Pope Francis: Church Must Learn to Abandon Old Traditions

[David Kaftal]

Pope Francis: Church Must Learn to Abandon Old ‘Traditions’

by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.    23 May 2019

It is a mistake for the Church to try to hold onto old traditions or to have clear answers for everything, Pope Francis said Thursday.

Jesus intentionally omitted telling his disciples many things so that the Church would learn to renounce the desire for clarity and order, the pope told participants in the 21st general assembly of Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s global charitable outreach. ... (Entire story here)

[Bill]

This could be an EOTT satire piece. Brave New World anyone?

[Flavia Talladen Schott]

Poor old man. He doesn´t know what he is saying ...

St Paul, pray for the pope for conversion.

JMJ!

[Dawn Marie]

The Quibbling About Heresy And The Decadence Of Sensus Catholicus

I would like to say two words about the controversy raised by a Mr Akin’s answer to the letter, mentioned here many times, inviting the Bishops to declare Pope Francis a heretic and depose him, unless he recants from his many heresies.

The point that Mr Akin makes is that Pope Francis cannot really be called heretical, because the tenets of the faith he so manifestly denies are (merely!) infallible doctrines as opposed to dogmatic truths. AKA Catholic does, as always, an excellent and very charitable work of dissection of this point.

My point is, building on his reflection, a different one.

No other generation of Catholics (at least before V II) would have even dreamed of having such discussions when deciding what the appropriate course of action is. Nor would they have cared of what this or that canonical text says. They weren’t blind. Therefore, they could look at reality when reality was staring them in the face.

When Pope Marcellinus sacrificed on the altar of Roman gods, they did not wonder what canon law states should exactly happen in that exact case. They did not quibble about the fact that Marcellinus had not denied any formal dogma, “merely” contravened a commandment. They did not try to walk around, above, below and through reality trying to find a way allowing them not to call reality for what it is.

They had faith. They acted on it.

I have stated many times here, and repeat today, that I do not care a straw for the technical, canonical law definition of what a heresy is, because this is not what my salvation depends upon. Heretic is who heretic does, and in the common parlance and common sense (and in reality, which is so much broader than the quibbles of theologians) Francis is a heretic, because he goes head on against the truths of the Church.

On this, I think we all agree, Mr Akin included. It follows that the letter to the Bishops makes perfect sense, because it is a perfectly realistic reaction to a reality plainly in front of us.

The absurdity of the legalistic denial that Francis a heretic is easily demonstrated. Let us imagine that Francis would promulgate a modification of the canonical rules on heresy, stating that a Pope can only be proclaimed a formal heretic if he solemnly proclaims his heresy dressed in a Muslim garb, on a Friday, from the top of a Minaret, at least 100 feet high. Let us, further, imagine that Francis would proclaim that Muslims and Christians worship the same God, and he did so solemnly, dressed in a Muslim garb, from a Minaret, 90 feet high. Would then Mr Akin, and all the other FrancisQuibblers, say that Francis is, therefore, not a heretic according to this or any other definition?

Reality comes first. A heretical Pope is staring you in the face, with a middle finger raised against you. If you don’t see this you are part of the problem.

The first duty of the bishops is towards Christ and His Church. Even if the instruments of canon law did not allow (which AKA Catholic shows not to be the case) to act in case of manifest heresy, the obligation to act would exist anyway. The Church has always acted according to the principle that where the legal instruments at the disposal of the clergy are not sufficient to do what is necessary to do for the good of the Church, ecclesia supplet, as we have seen in the case of the SSPX or, more to the point, in the case of Marcellinus.

That such discussions take place in the first place is a grave indication of the degradation of the sensus catholicus all over the West.

We will be remembered as the people who allowed a clearly heretical Pope to be manifestly heretic day in and day out, for years, whilst discussing his intentions, his translators, his moods, the atmospheric conditions inside aeroplanes, the cultural differences with Argentina, his grasp of English, Italian, Latin, and Spanish, and his digestion.

Open your eyes, for heaven’s sake.

A heretical Pope is staring at you, his face full of hate for us and the Church, with his middle finger raised against you.

This is no time for quibbling.

[Judy Muller]

May the Lord have mercy on him and send His Holy Spirit to bring him out of his darkness and into the true light.......................Please Lord have mercy on him and all who are in darkness and bring them into the light.

 

[Michael]

Act bravely, my Brethren; take courage, and trust in the Lord. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.

The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.

Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.

There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.

Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.

Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. But the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head [Jesus Christ], these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish [physically] rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.

Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.

(Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi [London: R. Washbourne, 1882], pp. 248-250; underlining and paragraph breaks added.)

[Dawn Marie]

Timely reminder Michael, thanks.

[David Kaftal]

"Jesus intentionally omitted telling his disciples many things so that the Church would learn to renounce the desire for clarity and order" -- I thought I'd already heard all the chief lies of modernism, but this one is brand new to me, and poisonously cunning. This antipope must be a direct mouthpiece for satan.

[Dawn Marie]

You took the words right out of my mouth David.  Yes a direct mouthpiece of satan and the eclipse of the Church long foretold.

David Kaftal said:

"Jesus intentionally omitted telling his disciples many things so that the Church would learn to renounce the desire for clarity and order" -- I thought I'd already heard all the chief lies of modernism, but this one is brand new to me, and poisonously cunning. This antipope must be a direct mouthpiece for satan.

[Michael]

This is a spiritual war.  Francis first slowly, but now overtly is telling all his plans to try and destroy Holy Mother Church through modernism and ecumenism leaving the name Catholic but destroying all of its substance and traditional spirituality.   Francis smiles and says he accepts everyone.  It is a ruse to lower defenses and to allow further modernism to seep into anything resembling tradition.  As a modernist the Truth means nothing to him as it is constantly shifting and evolving to the will of man.  As many have already pointed out Francis cannot genuflect before our Lord in a monstrance or at Mass due to his age and physical disability, but he quite quickly is able to get on his knees to grovel to politicians and sinners who have no intention of amending their lives and following God's law.  His intention is bring all to heel for a world wide governance.  The leadership of the SSPX on the surface seems to see this as a political combat.  The game seems to be if they play along and are regularized then they will convert the modernists from within.  I am afraid if they continue this tact they will be swallowed hole.     

[Gloria]

St. Joseph, you listened to the Angel and led the Blessed Mother and Jesus to safety, lead us and keep us safe on this unpleasant and difficult path of staying true to our Catholic Faith, as the saints did when they were tested.

[Dawn Marie]

Many novus ordo's are waking up and seeing and saying that this man is a heretic.  Meanwhile the SSPX is doing all it can to cozy up to him.  Truly the world is upside down.