All sorts of rumors are now swirling about current events in the Church:
- Cardinal Burke has been cancelling engagements. Why?
- Cardinal Muller has resigned from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Was he forced or was it voluntary?
- A formal correction of the Pope has already been made in private and is about to become public.
- The Pope and his allies are intending to radically revamp the Novus Ordo Mass to make it even more amenable to Protestants and others.
- The official and public endorsement of a heretical understanding of communion by various groups of bishops in Argentina, Malta and now Germany, based (they claim) on the Pope's recent apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. The Pope has either confirmed their endorsements or maintained a favorable-seeming silence.
- The "annexation" of the Sovereign Order of Malta by the Vatican.
- The overnight appearance in Rome of posters critical of a sitting pope - something not seen since the era of the Papal States.
- A parody "attack" on the pope sent via email to Vatican officials.
- A seemingly coordinated attack on Cardinal Burke - now the Pope's most identifiable "opponent" - accusing him of being a right-wing extremist in league with the Trump administration and neo-Fascist Italian politicians. The attack has involved Pope Francis himself and various Vatican allies but has also bled over into the American secular press.
Motus in fine velocior
Motion accelerates when the end is near
But what is the "end" in this case?
The unprecedented (in modern times) suppression of four (or more) cardinals and thus a tightening of the grip of the Church of Mercy?
Open schism?
Or is it that the "end" will include the removal of a pope?
As unthinkable as the last possibility may seem, more and more people, many inside the Church hierarchy and bureaucracy, are now privately talking about it. Even if it is mere wishful thinking, this has enormous significance.
Today, Rorate Caeli, one of the leading traditionalist Catholic websites, published a long essay by Canadian-born philosopher John R.T. Lamont, addressing certain questions surrounding the meaning of "formal correction." While the positions taken in he article were not explicitly endorsed by the site, the post was not preceded by any disclaimers either, unlike other "controversial" articles they have published.
In the light of the fact that Pope Francis has openly endorsed heretical understandings of Amoris laetitia in his letter to the bishops of the Buenos Aires region of Sept. 5th 2016, it is more likely than not that he is in fact a formal heretic.Why then have so few cardinals and bishops publicly lined up with the four "dubia cardinals" on this? Lamont argues that much of the reason stems from an absolutist understanding of "obedience," with roots in the philosophy of St. Ignatius Loyola and other 16th and 17th century Jesuits. But this understanding is erroneous and dangerous:
The question of how anyone, even a cardinal, can correct the Pope is an important one. It is a basic principle of the divinely established constitution of the Church that the Pope judges all other Catholics on earth and is judged by none of them. But this constitution does not establish the Pope as an autocrat with tyrannical authority, who is answerable to no-one. The Pope's authority is a legal one, and as with all legal authority it involves duties to his subjects as well as rights over them. The duty to confess the Catholic faith is a fundamental duty of the papal office. His subjects may thus formally request and even require him to carry out this duty. The right to make such a formal request belongs to any Catholic, but the cardinals, whose office is to advise the Pope, have a strict duty as well as a right to make this request. The cardinals who have failed to do this are guilty of a grave dereliction of duty. This failure is a catastrophe that threatens to lead to the disintegration of most of the Church.Read the full article here.
It should be noted that the anonymous Rorate author who introduces the piece, strongly rejects the truth of the rumor that the Pope has already been formally corrected. However, he does not explain why he believes this.
We'll find out soon enough.
Very good news. Sounds like the situation may be coming to some sort of head. Hopefully, the right heads will be lopped off.
ReplyDeleteAs a followers of Jesus our highest obedience is to the fullness of the Faith. The Church, with all its splendor of Truth flows out of the Heart of Jesus when that Heart was pierced by a sword on the Cross. Any prelate-including a pope-who contradicts the fullness of the Faith is neither to be followed nor obeyed in his error. Both canon law and the writings of the Church Fathers teach this. We do not always understand how self-interest colors our choices. What seems evident by the silence of many prelates is their political standing and careerist interests are more important than the fullness of the Truth. Their actions speak this loudly and clearly.
ReplyDeleteThe unique construction of the Catholic Church is now exactly the source of the dilemma. As long as we had "good" popes, differences could be smoothed over, now that we have a Modernist rogue pope, we see the flaws only too well. There is no point acting as if this is not the case, of course it is. We are in a dilemma, we are to always listen to the pope, respect him, learn from him, this is our tradition and teaching. But oh dear, what now when the man proves himself to be not just progressive, but a dismantler? Now what. Our tradition and teaching is now working against us completely. No one says this but it is obviously the case. This all leads one to questions that make one uncomfortable, that one is putting off in hope that the situation will be corrected, some how, some way.
ReplyDeleteI note Rorate added this comment about the report of a press conference tomorrow (Tuesday) that may be an actual answer to the dubia. Apparently, rather than own up to his own heresy, a representative is going to speak to the dubia. Unacceptable. If this happens, it is nauseating. The man dares HIDE rather than come out and speak like a man, defending his position? Why not openly defend the position you have put out there through your clerical hand puppets?
Anyway, Rorate added the comment "Be careful what you wish for."
Nobody wants this situation at all, and it is understood that things may deteriorate based on the pope's response, we may be in real schism, etc., but we CANNOT continue this way. We cannot act and pretend as if our Catholic faith is not being rent apart, when it clearly is. If these practices gain widespread traction, Catholicism as we have known it, as it has been understood, is finished, because it will not be the same faith at all. So we must have an answer and a resolution of some kind, soon. At the least, we need the faith to be openly, plainly, and publicly defended so the sheep and the goats know where to gather.
Catholic history knows a lot of bad Popes. Although you are right that they don't fit into "the unique construction" of the Church, it has always beeen possible to get rid of them, if necessary.
DeleteKnowing that although our history contains bad popes, THE CHURCH SURVIVED THEM, is what keeps me going.
DeleteIf Cardinal Coccopalmerio's rendition of AL conforms to the content & footnotes of the document itself, then it is to be hoped that Cardinal Müller will resign & add his name to the Dubia & Formal Correction, as this would be the only response from a man faithful to the Office of Prefect of the CDF.
ReplyDeleteAgree Kathleen. I got a real lump in my throat reading Rorate Caeli this morning imagining how this will play out. I'm worried the Four Cardinals and Muller will not respond and we're in for many more years of two parallel orientations within the Church with "Traditionalism" being persecuted savagely. The SSPX, however, would remain a refuge. Or, a schism, though tragic, is less tragic than the former, only because Truth would shine and the movement would grow, even if reviled by the world as it surely would be. I can't help but feel those who stick with Francischurch would rapidly dwindle--what beauty is there is Protestantized squalor? I think of the millions of Catholics who would stick with Francis and am bereft.
ReplyDeleteThere are only two options: 1) The Church will continue to disintegrate and we will see something of what Our Lady predicted at Quito, La Salette, Fatima and Akita. 2) All the Rosaries, fasts, and Masses have helped in that Our Lady will bring an end to this horror show or at least mitigate the chastisements.
ReplyDeleteI don't see any other alternatives. Why are we being so hopeful? I'm not, I'm afraid to say. Option One is where I think we are going.
The Pope is a formal heretic, but alas the college of cardinals will never try him for heresy. That is because the vast majority of cardinals and bishops are heretics themselves. Over 90% of the bishops are heretics and Modernists. That doesn't mean that the remnant, shouldn't try. They have to try. Put in the accusation, the charge, and correction. Those few cardinals have to do all they can. In the end, as Our Lady of Fatima warned, it will be divine intervention into human history that will set all straight.
ReplyDeleteHas the Beloved Lord given you His proof that over 90% are heretics or modernists? If not do not break the Holy Commandments of the Beloved in such an objectively deadly manner...remember adam and evil thought they could be the ones to determine what is true or false, good or evil....leave Judging to the Beloved, as well as false or rash ones and their public or private proclamations....be at peace, these things will pass, do not commit spiritual suicide when others may be committing spiritual murder, Saint Francis de Sales shared...the Immaculata will Triumph!
DeleteLeave the Judging to the Beloved....do not fall for spiritual suicide because of the spiritual murder of others Saint Francis de Sales shares....the Immaculata will Triumph....keep the Holy Commandments, especially the 8th as explained in the CCC...I am not aware of God giving us His proof that 90% are....
DeleteIt's a sad truth that most Catholics just don't care (or understand) about the present situation the CC finds itself in. More than 50 years of brainwashing and neglect has left them blind and deaf (as Jesus said in the Gospel this morning). As for us that do understand and see where this 'modernist' approach to the faith as departed from Scripture and Tradition, we are as much to blame! We whine and blog and comment, but how many of us have taken the trouble to confront our bishops/superiors with the question of where they stand on the questions of the dubia? We have the right to question them. A group could confront the bishop at the end of Holy Mass. No, that would not be polite. That would get us into his bad books. What cowards we are! What cowards (and traitors to the faith and to the martyrs) they are!
ReplyDeleteLet's all stop complaining and crying doom, at least until we have taken some ACTION ourselves.
"Most don't care or understand..."
DeleteI'm not so sure of that as I used to be. I got a shock a few weeks ago when my 80-year-old mother, who is a pretty mainstream Catholic and has castigated me many times the last few years for my criticizing Pope Francis, expressed dismay and concern at his latest tyrannical moves, particularly what he did to the Order of Malta. She is worried. That makes me wonder if more people in the pews than we realize are similarly worried.
Of course, though my mother's not a traditionalist, she's politically and socially conservative, so she's not one of those liberals who rejoices at all of Francis's "progressive" tendencies. But for the first few years of his papacy, she was won over by his "warmth" and "charm" and kissing disabled children, and would get very upset with me for casting aspersions on him. What's changed is that she's now seeing a seemingly darker side of him.
The progressives, on the other hand, see nothing dark at all, and indeed are cheered by everything that's going on. The question is: How many of them are there? As in politics, one wonders if there's a "silent majority" like my mother. I honestly don't know. Maybe the Church is majority Progressive by now....
Who gets the Church assets? Probably Bergoglio's group. So what does that mean for the faithful cardinals, bishops, priests and faithful? It will be like the SSPX only much, much larger and far more difficult to organize into dioceses, etc.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Cardinal Ratzinger write something about the Church becoming poor?
ReplyDeleteI am reading this and trying not to lose it. Most Catholics just do what they want to do --- they seem absolutely sucked into modernism and proud of it. I became Catholic in 1999 (God's mercy!) -- shocked by the very modern thoughts and actions of the Catholics I met...Including a nun that said one day I would be confessing to her...A priest who said "we don't believe in purgatory anymore." Through graces I knew they were "wrong." After attending the new mass, I then found the TLM and attended for six years. I did become Catholic in 1999, but my real education as a Catholic began when I came to the TLM. I have begun going to a different church - back to NO. Girls on altar; Eucharistic ministers; awful music; unruly children; chit chatting before Mass; over and over hearing it's all about "community"-- I feel like they want to be Protestants...Not Catholics. I have almost had a nervous breakdown thinking about the Church and just so sad that everything has been turned upside down inside out...If the Church becomes reflective of the secular world, why be there? I know that is awful to say, but I already work in a very modern liberal lost environment...I often said the TLM was an island of heaven, sometimes my only refuge. I want to live in peace and tranquility, but I feel like I am constantly wondering what to do about being Catholic. It sounds crazy.
ReplyDelete