I have a little list...

The Catholic Faith: Rocket science it is not...

...of people that senior members of the Church's Hierarchy might wish to consider 'leaning upon' before notably popular Catholic bloggers who enjoy defending the Pope and the Church's unpopular teachings from those who challenge them, dispute them, scorn them or undermine them through writing and public speaking.

Here is my little list or, at least, its a good start. If Bishops did their job, perhaps a well known Dominican public speaker, for one, would cease to publicly write and speak in such manner that gives scandal to ordinary Catholics who believe the Catholic Faith, whole and entire, to be revealed by God and who believe that error and heresy is to be opposed for the good of souls. Yet for some reason, those who propose ideas that create division and scandal and who harm the faith of the little ones are allowed to roam around parishes and Dioceses in order to allow their personal designs on the One True Faith to 'flourish' in the minds of the impressionable.

I know that such Dominican speakers, for instance, are perfectly capable of speaking without dissenting from the Church's teaching, since I have seen one of them talk in Brighton. The only thing that scandalised me was the speed with which he took off his Dominican habit after he left the stage in order to get back into his civvies, to meet, greet and sign copies of his book.

That said, why Catholic individuals, of many different ranks, are allowed to disseminate their, at times, distinctly subversive message on the Authority of the Catholic Church in matters of faith and morals, without censure, without reproach, without caution or a gentle 'word in your ear' and with such little regard for the Salvation of Souls, while others, heroic Catholics who devote their lives to defending the Pope and the Church online, come under an element of scrutiny, will perhaps remain a mystery, quite plausibly until the End of Time.

Pray for all bloggers and especially for those who protect the Pope. Censured bloggers on the Catholic Faith who day in, day out, defend Holy Mother Church from those seeking to violate Her teachings and Her Supreme Pontiff may wish to take a while of prayerful reflection that such gross evil would not happen to them, unless they were serving the One who promised rejection for all those who followed Him in proclaiming His Truth. They may also wish to prayerfully reflect upon the Lord's promise of glory for those who choose faithfulness to Him over human respect.

Such men should prayerfully reflect that to make so many enemies in so many positions of power and influence in this world will have won them so many friends in the next. On such men, may we all prayerfully reflect and give thanks to God. May such men, in their time of prayerful reflection, too, give thanks to God to be permitted to share in the sufferings of Christ and give thanks also, that in speaking Christ's simple truth to power, rather than offering praise and flattery to the wicked - so accustomed to receiving it that they are blind to their sins - their faithful and vigilant labour will, we pray, surely not go unrewarded by the Just Judge on the Last Day.

Such a man would not be targetted in such manner if he was not a very clear and present threat to the prince of this world indeed! For just as Satan wanders like a lion through the world seeking whom he may devour, so do his disciples today roam, at this most sorrowful time for the Body of Christ, as indeed they always have, around Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. As for 'signs of the times', well, one wonders what it all means. One shouldn't read too much into 'signs', but one cannot help but whether we are now living in an era in which it is not the Pope who needs protection.

Gulp! Who's next? I shudder to think...