The pope spoke from his heart (A.K.A. "off-the-cuff" as opposed to pre-approved Vatican speeches) on a plane, and the usual chaos, confusion and mayhem ensued. From apologizing to gays for "offending them" with the faith, to calling priests "animals" the chaos continues.
Most Catholics are used to this by now, we don't like it, but it is to be expected coming from Francis. No surprise, just disappointment.
So Catholic media outlets (clergy and laity) opine their opinions, thoughts and feelings on what Francis has just said or done. That's the point of opinion editorials, blogs, etc.
For example:
1) EWTN National Catholic Register (Msgr. Charles Pope): One Priest’s Concern About Recent Remarks by the Pope (*recommend)
2) LifeSiteNews: Pope Francis misrepresents the Catechism on homosexuality
3) The Catholic Thing: Francis Fatigue
4) Hilary White: Ho hum… another plane presser, another “SHOCK!! HORROR!!!”
5) Creative Minority Report: Ugh. What Did Pope Francis Say Now?
6) OnePeterFive: Pope Francis Doubles Down on “Who am I to Judge?”
7) Re-Store DC Catholicism: From The Flighty Interview Department: Pope Says Christians Should Apologize To Gays For Not Coddling Them
8) Vox Cantoris: Jorge Bergoglio - You are a malefactor and unfit as Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, for what it is worth, I denounce you!
9) Catholic Family News (J.Vennari): The Last Straw: Pope Says Christians should apologize for helping to marginalize gays
10) And my own post: Pope Francis on another plane answering questions...what could go wrong?
Today Church Militant has decided to teach us all a lesson in the First Cardinal Virtue: Prudence. (*Note: No Catholic blog/website was called out by name by anyone on the panel*) And to be clear about where I stand with Church Militant, I absolutely love CM's The Download and I respect the folks at Church Militant even when I disagree with them. Today is just one of those days.
The first part of their show was very good, it was at about the 9:00 mark that things changed. Christine Niles began by pointing out how lacking so many Catholic bloggers and Catholic website owners are in prudence because we don't wait (like CM) for the Vatican to clear up and clean up Pope Francis' statements.
She says "there is a lot of zeal out there, but very little prudence" and "these Catholics are totally lacking in prudence"..."they don't wait until the dust settles to see, well does the pope change what he...correct himself", though she made it clear she believes we are "orthodox Catholics" and we "care about the Faith". Michael excuses the pope by saying "he's a man and can make all kinds of goofs".
Really Michael, "goofs"? :/
The panel then moved on to question Catholic bloggers, asking what is your goal in having a blog? They say they assume Catholic bloggers blog to share the Faith, but they question some Catholic bloggers intent because we "place doubt" in peoples minds about the pope.
Some do have blogs to share the Faith. Others just want to share thoughts and opinions on things- including the pope. And still others just want to vent and there are probably many other reasons a Catholic creates a Catholic blog.
Personally, I created this blog to battle the lies told about the Catholic Church and the Faith (see HERE and HERE and HERE). Because I was a convert and once believe these falsehoods I wanted to be a voice out there telling people (protestants mostly because I came out of that) the Truth.
And I think I still do that, but what I didn't expect when I began this blog was that I would be continually scandalized by Catholic clergy! So my blog expanded to not only share the Catholic faith, but also to point out the errors that some clergy were clearly promoting (see HERE and HERE and HERE).
Now here is where the irony sets in. This is exactly what Michael Voris went through when he began his apostolate! He's told the story many times. Voris started out wanting to share the Catholic faith and teach people, but quickly he discovered corruption and errors and generally a mess inside the Church, so his apostolate evolved to exposing these stories- hence his motto "The Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed".
So while CM refuses to publicly criticize a sitting pope (I respect their right to draw the line for their apostolate where ever they want) many other Catholic media outlets and blogs don't hold that same view.
And for that, I guess we are labelled "totally lacking in prudence".
If that is CM's opinion, that is fine with me. We see things differently when it comes to the pope.
In fact, I would say it is Pope Francis who needs the lesson in prudence...
2088 The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning against faith:Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief. Involuntary doubt refers to hesitation in believing, difficulty in overcoming objections connected with the faith, or also anxiety aroused by its obscurity. If deliberately cultivated doubt can lead to spiritual blindness. [Catholic Catechism]I guess you could say I also take my cues from some very wonderful Saints in the Church, like St. Robert Bellarmine.
I honestly believe Pope Francis (and yes, as Hilary White wrote at The Remnant, he is our valid pope unless a future pope says differently: more on that HERE) is "a Ponfiff who attacks the body" and is in fact trying "to destroy the Church" with his bizarre proclamations- I really don't think I need to list them again. I believe what Francis truly believes and thinks is what we get when he speaks "off-the-cuff", everything else is pre-written and pre-approved by the Vatican for him to say to make sure he says something authentic and orthodox.
That said, I want to be clear, I do NOT like having these thoughts, opinions and views on the pope. I hate it. I want so much to love and trust this pope, but I do not. And the sad truth is, I didn't from the moment he walked out on the balcony. I knew nothing about him at all, but felt...something wrong from day one- my friends were very upset with me for daring to voice my unease about this pope- but that is another story for another time. That first Holy Week, and those that followed, just reaffirmed my discontent with this pope and it continues today.
I pray for the pope and I hope that one day I won't feel like this, but right now I do. And I will use my Catholic blog to share not only the authentic Catholic Faith, but also my opinions and feelings on this (and any other) pope- even if that makes me "totally lacking in prudence".
May God bless us all and give us strength.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Catholic Catechism: Prudence
1788 To this purpose, man strives to interpret the data of experience and the signs of the times assisted by the virtue of prudence, by the advice of competent people, and by the help of the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
1806 Prudence is the virtue that disposes practical reason to discern our true good in every circumstance and to choose the right means of achieving it; "the prudent man looks where he is going." 65 "Keep sane and sober for your prayers." 66 Prudence is "right reason in action," writes St. Thomas Aquinas, following Aristotle. 67 It is not to be confused with timidity or fear, nor with duplicity or dissimulation. It is called auriga virtutum (the charioteer of the virtues); it guides the other virtues by setting rule and measure. It is prudence that immediately guides the judgment of conscience. The prudent man determines and directs his conduct in accordance with this judgment. With the help of this virtue we apply moral principles to particular cases without error and overcome doubts about the good to achieve and the evil to avoid.
1834 The human virtues are stable dispositions of the intellect and the will that govern our acts, order our passions, and guide our conduct in accordance with reason and faith. They can be grouped around the four cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
1835 Prudence disposes the practical reason to discern, in every circumstance, our true good and to choose the right means for achieving it.
Church Militant's The Download link: http://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/down-2016-06-27
Who even bothers with CMTV any more? They haven't been relevant since this crisis started...
ReplyDeleteThe Blogosphere is huge, so I am sure, somewhere, there are Catholic bloggers that are not prudent in their reporting of the "Verbal Adventures of Pope Francis"^tm.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the position that one has to wait until someone official in the Vatican corrects what Pope Francis said, thereby altering the historical record, is not a sound position nor a charitable position. The Holy Father deserves to have his words treated with the respect that they deserve, both in terms of the Office he holds and in terms of the content that they contain (these are distinct things!).
Pope Francis is not a prudent man when it comes to him answering questions from the press and this does lead other into rash action and being imprudent. But any imprudence on their part, those who react, is not precipitated by them, so if one should scorn those bloggers, then they must scorn Pope Francis.
It seems to me that treating Pope Francis as the demented Grandfather, whom one tries to excuse after his rambling by trying to shoehorn the verbiage into something sensible, and then going with life, is very disrespectful to the Grandfather. If one's Grandfather is sick, one, in charity, must speak up and get him help. If we love Pope Francis, and understand him to be OUR Pope, then we should pay him the honor and respect that he deserves BY speaking up and trying to get him help....trying to get him to preach the Catholic Faith. Pretending that he means well and "deep down" he is teaching the Faith, seems to be very very disrespectful.
Julie, thanks for posting this. While I'd like to watch the clip myself, I cannot justify paying for the premium subscription while they harbor this strange attitude towards us. As I've said on my own blog, I too respect their right to govern their sites and what goes on them. I just wish that respect was reciprocated when it comes to what we believe is the mission for our blogs. But take a gander at this. http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/justice-implies-righteous-anger
ReplyDeleteI for one found "St. Christopher"s comment to be very reasonable while the CM Moderator (Rafe?) to be very rude and condescending - not only to him but to us whose blogs he called "Catholic sewers".
Restore-DC-Catholicism @9:39PM
ReplyDeleteIndeed. CM's stubborn refusal to call out the pope's scandalous remarks—which they are in their full right to do—is what keeps me from signing up for their "premium membership."
Regarding the link: "St. Christopher's" comment, although critical of the Pope and his inner circle's actions, was respectful and, quite frankly, spot on. The moderator's retort was disrespectful and insulting. Which makes "St. Christopher" look all the more classy. And I guess the moderator would kick St. Paul off the CM com box as well [Galatians 2].
Your comment about Pope Francis and showing a lack of prudence is dead on. I have been thinking the same thing for some time now as well.
ReplyDeleteChristine Niles is a one to speak about not engaging prudence in awaiting clarification.
ReplyDeleteShe and her crew preempt Rome itself and did so most vociferously last year in smearing Archbishop LeFebvre and the whole of the Society of Saint Pius X. Not only casting judgement and declaring schism where none exists, but by scurrilously defaming individuals who would call them out in their error, even when the utmost charity was exercised.
Sorry, CMTV, but you have to practice what you preach or else your shows devolve into little more than the worship of the tin god of your own opinion. Not the Magisterium. And not the service of the Truth.
That said, there has still been no proof provided with regard to the diocese of New York in the claim that the powers-that-be were actively working to smear Michael Voris with a revelation about his past sins.
And Restore DC Catholicism is right on in pointing out:
"..I for one found "St. Christopher"s comment to be very reasonable while the CM Moderator (Rafe?) to be very rude and condescending - not only to him but to us whose blogs he called "Catholic sewers"."
The overarching message from CMTV, Julie, is "We are the ONLY news source and the only arbiters of true Catholicism." And this is, especially since the Voris revelation, seemingly based on a cult of personality wherein those at CMTV believe Voris to be some new creature who is even now not tempted to sins of the flesh.
Again, you may want to look at the manner in which Niles defends her man across the blogosphere. Not kosher.