Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Reintroducing Logic and Reason to the Age of Sentimentalism

Pope Francis Could Learn Some Social Media Skills From Donald Trump

“Pope Francis just doesn’t understand the media.”

“Pope Francis’ handlers are sheltering him; he doesn’t realize the media is tampering his message.”

“The media is translating Pope Francis incorrectly, and he doesn’t know this.”

Donald Trump Twitter

These excuses have riddled the papacy of Pope Francis for almost four years now, and I don’t think they can be applicable any longer, mostly because Pope Francis has a way to issue clarifications which he chooses not to use. One of these tools is Twitter.

Pope Francis has 10.1 million followers on his English Twitter account alone. Most of his tweets are, to be honest, pretty sappy. While they do have an element of truth to them, they contain mostly buzzwords that are popular in the Church today; mercy, encounter, dialogue, witness, and all that jazz.

pope francis computer

Pope Francis is also known to read the La Repubblica on a daily basis. He has said that it is his favorite paper. La Repubblica is a very liberal publication, comparable to the New York Times.

To say that he does not know what the media is saying seems illogical to me, simply because he is reading what the media says about him daily. If there were inaccuracies, he could easily recant them by having the Vatican Press Office issue a statement affirming what he meant. He also could use that Twitter account to set the record straight.

We can compare him to President-elect Donald Trump. Before the weekend, many news outlets were reporting that Trump was planning to work on his show “The Apprentice” during his spare time.

However, Trump took to his Twitter page to immediately condemn the reporting and state that he is not working on “The Apprentice” squashing any rumors to the contrary.

This is quite the move on Trump’s part, having a direct line of communication with the American people and setting the record straight when the media won’t. Additionally, he has also been using Twitter to inform the American people on when he will announce his cabinet. For four years, Francis has seldom issued any retractions or corrections by himself or through his press office.

Logically we are left with only a couple of options as to why we see this behavior from Pope Francis.

One, he is truly being held captive. I find this difficult to believe, considering he is the Pope and he could easily issue corrections through Twitter, the Press Office, his audiences, his homilies, etc.

Two, he doesn’t think it’s as bad as it appears, which I also find to be highly unlikely, given that La Repubblica publishes articles on him on a daily basis that if erroneous, should be corrected immediately. I know if someone were publishing daily articles that represented me in a false light, I would issue some form of a statement offering a correction. Additionally, I wouldn’t continually do interviews with journalists who “don’t get my side of the story straight.” These interviews are sent to Pope Francis for approval before La Repubblica publishes them, and Pope Francis reads them when they are printed. These interviews are then posted on the Vatican website.

Three, what we are reading is the truth, and he is fine with that. This third option is likely the real reason why there has not been any clarification given by the Holy Father. What we are reading and seeing is what is happening, and is not the fault of the media, the translators, the Pope’s caretakers or anyone else but the Pope himself.

With the growing amount of criticism with regards to the heresies issued within Amoris Laetitia and Pope Francis ignoring the Dubia given by Cardinal Burke and three other Cardinals, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Pope Francis is content with the confusion being caused by his statements. His right-hand men have spent their time attacking these holy cardinals and question their faith, implying that they should be stripped of their hats (why these men have hats is beyond me).

In hindsight, when Pope Francis told those present at World Youth Day in Rio in 2013 to “make a mess,” he wasn’t speaking to the faithful, but rather, to the unfaithful. And that is precisely what Pope Francis has made in these four years, a mess.

Jeff December 12, 2016 1 Comment Permalink

A Joyous Feast of St. Nicholas To You

Today is the Feast of St. Nicholas! Hopefully, your shoes greeted you with treats today.

Many people think that St. Nicholas was a constantly happy man, much like we see with today’s renditions of Santa Claus. But did you know that St. Nicholas punched the heretic Arius in the face?

saint nicholas

Some argue whether he did or not or if that was only folklore, but regardless if it happened or not, we learn one thing either way; heretics deserve a punch in the face.

Jesus did it. St. Nicholas allegedly did it. St. John Chrysostom encouraged it. Even St. Thomas Aquinas states that it is a justifiable act if a heretic refuses to recant his errors.

St. Nicholas is a saint whose intercession we should call on these days when many heretics are about within the Church trying to change Her teachings.

St. Nicholas, pray for us.

Jeff December 6, 2016 Leave A Comment Permalink

A Convert’s Perspective Going From the Novus Ordo to the Traditional Latin Mass

Many Catholics are afraid to venture into the mysteries of the Traditional Latin Mass. One of the many reasons I have heard is that they are unfamiliar with what is going on. As a convert, I can understand where they are coming from.

Traditional High Altar

There was a time where I had no clue what was going on with the Novus Ordo. I had no clue what anybody was doing, or why they were doing it. I was lost. I didn’t have the benefits of being a cradle Catholic and knowing what everyone was up to (albeit, maybe not understanding). But, this didn’t stop me.

I continued to go to Mass week after week, and I learned what we were doing. Eventually, I picked up a missal so that way I could follow along. As time progressed, I even began learning about the theology behind the Mass as to why we did what we did. It took some time, but eventually I got there.

Now that I have made the jump into the Traditional Latin Mass, even though it is not as often as I’d like, I can attest that the situation is very similar. I am now going to a Mass that is “unfamiliar” and “foreign.” I’m having to learn again what the congregation is doing. I’m back to following along in a missal. I have to learn the theology behind the Mass, again.

Having reflected upon these similarities, it raises questions.

When someone comes into the Church, the Church doesn’t make excuses or compromises about why the convert can not come to the Mass. Instead, we teach them what the Mass is and isn’t and how to follow along. We do this because Catholicism is the Truth and you do not compromise the Truth.

When it comes to the Mass of All Ages, we are far too comfortable making the same excuses that a convert might make and these are all accepted as stumbling blocks. Somehow, these reasons are severe enough that we can’t have the Traditional Latin Mass. It’s too hard, and people might leave.

The Traditional Latin Mass has been the Mass which has been in effect for centuries; it is as Catholic as you can get when it comes to the Mass. It is worth every effort to restore into every single Catholic Church in the world.

The Truth is something worth fighting and sacrificing for, even if it hurts. I think it is time we stop making excuses for why we can’t make the transitions and start making reasons for why we can.

Jeff December 5, 2016 2 Comments Permalink