What Pope Leo must do -- a laundry list offered by an old Vatican hand who wrote a book five years ago about "Leading Cardinal Candidates" with nothing in it about a man named Prevost . . .
Pope Francis, who “famously” advocated “making a mess, applied that maxim to his pontificate, making it highly disruptive, divisive and tumultuous.”
Yes, there was rarely a dull moment during the reign of the man from Argentina.
“The mess generated much understandable unease,” said Pentin, “consternation and, at times, disgust, especially as such a deliberate approach to governance has never been consistent with the Catholic faith, the common good, Divine Revelation, and the natural law.”
Breaking new ground was not a problem for Francis.
But there was a “flipside,” said Pentin, that “like stirring a pot . . . brought plenty of what had lain hidden in the darkness to the surface.”
In pursuit of avenues for Pope Leo to follow, he named ten “possible priorities.” The first of these — discussed here — is to return the papacy to its role as “Source of Sound Doctrine and Unity,” as opposed to Pope Francis, who “did much to try to bring the Church to the peripheries, the poor and the marginalized in an attempt to make her accessible to those who might not have given her a second glance.”
Church faced a clear choice between being a church that “goes out” or a church focused on its internal affairs.
With ten years at the helm of the Catholic Church under his belt, Pope Francis has become a globally beloved and respected figure, but he has also generated more than his fair share of controversy — much of which, thanks to social media, has played out visibly in real time.
After an initial “honeymoon phase” following Francis’s election, which he himself predicted wouldn’t last long, slowly a cascade of criticism began to flow in when he started his serious decision-making, and it became clear there was a major shift in tone from the previous two pontificates.
Easter Week, 2019, a group of Catholic scholars and priests has written an open letter to the College of Bishops accusing Pope Francis of heresy.
The letter . . . accuses [him] of a comprehensive rejection of Catholic teaching on marriage and sexual activity, on the moral law, and on grace and the forgiveness of sins" and is framed as the third step in a process that began with a private letter to the cardinals and Eastern Catholic patriarchs in 2016.
“ . . . issuing statements that at least appeared to run contrary to established Church teaching — especially her moral teaching, and promoting indifferentism — the idea that all religions are valid paths to God.
What did Pope Francis say in Singapore about religions as paths to God?
The pontiff’s recent remarks to a group of young people have caused a furor and some accusations of religious indifferentism.
“Together with a push towards synodality, in which uncatechized faithful had a significant say in a broad democratization of the Church, this led to doctrinal confusion in the Vatican and elsewhere, the Church in Germany being a prime example.
400,000 Germans quit Catholic Church as talks between Vatican, Synodal Way continue
“Together with a failure to correct error and heresy, a trend that began before the Francis pontificate, the integrity of the faith has been undermined.
Even prior to the opening of the pre-conclave General Congregations, the Eternal City has entered into a state of effervescence. The question has arisen as to whether the 135 cardinal electors, nearly 80% of whom were appointed by Francis, will bring to the pontificate a man whose governance will be in the same vein, or, on the contrary, a cardinal with a will to compromise, who will take into account the grievances of the conservatives, to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the state of the forces present. If left at that, however, restoring the lost unity would not be on the agenda. The post-Vatican II popes ultimately failed to restore this unity, both the popes of “restoration”, John Paul II and above all Benedict XVI, and Francis, the pope of “progress”. A pope espousing a more tempered version of progress would likewise fail.
Commentators of every school, if for different reasons, with the possible exception of Father Spadaro, SJ, agree that this pontificate is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe.
1. The Successor of St. Peter is the rock on which the Church is built, a major source and cause of worldwide unity. Historically (St. Irenaeus), the Pope and the Church of Rome have a unique role in preserving the apostolic tradition, the rule of faith, in ensuring that the Churches continue to teach what Christ and the apostles taught. Previously it was: “Roma locuta. Causa finita est.” Today it is: “Roma loquitur. Confusio augetur.”
“Connected with this, the next pope will need to cease and root out persecution . . .
. . . of Friars of the Immaculate Continues
14 December AD 2013
The persecution, I do not think that is too strong a word for it, of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate continues apace. Go here to Rorate Caeli to read the infuriating details. Here are Father Z’s thoughts: . . .
“and elimination of institutions, movements, bishops, . . .
‘Vocation boom’ French bishop resigns at pope’s request
Bishop Dominique Rey announced Tuesday that he is stepping down as Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon — Jan 07, 2025
A French bishop who oversaw a vocations boom in his diocese but was criticized for his governance style resigned Tuesday at Pope Francis’ request.
Bishop Dominique Rey announced Jan. 7 that he was stepping down as Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, southern France, hours before the Vatican confirmed his resignation.
At 72, Rey is three years below the typical retirement age for diocesan bishops.
Following Rey’s appointment to the Fréjus-Toulon diocese in 2000, the diocese gained a reputation for welcoming new communities from across the ecclesiastical spectrum, including traditionalist groups. . . .
“. . . clergy and laity who evidently bear good and ample fruits in terms of reverence, spiritual life, fidelity to Catholic doctrine, and vocations.”
VATICAN CITY — “I had no rights,” said Eugenio Hasler, a former lay official who worked at the highest levels of the Governorate of Vatican City State, the Vatican’s principal administrative office.
A respected official, dismissed in 2017 for no formal reason after a decade of service, Hasler was allegedly let go because he called attention to alleged corruption of his superior.
He was summoned to the Pope’s Santa Marta residence where the Holy Father asked him several questions before dismissing him and awarding Hasler’s superior more responsibility the following day.
Francis knew his enemies and went after them. The new pope, on the other hand . . .
“. . . should allow any such persons or entities to grow and flourish rather than be cancelled — contrary to what often took place under Pope Francis where those who abused doctrine, moral teaching and the liturgy went unpunished and were allowed to thrive:
Pope sends letter to Fr. James Martin on homosexuality and sin
Pope Francis pens a letter to Jesuit Fr. James Martin explaining his recent comments in an interview with AP that “being homosexual is not a crime”, saying he was referring to Catholic doctrine that teaches that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin.
By Vatican News
“I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin.”
Pope Francis penned those words in response to a letter from Father James Martin, SJ, who carries out his apostolate among the LGBTQ community in the United States.
The American Jesuit had written to the Holy Father following his recent interview with the Associated Press.
The Pope's handwritten response in Spanish was posted on Father Martin's website, along with a translation in English.
It was already clear from the context of the interview that the Pope had spoken of homosexuality, meaning in that case "homosexual acts" and not homosexuality itself.
In his letter, Pope Francis reiterated that his position is that of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as he had already said in his first interview with reporters on the flight back from Brazil in 2013 ("If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?").
Responding to Fr. Martin, the Pope stressed that, regarding sin, “one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.”
“I should have said ‘It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage’,” added the Pope. “This is to speak of ‘the matter’ of sin, but we know well that Catholic morality not only takes into consideration the matter, but also evaluates freedom and intention; and this, for every kind of sin.”
Prayers
Pope Francis went on in his letter to repeat that being homosexual is not a crime.
“I would tell whoever wants to criminalize homosexuality that they are wrong,” he wrote. “In a televised interview, where we spoke with natural and conversational language, it is understandable that there would not be such precise definitions.”
There are over 50 countries that hold out the possibility of legal sentences for homosexual people and some of these nations even employ the death penalty.
The Pope concluded his letter by assuring Fr. Martin that he prays for him and his work with the LGBTQ community.
“Please do the same for me,” he said.
So. Pope Leo should reverse these procedures — and when you get down to it, give us a papacy-preserving program.
