Pope Francis May Have Refused to Answer the Dubia, but This Author Says Benedict DID!

This photo may be from a satire site, but all
the smoke Francis blows is no joke!

Which leads one to ask -- Who is the real authority speaking in persona Christi? I think the answer is pretty simple.

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!

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.

Guest Post: Cardinal Meisner, Pope Benedict and the Leaky Bark of Peter

Benedict XVI: The Bark of Peter is Sinking

By David Martin

The Church continues to lament the passing of Cardinal Meisner of Cologne, who was an outspoken opponent of Amoris Laetita which breaks with tradition by allowing divorced and civilly remarried people to receive Communion. Surprisingly, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI sent a letter of tribute to be read at Meisner's funeral on July 15. In the letter he says:

Tell Us Something We Don't Know, Pope Emeritus Benedict.

Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II

Two big problems according to the former pope:

1) People go to hell, (Somebody tell Bishop Robert Barron!) but modern Catholics have lost the sense of sin and the necessity of baptism for salvation. "Without this attentiveness to salvation, the Faith loses its foundation," Pope Benedict says. 

2) Because of the "evolution" of the dogma, "Outside the Church there is no salvation," which has essentially been dumped since Vatican II, the Church has lost its missionary zeal. In Pope Benedict's words, “any motivation for a future missionary commitment was removed.” (Amen to that. I'm okay; you're okay; we're all okay!)