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Wednesday, April 4, 2018

WHAT INTERESTING PAPAL TIMES WE LIVE IN!

Pope Francis seems to have a confusion wish. Just when His Holiness has knocked the ball out of the park on his various pastoral visits, His Holiness gives an interview, says something stupid or controversial or thoughtless and all the media attention is on the interview, not what His Holiness accomplished in a well done sort of way.

Let's face it, Pope Francis criticizes so many people for this, that and the other, but all these things really apply to the personality quirks of the Holy Father rather than those His Holiness castigates.

It was once said that the thing a preacher rails against the most is the thing he is guilty the most of doing. Interesting, no?

Who would have thought just five years ago.....

Sr. Theresa: Pope 'Needs a Sassy Nun' Assistant to Bar Him From Scandalous Interviews

CNS News Mon, Apr 2 9:40 AM CDT

6 comments:

TJM said...

kind of like Diane Keaton from the Young Pope?

Mark Thomas said...

It is interesting to me that certain folks have criticized His Holiness Pope Francis for his having granted interviews to Mr. Scalfari.

However, I have not encountered criticism directed at such Churchmen as Cardinal Burke and Bishop Schneider who, time and again, have granted interviews to, and are "friends" of, Rorate Caeli, The Remnant, and additional right-wing bloggers who spread fake news against Pope Francis.

Certain "conservative" Churchmen don't have any problem dealing with right-wingers who spew venom daily at Pope Francis.

Right-wingers have assured us that...

-- Pope Francis is about to impose the "Ecumenical Mass" upon us.

-- Pope Francis is a about to overthrow Humanae Vitae.

-- Pope Francis was elected by a secret St. Gallen's "mafia" (at attempt by right-wingers to give the impression that Pope Francis is an anti-pope).

-- Pope Francis will "outlaw" the TLM.

-- Pope Francis will open the door to the ordination of women to the priesthood.

-- Pope Francis hates the Church.

-- Pope Francis is a communist.

For some reason, it is acceptable for certain "conservative" Churchmen to grant interviews to right-wingers who daily misrepresent Pope Francis.

It is acceptable for certain "conservative" Churchmen to speak at right-wing conferences hosted by folks who spew venom daily at Pope Francis.

But how dare Pope Francis speak to Mr. Scalfari!!!

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Fr. Allan J. McDonald said...

Mark you are mixing apples and oranges. Cardinals aren't popes and no one dissects every word they say because they do not have universal jurisdiction like the pope does. Yes there is fake news out there but Pope Francis with his ambiguous remarks and refusal to clarify things for himself, except when Cardinal O'Malley demanded it of him concerning Bishop Barros in Chile, is the cause of it all. It can all be traced to His Holiness.

His Holiness is the pope and popes must be discreet in what they say or else there can be violence and death, just ask Pope Benedict who clarify what he meant when he spoke of Muslims and a firestorm was created.

People listen to what popes say and if they have loose lips, like Pope Francis, speak off the cuff and have views contrary to Church teaching, then Rome, we have major problems and yes, Rome we have problems.

Mark Thomas said...

Many Catholics insist that Pope Francis should not continue to legitimize the SSPX. Said folks insist that the SSPX is in schism. Cardinal Burke, for example, declared that the SSPX is in schism from the Church.

I guess that Pope Francis needs a "sassy nun" assistant to say..."Holy Father, you had a meeting scheduled with Bishop Fellay. But I told him that you were busy and that he was a schismatic."
===========================================================

Here is an idea: Pope Francis has declared that he takes a "pastoral risk" on being misinterpreted each time that he interacts with a journalist. However, he is willing to said risk.

A journalist reported that Pope Francis said "X" about hell. "X" contradicted Pope Francis' public statements about hell.

Therefore, let us adhere to Pope Francis' known declarations about hell.

On several occasions, Pope Francis has made it clear that he believes that hell exists. That is it. It is that simple. We know for certain that Pope Francis has declared publicly that hell exists.

Now, we can move on.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas said...

Father McDonald, what views of Pope Francis are contrary to Church teaching?

I also disagree that I'm mixing apples and oranges. The notion is that Pope Francis should not speak to Mr. Scalfari as Mr. Scalfari has spread false information about Pope Francis.

Cardinal Burke and Bishop Schneider, not to mention additional "conservative" Churchmen, associate with right-wingers who via Twitter, and additional means of communication, spread false information daily about Pope Francis.

Said right-wingers daily spew venom at Pope Francis.

Statements made, for example, by Rorate Caeli, have been reported by "mainstream" news media outlets.

Unlike Mr. Scalfari, certain right-wingers misrepresent Pope Francis on a daily basis...literally minute-by-minute via the Internet.

Unlike Mr. Scalfari, certain leading right-wing folks spread hatred against Pope Francis...they urge Catholics to "resist" Pope Francis' God-given authority to teach, govern, and sanctify the Holy People of God.

Nevertheless, Cardinal Burke, Bishop Schneider, and additional "conservative" Churchmen have granted interviews to "traditional" Catholics who've trafficked in fake news designed to defame Pope Francis.

Said Churchmen have addressed conferences packed with people who have spread lies about Pope Francis.

If Pope Francis is expected to distance himself from Mr. Scalfari, then it's proper for Cardinal Burke and Bishop Schneider to distance themselves from those who spew venom at, and spread lies against, Pope Francis.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas said...

Father McDonald said..."Yes there is fake news out there but Pope Francis with his ambiguous remarks and refusal to clarify things for himself..."

What does Pope Francis need to clarify?

Everything that he says and does on a daily basis is spun by the right-wing, left-wing, "mainstream" journalists...by Catholics...by non-Catholics.

He would waste hours daily responding to this or that person/group who demanded that he "clarify" this and that.

Fake news is concocted daily about Popes. Pope Francis isn't alone in that regard.

Example: One controversy after another marked the reign of Pope Benedict XVI.

He was characterized as a "Nazi"...rolled back the Church to the 1950s...one "smoking gun" news media report after another insisted that he had protected priests who had abused people sexually...

...his statements via interviews and books about condoms and the Infancy Narratives spurred news media firestorms.

Venom was spewed at him and lies were spread against when he lifted the excommunications against the bishops of the SSPX.

But was it Pope Benedict XVI's fault that his statements and actions were twisted by journalists, and various folks, including left-wingers, who despised him?

What is his fault that certain folks had misrepresented him? Is it Pope Francis' fault that certain folks have misrepresented him?

I recall that on just two occasions did Pope Benedict respond publicly in detail to controversies that had swirled about him.

On an additional occasion, when the news media had hyped the notion that Pope Benedict XVI's Vatican was out of control, filled with intrigues and scandals, Pope Benedict stated:

"However, rumors, exaggerated by some of the media, totally gratuitously and that have gone far beyond the facts, paint an image of the Holy See that does not correspond to reality."

Other than that, Pope Benedict refused to have clarified publicly one "controversy" after another that had marked his Pontificate. He didn't waste his time and energy appeasing people who demanded clarifications from him.

In turn, Pope Francis should not waste time and energy clarifying "controversies" that pertain to him.

Pax.

Mark Thomas