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Exposing the role that Islamic jihad theology and ideology play in the modern global conflicts

Cardinal Danneels admits: “Mafia” club brought down Benedict XVI to make Church “much more modern”

Sep 25, 2015 4:14 pm By Robert Spencer

Danneels “called it a ‘mafia’ club that bore the name of St. Gallen. The group wanted a drastic reform of the Church, to make it ‘much more modern’, and for Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to head it.”

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is Pope Francis. So this “mafia” cabal succeeded. They got their Pope who would help them impose a “drastic reform of the Church, to make it ‘much more modern.'” Why an institution that claims to transmit and preserve divine revelation would need to be “modern” remains unexplained, but clearly this palace coup heralded a significant change in the Church’s stance toward Islam. Pope Benedict XVI said this on September 12, 2006 at the University of Regensburg in Germany:

I was reminded of all this recently, when I read the edition by Professor Theodore Khoury (Münster) of part of the dialogue carried on — perhaps in 1391 in the winter barracks near Ankara — by the erudite Byzantine emperor Manuel II Palaeologus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both. It was presumably the emperor himself who set down this dialogue, during the siege of Constantinople between 1394 and 1402; and this would explain why his arguments are given in greater detail than those of his Persian interlocutor. The dialogue ranges widely over the structures of faith contained in the Bible and in the Qur’an, and deals especially with the image of God and of man, while necessarily returning repeatedly to the relationship between — as they were called — three “Laws” or “rules of life”: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur’an. It is not my intention to discuss this question in the present lecture; here I would like to discuss only one point — itself rather marginal to the dialogue as a whole — which, in the context of the issue of “faith and reason”, I found interesting and which can serve as the starting-point for my reflections on this issue.

In the seventh conversation edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that sura 2, 256 reads: “There is no compulsion in religion”. According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur’an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the “Book” and the “infidels”, he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness, a brusqueness that we find unacceptable, on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. “God”, he says, “is not pleased by blood — and not acting reasonably is contrary to God’s nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats… To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death…”

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God’s nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: “For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.” Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God’s will, we would even have to practice idolatry.

It is a swift and sudden descent from these honest, accurate, and carefully reasoned observations to this, from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, November 24, 2013:

In order to sustain dialogue with Islam, suitable training is essential for all involved, not only so that they can be solidly and joyfully grounded in their own identity, but so that they can also acknowledge the values of others, appreciate the concerns underlying their demands and shed light on shared beliefs. We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and respected in countries of Islamic tradition. I ask and I humbly entreat those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and to practice their faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western countries! Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.

And more twaddle from Pope Francis’ address to Congress, September 24, 2015:

Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God and of religion. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.

And because Roman Catholics in the U.S. have such an exaggerated and borderline idolatrous awe for the papacy, they go along with all this readily enough: if the Pope is a Leftist multicultutalist who dissembles about the nature of Islam and the jihad threat, well, then, so are they. Even those who realize that this is not only nonsense, but suicidal nonsense, fear to say anything, out of “respect” for the Pope and his office. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, filled with weak and feckless limousine liberals such as Robert McManus, Kevin Farrell and Jaime Soto, has for years been a mouth organ of the far Left, and so today is eager to go along with Francis’ futile, naive, and wrongheaded commitment to “dialogue” with the Religion of Peace, even at the price of abandoning Middle Eastern Christians to their fate and working actively to silence those who speak out against this persecution. It is as ruthless and persistent as any Inquisition board ever was in rooting out even the slightest public dissent from their “Islam is a religion of peace and dialogue will solve everything, so shut up about the persecuted Christians” line.

And so the Catholic Church hierarchy of today opens the gates of the West to those who would destroy it and kill, convert or subjugate its people. I am apparently a very bad Catholic, as I believe all this to be an abomination. People are afraid to criticize bishops — but that attitude is what led to the priest sex scandals. Bishops are neither impeccable nor infallible, and it does no one any good to stay silent when they are doing actual wrong that harms the Church and society as a whole. Catholics seem to have lost sight of that. But acquiescing to evil because a bishop is acquiescing to evil is neither genuine charity nor genuine obedience.

The Church could have and should have been a voice for a genuinely charitable response to the jihad threat, and a robust defense of the value of Judeo-Christian civilization. Instead, Danneels and his henchmen rule the day, and have their man in the Vatican, and cowardice and appeasement are passed off as “charity,” even as priests tell us to “be not afraid” while they cower and quake with fear in their comfortably appointed rectories, eager to do anything to appease the jihadis and buy a few more minutes of their miserable lives.

Godfried Danneels

“Cardinal Danneels Admits to Being Part of ‘Mafia’ Club Opposed to Benedict XVI,” by Edward Pentin, National Catholic Register, September 24, 2015:

Further serious concerns are being raised about Cardinal Godfried Danneels, one of the papal delegates chosen to attend the upcoming Ordinary Synod on the Family, after the archbishop emeritus of Brussels confessed this week to being part of a radical “mafia” reformist group opposed to Benedict XVI.It was also revealed this week that he once wrote a letter to the Belgium government favoring same-sex “marriage” legislation because it ended discrimination against LGBT groups.

The cardinal is already known for having once advised the king of Belgium to sign an abortion law in 1990, for telling a victim of clerical sex abuse to keep quiet, and for refusing to forbid pornographic, “educational” materials being used in Belgian Catholic schools.

He also once said same-sex “marriage” was a “positive development,” although he has sought to distinguish such a union from the Church’s understanding of marriage.

According to a forthcoming authorized biography on the cardinal co-written by Jürgen Mettepenningen, a former spokesman for Cardinal Danneels’ successor, Archbishop Andre Joseph Leonard, and Karim Schelkens, a Church historian and theologian, the cardinal expressed satisfaction over the disappearance of “discrimination” against LGBT couples after legislation was passed approving same-sex “marriage” in 2003.

The authors of the biography, to be published Sept. 29, reveal that the cardinal wrote a letter on May 28, 2003, to then-Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, who at that time was putting together his second government.

In the letter, the cardinal wrote favorably about “one of the last achievements of Verhofstadt’s first governments, the approval of a legal statute for a stable relationship between partners of the same sex.” Verhofstadt’s government introduced same sex-‘marriage’ into Belgium in 2003.

“He wanted to stop discrimination between married heterosexuals and homosexuals who had a long-term relationship,” write the two authors of the biography. “But there should be no confusion between the use of the term ‘marriage’.”

Asked about the letter, Verhofstadt said he did not recall it, but added: “I never had any problem with the cardinal. Our relationship was good.”

Under Verhofstadt’s leadership, from 1999 to 2007, the Belgian government not only introduced same sex “marriage”, but also laws on euthanasia, experiments on human embryos, and IVF.

Despite the poor record of the Belgian Church in resisting these laws, and the country being far smaller than many African countries that have one delegate representing them, Cardinal Danneels, 82, will be one of three Belgian prelates to attend the synod in October.

The Vatican listed him second in importance out of 45 delegates personally chosen by Pope Francis to participate in the upcoming meeting. He also took part in last year’s Extraordinary Synod as a papal delegate.

At the launch of the book in Brussels this week, the cardinal said he was part of a secret club of cardinals opposed to Pope Benedict XVI.

He called it a “mafia” club that bore the name of St. Gallen. The group wanted a drastic reform of the Church, to make it “much more modern”, and for Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio to head it. The group, which also comprised Cardinal Walter Kasper and the late Jesuit Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, has been documented in Austen Ivereigh’s biography of Pope Francis, The Great Reformer.

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Filed Under: Catholic Church, Featured Tagged With: Godfried Danneels, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis


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Comments

  1. Holy Prophet APF says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    Define “modern” and then define the Church, which is now the “Church”. It’s one redefinition ploy after another, as if progress is somehow involved. That’s why they call themselves Progressives. An uncle of mine suddenly dropped out of the seminary back in the 60s. Before his passing several years back, I confronted him on finally explaining his motives for getting out, not becoming a priest, which was his mother’s (my grandmother’s) dream. He fessed up that he realized that the joint was filling up with liberals with a strong predilection for pedophilia. The rest is history. He saw it unfold from the beginning. He went on to become a popular college professor, got married, and has two children. Smart guy.

    • Don McKellar says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 9:26 pm

      Great story. Thanks for sharing! Your uncle was a man to actually be admired, not disappointed by.

      Completely UNLIKE this “Pope”…

      I am a well known atheist on here. Of course, like any fair-minded person, I have respect for people like your uncle and avowed Catholics and other religious people who don’t approach their faith with eyes closed. This Pope is clearly not one of those and this piece posted here explains a lot.

      No wonder we have a nightmare coming true with this person. At first I was amused by him, but came to realize that he could only be there through a sinister agenda. People were weary of his predecessor mostly, I suspect, because of his physical appearance. How stupid. If they were truly informed religious people, they would understand that if there were such a being as Satan, he would arrive just like this Pope — all lovey-dovey and cuddly. But if paid any attention to what he said, you would realize it is a strong divergence from the scripture you are supposed to be following — as Robert has pointed out! Even an “evil” atheist like me can tell you that!

      • Huck Folder says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 1:39 am

        “Our world is increasingly a place of violent conflict, hatred and brutal atrocities, committed even in the name of God [allah] and of religion [CULT of islam]. We know that no religion is immune from forms of individual delusion or ideological extremism.”

        Am I misreading this EXTREME piece of EQUIVOCATION?
        Hey – commy frank, how about some MEANINGFUL citations?

        One offs likeTimothy McVeigh or Anders Breivik do not come CLOSE to the 26,000 ongoing acts of serial jihad brutality, AND YOU KNOW IT!

    • umbra says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 10:07 pm

      The corruption began before the 60’s. Some avant-garde theologians were already sowing their seeds of corruption within the Catholic Church decades before that. When the 2nd vatican council was concluded, it was not long before its effects took hold. Some of the first places infected were seminaries (“goodbye good men”, Michael S. Rose) for which the worst periods were between the mid 70’s and 90’s. This all happened under the guidance and direction of reformist prelates within the Catholic Church.

      • DVult says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 1:00 am

        Pius XXII stood up against the modernists. The false and disloyal bishops at the time ignored Humani generis and the same bunch of degenerates have been behind the campaign to denigrate this good and holy man. Pope Benedict was right, there is filth within the Church and it needs to be fought tooth and nail by loyal Catholics.

        • Charles R.L. Power says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 2:06 am

          Pius XXII? I thought the last Pius was XII, famous for his, hm, interaction with the fascists and the Third Reich.

        • umbra says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 2:39 am

          The filth is already entrenched and more shall joint the ranks when the present pontiff appoints additional cardinals in preparation for the next round of the conclave. Furthermore, episcopal appointments also goes through the pontiff’s desk (which probaby means that they now also go through the jesuit superior general’s desk), after “recommendations” from the Curia. Appointments are likely to be stacked in favour of fools and deviants.

          Sexual abuse scandals damaged those progressives within the church and for a brief moment (from the early/mid 2000s until recently), so the Church was able to slowly correct her course – while these fools/deviants were distracted (some were probably busily covering their own backs during the height of the abuse scandal). The election of benedict XVI during this period was also very helpful in that regard. Now, with jorge bergoglio on the helm, the Church is being steered back towards a disastrous direction once again. This is certainly true when walter kasper ran/directed (then tried, but failed to hijack) the synod for the family last year.

        • Salome says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 4:15 am

          It is reported that a lot of the accusations against Pius XII were fabricated in the Soviet Union. In fact, speaking of Popes who take in refugees, he filled Castelgandolfo with Jews, and I’ve read that Jewish Italian boys were born in his own bed (with the Pope in the Vatican) and named Eugenio after him.

  2. Celtic Sword says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    Too much anti-Catholic posts from this website. I no longer support this website and am now going to block all emails.

    • Robert Spencer says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 4:43 pm

      Good. Good riddance. The idea that it’s “anti-Catholic” to offer legitimate criticism of disastrous policies is part of the problem.

      • Jody Sparrow says

        Sep 25, 2015 at 5:16 pm

        Thank you, Mr. Spencer, for ALWAYS standing for the truth!

      • Jody Sparrow says

        Sep 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm

        Glad you always stand for the truth, no matter what, Mr. Spencer, I wish there were more couragous people like you and Pamela.

        • Kathy Brown, Esq. says

          Sep 25, 2015 at 8:12 pm

          You’re right Robert. And one of the reasons we love JW and Atlas, is because you and Pam stay engaged with us all. You’re not titular heads who enjoy an obeisant public!

          I’m glad you mentioned your own Catholicism; I, too, am a Catholic (trad. Latin Mass). And it is true what you say: This Pope is a disaster publicly speaking. A lot of non-Catholics (and Catholics, alas!) don’t understand that papal infallibility is limited to pronouncements on ‘Faith and Morals’. These pronouncements come once every, oh, 100 years or so (if that)!

          Which explains why our Church has endured for more than 2,000 years.

          The Holy Father, however, gives scandal, I think, in some of his [fallible] pronouncements. And on a basic level: The Pope is a smart man. Wouldn’t you think it’d occur to him that, if Obama’s all over you with praise and smiles, you must be doing something VERY wrong?

      • mortimer says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 12:12 pm

        ‘Celtic Sword’ is a wimp as a warrior if he can’t cross swords in vigorous informed debate or even with misguided opinion! If he disagrees with an unfair criticism, correct the error using logic, rather than run away from controversy. He seems to be asking for suppression of debate regarding his church, while demanding criticism of Islam. His approach is unfair and unequal. Surely, he is not claiming that everything in the RCC is perfect.

        Nothing can be improved without criticism. Valid criticisms help the RCC to improve their methods and the perception of RCC by outsiders.

        ‘Celtic Sword’ prefers to cover up problems within RCC. ‘Living in denial’ is what his approach is called.

    • Thomas Hulting says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      The next thing you know, Pope Frank will be lobbying for the State to fully fund the International GLBT Soccer League, complete with $500 Million stadiums in every major city! And soon, I suspect, he’ll get behind the International Organ Harvesting Coalition to Reduce Poverty! Heaven forbid that he would START a Bible Study!

      Remember, this is the SAME Pope Frank who uttered, “Who am I to judge,” regarding Sodomites. And, he’s the SAME Pope Frank who characterized Mahmoud Abbas as an “ANGEL of peace!” This is the SAME Pope Frank who tells YOU to discard capitalism (the ONLY system in the history of mankind that has resulted in shared prosperity), yet he presides over an organization that has MORE amassed wealth than MOST countries, while he continues to tell YOU to sacrifice MORE! Yeah, that’s it! YOU sacrifice MORE, pray to relics (the bones of dead people and the plastic statues on your dashboard), pray to Mary MORE than you pray to ANY person of the Trinity, and embrace Liberation Theology, wherein if you have something that I think I need more than you do, I am within my “rights” to take it (STEAL it) from you!

      You go, Pope Frank!

      • Alarmed Pig Farmer says

        Sep 25, 2015 at 5:15 pm

        *Man*, and I’ve always prided myself on posts dripping with sarcasm. You take the cake, man. Keep up the good work.

        Joke: what’s the world shortest list of war heroes? Answer: No, not the Italians, or even the French. It’s American comedians, none of whom dare satirize Moslems, not even Trey and Matt.

        There is an enormous oil field of hard earned and deserving material with which to satirize Moslems, it could never run dry. But not a single well has been drilled into the pool.

        • Kepha says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 9:22 pm

          Dear Alarmed, liked your interchange with Thomas Gulting. Keep up the good work.

          BTW, a wonderful thing about being a Christian and in a partly Chinese family is that we often enjoy your farm’s products for dinner (Burp!). Keep that up, too!

      • Wayne says

        Sep 25, 2015 at 5:29 pm

        Thomas’s post is sadly hilarious in its puerile lies and distortions about “Frank”. Stupidity and sinfulness and flawed have always been part of the history of church leadership. Yet it bumbles along. Idiots attacking with calumnies and lies mainly hurts those same idiots.

    • gravenimage says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 5:02 pm

      Celtic Sword, Robert Spencer is *himself* a devout Catholic.

      The idea that Jihad Watch is anti-Catholic is absurd.

      JW criticizes *any* leader who appeases Islam–and that is *certainly* the case with this current Pope. No one has ever claimed that Popes are infallible in such matters.

      It is disturbing that you would rather see the faith fall to Islam–with all the terrible suffering that would bring about–than countenance any criticism of church policy.

      • Wellington says

        Sep 25, 2015 at 5:39 pm

        I second you here, gravenimage. Perhaps Celtic Sword (Celtic Wilted Sword?) should consider how many regular JW commenters have indicated their admiration for the previous pope, Benedict XVI, including an agnostic like myself. Well, perhaps better this way, people who run away easily are of no use when the going gets really tough. Hope you’re doing just fine, my friend.

        • Angemon says

          Sep 25, 2015 at 7:07 pm

          And I second you, Wellington, and third gravenimage.

        • gravenimage says

          Sep 25, 2015 at 8:18 pm

          Thanks, Wellington and Angemon.

          I, too, had a fair amount of admiration for Pope Benedict.

          And not even Pope John Paul–rather touchy-feely and known for his “interfaith outreach” to Islam was as suicidal as Pope Francis. Even he emphasized the need to “uphold the Christian roots of Europe”–something I could never imagine the current Pope saying.

          I’m fine–hope you both are doing well.

        • TJFreedomjihad says

          Sep 25, 2015 at 9:42 pm

          I wholeheartedly agree with you all, the courageous truth telling Robert Spencer, Pamela Geller, Wellington, APF, Angemon, Gravenimage, etc. except Celtic, certainly. Absolute kudos to Robert and Pam, for pure truthful heroism, that will be increased, overtime, even from apostates, and increasingly others, joining in and contributing truth, on occasion.

          I bear no Catholic animas, although I could not be a Democrat, nor a Catholic, nor several other religions, in a thousand lifetimes. I have lived and seen astonishing behaviors, and unbelievable judgementalism, from these such. I’ve seen good as well from some. I have been to many masses, had good friends, of many religions, (actual real ones), have been active part of two other religions, did my time as an atheist for a decade or so, with serious scientific affiliation, and learned, about God, G-d the hard way, even though I read the whole Bible as a youth, and studied it daily for a time. But now I know and understand intimately, why G-d.

          When a religious leader does not represent G-d, or Jesus, to satisfy the members, any real and actual religion, usually he is eventually asked to move on, or the member does so. And there are many such so called religious leaders these days, who are gravely lacking, in what they should be doing. No human leader is above criticism, to value whether he/she measures up to the needs or desires of the members. Schisms happen, because of such.

          I as many here have lived through such times and situations. This guy is one of those, and much more dangerously so, since he is dealing with a vastly unsophisticated membership, globally, as much so as is he. Terribly, he lack learnedness, at least.

          I might add here, I have unexpected respect for Ben Carson, unexpected not because he is black, but unexpected because he is an MD! I have seen many amazingly intelligent capable blacks, but MDs, not really. Somehow through the intensity, Ben has learned how to learn more than he has, and I’ve been studying his videos. I’m impressed, so far, very. Far more so than Carly.

          Amendments 1, and 2 are America and Liberty. Truth is liberty, and islam is deceit, pure hateful deceit. The koran states clearly, allah and mo are the greatest deceivers! This defines no religion, ever.

    • Brian Boru says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 7:43 pm

      You disappoint me greatly. The name Celtic Sword, which I like and identify with, implies courage, open-mindedness, protection of critical thinking and enlightenment. It is fitting that Ireland was known as the “Light of Europe’ during the ‘Dark Ages’ in Europe.

      You do not deserve to use such an inspiring name as you exhibit the opposite of what the world associates with Celtic culture.

      Everything about everything not grounded in science MUST be examined, criticized and written about.

      I am an Irish Celt and I offer unstilting support of the integrity and courage Robert Spencer demonstrates every day.

      Shame on you agus gradam dhuit, Robert.

    • umbra says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 10:14 pm

      This article is not anti-catholic. It is an object critique of some within the hierarchy of the church. Prelates and leaders of the Catholic Church are not the Church Herself. Nor do they always propagate the teaching of the Church in accordance to the magisterium.

    • Mary says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 2:25 am

      I am a faithful, informed and academically qualified Catholic in theology and philosophy and agree with Robert Spencer.

      We must be faithful to the Church in faith and morals and not incite disobedience to the Pope or Bishops in these matters which are founded on the Tradition – scripture and the Apostolic witness.

      That obedience doesn’t include when the Church makes pronouncements which attempt to authenticate one science method or conclusion over another…when that method does not touch on what are in fact philosophical questions. In that regard to take a side with a scientific conclusion on climate change is not within the Church’s mandate – as far as assessing the science.

      As regards Islam – and other faiths as well – the Church can’t be relativist about the effects of adhering to this or that different religious call. In this the Church can take authority and speak the truth because the Church knows Who truth is.

      It is sophisticated to speak about the great evil of fundamentalism. But in meaning today if one follows the ideas of the UN group the Alliance of Civilisations – fundamentalism is a truth claim over and against another. In this sense to say that Jesus is God and above all other Gods is a fundamentalism. What the Church would say is that it is not fundamentalism but an absolutist statement which is consistent with faith and reason.

      This subtlety is lost when public figures make sophist statements on fundamentalism. I think the Pope failed in this regard. But it is a lack of distinction a lack of clarification which is not in itself an error of faith and morals.

      We need more public leadership on this problem of truth, faith and action.

      Keep up the work Robert Spencer.

      I think there is a sense amongst many wise persons theologically and philosophically able in the Church that we are in a unique time. No one can name it or call it in or its path but it is akin to Jeremiah knowing the Babylonians were at the gate and he tried to turn a people around.

  3. Linde Barrera says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 4:49 pm

    To Robert Spencer- Thank you for this excellent article. It was well written and had lots of substantial material. As I have commented many times on Jihad Watch about Jesus, Christianity, the Holy Bible and my dislike of Islam’s doctrines in the Quran, it is refreshing to read your reflective sentences about your Christian faith as a Roman Catholic, with regard to what this priest, Cardinal Danneels, and then cardinal Jorge, now Pope Francis, believe and speak, even though some commenters feel that those of us who mention religion are “nutters”. I read a passage on Facebook just yesterday where Pope Francis claims a person doesn’t even have to believe in God to get to heaven, but they need to “be true to their own conscience” even though Pope Francis doesn’t state what that conscience should be. I found that very strange! As I am a Protestant, I find great comfort in the slogan “GRACE ALONE, SCRIPTURE ALONE, FAITH ALONE” which I think but am not 100% sure is attributed to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther of Reformation – age Germany. Regardless of what denomination or church one belongs to, the “Body of Christ” must always remember that God is timeless, never changes, and always loving and merciful. And thank God for that!

  4. gravenimage says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 4:55 pm

    Cardinal Danneels admits: “Mafia” club brought down Benedict XVI to make Church “much more modern”
    ……………………….

    This is disturbing–but hardly surprising. What did they threaten Pope Benedict with?

    And how “modern” is the church likely to remain, with Pope Francis’s appeasement of Islam, which is violently *anti-modern* (as well as anti-human)?

    More:

    We Christians should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our countries in the same way that we hope and ask to be received and respected in countries of Islamic tradition. I ask and I humbly entreat those countries to grant Christians freedom to worship and to practice their faith, in light of the freedom which followers of Islam enjoy in Western countries!
    ……………………….

    When have Muslims *ever* treated Christians or any other “filthy Infidels” as equals? Treating Kuffar as abused dhimmis is, in fact, a foundational tenet of that vile creed.

    More:

    Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our respect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalisations, for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every form of violence.
    ……………………….

    In other words, we should not only suffer Muslim violence, but are expected to whitewash Islam.

    Re the content of the violent and oppressive Koran, there are three possibilities: Pope Francis has never bothered to read that vicious text, he is too blinded by “political correctness” and denial to grasp what it is that he has read, or he is lying outright.

    • Alarmed Pig Farmer says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 5:04 pm

      This is disturbing–but hardly surprising. What did they threaten Pope Benedict with?

      So the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict is explained. How does Spencer get this stuff; this is a true honest to God scoop. It was a coup d’etat in the Church. As an ashamed but not (yet) apologetic Roman Catholic, in a weird way I was happy to find this out. All of the Holy See has become rotten, and the ecclesiastical bureaucrats in it no doubt played the key role in this.

      Somehow this news makes Pope Frank’s awful visit even more odious.

      • ItsJo says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 5:35 am

        Like yourself, I too wondered about the abrupt departure of Pope Benedict and until now, did Not know the reasons. I have to admit that seeing the Big buildup of Pope Francis in coming here to America, I thought it Odd that Obama AND Michelle put out Such a ‘warm welcome to him’ as neither seem too Christian-like to me in the past. I expressed my doubts to my own husband, and he gave me a “tsk-tsk, stating to drop my inquiries as HE IS THE POPE”….well, before long, I did Hear his speech, and was surprised that he did not speak out Against Islam, but rather seemed to be ’embracing this cult’…I also felt a type of annoyance with him as I have NOT heard him speaking out against the “Killing of Christians by Muslim Terrorists/ISIS”-Now, after reading this article I understand more(even though a Catholic-not a good one I guess) about what IS going on, and why I couldn’t put a finger on why I just couldn’t warm up to this New Pope. I was especially suspicious with the Obama’s
        falling all over him, and feel it is the “Muslim Connection(as I feel Obama is) and the sympathy
        this Pope seemed to be showing towards those in the Middle East.

        It also bothered me frankly, when I read today, that the US gives over $l.6 Billion to the Vatican, and felt perhaps that was the reason for the “friendliness towards Obama”….Now, the article clears this up for me and my feelings of uneasiness regarding this Pope Francis.

  5. ICH says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 4:57 pm

    This site is anti catholic ? Man oh man. You are part of the problem.
    This site is the best thing out there.
    So go bury your head in the sand and or rub your thumb rosary,

    Heres an old joke :

    How do you stop a conversation with a catholic….start talking about Jesus lol

    • Jay Boo says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 2:28 am

      ICH

      You are a bigger joke than Celtic Sword

      • ICH says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 7:45 am

        JayBoo , Please explain why I am a joke ……….

        • Jay Boo says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 8:40 am

          OK Let’s play innocent.

          Rather than go after Celtic Sword for his wrong conclusion you exploit the commotion by using Celtic Sword as your personal foil to mock Catholicism with your crude comments about Jesus like a jackal sneaking in a nip while the lions are feasting.

  6. Essex Boy says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:02 pm

    This seems worrying; although it would need more information to reach a definitive view.

    I appreciate the extract from the views of Emperor Manuel II Paleologos. Would that we had such leaders today.

    I suggest it is important that we do not approach this as a binary conservatives -v- liberals choice. God’s truth is eternal but constantly needs reevaluation to apply it to new circumstances and contexts. To give encouragement to a vile religion such as fundamental Islam can not be correct in any circumstances; although a loving attitude to ordinary moslems outside that context should be maintained.

  7. kinley says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:13 pm

    Dear Mr. Spencer: What is happening today is chilling, straight of the book of Revelation. St. Malachy’s properties of the Popes seems to put Francis as Petrus Romanus, finis. Combine this with your recent video stating IS seeks to behead the Pope, chills the soul. Fortunately there is a wild card afoot, the Lord! I always wondered why the 2 witnesses of Revelation would be needed to preach worldwide, given the presence of the Church. Anyway, thank you for keeping us informed. Keep up the good work and scholarship.

    • Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY) says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 8:45 am

      Wow, this item has enough material for Dan “The Da Vinci Code” Brown to write another novel.
      And according to Saint Malachy’s
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prophecy_of_the_Popes ,
      we ran out of popes one pope ago.

  8. Thomas says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    To paraphrase Lenin, the Pope is providing his own sword to be beheaded.

    The Church has be destroyed by heretic clerics in “the Spirit of Vatican II.”

    Robert, I wish your were wrong! However, I cannot put my head in the sand!!

    • gravenimage says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 1:45 am

      So true. Despite his pandering to Islam, pious Muslims are murderously targeting the Pope:

      “Philadelphia: Muslim teen arrested for Islamic State jihad plot against Pope”

      http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/09/philadelphia-muslim-teen-arrested-for-islamic-state-jihad-plot-against-pope

  9. Stefan Jetchick says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    I hope and pray that I am a devout Catholic, and I cannot see anything wrong with what Mr. Spencer says in this article. The Supreme Leader of all Catholics is Jesus. The Pope is infallible only when speaking “ex cathedra” about dogma and morals, not when mouthing off informally with journalists on an airplane, and certainly not when interpreting the Koran (or astronomy, or climatology, etc.).

  10. mortimer says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    This pope is a crunchy granola aging hippy type. You know, share the warm, all God’s children. Peace, love and jihad is painless… ignore indications that contradict the dream fantasy.

    • umbra says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 10:23 pm

      … in short, he is an idiot.

      • Porky The Crusader says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 7:22 pm

        Yep.

  11. Jody says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:42 pm

    Thankful for a man that always will stand for the truth, no matter the cost.

  12. voegelinian says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 5:44 pm

    Not only is Pope Francis from his statements after becoming Pope decidedly soft on Islam compared with his predecessor Benedict XIV — but Pope Francis while still known as Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina back in 2005 explicitly and publicly expressed his disagreement with Benedict’s famous Regensburg lecture.

    A 2013 report from The Telegraph shows that Cardinal Bergoglio took precisely the wrong stand with regard to Pope Benedict’s 2005 famous lecture at Regensburg that caused worlwide Islamic rage:

    Reacting within days to [Pope Benedict’s lecture], speaking through a spokesman to Newsweek Argentina, then Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio declared his “unhappiness” with the statements, made at the University of Regensburg in Germany, and encouraged many of his subordinates with the Church to do the same.

    “Pope Benedict’s statement don’t reflect my own opinions”, the then Archbishop of Buenos Aires declared. “These statements will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last twenty years”.

    Not only that, but at the time, the Papacy threatened Cardinal Bergoglio (now Pope Francis) with punishment for his disobedience:

    The Vatican reacted quickly, removing one subordinate, Joaquín Piña the Archbishop of Puerto Iguazú from his post within four days of his making similar statements to the Argentine national media, sending a clear statement to Cardinal Bergoglio that he would be next should he choose to persist.

    Reacting to the threats from Rome, Cardinal Bergoglio cancelled his plans to fly to Rome, choosing to boycott the second synod that Pope Benedict had called during his tenure as pontiff.

    http://hesperado.blogspot.com/2013/03/cry-for-me-argentina.html

    • gravenimage says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 1:54 am

      Thanks for that important background, Voeg. I hadn’t heard about Pope Francis’s reaction when he was still cardinal before now. I must say, though, that it does not surprise.

    • Sam Hawkins says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 9:18 am

      Thank you for reporting this.

  13. mortimer says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Robert Spencer wrote: “if the Pope is a Leftist multicultutalist who dissembles about the nature of Islam and the jihad threat”

    I reply that Pope Francis IS a CRUNCHY-GRANOLA-AGING-HIPPY-cultural Marxist. He is intellectually shallow.

    In 2006, then Cardinal Bergoglio “distanced himself from Benedict’s (Regensburg address) and said that statements which provoke outrage with Muslims “will serve to destroy in 20 seconds the careful construction of a relationship with Islam that Pope John Paul II built over the last 20 years.”

    The pope after his election continued to promote the hope of dialogue with Muslims, even though the destruction of Christians has been steadily worsening since then.

    • AnnaK says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 8:15 pm

      Yes. He is not the ” great reformer” but the ” great destroyer” the ” great traitor, ” the ” great heretic”
      And the ” great liar”

  14. Richard C Brown says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    “end Human bankruptcy” an idea whose time has come . If , not Now ; When ??

  15. Bridget Ames says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 6:47 pm

    As a practicing Catholic who sees nothing wrong with the traditional Catholic church I thank you for posting this very informative article.

  16. somehistory says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    The Truth…the Truth that Christ taught and told His followers to preach and teach to others…never changes, never will change. It can become clearer to one, but it won’t change just because the world around us changes, new countries, new *religions* or ideas come to be.

    We may have to adjust our thinking about other things…diet, medicine, science…but the only adjustments we should be making in regard to Truth from Christ is to get better at seeing it, preaching and teaching it.
    We should never try to change it to fit the world’s ideas of right and wrong.

    I’m not Catholic, but I did listen to some of what the pope said today. Much of it sounded like nonsense.
    What was said before the moslems overtook that ancient city, remains true and something that should be sounded today as a warning. Of course, the former pope was relieved of his office for repeating it, but we must all, Catholic or otherwise, speak the Truth. To do otherwise is to give power and authority to the beast from satan.

  17. vlparker says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    And because Roman Catholics in the U.S. have such an exaggerated and borderline idolatrous awe for the papacy, they go along with all this readily enough:

    My mother is a lifelong, very devout Catholic in her mid 80s. She sings in the choir every Sunday and also for funerals during the week. And yesterday she was furious with the pope after his speech to the US Congress. She said he should keep his mouth shut. I was a bit surprised and quite proud of her.

    But you are right, there are way too many Catholics who seem to let the Church leaders do their thinking for them and would follow the Church leaders like lemmings off the cliff.

    • Medina says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      vlparker, you said:
      And because Roman Catholics in the U.S. have such an exaggerated and borderline idolatrous awe for the papacy, they go along with all this readily enough:

      First, God bless you mom, she has both faith and reason. Yes, like many here of various political stripes, they will follow their “team” to hell. The cannot explain their devotion to this mortal, and defend his words and actions before knowing what heresy he has committed. Like political devotees, it makes no difference. St. John Chrysostom said, “The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” The pope is the bishop or Rome. Many, many of our greatest faithful were brutally abused (Ex: St. Joan of Arc) by Church leaders. Their judgments will come.

  18. reyol says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 8:37 pm

    An interesting insight to what goes on in the Vatican. At first, we heard that Benedict resigned to get rid of these guys. Now, it turns out, the insiders got rid of Benedict and installed their man. Also interesting is their name for themselves: the St. Gallens Mafia. Does this denote an actual relationship to the Mafia? And what is the St. Gallen connection. A quick search reveals that St. Gallen is a city and canton in the Swiss Confederation (there appears to have been no one by that name). What have they to do with St. Gallen? It has a historic Abbey and several other Catholic institutions but no hint of a cabal of Vatican insiders. I wonder if someone knows? I feel like I’m holding up a piece of a puzzle with no clue where it goes.

  19. Bradley Lexvold says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    HBO put out a documentary about Catholic priest child molesters and it showed how the previous Pope had been in charge of every case of reported child molesting. I will let it speak for itself. Title: Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God. Very enlightening on many levels, and informative for a non Catholic. 2 days before it was shown the pope stood down, basically afraid that 1billion Catholics would want to kill him if they seen it. Also shows Jeb Bush’s best friends are child molesters, but then what would you expect from the man who killed Paul Hill. Now this deranged psychopath is running for president. Brad

  20. Bezelel says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Dante, a Catholic, gave a damn good breakdown of degrees of sin and had some cardinals and popes deep into the pits of hell. I’m not Catholic but I certainly accept Dante as a valid Christian.

    • umbra says

      Sep 25, 2015 at 10:27 pm

      It has been said that the, “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of priest.”.

  21. Edgars Freibergs says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    “Smoke of Satan” entering the Catholic Church – Pope Paul VI

    Vatican City, May. 16, 2008 – When Pope Paul VI spoke about the “smoke of Satan” entering the Catholic Church, he was referring to liturgical abuses, according to the prelate who served as his master of ceremonies.

    Cardinal Virgilio Noe, the chief Vatican liturgist during the pontificate of Paul VI, spoke candidly about the late Pope’s concerns in an interview with the Roman Petrus web site. The Italian prelate– who was also the Vatican’s top liturgist under Pope John Paul I and the early years of the pontificate of John Paul II– is now retired, and at the age of 86 his health is failing. In his interview with Petrus he concentrated primarily on his years serving Pope Paul VI.

    Pope Paul accepted the liturgical reforms after Vatican II “with pleasure,” Cardinal Noe said. He added that Paul VI was not be nature a sad man, but “he was saddened by the fact of having been left alone by the Roman Curia.” Regarding the late Pope’s famous remark about the “smoke of Satan,” Cardinal Noe said that he knew what Paul VI intended by that statement. In that denunciation, he said, the Pope “meant to include all those priests or bishops and cardinals who didn’t render worship to the Lord by celebrating badly Holy Mass because of an errant interpretation of the implementation of the Second Vatican Council. He spoke of the smoke of Satan because he maintained that those priests who turned Holy Mass into dross in the name of creativity, in reality were possessed of the vainglory and the pride of the Evil One. So, the smoke of Satan was nothing other than the mentality which wanted to distort the traditional and liturgical canons of the Eucharistic ceremony.”

    For Pope Paul VI, the cardinal continued, the worst outcome of the post-conciliar liturgical reform was the “craving to be in the limelight” that caused many priests to ignore liturgical guidelines. Cardinal Noe recalled that the Pope himself believed in careful adherence to the rubrics of the Mass, firmly believing that “no one is lord of the Mass.”

    Speaking for himself, the former top Vatican liturgist said that the liturgy must always be celebrated with reverence and careful respect for the rubrics. He said with regret that in the wake of Vatican II “it was believed that everything, or nearly, was permitted.” Cardinal Noe said: “Now it is necessary to recover– and in a hurry– the sense of the sacred in the ars celebrandi, before the smoke of Satan completely pervades the whole Church.”

  22. TH says

    Sep 25, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    Fotunately, Popes cannot change fundamental teaching of the Church and even the worst o fhem over the centuries have never touched dogmatic or moral teaching. Maybe Francis had that in mind,but it now seems that he realizes that such plans could only divide the Church and he hardly wants to go down in history as being one of the most irresponsible popes or reckless. What he can do can be abolished by a future pope. It is likely that the next pope will neither be a Jesuit nor Latin American and that he is going to follow the protocols and not shoot his mouth off every other day with ridiculous statements about global warming, moral equivalcence of Christianity with islam and other such statements.

  23. Isabellathecrusader says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 12:50 am

    It’s no coincidence that the “new” mass is known as the Novus Ordo or New Order. So now we have a communist for our president and a communist for our pope. And we know that the communists, (or leftists or Progressives or OWS-ers, whichever you prefer,) trying to use the Muslims to eradicate any semblance of Christianity from our western countries.

    This was all planned and has been moving along smartly, from Lenin’s early 20th century edict to have communists infiltrate our seminaries (read former communist agent Bella Dodd’s disturbing book, School of Darkness,) to the fact that Pope John XXIII blew off the Blessed Mother and did not release the third secret of Fatima around 1960 as requested, to the Vatican-Moscow Agreement that essentially neutered the Catholic Church’s ability to defy Communism over fifty years ago. It makes total sense that we would have a communist pope at this point in our history. Who else promotes the ridiculous idea of Global Warming as our biggest problem while Muslims are invading Europe and Christians are being slaughtered by ISIS? WE need to pray for the pope, for his sake and for our own because his words are going to get a lot of people killed.

  24. Bix says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 4:28 am

    The real mafia was the Church before Francis. He may be the only Pope since Peter who actually understood the core message of Christianity.

    I wonder what this issue has anything to do with Islam. Criticizing Islam should not be the same thing like being a right-winger.

  25. Aton says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 4:40 am

    Do remember that Cardinal Danneels was a key player in the Marc Dutroux paedophine and child-killing ring. And when his offices were searched, he was found to be in possession of several files on Dutroux. Why would a Catholic cardinal keep files on a paedophile child murderer?

    At the very least Danneels appears to have been guilty of withholding information from the police. And it cannot be stressed enough how depraved and infamous the Marc Dutroux murders were. Following his trial, 90% of Belgians called Dutroux changed their name, to distance themselves from that vile name.

    http://www.irishsalem.com/international-controversies/Belgium/cardinaldanneels-andmarcdutroux-07jul10.php

    • John Magne Trane says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 5:49 am

      Incredible…

  26. Aton says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 4:52 am

    Let us also remind ourselves what Cardinal Danneels was promoting within the Catholic Church.

    It was Danneels who approved a Catholic textbook and teaching aid called ‘Roeach’, which was designed to introduce schoolchildren to the world of paedophilia, so that they too can be abused by Catholic priests. The naked infant girl in the following picture is exclaiming: “stroking my pussy makes me feel groovy”.

    What kind of cardinal would approve and promote such material within the Church? What was the goal, apart from the promotion of paedophilia? Why is this guy still a cardinal? What are the true aims of the Catholic Church?

    An image from Roeach:

    http://saff.nfshost.com/catechismoriginaltext.gif

    • Aton says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 4:55 am

      Sorry, I clicked too early. The little naked girl is also saying:

      ‘Stroking my pussy makes me feel groovy,’
      ‘I like to take my knickers off with friends,’
      ‘I want to be in the room when mum and dad have sex.’

      All good wholesome fun for the family – if you are a Catholic…..

      Aton

  27. John Magne Trane says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 5:47 am

    The New Judenrat. The Jewish leaders that helped the nazis pick out who were to be the first ones. Hoping that they themselves would be the last picked out…

  28. Paul Ashley says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 8:49 am

    Had the Apostle Paul “dialogued” with the gentiles in the capitulating and ingratiating manner suggested by Francis, there wouldn’t likely be a Catholic or any other type of Christian church.

  29. Gord Schneider says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 9:59 am

    I’m a fairly new Catholic. I became a Catholic about 8 years ago. I was thrilled with my decision and grateful that I’d been able to finally ‘cross the Tiber’. Now? I don’t know what’s going on. The Church is changing and not for the better. Her new leftist appeasement style dialogue has me very upset and I fear for Her very future. This Pope is like no other in the modern era and that to me is a huge concern.

    God help mankind. If the Catholic Church is weak…….man will perish.

    • Richard Hawkins says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Gord,
      There were many compelling reasons for the Protestant Reformation 600 years ago. Pope Francis appears to be leading the RCC to another big split.

      • Angemon says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 11:54 am

        Richard Hawkins posted:

        “Pope Francis appears to be leading the RCC to another big split.”

        Or, borrowing Obama’s words, one might say Pope Frank-nstein is trying to “fundamentally transforming” the RCC.

      • Shane says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 3:27 pm

        The Roman Catholic Church in America is not loyal to our country. They want us to take in millions of poor immigrants from Mexico and South America who are draining our resources if they are only capable of working non-skilled jobs.

        With this Socialist Pope who is a friend of Islam, the Roman Catholic CHurch has hit a new low. Christians should ignore this Pope when he talks about politics and submitting to Islam.

        • Craig` says

          Oct 1, 2015 at 7:55 pm

          As Catholics, the only things we need pay attention to when it comes to the Pope are matters of faith and morals. Climate change, immigration etc., and all the other leftist bunk can and should be ignored. This would include anything else that sends a thrill up the leg of the left.
          I would also point out that the left has a habit of putting words in the mouth of this Pope for their own benefit. I would suggest to anyone, before condemning this Pope, double check on Catholic websites the actual words of the Pope and the context. The left is using him as their foil. Of course, he is making it easy for them to do so.

    • Jack Gordon says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 11:18 am

      I am a cradle Catholic, and I want to say to you, ”be not afraid.” Converts like you are the life-blood of the Church today and they have been for more than a century. (Read the books and articles of men like John Henry Newman and Ronald Knox for just a sample of the riches converts have visited on the Church in recent times.) And be sure to read the history of outrageous popes of the past, men like Julius II. If the Church could survive the likes of them, she has nothing to fear from José Bergoglio or from the de facto heretics who seem to surround him in Vatican City, men like Danneels. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ, not any ordinary man or group of men, be they saints or egregious sinners. And always keep in mind Newman’s reservations about the doctrine of papal infallibility: while he agreed with the doctrine per se, he worried that its formal promulgation would lead to papolatry, what we see today surrounding Pope Francis. There is nothing wrong with believing the Holy Spirit prevents a pope from teaching heresy while at the same time believing a pope’s personal political and social notions are totally wrong and even dangerous, as Mr. Spencer does here.

      • John C. Barile says

        Sep 26, 2015 at 3:18 pm

        You are a thoughtful, prudent fellow, Jack. Still, reading about Cd. Danneels in the National Catholic Register makes me quite afraid for the Church and for the world.

        This Cardinal’s silent agenda with respect to sexualizing children and protecting pederasts, while Belgium slips into the abyss (legaized euthanasia, genetic manipulation of embryonic humans, and the like outrages me..

        • John C. Barile says

          Sep 26, 2015 at 3:19 pm

          [I hate typos.]

      • Craig says

        Oct 3, 2015 at 7:58 pm

        Jack Gordon, I am a “cradle Catholic” as well. But, I am afraid. This Pope has so embraced the left’s agenda, I have to ask where is he going with all of this? I reject all of his social views not related to faith and morals. What happens if he attempts to change long-held doctrine concerning issues related to faith and morals? What if tries to assert that homosexual acts are not sinful but perhaps natural for a small number of people, for example. From the catechism of the Church:

        Chastity and homosexuality

        2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.”142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

        What if the Pope were to say or claim that he has a different, more enlightened interpretation? I, for one, do not accept that basic morality changes according to the times. In my conscience, I would have to reject that “more enlightened interpretation.”

        Please note that I considered Pope John Paul II to be a “Rock” and a worthy successor to St. Peter and would not ever have entertained the idea of bringing up such a question.

  30. Alarmed Pig Farmer says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 10:06 am

    Here are some of the setbacks delivered by Pope Frank:

    1) With his silly and ahistorical “all religions have extremists” argument he has set back progress made on helping the general population understand that Islam is an existential threat. Those comments distributed into the general discourse, this set back will be among Protestants and atheists, not just Catholics.

    2) With his silly and non-scientific endorsement of man-caused global warming (now operating under the new brand Climate Change) he has set back the growing awareness that fake science is poised to replace freedom and prosperity with central government control over our lives. This even though next week will enter our 19th consecutive year of global… cooling.

    3) With his attacks on free market capitalism and endorsement of socialism he has set back the growing awareness that the exalted “science” of Other People’s Money just doesn’t work. OPM has run out of steam for the Social Democrats in Europe, China was forced to replace its centrally planned economy with freedom, which has skyrocketed prosperity there, along with personal security and happiness. His homeland Argentina has gone broke with its socialism, and is a scofflaw nation now, this in a country with resources that should make it one of the richest and most secure places on earth. Venezuela is worse than broke, Cuba is a self-made broken down mess, Vietnam and Cambodia suffer deep poverty that they fight with forced child labor, and so on.

    There is cowardice and corruption in all three of Pope Frank’s encyclicals, regardless of whether he calls them that. The facts don’t add up in any of the three. Meanwhile, he maintains radio silence on the Moslems chasing off of Christians in the Levant, forcing them into slavery, sex slavery, conversion to Islam, or death by Sharia execution. Meanwhile, his partner in equivalency, fake science and socialism — Barack Hussein — calls for hundreds of thousands of fake refugees, but declines to take in the real refugees, who are Christians, Yazidi and Jews.

    • spot on says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 2:49 pm

      Alarmed, I agree with all your points. In addition, I see that everything coming from the mouth of this Pope will hurt the poor, promote war, and hurt the Catholic Church.

      Hurt the poor…he want to hurt those who have and provide jobs for poor people. He want all illegal aliens to engage in mass migration to this country (with no respect for us) which will drive the working poor here into destitution trying to pay taxes to feed and care for all these unwanted people. He wants to encourage energy tax for global warming which will be a tax on the poor. (Poor people must have heat, water, and food which will all substantially increase in cost due to energy taxes. It will also drive more money to Washington, where wealth has and is building rapidly to the betterment of no one but them. I’ll bet those foreign refugees will NOT land in Washington.

      Promoting war….the false idea that Islam is a Religion of Peace will dupe millions into believing this false belief. Doing so will disarm millions of Christians to the flood of marauders coming at them from the Middle East. It is only a matter of time until the Vatican Walls will be scaled by terrorists on the march to conquer the West. Already these marauders have stated that they have set their goal to decapitate the Pope in order to weaken and conquer the West. Due to the Pope’s falsehoods, intentional or not, he is in effect saying “not to worry” while Muslims systematically take over Europe and as Iran plans their nuclear attack on the US and Israel.

      Hurt the Catholic Church….The conservatives are the ones that provide almost all the financial support and leadership for the Catholic Church. Liberals do not give much as everyone knows. They like to use other people’s money. If the conservatives pull out, the Church is only a shell with financial support from the government for specific programs to help the poor.

      Also, I must add, it appears that Speaker Boehner is a soul mate with the Pope. This figures. If Boehner is the type of Catholic that is simpatico with this Pope, heaven help the Catholic Church.

    • Shane says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 3:31 pm

      This Pope is encouraging Europe and North America to take in the Muslim wolves who will soon be praying on his flock and all Christians. Islam is incompatible with the values of the West and with our constitution. We should take in no Muslim invaders and cut way back on immigration from third world countries. In another generation, we will be taking in non-Muslim refugees fleeing the jihad in Europe. This Pope sucks!

      • Anthony says

        Sep 27, 2015 at 1:15 am

        As a Christian, that is, as someone who trust implicitly in the Son of God, and lives in obedience to Him, I don’t think Christ needs this imposter, the pope, to bring about HIs purposes as delineated in the Scriptures. My faith is not in the pope, nor the church, any church; as a Christian, I am part of the body of Christ. The pope is the greatest imposter presiding over the greatest and most grotesque Imposture in human history, the RCC , which is nothing but an apostate expression of Latin Christianity. Is really tricky and subtle because it uses Christian lingo, and all the paraphernalia associated with Christianity, but at the core, it is nothing but a circus and phony. The pope is not the vicar of God, he is a pretender, usurper, who speaks great words, and self exalts himself with odious blasphemy .

        • Craig says

          Oct 12, 2015 at 11:09 am

          Becoming your own pope, such is the stuff of heresy.

      • MM says

        Sep 27, 2015 at 2:34 pm

        Yes, take us in when it is time. We will soon have to flee our countries. I have already left Germany and still hope we can build a line of defense in at least some European countries. Maybe when there is a new pope, a new POTUS and a new German chancellor. The new President of the European Council is already a tiny sign of hope – not by chance from Poland, the home country of John Sobieski.

  31. Timothy says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 10:17 am

    The RC church doesn’t need an invader to destroy her: the destroyer will come from within. On the face of it, the Destroyer appears to be Jorge Bergoglio and those who support him. Time will tell…and soon.

  32. Richard Hawkins says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 10:43 am

    Gord,
    The unbiblical popes of the past caused the RCC to split via the Protestant Reformation some 600 years ago. Pope Francis is setting the stage for another big split due to his unbiblical proclamations.

    • Craig says

      Oct 12, 2015 at 11:39 am

      “Unbiblical” ? No, Church doctrine hasn’t changed for 2,000 years, No doctrine is in contradiction to the Bible, but the Church does not accept the Bible as being the only source of doctrine.

      There were abuses on the part of many ecclesiastics that were leading a very secular and corrupt lifestyle. That is what brought about the Reformation. Because of that, Luther sought to break away from the authority of the Church.

      If you are referring to “sola scriptura” or only the Bible as source of doctrine, then it is you who are mistaken and believe in a contradiction. No such support for that doctrine can be found in the Bible itself, and “sola scriptura” was NEVER the teaching of the Catholic Church. Nor was it ever Luther’s view prior to the Reformation. If the Bible were to be the only source of doctrine, Christ would have told us so. Nothing in the Bible points to the Bible being the sole source of doctrine.

      Pope Francis has not made any pronouncement that has altered Church doctrine, or any change to the faith and morals taught for 2,000 years. That is a fact. You accuse him of “setting the stage” as if you have proof of his future intentions. No such proof presently exists. I would be lying though if I did not express a concern, which is quite different from making an accusation. Everything the Pope has said is commonly accepted everywhere else in the world. As a conservative, I reject his expressed views on matters not directly related to faith, morals and doctrine.

  33. Peter Piper says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 12:49 pm

    Kevin Annett brought down pope Benedict.

  34. rjliguori says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    “From some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.
    We believe… that something preternatural has come into the world specifically to disturb, to suffocate the fruits of the Ecumenical Council, and to prevent the Church from breaking out in a hymn of joy for having recovered in fullness the awareness of herself.” ~ Pope Paul VI on the 29th of June 1972

    The Church that Christ built survived other bad Popes, and it will survive Pope Francis

  35. Judy says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    @ Carolyne,
    No, the pope does not have a direct pipeline to God and cannot, by the power of his office, work miracles. He is supposed to be the successor to Peter, the Vicar of Christ, the Bishop of Rome. Catholics believe that the Holy Spirit will prevent the pope from destroying the Church. But we have had bad popes, heretical popes, criminal popes, political popes, etc… Unfortunately, thanks to Vatican II and fifty years of bad catechesis, even many Catholics misunderstand the role of the pope, believing that he is elected by the Holy Spirit. This was never the case. The pope is elected by men, just as sinful and fallen as the rest of us, who are supposed to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. But they also have free will.
    It’s a very sad time to be traditional Catholic in America. Obama for president and Francis for pope. And sadly we continue to have bishops who lack a spine. Too many of them seem to have wanted a career instead of a vocation. All we can do is continue to teach the Faith that has been handed down to us by Christ, seeking out parishes that are not going along with the nonsense and approval of sin. That normally means driving long distances to reach an FSSP, ICK, or SSPX parish.

    • John Stefan Obeda says

      Sep 26, 2015 at 9:18 pm

      Judy, let me know please what those initials stand for. By the way, I believe as many do that Jesus has not promised that He is going to build His church, His beautiful Bride, on the person, the man called Peter, but rather on Peter’s confession: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Mt. 16) God bless all people who know and believe that Christ is their God and their Saviour and have mercy on His Church and, please, bless His persecuted followers and wake up so very many people that are blind to what Islam stands for, blind people that are in the church and in the State.

      • MM says

        Sep 27, 2015 at 2:51 pm

        The acronyms stand for priestly societies offering the tidentine mass. FSSP: Fraternity Saint Peter, ICK: Institute of Christ the King, and SSPX: Society Saint Pius X.

        Anyways, let’s pray for this pope and the bishops that the blindness may be taken away from them and they protect their flocks from Islam and Socialism and all the other satanic temptations. From an old prayer for the pope (1929) that I have read by chance today: “Oh Lord, protect and reign your holy church and her visible head, pope Pius/Francis.”

        • John Stefan Obeda says

          Sep 27, 2015 at 8:24 pm

          Thank you MM. I have not before prayed for the una sancta and church leaders as much as I do now. “God have mercy and help us to keep the Republic with which You have blessed us Americans and others and please bless the persecuted Church, your own dear Bride”.

  36. Kepha says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 4:19 pm

    In his letters, the original “Pope” taught predestination (I Pt. 1:2-5, 2:8), spoke of himself as an elder speaking to fellow elders (I Pt. 5:1), and held that the Bible was given by holy men of God moved by the Holy Spirit rather than by “THE Church” (II Pt. 1:20). He gave the right hand of fellowship to Paul, who spoke of bishops and elders (episkopoi and Presvyteroi) as the same (Acts 20) and addressed a plurality of bishops in Philippi (Phil. 1.1). Clearly, the original “Pope” Peter was a Presbyterian.

    Back in my salad days as a student in the well-churched American Midwest and as a young teacher in Taiwan, it seemed to me that every Jebbie under the age of forty and a good many nuns whom you met was enthusiastic about “THE Revolution”, and could care less about Jesus Christ. If you set up the world’s idols in the temple of God, there are bound to be unhappy repercussions. We saw it in the Mainline ex-Protestant denominations, and it’s now happening to Rome.

    Folks, it’s Jesus the Messiah whom God appointed to save us through his perfect obedience to the Law of God, his shed blood on the cross, his bodily resurrection on the First Day of the week, and his triumphant ascension to rule all things in Heaven and on earth–not an institution. For some odd reason, the MSM people who gleefully see Kim Davis off to jail fall at the feet of this Pope who’s just as negative about homosexual pseudo-marriage. Methinks that they’re all corrupt birds of a feather.

    As a Christian “***UGH!Fundamentalist!***”, I guess I’m pretty happy that the Pope has thrown the calumny that I’m the moral equivalent of ISIS at me when neither I nor my spiritual brethren are trying to hasten people on their way to Hell rather than urge them to turn around and live. People like me want to be loyal to Jesus the Messiah, God and Man in one person, above all else; and I guess that we ought to count it all joy when someone who pollutes the church with the Marxist idol of Historical Necessity is now reviling us and saying all manner of evil against us falsely (Matthew 5:11).

    • Craig says

      Oct 1, 2015 at 8:56 pm

      There was no “Church” until Christ established it, appointing Peter as the head of the Church. Peter was referring to the Septuagint, not what we would call the Bible today. The New Testament was formally adopted in 397 Ad. at the council of Carthage which decided what books to include. Prior to that date, hundreds of gospels and “apostolic” writings were floating around in many different languages, some not so good or some even controverted. It was the Catholic Magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, which separated the good writings from the bad and selected the 27 books that are now found in the New Testament bible today.
      Peter never taught predestination. Indeed, the Bible cannot be any plainer than to say God is, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pt 3:9). God wills all to be saved. To be damned, a person must willfully reject God’s “predestined plan” for his salvation.

  37. Stephen Golay says

    Sep 26, 2015 at 8:01 pm

    [POSTED THIS ON LIFESITE NEWS]

    http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/09/cardinal-danneels-admits-to-being-part-of-mafia-club-that-brought-down-benedict-xvi-to-make-church-much-more-modern

    Robert Spencer (good Catholic he) has some stinging observations. It’s all of a [piece. The campaign to degrade and downgrade the Church’s teaching on all things sexual dovetails the equally destructive drive to yield decisively towards (and for) Islam.

    The loosening of all sexual bonds cannot sustain itself; it requires a counter weight of herding in, of rebranding and rebinding. The utter destructiveness wrought by the Sexual Revolution (especially within the Church) almost begs to be whipped back into shape.

    One would think that after the Great Moral Exhaustion both world and (wayward) Church would be open to the redeeming, restorative message of (shall I say it) the traditional, orthodox ones among us. Not necessarily so. A world and Church so given over (so devoured) by the cannibalism of the Sexual Revolution increases the appetite to be controlled and ordered by the worst of masters, by the most brutal of totalitarianism. Islam fits that bill.

    Maybe righteousness can only rule after the rotten fruit has been utterly consumed. Maybe we error in snatching away the fruit of judgment before its last slobbering juices are in the belly. Maybe the triumph of truth requires (at times) the *appearance* of evil’s own triumph, for only then will the sinner admit to possessing (owing up to) it; only then will righteous judgment have a face to fall upon, and redemption a spent prodigal ear to hear its voice.

    Maybe. I see no other. At the moment a tired, worn, morally exhausted Europe has eagerly prostrated it self before the totalitarian horde of Islam. When the governors of German states, and mayors of German cities advise German women and girl to veil themselves when in public, and being accompanied by male relations (an advisory they would not even have dreamt of giving three weeks ago) it has nothing* to do with the restoration of modesty and the like; it is an admission of abject submission. Already the horde is demanding the removal of all crosses, the conversion of underused churches into mosques, the eviction of all non-Muslims from certain neighborhoods and housing complexes, the destruction of all Holocaust memorials – and the availability of all non-Muslim women and girls to the supremacist demands of the Muslim male (supported by several courts of law and administrative statements in Great Britain, Germany, and Norway). What’s next, public slave markets in Munich; why not, Germany already has registered, health ministry inspected, beastality brothels.

    And what do the bishops of Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland, think about all this. Apparently nothing. Too busy reformulating Queer Theory as the programmatic, organizing doctrine of all Christin ethics and dogmas – or conspiring in the Swiss Alps to lay the Church down low, to herd all Christian men,women (and unborn babes) to the feasting tables of the Sexual Revolution groaning with its rotten fruit.

    At some point these bishop cardinals will .tire of ladling up their sexual stew (one can only be so much exhausted). Soon they can rest from their labors; the horde outside the door will be happy to stir the pot.

    Yet. And. But . . there is brave Christian Hungary: “Onward Christian Hungarian Soldiers going off to war . . .”

    Which nation will follow? Poland? By next early spring (or earlier) will Poland muster itself to go to war against totalitarian Islam bearing down on its borders? With demonstrations decrying “Putin to Warsaw! Putin to Berlin!” At the least, will Poland support Hungary’s militaristic actions? What will the Vatican do with World Youth Day scheduled for Krakow?

    ______________________________

    This papal visit has put me in a very foul mood. Now this! After the revelation of the Cardinal Mafioso (proudly admitted to by the conspirators) dare anyone to mock my concern. It’s brass knuckles out in alley – and barricades at the border. knuuckles

  38. Ace says

    Sep 27, 2015 at 12:48 am

    If what you report is true, then “Francis” is not the Pope, Benedict still is. It is not lawful in the Church to predetermine a Pope. Therefore, the election of “Francis” is null and void. He would be, in fact, be an antipope. And that would explain a lot. As I recall, Benedict never said he was no longer a Pope.
    Crazy times we live in.

  39. Randy Ward says

    Sep 27, 2015 at 1:24 am

    I don’t believe the article is correct in one aspect; the Orthodox church did not adopt the theory that man can understand God, as the Roman Church did around the tenth to the fifteenth century. The Orthodox Church holds to the original teaching that mankind cannot reason himself to understand God; but by the Holy Spirit understanding comes to each individual by becoming like God, through the way provided by God becoming man.
    Thank you.

  40. Edward says

    Sep 27, 2015 at 10:13 am

    The Rest of the Story:

    RE: “Mafia” club brought down Benedict XVI to make Church “much more modern”

    I’m feeling bad to know that Pope Francis has been installed in the papacy as a puppet. I know that Pope Francis is a kind hearted human it’s obvious, but I’m concerned that he was nominated by man and not by the Holy Spirit.

    Pope Benedict XVI said this on September 12, 2006 at the University of Regensburg in Germany:

    “Why an institution that claims to transmit and preserve divine revelation would need to be ‘modern’ remains unexplained, but clearly this palace coup heralded a significant change in the Church’s stance toward Islam.

    Pope Benedict XVI saying this on September 12, 2006 seems to have touched the nerve of man who wanted to minimize his papal authority.

    Like in the 1391 epoch Islam discussions was spoken about then as it is today, promising us very terrible problematic situations for our future!

    “The dialogue ranges widely over the structures of faith contained in the Bible and in the Qur’an, and deals especially with the image of God and of man, while necessarily returning repeatedly to the relationship between — as they were called — three “Laws” or “rules of life”: the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Qur’an” – quoting Pope Benedict

    I’m trying to decipher part of the above sentence “over the structures of faith contained in the Bible and in the Qur’an, and deals especially with the ‘mage of God’ and of man, while necessarily returning repeatedly to the relationship between”.

    There is the assertion by the Catholic theologian St. Agustin, that the human mind is the location of humanity, and thus the location of the image of God.

    IMAGE of GOD: is a concept and theological doctrine in Judaism, Christianity, which asserts that human beings are created in God’s image. Genesis 1: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image….[ ]

    Islam’s creation account is radically different, for they don’t believe that Muslins are endowed God’s gift of being created in His Image! It took one egotistical man’s selfishness to rob the love of the real God by mentally chaining them to a mythical tyrannical god for over 1400 years. It can be determined that that Sharia was man inspired and written ……in time Islam destroying other religion’s written tenants being replaced by distributing the Koran by coercion.

    http://www.iqrasense.com/allah/islamic-viewpoint-on-god-made-man-in-his-own-image.html

    Islamic viewpoint on ‘God made man in His own image’

    “Islam does not agree with this statement. Allah, God, has attributes which belong to Him alone, such as His being the Creator, the Provider, the One God, etc. These are characteristics which a created being cannot acquire.”—-[ ]

  41. Angemon says

    Sep 27, 2015 at 6:25 pm

    “Practicing Taqiyya means Shia publicly do not publiclly practice or publicly disavow extreme Shia teachings like ritual cursing of the first three Caliphs and wives of the Prophet, and tone down aspects of the Ashura holiday like flogging themselves and in general causing chaos and inconvenience to pedestrians and street traffic. Because cursing the first three Caliphs and wives of the Prophet is extremely offensive to Sunnis. Taqiyya means Shia do not publicly practice offensive aspects of their religion.”

    Again, you’re proving my point – it’s not, like you stated, that “Sunni, Shia, and Ibadi will treat each other as Muslims in this earthly world“, it “Sunni, Shia, and Ibadi will treat each other as Muslims in this earthly world asterisk, see footnote”, and the footnote reads “as long as shias don’t act all shia-y”.

    If they need to act non-shia to be considered muslims by the sunny then it’s like having Bruce Jenner being accepted as a woman by a room full of women as long as he puts the toilet seat down and wears women’s clothes (like muhammad did).

  42. Mark Wilson says

    Sep 28, 2015 at 10:35 am

    I expect more from Robert Spenser after hearing so much from him on various Catholic Radio programs. Articles like this hurt the church and doesn’t help for anyone to take us seriously when we have something honest and true to report.

    “There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my resignation from the Petrine ministry,” Benedict, 86, who now has the title “pope emeritus,” said in a letter to the Italian website Vatican Insider published on Wednesday.

    “The only condition for the validity of my resignation is the complete freedom of my decision. Speculation regarding its validity is simply absurd,” he wrote in answer to a request by the website for comment on recent Italian media reports.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/26/us-pope-benedict-resignation-idUSBREA1P0KV20140226

  43. Craig says

    Oct 3, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    I am a loyal Catholic. I know that I do not have to accept the views of Pope Francis on matters that are NOT directly related to faith and morals. And I don’t. I pray God that he does not cross the line, and pronounce against long-held moral beliefs that have their foundation in the Bible and God’s Natural Law as well as the traditional teaching or doctrine of the Church. God does not change what is right and wrong according to the times. His commandments were for all ages. An issue that can illustrate this would be homosexual marriage. Or even the morality of homosexuality itself as an issue? Either one to illustrate my point. I shouldn’t fear that the Pope would change the Church’s 2000 year old position on this, but the fact is I do. I pray the Pope won’t cross the line, but I fear he might at some point. Yes, I’m worried. That speaks volumes about the Pope’s embracing of the Left’s agenda. I, as a Catholic, was 100% certain that John Paul II would never embrace homosexual marriage or any moral issue condemned by the Church, even though homosexual marriage was not brought up in his time. I’m sure Pope John Paul II condemned homosexual acts as did all his predecessors. Remember, I’m just trying to make a point and am using this issue as an example. You just knew that he would be incapable of such a thing. I believe this Pope believes he can attract more Catholics by embracing the Left’s agenda. My question is how far will he go?

    I could not remain in a Church that changes its view of what is moral according to the times. Such a change would cause a split in the Church, as I know many would feel the same way. There would be two Churches both claiming legitimacy and the right of succession to St. Peter. I hope my fears are unfounded because of the Church’s teaching, but the Pope really is supreme in these matters, and what could possibly stop him? He has total authority in the Church !!!! Imagine the nightmare. The present Pope is in the Vatican. Is it even possible to unseat a Pope who strays from Catholic doctrine ? Help !!! Can someone knowledgeable on these matters, such as a priest for example, say something to calm my fears? I am hoping that someone can give me the answer that it would not be possible for the Pope to “cross the line.”
    I don’t feel that I as a Catholic should even have to worry about this. But, this is the sorry state of confusion that now reigns in the Church. Pope Francis is solely responsible for this confusion. I defend the Church a lot when someone maliciously or unfairly attacks it. I defend Pope Francis when he is misquoted or his views misrepresented. But, I’m not sure I know how to defend the Church if someone said that Pope Francis is leading the Church to one day accept gay marriage or homosexuality. How would I respond to that if I’m not certain myself. Doesn’t Pope Francis see the bad effects of what he’s doing?
    I have nothing against gays personally, but I needed to pick an issue so that I could ask my questions and make my points.

  44. MaggieMcC says

    Oct 12, 2015 at 1:55 am

    From Francis’ first appearance on the balcony, my heart sank. I’m a convert of 18 years so I’ve known the best and now the worst of popes….one of the latter, anyway. However, I consider that it is Bergoglio, Daneels and his sick cronies that are outside the Church. I am a true Catholic and I will hold to that, waiting for our Lord to set it right again. I’m not discouraged but disgusted, repelled, revolted by this “pope” as my very first impression of him prefigured.
    Satan is busy indeed these days. But I’ve never known so many people devoting as much time to prayer…and waiting in hope for that Glorious Resurrection and time to be at last In His yearned-for arms. Whatever comes before, we have that Blessed Hope.

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