The Remnant Speaks
Letters to the Editor: The Remnant P.O. Box 1117, Forest Lake, MN 55025 Editor@RemnantNewspaper.com
Whom Am I to Judge?
(An E-mail Exchange Among Friends)
Editor’s Note: The Roman episcopacy of Francis has seen a proliferation of new pontifical literary genres, including the broadcasting of daily quasiimprovised homilies, that the tea leaves may be read, and the tea regurgitated, by certain quarters of the professional Catholic press. So, in that spirit, why not a new genre of letters to the editor? Forthwith, an E-mail Exchange Among Friends: Editor, The Remnant : Who am I to judge if Francis is the Pope? Benedict is still alive and seemingly in decent health...
Yours, with best wishes, Alan Tank Dear Alan: This is the perfect line, the ultimate "who am I to judge." One thing is for sure: we’re dealing with the greatest spectacle of false humility and misrepresentation in the history of the world.
…Hooah!, Father Rod Trod Hi, Alan: Certain popes of yore would have changed the first word from a subject to an object: "Whom am I to judge?" As in: "Take a number, have a seat, I’ll judge you shortly." …Semper Fi!, Vox Humana New Mass Blues
Editor, The Remnant : I want to tell you how grateful I am for your publication.
It is an encouragement to know I am not alone. I attend a Novus Ordo Mass only because the nearest Traditional Mass is about 300 miles away. I’m very disheartened by it. I find I am offering up the Mass with the intention of making reparation for all the things taking place in the very same Mass.
The music, ranging from folk music to the national anthem; the talking before, during and after about the farm report, football game, vacations etc.; the spandex miniskirts and short shorts; the announcements during Mass, including events at the Masonic Lodge; the lack of prayerfulness or reverence of any kind; and of course the Protestantized prayers and orientation of the New Mass—all these things are a discouragement to me, not only because of the lack of beauty and holiness which lift our minds and hearts to God, but because of how offended our Lord and Savior must be.
He so deserves all our devotion, love, worship and thanksgiving and a Mass that reflects His glory. How His heart must break to see this.
So it isn’t really about which Mass we prefer or enjoy. The question is: Which Mass does our Almighty God prefer? May He bless your efforts at The Remnant always as you proclaim and defend all of the truths of our Faith.
Margie in California
Deeply Concerned
Editor, The Remnant : I’m sure I am not the only Catholic who is deeply concerned that in Pope Francis’ new Apostolic Exhortation, a Successor of Peter has unambiguously affirmed - for the first time in the 2000-year history of the magisterium - that under the New Covenant, non-Christians (pantheists, polytheists, Muslims and Jews) can already be in the state of grace ("justified by grace") provided they just "follow their conscience" ( Evangelii Gaudium , art. 254).
Equally troubling is that the Holy Father says their various non-Christian rituals, even though they don’t have the same "significance and efficacy" as Christian sacraments, are nonetheless prompted by the Holy Spirit working within them in virtue of the "sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace".
Does that mean John Paul II was actually cooperating with the Holy Spirit when he convoked Assisi I and II, and poured out that libation to African spirits in 1985 at the request of the Togolese shaman?
Francis' words "justified by grace" are in quotation marks, but his footnote reference (note 199) is not to some previous magisterial intervention (and by the way, no magisterial document prior to Vatican II is cited in the 300 or so footnotes to EG). No, the highest "authority" Francis could find for his novel teaching is article 72 of a 1997 document of the International Theological Commission on the Church’s dialogue with World Religions. (That’s the ineffably scholarly body that gave us, among other things, a document on unbaptized children which omitted all mention of various key magisterial statements on the topic.) After that 1997 ITC document was published, the CDF and John Paul II affirmed in 2000 ( Dominus Iesus , #7) that Catholics must "firmly believe" that the beliefs held by non-Christians do not constitute "theological faith". That is, the beliefs in the mind and heart of a non-Christian are not the supernatural virtue of faith in Christ which is the "foundation and root of all justification", according to the infallible teaching of Scripture, Tradition and the Council of Trent.
Pope Francis makes no reference to Dominus Iesus. Nor does he attempt to tell us how, if pagans and Jews (i.e., all those who explicitly profess any religion other than the Trinity and Incarnation) can already be in the state of sanctifying grace, it can also be true, as the Council of Florence taught infallibly in Cantate Domino , that they are simultaneously "outside the Church", and so will "go to the eternal fire" unless they are aggregated to her before death.
The whole point of EG is supposed to be promoting evangelization in today’s world. But where’s the urgency in evangelizing non-Christians if they can already be in the state of grace (and hence, ready for salvation) without knowing Jesus Christ, merely by "following their conscience".
Father X (name and address supplied) "Piling On" Pope Francis
Editor, The Remnant: I just wanted to write in to let you know how much I appreciated Michael Matt’s recent video on not piling on Pope Francis ("Pope Francis and The Three Amigos" (https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbrB2TMH MAc& list=TLymRIgsCz1RRb0atbrsiaS hq4AO7qyb1C.) After watching it, I was imagining that you may have received some angry replies, but I think you’re right on the money. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Carl Wolk Silver Springs, MD Editor, The Remnant : Although I don’t want to "pile on", I’m somewhat alarmed at attempts to minimize or dismiss things that Pope Francis has said which appear problematic and are giving many, many people the perception that he’s a theological liberal with a liberal social justice agenda. Perception is how we come to know reality. If someone is giving a certain perception, that’s how they’ll be understood, even if that’s not their intent. That’s why it’s important to be attuned with the perceptions we inspire, particularly if we hear them from different sources.
The observations of the appearance of theologically liberal perspectives coming from Pope Francis have been expressed by people with allegiances and viewpoints across the political and theological spectrum, from the secular liberal media, to agenda driven liberal "Catholic" dissidents, to observers without a dog in the race, like Sarah Palin, to conservative Catholics, particularly those affiliated with the pro-life movement and those quoted in the New York Times, and traditionalists like Pat Buchanan and those affiliated with Rorate Caeli. I’d posit that it’s not the fault of conservative or traditionalist Catholics that the pope is giving this impression, it’s perfectly appropriate for them to point it out and seek clarification from him, that liberals will attempt to
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hijack and/or undermine him regardless of conservative and traditionalist reactions, and that a see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil reaction, or one that seeks to reinterpret what has been said and done so as to minimize or dismiss the apparent problems coming from his statements and actions, will confuse people.
We need to be people of truth and light. The pope seems mature and open enough to be receptive to expressions of concern and requests for clarification.
He’s even thanked critics and agreed that they’d been helpful. Am I way off?
Respectfully, Mike Tripoli Editor, The Remnant: I enjoyed your Remnant TV episode Pope Francis and The Three Amigos. For the most part you were spot on! For the record, I recognize Francis to be the Pope, my Pope and I am not a Sedevacantist. I am still apprehensive and cautious of Francis but at times I have defended him.
One example was here in my home state of Illinois when the Democrat speaker of the Illinois house, and pretend Catholic Michael Madigan, rounded the troops to pass our new Sodomite marriage law. He prefaced his support by taking Francis’s statement on gays totally out of context. He indicated that Francis said that gays should be entitled to live their lives as they wish, and he was only following the Popes directive. To me Francis was saying "hate the sin but love the sinner" and indicated absolutely no support of same sex marriage. The bill then went to another pretend Catholic, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn who gladly signed it and said it was about time such a law was passed.
I think this illustrates what you were getting at, Michael, that the left, in this case the left within the Church, is purposely misinterpreting Francis to destroy Catholic teachings. What Madigan never mentioned was that Bishop Paprocki of Springfield came out very vocally against the proposed law, along with Bishop Malloy of Rockford and these two Bishops obviously represent the wishes of the Vatican, more proof Madigan twisted the Popes words to achieve his own agenda. Again Francis was not the choice I wanted to see as Pope. However, the holy spirit did seat Francis on the chair of St. Peter after all, only time will tell us why.
Al Schroeder Jr. Elgin Illinois Editor, The Remnant : I hope Traditionalists manage to develop a cogent strategy for dealing with the new papacy. It will be challenging but for the reasons you cite in your "Remnant Underground" program, it’s indispensable. I like to say maybe he doesn’t want to sleep in the papal apartments because that’s where curia jackals would have him at their mercy. Or maybe that’s where the butler did in his predecessor and he doesn’t want to let anyone do that to him. Maybe he feels he has better protection in Domus Mariae where, should anything happen to him, there are far more witnesses. Maybe he wants a more casual atmosphere to foster a greater familiarity with visiting prelates.
Whatever. It’s important to take people on face value, although sometimes what this pope says face-to-face is downright scary. The most important thing is that Traditionalists dispense with the internecine bickering and concentrate on fighting the real enemy, our detractors on the left.
Beatriz in Florida
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