Posted on 05/22/2015 6:57:08 AM PDT by SweetAkitoRose
Pope Francis’ appointment of Fr. Timothy Radcliffe to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace this past weekend was most disconcerting. Any openly dissident priest who advocates for Catholic acceptance of gay relationships and identity, women’s ordination, and the “Eucharistic” nature of sodomy — a sin that cries out to heaven for vengeance — should not be given a platform of any kind. In a sane world, they would be disciplined.
Since the Radcliffe appointment, I’ve spent a good bit of time looking at the reaction of Catholics on various websites and social media. Many are perplexed. Some are outraged. Some have said that they’re done with the Church. Others are offering the usual sort of justifications we have become accustomed to over the past two years. These are typically some variation of the following:
◾Maybe Pope Francis didn’t know who this guy really was and just rubber-stamped the appointment. ◾English isn’t the pope’s first language and this is an English priest; it might be a language barrier problem. ◾The pope’s advisers are bad men who are manipulating him! ◾Being appointed as a non-voting consultor on a Pontifical commission isn’t a “game changer.” ◾Maybe the pope is just trying to keep his enemies close to keep an eye on them! ◾[Insert your favorite here]
All of these credulity-stretching mental exercises are usually followed with, “Remember, Christ promised that the Gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church!”
(Excerpt) Read more at onepeterfive.com ...
Long, but great article. So very timely.
I joined the Church this Easter. I’m no fan of this pope; however, the Church has withstood worse.
you can reject the Pope and the Catholic Church and still be Christian
in fact you can reject any church or any man on earth and still be Christian
You just can’t reject Christ and still be Christian
you don’t follow a man or church ...you follow Christ... and hopefully follow along with a church or man that also follows Christ
that’s the difference going by some of the things I read here that some don’t understand
I agree with the author!
It is wrong for Radcliffe to have been appointed to this post, as he should have been officially constrained long ago.
The Pope is also wrong about manmade global warming and seems to be blind to the fact that his support for the hoax enables the pro-abort, population control crowd.
It is our job to stand up and say so, while we pray for the Pope and the Church, and continue to be vigilant in our Faith.
How wonderful.Congratulations.
POST OF THE YEAR!!!!!
As for the Pope talking about Global warming...does he not realize this planet is doomed?
Except that rejecting the Catholic Church IS “rejecting Christ”, since He went to the point of informing you that “the gates of hell will not prevail against it”.
A gentle reminder-this is a Catholic Caucus posting.
Priest Speaks Up Against ‘The Francis Effect’
http://thewildvoice.org/priest-speaks-against-francis-effect/
“When a bishop, a Catholic bishop, can applaud sin publicly (referring to Cardinal Dolan), it causes us to tremble. But this is essentially the ‘Francis Effect’.”
“There used to be a saying, rhetorical, ‘Is the pope Catholic?’ That’s no longer funny.”
“I don’t think that Pope Francis has done anything other than disconcert us. He has literally pulled the rug from under our feet.”
“Obedience is owed to the Pope, but it is the duty of the Pope to give the character of possibility to this obedience. The Pope has to facilitate our obeying him by himself being obedient to the Word of God.”
“I came across a quote from someone who knew him (Pope Francis) in Argentina. ‘Apparently, he loves to be loved by all and please everyone, so one day he could make a speech on TV against abortion, and the next day, on the same television show, bless the pro-abortion feminists in the Plaza de Mayo; He can give a wonderful speech against the Masons and, a few hours later, be dining and drinking with them in the Rotary Club.’ So, how can you make a decision about a man like this, who is everybody’s friend?”
“We are judging not his person or his office but the results of his actions. And, we’re not doing this out of indignation, because what he’s doing is the cause of our indignation and it is a threat to our Faith, and it’s a threat to the Church, and is a danger to the salvation of souls.”
“One of the effects that the Holy Father does is that he takes common prejudices against Catholics, and he uses it against us. So in other words, he’s accepting what is perceived, our position to be, as if it were true.”
“We have prominent Cardinals taking an anti-Catholic stance on moral issues, which we thought were settled. We have the Holy Father himself seeming to support them, to give his blessing to them.”
“We have now among us, in our own time, Cardinals opposing Cardinals, Bishops opposing Bishops. We saw at the Extraordinary Synod top members of the Church’s hierarchy with a few notable exceptions opposing publicly and debating how to get around the very Words of our Lord Jesus Christ so that they can institutionalize the sexual revolution in the Church.”
“The Francis Effect is to disarm us.”
We can and frequently do.
Our Church, like all the others, is governed by fallen and sinful men. We can pray for him, be respectful, and yet have points of disagreement at the same time.
I’m Catholic and I’m not wild about this Pope. He was a mistake. But He’s old and pretty soon there will be a new Pope. They come and they go like Presidents.
pope crackhead
Unfortunately he is not that old and could be around for awhile. I’m Catholic also and not too fond of the Pope either.
I think perhaps because the Catholic Church has the doctrine of “Papal Infallibility” instituted by Pope Pius IX in the 19th Century, that the Pope is somehow above criticism and is incapable of error.
But to answer your question, of course Catholics can criticize can the Pope if they want to. Just like Americans are free to criticize their president if they want. It is unfortunate that current holders of these two offices are both Marxists.
“Just as it is lawful to resist the pope that attacks the body, it is also lawful to resist the one who attacks souls or who disturbs civil order, or, above all, who attempts to destroy the Church. I say that it is lawful to resist him by not doing what he orders and preventing his will from being executed.”
-Saint Robert Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church
We can object to papal words and actions when they are in conflict with the teachings contained in the Deposit of Faith and Morals, but we can't judge his interior disposition.
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.