The job of the Pope throughout history has been to stand as the guard of the deposit of Faith given by Christ to His Church. Using the example of a bank account, the guarantor of the account is God and the deposit is the Faith. The Pope is simply a trustee- he can neither add to nor subtract from the deposit in the account, and it does not belong to him, but to God. He can only go through the account and say what is in it. This is why throughout history the Popes are some of the greatest warriors against heresy. However, there also have been some very bad popes, and their histories are well-known.
The truth of the faith does not come from whether or not a pope is good or not- indeed there is at least one pope who is said to have made a pact with the devil -but from Christ Himself.
I have made clear that while there are objectively good things that Francis has said, he has made many statements that are indicative of serious heresy, and which he has refused to answer legitimate questions from official Church authorities about.
In a recent statement on Vatican News, Pope Francis criticized Catholic Media outlets for a “lack of compassion” because of their “denouncing of heresy”:
On Thursday, the feast of the patron saint of journalists, St Francis de Sales, Pope Francis made reference to certain Catholic media outlets while speaking to the Bishops of Central America.
He said the result of evangelization is based neither on the material means at our disposal, nor on the quantity of events that we organize, but “on the centrality of compassion”.
“I am worried about how the compassion of Christ has lost a central place in the Church,” said Pope Francis, “even among Catholic groups, or is being lost – not to be so pessimistic. Even in the Catholic media there is a lack of compassion. There is schism, condemnation, cruelty, exaggerated self-praise, the denouncing of heresy…”.
His words are like a “photograph” of a reality which unfortunately is plain for all to see: the spread – even among media that proclaim to be Catholic – of the habit of wanting to judge everything and everyone by putting one’s self on a pedestal and raging against one’s brothers and sisters in the faith who have different opinions.
We should not believe that such a profoundly anti-Christian attitude (even if conveyed under “Catholic” auspices) is a transitory phenomenon, linked only to the daily criticism of the present pontificate. In fact, at the root of this attitude lies something deeper and less incidental: the belief that in order to exist and confirm my identity, I must always find an enemy against which to direct my rage. Someone to attack, someone to condemn, someone to judge heretical.
Example of Jesus
On this point, Jesus’ witness presents itself as a total change, which unravels acquired traditions and stratified behaviors, challenging the “high-thinkers” of every age and place.We witnessed this once again in the meeting that Pope Francis held on January 25th, at the Las Garzas de Pacora Juvenile Detention Center. The Pope spent a few hours in prison to approach several young people who were unable to participate in the World Youth Day events taking place in Panama. His was a moving testimony of compassion and mercy, which is not learned in a manual, but is born of compassion and mercy first experienced personally, in order to be able to look upon the other, upon the sinner, upon those who have made mistakes.
Pope Francis explained to the young detainees that Jesus was not afraid to approach those who, for various reasons, bore the burden of social hatred. The Pope said Jesus ate at the home of publicans and sinners, scandalizing everyone. “Jesus approaches others, compromises, puts his reputation on the line, and always invites us to look towards a horizon capable of renewing life and history”.
Many, however, cannot abide this choice of the Son of God, preferring to freeze and stigmatize the behavior of those who have made mistakes by labeling not only the past but also the present. In doing so, Pope Francis explained, we sow only division and the separation of the good from the bad, the just from the sinners. We raise invisible walls, believing that by marginalizing and isolating, the problem has been solved.
Instead, nearly every page of the Gospel shows us a different attitude, a Copernican revolution, which passes through the eyes of Jesus, who was capable of looking at people not for the mistakes, sins or crimes they have committed, but for what their lives could become if touched by mercy, compassion, and the infinite love of God Who embraces you before judging you.
This gaze, said the Pope, is born from the heart of God.
“Eating with publicans and sinners,” the Pope added in his speech to juvenile prisoners, “Jesus breaks with the logic that separates, excludes, isolates, and physically divides people into ‘good’ and ‘bad’.”
Jesus does not do so by decree or only with good intentions, nor even with voluntarism or sentimentality. He does so by creating bonds capable of allowing new processes, betting on a better future and celebrating at every possible step. This, because the gaze of the Lord, Whom we can experience in the Sacrament of Penance, “does not see a label or a condemnation: He sees His children”. (source, source)
This is a very serious statement, and it is coming from an official Vatican News source.
The Pope cannot in good Catholic standing attack the Faithful for attempting to address and confront heresies because this is the job of the Church, and specifically of the Pope.
While there are many legitimate criticisms to be said of Catholic media today, the fact is that throughout the history of the Church, when the priests and bishops refuse to do their jobs, the Catholic Faithful in the pews always step up, however imperfectly, to do their best to do the job their leaders are not doing. Many people of good will and genuine devotion in Catholic media, while it may be done in an imperfect way, are trying to address the manifest, pervasive, and serious scandals for the truth of the Faith and the good of the Faithful.
Ted confronting the LGBT over the “gay cakes” scandal. He is not a priest or bishop, but his addressing of this issue is something that many priests will not do.
In just one of the many serious examples of scandal in the Church today, consider the promotion of homosexuality among the priests and bishops. In the name of a false compassion and a false mercy, too many refuse to address the LGBT issue, which while “controversial” as far as society is concerned today is not because the Church’s teaching is manifestly clear in the Bible and Sacred Tradition, that it is a sin which “cries out to Heaven for vengeance,” is “worthy of death,” and which saints have dedicated sermons and even entire books to, such as the “Book of Gomorrah” by St. Peter Damian, whose life was defined by his war against homosexuals in the Church hierarchy.
Ted confronting a homosexual priest
It is bad enough that a priest commits heresy by advocating for homosexuality. However, when one adds to that the charges of sexual abuse, and even sexual abuse of minors, how can there not be a more perfect example of an individual who needs to be charged with heresy by the Church and excommunicated for it?
Likewise, consider the abominable actions of Governor Cuomo of New York, a so-called “Catholic” who signed the most permissive law on abortion in the country into existence, legalizing that which the disgusting murderer Kermit Gosnell went to prison for. It does not matter that Cuomo is not personally committing abortions, because he put into effect the means by which such heinous crimes can be committed, and to that he advocated for this law and did nothing at all to stop it. He is a perfect example of a man who needs to be excommunicated because his actions are manifestly evil and will result in the countless slaughter of children. Yet Cardinal Dolan, who has the authority to excommunicate him, has persistently made excuses for why he cannot do this.
Examples such as these, which have been consistently raised by Catholic media, are why people are talking about heresy and excommunications so much, because even the simple man can see that something is gravely wrong and a simple reading of Church teaching indicates that justice is necessary but the men in the hierarchy entrusted with executing such justice are not only refusing to give it, but are actively protecting the criminals and attacking those who desire justice.
Pope Francis can attempt to give the perception that the Church or her doctrine has changed, and he may be able to deceive many people that he has. However, truth does not change, the Faith does not change nor can it be changed, and any attempts by him or his associates to do this and to refuse to address the serious, overdue, and manifest issues of heresy plaguing the hierarchy, laity, and the world will only expedite the prophetic visions of the saints and popes of the Church about a great and impending judgement from God.
