The ‘Francis effect’ is silencing Catholic bishops, priests, and laity [Catholic Caucus]

Life Site News ^ | May 22, 2015 | Fr. Linus Clovis

[Mrs. Don-o]

"...the very fact that his activities supposedly require such complex interpretation and explanation is itself an indictment..."

It certainly is not. This has been a necessary consideration from the early centuries of the papacy, and certainly even more so in the past 20 years as digital communication has put practically every word of the Pope before the eyes of every Catholic and, of course, non-Catholics as well.

It is simply not true--- and never has been true --- that every word from the mouth of the Pope (or every sentence from his text program) comprises Catholic Doctrine. The Holy See itself lists a number of categories of Papal documents (FOUND HERE), with different levels of authority:

Motu Proprio

Apostolic Constitution Encyclical

Apostolic Letter

Apostolic Exhortation

Common Declaration

Homily

Audience

Discourse

Message

but even these categories don't begin to account for distinctions within each kind of document.

Pope Benedict XVI was, I think, the first pope to write and publish books during his pontificate which were non-Magisterial. In the preface of "Jesus of Nazareth: from the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration" he wrote:

“It goes without saying that this book is in no way an exercise of the magisterium, but is solely an expression of my personal search ‘for the face of the Lord’ (cf. Ps 27:8). Everyone is free, then, to contradict me. I would only ask my readers for that initial goodwill without which there can be no understanding.”

You can wish that no pope should ever say or write anything sub-Magisterial ("prudential judgment" or "theological opinion") but that has never been, and I daresay will never be, the case.

It's no use to swing back and forth between two false extremes, papal maximalism ("He's an all-purpose oracle") and papal minimalism ("He's just a guy with an opinion.")

There's a of of gradations in between.

I wish more people were aware of that.

[ebb tide]

Invalid logic. Both the lesbian and the adulteress in Argentina have publicy stated how their meetings with Pope Francis went. If either of these women were lying, surely either Pope Francis or Fr. Lombardi would speak up and defend the Pope with the truth. They would not have to disclose the content of these meetings, but they could certainly deny any untruths that were later stated.

So far, neither of them has. Rather sneaky and confusing to the sheep in my opinion.

But let your speech be yea, yea: no, no: and that which is over and above these, is of evil. Matthew 5:37

But because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold, not hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of my mouth. Revelations 3:16

As far as calumny and rash judgement, look in a mirror. And don't be surprised if you see Jimmy Akin behind your shoulder.

[ebb tide]

To have a "feeling" or be "tempted" --- amounts to just that: a feeling, a temptation.

It's more that that. Francis inferred the Blessed Mother may have despaired.

[BlatherNaut]

Rather than cutting and pasting such widely accessible information here, why not contact the Pope and educate him regarding the various "gradations"?

Pope Francis: "I’m constantly making statements, giving homilies. That’s magisterium. That’s what I think, not what the media say that I think. Check it out; it’s very clear. “The Joy of the Gospel” is very clear."

http://americamagazine.org/issue/we-must-reach-out

mag·is·te·ri·um ˌmajəˈstirēəm/ noun the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, especially as exercised by bishops or the pope. the official and authoritative teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

[ebb tide]

Pope Francis: "I’m constantly making statements, giving homilies. That’s magisterium. That’s what I think, not what the media say that I think.

That sounds like outright heresy: the magisterium is whatever Francis is thinking? He's flying solo now; to heck with his predecessors and Tradition.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I used my search function and could not find that quote in the article. Could you link it to source, please?

[Mrs. Don-o]

Sorry — I hadn’t read yours, which had the America link. I’ll have to go back and look at that.

[ebb tide]

It’s there. I just checked.

[Mrs. Don-o]

This whole thing is more than a tad bizarre. The interviewer (who is not identified --- only the translators are identified by name) says,

La Nacion: "As a pope you are different because you speak with utmost clarity, you are completely straightforward, you don’t use euphemisms and don’t beat about the bush; the course of your papacy is extremely clear."

La Nacion: Why do you think some sectors are disoriented, why do they say the ship is without a rudder, especially after the latest Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the challenges posed by the family?

Pope Francis: Those expressions strike me as odd. I am not aware of anybody using them.

Pope Francis: Look, I wrote an encyclical—true enough, it was by four hands [with Benedict XVI]—and an apostolic exhortation. I’m constantly making statements, giving homilies. That’s magisterium. That’s what I think, not what the media say that I think. Check it out; it’s very clear. “The Joy of the Gospel” is very clear.

This section has him accepting the most risible flattery, and not only accepting, but serenely echoing it, making him sound almost thud-headedly un-self-aware.

If my most recent RCIA students conflated homilies, statements, encyclicals and magisterium like that, I'd say they weren't grasping the basic idea of gradations in authority. The Holy Father talks too loosely and too much.

[Sons of Union Vets]

Correct!!! Unfortunately, Pope Francis does not speak English. I think what he probably meant to say was that contrary to what many non-Catholics believe, the Church does not demand that women “breed like rabbits.”

I think we need to carefully scrutinize the translations of what Pope Francis says. As Pope Emeritus once said “every translation is also an interpretation.”

[Sons of Union Vets]

P.S. I meant to say Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Sorry.

[ebb tide]

If my most recent RCIA students conflated homilies, statements, encyclicals and magisterium like that, I'd say they weren't grasping the basic idea of gradations in authority. The Holy Father talks too loosely and too much.

Glad you're beginning to see the light.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I’ve been saying that for 2 years now :o)

[piusv]

It's more that that. Francis inferred the Blessed Mother may have despaired.

And that would be a full-on sin. The Catholic teaching is that the Immaculate Conception does not sin in words, actions, OR THOUGHTS. Francis absolutely inferred Mary sinned in her thoughts.

But, although a very heretical thing to say, it's also a very "ecumenical" thing to say.

[BlatherNaut]

If my most recent RCIA students conflated homilies, statements, encyclicals and magisterium like that, I'd say they weren't grasping the basic idea of gradations in authority. The Holy Father talks too loosely and too much.

And presumably he means what he says. His friends and enemies lists (enumerated on this forum in past discussions) reflect his values quite clearly. It is impossible to deny the significance of his appointments, removals, and eliminations (e.g., Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate) which embody both what he values and what he abhors. No pope (including his immediate predecessors) openly embraced the lies incorporated in Kasperian "serene" theology or published an official document describing aspects of homosexual "unions" in a favorable light. He is unquestionably the most radically modernist pope in history.

Pointing out the radical nature of this pontificate is nothing less than an act of charity toward "our Catholic and non-Catholic brothers and sisters". Those who have been generally misled, and in particular, those mired in the types of sins which have been front and center at the Synod could now not be faulted for falsely assuming that Kasperian theology and "precious support" from homosexual "unions" are in some measure compatible with Christ's Deposit.