One report that I read about the pope’s meeting in Portugal with bishops, priests, deacons and religious is that a significant number of the country’s clergy and religious did not attend. The report quoted that the priests who were not going did not want to be subjected to this pope’s negativity towards them, carping about them and putting them down.
In Portugal there are 47 bishops, 2,389 diocesan priests and 878 religious ones. To them are added 215 religious. There are 562 seminarians throughout the country. However, there was not much attendance at the event. The Church was filled with lay people participating in World Youth Day. Few priests and religious. Some priests, from the Shrine of Fatima, reported: "We prefer to be (here) rather than going to hear, once again, the Pope who throws his anger on the clergy. Immobilism, worldliness, things from the past, clericalism, etc… Always the usual things. We are tired of being the Pope's targets who, instead, should encourage and thank us".
Also, I note at the end of the homily for Vespers led by the pope, there was polite applause. Then a cardinal or bishop stood but no one else for a “standing ovation.” It took some time for the reluctant congregation actually to get up onto their feet for a courteous standing ovation.
But, let’s get back to the good thing that the pope did preach about. It was Eucharistic Adoration and the need for everyone in the Church to rediscover adoration and silence before the Lord in the tabernacle. That is very positive, because it has been liturgical progressives in the Church since Vatican II who have tried successfully to destroy Eucharistic Adoration not only outside of Mass but within it. So this was great to hear the pope encourage Eucharistic Adoration.
But then in goes negative, complains about this, that and the other and whines about those who complain as he complains about others who complain. I kid you not—this would be a joke to laugh at if it wasn’t so very sad to hear a pope speak like this.
He even calls out a nun, whose given name he can’t remember, but uses her religious name to complain about her whining and complaining.
Please note, I know I am a complainer and a whiner at times, and negative too, as well as sarcastic, mea culpa. Forgive my Italian heritage!
But this is incredible. Here are some money quotes from the National Catholic Register article which you can read in full HERE. The article is not negative except when quoting the negative pope:
…“Curiously, the prayer of adoration — we have lost it. We have lost it, and everyone — priests, bishops, consecrated men and women, laypeople — have to recover it. It’s to be in silence, before the Lord,” Francis urged.
In this context, the Pope invited his listeners to follow the example of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who, despite being “involved in so many things in life, never gave up adoration even at times when her faith wavered and she wondered if it was all true or not.”
“So, in prayer the temptation to carry out a pastoral ministry of nostalgia and complaining is overcome,” he added.
To further exemplify the need to redirect our gaze to eucharistic adoration, the pontiff recalled the anecdote of a nun who “complained about everything” in her convent.
“In a convent there was a nun who, I don’t know what her name was, but they changed her name and called her ‘Sister Lamentela’ [the whiner]. How many times do we transform our inabilities, our disappointment, into ‘lamentela’ [being whiners]? And leaving behind these ‘lamentelas,’ one gets the strength to sail out to sea, without ideologies, without worldliness. The spiritual worldliness that gets into us and which engenders clericalism not only in priests; clericalized laymen are worse than priests,” he explained.
Pope Francis stressed that clericalism is “one of the most serious evils that can happen to the Church” and, consequently, ruin it.
10 comments:
Many are just weary of this and him.
I acknowledge some are not.
I find him to be depressing to both look and and listen to. I therefore choose to avoid following him in any way. The Church in my head is a much more beautiful and peaceful place than the one that is our reality...really, this is a Roman problem. He doesn't effect me much in the East outside of the commemorations.
As for creating ruin, suggest he looks in the mirror for the root cause. People are just turned off and I don't know what will be needed to turn them on again. A compassionate shepherd who isn't on a mission to trash everyone and everything would be good for starters.
Byrus, I can’t imagine that higher up in the hierarchy to include cardinals this pope has appointed, aren’t recoiling to this pope’s negativity, complaining and whining about almost everyone. It is an embarrassment. Commentaries on this pope’s insults began to circulate shortly after his election once we started listening to what the pope was saying and his pedestrian way of saying it.
When I listen to him speak in Italian, it is clearer to me that much of what he says, in terms of negativity about this, that and the other, to include people, is tongue in cheek and meant to be humorous. That is very Italian and it is humorous when you actually hear him say these things in Italian.
I think he does have a sense of humor, but as you write, many of us if not most are weary of this and how he has treated traditionalists has exacerbated any legitimate concerns he had about their anti-Vatican II sentiments. He has been down right cruel towards them and priests, like myself, who love both forms of the Mass, the modern and ancient and know that there is a place for both in the Church and that Pope Benedict’s vision of Vatican II and renewal in continuity is completely legitimate for any Catholic to accept and follow.
I was at my Aunt’s funeral yesterday. The celebrant was in his early 30s and is reintroducing Latin into parish Masses. These young priests have basically tuned this nasty old man out. PF also dissed capitalism while in Portugal which has raised more people out of poverty than any other system. He is just another clueless lefty.
Father McDonald, thank you for this thread. I did not encounter remotely an embittered, whining Pope yesterday via Pope Francis' wonderful discourse in question.
In Lisbon yesterday, a tremendous amount of love, respect, and generosity flowed from Pope Francis...and was returned to His Holiness. Pope Francis' encounters yesterday with clergy, religious, as well as laity, were filled with holiness, love, and hope...uplifting beyond comprehension.
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But let us pretend that priests in Portugal have avoided Pope Francis...are tired of his supposed denunciations of the state of the priesthood. If that is the case, then said folks must be disgusted beyond comprehension in regard to Cardinal Ratzinger's horrific assessments of priests.
Cardinal Ratzinger: "After the Council there were many priests who deliberately raised “desacralization” to the level of a program...they put aside the sacred vestments; they have despoiled the churches as much as they could of that splendor which brings to mind the sacred; and they have reduced the liturgy to the language and the gestures of ordinary life, by means of greetings, common signs of friendship, and such things."
Cardinal Ratzinger: "How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, should belong completely to him! How much pride, how much self-sufficiency!"
Wow!
Based upon Cardinal Ratzinger's bleak, depressing assessments of the priesthood, not to mention the prevailing thought among more than a few traditionalist Catholics — that is, the "Novus Ordo" priesthood is packed supposedly with perverted sexual monsters...unorthodox priests abound supposedly — ...
...then it is not surprising that Pope Francis has been viewed as having been critical of priests.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
In regard to then-Cardinal Ratzinger's horrific assessment in regard to priests/overall state of the priesthood:
Cardinal Ratzinger: "How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, should belong completely to him!"
One may interpret said horrific assessment as "bitter and whiny." But the question is whether Cardinal Ratzinger's horrific portrayal of priests possessed validity?
In good faith, and based upon his understanding of the situation, Pope Benedict XVI had rendered his opinion as to the overall state of the priesthood. One may characterize his bleak assessment of the priesthood as "bitter and whiny."
But the important issues is whether Pope Benedict XVI's comment in question holds water.
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That applies as well to Pope Francis' supposed b"itter, whiny" remarks in question. One may contend that a small part of Pope Francis' discourse yesterday was bitter and whiny.
But that which matters most is whether Pope Francis' supposed "bitter, whiny" comments hold water.
Other than that, to describe this or that Pope's comments as "bitter and whiny" pales in comparison to that which is most important. That is, the validity of this or that supposed "bitter, whiny" comment.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
Father McDonald said..."He has been down right cruel towards them and priests, like myself, who love both forms of the Mass..."
Father McDonald, I understand your love of the TLM. I love the TLM. But I do not regard as "cruel" those teachings that Pope Francis rendered in regard to the TLM.
Rather than denounce Pope Francis...rather than react as many have (Father McDonald, that does not mean you) in perhaps bitter, whiny fashion, to Pope Francis's teachings in question...
...I prefer, in line with Pope Benedict's XVI teachings, to accentuate the positive: That is, there is neither contradiction, nor rupture, between the TLM and Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI.
Therefore, as Cardinal Ratzinger declared:
The Missal of Pope Saint Paul VI is "nothing other than a renewed form of that same missal to which Pius X, Urban VIII, Pius V and their predecessors have contributed, right from the church’s earliest history."
Father McDonald, during the past couple of years, you have exhorted traditionalists to stop whining (not that you have)...that they need to move forward with the Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI.
Father McDonald, in line with that, as well as Pope Benedict XVI's teaching that there is not any contradiction between the TLM, as well as Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI, Pope Francis declared:
"Whoever wishes to celebrate with devotion according to earlier forms of the liturgy can find in the reformed Roman Missal according to Vatican Council II all the elements of the Roman Rite, in particular the Roman Canon which constitutes one of its more distinctive elements."
Anyway, in regard to Summorum Pontificum, Pope Francis had maintained that situation for eight years. But that situation in question had collapsed years ago.
The true "cruelty" involved those within the trad movement who had misrepresented Pope Benedict XVI so as to weaponize Summorum Pontificum against the Council/Holy Mass of Pope Saint Paul VI.
Summorum Pontificum's complete failure (not Pope Benedict XVI's fault...although leading trads have blamed him...they've claimed that SP was a muddled, confused document destined to collapse) had forced Pope Francis to act.
Pax.
Mark Thomas
It may be our salvation that he continues like this for a cew more years and remove all temptation to replace him in kind.
Mr Alternate Reality has arrived with more pathetic non sequiturs. Seek help
Father McDonald,
I thought you would find this statement about liturgy from Evelyn Waugh interesting.
"In a 1964 letter to the editor of the Catholic Herald, Evelyn Waugh concluded: “Finally, a word about liturgy. It is natural to the Germans to make a row. The torchlit, vociferous assemblies of the Hitler Youth expressed a national passion. It is well that it should be canalized into the life of the Church. But it is essentially un-English…We pray in silence. ‘Participation’ in the Mass does not mean hearing our own voice. It means God hearing our voices. Only He knows who is ‘participating’ at Mass…Anyone who has taken part in a play knows that he can rant on stage with his mind elsewhere. If the Germans want to be noisy, let them. But why should they disturb our devotions?”
Amen
Oy. I only got to this after commenting on a more recent post. But I am just amazed at how singleminded--dare I say narrowminded?--the messaging has become. With the exception of the recent addition of "the Holy Spirit has spoken--you must synod or get out"
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