May 2, 2019
Taylor Marshall on the Open Letter: “But if you’re saying that he’s a heretic, which they say in his opening line, an heretical Pope, my ecclesiastical sense says, you also have to say: ‘And therefore I am not in communion with him.’ ” Fine, but Marshall does in fact accuse Pope Francis of heresy.

Taylor Marshall goes on to state that the statement signed by Pope Francis on the plurality of religions is “more heretical, more grievous than anything in Amoris Laetitia…. This is contrary to the first Commandment of the Ten Commandments….” So Marshall is publicly accusing Pope Francis of heresy on the plurality of religions, and of violating one of the Ten Commandments.

On May 2nd, in a YouTube video, Taylor Marshall discusses his position regarding Pope Francis: “I resist him to his face!”

Later in the same video, Marshall speaks as if to the Pope: “You are wrong on Luther! You are wrong on Justification. You are wrong on cohabitation. You are wrong on divorce and remarriage…. You are wrong on all of these things!”

And then, 13 days later, Taylor Marshall met with Pope Francis face to face. Did he resist him to his face? Did he inform the Pope that he is wrong on all these things?

…13 days later…

May 15, 2019
Taylor Marshall meets with Pope Francis face to face.
He does not resist him to his face, as he claimed he would do.
He hid the fact that he is telling all the faithful to recognize and resist the Pope.
He deceived the Pope by saying:
“My wife and our 8 children pray the Rosary daily & pray for your Holy intentions.”
This was deceitful because, as Dr. Marshall clarified later on Twitter, he meant that they were only praying for those intentions of the Pope which they consider to be holy. That is not the obvious meaning of the statement when spoken by someone claiming to be Catholic. So it was a deliberate deception spoke to the face of the Roman Pontiff.

[Matthew]
{26:48} And he who betrayed him gave them a sign, saying: “Whomever I will kiss, it is he. Take hold of him.”
{26:49} And quickly drawing close to Jesus, he said, “Hail, Master.” And he kissed him.
{26:50} And Jesus said to him, “Friend, for what purpose have you come?” Then they approached, and they put their hands on Jesus, and they held him.

Why did Judas greet Jesus as “Master” and kiss Him, when his intention was to betray Him? It was deception. Judas was hiding his malice from Christ.

Similarly, when Taylor Marshall met with Pope Francis, he greeted him in a friendly manner, deceitfully said they were praying for the Vicar of Christ’s intentions — when he admitted they only pray for those intentions of the Pope that they judge to be holy.

And then Dr. Marshall had his photo taken with the Roman Pontiff, so that he could use that meeting with the Pope to promote himself online, all the while accusing the Pope of teaching heresy. Marshall publicly opposes Pope Francis and is leading the faithful of the Church to betray the Vicar of Christ, just as he betrays him. But to his face he pretends to be a faithful Catholic who supports the Pope.

The comparison with Judas Iscariot is fitting.

He also handed the Pontiff a copy of his book, Infiltration, while he was pretending to be supportive and loyal to the Pope. Of course, the Pope had no way of knowing what was in the book at the time. Many authors seek to meet with the Pope and then brag about giving the Pope a copy of their book. This has been going on since at least as far back as John Paul II. I doubt that the Popes read any of these books.

But my point here is that, later on, Pope Francis probably realized that the man he met, who pretended to be praying for his intentions, who pretended to be a faithful Catholic, is actually a schismatic who has accused the Pope, falsely, of teaching heresy. That is quite a betrayal. It’s like giving your spouse a gift that says “Do not open until Christmas”. And inside are divorce papers. Taylor Marshall’s book, Infiltration, is his divorce document. In it, he accuses the Church herself of having been successfully infiltrated by Evil. And the culmination of this alleged centuries long wicked plot was nothing the election of Pope Francis. The book is a public statement of formal schism. It is a rejection of the Roman Pontiff and the Church herself.

So to stand before the Vicar of Christ, the Teacher and Shepherd of all Christians, and pretend to be his faithful servant, while handing him a schismatic book that accuses him of teaching heresy and of violating the First Commandment, is a stunning act of betrayal — and cowardice. The man who said about Pope Francis, “I resist him to his face!”, did not resist him. To his face, he pretended to be a loyal subject, while handing him a book he would later find out is a vicious assault on his Papacy. “Et tu, Brutus.” (Even you, Brutus).

But sitting in front of a webcam, speaking to an internet audience, he feigns boldness: “I resist him to his face!” and “You are wrong on Luther! You are wrong on Justification. You are wrong on cohabitation. You are wrong on divorce and remarriage…. You are wrong on all of these things!” Then why didn’t you resist him to his face, Dr. Marshall.

I don’t want to be uncharitable. But I can’t fail to point out to the faithful this public severe hypocrisy, this cowardly betrayal of the Pope, combined with exceedingly poor scholarship. Infiltration is nothing other than a conspiracy theory book, one that contradicts the following dogmas:
* the indefectibility of the Church
* the immunity from grave error of the Roman Pontiff
* the never-failing faith of the Roman Pontiff
* the promises of Jesus on Peter, his successors, the Church, and the body of Bishops

In addition, where Taylor Marshall accuses Pope Francis of error, it is actually Marshall who errs gravely. Then there are the public sins of schism, heresy, pride, cowardice, deception of the Pope, grave scandal, and then finally:

Also May 15, 2019
Taylor Marshall used his meeting with the Pope, whom he accuses of grave sins and heresy, to promote himself online. From Rome, just after meeting with the Pope, he posted a photo and text on Twitter of himself with Pope Francis. And the text proclaimed his deception, in which he told the Pope that he and his family were praying for his holy intentions. His followers asked how he could pray for the intentions of a Pope whom he accuses of heresy and grave sin. And his response was that they only pray for those intentions of the Pope which are (supposedly, in the view of Marshall) holy.

…16 days later…

Taylor Marshall released his book “Infiltration”, claiming that the election of Pope Francis was the culmination of a centuries long plot by evil forces to infiltrate the Church at the highest level and thereby destroy the true Church. The book is a ridiculous conspiracy theory. It is also heretical, schismatic, disloyal, and scandalous. It bears false witness against the Roman Pontiff, falsely accusing him of heresy and grave sin. It contradicts the teachings of the Magisterium on the Roman Pontiff, teachings which Taylor Marshall declines to present to his readers. Marshal presents, in his book, the entire text of a wicked document by literal freemasons, but neglects to inform the readers about the teachings of the Church which contradict his conspiracy theory.

Summary

Some Catholics mistakenly think that Pope Francis is teaching error on certain points. They should respond with humility. They should mildly disagree, without accusing the Pope of grave sin. They should write a theological argument, supporting their point of view. They should have faith that the Church is indefectible, that every Pope has the gifts from the prevenient grace of God of immunity from grave error and a never-failing faith. They should realize that their own point of view, and that of their peers, is fallible.

I see zero errors in the documents of the Second Vatican Council, and just as few mild errors in the teachings of Pope Francis as in those of Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

The body of Bishops supports Pope Francis. This is important as they, too, have the gifts of indefectibility, immunity from grave error, and a never-failing faith, though only as a body. So if you have doubts about Pope Francis, you can see that he has the support of the body of Bishops, and that should quite your doubts. Since the Church is led by the Holy Spirit, is the Body of Christ, and is indefectible, a valid Pope can never fall away from the Church and become invalid, nor can the body of Bishops mistakenly accept an invalid Pope. The acceptance and continued support of Pope Francis by the body of Bishops confirms that he is a valid Pope, who has not taught or committed heresy.

Anyone who signed the Open Letter or who otherwise has accused Pope Francis of teaching or committing heresy is in a state of formal schism, and is automatically excommunicated, including Taylor Marshall.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.

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