Wednesday 23 April 2014

Seeking Clarification

Following Damian Thompson's piece today on Pope Francis's pastoral phone call response to a lady in a second marriage with a divorcee which then made it into Facebook and soon the World press, one wonders quite what the sensible Catholic reaction should be.

Has the time come to live in my allotment on Whitehawk Hill in order to wait for the Second Coming after, of course, having exchanged the words 'Cardinal Kasper' with 'Pope Francis' in my sidebar poll?

In the unlikely scenario that Pope Francis has said something that completely contradicts the Church's Infallible teaching, a great theological conundrum erupts in which we ask whether it is possible that a Pope can not be in communion with the Pope.

I guess that's not impossible, in certain circumstances. Of course, that would be a can of worms so full of worms that all the worms in my allotment could not quite do it justice. So, I'm not going to go there, yet.

The Holy Father's phone calls have quickly become the stuff of legend and, like all legends, we are never quite sure of the truth. It's a shame reporters and bloggers such as Mr Thompson cannot simply pick up the phone and call His Holiness in order to get that much needed clarification that Fr Frederico Lombardi will most likely refuse. Remember, that even in 'being pastoral' a Pope, who can never simply be 'Father Bergoglio' again (because he's the Pope) cannot really make a statement concerning one individual that does not then become something that is universal. God has not made exceptions to divine law.

Clearly, whatever the truth of the matter, someone is doing his level best in undermining of the Magisterium and the Office of the Papacy on purpose. The question remains whether that person is one of the Pope's enemies, or one of his friends, or the Pope himself, or even all three.

If this teaching 'changes' through pastoral chats with dissident Bishops and Priests (and Popes) who simply say, 'just do whatever you feel is fine by me' because of what a schizophrenic 'Father Bergoglio' says in his private capacity as a dissident priest in Rome then the future looks incredibly bleak.

Quite how a 'Father Bergoglio' could get away with this by intimating that he knows what 'the Pope' says but as 'a simple priest' I say something else, then we are at a real crossroads in the Church's history the likes of which neither the World nor the Church has ever before seen. With two Popes living in the Vatican, we thought it could not get any more weird. Perhaps we were wrong. Watch, once more, what Benedict XVI had to say about the Church as a divine institution that does not simply sway with the times, in his farewell address, because the Church is truly Christ's Body. I certainly think it has some relevance to the new theories being posited about 'being Church'.



I also think its a bit awfully timed that this news came out when we should be feasting and partying, rather than weeping, fasting and beating our breasts in sackcloth and ashes. Try not to let His Holiness (or his friends or enemies or those who claim to have chatted with him on the phone) spoil your celebrations. If you are a faithful Catholic and you feel a bit like you've been stabbed in the heart on Easter Wednesday, don't stop believing and keep on partying. The gates of Hell shall never prevail.

Perhaps we should heed the advice of the Supreme Pontiff not to listen to gossip for, if its untrue, Damian and others carrying this disconcerting story will have done us no service at all. Still, as Damian updates his blog, is the Vatican going to say it cannot clarify under some kind of 'Data Protection Act'? If this story goes off like a Supervolcano (for some reason bison and elk are currently fleeing Yellowstone), the Vatican press office will have themselves, if not also their 'boss' to blame. It is worth noting that there have been very few occasions on which His Holiness, who asked us to pray for him that he wouldn't 'make too many mistakes', has actually apologised for confusion he has caused.

Continue to pray for the Popes. I say that not just because we have two living Popes in the Vatican, but because this Pope has the potential make Popes of us all.

"Hello? Father Bergoglio? What an unexpected call! Well I never! How did you get my number?"


19 comments:

Romulus said...

Hey, the Pope phoned me, or maybe left a message with somebody, and said I can eat meat on Friday. Or something like that.

The Bones said...

I was on the phone to him the other night.

I asked, "I sometimes feel like sleeping with someone of the same-sex. Is it cool if I do that and then receive Holy Communion."

So Father Bergoglio just paused and then said, "Frankie says relax."

Chloe said...

According to the Daily Mail "A little bread and wine 'does no harm,' Pope Francis said to a divorced woman as he flew in the face of Catholic convention by telling her it's okay to take communion." That ain't the Pope! Even Pope Fancis wouldn't come out with that rubbish about the Blessed Sacrament. This is a leg pull!

EuropeanCatholic said...

A sentence which I could never have imagined reading before February 2013:

"Pope Francis's pastoral phone call response to a lady in a second marriage with a divorcee which then made it into Facebook".

I'm baffled, confused and wonder what the Cardinals actually make of all of this. Given the criticism of Cardinal Kasper by various Cardinals recently, one could infer that they will not be too happy at this latest turn of events. On wonders what they actually make of Pope Francis.

What I also find staggering is the complete change in approach and style from Pope Benedict to Francis.

It's as if the pontificates of Benedict and John Paul II never happened!

Anonymous said...

The Pope is a scandal factory.

Unknown said...

Maybe he wouldn't have been so pastoral and merciful if her husband was Mafioso.----Kim in seattle

Tereze said...

I think the plans to CHANGE Catholic Church are already READY. This is very well planned action (all his secretive phones were like that). This is called "softening the ground", so people will be confused, some happy, some shocked - all to create great hopes for sinners and more mess in the Church. In such mess and confusion it is way easier to impose EVERYTHING... GOD HELP US!!!

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

I've begun blocking Frankie's calls; he just won't let up; he really can't even spend five minutes with his own thoughts.
-
The vatican have to release a resounding, 'falsehood' on this report, if they don't...

Unknown said...

Bad pope? Anti-pope? False prophet of Revelation? Maybe all 3? Time will tell.-------Kim in seattle

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

But it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that this is more propaganda getting people used to the idea that the pope subscribes to the 'dissolubility' of what Christ taught was and is indissoluble. What's interesting (euphemistically) is we now have a vicar of christ who seems happy to be at odds with Christ - at least Christ as 200 odd popes all they way back to St Peter understood Him. I wonder what most of those popes would think of this one. But, since VII, I guess that doesn't matter either.

Unknown said...

If he believes one can approach the Lord's table with mortal sin, perhaps he believes it is only...bread and wine. Or he knows it is the Body and Blood of our Lord and seeks the ruin of souls.----Kim in seattle

Unknown said...

"A little bread and wine does no harm." Sounds like Satan offering the apple to Eve.---Kim in seattle

Long-Skirts said...

European Catholic said:

"I'm baffled, confused and wonder what the Cardinals actually make of all of this."

"It used to be the weak things that hid themselves, now it is the strong things that hide." G.K. Chesterton

"Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's MY number so call me, maybe!"

Deacon Augustine said...

In the Divine Office there are regular intercessory prayers for the Pope - "That his faith may not fail."

Assuming that the Church does not ask us to pray for or against things that are themselves impossibilities, then surely the law of "lex orandi, lex credendi" would dictate that it is indeed possible for the Pope's personal faith to fail and that he may thus become a material heretic.

Having said that, I am more inclined to believe that this was a case of inaccurate reporting based on the hearsay of a misunderstood conversation. The fact that we have a Pope who lends himself to misunderstanding by his erratic behaviour is neither here nor there. The Church has survived many useless Popes before, and it is good to be reminded that the object of our faith is Christ - not the Pope.

Unknown said...

Pray pray that his faith may not fail?

I just pray he converts or gets hisself smited.
Kim in Seattle

Lepanto said...

The Pope is either an idiot or a heretic or both, there doesn't seem to be any middle ground after yet another 'train wreck'. Anyone who heard what he said about Kasper's 'theorem' on this matter at the February consistory cannot (without willfully ignoring the facts) be in any doubt about the Pope's opinion in this matter. So, he probably did say what was reported and, if so, we are in a very difficult situation with a heretic Pope but knew that it was almost certainly coming.
Since the start of this Pontificate, I have prayed that like Zacharia the Pope will lose the power of speech to prevent the damage that is now happening. Join me?

EuropeanCatholic said...

Some very welcome comments from Pope Francis on Friday:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-emphasizes-indissolubility-of-christian-matrimony

Pope Francis on April 25 stressed the need for bishops and priests to give a “consistent witness” to Christian moral teaching, including the lifelong nature of Christian marriage, and to teach these truths “with great compassion.”

“The holiness and indissolubility of Christian matrimony, often disintegrating under tremendous pressure from the secular world, must be deepened by clear doctrine and supported by the witness of committed married couples,” Pope Francis said.

“Christian matrimony is a lifelong covenant of love between one man and one woman; it entails real sacrifices in order to turn away from illusory notions of sexual freedom and in order to foster conjugal fidelity.”

Fr John said...

In his leaving speech, Pope Benedict stressed his complete and absolute reverence and obedience to his successor Pope - it's a pity the commentators on this blog can't follow the good Pope's example.

The Bones said...

The lay faithful are not in the same position as Benedict XVI, who, even if he wanted to speak out, is bound to remain silent in a way that the laity are not.

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