The Francis Song

A reader asked me for my response to 'Gaudate et Insultate', I've read some excellent analyses of the document and I don't think I can add much to it, so I thought I might as well sing what we can see is going on, what others have noted, based on The Dentist Song, from the hit musical Little Shop of Horrors. That song's about a brutal, sadistic dentist. Not like our Pope, obviously. He isn't a dentist.

What Qualities Does the Next Pope Need?

The Franciscan pontificate is unpredictable and volatile, as well as risible. From day to day it scandalises and shocks the Church.

The next Pope will have to learn from the many serious mistakes made during this pontificate and should already, while a Cardinal, be examining where Francis has gone wrong, as well as the partial success (if you can call it that) of his extraordinary public relations efforts, efforts which have now led to the most amazing apology in all of human history, the kind of stupendous apology that marks a Pope who called abuse victims liars and slanderers out as a living Saint. Really, he should be canonised now. But, here's what I'll be looking for from the next Pope, should God in His mercy give one to the Church.

1. I hope that the next Pope believes in the Catholic Faith. It's a big one this and I think that the Catholic Church in the next pontificate requires someone who believes the religion into which they were baptised. It really helps people to believe the Catholic Faith if the Pope believes it too.

2. I hope that the next Pope is honest. Again, everybody has their weaknesses, but for the next Pope, an appreciation, at least, for truth, would be a real bonus and such a quality might restore some confidence in the papacy.

3. I hope that if the next Pope is going to insult anyone, or craft insulting expressions directed at certain members of the Church, he aims his barbed arrows at those who show ill-will or malice towards the Church's perennial doctrines and towards the enemies of Christ within the Church. But this isn't essential. He could forego insulting anyone. That might actually be an idea. Let the truth stand on its own merits. If God grants it to us, and let us not presume, we'll need some calm after the hurricane that is Francis.

You may have your own suggestions that you'd like to share of qualities you are looking for in the next Pope. Perhaps you'd like him to love God and the Church, or have a punctilious concern for souls, doctrine, liturgy and worship, but I just thought we'd start off with the basics first.

As I say, feel free to add your own...

Happy Easter, Pope Francis...

Next questions for Scalfari to ask the Pope could be 'Did Jesus exist? Did he rise again?'

A link was shared recently to Haaretz documenting the anti-semitic remarks of Cardinal Maradiaga concerning the 'Jewish media' and the 'whipping up' of the abuse crisis in the Church from early 2013. A little while before ++ Maradiaga's 'it was the Jews' diversion, I recall Cardinal Sodano suggesting, publicly, to Pope Benedict XVI that the abuse crisis was a kind of manufactured phenomenom attended by the 'feigned' outrage of media. I think he had intended these words to be a form of consolation to the then Pope (after all we know what a loyal a creature ++ Sodano is) but one could tell from Benedict XVI's face what he thought of ++Sodano's words: 'You're not helping.' Such were the kind of men hovering around Benedict XVI. I think Cardinal Bertone (what is he up to nowadays?) called the Vatican a nest of 'crows and vipers', or something such like.

 
Many of us, at that time, had no idea what kind of persons were such individuals as ++ Maradiaga. We have a little more insight into, at least, ++Maradiaga's mad-cap world now. What an obsure figure he was before Francis! But then we have more insight into the worlds of many Cardinals now and, of course, that's all thanks to the light-bearer-in-chief, Pope Francis as well, for it is he who has thrust such men as ++Maradiaga into the spotlight, but not only ++Maradiaga. Thanks to Pope Francis, we now know the identities of all the villains and 'wolves' who had little/no interior faith but pretended to do so every now and then so as not to give the game away while the Pope was Catholic and the CDF was a thing. Useful to know should God give us another conclave.

Just think of the figures that Catholics following events now know a great deal more about, those Cardinals and Bishops who are active in supporting the demolition job now under way as well as those who have fallen utterly silent. For this reason, looking at that report from 2013 from Haaretz, the photo-collection of potential 'frontrunners' and candidates for the 2013 conclave is fascinating to view in hindsight - after five years of devastation - and in a way it is consoling to view, because almost all of the men that the website put forth as potential Popes at that time have fully revealed their fidelity, or rather their infidelity or their indifference to, or even hatred for, the divine Faith during the reign of this Pope. Had it not been Pope Francis who had won the conclave, it could well have been one of them and how would that have gone? Better, perhaps, but perhaps not much!

This man helped to draft the Catechism and now rejects it.

Cardinal Maradiaga was listed by Haaretz as a candidate for the 2013 conclave along with ++Schonborn, ++Tagle, and a host of other acolytes for Amoris Laetitia. We didn't know it at the time, but as it turned out ++Maradiaga may have had enough cash in 2013 to buy the papacy for himself or his friend or himself and his friends, just like Cardinals did in the good ol' days!

Perhaps ++Scola would have been a 'safe pair of hands', but really, who knows? Many Cardinals have gone awfully quiet during the time of the devastator. Now that the devastator has, with all his pomp, vanity and empty show turned up to the fanfare of the world, those who still ask for 'clarity' will be waiting for a long time, while those who have eyes to see and ears to hear have all the clarity they could possibly require from Pope Francis. That's as true for Austen Ivereigh as it is for Ann Barnhardt. What is that clarity? It is this: decide now who you shall follow, Jesus Christ or His adversary working stealthily through His unbelieving, dupicitous Vicar on Earth. Choose now who you shall believe, Jesus Christ and His Gospel or Pope Francis and his contradictory secular mush. There. Now that is clarity. It may be apocalyptic clarity, but its still clarity.

Let's not pretend that you and I know more than his long-time friend, Eugenio Scalfari, about Pope Francis's 'real' beliefs, or that Pope Francis has telephoned you or I rather than a strange nun who claims he told her artificial contraception is okay in 'these' circumstances. If the Pope cared for souls he would correct these people himself and if these persons thought the Pope cared for souls, they would not dream of crediting to him words which were not his. They are entitled to their good names. They are only the messengers of the Pope. If they were liars, or if their messages were contrary to the will of the Pope, I think the Pope would call them out on that himself, just like he did (not) Msgr Vigano.

As if to underscore this point, Sandro Magister is now reporting that its likely Pope Francis intimated more to Scalfari on our two possible eternal destinies, including a remark that Purgatory and Heaven 'aren't real either'. As readers are possibly aware, after five years, I'm past reacting indignantly to the Pope's words as if one ought to be "shocked" by Francis's inane / insane ramblings. I've come around to the idea that in a psychological war, it is best to laugh at those bishops, including Francis, who desperately want to enjoy public credibility and be taken terribly seriously while leading their flock into a nonsensical 'new paradigm' in which the only thing that 'disappears' into a vortex is Catholic teaching. If you are still shocked by Pope Francis...

IT IS TIME TO STOP BEING SHOCKED.

For what purpose does our shock and incredulity serve but to give to the innovators the satisfaction of seeing us throwing our arms up in the air helplessly? We have had five years of this insanity. Under Francis, scandal, apostasy, doubt, infidelity, sacrilege, insult, dissembling, ambiguity, confusion, dishonesty, sexual immorality in the Vatican, betrayal, abuse cover-up, corruption, deception, financial scandal, blasphemy and insanity constitute the new normal. These things are now normal. Indeed, these things are the lifeblood of his pontificate, since you cannot achieve Francis's goals while presenting yourself as a WonderPope who is destroying everything (but nothing is really changing, honest!), without many of these things, especially if your pontificate requires evil people to carry out an evil plan, because only evil people carry out evil plans. Those who refuse to co-operate with evil are, in this pontificate, swiftly shown the door or are publicly derided by some minion or other.

Don't shoot the messenger. Eugenio Scalfari.

It is important that we stop being 'shocked' for the sake of our own psychological and spiritual health but that we keep praying for the cleansing and spiritual renewal of the Church, in whatever manner God chooses to do this. Quite frankly, I think that men with such atheist leanings as Pope Francis and Eugenio Scalfari (birds of a feather), friends and collaborators that they clearly are, get off on undermining the Faith of the Catholic Church, the faith of Her members, on Good Friday, at the most sacred time of the year. Can we not just assume, after five years, that if Francis wanted to teach the faith and save souls he would do so and that if he teaches things contrary to the Faith by whatever means he chooses to do so, then that is precisely what he wants to do?

That is not to say that the whole pontificate is not a living nightmare, but if there is one thing more painful than a devastator Pope and that is to endure the utter silence from almost the entire college of Cardinals in the wake of the destruction that the devastator Pope is launching on the Church. Yet, even this is in a sense helpful, because we now know the reality of the situation of the Catholic Church in the 21st century. By now we know who is for Christ and who is against Him. God knows the hearts of those who are silent, but their silence speaks volumes.

The devastator has already revealed the true thoughts of many bad and heretical Cardinals and Bishops and brought them out into the open to be paraded like a float of flamboyant characters at a gay pride parade before the whole Church. We hardly knew anything about these figures until Francis came along and tore off their masks. And yes, many of these characters are, similarly, utterly shameless, even when they are paraded naked. He has also brought out in stark relief the faith and integrity of good Cardinals and Bishops who are loyal to Jesus Christ and to His Gospel. His is a double-edged sword, indeed!

As today's report from Germany tells us, and as the latest Cardinal Burke interview tells us, some prelates will defend the Faith of the Church even when the devastator does his worst. Others will follow the devastator to ruin. All of this is prophecised. Some will be honoured and given eternal glory. Others will enjoy everlasting shame and contempt. Francis is not the Last Judgement, no, but it looks rather like he's going to be a helpful prelude to the real thing when it comes, helping people to decide henceforth whom they shall serve and for whom they will teach, speak and lead others to worship: Christ or Antichrist.

That's the clarity that Francis has brought.



Where Christ and His Gospel will lead us.

Or



Where Pope Francis and his anti-Gospel will lead us.

Of course, we never thought that could happen...

Happy Easter to all readers.

A Blessed Easter to You All