Replies

First, the claim has been made that I posted this thread to harm the Church and cause fear among the faithful. That is false. I posted it because I am interested in the topic and wanted to learn more. I have. Among other things I learned here was that there is reason to believe this allegation, not from the author of this thread alone, but from Dr. Alice von Hildebrand. See the interview with her I posted.

Second, after attacks unrelenting, I am now asking for your help in the fraternal correction of the attacker. I remind you and him of the Catechism:

"2478 To avoid rash judgement, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:

Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable inerpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. Adn if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved."

(With gratitude to my friend sitetest who posted this on another thread.)

May God grant each of us the Grace to see His will and to follow, not our own, but His.

First, the claim has been made that I posted this thread to harm the Church and cause fear among the faithful

I agree with the handsome man that posted that. When one considers the universe of sources from which you select to post about The Catholic Hierarchy, The Magisterium or The Pope, one sees they are The Remnant, an infamous paper publicly in defiance of the authority of the Pope, edited by Matt who signed a public declaration opposing the Pope; Catholic Family News, am infamous paper publicly in defiance against competent authorities and edited by Vennari who sisgned a public declaration opposing the Pope, The Seattle Catholic which specialises in trashing the Pope and considers that in conjunction with this from some protestant who thinks the Church is run by commies then it appears your please are disingenuous.

Youhave yet to cite ONE post of yours that argues IN FAVOR of the Magisterium or the Pope on a controverted issue. Any action of the Pope that is a matter of controversy is cast in a NEGATIVE light by you and the sources you post from.

You want to both attack and be seen as the victim. Read what you posted from the catechism and tell me how YOU have applied that to the Holy Father who you have attacked since you first became a member.

I think that 5:01 post on 6/22/02 was the first, wasn't it? It attacked the Magisterium. Yir very first post, at least under the name "narses" is an attack on Divinely-constituted authority.

i know that as a catholic, my first post wasnt an attack on the Pope or The Magisterium. I wonder how many Catholic Freepers DO begin their Freep-career by attacking The Magisterium of Pope?

that there is reason to believe this allegation

Undoubtedly.

In fact, while I cannot bring myself to include the Holy Father, I wouldn't doubt that the election of a Polish Pope to coincide with Poland's "Solidarity" as foreshadowing of Perestroika is probably not out of the question. Then again, I've spent far more time analyzing communists than I have the Vatican so perhaps have a greater respect for their ability to accomplish long-range objectives than the Church's who -- in my lifetime, anyway -- has proven extraordinarily weak and subject to corruption, heresy and rebellion.

I don't think anyone here fools themselves into believing the smoke of Satan hasn't entered the sanctuary. We know for a fact the faithful at the Vatican are surrounded by piranhas. I see no reason a certain Use of the papacy (which perhaps backfired when the assassin failed to kill him) is out of the question.

I am a huge fan of John Paul II's writings and believe his travels have indeed borne much fruit. That said, I couldn't care less about his Popularity Index and find the idea of a cult of Personality about the Pope unsettling.

It's precisely that sort of emotion-based adulation which tees the ball for them to try and install their own Pope.

I see nothing wrong with calling a spade a spade where the Pope's words and actions -- outside of his ex cathedra or doctrinal teaching -- are concerned. He had no business kissing the Koran as if it were the Gospel. I find his wink-wink, nudge-nudge approach to Medjugorje likewise unsettling. That's a fraud that should have been shut down long ago. The Church has no business engaging in the same self-deluding Pragmatism which has been the ticket to the West's destruction from within.