Something is wrong in Rome

The Lantern Vol. 57

When Pope Benedict decided to resign I had a lot of trepidation. I have always believed that the position of Pope was something instituted by God. This does not mean that we get some perfect person or even the best person. We get what we deserve. The story of Israel’s first earthly King Saul is a great example of this. The children of God did reject Him (God) as their King because they wanted a physical human king like other nations.  

Yet, Saul was appointed by God and he became king. Over the centuries we have had Popes that were saints and Popes that were evil . Holy men and evil men have held the office. One thing that always held true was that whomever God appointed became the Pope. 

The Pope has always held the position to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church as given to us by God. A Pope is the caretaker of the deposit of faith. He neither adds or subtracts but safeguards the faith through trials. He has a negative gift of infallibility. So he does not produce new teachings but rather he is safeguarded from teaching evil to the whole church. He does not have the right to do evil just as King David and King Solomon did not have the right to do evil.

I have always understood this gift and position as being a lifetime gift. The prophets of old died or were taken up to God. A healthy body only has one head. Still, it is only human nature to have earthly concerns. When John Paul II became old and frail, people asked how he could govern, what if he loses his mind?  Somehow they could not comprehend that God is not constrained by anything even human sickness and frailty. God could make it so that a 100 year old invalid could be a functioning Pope.  

The one key concept I use to validate my position is God is all powerful and all knowing. He never changes because He is never wrong. It is actually all one concept. If you are outside of time and know everything, you do not make mistakes and you do not change.  

Over the centuries there has been one pope, yet there were times of great error and schism where multiple men claimed the position. Yet, the Pope was always the Pope and the previous successors became known as anti-popes. 

When Pope Benedict said he was going to resign he and others used the logic that it had been done before.  As if the previous actions of past popes legitimizes or can cancel the will of God.

Since God does not change, I always look to scripture to see His will and intention. The Catholic church calls the understanding of and unchanging teaching the “analogy of faith.” Scripture tells us what God desires cannot be undone. My favorite example is Jonah and the whale. God asks Jonah to do something that Jonah does not want to do.  Jonah tries to flee and you probably know what happened next. 

He ends up getting spit out of a fish back on the beach.  

I do not believe a Pope can decide to tell God “I am finished.”

So we  had a second pope voted in. This is an important point. Benedict continued to hold the title of Pope as Pope Emeritus. We in effect had two legitimate Popes which has never happened before in the history of the Church.  I believe this was a reflection of the errors of homosexuality that have permeated the clergy. In effect the Church took on the image of the sin it would not address. The Church had two daddies.  

When Francis first took office Fr. Rosica served as the Vatican's English language spokesperson for the transition in the papacy during February and March, 2013] and as media advisor at the Vatican for the October 2018 Synod of Bishops. 

 He made this comment regarding Francis, 

“Our Church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture."

This statement is a huge error and warning sign.  How could someone say this about the Pope?

Did he know something we did not?

The basis of the Catholic faith is Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture, a single twin-fold source.   

 “ Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God.” (DEI VERBUM) . So here is a man arguably who knows the Pope and makes this statement about him.  It is antithetical to the Papacy itself.

I think the next problem I saw was the infamous comment Francis made “who am I to judge “

From the associated press article we gleaned. 

“A remarkably candid Pope Francis struck a conciliatory stance toward gays Monday, saying “who am I to judge” when it comes to the sexual orientation of priests.

“We shouldn’t marginalize people for this. They must be integrated into society,” Francis said during an extraordinary 82-minute exchange with reporters aboard his plane returning from his first papal trip, to celebrate World Youth Day in Brazil.

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” the pope asked. “AP July 2013

The Catholic faith recognizes objectively evil acts. We do not judge the soul but we are called to recognize objectively immoral acts. “If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.” Ezek 33:8 

For the Catholic this teaching extends into their faith life. “ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” 1 Corin. 11:29

As a Catholic one cannot remain in a state of mortal sin and participate in the faith life by receiving the Eucharist. They actually condemn themselves. Francis obviously knows this so what could be his intention to mislead people?  

Francis has also not stayed with the continuity of faith. Regarding the death penalty Francis said “ “the death penalty is morally inadmissible, for it destroys the most important gift we have received: life.”  The Catholic Church has always understood that God has allowed the death penalty yet in 2018 Francis changed the Catholic teaching.

This should have been a red flag for all Catholics, the changing of God’s Churches  teaching for over 2000 years. 

If you look at Holy Scripture God allows the death penalty, but Francis does not. It is important to note that God did not ask for people to be killed because they had all murdered someone but rather so that their influence of a false faith would not permeate His people. Faith was even more important than actions. 

During my investigations of child sex abuse by priests a friend asked if I was happy that Francis said they should be dealt with severely or removed. I said “what he says and does are two different things.”  Francis had been reintegrating priests who were remove for child abuse as well as sheltering bishops who allowed it. Faithful bishops have been removed from service while Francis has surrounded himself with questionable bishops and priests. Francis commented that the African bishops do not have to bless same sex couples because in Africa homosexuality is not socially acceptable.  It’s only acceptable in the US because evil bishops and priests encouraged it to allow them to rape the faithful. The church leadership failed to correct rampant homosexuality and child abuse in the Church.  It has permeated every fabric of the Church, especially the Vatican.  So now we are supposed to bless this concept. St. Catherine of Sienna wrote that God says same-sex acts are so appalling that demons who incite them won’t stick around as they are taking place.

It reminds me of watching a movie and the “bad guys” have legions of bad people who follow them.  But let’s look at another example. Víctor Manuel Fernández was appointed the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.  The highest teaching office in the Church.  He has the belief that people who live objectively immoral lifestyles may be in a state of grace. In effect God is not truly Just because He treats everyone the same. He negates the Christian lifestyle.  So how we live our lives really doesn't matter. His earlier writings include the story of a 16 year old girl and her relationship with Jesus from a soft pornographic view. His theology is perverted as well as his writings so who better to pen the documents on blessing irregular relationships. Fernández says he regrets his earlier writings, and I would think he does, they reveal his perversion.

Francis’ comments and theology are right in line with Fernández.

Francis continually chastises practicing Catholics as “rigid” and in need of more compassion. Jesus said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three.” Luke 12:51 In Matthew 10:34 Jesus states, Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  

This division is simply families separating because some will not follow Christ.

Are they considered too rigid?  Jesus said,  “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life” Matt 19:29

I can tell you in today’s world view anyone who rejects their family for Christ is considered a terrible person.

The church through generations “by God’s will” has protected its people from error. This is part of the charism of infallibility.

When contraception was “all the rage” the Church understood that this was not the way God wishes His people to love each other. Later we found most contraceptives functioned as abortifacients.  So people who knew abortion was wrong were spared committing abortion through contraceptives. 

During the Corona virus outbreak we really saw the faithlessness of Francis.  First his office fully promoted the vaccine programs.  Across the world we denied people free will and in the Vatican you were coerced to take it. The Vatican wrote a paper that only a few children might have been killed in the manufacturing so it’s just too remote to matter. Years later, we are discovering that these vaccines were both deadly and poisonous to many. The world was bullied and the Vatican led the charge.  So this “Pope” failed to protect the faithful.  God’s gift of infallibility would have protected His people.  Oops.  

Even worse this pope deprived all those suffering from the sacraments and the mass.  He took a completely secular position as if God couldn’t be in charge. Churches were closed and locked and he relied on man, not God.  His priests were directed  to stay away from their tasks and the sheep were abandoned.  At a time of great crisis at the height of the Easter Season, Francis directed the church to abandon the faithful.

Forget Christ’s sacrifice and example, everyone runs for their lives.  It was a great test of faith and Francis failed.

Now we have the blessings of irregular relationships. After I wrote my last blog on this subject I thought of another perspective. In scripture we have the story of the Israelites doing battle with the Philistines and they were losing the battle. Israel was not listening to God so they decided to bless the battle against God’s will. The Ark of the Covenant was brought to the battle and what happened?  10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 1 Samuel 4.

You cannot mock God’s will and force His blessings. Does this not parallel the scripture “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” 1 Corin. 11:29.  

The question no one is asking with all of these examples is this? Could Francis be deliberately condemning people to damnation? Here is a man who knows the faith yet subverts it at every chance. He asks his priests to abandon the faithful in times of trouble, invites his flock to take poisons, changes the teaching of God and encourages the blessings of unions contrary to God’s will. The evil that is being done under this man speaks of something terrible. I do not know if he is an anti-pope or some type of anti-christ but something is wrong and we cannot blindly follow this man to our own perdition. Other than that He is ok.