Pope Francis is the one and only living pope, THE POPE. In the pejorative sense though, every deceased pope is also a pope but not THE pope in the temporal sense. Pope Benedict is now a pope but he is not THE pope. We only have one THE POPE and that is Pope Francis.
Unfortunately a papal resignation opens the doors to silly conspiracy theories about how the resignation came about and if the resignation was “valid.” It does not help when a pope, not THE POPE, wears the insignia of the office and speaks or writes publicly. It is best when a pope resigns that he sees it as a death and that he should not speak from the grave except from his magisterium when he was THE POPE.
Pope Francis has been, is now and will be a polarizing pope. That will continue when he dies or resigns.
But Pope Francis is now, while in office, THE POPE. When he resigns or dies, he will become a pope. However when he is a pope and not THE POPE, his magisterium while THE POPE will still cause polarization for some decades to come.
I find that Fr. Z seems to be coming off the rails recently in some of his comments about this THE POPE. He, Fr. Z that is, should not be fomenting conspiracy theories or promoting the pathologies of Archbishop Vigano or others who have also gone off the rails concerning this THE POPE. It will not go well for other THE POPES when ideologies and theologies change and a new set of ideologues go after THE POPE.
9 comments:
One thing that Zuhlsdorf conveniently neglects to mention is that if Francis is not pope then he can't appoint bishops. Ergo Donald Hying is not the bishop of Madison and doesn't have jurisdiction there.
I wonder if this also had something to do with Bishop Hying wanting him to leave the diocese.
Priests like Zuhlsdorf make it more difficult for someone as scrupulous as me to attend the EF since the canon is silent and I can't be sure that the priest names Francis as pope in the canon. I refuse to attend Mass with a priest who doesn't recognize Francis as true pope.
Fr Zuhlsdorf has been going off the rails for some time. He has posted a number of posts now linking to other commentators questioning or outright denying the legitimacy of Francis as pope - although he’s always careful never to clearly state so explicitly. Ironically, the very least he is fostering doubt and conspiracy theories which cause the very scandal and confusion among the faithful they he so often rants about Francis.
You would have thought that after the recent unfortunate debacle he would have reflected on the need to keep his head down for a while and avoided causing any further discomfort and embarrassment to his Bishop. I think this latest post demonstrates his total lack of ability at self-reflection.
Personally I think he’s buttering up his clique for a “conscience decision” to flip over towards SSPX where his polemics and far right politics will be welcomed.
As a Georgian, I agree completely with Anonymous this morning---Donald Hying is not the bishop of Madison----well, Madison, Georgia that is. "That" Madison is under the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Gregory Hartmayer. And that Madison probably is too small to ever be a diocese.
And that Madison, GA not be confused with the infamous GA county, Madison.
To Anonymous at March 8th, if Francis is not pope then Wilton Gregory is still Archbishop of Atlanta, and Greg Hartmayer is still bishop of Savannah.
Another thing that Zuhlsdorf conveniently ignores come to think of it is that Benedict had his fisherman's ring destroyed (the ring is much more important than the white cassock or the papal name)l. Also, Benedict has publicly addressed Francis as "Holy Father."
A priest raising doubts about a papal election that is formally recognized by all bishops and all the cardinals involved in the conclave is a matter of grave scandal. It's a cruel misuse of his priesthood.
Y'all are JUST discovering that Fr. "Z" is a loon?
Yes, Father M. I cannot explain why the city of Madison is not in Madison County, GA, or why the city of Monroe is in Walton County, not Monroe County...or why Jefferson, GA is in Jackson County and not....yes, in Jefferson County. At least South Carolina has some rationality in its geography----Greenville, SC is in Greenville County; Aiken, SC is in Aiken County; Florence, SC (not Italy!) is in...well, you get the idea! Maybe Richmond Hill should be in Richmond County?!? I suspect there are a lot more "hills" in Richmond County than in Richmond Hill---just visit the Masters and you will see a lot of those hills, or walk up steep Walton Way between the Partride Inn and Monte Sano Avenue....
One of my best friends in high school and college lived off of Richmond Hill Road in Augusta and yes it was on a hill as Augusta is on the fall line and downtown is as flat as a pancake but then you go to the Hill and beyond and it is all hilly!
Macon County Line, which was a redneck movie about Georgia is not Macon the city which is in Bibb County.
Anon 1:29 - Let us introduce you to Savannah where the monument to Casimir Pulaski is in Monterrey Square, not Pulaski Square.
Oh, and where the statue of our founder, James Oglethorpe, is in Chippewa Square, not Oglethorpe Square.
AND, the monument to commemorate the early settelers of German derivation is in the French named Orleans Square.
But wait, there's more! The monument for revolutionary hero Nathaniel Greene is in . . . NOT Greene Square, but Johnson Square.
Greene Square, of course, is monument-free!
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