Is Pope Francis Catholic?

Honestly, I wonder sometimes if Pope Francis is truly Catholic. I know I am certainly not the first to bring this up, and tragically, more than likely won't be the last.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I have the wrong idea of what being Catholic means. 

Has the Church changed so much that what She used to teach and ask of all the Faithful is no more?

Our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the Great Commission... 

Matthew 28 [18] "And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. [19] Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world." 

Yet we have a pope who has stated on more than one occasion and proven on more occasions than I can count at the moment, that he has ZERO interest in converting anyone to the Catholic Faith. 

Why?  

Should not our Holy Father be like the disciples in the Bible and so many of our wonderful Saints who risked all to convert people in order to save their souls? 

What's the point in being pope if you don't save souls? 

Should not soul saving be a pope's primary duty in order to do what Christ asked of us all? 

I just don't understand this pope. 

Perhaps Francis thinks that the "spirit of dialogue and friendship which allows the followers of the world’s religions to work together to open new paths for peace in our human family" is how people become Catholic these days. 

That quote is part of a letter Pope Francis sent to Venerable Koei Morikawa, the Supreme Priest of the Tendai Buddhist Denomination recently. 

Is the "spirit of dialogue" anything like the "spirit of Vatican II"? 😕

Why would we want to "open new paths for peace in our human family" without conversion? Isn't the point of our lives here on earth to get us and all those we can to eternal life with Christ in Heaven? 

Who gives a rats ass about our "new path for peace in our human family" on earth if we end up in Hell? 

I have to ask (and I'd love to one day hear Pope Francis' answer)... does Pope Francis believe the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation? 

If he does, he's sure got a funny way of showing it... 

I truly believe that Pope Francis doesn't want to bring anyone into the Catholic Church. I think he believes the watered down, protestantized version of "catholicism" that is being toted about these days. The "Jesus is all love, and he'd never allow anyone to go to hell- and if he did, it would only be for a short time" crowd. 

That's not Catholic, its Protestant.

Pope Francis' definition of prayer is off-kilter too. 

Quote: “[prayer]inspires and sustains our efforts for peace, because it helps to deepen our reciprocal respect for each other as persons, strengthens the bonds of love between us, and spurs us to make decisive efforts towards promoting just relations and fraternal solidarity.”

Pope Francis' definition of prayer replaces God with men! It's all about men getting along for peace with other men and the love between them. Where's God? Shouldn't interfaith prayer be about people coming together to God, rather than "just relations and fraternal solidarity" among themselves? Again, where is God in all this? What's the point without God?

How is that definition of prayer even Catholic? Heck, that's not even mainline Protestantism! It's New Age! 

Where is Our Lord's Great Commission that He entrusted to His Catholic Church? 

Shouldn't all our "dialogue" be about converting people...saving souls? If they don't want to hear it, we do what Our Lord said and "shake the dust" off our feet [Matthew 10:14] and move on to the next. Time is short and souls are being lost while we embrace "the spirit of dialogue and friendship" minus God! Pointless! 

Has the Catholic Church under Pope Francis become the Church of Dialogue for Just Relations with no Conversion? What about souls going to Hell? 

"When you see a condemned man on his way to the gallows, it moves you to pity. If you could do something to free him, you would do it. Well, brothers and sisters, when I see a person in mortal sin, I see someone drawing nearer with every step to the gallows of hell. And seeing him in this unhappy state, I happen to know the way to free him: that he be converted to God, ask God's pardon, and make a good confession. Woe betide me if he does not." - St. Anthony Mary Claret

Our pope speaks bluntly and aggressively about the woes of our planet. He writes encyclicals warning us about global warming and the need to save our planet, yet says NOTHING about converting people and saving souls from eternal damnation. Why?

I want to know why our pope works so hard to save the planet yet refuses to tell the world we must be about Our Lord's business of saving souls. 

This is how it's done: 

[1] And having called his twelve disciples together, he gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases, and all manner of infirmities. [2] And the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, [3] James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James the son of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, [4] Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. [5] These twelve Jesus sent: commanding them, saying: Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles, and into the city of the Samaritans enter ye not.
[6] But go ye rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [7] And going, preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. [8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils: freely have you received, freely give. [9] Do not possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses: [10] Nor scrip for your journey, nor two coats, nor shoes, nor a staff; for the workman is worthy of his meat.
[11] And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide till you go thence. [12] And when you come into the house, salute it, saying: Peace be to this house. [13] And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace shall return to you. [14] And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet. [15] Amen I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
[16] Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves. [17] But beware of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. [18] And you shall be brought before governors, and before kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles: [19] But when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak. [20] For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh in you."-Matthew 10

That is what Our Lord taught us. Go out and save souls.

Saint John of the Cross quote: "I am also driven to preach without ceasing by the sight of the throngs of souls who are falling into hell - for it is of faith that all who die in mortal sin are damned. It is estimated that about eighty thousand die each day, and how many of them die in mortal sin and hence are damned? As the saying goes, "talis vita, finis ita" - your death will be as your life has been. Behold how many there are who are called, and how few who are chosen! And behold, if you have no care for yourself, your perdition is more certain than your amendment, especially since the way that leads to eternal life is so narrow."

I wish our Holy Father would remember that Great Commission wasn't about saving the planet, its about saving souls from eternal damnation.



In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



Catholic Catechism: 2559 "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God." 2 But when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or "out of the depths" of a humble and contrite heart? 3 He who humbles himself will be exalted; 4 humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that "we do not know how to pray as we ought," 5 are we ready to receive freely the gift of prayer. "Man is a beggar before God." 6


Links: 

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-sends-letter-to-interfaith-prayer-mee

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1.htm

http://www.drbo.org/chapter/47028.htm

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html