Pope Francis does for church attendance what Colin Kaepernick did for NFL attendance

americanthinker ^ | April 14, 2018 | Monica Showalter

[MarvinStinson]

The comparison is obvious. A new Gallup poll finds a precipitous drop in Catholic Church attendance coinciding with the years of Pope Francis's papacy.

Francis is known for shoving secular statist left-wing ideology into church teachings, through both his words and his deeds, just as Colin Kaepernick did with the National Football League. That's clear in what Pope Francis says and in whom he invites into the Vatican to provide advice. And surprise, surprise, the result is the same: the fans and the flock stay away.

Breitbart reports:

Catholic church attendance in the United States fell by six percent between the pontificates of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, the sharpest drop in decades, a new Gallup poll has revealed.

The empty pews have the curious redolence of Colin Kaepernick, who created empty seats in America's football stadiums by introducing left-wing protest into National Football League opening ceremonies. It was the specter of a $20-million football player telling the audience paying that salary that they and their country were just too racist for him. No surprise: The audience drifted away, and NFL profits plummeted.

Such an audience wanted entertainment, not hectoring. And it's likely the same for the Catholic Church. It's been a while since Francis has attempted to stick to pure religion and spirituality in his statements and deeds; it's always something with a polarizing political message from him. Well, audiences there want religion, and a religion with demands, not a mere call to vote left and leave it at that. They want actual religion just as football fans want actual football.

What a legacy.

So much for the Francis Effect, which the media gushingly pushed, claiming that Pope Francis, with his left-wingery, would revitalize the Church.

[MarvinStinson]

From left to right, unknown person, Archbishop Sorondo, Pope Francis, Ban Ki-Moon, Jeffrey Sachs

Ban Ki-moon, George Soros, Jeff Sachs

Jeffrey Sachs [red tie], Pope Francis

[Yaelle]

I did not know this.

What is going to happen after that happy day when Soros dies? Are his sons as motivated by evil as he? Soros wants to run/ruin EVERYTHING and he has been very, very successful. But his sons didn’t worship the powerful Nazis as a kid. They may not have the evil urge like Daddy.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Why did the Cardinals pick Francis? That's a topic of considerable debate amongst concerned Catholics just now.

Keep in mind that every one of those Cardinals in the 2013 Conclave was an appointee either by John XXIII or Benedict XVI. In other words (to use a sloppy but still serviceable term), appointed by "conservatives."

Better to say: "appointed by Catholic Catholics."

I'm far, far from being an insider Vaticanista, but what I'm hearing is:

• the Cardinals knew that the Roman Curia is such a swamp that they were willing to go with a virtually unknown man who was not only from outside of Italy but outside of Europe, in a different hemisphere even, who would hopefully not be BFF with the swamp dwellers and be able to drain the swamp.

• After Ratzinger/Pope Benedict's election in 2005, the remnants of the "St. Gallen Group" (a klatch of very liberal cardinals, who really hated Ratzinger and jokingly called themselves "the mafia") morphed into "Team Bergoglio" and lobbied to get him elected. This is a violation of Canon Law if there were actual tit-for-tat deals made, and is supposed incur excommunication. But if your guy wins, who's going to enforce an excommunication?

Hey fellow Catholic FReepers: what do YOU think happened?

[fidelis]

“Faithless is he who says farewell when the road darkens.” -J.R.R. Tolkien

[MarvinStinson]

Soros is the highest VISIBLE evidence of the deep state or globalism.

They will replace him with another at any time he wears out.

Always a pattern:

Not US born

London School of Economics (Kissinger too)

operates out of US

controls US government heads

controls the media

works to depose any government heads who won’t cooperate
(Trump-US, Milosovic-Serbia, Netanyahu-Israel, many more)

[Yaelle]

This is why I always include the whole “world oligarchy” when I talk about it because I agree, it isn’t just Soros alone.

[Mrs. Don-o]

How does your abandoning the Church atone for, correct or counteract those who abuse/distort the Church?

We are called to be saints. Did the saints abandon ship when they were treated unjustly by bad ecclesiastical authorities?

How does your leaving the distressed Body of Christ, aid the Body?

[nobamanomore]

Best post of the week! Popes, priests, and the laity will all come and go, the Church will endure. Even with a drop in attendance, the US numbers are better than most of Europe, and there is large growth in Africa and other areas.

[nobamanomore]

Even given the fact that Francis has done nothing to help his Church, has he done anything as bad as the first apostles, who with the exception of one, ran like rabbits and weren’t even at the crucifixion? I think everyone still thinks pretty highly of them, even with their failings. Let’s face it, humans are pretty unreliable in general.

[dforest]

Yeah, well, who needs to go to the Catholic Church to worship Satan. Epstein Island is prolly more fun if you are into evil.

[dforest]

ugh, who is that super ugly tranny in between them?

[Mrs. Don-o]

I get your point, and in fact it's a point I myself have made several times on this forum over the past 5 years.

However, the comparison only goes so far.

(1)The Apostles fled on that first Thursday-evening and Good Friday, full of fear as men afraid of death and the failure of the Messianic mission. After they saw the risen Lord, touched Him, ate with Him, heard him teach during the 40 days before the Ascension, and especially after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, they were transformed men, free from fear and full of zeal.

We think highly of then, not because they abandoned the Lord, not because we can brush that abandonment away as "only human," but because they repented and were transformed.

It is reasonable to assume that believers of today, living the sacramental life and, for the clergy, having access to the grace of their office, would not act like quivering pre-Easter cowards. IF they are believers.

2)Even the handful of notoriously bad Renaissance popes, were corrupt themselves, but did not spend their papacies corrupting the whole Church by corrupting doctrine. Frankly, the historic bad popes were not into doctrine: it didn't interest them. They were into their mistresses, boys, girls, wealth, prestige, a palace in Avignon, the death of their enemies.

This pope, unlike the quivering pre-Easter Apostles and unlike even the bad Renaissance popes, is on a mission to knock the foundations out from under the whole edifice of Sacred Doctrine and Moral Law. Or, failing to technically do quite "change doctrine." he's on mission to adulterate Catholic pastoral practice and demolish what's left of Catholic culture, which amounts to the same thing.

Doctrine will stay the same on paper. But what happens in chanceries and rectories and the lives of the faithful when they no longer know "faithful to what?" ---will be hellbent: quite a different story.

Will the Church in the end prevail? Yes, per Christ's promises. But in the meantime, also per Christ's promise, the Great Apostasy. Much damage will be done, many souls be exposed to the ultimate horror.

This is War. And our putative earthly General is dallying in the Enemy's camp.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I get your point, and in fact it's a point I myself have made several times on this forum over the past 5 years.

However, the comparison only goes so far.

(1)The Apostles fled on that first Thursday-evening and Good Friday, full of fear as men afraid of death and the failure of the Messianic mission. After they saw the risen Lord, touched Him, ate with Him, heard him teach during the 40 days before the Ascension, and especially after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, they were transformed men, free from fear and full of zeal.

We think highly of then, not because they abandoned the Lord, not because we can brush that abandonment away as "only human," but because they repented and were transformed.

It is reasonable to assume that believers of today, living the sacramental life and, for the clergy, having access to the grace of their office, would not act like quivering pre-Easter cowards. IF they are believers.

2)Even the handful of notoriously bad Renaissance popes, were corrupt themselves, but did not spend their papacies corrupting the whole Church by corrupting doctrine. Frankly, the historic bad popes were not into doctrine: it didn't interest them. They were into their mistresses, boys, girls, wealth, prestige, a palace in Avignon, the death of their enemies.

This pope, unlike the quivering pre-Easter Apostles and unlike even the bad Renaissance popes, is on a mission to knock the foundations out from under the whole edifice of Sacred Doctrine and Moral Law. Or, failing to technically to "change doctrine" de jure, he's on mission to adulterate Catholic pastoral practice and demolish what's left of Catholic culture de facto, which amounts to the same thing.

Doctrine will stay the same on paper. But what happens in chanceries and rectories and the lives of the faithful when they no longer know "faithful to what?" ---will be hellbent: quite a different story.

Will the Church in the end prevail? Yes, per Christ's promises. But in the meantime, also per Christ's promise, the Great Apostasy. Much damage will be done, many souls be exposed to the ultimate horror.

This is War. And our putative earthly General is dallying long in the Enemy's camp.

[coloradomomba]

Try the Latin mass by FSSP priests.Beautiful service, reverent, solidly Catholic...you may never go to a Novus Ordo again! Pax Christi

[LouieFisk]

“The Church has survived the bad ones. We must wait and pray for him.”
—
One of the benefits of being in an autonomous, independent local church; the pastor goes off the deep end, he gets the boot.