What The Francis?

Soon after the Pope Of Surprises took office some suggested a new blog was needed: WDTPRS (What Did The Pope Really Say) but the acronym is already taken. Assuming this isn't the last papacy I think the history books will look back at it in wonder. A new phrase may even come into use. When someone says something wild and absurd, the response could be "What the Francis are you talking about?" or in type, "WTF?"

WTF?

To be fair, some of the bizarre statements attributed to Pope Francis have been taken out of context. His infamous, "Who am I to judge?" is traditional Church teaching if you read the whole statement. The mainstream media have spun other pope's comments into their secular narrative (ex: 'Pope Benedict XVI Approves Condoms In Africa').

Last month Pope Francis said Christmas trees and nativity scenes are a charade since there is not peace on Earth.

The self-proclaimed Bishop Of Rome has made a habit of uttering confusing and insulting remarks directed at no one in particular. On Monday, in his homily in the papal chapel (without kneelers) Pope Francis accused those opposed to change as being idolaters and rebels. The problem with this accusation and others is that he doesn't specify to whom it is directed. The closest he got was to state it's not the lawmakers. Can we speculate that means he is not referring to changing the Sacrament of Marriage? Who knows?

So who could he have been referring to?
- his personal chef who refuses to put Argentinian items on the menu
- his personal assistant who insists the pope dress like a pope
- liturgists who only invite men to the Washing Of The Feet
- sedevacantists who reject the Novus Ordo as invalid
- bishops who reject Summorum Pontificum

Since he usually doesn't clarify statements such as these we will probably never know and that's probably a good thing. The ambiguous nature of such insults has led some to suggest the prudent approach with our Holy Father is to ignore him. I've tried that but in our age of social media and constant information it's a hard thing to do. Pope St. Pius V may have said a lot of loony things but no one tweeted them out to the world. How things may have been different if the Internet was around immediately after Vatican II.

There is evidence to suggest those in and around the Vatican either follow or are aware of new media, blogs, and other humble voices. The Vatican's English spokesperson threatened to sue one blogger so we know that blog gets attention in Rome. When the mid-term report of the first synod on the family came out insinuating the Church was about to legalize sodomy, bloggers raised hell and the matter went away. Coincidence? Church Militant dot com has recently exposed Cardinal Wuerl's taste for luxury and Cardinal Dolan's preference to cover-up urine drinking priests; stories the mainstream Catholic media prefers to ignore.

If we speculate as to what the Church would be like today without voices of the orthodox porters it's difficult to imagine anything good. One of the pope's closest advisers recently admitted to something we've known all along - the Lavender Mafia is real and powerful. What this gay lobby hates is exposure - ironically preferring to remain in the closet. Their manipulation is sinister and deceptive. The best way we laity can help rid the Church of modernist rot is to shine a light on it and await the holy clergy to remove it.

In a recent post I shared St. Thomas Aquinas guidelines for correcting clergy. When necessary it needs to be done in such a way as to not violate the Second Commandment and thus commit a mortal sin. The end goal of correcting anyone should always be the salvation of their soul. Prudence and charity are to be exercised when sounding the alarm bell. We should be humble because the destination of our soul is not yet determined.

Pope St Pius X warned us of modernists in 1907, Blessed Pope Paul VI told us in 1972 the smoke of Satan had entered the Church, and Pope Benedict XVI told us upon his election wolves threatened him so no one is being paranoid or a 'rad trad' by responding to the enemy's attacks. Since most of us today were poorly catechised such operations can be self-teachable moments. The wise among us will take the time to learn the faith so as not to appear like some barking lunatic - a yappy mutt too insignificant to kick off the porch.

In conclusion and return to the subject, I still have hope for this pope. I hope he will stop talking so much and actually do something constructive for the Church so desperately in need of repair. The Curia needs to be swept clean, his Jesuit order needs to be rebuilt, the laity need to return to the Sacrament of Confession and fulfill their Sunday Obligation every week. As a bonus I keep hoping he will at least start the process of reunifying the Eastern Orthodox and return the SSPX to normal communion (although at this point they may not want it).

Sts Peter and Paul, pray for us.