Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis tells Communists: ‘Don’t back down, don’t give up’
LifeSite News ^ | January 11, 2024 | Michael Haynes

Posted on 01/12/2024 3:05:28 PM PST by ebb tide

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis tells Communists: ‘Don’t back down, don’t give up’

‘Imagine he had said that [don't give up] to the Traditional Catholics,’ said John-Henry Westen.


Pope Francis meeting with the Marxist group, January 10, 2024

Hosting a Marxist-Christian dialogue group at the Vatican on Wednesday, Pope Francis urged them to “be open, in dialogue, to new ways,” while avoiding reiterating the Church’s consistent condemnation of Marxism. 

Shortly before his weekly general audience on January 10, Pope Francis received a small delegation from the DIALOP group. DIALOP, according to its own description, is a “project of dialogue between Socialists/Marxists and Christians, involving intellectuals, academics, politicians, activists and students from several European Countries.”

In his address, the pope urged the Marxist and Christian attendees to “never lose the ability to dream.” 

Today, in a world divided by war and polarization, we run the risk of losing the ability to dream. We Argentines say, “no te arrugues,” meaning “don’t back off.” This is my invitation to you as well: Don’t back off, don’t give up, and don’t stop dreaming of a better world. 

Francis stated that “it is in imagination, the ability to dream, that intelligence, intuition, experience and historical memory come together to make us be creative, take chances and run risks.”

Punctuating the brief address, he gave three “attitudes” which he said would be “helpful for your efforts,” those being: “the courage to break the mould, concern for the less fortunate and support for the rule of law.”

Expanding on having “concern for the less fortunate,” Francis referenced the crimes of “great dictatorships,” mentioning “Naziism” by name, but avoided speaking about the evils of Communism itself. 

LifeSite’s John-Henry Westen quipped how Francis’ warm message of welcome to the Marxists is not reflected in his attitude to devotees of the traditional Mass. 

Indeed, while the DIALOP group is officially comprised of Marxists and Christians in dialogue, the pope did not mention Christ, Christianity, or the Church’s condemnation of Communism and Marxism at all.

Catholic teaching against Communism is very clear. Writing in Quadragesimo Anno, Pope Pius XI warned the entire Church about “the impious and iniquitous character of Communism.” Describing Socialism as slightly less violent, Pius XI firmly prohibited any attempts to marry Socialism and Catholicism:

Whether considered as a doctrine, or an historical fact, or a movement, Socialism, if it remains truly Socialism, even after it has yielded to truth and justice on the points which we have mentioned, cannot be reconciled with the teachings of the Catholic Church because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth.

Pius XI also penned such words in Divini Redemptoris: 

Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate with it in any undertaking whatsoever. Those who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid towards the triumph of Communism in their own country will be the first to fall victims of their error. And the greater the antiquity and grandeur of the Christian civilization in the regions where Communism successfully penetrates, so much more devastating will be the hatred displayed by the godless.

Pius’ words merely built on the constant teaching of his predecessors. Pius IX’s 1846 encyclical Qui pluribus described Communism as “a doctrine most opposed to the very natural law,” which would usher in “complete destruction of everyone’s laws, government, property, and even of human society itself.”

Pope Leo XIII’s 1878 encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris condemned Socialism as a “deadly plague that is creeping into the very fibres of human society and leading it on to the verge of destruction.”

Catholic philosopher Edward Feser took particular care to highlight sections from the Church’s teaching on the evils of Socialism, Communism, and Marxism. Even though some more recent popes have pronounced less boldly and forthrightly on the issues when compared with their predecessors, the constant prohibition of acceptance of, or collaboration with, such ideologies has remained constant. 

Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 encyclical Deus Caritas Est bore especial relevance to Francis’ condoning of the Catholic-Marxist collaboration. The late pontiff noted that Catholic charitable activity must not be done alongside Marxist intervention, but be independent and centrally Catholic:

Christian charitable activity must be independent of parties and ideologies. It is not a means of changing the world ideologically, and it is not at the service of worldly stratagems, but it is a way of making present here and now the love which man always needs.

Indeed, Leo XIII preemptively condemned the form of Catholic-Marxist collaboration which Francis condoned. Writing in Quod Apostolici Muneris, Leo outlined how societal improvements were to be made by the Church acting without being restrained by outside forces: 

since they know that the Church of Christ has such power to ward off the plague of socialism as cannot be found in human laws, in the mandates of magistrates, or in the force of armies, let them restore that Church to the condition and liberty in which she may exert her healing force for the benefit of all society. 

The DIALOP group states of itself that “dialogue is the best way to make a real change and we work to turn the world into a better place to live in,” and Francis in turn praised DIALOP as “a fine program.” 

Its link with Francis is perhaps deeper than is fully realized. One of its goals is to pursue deeper relations between the Catholic Church and a little-known organization called the Global Compact on Education (GCE). The GCE is actually a brain child of Pope Francis, which aims to promote education in light with U.N. ideals, including on talking points such as “sustainable” living and “gender equality.”

In recent years, Francis has increasingly aligned himself with globalist entities such as the U.N.; the “Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican,” which is fundamentally committed to promote “environmental, social, and governance measures” in order to achieve the U.N.’s pro-abortion Sustainable Development Goals; the International Monetary Fund; the COP climate agenda; and the World Economic Forum.



TOPICS: Catholic; Current Events; Religion & Politics
KEYWORDS: communists; frankenchurch; heretic; liberationtheology; redpope
Ten popes in a row over the course of more than a century and a half denied that Catholicism on the one hand and Marxism or related doctrines on the other can have any common mission:
1 posted on 01/12/2024 3:05:28 PM PST by ebb tide
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Al Hitan; Fedora; irishjuggler; Jaded; kalee; markomalley; miele man; Mrs. Don-o; ...

Ping


2 posted on 01/12/2024 3:06:19 PM PST by ebb tide
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

Uh, what???? He’s not even trying to hide it. We live in scary times.


3 posted on 01/12/2024 3:11:14 PM PST by rdl6989 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

The excellent show The World Over had a discussion last night. One regular guest said Pope Francis may or may not be healthy enough to make it many more years but he is speeding up his replacement of conservative bishops and cardinals with “progressives” who will for many years carry on his conciliatory attitude toward gay unions and other causes.

Said again the pressure is on normal clergy to accept giving “blessings” to the couples against the teachings of the Church, with the only reason for the blessing being the two consider themselves “married” or “living together” and thus willfully violating the Church teachings. Not just to an individual-—a couple standing there together.The clergy who do not go along with this will be pressured to do it or get cut off our punished. Really bad.

Reminds me of Biden who is trying to kill gas stoves, gasoline cars and the oil industry while replacing us with illegals ready to vote Dem for decades to come.


4 posted on 01/12/2024 3:13:34 PM PST by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rdl6989

Keep it up Francis and you will be closing a lot of Churches because financial support will dwindle to nothing as Parishioners leave.


5 posted on 01/12/2024 3:26:18 PM PST by chopperk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

This story isn’t even a joke?


6 posted on 01/12/2024 3:27:01 PM PST by Williams (Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

What in the nine Hells is a Marxist/Christian? Marx was an atheist who hated God and religion. You can either be one or the other.


7 posted on 01/12/2024 3:28:47 PM PST by Telepathic Intruder
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: chopperk

Sadly a lot of the liberal twits who call themselves Catholics these days probably think this is just fine.


8 posted on 01/12/2024 3:30:15 PM PST by Williams (Stop Tolerating The Intolerant)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: frank ballenger

Well now it makes sense why so many Catholic Charities are active in helping illegal aliens make the trek to the USA.


9 posted on 01/12/2024 3:34:10 PM PST by Phoenix8
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: chopperk
Keep it up Francis and you will be closing a lot of Churches because financial support will dwindle to nothing as Parishioners leave.

…and Francis will have achieved his goal.

10 posted on 01/12/2024 3:35:43 PM PST by rhinohunter (Elections have consequences. Stolen elections have catastrophic consequences.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Phoenix8

On their website....
“Catholic Charities works to welcome and integrate immigrants, refugees and asylees, assisting over 393,000 individuals over the past year.”

Both sides of the question....
“All persons have the right to find in their own countries the opportunities to live in dignity and the right to seek work elsewhere in order to survive. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders while affording protection to refugees and asylum seekers and respecting the human dignity and rights of undocumented migrants.”

“In addition to providing essential services to immigrants and refugees to the U.S., we also advocate for policies that protect family unity and allow newcomers to contribute to and more fully participate in their new communities.”


11 posted on 01/12/2024 3:41:27 PM PST by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

“Don’t back off, don’t give up, and don’t stop dreaming of a better world.”

Demonic dreams of the Marxist left would include them being in total control of everyone in every way... and the elimination of Christianity altogether. So this “pope” is encouraging those dreams now?


12 posted on 01/12/2024 3:58:26 PM PST by Danie_2023
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

Marxism and Christianity are like OIL AND WATER.....THEY DON’T MIX!!


13 posted on 01/12/2024 4:19:00 PM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion....... The HUMAN Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Williams
This story isn’t even a joke?

No; but Bergoglio is.

14 posted on 01/12/2024 4:24:27 PM PST by ebb tide
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

The Dominican nuns in serious habits with rosaries and a confident command of biblical teaching Christ’s teaching and the catechism always said communism is unacceptable


15 posted on 01/12/2024 4:29:10 PM PST by stanne
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

Can’t this guy just get a hammer and some parchment, and start his own religion? Oh, wait - he’s a commie. They take over and ruin things; they don’t build stuff.


16 posted on 01/12/2024 4:36:12 PM PST by Bernard (We honor veterans who fought to keep this country from turning into what it now is. --Argus Hamilton)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ebb tide

frankie’s a gay commie.

Been saying so for years.

Here’s proof.


17 posted on 01/12/2024 5:10:45 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Objective: Permanently break the will of the population to ever wage war again.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: chopperk

I do believe that is the point of Francis’s actions.


18 posted on 01/12/2024 5:51:42 PM PST by arthurus ( covfefe /\_/\)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson