Is the Pope Catholic?
Caesar=Caesar...God=God!!
It is not useful to criticize him. Just sigh and hope he goes away.
I’ve been back and forth on this issue and am presently on the side of Catholics doing as their consciences demand. The Church will survive.
“And I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
God bless you.
This is what I thought for years hanging out with "orthodox" Catholics, trying to attend the most conservative churches, reading The Wanderer, etc.
However, I come to find out that there are almost as many different sub-groups of "orthodox" Catholics as there are Protestant sects.
Entire sub-groups of "orthodox" Catholics believe that all of the popes from John XXIII on are either anti-popes or at least no longer teaching official Catholic dogma.
They would not agree with this essayist's take on John Paul II and Benedict as being popes who brought the Church back closer to Her original teaching.
The "orthodox" Catholics I hung out with loved Ratzinger and believed it would be a Holy Miracle if he ever became Pope ... and surprise, surprise he did. But a lot of "orthodox" Catholics would have us believe that he is either an anti-pope or a "conciliar" quasi-pope, or just an ineffective pope.
We do indeed live in interesting times.
To have this Pope and president at the same time is a sign that God’s judgement is upon us. God has confounded our thinking just as he did with the Pharaoh of the Exodus.
Had the Pope had an honest confessor, his penance would take up all his time and then some.
The Pope is a man, flesh and blood like any other man...
He is not above criticism...
If anything, he should be highly criticized when he strays off his very important role as the spiritual leader of over a billion people...
Jorge isn’t holy and he isn’t a father. He is a heretic and an enemy of Christ.
Is a hog’s backside pork?
At the rate the Catholic church is going- Obama will be the next pope.
I speak for myself as a practicing Catholic, but here is my take on the Holy Father.
He has not changed Catholic belief, has not spoken ex-Cathedra, and expresses his opinion often and usually without much thought. I disagree with the Holy Father as a man on just about all of his opinions regarding Europe, the “refugees”, islam, politics, global warming, etc.
I do, however, trust completely that God has a reason for everything - the Holy Father being the present Pope included. I will continue to give my respect to the Pope. I will continue to live the Catholic faith that I’ve followed for decades, and I will continue to respectfully disagree with the opinions of the flesh and blood man who is the leader of the Church.
Throw Frank the Hippie Pope out!
Are there any such things as Catholics in exile?
Like any other leader God allows to be in charge. Be it government, work, church. You respectively follow their instructions the best you can unless it crosses a clear moral or ethical line.
The Pope may be in a position of being first of the Bishops but he still has to find support for major issues before imposing it on others.
God is in charge and has a reason for everything.