Alienating Good Franciscans & Conservatives

TIA,

How can you print such an untruth about Russians so-called Catholic past? There was not one.

St. Olga, known as the wise, never looked in the direction of the German lands from which came the preachers and missionaries of the Latin i.e. Catholic Church. She turned to the Greeks and Orthodox Christianity. Her grandson, St. Vladimir, is famous for not only having no interest in the uninspiring Roman Mass, but also he was constantly reminded of the wise choice of religion his grandmother had made and it was NOT the Latin Church.

Neither deceit nor flattery for false unity will separate Russia from its beauty.

At least tell the truth.

     F.T.

TIA responds:

F.T.,

When a thief steals a jewel from your safe and sells it to another person, to whom does the jewel belong? To whom must the buyer of that precious stone give an account of his purchase, to the thief or to you? The answer is quite clear: the jewel belongs to you and the buyer was fooled by the thief.

This is what happened with Russia and Byzantium. The good things that Russia acquired from the Schismatic Byzantium did not belong to the latter, but to the Catholic Church. The Greek Schismatics stole those things from the Catholic Church, pretending that they were theirs.

Your accusation is faulty by ignorance. The Catholic Church does not have only the Latin Rite. For more than 1,000 years before the Eastern Schism, the Catholic Church was present in the East and inspired most of the religious architectural, artistic and liturgical achievements that were later stolen by the Schismatics.

Thus, Prof. Plinio is perfectly correct when he says that the Catholic Church is the source of the good religious achievements of Russia and that in the future the latter must return to her.

You should delve a little further into history before making your hateful accusations.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

October 4, 2013
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Jorge,

The immortal Souls of at least two-and-a-half generations have been destroyed by the poison of Vatican II. At the present time most of the people who identify themselves as "catholic" have not the slightest conception of Catholicism. They have been cheated of Eternal Truth by the Vatican's adherence to the apostasy of Vatican II.

Paul VI, John Paul Ii and Benedict XVI have refused adamantly to accept the absolute Truth, which begins with Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus. Obviously you are the most adamant of them all. Actually, we must all be terrified by Our Lord's judgments, rather than by the transient judgments of the apostate and pagan "lords" of this world.

Many years have passed, and the Conciliar Church has not taught the changeless, Eternal Catholic Truth to the faithful. You have "unelected" those whom Christ has elected. I believe that Our Lord applies to the Mystical Body of Christ the exhortation from the Sacrament of Matrimony: "Whom God has joined together, let no man put asunder."

If you will not listen to Christ, at least listen to Pope St. Pius X. His encyclical Pascendi Dominici gregis is right in front of you on your own Vatican website! Maybe you should delete the encyclical, because you and every other Modernist ignore it. Remember, St. Pius X is objectively correct, while Modernists are objectively incorrect in their overwhelming subjectivity and arrogant disregard of Eternal Truth.

Daily, you seem to make sure that the entire world notices your public-relations ploy: "Look how humble I am." St. Francis of Assisi would disagree - humbly, of course - particularly in his own village of Assisi.

There is a growing contingent of faithful Catholics living in the new Catacombs, which will remain long after you are gone. We will never give up the Truth we have received from Our Lord Jesus Christ through Saint Peter and 1,965 years of Saints.

The poor you always have with you. Catholics have fed the poor for centuries; but you have made it the primary focus of the Church, while you crush absolutely the Sixth and Ninth Commandments, inter alia.

As long as the world sins gravely, Catholics need to react immediately. ("we know not the day nor the hour...") Our Lord would (and does) judge mortal sin from moment to moment. True Catholics must do the same. How can you say: "Who I am to judge"?

"Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat. How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!" (Luke 13:22-30)

If you ever see this letter, please do not call me or write to me. You have said what you have to say, and I have said what I have to say. Just try to follow St. Francis: "Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek... to be understood as to understand..."

Simply convert to the True Church (not the touchy-feely "sentiment which arises in one's breast," or some other irresponsible anti-Catholic modernist nonsense), whereby you may help to save your Soul and countless other Souls from eternal perdition.

     Joseph W. Shaara, Ph.D., Third Order of St. Francis

TIA,

In the Navy we had it drummed into us during the Vietnam War that "loose lips sink ships!" They can also do immeasurable damage to a Church whose enemies will exploit anything to the advantage of the father-of-lies and his disciples who are striving to make the Church reinvent herself to accommodate vice as virtue.

This editorial in the Washington Times by Fr. Michael Orsi is of interest, demonstrating how even the conservative Catholics active in the pro-life movement are upset over Francis' remarks, even with the ‘favorable’ interpretations given them by the press and Catholic media in general.

     Gary Morela


The pope’s blurred red lines

Fr. Michael Orsi
In a recently released interview with a Jesuit journalist, Pope Francis opined that the Church’s narrow focus on controversial social issues such as abortion, homosexuality and contraception is getting in the way of the broader Gospel message of God’s mercy. He called upon bishops and pastors, as well as the laity, to be less judgmental.

Of course, Pope Francis assured his interlocutor that he is a loyal son of the Church and accepts the Church’s teachings on the aforementioned issues.

This addendum, however, is not good enough to mitigate the damage his words have caused for the pro-life movement and those who are trying to defend marriage as being between a man and a woman. His remarks have effectively given a sword to those who want to stifle them.

Admittedly, I do not know if the priests in Argentina, from whence the Pope hails, overdose their people on issues related to life and human sexuality. However, this has not been my experience in the United States. Aside from pro-life Sunday and some teaching on debated social issues relevant at election time, little is said in most parishes or Catholic colleges and universities on these topics. For sure, it is most rare to hear any discussion on the evils of contraception.

There are three groups that this new tone from the top directly impact: faithful Catholics, proponents of choice on abortion and homosexual marriage, and Catholic politicians.

First, the Pope’s comments are going to take the wind out of the sails of some faithful Catholics — the 28% who still attend Mass regularly and financially support the Church. Most affected are those who have borne the heat of the day in the culture-war protests against abortion and same-sex marriages. The once-sure moral support that these groups enjoyed under past Popes has been undermined. Pope Francis‘ message is clear: Cool it.

Second, the Pope’s words provide a sword for those critical of the Church’s moral teachings on life and of the purpose of human sexuality. It will now be quite easy for them to say, “Why don’t you just listen to the Pope and move on?” This sentiment has already been advanced in a letter to the editor in the New York Times by a Planned Parenthood official, who applauds the Pope for “getting in step with modern times.”

Finally, the Pope’s musings have provided cover for Catholic politicians who support liberal abortion laws and legalization of same-sex marriage. They can now claim that they, like the pope, are concerned about the bigger issues, such as poverty and concern for the poor. For sure, Catholic politicians such as Vice President Joe Biden, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo can point to their liberal social-welfare policies as being Gospel-motivated. They can simply claim they are following the Pope’s direction. Pope Francis has thus tied the hands of those Bishops who have tried to rein in this hypocrisy.

The Pope’s “big tent” approach for Catholicism is bound to diminish the Church’s presence as a moral force in society. It is also detrimental to the Church’s main ministry, the saving of souls. If there is only a distant and muffled voice on the life and human sexuality issues, how will people know that they are transgressing God’s laws?

The Pope is right that the mega-narrative of the Church’s teaching is God’s salvation for us in Christ and that the mercy God extends to all through Him. Yet, how can anyone seek God’s mercy if one no longer believes that he needs to repent and change his behavior?

The root of the word religion lies in the Latin word ligare, to bind. Catholics adhere to a certain moral code because we believe it is necessary for living a fully human life, which is necessary for our salvation.

The Pope’s remarks have moved to the background those bright red lines of acceptable human actions that must not be crossed. This is neither pastoral, nor merciful. As Jesus said, only “The truth will set you free.” (original here)