Let Us Pray for the Repose of the Soul of Pope Francis and for the Election of a Holy Pope.

The editor of OnePeterFive has a very interesting article speculating about the death of Pope Francis. Let us pray, his imaginary deathbed confession was true. It does not wipe away all the damage Francis did during his papacy, but perhaps it can spark in our hearts a desire for his salvation and a sense of compassion. 

Pornocracy Part 2: The Coming Reign of Antichrist

Noah's Sacrifice (1847-53) by Irish painter Daniel Maclise

Remember when God lost His patience with the sinful world and told Noah to build an ark? He sent a flood which, like baptism, cleansed the world for a time. He set the rainbow in the sky as a sign of his never-ending love. But nothing surprises God. He knew man would continue to rebel.

The History of "Pornocracy" in the Church. Hint: It Didn't Begin with Pope Francis.

Storm clouds over the Church are nothing new. Don't panic. Pray harder!

Several sedevacantists like to haunt my blog and try to convince me that Francis cannot be the pope. No matter how many times I refuse to jump on their bandwagon, they pursue their single-minded message. I don't post their comments any more. They have nothing new to say.

Now, to be fair, maybe they're right, but I remain unconvinced due to the history of the Church and the papacy. If the Church and the papal throne had been occupied over the millennia by saints (and nothing but), perhaps I could agree. But evil popes are not a rarity and, even good popes often had bad men as advisors, some of whom waited in the wings hoping to "win" in the next conclave.

Vatican II is Ancient History for Today's Young Catholics.

How much do most Catholics know about all the Vatican councils of history? We hear about the Council of Trent and its significance in refuting many of the errors of the Protestant revolution. It revitalized the Church and cleared up ambiguities resulting from the spread of heresy. The importance and impact of Trent have echoed and re-echoed down through the centuries. But have most Catholics even heard of most of the other twenty councils? Maybe they remember the Council of Jerusalem since it's mentioned in Acts of the Apostles. Perhaps they faintly recall the Council of Nicaea. "Oh yes, Nicaea gave us the creed we say at Mass." How about the four councils of Constantinople and the two councils of Lyon or the councils of Chalcedon and Ephesus.  Could they describe a single thing rising out of them? I sure can't without looking them up.

Really! Is Everything Realeased by the Vatican Put through the Spin Machine?

UPDATE: From Steve Skojec - Personal Thoughts on the Benedict Correspondence

We've all been hearing how heartily Pope Emeritus Benedict endorsed the theological writings of Pope Francis. He's a brilliant theologian don't you know?

Well, it now appears that the famous Benedict letter was doctored, that Pope Benedict hasn't read Pope Francis' works, and that the Vatican wasn't satisfied with the kind words he DID say, so they just conveniently put a fake spin on the letter.

Pope Francis and the Eclipse of the Sun of Catholic Truth

OnePeterFive is always thought-provoking and is one of my favorite websites. Steve Skojec wrote an article today about the eclipse of the sun using the heavenly event as a metaphor. Quoting a priest friend who encouraged him in his discouragement (Isn't that a common state for faithful Catholics these days?), he wrote:

When the Tail Wags the Dog...Be Careful Whom You Trust.

How many untruths have you swallowed whole today? How many have you "forwarded?"

OnePeterFive has an important article by Steve Skojec about a website that claimed to provide inside information about scandalous goings on at the Vatican. And Just Like That, Fra Cristoforo Vanished