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| This photo may be from a satire site, but all the smoke Francis blows is no joke! |
When a bad pope sits on Peter's throne, faithful Catholics can't trust him. When he speaks with the mind of the Church, one can assent to his pronouncements. But, when, as this pope often does, the smoke of Satan pours out of his mouth like the smoke from a villain's cigarette, the faithful have a duty not only to ignore him, but shout a resounding NO!
St. Thomas Aquinas said it well, “There being an imminent danger for the Faith, Prelates must be questioned, even publicly, by their subjects." Amen to that!
So where DO we go to have our faith nourished?
The answer there is simple as well. We must go to those we know to be trustworthy: the Fathers of the Church, good popes who defended the faith with courage, and the writings of the saints, theologians and teachers whose voices uphold the perennial teachings of Holy Mother Church.
One of those voices belongs to Pope Emeritus Benedict, and First Things author, Elizabeth Mitchell, says that Benedict, a reliable voice for the Church, did, in fact, answer the Dubia!
Thank you, Pope Emeritus Benedict. We recognize in you, the constant teaching of Holy Mother Church. May God continue to bless you as you present clear teaching we can trust!
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| The Dubia Cardinals were ignored by Pope Francis, but Benedict's response is clear as a bell! |
Perhaps it was because Notre-Dame de Paris was burning. Perhaps it was because the best place to hide something from view is in plain sight. Or perhaps it was because we look for power in wind, earthquake, and fire, but miss the “still small voice” of God when He passes by. (1 Kgs 19:11-13)
Whatever the reason, the world watched, read, and missed the answers to the dubia proposed by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his April essay, “The Church and the Scandal of Sexual Abuse.”
In offering a three-part response to the crisis in the Church, he indirectly answers the five dubia that Cardinals Brandmüller, Caffarra, Meisner, and Burke presented years ago to Pope Francis. The pope emeritus fulfilled a duty that Pope Francis has not, namely, to maintain the bishops and all the faithful in the unity of the Church’s constant teaching on faith and morals.
What did the pope emeritus say? He gives the Church and the world an unequivocal No, Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes. Five questions, five answers:
[Continue reading....]Mitchell illustrates unequivocally the fact that Benedict answered the Dubia cardinals with forthright clarity. Unlike his successor whose statements generally obfuscate and throw the gasoline of confusion on the fire, Benedict speaks according to the scripture admonition to say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no.
Those Catholics who love the truth will have no trouble finding it if they cling to the perennial teachings of the Church throughout the ages. Truth doesn't change no matter how many men like Pope Francis, Cardinal Marx, Blase Cupich, James Martin and others of their ilk try to make the case for modernism!
Let us all frequently pray to the Holy Spirit begging: "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth."
Mary Ann, that picture of Pope Francis, the Vicar of Christ, is crude and disrespectful. If you saw such a picture of one of your heroes, like Cardinal Burke, you would be screaming bloody murder. Yet you think it is okay to post this of the Holy Father. You should be ashamed of yourself. You need to go to confession for posting that.
ReplyDeleteI thought you weren't coming to my blog any more, Mary.
ReplyDeleteIs the satirical photo of the pope smoking a cigarette (which is not immoral) more disrespectful than the REAL pictures of Pope Francis using the stang at Mass? Or wearing the horrible gay-looking vestments at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland? Or getting down to kiss the feet of the African warlords when he almost never genuflects for the Lord of the Universe?
As for me going to Confession, who are you to judge? Isn't judging the state of another person's soul what Christ said not to do? Despite our many disagreements, I would never have the audacity to tell you to go to Confession for something you put on your blog which I stopped visiting ages ago.
Mary Ann, love your blog.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm glad the Pope Emeritus answered the Dubia, I can't figure out why it matters. Any faithful bishop/Cardinal knows the correct answers. As much as I love B16, he resigned and removed himself from office so his words have no authority.
What am I missing?
Bravo to Mary Ann K. for her demolition of 'Catholic in Brooklyn'.... 'Mary' is known to you it seems. Will she have the courage to meet your challenge? It will make interesting reading if she tried.
ReplyDeleteI think it does matter, Colleen, because people are so confused and need a clear voice. Benedict has the authority and respect of his history and by virtue of his priesthood. All priest are called to teach, govern and sanctify their flocks and Benedict is still an Apostle.
ReplyDeleteWe look to the authority of the early Church Fathers, not all of whom were popes. And we recognize the authority of encyclicals and documents. I heard a story once about an Irish mother who told her children that the way you can distinguish between a good priest and a bad priest is that good priests teach what the Church has always taught. Wise words indeed. Truth doesn't change despite the claims of modernists like Fr. James Martin and some of our dissenting bishops.
And thank you, Geoff, for your comment. I have no interest in Mary's "demolition." I used to engage with her, but she is convinced that her approach to the faith is the only correct one. She told me not to criticize bishops while she lambasted the Dubia Cardinals. I decided debate with her was pointless because the only arguments she hears are her own and every time I responded she twisted what I said. So I pray for her and decided to save my energy to fight the evils in the Church and in the culture. I hope you'll pray for her and me too. As I told my spiritual director, I don't want to spend more time in Purgatory (or even go to hell) for what I'm doing. He hasn't recommended I stop and I trust his judgment more than Mary's.
True Colleen, however, he (and many others )still calls himself Pope, albeit Pope Emeritus.
ReplyDeleteHe still wears the Papal white and...
he still lives within the Vatican and...
given the taint/smell of corruption undercutting the election of Pope Francis attested to by (one of Pope Francis' very own underlings, recently deceased) Cardinal Daneels, it all adds to the Confusion rampant in this Papacy.
At the moment there appear to be two Popes
Emeritus sets my heart on fire. Fake Pope Discreditus not at all.
ReplyDeleteIf it's a mortal sin to post a picture of Bergoglio smoking, then what about Pope Pius XII, who DID smoke?
ReplyDeleteCatholic in Brooklyn has a cartoon picture of Jesus on her blog. Isn't that "crude and disrespectful"?
ReplyDeletehttps://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yC_TpZ5twjc/W8NbBzzzlCI/AAAAAAAAXNQ/XG8a_k_MQZ4L1iIrHFki_j33EbSAK9jugCLcBGAs/s1600/jesus-was-not-a-republican-or-democrat.gif
She's just a liberal who has fallen in love with Francis and is invoking sharia law for whatever SHE deems crude and disrespectful. Liberal Catholics are like Islam in that way.
Have you visited Ann's site today? Another Catholic has come out in support that Benedict is Pope. Could very well be why he had answered the dubia.
ReplyDeleteThanks all. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete