The Legacy of Pope Francis: Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

Diane Montagna's recent blockbuster exposé illustrates what we all know. Pope Francis was a liar and a tyrant, bent on eliminating the TLM (Traditional Latin Mass). He didn't mind breaking the 8th Commandment to do it. 

Journalist Obtains Exclusive Access to World Report on Summorum Pontificum: Francis' Restrictions Based on Lies

Pope Francis lied to the world about the bishops' responses to the survey about implementing the TLM in their dioceses. The survey responses almost universally showed a positive impact with recommendations to leave Summorum Pontificum alone. Parishes using both forms, the TLM and the Novus Ordo, had little or no division among parishioners and the TLM tended to increase reverence at the Novus Ordo. That didn't stop lying Francis from issuing Traditiones Custodes with its draconian repressions.

Frankly, I wonder if there are more divisions in parishes offering hybrid bi-lingual liturgies where the entire congregation doesn't understand half the Mass. There was no such problem when Latin was recognized as the language of the Church. People learned many of the prayers and sang the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei and even the Creed. And the missal made the Mass accessible to anyone who could read. The atmosphere of reverence made just being there a prayer uniting oneself to God's love!

The Vatican, of course, is now practicing damage control, not very convincingly. Rorate Caeli described their attempts in their article, The Shifting Sands of Traditionis custodes:

The only defense the TC defenders are left with is that the Pope does not need to listen to any advice he receives; he is completely free to do whatever he wants. In this they are correct, but there are consequences to such freedom. To see this, let us engage in a thought exercise: what if, in the accompanying letter for Traditionis custodes, the Pope stated that what he was considering was a position most bishops did not hold, but that he nonetheless felt compelled to take? He wouldn’t include that because it would obviously sabotage the effectiveness of the decree, by pointing out that a majority were opposed. It is why the spin for a long time was that a majority did in fact support it, going off of the Pope’s own framing of the matter.

A comparison to the commission Paul VI convened to discuss birth control does not prove what they think it does. A reasonable case could be made that while a majority of the commission favored changing Church teaching on birth control, a majority of the world's bishops at the time did not favor changing it. Here, in 2020, we have reasonable grounds to believe a majority of the world's bishops opposed Traditionis custodes -- and still do. How long, as Pope, do you keep a discipline in place that most of your fellow bishops oppose?

Another blow to TC and Pope Francis' reputation has come out with the publication of a book released just days ago,  The Liturgy Is Not a Show: The Questionnaire to Bishops on the Old Rite — A Weapon of Mass Destruction? The book was scheduled for an October release, but the date was pushed up after Montagna's article. Currently it's only in Italian but Catholicism.org provided some additional data in their AI generated article, Leaked Report Grows: New Book Blows Hole in Traditionis Custodes Narrative:

• The book contains the sections Montagna had previously published: the “Overall Assessment” of the survey results and a collection of quotes (“Florilegium“) from bishops’ responses. It also includes a previously undisclosed section: the CDF’s detailed summaries on the implementation of Summorum Pontificum continent by continent and country by country. [Emphasis in original]

• This newly revealed section provides specific data. For example, it notes that 65% of U.S. dioceses responded to the survey, with 62% of those bishops reporting that the Extraordinary Form (EF) met a genuine pastoral need and led to a fruitful faith life for attendees.

The AI article summarizes saying, "With the release of this new book, almost the entire second part of the CDF’s official report on the 2020 survey of bishops has now been made public, challenging the official rationale given for the restrictions in Traditionis Custodes."

Sounds like it's time for the Blue Fairy to come down and challenge the Pinnochios at the Vatican whose noses are a foot long. Let's face it, Francis was not alone in his attack on the TLM and the Mass wreckers are still with us!

What's next? With the truth made public, will it make a difference? What will Pope Leo do? 

A few days ago, a parish in Texas, St. Margaret of Scotland in San Angelo, was granted an exemption from the TC restrictions for two years. [Source]  Is this just the beginning? It gives cause for hope:

News of St. Margaret’s exemption comes after the Archdiocese of Detroit announced earlier this month that non-parish churches in the archdiocese will be allowed to continue celebrating the TLM despite an earlier statement saying that most of the TLM celebrated in the area would be suspended.

The archdiocese reported that permissions given to parish church priests to carry out the TLM would expire and they could not be renewed, but Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said he would recognize at least four non-parish locations in the archdiocese where the TLM could still be celebrated.

There are many clerical enemies of the TLM in the U.S., but they can't frustrate the will of God. I have no doubt that the continuation of the Mass of Ages, what truly can be called the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will continue. Will it be in underground locations? Or will Pope Leo bring this saint making sacrifice that helps atone for sin be welcomed back into the heart of the Church. Time will tell. Prayer and sacrifice will help -- all through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.