Thursday 19 December 2013

What Liberals Are Saying About These Times


A Huffington Post article appeared today on our beloved Holy Father, which among other atrocious slurs, suggested the following. Calm yourselves readers, on Francis and 'same-sex marriage' and LGBT issues, this is going to be offensive but in the end you'll laugh.

'Now, I honestly don't think Francis really believes the ugly statements he made in Argentina, as he actually tried to broker a deal on civil unions in Argentina at one point, trying to get the government to back off gay marriage.
 'I believe he made those horribly anti-gay statements (in Argentina) just to keep his job, as Argentina was embarking upon gay marriage and he was expected to rail against it, and it was the only way to advance in Benedict's Vatican. And it worked. But what does that actually say about Francis? That he's a pretty shrewd politician who says what he has to, even if it means horribly attacking a minority, in order to win -- not much different from some in the current Republican Party.'

This liberal journalist is starting to sound like a paranoid crypto-lefebrevist, but no, the writer is a certified liberal and he is confused. I know what he is saying is pretty foul, but His Holiness has only himself to blame since while countries across the World have been passing 'same-sex marriage' laws like dominoes falling around the World, the Successor of St Peter has had better things to do than pass comment. The article notes:

'He'd not said anything about several countries and U.S. states passing marriage equality earlier this year -- and that was months before his commenting that church leaders are "obsessed' with gay marriage and abortion.'  

This is absolutely correct if offensive to the Office of the Papacy. Even when States, like Croatia, have been successful in defending marriage in their respective countries, nothing has come from Rome congratulating them on doing so. Nothing. Not even a 'Well done, boys and girls, for defending true and proper marriage and rejecting false marriage.' It is as if marriage can go up in smoke across the World but Rome under the poor Pope for the poor Church of poor liturgy for the poor isn't much bothered. The irony is that this concerns both Catholics and liberals who desperately want clarity. Both want to know where they stand and, on that matter, why the heck shouldn't they get clarity?

It seems that liberals and Catholics who want to get behind the PR that surrounds this papacy are desperate to find out what the Pope really thinks and where His Holiness really stands, but His Holiness prefers to remain enigmatic, hoping that liberal Catholics believe he is a liberal Catholic, Catholics think he's Catholic and liberals think he's liberal...but Catholic (kind of). The liberal Vatican watcher goes on:

'Sure, if the pope is not speaking as virulently on the issue as the previous pope, certainly that's a positive. But the Catholic Church has a long way to go on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people -- and women -- in terms of changing its doctrine. Francis may be embarking on that monumental project, which may take a century. Or he may not be, and is just keeping his head down, focusing on the issues he wants to focus on, like helping the poor, which is surely laudable. He may be tamping down the talk of homosexuality among church leaders while not bothering with really changing the homophobia built into the church, which could just ruffle too many feathers.'

Pope Francis is 77 so quite how he is going to manage covering up the truth (even if he wanted to) for 100 years is a mystery. These people are so myopic. Even if this Pope decided to keep schtum about the truth about human sexuality, the next one might decide to don a Papal Tiara and excommunicate anyone who can't sign the Syllabus of Errors. The Vatican might get destroyed by a great bolt of lightning and the Church would have to start over again. I mean, its not like the Almighty hasn't issued a warning shot!

We can't see the future. We just don't know and, anyway, no Pope can alter the Truth because the truth does not belong to the Pope, he is its custodian and guardian. He can fail to teach it, he can be silent on it or even decide to teach error when not speaking ex cathedra, but changing the Doctrine would be to make truth into a lie and truth has a habit of emerging victorious because it is Eternal.

The Church belongs to Jesus Christ Who is Truth Himself and He has said 'Lo, I am with you always, even unto the consummation of the World'. The Pope can say that adultery is not a sin, but his saying it is not a sin would not make it less of a sin than my saying 'adultery is not a sin'. The Pope is not God and even God does not reverse His moral law to make that which is wrong, right, or vice versa.

Again, this is liberal pipe-dreaming but it sounds as if His Holiness is giving liberals (who need to be reminded of the following fact) the idea that the Catholic Church is a political party that can alter doctrine like political parties alter election promises. If the Church did this, how would they report it in the media?

"In an incredible U-turn today, the Catholic Church reversed its policy on abortion and homosexual marriages. More on this story coming up..."

There might be a hint of Peronism about this pontificate, but that doesn't alter the fact that the Church is not a political party. If it was, it would suffer the fate of all political parties and become totally irrelevant and divorced from reality - like political parties are. Indeed, this is not how truth works (I mean, have you ever noticed how deficient in speaking the truth politicians are?), but liberals need to be reminded of this at least every month or two, or every two weeks, otherwise they feel like they've got just enough reason to be able to hope that Christ's Truth will 'change' and Almighty God (who they don't believe in anyway) will bless that which is unholy through His Church (which they don't believe in either anyway). What would the Church be if it declared Truth to be dead, buried and over? Nothing but a social club and there are plenty of them outside the Church that are probably more interesting if you enjoy social clubs. It would become as 'relevant' as the dear old CofE.

The article continues...

'All of that is a good thing, just like when some Republican leaders (not many) realized the anti-gay rhetoric didn't work for them and that it was time to pull back. And maybe they, too, weren't ever so anti-gay and were glad to be pulling back. But do we give them a prize for it? Sure, if the pope is not speaking as virulently on the issue as the previous pope, certainly that's a positive. But the Catholic Church has a long way to go on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people -- and women -- in terms of changing its doctrine. Francis may be embarking on that monumental project, which may take a century. Or he may not be, and is just keeping his head down, focusing on the issues he wants to focus on, like helping the poor, which is surely laudable. He may be tamping down the talk of homosexuality among church leaders while not bothering with really changing the homophobia built into the church, which could just ruffle too many feathers.'

I love the way '--and women--' is appended to the LGBT community, as if women are a separate species or something. So, the confused liberal writer of the HuffPo is basically saying that he thinks the Pope's not Catholic. Of course he wants the Pope to okay homosexual sex and the rest, he knows that's probably not going to happen but basically wants the Pope to be clear and honest and give him the truth. Yes, even liberals secretly want the truth!

Worse, though, in fact, he's calling the Pope an opportunistic, lying politician who just wanted power and who pretended to be against 'same-sex marriage' as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in order to stay within the corridors of power until Benedict XVI was ushered away in a helicopter, knowing that if he failed to say anything at all, that he could be called to account and potentially disgraced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. This is the implication of his article and this, of course, is an outrageous and contemptible slur. Yet, I have some sympathy for a liberal who wants the Pope to tell him the truth, even if it is only to put him out of his misery. The world is for shades of grey. From the Pope people want black and white. If the Pope gives people shades of grey, eventually they will paint it either black, or white.

Anyway, and now for the laugh. The HuffPo writer finally says:

'All of that means we should take note, watch and see. As I write this, little boys and girls in Catholic schools all across the world are still being taught that homosexuality is "intrinsically disordered."'

Obviously not much experience of the world of Catholic education then! Catholicism hasn't been taught in Catholic schools for decades! In the meantime, it looks as if Pope Francis is going to keep liberals guessing. Some people might think that's kind of cool or funny. I have sympathy for liberals. It is gravely sinful for Catholics to deprive anyone, but especially those who ask, of the Truth. Jesus Christ Himself said so when He said, 'Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything else comes from the Devil.'

Pray for the Pope, that he may be delivered from his enemies, both spiritual and earthly.

6 comments:

Left-footer said...

As usual, you have hit the nail right on the head, and there is nothing here with which I would want to disagree, nor have I anything to add.

Congratulations and God bless.

Deacon Augustine said...

"The irony is that this concerns both Catholics and liberals who desperately want clarity. Both want to know where they stand and, on that matter, why the heck shouldn't they get clarity?"

I can't remember what the Pope said exactly about those who crave "excessive certainty" or clarity about doctrine, but I know it was fairly disparaging. Apparently Jesus was quite wrong about all that Yes and No nonsense.

Maybe you should contact the HuffPo correspondent and ask him if he wants to join the growing club of Self-absorbed Promethean Neo-Pelagians. It looks like we have recently recruited Cardinal Burke too!

Deacon Augustine said...

"Worse, though, in fact, he's calling the Pope an opportunistic, lying politician who just wanted power..."

My giddy aunt - that's just too much.

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

"no Pope can alter the Truth because the truth does not belong to the Pope, he is its custodian and guardian. He can fail to teach it, he can be silent on it or even decide to teach error when not speaking ex cathedra, but changing the Doctrine would be to make truth into a lie and truth has a habit of emerging victorious because it is Eternal."

thanks for reminding me of this, God is God and that's that.

p.s. on the lgbtq (yes, there's apparently a q now), gender continuum thing, somewhere in California next year in schools (it will affect 6 million school kids), based on how they're feeling that day a boy may decide he is identifying as a girl that day and thus use the girls toilets and vice-versa. wouldn't wanna be a school-kid in california.

Unknown said...

The Prophecy of Saint Nilus seems very apt for these times.

Celia said...

'His Holiness is giving liberals the idea that the Church is a political party that can alter doctrine'. You may have missed the comment on the BBC news just after the Conclave - that it was never likely that the cardinals, appointed by conservative popes, would elect a liberal who would 'change the Church's policies on abortion and gay marriage'. It's not Pope Francis' fault that prestigious media employ journalists who know nothing about religion. On the other hand CNN's 'Francis overturns predecessor's teaching on abortion, gay marriage' in August was in part his fault, for giving a less than coherent interview- if he leaves Catholics confused you can't entirely blame the journalists.

Popes who give that much needed clarity are, of course,reviled for it.

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