The X-Francis

Watch out, Vatican counter revolutionaries...

I know I am not the only one who thinks this, but I thought I would say two words about it anyway.

The Bishop of Rome said on the aeroplane bringing him home from Brazil that he really didn't like giving interviews. Many, like me, thought: “of course he doesn't: his theological approximation is such that he would be exposed as a dangerous amateur in no time, and the comparison with Benedict would be painfully cruel”.

Strangely enough, since then our man has abandoned himself to extemporaneous public messages with a passion that I can only call voluptuous. What has happened to persuade Francis to change his mind?

What might have happened is that more and more voices within the Vatican have started to warn Francis of the dangers of his reckless behaviour. The man might therefore – in this scenario – have realised he would never get his revolutionary (read: heretical) message out there within the frame of the normal Vatican communication channels.

Imagine such an amateur as he trying to write an encyclical letter: it would be so full of bovine excrements that even the Neo-Modernist Vatican nomenklatura would be up in arms in no time, explaining to him in countless rigorously written notes why what he wants to write is utter and complete nonsense. At this point he might choose to just ignore them, but this would be theological suicide as the documents would be certainly leaked, procuring him a reputation for incompetence, officially sculpted in marble, that would defy the millennia.

He chooses, then, to do exactly the contrary of what he had planned: spread the bovine excrements through the mainstream media, as informal and spontaneous expressions of his humble heart; without anyone of the Vatican allowed to know beforehand what he is going to say; without, in fact, not even anyone present during his interview with Scalfari. Free as a bird, and alone with a buddy atheist. The revolutionary possibilities are limitless.

This way he goes around the Vatican apparatus, avoids being ridiculed in Vatican papers, becomes the idol of the X-factor catholics (small c), but avoids the direct ground of serious theological confrontation. He was merely talking off-the-cuff, you see. He is a merry guy, not so interested in theological precision. Exactness is overrated, and common sense vaguely Pelagian. The entire planet is taking him very seriously; but you, you should not give too much importance to the interviews.

Whilst, therefore, the entire planet will rejoice in Francis' heresy, the desperate defenders of neocon rose water Catholicism will say that he has “not changed Church teaching” (which in essentials he can't anyway and therefore isn't of any use, or any news), blessedly glossing over the fact that whilst officially not changing the teaching, Francis unofficially completely changes its perception all over the planet. But you, you wait patiently for the next encyclical; you will see there is nothing to fear, really…

If this is true, we will see this Papacy choose a rather cautious (when needs must) approach in official documents, giving Francis the bird food he needs for his Catholic pigeons; at the same time, he will continue his work of demolition through the mass media. The Clericalist Troops will be satisfied: hey, the encyclical on the wetness of water was so good, so where's your beef?

I might be wrong of course, and I have already clearly underestimated the immense potential of confusion and destruction of this man. But it is a fact that he did not want to give interviews and now he seems unable to live without – or without the letter-writing in answer to newspaper articles, which amounts to the same -, so one wonders what might have happened that made him change his mind.

We are being punished.

Mundabor

 

Catechism For German (And Other) Bishops

1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ – “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” the Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God's law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.

2382 The Lord Jesus insisted on the original intention of the Creator who willed that marriage be indissoluble. He abrogates the accommodations that had slipped into the old Law. Between the baptized, “a ratified and consummated marriage cannot be dissolved by any human power or for any reason other than death.”

2383 The separation of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law. If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.

2384 Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death. Divorce does injury to the covenant of salvation, of which sacramental marriage is the sign. Contracting a new union, even if it is recognized by civil law, adds to the gravity of the rupture: the remarried spouse is then in a situation of public and permanent adultery:

The Pope, The Interview And The Holocaust

Vatican observers were puzzled about Hitler's involvement in the Holocaust.

It is a well-known fact that Hitler never signed any document directly related to the Holocaust. Being evil, but smart, he knew that by doing so the future generations would have no shortage of stupid supporters ready to believe he had never anything to do with it, just because it is convenient to them to think so. They will – and they actually did; and still do – fabricate in their mind the legend of the evil people staging the Holocaust behind the back of the good-natured, unknowing Führer who was, in fact, always so nice with everyone, and loved his dog so much.

The wolves, you see. It's always the wolves. When some people put into their heads that someone they like cannot have taken certain decisions they don't, they will go to extraordinary lengths to try to let reality match their delusion.

An even worse degree of delusion is happening with the current Pontiff. There is no doubt he has approved the content of the Repubblica interview. The newspaper stated it, and Father Rosica also confirmed it on the Vatican's side.

This gives everyone a degree of certainty about who is responsible for the interview that vastly, vastly exceeds the certainty every reasonable, thinking person must have that Hitler was the driving force behind the Holocaust.

Still, the last desperate defence is the complete, total, utterly drunken denial of reality. Francis has approved, but has he read the interview before he did? Basically, in order not to admit the man is a walking heresy some people are ready to concede he might be so irresponsibly stupid as to approve the text of an interview that will be read worldwide, and of which he knows no recordings or notes exist, without even reading it. God knows I am not a great admirer of the intellectual faculties of Jorge Bergoglio, but this defies every notion of common sense.

Not only this: this delirious train of thoughts must assume that Francis has not read the interview even after it was published; and not even after it was clear all the Catholic world was in shock following the publication.

Therefore, the thinking goes as follows: “We know Francis has approved the interview, but we do not know whether he has read it. We also know the interview was published and read worldwide, but we are not sure he got the newspaper. The newspaper might well have reached his desk, but we do not know whether he has opened it. Yes, he might have opened the newspaper, but we do not know whether he read the actual words. Yes, it was suggested to him he should read what all the world was reading as attributed to him, but we are not sure he was listening“.

As I pen this we write the 9 October 2013.

Francis still hasn't retracted a word.

Make no mistake, those who think Francis “has not read” have no doubts about who is behind the Holocaust.

Thinking is suspended only when the problem is called Francis.

Mundabor

 

So-Called Same Sex Marriages: Pope Francis Files For Spiritual Chapter 11

Mundabor's Blog

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

In his remarks to Welby, Francis said he hoped they could collaborate in promoting the sacredness of life “and the stability of families founded on marriage.” He noted that Welby had recently spoken out on the issue, a reference to his House of Lords speech.

Significantly, though, Francis didn’t specify that marriage should be based on a union between a man and woman, which is how Benedict XVI and John Paul II routinely defined it in a way that made clear their opposition to same-sex marriage.

Vatican officials said Francis’ phrasing was a diplomatic attempt to make his point without making a provocative pronouncement, particularly during an inaugural meeting with Welby that was aimed at getting to know one another. Francis though has steered clear of the gay marriage debate as it has recently roiled France and Britain, and in general has refrained from making headline-grabbing…

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“Nuns Must Not Be Too Spiritual”, Says Francis

Too spiritual, says Pope. And the smile is not good enough.

Bishop Francis went to Assisi, and found some nuns who weren't smiling enough.

I believe them, with a Pontiff as the one they have to endure.

Still, it seems they tried. They smiled to him like a flight attendant, or so.

Not good enough, said the “non-judgmental” Pontiff. Try again.

He might have sensed the nuns didn't have an extremely high opinion of him, because he also said to them

“Nuns must not be too spiritual, and must endeavour to be experts in humanity in order that convent life is not purgatory,”

Ah, that's the problem. The smile was too spiritual. Not worldly enough.

After this astonishing show of… worldliness, the Pontiff who does not tolerate smiles that aren't after his liking has to say:

“Know how to forgive, how to tolerate each other because the devil takes every opportunity to divide us. Nurture friendships with each other and family life. And don't brag!”

All this comes from a source calling itself a “Catholic news source”. I can't avoid thinking Francis saw the dislike in their smiles, and had to retort “off-the-cuff”.

I might be wrong, though. This is just an “off-the-cuff” observation. Very fashionable nowadays.

Still, I truly hope it's not true.

Mundabor