Connecticut Catholic Corner: Did Michael Voris just call Pope Francis a "Pollyanna"?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Did Michael Voris just call Pope Francis a "Pollyanna"?

On September 16^th Pope Francis said: “the Church has never been in better shape, and is experiencing a very positive moment.”

Really Pope Francis?

In the 2,000+ years of the Catholic Church you believe “the Church has never been in better shape”?

With ONLY 25% of Catholics thinking the Eucharist is the most important Sacrament the Church has to offer... that's the BEST the Church has ever been??

God help us all if that's true!

Catholic News quote (2008): “Asked which sacrament was most meaningful in their lives, 39 percent of respondents named baptism, 26 percent said marriage and 25 percent named the Eucharist. Among those who said they attended Mass weekly or more often, 52 percent said the Eucharist was most meaningful in their lives.
The study also divided respondents into four generations in relation to the Second Vatican Council: pre-Vatican II, comprised of those born before 1943; Vatican II, born between 1943 and 1960; post-Vatican II, born 1961 to 1981; and millennial Catholics, born after 1981.
While those of the first three generations chose the Eucharist as their most meaningful sacrament, 43 percent of the millennial Catholics said marriage was the sacrament most meaningful to them.
The survey of 1,007 self-identified adult Catholics was commissioned by the U.S. bishops' Department of Communications and conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University in Washington. A 178-page report on the results was released April 13.” [end]

The percentage of Catholics who had made their first Communion ranged from 99 percent of pre-Vatican II Catholics to 85 percent of millennial Catholics. For first confession, the range was from 98 percent of the oldest generation to 84 percent of the youngest generation.
Only 2 percent of Catholics across all generations said they participated in the sacrament of reconciliation once a month or more, 12 percent said they did several times a year, 12 percent said they did once a year, 30 percent said less than once a year and 45 percent said they never made a sacramental confession.
The CARA report, titled "Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics," summarized responses to a wide range of questions about Catholics' attitudes toward and participation in the Mass and the sacraments, their knowledge of the Catholic faith, their views on church leadership and teachings, and whether they pray the rosary, carry religious objects or have pictures of Mary hanging in their homes.
Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco, who authorized the study as chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Communications, said the results would offer guidance to church leaders.
"It reveals good will, healthy attitudes toward neighbor and an openness to the church among young Catholics," he said in a news release. "Yet it also points out a need for greater efforts in education for both adults and young people."
[end]

And even more …

“While 95 percent of Catholics in the pre-Vatican II generation and 91 percent of the Vatican II generation said they had been confirmed, only 79 percent of post-Vatican II Catholics and 69 percent of millennial Catholics said they had received the sacrament of confirmation." [end]

Source: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0801965.htm

I don’t know what statistics or data Pope Francis is looking at, but I don’t believe from looking at those facts that the Church is “better now that ever before”. And when I heard Michael Voris’ The Vortex today, I couldn’t help but wonder if his comments were directed at Pope Francis as well as some Bishops in the Church.

On September 18^th, Michael Voris in his episode of The Vortex said:

“And to those who keep their Pollyanna heads stuck in the sand saying how well things are going .. wake up and realize that in a few short years there will be virtually nothing left of the Church.She is being transformed by traitors and the few faithful Catholics that are left or will be left – will be the object of persecution by this man developed institution that has little or no resemblance to the Holy Catholic Church other than a few outward decorations .. the purpose of which will be to keep up appearances – exactly like Queen Elizabeth I of England did nearly 500 years ago.She gutted the Church but kept it LOOKING catholic so the stupid masses wouldn’t notice a real difference.These types of stories are legion .. of unfaithful bishops, traitors to the faith .. desirous of rebuilding and re-shaping the Church in their own image. Some are obvious, others are very clever and crafty – a cleverness and craftiness that we can only pray they have abandoned before they meet Our Blessed Lord at their deaths.” [end]