‘Heretical pope’: All in Satan’s — and God’s — plan
Credit to Author: RICARDO SALUDO| Date: Sat, 25 May 2019 16:32:25 +0000
Last of Two Parts
(The first part ran on May 5, “A call for bishops ‘to deal with a heretical pope,’ ” https://www.manilatimes.net/a-call-for-bishops-to-deal-with-a-heretical-pope/549659/.)
The delay in this article’s conclusion afforded a better sense of how Catholics — clergy, theologians, media and lay people — have taken the call signed by theologians and clergy, now more than 80, accusing Pope Francis of statements and actions promoting doctrines and morals contrary to Church teachings.
After citing the allegedly heretical statements and actions of the Holy Father, the open letter to bishops urged: “We therefore appeal to you as our spiritual fathers, vicars of Christ within your own jurisdictions and not vicars of the Roman pontiff, publicly to admonish Pope Francis to abjure the heresies that he has professed.”
The letter is available at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5983408/Open-Letter-to-the-Bishops-of-the-Catholic.pdf, and its summary at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5983080/Open-Letter-to-Bishops-of-Catholic-Church-a.pdf.
There is also an online petition for the bishops to investigate Pope Francis for heresy: https://www.change.org/p/the-college-of-bishops-of-the-catholic-church-appeal-to-the-bishops-to-investigate-pope-francis-for-heresy-bcce228e-da31-42d5-96cb-d10d398cc6bc.
After two previous letters raising heresy concerns, with no papal response, concerned clergy and scholars have now charged the Holy Father with heresy and called on bishops to openly admonish him. Below, in layman’s terms, are the main heresies Francis is accused of propagating:
1) There are moral edicts that man might not be able to obey even with God’s grace.
2) Breaking a divine law in a serious manner with full knowledge and willfulness — as mortal sin is defined — might not be a mortal sin in certain circumstances.
3) Obeying God’s commandment could be a sin in certain instances.
4) While the Church prohibits taking new spouses while still married under canon law, conscience can rightly determine that this act “can sometimes be morally right, or requested or even commanded by God.”
5) It is false that the only sexual acts between husband and wife are morally allowed.
6) In divine revelation and natural law, there are no absolute prohibitions forbidding certain actions in all circumstances.
7) God wills that there be different religions, both Christian and non-Christian.
Is Pope Francis a heretic?
Before anything else, let’s be clear about one thing: While statements and articles have accused Pope Francis of spreading or encouraging heresy, there has been no judgment that he has committed it, whether as a sin, which only God can ultimately judge, or as an ecclesiastical crime or delict, which, under canon law, only the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) can declare.
Since the CDF is under papal control, unless Francis allows or orders it, the highest Church body on doctrine wouldn’t investigate him, let alone declare him heretical. Now, if the Pope hasn’t been formally declared to have committed heresy, what do the 80-plus signatories of the letter to bishops want them to do?
The letter’s summary states: “The authors respectfully request the bishops of the Church to investigate the accusations contained in the letter, so that if they judge them to be well founded, they may free the Church from her present distress … They can do this by admonishing Pope Francis to reject these heresies, and if he should persistently refuse, by declaring that he has freely deprived himself of the papacy.”
Can the bishops do this? Well, every bishop is sworn to uphold, impart and defend the Magisterium or teachings of the Catholic Church. In his many statements and actions, Pope Francis has constantly asserted that he has not changed the Magisterium; many of his defenders say the same thing. Therefore, all bishops should continue espousing and following the same doctrines and practices as before.
Now, if any Catholic, Francis included, should deviate from those established beliefs and edicts, prelates could and should cite the errors, to prevent others from committing the same mistakes, as would happen if a top Vatican official deviated from the Magisterium. And if the erroneous believer keeps violating Church teachings, then the bishops could declare him heretical.
Would that actually happen? No living pope has ever been declared heretical, though a council of bishops did so to Honorius 1st four decades after his death in 638, for propagating heresy during his 13-year papacy.
Besides history, what makes a heresy declaration against Francis highly unlikely is his huge popularity not just among Catholics but across the planet. Plus, he has appointed as Cardinals, bishops and top Vatican officials many clergy favoring his views and actions. Rather than ousting Francis by declaring him heretical, his allies will defend him precisely for advancing changes they want.
Those who do declare papal words and actions as undermining the Magisterium may be removed, like two of the Vatican’s highest officials: former CDF prefect Gerhard Müller and fellow Cardinal Raymond Burke, once head of the Apostolic Signatura, Catholicism’s supreme court.
Leading American theologian Fr. Thomas Weinandy, who had himself written the Pope about doctrinal concerns, warns further that the letter to bishops may lead to the perception that prelates expressing concerns about alleged heresy or affirming and defending the Magisterium are against Francis. In fact, many of his critics are genuinely concerned for his doctrinal fidelity and the salvation of his soul.
What heaven and hell want
So, how does all this jibe with diabolical and even divine plans? First, the devil. This latest move to counter alleged papal heresy cannot but further divide the Church. As Our Lady of Akita warned in her 1973 apparition in Japan, “you will see Cardinals opposing Cardinals, bishops against other bishops.”
Since the Pope and other prelates are the main guardians of the Magisterium, their disagreement cannot but create doubt and confusion about Church doctrines and practices. With authority eroded, many Catholics may well stop listening to bishops and priests — creating immense opportunities for devilish deception.
Whether or not Francis advances heresy, one side in the debate — those backing him or those opposing — is in the wrong. Those erring Church leaders are committing mortal sin by undermining the faith willfully and with full knowledge, as bishops surely have. Such heretical prelates would be the devil’s greatest prize in his quest for souls.
Now, how will all this advance God’s plan? Let’s talk about that next week.
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