I have little doubt that the title to this piece pretty much guarantees that the majority of Cotton Candy Catholics won’t even bother to read it. You see, for those who prefer to dwell in that fairy tale version of Catholicland wherein nary a crisis endures, the very question alone is like a serial killer making a cameo appearance in a child’s bedtime story.
Even so, it is an important, and eminently fair question for well-grounded Catholics to ask nonetheless.
This, however, raises yet another crucially important question, to whom shall we turn for an answer?
I can think of no more qualified authority than Pope St. Pius X and his magnificent Encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis.
We’ll begin with a look at the more “modernistic” public statements and acts of Pope Francis, and then from there, we will measure them against the timeless wisdom of Pope St. Pius X.
While there are any number of topics one might examine in this effort, I’ve chosen to consider what is perhaps the most basic of all; namely, Pope Francis’ treatment of religion in general.
On the first full day of his papacy, the Holy Father raised a very large red flag during his audience with some 6,000 journalists and their families in Paul VI Hall, at the conclusion to which he decided to refrain from offering his Apostolic Blessing by making the sign of the Cross over the attendees while invoking the Blessed Trinity.
Why? In the pope’s own words, the Holy Father decided not to behave as Christ’s Vicar is expected to behave simply “out of respect for the consciences” of non-Catholics.
With this being the case, no one should have been surprised when, during his first Apostolic visit outside of Rome (to Lampedusa) the Holy Father extended his best wishes to Muslims about to begin Ramadan, an observance prescribed in the Qur’an to “magnify” the false god, Allah, telling them, “I trust it will bear abundant spiritual fruit.”
More recently, on August 7th, Pope Francis offered this gem as reported by CNS:
“Do you need to convince the other to become Catholic? No, no, no! Go out and meet him, he is your brother. This is enough. Go out and help him and Jesus will do the rest.”
On September 10th at the Jesuit refugee service in Rome, Pope Francis said to the diverse gathering of assorted heathens and heretics:
Each of you, dear friends, carries a life story that speaks of drama and war, of conflict, often linked to international politics. But each of you carry above all a richness of humanity and religion, a richness to be welcomed, not feared. Many of you are Muslims, of other religions, and have come from different countries, from different situations. We must not be afraid of the differences! Fraternity makes us discover that they are a treasure, a gift for everyone! We live in fraternity! (The original text is available in Italian on the Holy See’s website.)
Let’s recap:
- From his very first day as Roman Pontiff, Pope Francis demonstrated that he is at great pains to avoid in any way offending the practitioners of the world’s many false religions, as if their version of “truth” is as of much dignity before the Lord as that which He entrusted to His Church.
- In addressing Muslims, who worship a false god, plainly rejecting Our Lord Jesus Christ, Pope Francis encouraged them to persist in their erroneous practices, and even went so far as to suggest that such would be blessed by the Lord whom he represents as Vicar.
- Pope Francis has made clear his belief that there is no need to call others to convert to the one true faith as it can be found in the Holy Catholic Church alone.
- Pope Francis maintains that religious diversity, with all of its contradictory and irreconcilable doctrines, is a gift to be celebrated. Though he stopped short of explicitly proclaiming from whence such “gifts” are bestowed, one can only presume that he imagines that these false religions spring from God Himself!
Fortunately, even though Pope St. Pius X is a blessed member of the Church Triumphant, still he is able to evaluate and comment upon this situation through the timeless wisdom imparted in Pascendi Dominici Gregis.
Following is but a small sampling of what this great Pontiff, whose papacy was dedicated to “restoring all things in Christ,” has to say:
And with what right will Modernists deny the truth of an experience affirmed by a follower of Islam? With what right can they claim true experiences for Catholics alone? Indeed Modernists do not deny but actually admit, some confusedly, others in the most open manner, that all religions are true. That they cannot feel otherwise is clear. For on what ground, according to their theories, could falsity be predicated of any religion whatsoever? … For they heap such praise and bestow such public honour on the teachers of these errors [false religions] as to give rise to the belief that their admiration is not meant merely for the persons, who are perhaps not devoid of a certain merit, but rather for the errors which these persons openly profess and which they do all in their power to propagate.
So, back to our question: Is Pope Francis a modernist?
The answer, according not to me, but to Pope St. Pius X, is yes.
Now, while Pascendi states very well that modernism is “the synthesis of all heresies,” it is necessary to distinguish between material heresy and formal heresy.
Material heresy concerns those who espouse, in ignorance, heretical propositions. Formal heresy concerns those who, aware of what must be believed, deliberately and with full knowledge openly deny said truths. Identifying the latter constitutes a subjective judgment; the former, simple observation of objective reality.
For our part, we must content ourselves with the objective. In the present case, the only conclusion that one can reasonably draw is that Pope Francis is indeed a modernist.
So, what shall we, members of the Household of God, do with this knowledge?
Well, on an individual basis, I suppose that all depends on how “grown up” one is in the Faith.
The little ones, who are not yet prepared for solid food, haven’t the wherewithal to even recognize that a problem exists. Others, who are somewhat more mature in the Faith, are so taken with the false idea that Daddy can never be wrong, that they will rush to defend him at every turn, regardless of how outrageous his behavior might be. Still others in the household are informed enough to see the problem, but are too weak to confront it, choosing instead to profess to “keeping their eye on the prize,” essentially sticking their fingers in their ears and humming “Amazing Grace” in the hope that it will all just go away.
The smallest number of those among us, however, will look without fear at the bitter reality that papa is drunk on modernism, and his reckless behavior is so dangerous that it threatens not only those who dwell within the Household of God, but even those who wander in darkness beyond its walls.
Among them, a relative few intrepid souls will do everything in their power to warn the others, both within and without, taking bullets and arrows and all manner of artillery simply for daring to proclaim the immutable truths of the Faith that alone can assure our salvation.
It’s a thankless job, this, but someone has to do it.
“Among them, a relative few intrepid souls will do everything in their power to warn the others, both within and without, taking bullets and arrows and all manner of artillery simply for daring to proclaim the immutable truths of the Faith that alone can assure our salvation.”
There are ways of striving to warn the faithful that don’t necessarily include harsh public condemnation of the Vicar of Christ, and those who choose other methods aren’t necessarily motivated by weakness. In fact, I often think it would be much easier, in light of so much hostility expressed towards the Holy Father in traditionalist circles, simply to capitulate and add my voice to the criticisms.
St. Catherine of Siena was as fearless as they come; she had a deep love of the Church and of the Holy Father–even in light of her knowledge that his actions were wrong. She communicated her concerns to him by private letter–and always addressed him with the utmost reverence, affection, and love, as a daughter to her very own father. Our Lord used her strength, charity, and humility to move the Pope to heed her advice.
I prefer such methods. They are not motivated by weakness, but by love. I hope you can understand that, even if you choose other means.
Thanks for commenting, Christine. Of course I understand. I didn’t presume to give an exhaustive description of every last member of God’s House in this piece.
I would, however, like to make an important clarification. Saying “Pope Francis is a modernist” does not constitute a harsh condemnation of the person; it constitutes a harsh condemnation of modernism. Likewise, when the Church calls – more precisely, used to call – heretics by name, the condemnation was aimed at the heresy.
For this reason, I reject the suggestion that calling the pope a modernist suggests a lack of love, charity, humility or reverence for either him or the Church.
Christine, good points, but I believe that the problem is deeper.
What you consistently see when people defend the Pope when he makes statements that are unclear and damaging is this: defenses that resemble the political spin that we see in secular politics. Obfuscation. Lack of candor. Half truths. Typically coupled with attacking those who are stating the obvious.
Now, writing the Pope privately is a perfect way to address the problem…if he reads it…if one does not publicly excuse what should not be excused.
We now have 50 years down the wrong road. Humans have not changed significantly over the last few thousand years, so the approach taken should not change either–although technology has changed the method of delivery. That is, the clear, direct approach of the Christ, the prophets, the disciples, and saints are not antiquated. There is no “new man.”
Writing the Pope privately did not prevent the scandal. It did not prevent anything. In general, I believe that the time has long come to speak up–for most of us. We are called to tell the truth. While there are times to remain quiet nonetheless, there is never a time to dissemble (which you have NOT done here).
Mr. Verrecchio,
Thank you so much for your cogent words of Truth. You will indeed suffer slings and arrows (as witnessed already in the first comment), but don’t lose heart…remain a sentinel on the wall. You are entirely accurate; your words were sufficiently charitable; and your voice is one we indeed need to hear. God bless and protect you and your work. We are in for some bumpy weather.
Dear Mr. Verrecchio,
First, thank you for all your hard work in alerting others to the current crisis within the Church.
Second, in this article, I believe that you may have the terminology mixed up, perhaps due to typographical error. It is material heresy that is objective.
Formal heresy requires “obstinate adhesion to a particular tenet … For as long as one remains willing to submit to the Church’s decision, he remains a Catholic Christian at heart and his wrong beliefs are only transient errors and fleeting opinions. (Wilhelm, Joseph, “Heresy” in The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 7, Robert Appleton Company 1910)
I believe this Pope is still “willing to submit to the Church’s decision” and, if he holds to modernist tenets, it is out of “ignorance … erroneous judgment, imperfect apprehension or comprehension … in none of [which] the will plays an appreciable part … and such heresy is merely objective, or material.” (ibid.)
The problem is that there exists, especially among hierarchy, extreme confusion, if not also diabolical disorientation, over what constitutes the “Church’s decision”. One major locus of this confusion is the false opinion that Second Vatican Council constitutes the “Church’s decision” (in Ratzinger’s words “a superdogma”), despite its lack of clarity, despite refusing to define truth and condemn error, and despite erring, at least prima facie, in places from the Church’s ordinary and universal magisterium (e.g. regarding the question of religious liberty).
Again, thank you for your work in attempting to eliminate this great source of confusion.
Today in the general Audience the Pope asked how many of those present pray for the persecuted Christians.
Why are so many Christians being persecuted? Because of what Pope Francis referred to as “the richness of religion, a richness to be welcomed, not feared”, because of “the differences we must not be afraid of” that is the Muslim faith who in reality tells the Muslims that Christians are “unbelievers”. Nobody of the last Popes dared to connect the dots between the persecution of Christians and the false religion of Islam, which all of them praised.
cda – Thank you so much for your attentive reading. You’re exactly right. I corrected it. I mixed up “former” and “latter.” My fingers were moving faster than my brain. If you only knew how poor my typing skills are, you’d realize what a frightening proposition that really is. 🙂
Thank you again Louis. I pray for all who are in the position to wake up the faithful. To educate the post Vatican Council II Catholics as to what they have lost, who stole it, and how to get it back. In these times, Saint Athanasius’ example would be a good primer for us all.
Excellent recap! Thank you!
Thank you for your charitable yet lucid explanation of our Holy Church’s teaching. Catholicism needs more such men.
It is because of the Popes wrong beliefs which are only transient errors and fleeting opinions that massive confusion is beginning to take place within the Vatican.
Can Atheist go to heaven? Do Catholics obsess over abortion and gay marriages? Does blessing Protestantism Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism promote Catholicism or a one world religion? These are just a few opinions evoked by Pope Francis that bring concern for his understanding of the Faith.
cda said “I believe this Pope is still “willing to submit to the Church’s decision” and, if he holds to modernist tenets, it is out of “ignorance … erroneous judgment, imperfect apprehension or comprehension … in none of [which] the will plays an appreciable part … and such heresy is merely objective, or material.” (ibid.)”
I find that rather ill advised as he is not a student of Catholicism but it earthly head Magistrate. You suggest that a Magistrate of the Catholic faith can teach the world merely with his opinion and his ignorance. Have you lost your sense of responsibility. Surely your not suggesting that a NeuroSurgeon or an Airline Pilot perform their duties on the student level? Every word the pope says, “Every Word” made public needs to carry identical levels of responsibility towards the Catholic faithful, as a pilot would carry his towards his passengers, and a doctor towards his patient.
To suggest that a pope can behave like an undisciplined teenager who attends unsupervised teenage parties, and abuses his body with drugs, alcohol and sex is a complete insult to every pope who has held the title since Peter. I am merely pointing out that if the pope acts like an adolescent, then he has not taken his responsibilities seriously. If Pope Francis promotes his opinions over and above the tenets of Catholic faith, and shows his ignorance by continuing to be imprudent in his actions he will definitely move the church towards modernism.
Your believe in the popes understanding of Catholicism is a grand hope, but I suggest that you observe his behavior, it is surely modernist in every word and deed that he has made available to the world press. I hope that you are correct. In all truth, prudence,humility, obedience, and faith in Jesus Christ I hope you are correct. However, if you are not correct and this modernism manifest all the great heresy’s against the Catholic Church what will you hope for then?
I concur with your assessment, but what can this mean? How can even a material heretic if not a formal heretic hold the throne of St. Peter and the Church not have fallen, which by divine promise, it cannot?
How can even a material heretic if not a formal heretic hold the throne of St. Peter and the Church not have fallen, which by divine promise, it cannot?
We know The Church will follow its Master death so it can experience The Resurrection. Perhaps we have to look at Our Lord’s promise in light of that.
Jesus said the gates of Hell would never prevail against it. He didn’t say it wouldn’t appear as though it had.
What a beautiful blog post, Sir.
Thank you for defending authentic Catholicism in these times of confusion and easy rhetoric.
Mundabor
You certainly bring up valid points, and I also wish the HF had, shall we say, phrased things differently. One of the first things I recall him mentioning is creating a Holy “lio” which can be translated as “commotion” or “mess”. Well, he has been successful, it seems. In his defense, I think he is being intentionally provocative to stimulate conversation and attention on RCism. For example, his “obsession” comment re abortion, and then following it with a strong pro-life statement to OBGYNs. But that is a dangerous tactic as you never know how the provocative statements will be received, and whether the follow up will get the same press. His strategy could be to “first get them talking, and then we will see as to the substance.” I hope that is his strategy.
Louis, I am sorry but I think you are going over the line here by calling Pope Francis a Modernist. IMHO this a very serious charge to make. It harkens back to the time when in the mid seventies Bishop Lefebvre called Pope Paul VI the same thing even though he was not. I too am troubled by the Pope’s actions mostly with the FFI which I believe is serious. BOTOH he admitted himself that he like Pope John is naïve. But publicly calling him a Modernist to me smacks of Integralism if not Donatistism. It certain cones close to Schism. Look at FR Z’s column before you make this charge please. Besides Father Z Michael Coren as well as FR John of Web of Faith do not share this view. In closing I recommend that you just pray Francis do NOT call him by this name please.
Simply put the book you need to read, exposes both the Modernists and many False Traditionalists. Must take with a grain of salt, best documented Theological work I’ve seen in a long time Communicatio in Sacris.
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Reading these comments, I am thinking, “What about Christ Jesus?” Who cares about Him? While it is sooooo kind of this Francis to send all the atheists to heaven, what about the fact that our Lord was crucified because He taught that unless you believe in HIm you will be condemned? Everyone is so careful to protect the honor of Francis, but he is openly dishonoring Jesus Christ and the faith of His Church. Francis will no doubt thank you for this, but Christ will not. If you cannot make up your mind that this man is teaching falsehoods, you don’t deserve the name of Catholic. And if he is teaching falsehoods, he is a heretic. Don’t tell me that a man who is pope of the Catholic Church has never had opportunity to learn the most basic elements of the Catechism. To say that atheists go to heaven and are united to God is Apostasy.
Its been 50 years of overt modernism, if not more, in Rome and with this pope it seems that it is all out in the open.
Where can we turn for assistance or relief from this punishment?
I really don’t see how we can get out of this, considering that the pope appoints bishops and cardinals to his liking.
Our only unlikely recourse is to pray for his conversion, but it seems Our Lord is deaf to these pleadings of traditional Catholics all these many years.
Sad
@Joannie, pope Paul wasn’t a modernist?! Where have you been the past 50 years? This mess we’re in, he had his hands in most of it, willing or unwilling. Pope Francis seems to be a holy person, but was formed as a priest in the horrible 60’s. He is a child of the council.
Our Lord is not deaf to us. It was He who told us the parable of the wheat, (His faithful) and the tares, (the seed of the evil one) that grow together in the same field. This parable explains that the church has within it both faithful and perfidious souls. Throughout the history of the Church, the faithful have struggled with the perfidious in the church, but this is the first time in history that the perfidious have taken over on all levels and infected the whole doctrine of the church. Christ also told us that at the Harvest, the consummation of the world, the Angels will separate the wheat from the tares and will bind the tares into bundles to burn them, and the wheat will be gathered into His barn. Is this what we see happening? I know one thing: I want to be with the wheat.
To clarify–I wasn’t thinking of you when I referred to the “harsh public condemnation of the Vicar of Christ.”
God bless,
Christine
Thank you Louis. Your blog is a healing balm to my wounded “restorationist, pelagian, and triumphalist” heart.
A friend pointed out to me how Noah’s sons acted upon seeing their father drunk and naked. One mocked him while another covered his nakedness.
But how to cover Pope Francis?
Get this book! It will change how you think:
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Louie, wonderful article.
Joannie, you are reading the wrong blogs.
One of the worrisome trends since the days of Pope John 23rd, has been the every descending level of publicly accepted immorality, both in the Church and in the civil society; followed by legal enactments which enshrine every more deviant behaviors and sacrilegious activities. The world is clearly descending to Hell, and the Church’s many institutions are transmogrifying into the Mystical Body of the Anti-Christ. I am especially concerned about the prophecy made by St. Catherine Emmerich, who saw in vision a pope who was considering resigning his office and pleaded with him, not to, saying that the False Prophet had been plotting for years to occupy his Office and, with the resignation, would come to power, thus ushering in formally the Age of the Antichrist to come.
Reports published in different languages show that Bergoglio formed as early as prior to the conclave in 2005 a network of spies to gather sensitive personal information at Rome and send it off to him so that he could blackmail compliance among the Catholic Hierarchy world-wide and among the Cardinals. His transfer of more than 70 million dollars from his poor diocese to the accounts of the Vatican Bank, prior to 2005 nearly assured his election then. His friendliness with members of the American Hierarchy who are cozy with Obama makes it quite worrisome that some of the much ill spent Federal Monies ended up securing him election this time.
Then there is the Italian journalist who remarked that Immaculata Chaqueri (one of the new commissioners to oversee the Vatican Bank, was a collaborator with the journalist who bribed Benedict XVI’s butler into betraying the pope’s personal letters) was perhaps known to Bergoglio before the recent conclave. She now goes to confession to him, and has a plush job, perhaps as a reward.
If one reads everything Archbishop Lefvebre said, we can see clearly NOW, he was a prophet !
Ditto to RubyRoad’s comment…….Joannie, you’re reading the wrong blogs.
We a group of Catholic faithful at Rome have decided to start an International Alliance against the wiles of Church leaders who want to destroy the Church wih the authority of their offices…here is our manifesto… please distribute in the English speaking world, and communicate with us to put this into good Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Swahili, Hindi, etc. etc.
http://chiesaepostconcilio.blogspot.it/2013/09/nec-plvs-vltra-here-and-no-further.html
If you truly want to know what the Church teaches on Communion with Heretics buy this book!
http://www.lulu.com/shop/william-detucci/communicatio-in-sacris/paperback/product-18959071.html
Thank you for this.
St. Catherine of Sienna provides a model for us during this trial. For the devout soul there is a strong inclination to avert one’s eyes from tragic flaws like this in our Sovereign Pontiff.
But we can not do our duty with blinded eyes. We must remain humble, but we must also have our eyes open.
And we must pray for each other.
May God bless you.
Is Francis a modernist? To ask the question is to answer it. The church has been overrun by “lovers of novelty” for over 40 years now. The stench of their fruit would sicken rats. The question that remains is not whether Modernists are controlling the Church, but how do they plan on implementing their New Religion on the “faithful”.? 40 years gives us plenty of data to look at:
The 4 main beliefs of this New Religion are 1. The Traditional Catholic Faith must not be tolerated . 2. Truth changes with time and culture and must be constantly updated to reflect both, 3. There is no “ One True Religion”, all Religions,( except the Traditional Catholic Religion which must be destroyed,) are just different paths to “heaven” 4. All religions must join hands and work towards “peace” ( This new one world ecumenical religion is the vehicle that will usher in the Anti-Christ) No one gets appointed to any leadership positions unless they are committed to these beliefs.
The hierarchy cannot just openly contradict prior teaching, what they are attempting to do is an end run around certain beliefs. For example divorce, they just issue everyone who asks an” annulment.”. Contraception? No problem ! Practice NFP !
They will also set up what I call” The Magisterium Illusion” , its modeled on the political ,right –center-left paradigm.
The left is where the church is heading, this is the end goal.
The center is what is being offered up as a reasonable solution ( This is always moving slowly towards the goal)
, The right is a fake defense of the current novel or even Traditional teaching ( this is always moving left also) The right part of the paradigm is the most effective wing , this is where they will have a “conservative” Bishop or Pope etc that seems to be defending Traditional teachings with talks to media , sermons etc…but their actions will always give them away (Blasphemous Ecumenical Gatherings, Not lifting a finger to actually fix a problem, etc) And most importantly they will almost always slander Traditional Catholics.( Call them Schismatic, Disobedient, Pelagian Etc), The whole paradigm is almost always moving left, small set backs are no problem, they just keep agitating from the center and left dragging the Church along.
Anyone who has worked in Sales knows that you must know the buyers’ objections and responses before you ever present your product. A good salesman will constantly role play to get their responses memorized and natural sounding. My point is that the modern Popes, Bishops Cardinals etc. all have their responses to big questions of the day cooked up and ready to be served, in a very ambiguous way, to constantly keep people off balance and let the paradigm do its job.
The current Francis interview is a masterpiece of the modernist strategy, For example on Women in the Church he dismisses Women Priests ( The left of the paradigm) , Frances takes a center position ( saying the Church needs to “ develop a theology on women” ) , The right position is , We love altar girls. Tradionalists are ignored as wackos on the subject. On Sodomites, Abortion or whatever issue is discussed these tactics are used.
What can we do to stop the madness?? Of course pray and fast for the Hierarchy. Abandon The Novus Ordo and don’t give them a penny. Go to only the Traditional Roman Rite , then work to Sanctify yourself and family , sit back and let God handle the big issues ( don’t get overwhelmed by things you can’t control and risk falling into despair)
Thumbs, what you are describing is the founding tenants of freemasonry, which has infected our beloved Church for 60-70 years.
A Pope can be a heretic and a true Pope, and the Church not have “fallen.” What is essential to the indefectability of the Church is that the Pope not formqllly authoritiatively teach heresy. He can hold it, say it informally, and in addition be a public sinner and still be a valid Pope. Why is this so hard for traditional Catholics to understand? Thank goodness for Church teaching on the nature of the magisterium!
Yes. God Bless you for the vision to see this clearly and to write about it so convincingly
Actually no I am not reading the wrong blogs I am trying to use some common sense. I go to and read many blogs, but to actually call the Pope a Modernist is a very serious charge to make. As far as Benedict was concerned he did past muster as far as trying to steer us in a better direction. So no I don’t think he was a failure as Pope. BTW he did not abandon us he was no longer up to the job. Do not get me wrong however I too am concerned with this popes words and actions as well as the Personality cult. I think honestly the Cardinal made a mistake when they elected him when there were much better and qualified men, like Ranjith Raymond Burke who could have been Leo XIV, or Marc Outlets or yes even sixty year old Peter Urdo of Budapest.
Mary,
Pardon me, but I must disagree: A pope who is a heretic is not pope, because heresy put you ouside of the Communion of the Church and according to Canon law deprives you ipso facto from the office. You seem, however, to be trying to say that one who has professed heresy but no pertinaciously, can still be Pope, and that is true, because such a non pertinacious profession will end with a good fraternal correction, whether from Cardinals, Bishops or laymen on blogs. Christ prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail, and we must believe in Christ’s power of prayer.
The doctrine of the indefectability of the Church is the very proof that a pope who presumes to teach false doctrines is outside of it.
Latest news on a Modernist:
Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka make history in the Vatican
Never before in the history of Christian-Jewish relations have a Pope and a Rabbi celebrated their friendship by living in the Vatican together for several days, sharing all meals, including on two Jewish festivals and the Sabbath at which the Rabbi said prayers in Hebrew, and discussing what more they can do together to promote dialogue and peace in the world.
That is what actually happened over the past four days at the Vatican guesthouse (Santa Marta) where Pope Francis lives and where his friend from Buenos Aires, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, has been his guest from September 25 to this day.
“I eat with him at breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. He cares for me, and controls everything regarding my food to makes sure it is all kosher, and according to my religious tradition. These are festive days, and I have to say certain prayers at meals and, I expand the last prayer and translate it. He accompanies me together with the others at table -his secretaries and a bishop, and they all say ‘Amen’ at the end”, the Rabbi said.
By acting in this way, the Pope and Rabbi are sending an extraordinary message of friendship, dialogue and peace not only to their respective religious communities but also to the whole world. And they plan to do even more together, Rabbi Skorka revealed when we talked together at Santa Marta, on September 27.
He and the Pope are planning to travel together to the Holy Land next year. The Israeli and Palestinian authorities have invited Pope Francis, and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew1, wants him to celebrate the 50thanniversary of the historic meeting of his predecessor, Athenagoras, with Paul VI in the Holy City.
(…)
“We come together without burying our identities. I spoke to him about evangelization, and he stated emphatically that the Catholic Church cannot engage in proselytism”, he said.
http://vaticaninsider.lastampa.it/en/the-vatican/detail/articolo/francesco-francis-francisco-28206/
Calling the Pope a Modernists is quite serious charge. Of course, it is really just as serious to say, with a bit more nuance, that the pope’s theology seems to be tainted with Modernist ideas. From my reading Francis, Benedict XVI, and JPII all teach that while Catholicism is the truest and best expression of Truth, other religions contain truth and God uses them as well. And most if not all people end up in Heaven… Hey, we are all redeemed and are all brothers and sisters, right? And God is unquenchable, unending, gushing Mercy. “Wrath” is a human construct, and the only real judgement is the one we eecute on ourselves. So what’s the worry? THAT may sound like Rowan Williams, but it is Vatican II as currently spun, and that is MODERNISM. Francis has spoken a lot about the Devil, but I am not sure to what effect. He seems to preach that people are not so much rebellious as illness-stricken. God has redeemed the world and now is simply busy playing nurse, with Jesus having done the operation 2000 years back. A far cry from apostolic preaching.
Sedevacantism – no true pope since the Vatican 2 council
Is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth a modernist? No.
Is Francis a modernist? Yes
Is Francis the Vicar of Jesus Christ on Earth? No
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We must pray to Mary to straighten her boy out (Papa Francis). My guess is he will keep making idiotic comments to the media and things will get worse until some Paul gets the gumption and tells Peter to cool it to his face.
Also all of this must be weighing heavily on B16. We must pray for him.
I agree with everything that Mr. Verrecchio says in that article. But maybe we need to remember the difference between a material modernist and a subjective formal one.
Does not a pope who would presume to teach against the dogmas of the Catholic Faith and who would tell the church and the world that proselytizing is solemn nonsense bring a curse upon himself, and upon all those who uphold his power? How many popes have pronounced the “anathema sit” upon all those who would contradict the Dogmas of the Church? Is is okay that a pope or anyone else teaches atheists to follow their own conscience? Is it okay that he tells unbelievers that conversion to Christ is not necessary? If this is not Apostasy, what else would it be? Is the church just going to sit there and allow this to be done it its name? If the church does this, it deserves the same fate as he shall receive.
The private morality of any Pope is not protected by the charism of infallibility – Popes are not impeccable – however; the public relation of the Pope to the teaching of the universal Church is protected in the sense that if he teaches heresy – even materially – as a “private theologian” – which is what Francis is doing by his “off the cuff” statements; he “ipso facto” loses the Pontificate. Cardinal Billot in his theological treatise “De Ecclesia” states that: “…the Roman Pontiff is the proximate rule of faith for the universal Church [proxima regula fidei];” if he falls into heresy as a private theologian [because he cannot define heresy when he speaks ex cathedra]; he loses the Pontificate. A heretic cannot be the proximate rule of Catholic faith and morals if he publicly denies this rule; which, being public Revelation [whether by Scripture or Tradition] is easily known by all, “…even in the present condition of the human race.” [cf. Vatican I, Const. Dog., De Revelatione; and Vatican II, Const. Dog., Dei Verbum, Proemium.]
“It is not the Church’s place to teach unbelievers. She must seek in common with the world.” Archbishop Wojtyla of Cracow. October 22, 1964, Third Session of Vatican II.
Would you also consider JP II a modernist? Not trying to challenge you, just wondering your opinion.
Great article.
For those many Catholics who have been taught little since 1960 – and now this, a pope who publicaly states positions contrary to Church teaching what are we to do?
I greatly fear for the Church under this pope – I pray for him, but he is Paul VI incarnated – a true liberal modernist pope.
Yet modernism is anathema to Holy Church = excommunication: so what of the Cardinals: some of them too must be thinking if not saying this?
LIke Paul VI – this pope is dancing with the woves, the ones who Benedict prayed he would not flee from.
Like Paul VI, this pope will build up global expectations amongst the liberal wolves that they have won, that revolution controls the Church.
Finally when this pope is required defend some form of Orthodoxy, the wolves will turn on him, the media will turn on him because he is betraying their narrative.
They wil devour Francis as they did Paul VI; but the confusion that Francis will leave, with false catecetics, will further damage the Church, leading more souls into heresy, then apostasy thus to Hell.
God help us!
Cardinal MArio Luigi Ciappi, papal theologian to several popes, read the third secret and said “in the third secret, it is foretold, among other things, that the Great Apostasy will begin from the top”. Clearly the apostasy began in 1960 with the Great Act of Disobediance by John XXIII. He refused to release the third secret as requested by the Mother of God.
This Demon can only be banished through prayer and fasting.
The doctor orders- fast Wednesday and Friday
three rosary s a day.
confession once month
frequent reception of communion and adoration on our knees
Maybe the question we should ask is “Did Vatican II teach the heresies” And if the answer is yes, then all the Popes after Vatican II who did not condemn the Council would be material heretics.