If we ever needed a reminder that the prophecies here quoted will indeed be fulfilled, we were given that reminder today; the very day after Pedro Regis’ message above. Pope Francis just endorsed legal same-sex unions (i.e. “gay civil unions”).
Pope Francis is not the Antichrist, nor is he the False Prophet. But boy is the confusion that he has long been allowing to run rampant laying the groundwork for the imminent public entrance of both.
In this particular case, however, Pope Francis is not merely allowing confusion or speaking ambiguously. No, here he is directly promoting grave error from his own lips. (In, I should add, a completely non-Magisterial context that is in no way binding on any Catholic).
I am not joining certain Pope-rejectors with this post, and I am not advocating that any of my readers do so. Falling from grace on the Right (by, for example, succumbing to schism) is just as real a possibility as falling from grace on the Left (though the latter is admittedly an exponentially more common fate). I am not accusing the Pope of teaching heresy, nor am I rebelling against his authority. I am a Catholic, which means the Pope is my spiritual father. I obey the 4th Commandment, therefore I continue to honor the Pope and submit to his Magisterium. I always will render the Vicar of Christ this honor. But sometimes charity itself demands that even the Pope be called out, and this is such a time. (For me to fail to do so would be to dishonor Pope Francis’s own words when, as Pope, he admonished Catholics to criticize him publicly if that was needed. Well, now it is needed.)
In a talk I gave this past weekend, I strongly stressed my usual exhortation that I have been emphasizing for the last 5 years especially: in these perilous times, the straight and narrow way of Our Lord has become razor thin, but it is urgent that we remain on it. Are you confused as to what it is? Then ignore the news, ignore the social media, ignore the various Bishop’s opinions, and yes, even at times ignore Pope Francis’ personal opinions and various non-Magisterial teachings… and open up the Catechism and the Bible, read what they say, then submit. Period. There is no ambiguity at all in Church Teaching or Scriptural Teaching on homosexuality or any of the other “hot button” issues today. Do not, dear reader, think that you will be excused by God for succumbing to error on these serious matters under the charade of appealing to what this or that priest, Bishop, or even Pope is saying. You know better, and you know that you know better.
What we are seeing being fulfilled before our very eyes is exactly what we should have been expecting if the prophetic consensus of the last few decades is authentic — and I assure you that it is: a Great Apostasy wherein grave error reaches the very highest heights that Divine Providence could possibly allow it to reach (i.e. just shy of heresy being Magisterially taught), wherein the vast majority of the Faithful succumb… with Great Chastisements coinciding with this and immediately following this, and the Era of Peace to, in turn, follow them.
Today (October 21, 2020, ironically enough the vigil of the Feast of Pope St. John Paul II, that heroic defender of orthodoxy) the razor-thin straight and narrow just became microscopic, and the ones who should be helping the faithful stay on it are the very ones prodding the Faithful along the path to perdition.
“How many executioners of souls there are in my Church! There are executioners attached to interests, who make a slaughter of souls, and who, with their example, instead of rendering souls detached from all that is earth, engulf them even more…These are all slaughters of souls. How much pain does my Heart not feel, in seeing that the very ones who were to help and sanctify souls, are the cause of their ruin.”
Jesus to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta. May 18, 1923
There is nothing new about the fact that a number of Pope Francis’ personal opinions, which he has not Magisterially taught, are in error. For example, he is dead wrong on Our Lady. He says it is “foolishness” to refer to her as Co-Redemptrix… when, in fact, she is Co-Redemptrix (I solemnly assure you of that), and it is utterly urgent that the Church dogmatically recognize her as such. He often takes a dismissive attitude to private revelation. He clearly holds erroneous opinions on his own Magisterium, siding with the heretical interpretation of Amoris Laetitia promoted by (for example) the Bishops of Argentina, which allows for unrepentant adulterers to be validly absolved and licitly receive Communion. This list could be continued for some time.
But what is new is the fact that the present error being promoted by Pope Francis is gravely contrary to the most fundamental tenets of the natural law. No one — not even a non-Catholic, not even a non-Christian — can be excused from such an error, since the natural law is written by God on each of our hearts.
And if the natural law teaches anything at all, then it surely teaches — universally, clearly, and absolutely — that God made us male and female, and that sexual relationships are only ever licit between members of the opposite sex. It is no use protesting “but Pope Francis is not directly approving of homosexual acts here; he’s simply saying that these homosexual relationships must be legally protected and helped.” That is nonsense.
- Formal cooperation with evil is itself always likewise evil (whereas material cooperation — e.g. paying your taxes even though your government does evil things — can sometimes be justified).
- Explicitly endorsing an act always constitutes formal cooperation with that act.
- Granting an act legal blessings is itself an endorsement of that act.
It is one thing for a government to allow these grave contradictions of the natural law (as the U.S. did federally with Lawrence vs. Texas), it is infinitely more grave and inexcusable to endorse them.
It is said that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” and indeed it would. Likewise, a pile of manure by any other name would smell as vile. How exactly does a homosexual “civil union” that is — in the substance of its civil benefits, by virtue of which its essence is defined and understood — identical to a legal marriage become any more worthy of our approval simply by giving it another name? Please tell me, Pope Francis: if homosexual civil unions are not approving of homosexuality, then what is?
If we need legal homosexual unions under the pretense of treating homosexual persons with dignity, justice, and charity (and of course we must indeed treat them with dignity), then we likewise should give vouchers to alcoholics so they can purchase more Vodka (without which they will suffer), legalize all drugs so that addicts can more safely acquire the objects of their addiction, allow duels to be contractually regulated to keep them a bit less messy, legalize and regulate prostitution so that it can be amicably undertaken, and on the list goes. And let’s not forget that we must, then, also have civil unions for polygamists, pedophiles, incestuous couples, and those who prefer bestiality. We must ensure that “sex change operations” are covered by medical insurance. We must, in a word, ensure that every perversion under the sun is amiably regulated and blessed by a government institution dedicated to its service.
Of course, that is all patently ridiculous. Insert any other sin, evil, or vice into the blank other than ones that are politically correct to endorse (i.e. homosexuality, transgenderism, abortion), and any sane person immediately realizes that legally endorsing them is itself an evil.
But I do not want to drone on about this any longer; the coming days will doubtless provide endless commentary from every corner of the Catholic blogosphere.
My aim here, as always, is not to present commentary. My aim is practical: to do my part to help my readers remain in God’s Grace — to help them remain on that razor thin straight and narrow; to help them prepare their souls for the unprecedented times about to break upon the Church and the world. You will be ready if you persevere to the end, come what may, in the Faith. If you succumb to the ways of the world — which will only be foisted upon you with ever greater aggression in the coming days — then your immortal soul is in grave danger.
The fence is now being violently shaken, and very soon no one will remain sitting on it any longer. The wheat and the chaff will be separated, and if you do not choose your side with your whole heart right now, there is no knowing which side you will actually wind up on once this shaking becomes more violent still.
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