I copy this from the Deacon’s Bench which received it from the New York Times. Does the pope’s visit to Iraq not fit into the Democrat party’s fear mongering in this country concerning Covid-19 and controlling our population with draconian policies that enable a more socialist approach to our economy?
Or is the New York Times fearful of a super spreader event of the Gospel and Catholic teaching that opposes abortion, gender ideology, euthanasia and contempt for the manner in which God created us, male and female He created us.
Is the pope fed up with lockdowns and oppressive Covid-19 ideologies? The question would be why? If they are in favor of millions of children being murdered through abortion, why are they opposed to people dying of a virus? Is it possible that Covid-19 could be God’s way of thinning out the world population as God alone can give and take life? He is God. We are not! What does Catholic doctrine say about this sort of thing and God’s power to give and take life?
From The New York Times:
Pope Francis has said that he has canceled trips during the pandemic because “in conscience I cannot provoke gatherings,” but that the only thing that would stop him from becoming the first pope to visit war-scarred Iraq would be a new surge in infections.
That is exactly what has happened. A spike in coronavirus cases has prompted Iraqi officials to impose lockdowns. Shia authorities have suspended religious pilgrimages. On Sunday, the Vatican’s own ambassador contracted the virus and went into isolation. For good measure, suicide bombings, rocket attacks and geopolitical tensions have increased, too.
But, Francis, to the bewilderment of many, is intent on going anyway. After more than a year cooped up behind the Vatican walls, he will fly to Baghdad on Friday at one of the most virulent moments of the entire pandemic, sending a message that flies in the face of nearly all public health guidelines and putting potentially thousands of Iraqis in danger.
“The day after tomorrow, God willing, I will go to Iraq for a three-day pilgrimage,” Francis said Wednesday in his weekly address to the faithful, only hours after a new barrage of rocket attacks. “I ask that you accompany this apostolic trip with prayer so that it can occur in the best way possible, bear the hoped-for fruit. The Iraqi people await us.”
Francis was himself vaccinated in mid-January, and while he has come under some criticism for a refusal to wear masks in private audiences, he has called on wealthy countries to give vaccines to poorer ones, and called a refusal to vaccinate “suicidal.”
The pope’s entourage is also vaccinated, but there is anxiety among the pope’s supporters that a trip designed largely to bring peace and encouragement to Iraq’s long-suffering Christians has the potential to be a superspreader event. The possibility, and potential disaster, of the 84-year-old pope inadvertently endangering an Iraqi population with practically no access to vaccines is not lost on his allies back in Rome.
“There is this concern that the pope’s visit not put the people’s health at risk, this is evident,” said Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest and close ally of Francis. “There is an awareness of the problem.”
17 comments:
If I were one of the few Iraqi Christians left after the ill-conceived Bush-Blair military intervention of 2003, I would be less worried about dying from COVID than being murdered by Moslem extremists.
The Chaldean Catholic Church would love peace, but how PF's 'pilgrimage' will achieve anything is beyond me. Mark Thomas will no doubt argue that if the Assyrians would only ditch their ancient liturgy in favour of the Novus Ordo, then their Church would be 'booming'. As if.
No, if the Pope called it a BLM Protest, the Times would be cheering him and there would be no mention of superspreader status, just like the Times does not care that Biden is releasing Covid infected illegal aliens into the US.
Yes, millions of people really are concerned about the pandemic, wear their masks, stay home, stay out of groups and can’t wait to get the vaccine. COVID-19 is for real, not some kind of joke, folks.
Anonymous,
The post is about rank liberal hypocrisy. The governor of Conn just lifted almost all covid instructions so you are now free to call him a Neanderthal
anon1115, who said this was not a real threat?
But a superspreader? With lockdowns PLUS security over a papal visit to an unstable area meaning relatively low attendance?
Sudden concern for Iraqi Christian health due to a virus? Were you this vocal about Christians being exterminated in these countries by militant Muslims?
Pope Francis' Apostolic Journey to Iraq is a holy success.
His Holiness' visit to Iraq is a tremendous holy success in that the Holy People of God in Iraq have displayed deep love and respect for Pope Francis.
They cherish Pope Francis' presence amongst them.
It is wonderful and inspiring to contemplate the tremendous display of Christian love that Iraq's Holy People of God have for Pope Francis.
It is wonderful and inspiring to contemplate the tremendous display of Christian love and respect that Pope Francis has for his flock in Iraq.
Deo gratias for Pope Francis...formed by our Majestic God, and entrusted by Him to teach, govern, and sanctify God's Holy People.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
V is for...Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis.
Jesus Christ "enriches pastors and teachers and above all *******His Vicar on earth******* with the supernatural gifts of knowledge, understanding and wisdom, so that they may loyally preserve the treasury of faith, defend it vigorously, and explain it and confirm it with reverence and devotion."
— Pope Venerable Pius XII, MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI, 1943 A.D.
Mark Thomas,
LOL - you surpassed yourself in the barf alert department. FYI, I would not walk across the street to see PF.
MT,
I hate to break this to you but I think Pope Francis rejected the title "Vicar of Christ."
In the latest Vatican yearbook, the Annuario Pontificio, the title “Vicar of Christ” does not appear on the listing for Pope Francis.
Int he 2020 edition of the Annuario, the page devoted to Pope Francis is headed simply by his name: Jorge Maria Bergoglio. Past editions have always been headed by the titles accorded to the Pope, beginning with “Vicar of Jesus Christ.” Other titles have been “Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman province, Sovereign of the Vatican City-State.” In the 2020 edition, these titles appear at the bottom of the page devoted to Pope Francis, identified only as “historical” titles.
Such a change would undoubtedly have required the approval of the Pontiff.
In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI dropped another traditional title: “Patriarch of the West.” The Vatican explained that the elimination of this title “could prove useful to ecumenical dialogue.” The statement also noted that the significance of that title “was never very clear, and over history has become obsolete and practically unusable.”
The title “Vicar of Jesus Christ,” on the other hand, has a clear and unmistakable theological significance. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that downgrading the title was a “theological barbarism.”
I suspect Pope Francis sees priorities from a European perspective, so this visit makes sense. So many places need the Church, he has to start somewhere.
Anonymous said..."MT, I hate to break this to you but I think Pope Francis rejected the title "Vicar of Christ."
Anonymous, I hate to break this to you, but Pope Francis has not rejected the title "Vicar of Christ."
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2020/04/abp-vigano-the-pope-the-vicar-of-christ-nothingburger.html
By the way, Pope Francis has multiple times referred to himself as the "Vicar of Christ."
=============================================================================
"Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See press office, told the Italian bishops’ newspaper Avvenire that the yearbook was not declaring that the title Vicar of Christ was merely of historical significance.
If that were the case, Avvenire reported, the title would simply have been removed.
Bruni cited Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to drop the title “Patriarch of the West” from the Annuario in 2006. This was widely understood to be an ecumenical gesture aimed at healing the centuries-long breach between Catholics and other Christians.
Bruni said that the titles were classified as “historical” because they are tied historically to the title bishop of Rome. A new pope acquires them the moment he is elected in a conclave."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
V is for...Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis.
"Let us not forget: the dwelling place that awaits us is Paradise. Here we are passing through. We are made for Heaven, for eternal life, to live forever.
"But how can we reach heaven? What is the way? Here is Jesus’ decisive phrase. Today He says to us: “I am the Way”. The way to go up to Heaven the way is Jesus: to have a living relationship with Him, to imitate Him in love, to follow in His footsteps.
"There are ways that do not lead to Heaven: the ways of worldliness, the ways of self-affirmation, the ways of selfish power.
"And there is Jesus’ way, the way of humble love, of prayer, of meekness, of trust, of service to others. It is not the way of my self-centredness, it is the way of Jesus, Who is the center of my life."
— Pope Francis, October 5, 2020 A.D.
MT,
I will go with the printed Annuario and Cardinal Muller, not some empty suit mouthpiece backtracking on an intentional act
Catholic Herald UK 3 April 2020:
"From the moment he was introduced to the world after his election, Pope Francis has emphasized his identity as “the bishop of Rome.”
The 2020 Annuario Pontificio, the official Vatican yearbook, has made the same emphasis typographically by listing other descriptions of the papal office as “historic titles.”
Like the 2019 edition, there is a page that says simply, “Francis, bishop of Rome.”
But unlike last year’s edition, the new yearbook does not precede the biography of “Jorge Mario Bergoglio” with the titles: “Vicar of Jesus Christ. Successor of the Prince of the Apostles. Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church. Primate of Italy. Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Province of Rome. Sovereign of Vatican City State. Servant of the Servants of God.”
Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told Catholic News Service that unlike in 2006 when Pope Benedict XVI had the title “Patriarch of the West” removed from the list, this time “there has been no suppression” of a title.
“The definition of ‘historic’ in relation to the titles attributed to the pope on one of the pages dedicated to him in the Annuario Pontificio of 2020 seems to me to indicate the bond with the history of the papacy,” Bruni said. All of the other titles “are understood to be tied historically to the title of bishop of Rome because at the moment he is designated by the conclave to guide the church of Rome, the one elected acquires the titles tied to this nomination.”
Pope Francis’ first words to the public after his election March 13, 2013, were: “Brothers and sisters, good evening. You all know that the duty of the conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him … but here we are.”
Anonymous, I will believe the truth. Therefore, I will go with the Apostolic See's declaration in question.
I will also go with the fact that His Holiness, Pope Francis, has referred to himself several times as the "Vicar of Christ."
Undeniable...
1. Pope Francis has identified himself several times as the "Vicar of Christ."
2. The Italian bishops’ newspaper, Avvenire, reported Rome's declaration that the title "Vicar of Christ" remains in place.
Peace to you, my brother, or sister, (Anonymous) in Christ.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
V is for the Vicar of Christ...Pope Francis.
Pope Francis, praised, then imparted his Apostolic Blessing, upon the FSSP.
https://www.fssp.org/en/blessing-of-pope-francis-on-the-occasion-of-the-25th-anniversary-of-the-fssp/
Anonymous said..."Catholic Herald UK 3 April 2020:
"Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told Catholic News Service that unlike in 2006 when Pope Benedict XVI had the title “Patriarch of the West” removed from the list, this time “there has been no suppression” of a title."
"...'there has been no suppression' of a title."
Thank you.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
V is for...Vicar of Christ, Pope Francis.
"So much is written about the gay lobby. I believe that when you are dealing with such a person, you must distinguish between the fact of a person being gay and the fact of someone forming a lobby, because not all lobbies are good. This one is not good."
— His Holiness, Pope Francis.
MT,
Speaking of the gay lobby you have NEVER answered the question about what Pope Francis did to the clerics involved in a cocaine fueled gay sex orgy at the Vatican. Why not? You could not find anything to cut and paste?
MT,
Still waiting for your response
By, by, Mark Thomas. Running away again.
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