Me and My Pope

I love these reports that suddenly find the light of day ...

Pope Francis said that clerical sexual abuse is the work of the devil, there’s corruption in the Vatican, warned against new religious orders with a “restorationist” mentality, and even appeared to take a gentle shot at reputed Marian apparitions such as Medjugorje, saying the real Madonna is not “the head of a post office that every day sends a different letter.” - Crux

That's exactly what I think.

Seriously.  The 'restorationist' mentality?  I've seen it.  Some groups which began like that, evolve and find a real apostolate, if you will.  They are open to the Spirit - they do not hold tenaciously to a sort of prototype.  As in iconography - the iconographer cannot 'write outside the lines' as it were - he must strictly adhere to the prototype if it is to be 'Orthodox'.  Some religious communities are like that.  Latin, EF only.  Traditional greetings only: "Benedicite" - "Dominus".  Traditional titles and nunish customs for monks is often another big give-away of a 'restorationist rigidity.  It really is.  In established monasteries, you can spot it in novices who automatically 'ride the walls' as they go down the cloister, arms in sleeves, hood up, head down ... without ever being instructed to do so.  Some of my readers know exactly what I am talking about.  They often leave to found their own monastery which suits their ideal of religious decorum.  That's not always a bad thing - but ...

As for Our Lady on Twitter with constant locutions here or there, the Holy Father's good humor shines through, and I totally agree with him.  It is so reassuring to read his attitude on these matters.

A friend asked me what I would think if the Pope was wrong about this or that ... actually, he wrote:

And let's say for the sake of argument that the pope really is a bad guy - so we keep praying for him, and the Holy Spirit will STILL protect the Church?

I said yes - history demonstrates that. I don't think the Pope is a bad pope though.  However, I think there is a lot of corruption in the Vatican.

One has to cultivate a spirit of detachment, of confidence in God.  The Pope's custom of placing notes beneath the statue of St. Joseph is surely a prayer of abandonment of Divine Providence, wherein a spirit of freedom allows him to adopt a 'healthy-could-care-less' attitude.  If you grew up in an Italian working class neighborhood, you might get that.

Anyway - there's a great story from the desert fathers about a monk making baskets to burn while engaged in unceasing prayer ... someone asked the monk what he would do if the Lord was coming - would he go out to greet him?  The father said he would not, he would keep working and praying, repeating the scripture: "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival."

Works for me.

Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, 

that never was it known that anyone who implored your help 

and sought your intercession were left unassisted.

Full of confidence in your power 

I fly unto you and beg your protection.

Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, 

but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.