Can the Pope Betray Us?

Nunc DE VERBI textus Missae Lectionum ingredi
quia October 8th, MMXIV

liturgicos hic

S infidelitas Petri by Michael D. O Brien

Re re tam magni momenti est, hanc commentationem, et ego mitto ad hoc verbum et mihi iam ex cotidiana legentibus, et eos qui de cibo spirituali, quia cogitatio Mailing List. Effingo accipitis, ideo. Propter hodie subiecti, hoc est aliquantulus longior quam solitum scribere; sed credo quia mihi cotidie ... legentibus necesse est.

I somnus noctis. Quae Romani vocant evigilavi "vigilia" temporis lucem. Ego coepit cogitare de omni emails ego accepto, exstinctis rumoribus audiunt me: et cogitationes, et reptilia in confusione non sunt, sicut lupi ... ex ore silva. Ita, audivi fuisse quae praedicta evidenter in corde meo Benedictus paulo post renuntiavit, qui ibant et nos intrare in tempore magna confusione. Et nunc sentio aliquantulus quasi pastor, tensio in Corpus meum, et arma mea non transibis Iordanem istum puerum virgam erexit obumbratio, ut gregis, qui custodiunt mihi dedit Deus feed cum "cibus spiritualis." Hodie me sentio tutela.

Quod autem lupi hic.

I grabbed my Rosary and sat in the living room, the sunrise still a couple hours away. I thought of the Synod on Family Life underway in Rome. And the words came to me, words that seem to carry a weight from another world:

Transit per Ecclesiae et futurae mundi et familia. -Saint SS Ioannes Paulus II, familiaris consortio,, N. XCVII

Without wanting to exaggerate, it seems as though this Synod is quietly acting like a sieve, sifting the hearts and minds of laymen and clergy alike, like wheat and chaff thrown up and into the winds of moral relativism. We may not see this immediately, but it is there, just beneath the surface.

And many are afraid that Pope Francis is pulvis.

He is a man who in his short reign has left no one comfortable. The progressive elements in the pews have waited for long sought after loosenings of the Church’s moral teachings… but the Pope talks more about the devil than doctrine. The conservative quarters have waited for a new hero in the cultural wars… but the Pope tells them to be less obsessed with moral issues and more possessed by Jesus. He has denounced abortion while washing a Muslim woman’s feet; he has warmly greeted atheists and Protestants while seemingly pushing away faithful cardinals; he has written and spoken like a fisherman rather than pontificated like a theologian; he has called the Church to poverty while overturning the money-changers’ tables.

Does this Pope’s actions remind anyone of Jesus?

For on the one hand, I hear of clergy who, like Matthew, have left behind their comforts to become more conformed to Christ’s poverty, as Francis has challenged them to. One priest sold his sports car and gave the proceeds to the poor. Another decided to use his current cellphone until it died. My own bishop quietly sold off his residence and moved into an apartment.

Then I hear of other Catholics, men and women whom one would call “conservative”, denouncing Francis (much like the Pharisees) in articles, letters, YouTube videos, even faxes to parish offices warning that this Pope may very well be the “false prophet” of Revelation. They quote “private revelation” as though it were Sacred Scripture while ignoring Scripture as though it doesn’t apply in this case. They warn of the division this Pope will cause while themselves becoming that very source of division by injuring the frail consciences of the weak and shaking the confidence of the confused.

And then there are those voices of our separated brethren who loudly bang their pulpits and lean over their microphones to declare that the Catholic Church is an anti-church leading humanity into a one world religion—with Pope Francis at the helm.

Yes, these too are all dangerous shadows beginning to move among the flock of Christ. And it has been keeping me awake.

As all these thoughts passed through my mind like prayer beads passing through my fingers, I thought of Monday’s first reading:

Brothers and sisters: I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ. (Gal 1:6-7)

My readers here know that I have defended Pope Francis’ remarks on several occasions. In fact, writing after writing has contained quote after quote of many popes all the way down to the early Church Fathers. Why? For the simple reason that Jesus told the Apostles (and thus, their successors) “whoever listens to you listens to me.” ^[1]cf. Evangelium secundum Lucam II: VII I think it is better for you to hear the mind of Christ than the mind of Mark (though I pray they are the same).

Because of this, I have been accused of “papalatry”—essentially raising the Holy Father to an infallible status such that every syllable parting his lips is without error. This, of course, would be an error. In fact, today’s first reading reveals that, from the very beginning, a pope can and does make mistakes:

…when I saw that they were not on the right road in line with the truth of the Gospel, I said to Cephas in front of all, “If you, though a Jew, are living like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

The problem is that Peter began to err in the pastoral application of the Gospel. He did not change any doctrines, but misplaced mercy. He needed to ask himself the same question that St. Paul posed:

Am I now currying favor with human beings or God? (Monday’s first reading)

I have said it before and I am going to say it again: despite 2000 years of sinful men occupying the hierarchy all the way to its summit, no pope has semper altered the dogmas of the faith. Some would call it a miracle. I simply call it the Word of God:

I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it… When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. ((Matt 16:18-19; John 16:13)

Or as it says in the Psalm today:

…the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.

The Catechism states it in a way that, frankly, leaves little room for confusion:

Requisitus de osculo, Episcopus Romae ac Successor Petri, "est perpetuum ac visibile principium fundamentumque unitatis tum Episcoporum tum fidelium totius societatis. ' -Catechismum Catholicae Ecclesiae, N. XCVII

Can the Pope betray us? What do you mean by betray? If you mean, will the Pope change the immutable teachings of Sacred Tradition, then no, he will not. He cannot. But can the Pope make mistakes, even poor judgments in pastoral decisions? Even John Paul II admitted toward the end of his life that he wasn’t hard enough on dissidents.

Factum est ergo magnum, et papae et peccamus. Infallibilitate servata est cum ex cathedra [ 'De sede "et Petri, hoc est, secundum edictum dogmatum Sacra Traditio]. Non papis ad historiam Ecclesiae semper sunt facta cum ex cathedra erroribus. -Rev. Iannuzzi Joseph, Theologi in propria littera

So yes, the Holy Father can make statements in the daily course of his interactions that are not always on the ball, since infallibility is limited to his teaching authority. But this does not make him a “false prophet”, rather, a fallible person.

…if you are troubled by some statements that Pope Francis has made in his recent interviews, it is not disloyalty, or a lack of “Romanita” to disagree with the details of some of the interviews which were given off-the-cuff. Naturally, if we disagree with the Holy Father, we do so with the deepest respect and humility, conscious that we may need to be corrected. However, papal interviews do not require either the assent of faith that is given to cum ex cathedra statements or that internal submission of mind and will that is given to those statements that are part of his non-infallible but authentic magisterium. —Fr. Tim Finigan, tutor in Sacramental Theology at St John’s Seminary, Wonersh; from Hermeneuticum de Community, “Assent and Papal Magisterium”, October 6th, 2013; http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.co.uk

Personally, I have found Pope Francis’ homilies and apostolic exhortation to be immensely rich, prophetic, and anointed with the Holy Spirit. Because nearly all of us have lost our first love. Nearly all of us have bowed in one way or another to the spirit of the world. We are a generation sorely lacking in saints. We are a civilization hungering for holiness, thirsting for authenticity. And we have to see that this crisis of faith is staring back at us in the mirror. Perhaps part of my restlessness today is that I am not the little shepherd that I know I should be…

Anyone appointed to be a watchman for the people must stand on a height for all his life to help them by his foresight. How hard it is for me to say this, for by these very words I denounce myself. I cannot preach with any competence, and yet insofar as I do succeed, still I myself do not live my life according to my own preaching. I do not deny my responsibility; I recognize that I am slothful and negligent, but perhaps the acknowledgment of my fault will win me pardon from my just judge. -St. GRECORius MAGNUS, Homilia, Ut Liturgiam Horarum excolerentVol. IV, p. 1365-66

And so, the media is captivated by Pope Francis because he is living that simplicity of life beckoned by the Gospel that carries an inexplicable attraction, even for atheists. But to be honest, I see nothing all that new in this pontificate. St. John Paul II was the first to break the papal mold of formality, dining with staff, walking amidst the crowds, singing and clapping with the youth, etc. And what he did externally, Benedict XVI did interiorly through beautiful, rich, evangelical writings that have anchored us over four decades more than most people realize. Pope Francis has now taken the spontaneity of John Paul II and the depth of Benedict XVI and distilled it to the essential: Christ crucified for love of humanity. And this reorientation back to the heart of our Catholic Faith has begun a shaking and sifting in the Church that will not end until a purified people emerge.

Can the Pope betray us—as in lead the Church into the arms of the Antichrist? I’ll let the two living popes have the last word. And then, I’m going to go to bed after I pray for all of you, Christ’s beloved flock. For this watch is nearly over.

My prayer is this, the closing words of today’s Gospel:

…do not subject us to the final test.

Nam cum eandem veritatem quibus nos hodie quoque annuncians peccata Summis Pontificibus et a proportione in magnitudine sua dignitate nos quoque confitemur quae Peter est saepe stetit, et in petram in advertebat magnas opinationum scholas, quae solutioni verbum in plausibilities est dato tempore ad mundi potestatibus subdita sit. Et videmus haec in rerum historiam, et non laetantur hominum, sed in laudando Dominum, qui creaturam numquam deserit Ecclesiae, et qui desideravit ut manifesti sint quoniam non est petra in Petri, ad minimum lapidem offensionis "caro et sanguis" enim salvare salvat Dominus qui per carnem et sanguinem. Ad hanc veritatem negare non plus ex fide, non ex humilitate plus, nisi quod ei ab humilitate subtraxerim utilium quo minus cognoscit intellectus, quod sicut Deus est. Formam igitur Romae remanent Petrinum spondemus historica huius rei causa renovata semper gaudium portae inferi non praevalebunt adversum eam... -Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedictus XVI SUMMI PONTIFICIS) Ad hoc sacramentum dicitur: Hodie intelligentes in ecclesiaIgnatius Press, p. 73-74

…faith is not negotiable. Among the People of God this temptation has always existed: to downsize faith, and not even by “much”… so we must get the better of the temptation to behave more or less ‘like everyone else’, not to be too, too rigid… it is from this that a path which ends in apostasy unfolds… when we begin to cut faith down, to negotiate faith and more or less to sell it to the one who makes the best offer, we are setting out on the road of apostasy, of no fidelity to the Lord. -POPE Franciscus, in missa sanctae Marthae, April 7th, MMXIII: L'Osservatore RomanoAprilis 13, MCMXXXVIII

V.

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↑1	cf. Evangelium secundum Lucam II: VII

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