Divine intervention will eventually occur, but in the meantime, wait it out.
As I have written before, the last 10 years has seen an unprecedented polarization in the Church which makes the 1960’s and 70’s look like child’s play.
I have also written, and I don’t mean to commit the sin of presuming the Holy Spirit is the source of everything that happens, but perhaps the Holy Spirit is using this papacy to teach a completely new generation of Catholics what an abysmal failure the “spirit” of Vatican II has been and is, especially when placed on steroids by the pope, which is unprecedented in the post-conciliar Church.
This is from Crux. This ex-Vatican employee, Lucetta Scaraffia, seems to confirm what Cardinal Pell wrote, that this papacy is a catastrophe from many differing points of view and that no one is happy, left or right leaning.
No one in the Church should be happy or gloat over this ugly truth confirmed by so many who are in the know. I think many in the know, are quiet, because they know they need to wait it out. Here I am speaking about cardinals and bishops. But it is tragic for the Church, for the Vatican and for the institution of the papacy. What a mess the next pope has to address and clean up. He’ll need to have the personality of a Pope John Paul II and the intellectual ability of a Pope Benedict XVI. His name will be Pope John Paul Benedict.
Press title for the complete Crux interview, money byte below title:
Ex-Vatican editor calls Pope ‘catastrophe’ on anti-Semitism, ‘fake’ on women
A couple of money bytes:
Would you define Francis as an anti-Western pope?
He’s a pope who hates the values of the West. The fact that he’s anti-Western, and, above all, anti-American, becomes more evident all the time. In so doing, he forgets that the West is the lone part of the world that’s tried, even in limited and insufficient ways, to realize the values of the Church.
In a recent interview with La Stampa, the philosopher Alain Finkielkraut declared that ‘Pope Francis is discredited’ and defined him as ‘a catastrophe for the Church and for Europe.’ What do you think?
I think he’s a catastrophe for the Church in Europe and in the world. The Church no longer counts for anything, it doesn’t interest anyone. It’s become fodder for journalists, who talk about the pope as if he were an influencer.
Acting like an influencer, has he given up playing a moral role?
He’s given up what it should mean to be the pope. He’s become an aspiring diplomat, which is a role he can’t even play … The consequences are extremely serious: A collapse of the Church, and of the people who follow it. It’s a curious thing that Pope Francis is much more appreciated among non-Catholics, who, however, aren’t at all thinking about becoming Catholics.
Preceding the Crux article/interview I link above, is this article. It dovetails with the interview and quotes people about how Pope Francis is handling the war in the Middle East. I have to say that Cardinal Parolin makes great sense because he is clear and articulate unlike the pope that he serves. It is Pope Francis’ poor communication skills and false equivalencies that has gotten him into hot water with both the Ukrainians and Israel. It too is an unnecessary catastrophe but Cardinal Parolin puts lipstick on the pig. With this intervention along with the intervention against Germany’s schismatic way, it appears Cardinal Parolin is campaigning to be the next pope or showing how he would be pope in contrast with the current papacy:
9 comments:
"Scaraffia, who founded the “Women Church World” insert in L’Osservatore Romano in 2012 and edited it until she resigned in 2019 over what she claimed were efforts to muzzle her attempt to spotlight the abuse of nuns in the Church..."
Also from the Crux article: "Scaraffia also referred to Francis’s campaign to promote the role of women in the Vatican as “fake,” asserting that he’s promoted only “obedient” and “smiling” sisters..."
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Lucetta Scaraffia has spoken out of both sides of her mouth in regard to Pope Francis.
First, to be clear, Scaraffia, "who founded the “Women Church World” insert in L’Osservatore Romano in 2012 and edited it until she resigned in 2019," resigned not as the result of anything related to Pope Francis.
When Scaraffia resigned, she had written an open letter to Pope Francis in which she heaped praise upon his efforts to promote the cause of women within the Church.
From: Lucetta Scaraffia's open letter to Pope Francis:
Dear Pope Francis,
"It is with great regret that we inform you that we will suspend our collaboration with "Donna Chiesa Mondo", the monthly magazine of the Osservatore Romano founded by us, born under Benedict XVI seven years ago and ********** always encouraged and supported by you." **********
"With the closure of "Donna Chiesa Mondo" ends, or rather breaks off, a new and exceptional experience for the Church: for the first time, a group of women who organized themselves...was able to work in the heart of the Vatican and of the communication of the Holy See, free in intelligence and heart, ********** thanks to the consent and support of two popes." **********
"Now it seems to us that a vital initiative is reduced to silence and that we return to the antiquated and arid custom...a positive work...is discarded in order to return to clerical self-referentiality."
"********** Just when this road is denounced by you as infertile. Holy Father, to you and your predecessor we owe the gratitude for these seven years of passionate work ******* which – we are sure of that - has contributed, albeit in small part, to giving feminine conscience, thought and soul to the Church in the world: because indeed, ********** as we read in your apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (104), women "present the Church with profound and challenging questions which cannot be lightly evaded". **********
Lucetta Scaraffia"
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Pax.
Mark Thomas
Lucetta Scaraffia said..."The Church found itself in deep trouble during the Second World War for not having defended the Jewish situation with sufficient vigor. Then it made amends, completely renewing the theology of the Jews with the Second Vatican Council."
"Above all, it removed the completely erroneous idea that Christians are the new Israel, the new elect people."
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Nostra Aetate declared that "...the Church is the new people of God..."
Lumen Gentium: "So likewise the new Israel which while living in this present age goes in search of a future and abiding city is called the Church of Christ."
Ad Gentes: "Thus the Apostles were the first budding-forth of the New Israel, and at the same time the beginning of the sacred hierarchy."
The CCC, #877, quotes the above: "In fact, from the beginning of his ministry, the Lord Jesus instituted the Twelve as "the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy."
Pax.
Mark Thomas
MT, the pope doesn’t like for anyone to look backwards. You do this consistently. You go back to the 1960’s Ratzinger thinking that is the true one rather the one that died just a bit less than a year ago. You go back to the praise that Lucetta heaps upon Pope Francis a few years ago and neglect what she believes and communicates today. You live in the past and with research from the past scissored and pasted together.
Why not comment on what she said just in the last few days?
She is heterodox on the Church being the New Israel or Jerusalem. She is also heterodox as it concerns female deacons. But that’s the point, Pope Francis is always on the edge of heterodoxy but then pulls back a bit. This makes the heterodox angry because they feel he has their back and then they find out he doesn’t. He makes the orthodox nervous because you never know where he is going and when he will pull back. He is the one who speaks out of both sides of his mouth but never really pleases anyone and in the process causes more polarization.
There are non-negotiable, but this pope makes you think everything is on the table, to the delight of the heterodox and the chagrin of the orthodox.
Since day one, the orthodox have felt that this pope is so worldly and wants the applause of the world, especially with his border line heterodox leanings and all he has to say on climate change and worldly brotherhood. But the problem is, that while he receives the applause of the world, no one is converting to Catholicism over this pope’s largess. They are glad he has converted to them.
That causes anxiety for the orthodox and joy for the heterodox, but then he pulls back and no one is happy.
Father McDonald said..."Why not comment on what she said just in the last few days?"
I did. I noted that she had spoken out of both sides of her mouth in regard to Pope Francis.
She trashed as "fake" Pope Francis' wonderful efforts to unleash within the Church the many ways in which women are able to build up the Church. In addition, Scaraffia slurred holy Catholic women via her smug declaration that during the Pope's reign, only “obedient” and “smiling” sisters have moved up within the Church.
It is vital to note that compared to the above, Scaraffia, via her open letter to His Holiness, had praised Pope Francis' efforts to empower women so as to help build up the Church.
We should not hide Scaraffia's two-faced manner/lack of credibility in regard to her trashing of the Vicar of Christ.
Since the time of her open letter of praise for His Holiness, Pope Francis has relied to an even greater degree upon women to build up the Church. Therefore, it is preposterous to take seriously Scaraffia's current denunciation of Pope Francis in regard to his supposed "fake" attitude related to his promotion of women within the Church.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald said..."You go back to the 1960’s Ratzinger thinking that is the true one rather the one that died just a bit less than a year ago."
I have characterized holy Pope Benedict XVI accurately. We are aware of his progressive nature 60 years ago. But he insisted via interviews as Emeritus that he had always maintained his progressive views. Those who had known him well testified to that.
He did not repudiate his progressive views. But then, why would he have done that? Joseph Ratzinger was always holy and orthodox.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Jorge Bergoglio is doing for Traditionalists what Joe Biden is doing for MAGA Americans.
If anyone had any doubts before about what doesn't work, these two men are magnificent specimens of intolerance and failure on steroids.
Father McDonald said..."I have to say that Cardinal Parolin makes great sense because he is clear and articulate unlike the pope that he serves. It is Pope Francis’ poor communication skills and false equivalencies that has gotten him into hot water with both the Ukrainians and Israel."
Cardinal Parolin had done little except to note that Pope Francis had not engaged remotely in false equivalencies. Cardinal Parolin had made it clear that any confusion in that regard is the result of folks who had not paid attention to Pope Francis' clear declarations.
Cardinal Parolin stated that "what the pope says, he says clearly. Of course, not the way they want."
Cardinal Parolin's last comment, "of course, not the way they want," is the key to the so-called "confusion" at hand. Pope Francis has spoken clearly, as Cardinal Parolin noted.
But his comments are not what the Israeli leaders had desired to hear.
Cardinal Parolin stated that there is no equivalence of the aggressor and the victims, and that “What there is to say, we have said, even if in forms that befit the Holy See.
The Crux article continued: He noted that criticisms of the Holy See’s stance of neutrality are nothing new, and that Pope Benedict XV faced similar pushback during the First World War.
“I am sorry, but I am not surprised. It is the destiny of knowing how to tell each one what must be said, but I return to saying it in the ways in which the Holy See does it,” he said.
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The bottom line is that Pope Francis had spoken clearly, as Cardinal Parolin had declared.
Nobody is confused except those who wished to be "confused"..."confused" as Pope Francis did not utter that which certain folks had desired/demanded.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
The following nasty, preposterous comment from Lucetta Scaraffia demonstrates the disturbing level of animosity that she holds in regard to Pope Francis:
"Regarding Ukraine, his total impotence is evident from the business of the stolen children … In all this time, the pope hasn’t succeeded in returning a single child … His effort at mediation has been a failure."
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal: "I asked His Holiness to help us return home Ukrainians, Ukrainian children who are detained, arrested, and criminally deported to Russia."
Pope Francis attempted to do so. But what is Pope Francis supposed to do? Force Putin to return the children to Ukraine? Lucetta Scaraffia has discredited herself via her irrational attack in question against Pope Francis.
His Holiness has acted in holy fashion to serve as a peacemaker in regard to the war against Ukraine. But Scaraffia has trampled Pope Francis' service as a peacemaker.
Lucetta Scaraffia's interview/attack against Pope Francis is littered with ridiculous, discredited comments.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
-- Zelenskiy Asks Pope for Help in Releasing POWs in Eastern Ukraine
"Ukraine's president has asked Pope Francis for help in securing the release of prisoners of war held by Russia and by Russia-backed separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine."
-- Pope Francis helps hundreds of POWs return home in Prisoner Swaps in Ukraine
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