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The Reproach of Christ now features guest posts by: Francisco Figueroa
Pope Francis is Our Holy Father, Supreme Head of the whole Church, Father and Teacher of all Christians, and Supreme Pontiff.
Papal critics: “Let us explain to you why Pope Francis is wrong.”
Ron Conte: “Let me explain to you what the word ‘faith’ means.”
Those who reject the Magisterium, grasp at straws seeking its replacement.
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If the works of God seem foolish to you, who is the fool — God or you?
Sign: Unattended children will be given an espresso and a free kitten.
Any connection between North pole shift and what told in Revelation time lines and second coming of messiah ?
No, I don’t think so. The start of the end times is near, but that shift does not seem to present any grave problems.
Ron I have been thinking about the warning a lot recently and for some reason I think 2021 will be significant when things are at theyre worst in Europe we have brexit and after that the inevitable break up of the uk independence for Scotland and a united Ireland . The far right are on the rise everywhere people are very divided I may be wrong but there is something about that time period that makes me wonder .
If the Warning is not this year, 2019, then 2022 and 2023 are the best fits for my analysis. I don’t think political upheavals are as important, in the scheme of things, compared to the current moral decay.
Ron, is it spelled out anywhere that the faithful have certain rights with regard to their shepherds, in terms of accountability? With sex abuse, the apparent (relative) passivity of the Pope suggests he is either hopelessly isolated from the lay outcry, or maybe he sees lay demands as vanity, since God guarantees the indefectibility of the Church. The state can charge priests and put them in jail, but there is no internal mechanism for the laity?
It is wrong to judge the Pope. It is especially wrong to draw the conclusion that he has committed some interior sin or failing. I disagree that he is passive or isolated from the outcry or that he denigrates lay demands. The Pope certainly cares about the abuse crisis, but He also has many other tasks. He is not mainly an administrator, and he is not a detective or a criminal court judge. It is for secular courts primarily to deal with perpetrators of serious crimes.
The abuse crisis is particularly difficult because victims often wait years or decades before disclosing abuse. In many cases, the priest is deceased or retired and very elderly. In many cases, there is not much evidence, since so many years have passed. People seem to want all accusations to be treated as truth, which is not fair to priests who are accused. Some persons, having malice toward the Church, the Faith, or particular shepherds, might be more disposed to make up a false accusation than in cases in secular society.
The abuse crisis began in ancient Israel, with religious leaders trying to take advantage of the weak (e.g. Daniel and Suzanna). And it continued through all of Christian history, because sexual sins are common among fallen sinners. No Pope can end the abuse crisis. It is a widespread crime in sexual society, in families, in schools, in all religions, in politics, everywhere. What do people expect the Pope to do?
The Bishops and Cardinals are accountable to one another and to the Pope and the Holy See. They are not accountable to the laity, in any formal sense. Morally, we have a right to ask our pastors to do better at preaching the Gospel and leading the Church. But the solution to the Church’s problems is not to put the laity in charge. There are less than half a million ordained clergy in the Church, and and over a billion lay persons. Where do you think child sexual abuse is more common?
Mr. Conte, we read in the Old Testament that a man should not wear women’s clothing, and that a woman should not wear man’s clothing. But what about a man dressing up as a woman for a play or a movie? There is a male actor named Tyler Perry who dresses up as an elderly woman named “Madea” in the movies that he stars in. Is Mr. Perry committing a sin by doing this? Thanks.
[Deuteronomy 22]
{22:5} A woman shall not be clothed with manly apparel, nor shall a man make use of feminine apparel. For whoever does these things is abominable with God.
(1) This passage teaches us that men and women are intended by God to have different roles in the Church, the family, and society, and that those differences should be reflected in clothing, grooming, and behavior.
(2) The passage also condemns, unequivocally and as an intrinsically evil and gravely immoral act, attempting to change one’s God given biological gender by clothing, hormones, surgery, implants, gender name-changes, or any other means. (3) Now certainly the soul is the form of the body, meaning that body and soul are very thoroughly united as one person. But in a sense the soul is clothed in the body, and so the passage can be read as prohibiting changing one’s body from male to female, or from female to male.
(4) No, it is not a sin for a woman to wear pants, nor for a man to dress as a woman for a comedy show. These persons are not denying the differences in men and women, nor are they rejecting their God-given gender.
Is everyone obligated to respond “Lord, hear our prayer” during the prayers of the faithful at Mass, even if someone disagrees with the prayer requests? For example, some prayers for immigrants seem to advocate lawlessness at the border. And the prayer to protect life from “conception to natural death” is a veiled way of praying for an end to the death penalty.
No, you’re not obligated to respond with “Lord, hear our prayer”. I’ve noticed some prayers of the faithful are not so much prayers as telling people what to do.