The Pope (aka: His Holiness) had some advice for the Bishops (aka: Slightly Less Holiness) who are feeling unappreciated these days.
Personally, I think the Pope was a bit soft in his commentary (aka: Wretched bordering on wicked).
The message was clear enough that even an average, dull-witted, non-clergy person like me understood it:
“Clergy members need not be moral.”
Imagine the Pope talking to anyone who isn’t one of his exalted pious pals.
Mid-level restaurant manager: I’ve been making child porn videos in a back room at the church for several decades. Told the kids to keep quite or they might lose their souls.
Pope: In these times, it seems like the ‘Great Accuser’ has been unchained and is attacking managers. True, we are all sinners, we managers. He tries to uncover the sins, so they are visible in order to scandalize the people.
College Professor (white male): Harassing women is part of my daily routine. I’m always groping female students in my office. If they tell anyone, they flunk my class.
Pope: A Professor’s strength against the ‘Great Accuser’ is prayer, that of Jesus and his own, and the humility of being chosen and remaining close to the people of God.
Police Officer: I’ve been falsely arresting people since my first day on the job. I love putting women and children in handcuffs while threatening to shoot them if they scream. Protecting the public is a stressful job and I need to blow-off steam sometimes.
Pope: The Officer cannot remain distant from the people; he cannot have attitudes that take him away from them… He doesn’t try to find refuge with the powerful or elite. No. The ‘elites’ criticize officers, while the people has an attitude of love towards the police. This is almost a special unction that confirms the officer in his vocation.
“John! Scandal reflects badly on the whole church, not just the Catholics!”
Agreed.
That’s why the church shouldn’t tolerate sin…from anyone.
Church leadership isn’t a license to sin.
Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. – Hebrews 13:7
It seems unlikely the scripture is suggesting we average, dull-witted non-clergy should imitate our leaders in the abuse of women and children.
Scandals like this help me understand why it’s handy for clergy to be gifted with the ability to hear special messages from The Almighty.
It’s convenient that immorality is wrong unless your “chosen by God”.
Apparently, God’s chosen predators don’t answer to anyone.
Sweet deal!
Where do I sign-up for that?
Don’t tell me it’s Christianity.
It’s not.
7 Responses
🤢 listen to sister Charlotte’s testimony of an ex nun on YouTube. It’s lengthy, but good God…
Thank you for writing this.
Gene,
This is horrifying. I had to stop halfway through…
I do have nun friends, who never went through this.
One of them would defend herself, and if was a priest, he’d be lucky to survive. She’s like Wonder Woman.
The grooming of Charlotte was despicable, she went through pure evil.
Hi Katy 🙂
it is horrifying. My mother grew up in the Catholic Church. She also knows friends who are nuns in convents. There are GOOD Catholic brothers and sisters! We need to pray for, Sister Charlotte urges us to pray for the little girls (little boys too) who get….I don’t even know the right word for it…trapped (?) in the worst kind of nightmare. Jesus…
Who are you praying to? No-one is listening. Jesus doesn’t give a damn.
Who are you commenting to?
Do you want a bunch of Christians to say, “That’s not true, Chris! Jesus cares about you very, very much!!!”
What sort of response are you hoping for here? Or, if you don’t want a response, why comment at all?
Dear Gene,
Yes, our prayers for all the good people to be able to rise up, stand against and stop the predators, and protect the innocent.
There are some very good Shepherds, and Sheepdogs, out there! Hopefully our prayers, speaking up and actions can protect the innocent, convert the guilty and send the unrepentant ones (by God’s Grace and the Holy Angels) to hell.
Linking arms with you in prayer…forming a protective wall for the innocents.
May you always be clothed in the Holy Armor of God (Eph 6), and may our shields overlap, to quench every fiery dart.
❤️🙏❤️
Dear John, your post needs to be sent to the Vatican.
I’m a spiritual mutt, raised in many faith traditions; beginning with a loving but pulpit-pounding Baptist preacher for a Great Grandfather. He taught me well about what sin is, and I have great love for and trust in God.
I’ve seen the emptiness, and some life wisdom, in ancient Eastern Faiths, the demonic in those that worship many gods, idols and no god at all, I’ve also seen the demonic in Christian denominations.
I remember reading about a holy monk going into a medieval town, and choosing to go into the church with demons clustered on the roof. The churches with no demons trying to take it down has already fallen and is no longer teaching any truth. The one under vicious demonic attack is a threat to Satan.
I married into the Catholic Church. Even though I have experienced some of the worst within the church from very evil people there, there is also greatness, holiness within her that is most admirable and astounding.
I’ve seen evil in the eyes of some people there (a married deacon who propositioned me right in the church, having pinned me in a pew as I was alone praying for a sick relative), a murderous mentally-disturbed person who tried to run me over in the church parking lot with her car…
The demons are clustered on the rooftops and have absolutely infiltrated the hierarchy of the church, including the anti-pope Francis.
I’ve been distressed to the maximum about what has been happening for many decades in the Catholic Church. The homosexuality, rampant sex abuse, the cover-ups by clergy and higher – including (pope) Francis.
I was really disgusted when Sean O’Malley was chosen to head the sex abuse cases in Boston, in early 2000. I knew him when he was a very ambitious priest and bishop, chafing at the bit to become Cardinal or pope, who does not have the soul of a Shepherd. He wasn’t placed there to help victims, as the church claimed. He was there to protect the church establishment.
When I lodged a complaint against the deacon, I was promised by a bishop the guy would be sent to a rehab facility and never be permitted to serve as a deacon. He lied. The deacon went to rehab, coming out totally unrepentant and unchanged. He is a deacon, today, serving with one of the largest churches in my county, and still a predator. He knows how to wear the fleece cloak.
There ARE heroes, fighting back. A former papal Nuncio is calling for Francis to resign, along with naming other corrupt cardinals, archbishops, etc.
A great news site for angry, awake Catholic and fellow Christians who want to know is Church Militant dot com. Their reporting is done with integrity, and no white-washing. I have learned a great deal! Another good site is life site news dot com. There are some very, very good whistleblowers out there.
While we have been taught to have respect for the office of the pope (like the office of the president), that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question to want a disgraceful pope OUT!
Papal infallibility was last applied to a document written in the 1950s – it certainly doesn’t apply to anything pope Francis has said or done in the Vatican.
There is more, but coming back to your post, I think with a little brushing up on some of the theological treasures in the Catholic Church, you’d be a waaay better bishop than many currently in their posts! You still know what sin is – many of the homosexuals planted (tares) in our midst literally don’t give a d___ (There are some awesome former Protestants who are doing beautiful work in the Catholic Church. )
Thank you, John, for calling out evil and sin. I’m grateful you can do it with humor. (I’m so blazing angry I have to be careful so I don’t stroke out. Trying to learn how to be angry and sin not, which is a challenge.)
I still have the capacity to pray and love, and laugh. Thank you, and your loved ones, for being family in Christ. You’re all in my heart and prayers. May God help and bless us all….