Here is an astute commentary by Sandro Masgister backed up with statistics that we are under a failed pontificate of tragic proportions. Press title for full commentary, excerpt below:
Admission Free, but Churches Empty. Dreams and Realities of a Pontificate on the Wane
The Church “does not have doors”, and therefore everyone can come in, but truly “everyone, everyone, everyone, without any exclusion.” This is the message on which Pope Francis insisted most during his travel to Lisbon, in the run-up to a synod that – in its “Instrumentum laboris” – puts at the top of the list of those invited to enter “the divorced and remarried, people in polygamous marriages, or LGBTQ+ Catholics.”
But meanwhile in Italy, where Francis is bishop of Rome and primate, the churches are emptying out. An in-depth survey conducted for the magazine “Il Timone” by Euromedia Research has determined that today only 58.4 percent of Italian citizens over the age of 18 identify themselves as “Catholics,” as opposed to the 37 percent who are “non-believers.” And those who go to Mass on Sundays are just 13.8 percent of the population, mostly over 45, with even lower numbers in Lombardy and Veneto, the regions that have been the historic stronghold of the Italian “Catholic world.”
Not only that. Even among “practicing” Catholics, those who go to Mass once or more a month, just one out of three recognizes in the Eucharist “the real body of Christ,” while the others reduce it to a vague “symbol” or a “commemoration of the bread of the last supper.” And also just one in three are those who go to confession at least once a year, still convinced that it is a sacrament for the “remission of sins.” It comes as no surprise that the Benedictine theologian Elmar Salmann should have said in a June 14 interview with “L’Osservatore Romano” that even more concerning for him than the number of the faithful is the decline of sacramental practice, which “is about to go under.”
A decline that is accompanied by a conspicuous yielding to the “spirit of the time” in the fields of doctrine and morality. 43.8 percent of practicing Catholics consider abortion a right, 41.6 percent believe it is right to allow homosexual marriages, 61.8 percent deny that divorce is a sin, 71.6 percent approve contraception. A certain resistance is seen only with regard to the surrogate womb, with two thirds of the practicing opposed.
32 comments:
3, 2, 1, MT arrives with buckets of non sequiturs and holy, holies,
If it helps you feel better, we are hosting Bishop Joseph Coffey for confirmation of 42 confirmandi from our small parish. With families and friends we over filled the parish hall and have set up additional seating for the meal in our gym.
Our foolish churchmen blatantly refuse to acknowledge reality. They have eyes but refuse to see, ears but refuse to hear. They side with bad angels and refuse to serve.
William,
But all of the young priests in their 30s that I know (Diocesan and run Novus Ordo parishes) celebrate the TLM as well and have gone a long way in re-enchanting the Novus Ordo Masses. They are the future unless the Pope in desperation ordains old women as priests to keep the revolution going!
Father McDonald said..." GOING BACKWARDS TO THE TIME OF POPE PAUL VI IS A DISASTER..."
Father McDonald, I agree with that in the following sense:
As Pope Benedict XVI noted, there were two Councils: The real Vatican II, and fake (Council of the news media) Vatican II. In line with that, for decades, during a given Pontificate, we have had, if you will, two Popes: The real Pope, and the fake Pope.
Example:
Popes Saint John Paul II, as well as Benedict XVI, were/are misrepresented as rigid right-wing reactionaries who, in supposed destructive fashion, rolled the Church back decades, if not centuries. In addition, certain traditionalist Catholics have portrayed Popes Saint John Paul II, as well as Benedict XVI, as destructive, Vatican II, modernists.
To "go backwards" to the real Pope Saint Paul VI is fine with me. That is, he held the True Faith. His teachings were/are orthodox. Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, as well as Saint John Paul II, have assured us that Pope Saint Paul VI was a holy man.
Separate from that, said Popes have also praised Pope Saint Paul VI as a great and successful Pope. Pope Saint Paul VI's Pontificate was a holy success, according to Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, as well as Saint John Paul II.
Pope Benedict XVI hailed Pope Saint Paul VI a "great Pope."
Pope Benedict XVI: "Dear friends what an invaluable gift for the Church the lesson of the Servant of God Paul VI is! And how exciting it is, every time, to learn from him!"
"And I would also like to recall the words that Paul VI addressed to the students at the Lombard Seminary on 7 December 1968, when the difficulties of the post-conciliar period had to contend with the ferment in the world of youth:
"So many", he said, "expect of the Pope sensational work, energetic and decisive interventions. The Pope does not consider he should follow any other line than that of trust in Jesus Christ, whose concern for his Church is greater than for anyone else. It will be he who rides out the storm..."
I am all for the holy and great Pope Saint Paul VI.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
This church survived the recent fire in Hawaii.
https://www.facebook.com/mauilatinmass
DJR, thank you for that positive information.
Here is a brief video of the Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ZegazQbF4
Begin at the :17 mark.
"A church in Lahaina still stands, looking nearly immaculate despite smoldering land and debris surrounding it...residents said it's an unbelievable sight."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Re: Maria Lanakila - one of our men’s prayer group was on Maui at a Medical Conference and relayed this info. My sister ams brother in law work on Maui resorts on a regular basis and reported the fires. Terrible tragedy.
The non sequiturs have arrived!
Sadly Fr, it's called death.
Mark, I don’t think Fr. McDonald is necessarily critiquing Pope Paul VI, but rather the turmoil in the post-conciliar period. I feel he unintentionally had a role in that chaos though.
“… We would say that, through some mysterious crack—no, it’s not mysterious; through some crack, the smoke of Satan has entered the Church of God. There is doubt, uncertainty, problems, unrest, dissatisfaction, confrontation.“ Pope Paul VI.
Even though the pontificate of Pope Francis is a disaster. It clearly shows the modernists can’t build up a successful Church. Of course if you oppose God and his teachings, you won’t have any success.
Mark, Thanks for that link.
Back to the topic: i tire of criticizing Pope Francis because I don’t think it helps him and can injure the faithful. As I said before, it might be for the best to have him around a few more years to erect as many examples of error as possible and to exhaust support for it as an antidote for the next conclave. There are some things he does that to my eye seem to lack either information or wisdom but that were at one point in living memory Good Ideas. Many of these ideas may do unintentional harm. Others do intentional harm to competing solutions and confound solving to the problem. I can’t bring myself to believe he is injuring the Church intentionally, but as my mother-in-law says, but he didn’t mean not to. Willie Nelson (Townes Van Zandt) addressed a similar situation as we had with Benedict and Francis, “Pancho needs your prayers, it’s true, but save a few for Lefty, too. He only did what had to do. And now he’s growing old.”
It is true that Jesus appointed Peter to be His vicar, and his successors are legitimate heads of our Church. The problem comes when a Pope becomes corrupt or otherwise incompetent, we have no way to remote him. History teaches that a "servant of the servants of God", the commission Popes have, becomes corrupted. The Papacy, enhaced at Vatican 1 with infallibility, has evolved in our time into a spiritual monacracy. I am not going to waste time with a lot of details here. However somewhere I read that Cannon Law should have a way to remove a heretical Pope as he is no Pope at all. But we do not have such an option. When the 4 Cardinals failed to obtain an answer to a serious theological dubia regarding remarried faithful, it should have been debated by the centire college of Cardinals and if the Pope could not answer satisfactorily to at least a 50% (or some other figur) plurality of the Cardinals a new election would be called.
Peter Has a Pope servant, he was correctyed by Paul. Peter accepted the correction he remained faithful. A number of his succesors REINED not served the servants of the Faith. That is our dillema: how and what should be done at Vatican 3?
But if we just try the same old thing one more time....this time, by God, it will work. The fastest growing communities of faith are found where the reverence for the Eucharist is strongest. Francis is too late to the party.
Drew said..."Even though the pontificate of Pope Francis is a disaster. It clearly shows the modernists can’t build up a successful Church. Of course if you oppose God and his teachings, you won’t have any success."
Drew, in regard to then-Cardinal Ratzinger's 2005 A.D. horrific assessment of the Church, as well as his (as Pope Benedict XVI) 2009 A.D. horrific assessment of the Church:
Should we accept the accuracy of each horrific, depressing assessment in question, then the Church was in an utter state of collapse well prior to Pope Francis' Pontificate.
-- 2005 A.D., following nearly 27 years of Pope Saint John Paul II's reign, Cardinal Ratzinger offered the following horrific assessment of a Church mired in complete collapse and confusion:
Cardinal Ratzinger: "How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him! How much pride, how much self-complacency!"
"What little respect we pay to the Sacrament of Reconciliation...Lord, your Church often seems like a boat about to sink, a boat taking in water on every side. In your field we see more weeds than wheat. The soiled garments and face of your Church throw us into confusion."
-- Pope Benedict XVI, 2009 A.D., four years into his reign: "...in vast areas of the world the faith is in danger of dying out like a flame which no longer has fuel..."
Based upon his horrific, depressing assessments of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI had inherited a Church filled with filth...in complete collapse.
In turn, from Popes Saint John Paul II, as well as Benedict XVI, Pope Francis inherited a Church in complete shambles...that was in danger of death "in vast areas of the world."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
MT
The Popes you mention prior to PF spoke about a cesspool which they worked hard to eliminate; came PF and he just jumped in and found it quite a refreshing experience.
Mark, the assessment of Benedict was honest with the goal of salvation and improvement in our actions. The world is a mess without Christ and His Church. We can’t save others if our own house is in disarray and our kit and training are weak from neglect. Complements are good manners and can be useful to encourage good habits. But eschewing negative criticism is a sin if it encourages or allows bad behaviour. Furthermore, Pope Francis bristles at criticism, often simply attacking the messenger or the group he considers to own the messenger rather than taking the criticism to heart and prayerful consideration. This weakness has prevented him from benefiting from the ideas of others while ironically allowing him to be manipulated.
Pope Francis has been a disaster - but to the braindead everything is going swimmingly. For the first time in my life the phrase “Is the Pope Catholic?” has taken on a new meaning. Please , no slew of non sequiturs and holy, holies. A man who would authorize Traditionis Custodes is corrupt and power mad. Thank God most bishops are ignoring it. By the way, what has he done to discipline the Vatican clerics who engaged in a cocaine fueled gay sex orgy? Sounds like filth close to home is being ignored!
rcg said..."Pope Francis bristles at criticism...This weakness has prevented him from benefiting from the ideas of others..."
That differs tremendously from many among Pope Francis' critics who have insisted that he has been very receptive to their criticisms. Pope Francis has telephoned critics to engage said folks in frank, yet charitable conversations.
It has been noted that Pope Francis has invited critics to the Vatican to discuss their concerns in frank, yet serene, face-to-face fashion.
Bishop Schneider, who has directed numerous criticisms at Pope Francis, noted the following during his interview with LifeSiteNews:
"Our meeting with him lasted two hours. I consider this an act of great generosity on the part of the Pope, to spend so much time with our group of 10 bishops and ordinaries of Kazakhstan and Central Asia."
"During the meeting, the Pope invited us to freely express our concerns and even our criticisms."
"The Pope was very benevolent in his response to our questions...I am very thankful to the Holy Father that he gave us the possibility in a very serene atmosphere to raise several concerns and to speak with him."
rcg, Bishop Schneider's above declarations differ dramatically from your claim that Pope Francis "bristles at criticism..."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
rcg, Pope Francis has acknowledged that he has sometimes been stung by his critics. He is human. But the notion is false that he rejects criticism in bristling fashion, at least to the point that His Holiness does not benefit from the ideas of others.
Pope Francis, early in his Pontificate, exhibited in powerful fashion, his openness to, and willingness to change, in the face of criticism. During a 2013 A.D. interview, Pope Francis noted that, in regard to abortion, he had received criticism for not having spoken much about that issue. He accepted said criticism.
The following day, September 20 (I believe) after the interview had been published, Pope Francis issued an unmistakable condemnation of abortion. From that date to today, Pope Francis has condemned abortion repeatedly. Pope Francis had accepted, then responded, in positive fashion, the criticism that had been lodged against him.
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rcg, do you wish to offer anything to support your claim that Pope Francis bristles at criticism? Otherwise, all that you have offered is an opinion devoid of any support.
Pax.
Mark Thoma
"By the way, what has he done to discipline the Vatican clerics who engaged in a cocaine fueled gay sex orgy? Sounds like filth close to home is being ignored!"
The above is a clue as to why many of us distrust the major league lefty occupying the Throne of Peter.
PF condemns abortion but slobbers over the chief cheeroleaders in the US supporting abortion, fake Catholics, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi
Mark, you could also find numerous statements and actions where Pope Francis has been harsh or unkind to critics, even the same people. Even worse, he has been kind in words then harsh with indirect criticism or actions that imply duplicity on his part. Again, I dislike criticism of the Holy Father but there is damage being done and worshiping him won’t help it.
rcg, much of Pope Francis' supposed insults and nasty remarks are lighthearted remarks in Italian. The humor has not translated well into English. On different occasions, he has made valid points that his critics have misrepresent as nastiness.
Example: Pope Francis stated validly that certain Catholics rejected responsible parenthood. He noted in valid fashion: "God gives you methods to be responsible. Some think that — excuse the word — that in order to be good Catholics we have to be like rabbits. No."
Pope Francis' critics twisted that to pretend that he hated and insulted Catholics who have large families. The fact is that his point about "responsible parenthood" is direct from Humanae Vitae.
In Humane Vitae #10, Pope Saint Paul VI discussed responsible parenthood. He declared:
"With regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised by those who prudently and generously...for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time."
Many among Pope Francis' critics twisted his point in question — a point that was 100 percent in line with Humanae Vitae. But it is pointless for me to continue to cite facts as you will reject them. But that's okay. Do as you please.
Anyway, you have not cited concrete examples to support your claim that Pope Francis bristles at criticism.
rcg, have you, in line with Bishop Schneider, engaged Pope Francis in face-to-face criticism? Bishop Schneider has done so.
Contrary to your claim in question, Bishop Schneider has assured us that Pope Francis is open to frank discussions, during which His Holiness, in serene fashion, will accept criticism.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas said: "rcg, do you wish to offer anything to support your claim that Pope Francis bristles at criticism? Otherwise, all that you have offered is an opinion devoid of any support."
Taken from an online definition of the verb "bristle":
1. To become rigid with anger or irritation. "The man bristled when I asked him to move."
2. To be visibly roused or stirred (usually followed by "up").
Pope Francis (an accurate quote, as opposed to a fabricated cut and paste):
"Yes, there are also clerics who make nasty comments about me. I sometimes lose patience, especially when they make judgments without entering into a real dialogue. I can’t do anything there," he said.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/pope-francis-issues-thinly-veiled-criticism-ewtn-comments-gender-ideology
DJR,
It will be ignored by the bootlicker in chief
John said..."MT The Popes you mention prior to PF spoke about a cesspool which they worked hard to eliminate..."
I agree that said Popes tried hard to eliminate the "cesspool" in question. Unfortunately, said Popes did not come close to having accomplished that task.
The "cesspool" that Pope Francis had inherited in 2013 A.D. was as filthy as ever.
On the bright side, throughout Pope Francis reign, the Church in Africa has boomed in holy fashion. Speaking spiritually, the Church in Asia has fared well during Pope Francis' reign.
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The key question is who, or what, has been responsible for the existence of the "cesspool."
Within the Traditional Catholic Movement, various folks have advanced the following explanation:
-- Our Vatican II Era Popes have been supposed Modernists who poisoned the Church via Vatican II, the Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue...the overall rejection of Holy Tradition.
Archbishop Lefebvre championed the above explanation. He insisted that Roman authorities —Popes Saint Paul VI, Saint John Paul II, then-Cardinal Ratzinger, as well as additional Cardinals and bishops — had fallen into apostasy.
Archbishop Lefebvre declared also:
"The rite of the new mass is a bastard rite, the sacraments are bastard sacraments. We no longer know if they are sacraments which give grace or do not give it. The priests coming out of the seminaries are bastard priests, who do not know what they are."
Should we accept Archbishop Lefebvre's claims in question: Then that is the "cesspool" over which our holy Popes, from the 1960s to date, have presided, as well as contributed.
Again, that is the popular explanation held by various folks — the SSPX, Rorate Caeli, Peter Kwasniewski, The Remnant, certain folks who appeared in the Mass of the Ages videos, etc. —within the Traditional Catholic Movement.
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Conversely, in 2013 A.D., Pope Benedict XVI had offered the following in regard to the Church's horrific difficulties, which he had attributed the fake Vatican II — the "Council of the media"):
"We know that this Council of the media was accessible to everyone. Therefore, this was the dominant one, the more effective one, and it created so many disasters, so many problems, so much suffering: seminaries closed, convents closed, banal liturgy..."
I believe Pope Benedict XVI's explanation in question.
Therefore, unlike Archbishop Lefebvre, as well as various traditionalists, I do not attribute the "cesspool" to any of our Vatican II Era Popes, Vatican II, or the Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
rcg said..."Mark, the assessment of Benedict was honest..."
rcg, I accept that then-Cardinal Ratzinger' assessments in question were honest. That is, his explanations had been offered in honest, good faith fashion. Perhaps your meaning is that his assessment was honest/accurate.
Either way, the key question is whether his horrific assessments of the Church's condition were accurate. He must have believed so. That is why he offered his assessments in question.
Again, should we accept as accurate his assessments, then from 1978 A.D., to 2013 A.D. — 35 years — then Popes Saint John Paul II, as well as Benedict XVI, had presided over a Church that was in utter spiritual shambles.
In turn, Pope Francis inherited a Church mired in confusion and filth, more weeds than wheat, as well as a priesthood in spiritual collapse. The horrific collapse of the Church, as portrayed by Cardinal Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI, had preceded Pope Francis by decades.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
More inane drivel designed to drive the sentient away! He can then have Father McDonald all to himself
The point arises then, Mark. What is Pope Francis doing to steer the Church out of its horrific state?
Drew,
His Holiness has done that which he has been called to do: Preach the Gospel to, as well as strengthen the Faith of, those who will listen. That is what Popes Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, Blessed John Paul I, as well as Saint Paul VI, had done in the midst of millions upon millions of Catholics who abandoned the Faith.
I look at the situation in the manner of Pope Benedict XVI. He did not hesitate to offer an honest (at least to him) assessment of the state of Holy Mother Church: Bleak, horrific...Debbie Downer.
However, he did not despair. He continued to preach the Gospel. He highlighted the many positive things within the Church. Those who listened to him remained attached to God and His Church. They refused to join the millions of Catholics who had abandoned the Church.
Again, Pope Francis has preached the Gospel. Those with ears will heed Pope Francis' preaching. We will continue to find many positives within the Church.
One such positive: We just concluded World Youth Day. Thousands upon thousands of young Catholics have since returned home. They love God, His Church, and His Pope.
Now, and for many years to follow, the WYD pilgrims will serve as God's Ambassadors...as Pope Francis' Ambassadors. As the Church's spiritual Ambassadors, the WYD pilgrims will help to strengthen the spiritual lives of many Catholics. The WYD pilgrims will draw converts to the Church.
Two days ago, Father McDonald highlighted the beautiful, uplifting, 35-year marriage of Paula and Allen Malaise. That is a tremendous spiritual victory that will boost the faith of many who encounter Paula and Allen Malaise, in person or via the story of their 35-year marriage.
God has blessed us with a great and holy gift: Pope Francis. God has also blessed us with many wonderful positives that abound within Holy Mother Church.
Drew, thank you.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
I appreciate the response, Mark. Those are good things. Yet to me, all those things would be evident without Pope Francis in particular. Frankly, they would be there with any Pope. God Bless.
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