The unity of the True Church is an astounding thing to contemplate — an incomparable gift to us from God. The clergy, religious, and Faithful of a diocese in communion with their bishop...and from there, in communion with the Pope. Deo gratias!
Today, God has blessed us with holy Pope Francis. In that regard, Cardinal Sarah declared:
"The truth is that the church is represented on earth by the vicar of Christ, that is by the pope. And whoever is against the pope is, ipso facto, outside the church. I would add that every pope is right for his time. Providence looks after us very well, you know."
As Holy Mother Church has prayed each Good Friday, from 2013 A.D. to this year's liturgy in question:
"For our Holy Father, Pope Francis That God who chose him to be bishop May give him health and strength To guide and govern God’s holy people.
Almighty and eternal God, You guide all things by your word, You govern all Christian people.
In your love protect the Pope you have chosen for us."
John Orzechowski- We know there was a 33 A.D. So, it depends on how you are counting in designating the occurrence of something. If it is said and written that Pentecost occurred in 33 AD, I see no problem since it is about an event occurring in that year and not where you are counting from.. The 1st century BC (1 BC), also known as the last century BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. 1 AD followed. No zero necessary.The first day of 1 AD was day one of the first year AD, not day zero. Once time got past the first century, then 100 A.D. (not 101) began the second century just as 1900 (not 1901) began the 20th Century and 2000 (not 2001) began the 21st.
The Holy Spirit Does Not Choose the Pope By Dr. Jared Staudt
It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard from fellow Catholics that they think that God directly chooses the pope. Just yesterday someone said that they refused to criticize the pope because he was given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. The Church does not teach that position. According to the laws of the Church, the Cardinals choose the pope while praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you don’t believe me, just listen to a previous pope, Benedict XVI. While still Cardinal Ratzinger, he was asked by Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for the election of a pope. His answer:
“I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. . . . I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined. . . . There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”
Would we really want to ascribe all of the bad popes of history to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit still guides corrupt popes, particularly by preserving them from teaching authoritatively something false in regards to faith and morals.
Furthermore, the College of Cardinals is a human creation, not subject to any divine promise. The Church does not need to have cardinals, but it does need a process of selecting popes. The current process of electing a pope has evolved from Pope Nicholas II’s bull, In nomine Domini, establishing that the pope should be elected from the college of cardinals in 1059. Previously an election involved a difficult and treacherous balance between the nomination of secular powers, the election of the Roman clergy, and the acclamation of the Roman people. Needless to say, the history of papal elections has been varied and changeable, with the last major revisions to the rules governing the conclave coming from John Paul II in 1996, with tweaks even from Benedict XVI just before his resignation.
The purpose of this clarification is not to demean the papacy or any particular pope but to recognize that God generally acts in and through human agency in the Church. There are particular moments of divine intervention, but God calls us to the great responsibility of cooperating with Him in the life of the Church. Church leaders, including cardinals in the conclave, can make mistakes. God does not abandon us, however, but makes good come from evil, including the corruption of popes, though the remedy to evil may be painful.
Let’s redouble our prayers for the Pope and for all the Cardinals, asking for an outpouring of guidance from the Holy Spirit.
NOTE FROM JEROME: If you are really naive enough to believe that we always get the pope that "God has chosen" for us, then keep in mind that He allegedly "chose" John XII, Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), Benedict IX, the Medici popes and a host of other losers who inflicted more harm than good upon our Church. Then again, those pope counted on most Catholics being unquestioningly servile enough to prattle on about how "holy" the Holy Father allegedly was.
One doesn't have to be "servile" to believe that God always chooses the pope. Nor must one "prattle" on about the current pope or any other. We all have favorites...
It may well be that God, is His infinite wisdom, chooses popes that are surprising to some and disappointing to others. And inasmuch as God is choosing from among mere humans, it should come as no surprise that those chosen are, with no judgment on the present pontiff or any other, sinful at times.
If you ask MT about St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict, probably the most brilliant and holy Popes of our lifetime, he has nothing to say. I suspect MT is the alter ego of Fr. K. Maybe they are related since both of them subscribe to the “dump and run” style of commenting. Never responding to a direct question which bursts their leftwing bubbles!
The Holy Spirit protects from taint of any error the repository of Truth contained within the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church which is her divinely appointed authority to teach the Truth revealed to her, by and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This does not include conjecture or opinions by a Pope but does include dogmatic definitions of a Popes teaching "ex cathedra" and any "solemn" pronouncements by Church councils in union with the Pope. The Pope is not infallible when exercising his administrative and governing authority, but still must be obeyed when he does so, as long as his orders apply to the Church since it would be disruptive to the functioning of his authority if this were not so. The Catholic Church has continued on for 2000 years and the papacy has been an essential and indispensable part of who she is being an office established by Christ himself and therefore seen by Him as being necessary.
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh said..."Nor must one "prattle" on about the current pope or any other. We all have favorites..."
Father Kavanaugh, do you have a favorite Pope?
In some ways, Saint Peter is my favorite Pope. But one Pope after another is my "favorite" Pope.
I have tremendous love and respect for Pope Francis. That applies also to Popes Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, John Paul I, Saint John XIII, Venerable Pius XII...the Popes most familiar to me.
The important thing to me is, in line with Pope Saint Pius X's declaration in question, to love the Pope.
From Rorate Caeli: "Love the Pope!" - no ifs, and no buts:
Unfortunately, Rorate Caeli has not practiced that in regard to Vatican II Era Popes.
Anyway, as of today, God has raised, and empowered in awesome fashion, Pope Francis to serve as Pope.
I have been blessed abundantly by holy Pope Francis.
He is, without question, on my "Favorite Popes" list. :-)
Pax.
Mark Thomas
-- Cardinal Sarah declared that Pope Francis "openly and vigorously defends Church teaching on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, reproductive technologies, the education of children and much more."
Absolutely. Pope Benedict was a shining light, a true liberal. Sadly he did not remain in office a few more years. If he had some disastrous appointments would have been avoided. My young pastor is a big fan of his.
To me, Fr. MJK is spot on. Probably, the best role for us is that we make ourselves receptive to God's providence regarding any occupant of the throne.
Father Allan J. McDonald said..."Pope Benedict, especially his interpretation of Vatican II and vision for the Liturgy. He is truly liberal in the best sense."
Father McDonald, thank you for your response.
Pope Benedict XVI was a holy and great Pope.
As Emeritus, he has been a tremendous example as to how a loyal son of Holy Mother Church should act. He has radiated holiness. He has remained in Pope Francis' corner...loyal to Pope Francis...subject to Pope Francis...assisted Pope Francis...and continued to perform God's work.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
-- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in regard to his feelings about, and relationship with, Pope Francis:
"Obedience to my successor has always been unquestionable. Then there is a sense of deep communion and friendship.
"I personally felt deeply touched right from the start by Pope Francis’ extraordinary human warmth towards me.
"Since then, he has given me the gift of a marvelous paternal and fraternal relationship. I often receive small gifts, letters written in person.
"What he says about being close to other people are not just words. He puts them into practice with me. May he in turn feel the Lord’s kindness every day. For this, I pray for him to the Lord."
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in regard to the role that Providence played in having gifted us with Pope Francis.
"The moment he was elected I felt, as many others did, a spontaneous sense of gratitude towards Providence.
"After two Pontiffs from Central Europe, the Lord set his eyes as it were on the universal Church and invited us towards a broader, more Catholic communion."
Mark - I haven't done much study on popes and their papacies. I know that Pius XII stands out in the reading that I have done. The incredible burdens that he carried through WW2 and the dexterity he showed in "keeping things afloat" in the midst of that war are beyond what other popes in the modern era have had to endure.
Here is something you should consider as you idolize the 'Pope of Mercy."
· In the United States, regular Mass attendance is at an all-time low except among attendees of the TLM, which is particularly attractive to Catholics between the ages of 18 and 39.
· TLM attendees are far better educated in the basic doctrines of the Faith (such as the Real Presence in the Eucharist) than the average Catholic who attends the Novus Ordo (NO).
· As the decades-long “vocations crisis” continues in most NO parishes, vocations to the religious life are growing in traditionalist circles.
By these metrics, traditional Catholics are arguably some of the best sheep in the flock, yet our current shepherd seems uninterested in supporting a movement that is actually preserving and growing the Faith. It’s difficult to imagine how Pope Francis’s policy could possibly reflect a concern for justice and the common good. And yet he is the pope, so how can traditional Catholics effectively oppose him in good conscience?
Putting Epikeia into Practice
In Matthew 10:16, Christ tells his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.” As the Vatican attempts to enforce Traditionis Custodes, traditional Catholics must embrace the virtue of epikeia to survive these assaults."
I would advise being VERY cautious about unctuous proclamations about how "Holy" any pope is or was, especially one who is still alive, unless the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has proclaimed otherwise.
That said, I liked Benedict a lot because he was the one respite in my lifetime from a long line of popes who just gave us decline and decay. Benedict was a nice interruption of business as usual.
I am greatly looking forward to the day we get a pope who represents not just a respite but a decisive END to the decline and decay of our Church.
Favorite? St. Pius X, the UberPope. Hands down, the best.
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh said..."Mark - I haven't done much study on popes and their papacies. I know that Pius XII stands out in the reading that I have done. The incredible burdens that he carried through WW2 and the dexterity he showed in "keeping things afloat" in the midst of that war are beyond what other popes in the modern era have had to endure."
Father Kavanaugh, thank you for your answer.
My parents had grown up, if you will, with Popes Pius XI...Venerable Pius XII mostly. They had known Pope Venerable Pius XII as a holy man who, as you noted, had dealt with WWII.
I have found it interesting that one "traditionalist" after another today has rejected Pope Venerable Pius XII's liturgical reforms, promotion of the Ecumenical Movement, empowerment of Monsignor Bugnini...
Peter Kwasniewski, for example, trashed Pope Venerable Pius XII as a Pope who inflicted "violence" upon the Roman Liturgy.
Rorate Caeli has run articles that have trashed Pope Venerable Pius XII's liturgical reforms.
The reason that I have found the above interesting is that it was during the 1970s when I first encountered The Traditional Catholic Movement.
"Traditionalists" then, and for years onward, promoted the preposterous notion that Pope Venerable Pius XII was one of them...a supposed right-wing, reactionary, "traditionalist"..."the last 'true' Pope."
Today, many amongst said folks in question, have kicked to the curb Pope Venerable Pius XII's numerous "liberal" reforms...liturgical, and otherwise.
Then we have the opposite extreme, within and without the Church, who have defamed Pope Venerable Pius XII as "Hitler's Pope." That is shameful.
Anyway, Father Kavanaugh, I am with you in regard to the holy and great Pope Venerable Pius XII.
The Good Friday prayer for the Pope quoted by Mark Thomas has not been prayed 'from 2013 A.D.', since it was replaced in 2011 by something much closer to the original Latin.
Eamon Duffy's history of the papacy was aptly titled 'Saints and Sinners'.
MT must surely realize that Pius XII's new Ordo for Holy Week (1955) was controversial at the time, was misleadingly touted as a 'restoration' and remains controversial to this day.
My favourite popes? Despite (or because of) the fact that they were never canonized, I would nominate:
1. Innocent III (1198-1216), the greatest pope of the High Middle Ages who convened the epochal Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. An outstanding canon lawyer and a skilled diplomatist.
2. Leo XIII (1878-1903). A man of outstanding intellect who composed exquisite Latin poetry and issued more encyclicals than any pope before or since. Incidentally, he was the first pontiff to be captured on film, remarkably in that he was born in 1810!
Further to the above, the solemn intercession for the Pope on Good Friday survived the two 20th century revisions virtually intact.
Oremus et pro beatissimo Papa nostro N., ut Deus et Dominus noster, qui elegit eum in ordine episcopatus, salvum atque incolumen custodiat Ecclesiae suae sanctae, ad regendum populum sanctum Dei. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, cuius iudicio universa fundantur, respice propitius ad preces nostras, et electum nobis Antistitem tua pietate conserva, ut christiana plebs, quae te gubernatur auctore, sub ipso Pontifice, fidei suae meritis augeatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
ICEL translation 2011:
Let us pray also for our most Holy Father Pope N., that our God and Lord, who chose him for the Order of Bishops, may keep him safe and unharmed for the Lord's holy Church, to govern the holy People of God. Almighty ever-living God, by whose decree all things are founded, look with favour on our prayers and in your kindness protect the Pope chosen for us; that under him the Christian people, governed by you their maker, may grow in merit by reason of their faith. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
26 comments:
34 A.D. There was no year zero. :)
excellent!
The unity of the True Church is an astounding thing to contemplate — an incomparable gift to us from God. The clergy, religious, and Faithful of a diocese in communion with their bishop...and from there, in communion with the Pope. Deo gratias!
Today, God has blessed us with holy Pope Francis. In that regard, Cardinal Sarah declared:
"The truth is that the church is represented on earth by the vicar of Christ, that is by the pope. And whoever is against the pope is, ipso facto, outside the church. I would add that every pope is right for his time. Providence looks after us very well, you know."
As Holy Mother Church has prayed each Good Friday, from 2013 A.D. to this year's liturgy in question:
"For our Holy Father, Pope Francis
That God who chose him to be bishop
May give him health and strength
To guide and govern God’s holy people.
Almighty and eternal God,
You guide all things by your word,
You govern all Christian people.
In your love protect the Pope you have chosen for us."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
John Orzechowski-
We know there was a 33 A.D.
So, it depends on how you are counting in designating the occurrence of something.
If it is said and written that Pentecost occurred in 33 AD, I see no problem since it is about an event occurring in that year and not where you are counting from..
The 1st century BC (1 BC), also known as the last century BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC. 1 AD followed. No zero necessary.The first day of 1 AD was day one of the first year AD, not day zero.
Once time got past the first century, then 100 A.D. (not 101) began the second century just as 1900 (not 1901) began the 20th Century and 2000 (not 2001) began the 21st.
For Captain Sanctimony:
https://thosecatholicmen.com/articles/the-holy-spirit-does-not-choose-the-pope/
The Holy Spirit Does Not Choose the Pope
By Dr. Jared Staudt
It’s amazing how many times I’ve heard from fellow Catholics that they think that God directly chooses the pope. Just yesterday someone said that they refused to criticize the pope because he was given to the Church by the Holy Spirit. The Church does not teach that position. According to the laws of the Church, the Cardinals choose the pope while praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
If you don’t believe me, just listen to a previous pope, Benedict XVI. While still Cardinal Ratzinger, he was asked by Bavarian television in 1997 if the Holy Spirit is responsible for the election of a pope. His answer:
“I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the Pope. . . . I would say that the Spirit does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space, much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. Thus the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he offers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined. . . . There are too many contrary instances of popes the Holy Spirit obviously would not have picked!”
Would we really want to ascribe all of the bad popes of history to the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit still guides corrupt popes, particularly by preserving them from teaching authoritatively something false in regards to faith and morals.
Furthermore, the College of Cardinals is a human creation, not subject to any divine promise. The Church does not need to have cardinals, but it does need a process of selecting popes. The current process of electing a pope has evolved from Pope Nicholas II’s bull, In nomine Domini, establishing that the pope should be elected from the college of cardinals in 1059. Previously an election involved a difficult and treacherous balance between the nomination of secular powers, the election of the Roman clergy, and the acclamation of the Roman people. Needless to say, the history of papal elections has been varied and changeable, with the last major revisions to the rules governing the conclave coming from John Paul II in 1996, with tweaks even from Benedict XVI just before his resignation.
The purpose of this clarification is not to demean the papacy or any particular pope but to recognize that God generally acts in and through human agency in the Church. There are particular moments of divine intervention, but God calls us to the great responsibility of cooperating with Him in the life of the Church. Church leaders, including cardinals in the conclave, can make mistakes. God does not abandon us, however, but makes good come from evil, including the corruption of popes, though the remedy to evil may be painful.
Let’s redouble our prayers for the Pope and for all the Cardinals, asking for an outpouring of guidance from the Holy Spirit.
NOTE FROM JEROME:
If you are really naive enough to believe that we always get the pope that "God has chosen" for us, then keep in mind that He allegedly "chose" John XII, Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia), Benedict IX, the Medici popes and a host of other losers who inflicted more harm than good upon our Church. Then again, those pope counted on most Catholics being unquestioningly servile enough to prattle on about how "holy" the Holy Father allegedly was.
One doesn't have to be "servile" to believe that God always chooses the pope. Nor must one "prattle" on about the current pope or any other. We all have favorites...
It may well be that God, is His infinite wisdom, chooses popes that are surprising to some and disappointing to others. And inasmuch as God is choosing from among mere humans, it should come as no surprise that those chosen are, with no judgment on the present pontiff or any other, sinful at times.
Jerome Merwick,
If you ask MT about St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict, probably the most brilliant and holy Popes of our lifetime, he has nothing to say. I suspect MT is the alter ego of Fr. K. Maybe they are related since both of them subscribe to the “dump and run” style of commenting. Never responding to a direct question which bursts their leftwing bubbles!
The Holy Spirit protects from taint of any error the repository of Truth contained within the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church which is her divinely appointed authority to teach the Truth revealed to her, by and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
This does not include conjecture or opinions by a Pope but does include dogmatic definitions of a Popes teaching "ex cathedra" and any "solemn" pronouncements by Church councils in union with the Pope.
The Pope is not infallible when exercising his administrative and governing authority, but still must be obeyed when he does so, as long as his orders apply to the Church since it would be disruptive to the functioning of his authority if this were not so.
The Catholic Church has continued on for 2000 years and the papacy has been an essential and indispensable part of who she is being an office established by Christ himself and therefore seen by Him as being necessary.
Fr K,
Have we elected a pope who believes abortion is “healthcare?”
Some popes have gone FAR beyond "disappointing".
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh said..."Nor must one "prattle" on about the current pope or any other. We all have favorites..."
Father Kavanaugh, do you have a favorite Pope?
In some ways, Saint Peter is my favorite Pope. But one Pope after another is my "favorite" Pope.
I have tremendous love and respect for Pope Francis. That applies also to Popes Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, John Paul I, Saint John XIII, Venerable Pius XII...the Popes most familiar to me.
The important thing to me is, in line with Pope Saint Pius X's declaration in question, to love the Pope.
From Rorate Caeli: "Love the Pope!" - no ifs, and no buts:
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2012/11/love-pope-no-ifs-and-no-buts-for.html
Unfortunately, Rorate Caeli has not practiced that in regard to Vatican II Era Popes.
Anyway, as of today, God has raised, and empowered in awesome fashion, Pope Francis to serve as Pope.
I have been blessed abundantly by holy Pope Francis.
He is, without question, on my "Favorite Popes" list. :-)
Pax.
Mark Thomas
-- Cardinal Sarah declared that Pope Francis "openly and vigorously defends Church teaching on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, reproductive technologies, the education of children and much more."
Father McDonald, as I posed to Father Kavanaugh, do you have a favorite Pope(s)?
Thank you.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas,
Name one politician Pope Francis has disciplined. Also, please check on the air conditioning at the Vatican.
Pope Benedict, especially his interpretation of Vatican II and vision for the Liturgy. He is truly liberal in the best sense.
Father McDonald,
Absolutely. Pope Benedict was a shining light, a true liberal. Sadly he did not remain in office a few more years. If he had some disastrous appointments would have been avoided. My young pastor is a big fan of his.
To me, Fr. MJK is spot on. Probably, the best role for us is that we make ourselves receptive to God's providence regarding any occupant of the throne.
Father Allan J. McDonald said..."Pope Benedict, especially his interpretation of Vatican II and vision for the Liturgy. He is truly liberal in the best sense."
Father McDonald, thank you for your response.
Pope Benedict XVI was a holy and great Pope.
As Emeritus, he has been a tremendous example as to how a loyal son of Holy Mother Church should act. He has radiated holiness. He has remained in Pope Francis' corner...loyal to Pope Francis...subject to Pope Francis...assisted Pope Francis...and continued to perform God's work.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
-- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in regard to his feelings about, and relationship with, Pope Francis:
"Obedience to my successor has always been unquestionable. Then there is a sense of deep communion and friendship.
"I personally felt deeply touched right from the start by Pope Francis’ extraordinary human warmth towards me.
"Since then, he has given me the gift of a marvelous paternal and fraternal relationship. I often receive small gifts, letters written in person.
"What he says about being close to other people are not just words. He puts them into practice with me. May he in turn feel the Lord’s kindness every day. For this, I pray for him to the Lord."
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in regard to the role that Providence played in having gifted us with Pope Francis.
"The moment he was elected I felt, as many others did, a spontaneous sense of gratitude towards Providence.
"After two Pontiffs from Central Europe, the Lord set his eyes as it were on the universal Church and invited us towards a broader, more Catholic communion."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark - I haven't done much study on popes and their papacies. I know that Pius XII stands out in the reading that I have done. The incredible burdens that he carried through WW2 and the dexterity he showed in "keeping things afloat" in the midst of that war are beyond what other popes in the modern era have had to endure.
Mark Thomas,
Here is something you should consider as you idolize the 'Pope of Mercy."
· In the United States, regular Mass attendance is at an all-time low except among attendees of the TLM, which is particularly attractive to Catholics between the ages of 18 and 39.
· TLM attendees are far better educated in the basic doctrines of the Faith (such as the Real Presence in the Eucharist) than the average Catholic who attends the Novus Ordo (NO).
· As the decades-long “vocations crisis” continues in most NO parishes, vocations to the religious life are growing in traditionalist circles.
By these metrics, traditional Catholics are arguably some of the best sheep in the flock, yet our current shepherd seems uninterested in supporting a movement that is actually preserving and growing the Faith. It’s difficult to imagine how Pope Francis’s policy could possibly reflect a concern for justice and the common good. And yet he is the pope, so how can traditional Catholics effectively oppose him in good conscience?
Putting Epikeia into Practice
In Matthew 10:16, Christ tells his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.” As the Vatican attempts to enforce Traditionis Custodes, traditional Catholics must embrace the virtue of epikeia to survive these assaults."
I would advise being VERY cautious about unctuous proclamations about how "Holy" any pope is or was, especially one who is still alive, unless the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has proclaimed otherwise.
That said, I liked Benedict a lot because he was the one respite in my lifetime from a long line of popes who just gave us decline and decay. Benedict was a nice interruption of business as usual.
I am greatly looking forward to the day we get a pope who represents not just a respite but a decisive END to the decline and decay of our Church.
Favorite? St. Pius X, the UberPope. Hands down, the best.
Father Michael J. Kavanaugh said..."Mark - I haven't done much study on popes and their papacies. I know that Pius XII stands out in the reading that I have done. The incredible burdens that he carried through WW2 and the dexterity he showed in "keeping things afloat" in the midst of that war are beyond what other popes in the modern era have had to endure."
Father Kavanaugh, thank you for your answer.
My parents had grown up, if you will, with Popes Pius XI...Venerable Pius XII mostly. They had known Pope Venerable Pius XII as a holy man who, as you noted, had dealt with WWII.
I have found it interesting that one "traditionalist" after another today has rejected Pope Venerable Pius XII's liturgical reforms, promotion of the Ecumenical Movement, empowerment of Monsignor Bugnini...
Peter Kwasniewski, for example, trashed Pope Venerable Pius XII as a Pope who inflicted "violence" upon the Roman Liturgy.
Rorate Caeli has run articles that have trashed Pope Venerable Pius XII's liturgical reforms.
The reason that I have found the above interesting is that it was during the 1970s when I first encountered The Traditional Catholic Movement.
"Traditionalists" then, and for years onward, promoted the preposterous notion that Pope Venerable Pius XII was one of them...a supposed right-wing, reactionary, "traditionalist"..."the last 'true' Pope."
Today, many amongst said folks in question, have kicked to the curb Pope Venerable Pius XII's numerous "liberal" reforms...liturgical, and otherwise.
Then we have the opposite extreme, within and without the Church, who have defamed Pope Venerable Pius XII as "Hitler's Pope." That is shameful.
Anyway, Father Kavanaugh, I am with you in regard to the holy and great Pope Venerable Pius XII.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Speaking of monarchs and on a lighter note, it was the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration this past weekend and she had a special guest for tea:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm0foMOPYcE
MT,
Your political buddies on the left promoted the Hitler’s Pope meme. When are you going to check on the Vatican’s use of air conditioning?
The Good Friday prayer for the Pope quoted by Mark Thomas has not been prayed 'from 2013 A.D.', since it was replaced in 2011 by something much closer to the original Latin.
Eamon Duffy's history of the papacy was aptly titled 'Saints and Sinners'.
MT must surely realize that Pius XII's new Ordo for Holy Week (1955) was controversial at the time, was misleadingly touted as a 'restoration' and remains controversial to this day.
My favourite popes? Despite (or because of) the fact that they were never canonized, I would nominate:
1. Innocent III (1198-1216), the greatest pope of the High Middle Ages who convened the epochal Fourth Lateran Council in 1215. An outstanding canon lawyer and a skilled diplomatist.
2. Leo XIII (1878-1903). A man of outstanding intellect who composed exquisite Latin poetry and issued more encyclicals than any pope before or since. Incidentally, he was the first pontiff to be captured on film, remarkably in that he was born in 1810!
Further to the above, the solemn intercession for the Pope on Good Friday survived the two 20th century revisions virtually intact.
Oremus et pro beatissimo Papa nostro N., ut Deus et Dominus noster, qui elegit eum in ordine episcopatus, salvum atque incolumen custodiat Ecclesiae suae sanctae, ad regendum populum sanctum Dei.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, cuius iudicio universa fundantur, respice propitius ad preces nostras, et electum nobis Antistitem tua pietate conserva, ut christiana plebs, quae te gubernatur auctore, sub ipso Pontifice, fidei suae meritis augeatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
ICEL translation 2011:
Let us pray also for our most Holy Father Pope N., that our God and Lord, who chose him for the Order of Bishops, may keep him safe and unharmed for the Lord's holy Church, to govern the holy People of God.
Almighty ever-living God, by whose decree all things are founded, look with favour on our prayers and in your kindness protect the Pope chosen for us; that under him the Christian people, governed by you their maker, may grow in merit by reason of their faith. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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