So.
Is there a new schism brewing? Or is the old one just expanding? Maybe it's just 'resisting Peter to his face?' Something is definitely going on - right in the middle of the great apostasy and persecution.
'Resisting Peter to his face.'
In many passages of his works, St. Thomas upholds the principle that the faithful can question and admonish Prelates. For example:
“There being an imminent danger for the Faith, Prelates must be questioned, even publicly, by their subjects. Thus, St. Paul, who was a subject of St. Peter, questioned him publicly on account of an imminent danger of scandal in a matter of Faith. And, as the Glosa of St. Augustine puts it (Ad Galatas 2,14), ‘St. Peter himself gave the example to those who govern so that if they should stray from the right way, they will not reject a correction as unworthy even if it comes from their subjects’” (Summa Theologiae, Turin/Rome: Marietti, 1948, II-II, q.33, a.4).
St. Paul resisted St. Peter “to his face,” St. Thomas teaches:
“The reprehension was just and useful, and the reason for it was not light: There was a danger for the preservation of evangelical truth. ... The way it took place was appropriate, since it was public and manifest. For this reason, St. Paul writes: ‘I spoke to Cephas,’ that is, Peter, ‘before everyone,’ since the simulation practiced by St. Peter was fraught with danger to everyone. In 1 Tim. 5:20, we read: ‘Admonish those who sin before everyone.’ This should be understood to refer to manifest sins, not hidden ones, since in the latter cases one should proceed according to the rules proper to fraternal correction” (Super Epistulas S. Pauli, Ad Galatas, 2, 11-14, lec. III, Turin/Rome: Marietti, 1953, nn. 83-84). - Source
A reform of the papacy means
Bonus feature.
‘No less easy for the future pontiff will be the task of keeping unity in the Catholic Church itself. Between ultratraditionalist extremists and ultraprogressive extremists, between priests who rebel against obedience and those who do not recognize the signs of the times, there will always be the danger of minor schisms that not only damage the Church but also go against the will of God: unity at all costs. Butt unity does not mean uniformity. It is evident that this does not close the doors to the intra-ecclesial discussion present in the whole history of the Church. All are free to express their thoughts on the task of the Church, but they should be proposals in line with that “depositum fidei” which the pontiff together with all of the bishops has the task of guarding. […]‘ - Cardinal Prosper Grech
Now for the screenshots.
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Meh...when I saw what site these so-called articles are from, I could not read them with any credence...none at all. I pray and support Papa Francis since I trust the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteIndeed you should trust the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! Neither of which picked this Pope.
DeleteIn fact, there have been many bad Popes: do not blame that on the Holy Spirit! Blame it on the electors who were too full of themselves to listen to the Holy Spirit!
The Church is in a crisis.
ReplyDeleteim not so worried about a schism from the aforementioned. I am worried about what happens when/if medjugorje is condemned. Im also more concerned with the informal schism thats already here with people actively talking against actual teachings of the Church and being allowed to do so with Church permission (im guessing that is thinking with the mind of the church?) But there seems to be worry of schism everywhere, people are people and do dumb things... cure is the rosary, me thinks
ReplyDeleteI once had a supernatural experience while looking at a photo of Enzo Bianchi's ally, Andrea Riccardi of the St. Egidio Community. I wanted to know who he was and so searched online, read a short bio, and found a photo. In the photo I saw an immense evil behind his smile. Now what does a person take from this? That he has a secret (or not so secret) agenda and is a traitor to the faith? No. Rather, that demons were the source of this "private revelation", and were playing to my own biases by exciting a reaction of hidden evil when I looked at the photo.
ReplyDeleteI figured out that demons have this ability seven years ago when I bought a large, framed copy of the famous painting of St. Francis by Cimabue. One day I walked in the door, saw the painting, and it appeared as the most ugly, ghastly picture of a human I had ever seen. Yeah, demons hate St. Francis that much... A similar dynamic has afflicted Steve Skojec and dozens of his readers. When they saw Pope Francis first step out onto the balcony after his election, they saw a shadow of evil, felt discomfort and even revulsion. That's an old trick of demons. The demons knew that Pope Francis would not be their idea of a good, faithful pope, and so they planted an early seed in the hopes of later sprouting dissension and acrimony. Mission accomplished--score another point one for the powers of darkness. May God forgive me for being too lazy/pessimistic to try to explain this to Steve and his readers...
Thank you, Scott. I have wondered myself, many times, since the election of Papa Francis, if he had been as you say, " their idea of a good, faithful pope" would folks who say they are Catholic, would still be crying foul.
DeleteI believe in the power of humble, pure of heart, prayer...the Lord will lift that up onto His heart and grant it according to His perfect will. I remember too, how all of us prayed that His will be done when the Cardinals were getting ready to enter the conclave to elect a successor to Benedict. Everyone, especially online, was exhorting all to prayer, to adopt a Cardinal, to pray the rosary...etc.
We prayed and we hoped and we fasted...Pope Francis is the gift our Lord Jesus has seen fit to gift His Church.
I am not about to throw His gift back at Him after He so graciously responded to our prayers with a humble and faithful son of the Church.
Let the demons revolt. Let them wail and scream and seduce people into believing the worst of Papa Francis...the jaws of death shall never, ever, ever, prevail!
Wow, Pewsitter works fast. Latest headline:
DeleteABBEY-ROADS READER HAS VISION FROM GOD ALMIGHTY: ANDREA RICCARDI ANTI-CHRIST!!!
Scott, I've got a pretty good track record when it comes to discernment on these issues, and through no merit of my own. I actually brought a co-worker into the Church after recognizing the signs of the demonic in their life and bringing them to a priest who could do something about it.
DeleteI certainly don't claim any infallibility on the subject. But when your instincts serve you well, you tend to trust them. That same co-worker, after having been delivered from demons, saw much of the same sort of thing you describe when they looked at sacred images. It was, of course, a deception, designed to make them afraid of their newfound faith. They persevered, however, and took it to prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in the adoration chapel. (That same person shares my concerns about Pope Francis, these many years later.)
Of course, it's not just me. Over at Unam Sanctam, there are 80 comments in the thread about people's first impression of Pope Francis, and with the exception of a small handful, they all share my trepidation: http://unamsanctamcatholicam.blogspot.com/2014/06/first-impressions.html
This is either a mass delusion of otherwise faithful Catholics, or it is a gift of the Holy Spirit, which helps us to see the truth of things. Certainly, Pope Francis fails to manifest a theology that dispels my fears. So we have the instinctual sense of the preternatural, and the intellectual sense of the theological. Then there are those men whom he counts as his closest friends, two of whom have made statements which are arguably heretical (Kasper and Maradiaga).
You can choose to believe whatever you choose to believe. Perhaps God will not fault you for erring on the side of papistry. But if you have concerns about demonic deception, I urge you to discern entry into the Auxilium Christianorum. I've recently become a member, and I find it tremendously helpful in the spiritual warfare I face on a daily basis. If you join, we shall indeed be praying for each other's protection from the forces of hell:
http://www.auxiliumchristianorum.org/
In Christ,
Steve
Hi Steve,
DeleteI mentioned that you AND dozens of others had a similar experience. At least I take your judgment seriously (and the dozens of others) and I trust that you and the others did have a supernatural experience. Others (I trust I don't need to name names) just blew off your claims, but I read them and believe you, but I think the source was demonic.
I'm also concerned because you stated to New Catholic from Rorate that when the pope was elected you were "not in the best place with your faith". But that's your bit, I can't speak to that.
I share your concerns about the two cardinals you mention--as much for what they say as for what they don't say. I much prefer Pope Francis to many of his close collaborators. Maybe he has a "no-enemies-to-the-Left" problem--I certainly have had a "no-enemies-to-the-Right" problem since my conversion. I was an ultramontanist for one papacy (I returned to the Church in 2007), and then quickly figured out that it wasn't a tenable position and was even harmful to the Church.
I believe that we are in one of the greatest crises of the Church and that the Church will steadily decline from here. I even had a private revelation to that effect, but for obvious reasons I'm keeping that to myself. By contrast, I think the FSSP and other Old Rite orders will continue to flourish and expand. I just attended the FSSP parish in Littleton, CO, and the vibrancy of the parish was remarkable.
I say the last few lines so that you know I'm not a status quo apologist/sniper. You're a very good writer and I ask myself many of the same questions you write about. Just be careful. The devil can fool us and it can take years for us to realize it. I speak from my own mistakes. God bless you and your family,
Scott