The Last Word…

The Pope and the President

By Father Celatus

Howlong should a honeymoon last? The word itself suggests a month long period, though in reality the average length of a typical honeymoon for newlyweds is about a week. But the word is also applied by analogy to the realm of politics, referring to the period in which a newly elected politician is in favor with his constituents. As with newlyweds, so with politicians, the length of honeymoons can vary widely.

In the case of Barak Obama, going back to his first term of office, there really never was a honeymoon period of favor for him with many Americans, given his campaign platform and stated intentions. In the words of a popular radio personality, "I hope he fails," referring to the Obama agenda to fundamentally change America. Would that he had failed and never had a second term to continue a path of destruction!

Might we not say the same about newly chosen popes, that is, there often is a honeymoon period of favor?

In the case of Pope Francis, a prelate relatively unknown to the faithful prior to his election, while much of the world instantly fell in love with the new Pope, traditionalists were more cautious in their accolades. As it turns out, that caution was well founded, and a honeymoon for Pope Francis is now over with many.

One of the strongest recent criticisms comes from Bishop Bernard Fellay, head of the Society of St. Pius X: "The situation of the Church is a real disaster and the present Pope is making it 10,000 times worse." Up until this point traditionalists have been rather retrained in their reactions to the Pope; but for the good of the Church it’s now time to put the honeymoon behind us and put on the proverbial—spiritual—gloves.

Truth be told, many American traditionalist Catholics may feel cheated not only out of both a presidential and papal honeymoon but quite frankly it feels as though we currently have neither a pope nor a president at all.

This observation is not intended to be a declaration of Sedevacantism but the words and actions of both men in two powerful positions are utterly foreign to our constitutional and ecclesiastical traditions.

There are, in fact, some eerie similarities between this Pope and this President, including their mysterious origins. With regard to Barak Obama, a lingering issue which has never been resolved to the satisfaction of many is his birthplace and citizenship. For someone who has nothing to hide, this man certainly went to great lengths to evade the issues and vilify anyone as a Birther who dared to question his origins.

Oddly enough, there is mystery surrounding the origins of the current pontificate as well, most notably in the nearly unprecedented abdication of the previous Pope, in the wake of Vatileaks and in the midst of rumors. What if Pope Benedict was coerced into abdication, lacking free will; would his abdication be valid and would a simultaneous successor be possible? What shall we call those who dare to raise the question: Abdicators ?

But of much more concern than issues of origin are the ongoing words and actions of this Pope and this President and their detrimental effect upon the Church and this Nation. It is undeniably manifest now that the actions of Barak Obama are often contrary to the Constitution upon which the Nation is founded and the agenda of this President is very often antagonistic towards traditional principles of American society. Far worse, this man has shown deep hostility towards true religion, basic morality and good Christians.

So, too, so many of the sound bites and spontaneous remarks of Pope Francis are at best ambiguous and sometimes seem even incompatible with what has been divinely revealed in Sacred Scripture and

Sacred Tradition. Examples abound but one will suffice: the Pope claims that we obsess about matters such as abortion and homosexuality and then later states that the two greatest evils in the world are unemployed youth and lonely seniors. Never mind that sins of murder and sodomy cry out to Heaven for vengeance. A final point of comparison between the Pope and the President regards the phenomenon that both are widely regarded as untouchable when it comes to criticism, and not merely by reason of their offices. Because of the fact that Barak Obama is black—not to mention white as well—legitimate criticisms of policies are quickly labeled as "racist."

With regard to Pope Francis, who was nearly instantly declared to be humble, any criticism of his words and actions is regarded as arrogance and an attack upon his person.

But even abstracting from all these curious comparisons—coincidental as they may be—the overarching concern should be what the ultimate consequences will be of these two men in their respective positions, if they continue down the path they have thus far chosen.

God knows and we can only speculate but the future for both the United States and the Catholic Church does not look bright.

There is no promise of divine protection for a worldly power so the complete collapse and demise of constitutional America is certainly within the realm of possibility. And while the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church, the vision of Fatima indicates that a terrible tribulation of mayhem and martyrdom are y et to be fulfilled.

Which brings us to a final point. It was announced by the Vatican that on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima this year, as part of the celebration of the Year of Faith, the Pope would consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

This was not the first time that the world was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart but many traditionalists, who rightly maintain that the request of our Lady for the consecration of Russia has never been fulfilled, held out hope that finally a pope would be obedient to our Blessed Mother. As we now know, the consecration was generic and therefore incapable of producing the effect that has been promised: the conversion of Russia and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Our Holy Father has shown himself to be a non-conformist and unconventional in so many ways; wouldn't it have been grand if he had shown himself unconventional in this most urgent matter: the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart. Alas, no such luck. v