Posted on 04/19/2005 10:31:35 PM PDT by Salvation
Before dismissing as "bogus" after one day's examination take a look at post 10. The incidence and correspondance between what was written and what actually was is remarkable and not to be compared simply to someone claiming prophecy fulfillment through a chosen name. The meaning of the current Pope's latin epigram is hidden and will not be fulfilled except during his Papacy. The taking of the name Benedict is only an allusion and in no way fulfills the prophecy. Also please note post 13.
I suspect the same the same claim would have been made regardless of who was elected.
Bishop Zanic has admitted that he is "marian". He has gone to Lourdes and one other apparition site (I believe). If he were an "evil" bishop, he would have everything to gain by promoting this site, think of the money he could take in, but no, he isn't doing that.
I have witnessed very bad fruits from Medjugorie first hand, the disobedience to the Bishop is at the top of the list, and I have also seen contradictions with the visionaries.
I absolutely do not believe in Medjugorie anymore. There are hundreds of approved apparitions, why risk believing in one that is not approved. Fatima and the Divine Mercy are enough for me.
Ratzinger does NOT support Medjugorie!
The Vatican has not recognized Medjugorje. However, the fact that 24 years after the Franciscans have pulled out the hoax and several years after being expelled from Mostar Diocese, RC Church does not advise the flock to avoid Medjugorje.
What is going on in Medjugorje is against the tenets of RC faith. And may I ask, who presided over >Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith until several days ago? If you check Disciplinary documents, you will find Congregation addressed various issues, but not the issue of Medjugorje
Isn't it strange, having in mind that in 1998, Cardinal Ratzinger himself had denied his alleged support to Medjugorje.
Quote:
"On April 19, 1998, the publisher of the Schwarzer Brief sent documentation on Medjugorje to Cardinal Ratzinger, including 14 quotes from various Medjugorje books by people like René Laurentin and Bishop Paulo Hnilica, in which the impression was given that the pope and Cardinal Ratzinger had repeatedly recognized the authenticity of the apparitions. In response Cardinal Ratzinger wrote on July 22, 1998: "Thank you for sending the Claus Peter Clausen's memo. He is well known to me as the publisher of the Schwatzer Brief. I can only say in response that the quotes endorsing Medjugorje which have been attributed to me and the Holy Father have been made up out of thin air." [frei erfunden sind] Ratzinger's testimony makes it clear that he discussed the issue with the pope.
So, Prefect of Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith and Holy Father himself were aware of fake endorsements circulating through the Church. And what was the result?
For example, in January 2001 San Francisco Faith have published reader responses to Marketing Medjugorje article, addressing the noxios effects of the myth.
Here is one:
"While the Church has made no final pronouncement on Medjugorje, many of its most prominent members have made positive statements regarding it. Cardinal Ratzinger, in 1991, called Medjugorje "a place of prayer and faith...." In 1996, Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, spokesman for the Holy See said, "You cannot say people cannot go (to Medjugorje) until it has been proven false. This has not been said so people can go if they want." According to the booklet, Mother Teresa, on April 8, 1992, wrote to Denis Nolan stating that, "We are all praying one Hail Mary before the Holy Mass to Our Lady of Medjugorje...." Theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar stated that "Everything concerning Medjugorje is authentic from the Catholic point of view." Perhaps until the official Church pronouncement is made regarding the authenticity of the apparition, we can take comfort in the statements made by one who has added his voice to the millions of pilgrims, including thousands of priests and bishops who have supported Medjugorje: Pope John Paul II. The pope has met with some of the visionaries; in March 1984, he stated that Medjugorje was "...the fulfillment and continuation of Fatima." He told Father Jozo Zovko, the holy priest who defended the visionaries in the early days of the apparitions, "Tell Medjugorje I am with you. Protect Medjugorje!"
Other letters were in similar tone. It is interesting.
RC Church is not a debating club, but some people dare accuse Cardinal Ratzinger and John Paul II of supporting Medjugorje, even THREE YEARS after THE PREFECT of CDF (i.e. Vatican chief enforcer) denied it and dismissed it as "frei erfunden sind".
Prefect of CDF has the power to eradicate tendencies, activities and behaviour alien to to RC doctrine. Ask Leonardo Boff. He was forced OUT of the RC Church. NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINATORS, PLANNERS AND SCHEMERS OF MEDJUGORJE who fooled and bilked millions of Roman Catholic faithful.
I believe that this is conclusive enough.
I refer you to post 10 and with special emphasis to post 13. Statistically speaking, the chance that the John Paul I & II lives and Papacies could acheive such a multi-leveled state of residual specificity with their corresponding latin dictums while falling consecutively within the framework of a "bogus" private prophecy moves into the exponential arena.
There seems to me like there may be a connection in mindset between the dismissal of revelation, by Christians, and the dismissal, by atheists or otherwise, of faith. As post 13 states, the prophecies are in fact private and are therefore neither eschatological nor part of the Catholic deposit of faith. Keep all of these things in mind.
Catholics preach a different Gospel than the one taught in the Sciptures. Sad.
Daisy4
All I meant to say was that the link between Glory of the Olives and Benedict is weak or non-existent, while the link between St. Benedict as the scourge of demons and Cardinal Ratzinger is self-evident. I'll study the posts you point out when I have time.
I would not dismiss a private revelation as bogus just because its vision has, sort of, a low resolution. But I would keep in mind that the resolution is low and not make definitive pronouncements such as Benedict XVI being the last Pope, based on such shaky grounds.
>>Catholics preach a different Gospel than the one taught in the Sciptures. Sad.<<
HUH?
>> Prefect of CDF has the power to eradicate tendencies, activities and behaviour alien to to RC doctrine. Ask Leonardo Boff. He was forced OUT of the RC Church. NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINATORS, PLANNERS AND SCHEMERS OF MEDJUGORJE who fooled and bilked millions of Roman Catholic faithful.
I believe that this is conclusive enough.<<
I think you are looking for something that isn't there.
Huh?
Particularly since the one we preach - Jesus was born of Mary, suffered under Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried, and arose again on the third day and ascended into heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father, from where he is coming again to judge the living and the dead is the gospel we read in the scriptures.
This so-called Malachy Prophecy is not only NOT Catholic doctrine, it is not even private revelation: it's, as far as textual investigation can tell, a forgery.
St. Malachi died in the year 1148. The so-called prophecy was "discovered" in 1595. Significantly, the "prophecies" from the intervening 447 years (1148-1595) were a pretty good match (as they would be, if they were written after the fact!!) and the "prophecies" dealing with popes after 1595 are ludicrously vague, very much like the prophecies in fortune cookies.
They can all be nicely interpreted ex post facto, of course.
But the Church's attitude is that it's not private revelation, it's a forgery.
But the Church's attitude is that it's not private revelation, it's a forgery.
Amen to that.
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.