Posted on 11/10/2023 2:51:14 PM PST by ebb tide
CAMBRIDGE, England (LifeSiteNews) — Editor’s note: The following article was submitted by Dr. John Rist, a Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Toronto now residing in Cambridge, England. A world-renowned scholar and a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University, Professor Rist was one of the signers of a 2019 letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy.
Q. Is Jorge Bergoglio the pope?
A. Yes. Although elected by a scandalously irresponsible collection of Cardinals, the election was valid.
Q. Why was the election ‘scandalously irresponsible’?
A. Because, as admitted by one of Bergoglio’s most active promoters, Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, the electors did not know the character of the man they elected and did not bother to find out.
Q. Is Bergoglio a heresiarch?
A. In my view he is both heretic himself and by his calculated ambiguity encourages heresies in others.
Q. What are his basic errors?
A. By correcting the teaching of Jesus on remarriage after divorce and by encouraging absolution (and reception of Holy Communion) without repentance or intent to mend one’s ways, he holds in effect that Jesus is not the whole truth, and indeed that His teachings must be improved. Unless Bergoglio thinks (as do some exegetes) that Jesus never said what is recorded of Him – an idea which destroys Christianity altogether – that implies a denial of Christ’s divinity, or at least a ‘Nestorian’ view of the relationship between Christ’s human and divine natures. It would seem that Bergoglio is an Arian at best, but more likely an Adoptionist at worst.
Q. How does Bergoglio’s heresy show itself up most clearly?
A. In his contempt for those who attempt to correct his behaviour. A good example was his response to Cardinal Mueller when challenged about a decision: ‘I am the pope and do not have to give reasons for my actions’. Can we imagine St. Peter behaving in that fashion when corrected by St Paul about non-Jewish Christians (a matter discussed admirably by St Cyprian)?
Q. What should be done to rectify the unacceptable situation of an apparently heretical pope?
A. At least one pope has been condemned (rightly or wrongly) for heresy before: namely Honorius I, by an Ecumenical Council. Bergoglio should be challenged and, if identified as a heretic, removed from the Chair of Peter for which he would have been shown to be incapable of holding due to heresy. Canon law does not speak of how a pope may be removed, but it seems not unreasonable to propose that those who elected him, that is the College of Cardinals, would, if heresy were proved, have the obligation to remove him.
RELATED: Prominent clergy, scholars accuse Pope Francis of heresy in open letter
RELATED: Pontifical university bans top scholar who accused Pope Francis of heresy in open letter
A. In his contempt for those who attempt to correct his behaviour. A good example was his response to Cardinal Mueller when challenged about a decision: ‘I am the pope and do not have to give reasons for my actions’. Can we imagine St. Peter behaving in that fashion when corrected by St Paul about non-Jewish Christians (a matter discussed admirably by St Cyprian)?
Ping
If he’s became a heretic after he was “elected”, did he cease to be Pope?
If he was a heretic at the time of his “election”, was that election valid?
I am not Catholic, but I knew who the Pope was when he was elected. If I knew that he was a liberation Theologist, a communist, I can only assume that the Cardinals did as well.
Pope Francis is a heretic so burn him at the stake!
Hey, I have a great idea.
Instead of choosing a leader for our organization that loves the organization, its mission, its history, the lessons it teaches and the noble leaders who made it what it is, let’s go in another direction.
Let’s install someone who wants to tear the whole thing down, for a change. Someone who will do something other than the same old, same old.
Won’t that be edgy? Won’t that be open-minded and creative ?
The media will love it !
He keeps saying that the church needs to reform and modernize. Since when does the church think it must conform to the world’s way of seeing things, when we know from scripture that that god of his world is Satan?
Freudian slip. The god of “this” world.
Maybe get the Rino’s to impeach him.
Wow! We are living in very tough times. I think Francis is our church’s Obama...such terrible people.
Sincere apologies to some of you Catholics on this forum:
Maybe the Pope is the AntiChrist.
On the one hand, I am not taking that position. At least not today. But there are some really salient points to consider.
1) Pelosi and Biden are members of is flock
2) He advances fornication and other sorts of immorality (Oh Boy!)
3) He has shown himself to be a worshiper of the Creation (Earth), but less so of the Creator.
4) Mystery Babylon; Whore of Rome; other stuff
correction
Pelosi and Biden are members of his flock (not “is flock”).
My thoughts exactly.
If you remember Barky cut off the Vatican Bank from the SWIFT system. Then Benedict resigned.
Personally I think he’s Barky’s pope.
This should answer your question:
Catholic theology on the visibility of the Church provides crucial answers in the current crisis
Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.
This is what Ebby and his specially educated band of heretics miss. Oh, that and the fact that elections are divine matters, aspects of the catechism, history, Vatican II... the list is long
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.