumbling home?.... Eh??!! ... Let's PRAY that Thee & Me will NOT...... Let's PRAY that Thee & Me have THE FAITH to CARRY-ON no matter what ..... and Ya Know What!!?? ... I can't find the word Vatican in the Our Father, Hail Mary or Apostles'/Nicene Creed! ... and the word catholic is, properly, spelled with a lowercase "C" in both creeds!! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!! PS: In case Ya been napping for 50 years ... the Vatican & Western Civilization have been in slow implode mode since 1965 or so! ...... even with Paul VI and St JP! PPS: I still believe that PF is acting out his role as directed by The Father. PPPS: Don't be surprised by the "odd" People of Faith Ya find in your post SHTF Moment "LifeBoat"!!
Our faith is really going to get tested when we are stripped of all modern comforts. No one knows when --- but the decay has set in -- Like ancient Rome the seeds of destruction have already been sown --
Yes I did AED. In posted about it on the Divine Mercy Miracles thread. I have been very sick this last week and not up to posting or doing anything. This is my first day feeling a bit better. One interesting thing is that the priests at Stockbridge gave a bunch of talks and all of them were warning about the Chastisement. The 100 year anniversary of Fatima, etc. They even mentioned Pope Leo XIII's 100 years and the time limit alluded to in the famous "King of France" warning. They said we need to do our part. The First Five Saturdays, Scapular, etc. It was nice to see some faithful priests warning the laity! Why isn't everybody talking about this?
Thank you Jarg for these translations and the ones you did earlier. This may be the only place on the net this is available in English. Also thank you for all of your excellent we ll thought out posts. They are most informative.
It It must have been like a little bit of heaven. I hope you will shRe some of what they said. First Friday and first Saturday approach. I will start once again hoping THIS time I will be able to complete them. I am sorry you've been sick. Seems like 2017 is starting out with a lot of troubles, viruses etc. lots to offer up!!! Glad to hear you are better. I will put you into my Rosary today.
Yes Crew Dog. God has certainly permitted all this confusion to take place. PF willingly or unwillingly plays a part in the sifting. And you are right about who turns up in the lifeboat. I just pray I get there!!!
Thank you AED. They priests were taping their talks so I am hoping they might posts them somewhere. I will keep an eye out.
magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it A "Low-Intensity" Pope, As the Times Demand di Sandro Magister The most updated diagnoses of the religious phenomenon in the West converge in defining it as “low-intensity.” Fluid, with no more dogmas, without binding authorities. Highly visible, but irrelevant in the public arena. Even Catholicism is reshaping itself this way. And the pontificate of Francis is adapting in a spectacular way to this new phenomenology, in its successes and in its limitations. As a good Jesuit, Jorge Mario Bergoglio instinctively goes along with the signs of the times. He is not even trying to stem the growing diversification within the Church. On the contrary, he is encouraging it. He is not responding to the cardinals who submit “doubts” to him and ask him to bring clarity. He is giving free rein to even the most reckless opinions, like those of the new general of the Jesuits, the Venezuelan Arturo Sosa Abascal, according to whom it is not possible to know what Jesus really said “because there were no recorders.” And he himself has been telling some whoppers, without any fear of toppling the fundamental articles of the Creed. Last March 17, during an audience at the Apostolic Palace, to explain what he means by “unity in difference” he even said that “inside the Holy Trinity they’re all arguing behind closed doors, but on the outside they give the picture of unity.” On April 19, in a general audience Saint Peter’s Square, he said that the death of Jesus is a historical fact but his resurrection is not, it is only an act of faith. On April 4, in a homily at Santa Marta, he said that on the Cross “Jesus made himself devil, serpent.” And these are only the latest of a not-small collection of reckless statements, which however glide away like water on marble, without effect on public opinion both Catholic and not, for which this pope continues to be popular in part because he will say anything, with tranquility. Luca Diotallevi, one of the most observant sociologists of religion, has identified a number of similarities between the pontificate of Francis and the Donald Trump phenomenon, among which is a shared resentment against the establishment. The price has been paid by the Vatican curia, but above all by the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, which today is a shadow of its former self, when it watched over even the slightest word that came from the pen and mouth of a pope. Francis ignores it altogether. The national episcopates have also disappeared from the news, starting with the Italian episcopal conference, once powerful, now annihilated. The metamorphosis of this “low-intensity” Catholicism is glaringly evident in the political arena. The United States and Italy are two examples. In both countries, Catholics are present in large numbers and at the highest levels, more than in the past. In the United States Trump’s “chief political strategist” Steve Bannon is Catholic. Five of the nine supreme court justices and 38 percent of governors are Catholic. 31.4 percent of congressmen are Catholic, ten percent more than among the adult citizens of the country as a whole. And yet, in spite of this solid presence of Catholics in politics, it is not the case that the inalienable principles of the Church on the matters of divorce, abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality have a proportional influence on the laws. On the contrary, they are ever more removed. In Italy it is the same way. All of the recent heads of state, from Mario Monti to Enrico Letta to Matteo Renzi to Paolo Gentiloni, have been practicing Catholics, as is the current president of the republic, Sergio Mattarella. A large number of cabinet members and parliamentarians of all the parties are Catholics. But the Church’s influence in the political sphere is almost nil, as proven by the laws on homosexual unions and the end of life. A “political Catholicism” on the level of a Sturzo or a De Gasperi is long gone. But there is also a pope whose deliberate intention is to hold himself and the Church back from any high-intensity engagement in political issues that divide consciences. And this is another reason why he is so popular. ---------- This commentary was published in “L'Espresso” no. 17 of 2017, on newsstands April 30, on the opinion page entitled "Settimo Cielo" entrusted to Sandro Magister. Here is the index of all the previous commentaries: > "L'Espresso" in seventh heaven ---------- In the photo below the title, the first person on the right is the Argentine theologian Emilce Cuda, a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Católica of Buenos Aires, very close to Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández, rector of the same university and a prominent advisor and ghostwriter for Pope Francis. She is the one who reported the words of the pope on the Most Holy Trinity, within which “they’re all arguing behind closed doors, but on the outside they give the picture of unity,” spoken on March 17 during an audience with the group Catholic Theological Ethics in The World Church, to which she belongs. They were made public by the English vaticanista Austen Ivereigh, the trusted biographer of Jorge Mario Bergoglio. ---------- For the category of “low-intensity religion” as applied to the new forms of the religious phenomenon, see the essays by Bryan S. Turner, "Religion and Modern Society,” Cambridge University Press, 2011, and by Luca Diotallevi: "Fine corsa. La crisi del cristianesimo come religione confessionale,” Edizioni Dehoniane, Bologna, 2017, this latter with a chapter on “Italian Catholicism at the time of Francis.” (English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.)
