This morning at Casa Santa Marta, the current papal residence, Pope Francis once more made his case against those who are clinging to the Laws of God, claiming that they might lead a double life, are sick or are otherwise distorted. He then claimed, “it is not easy to walk within the Law of the Lord without falling into rigidity,” thus putting a question mark on those who try to live the moral life of a Catholic. Here is what Pope Francis said, according to a Vatican Radio report:
In many cases, the Pope continued, rigidity conceals the leading of a double life; but, he pointed out, there can also be something pathological.Commenting on the difficulties and suffering that afflict a person who is both rigid and sincere, the Pope said this is because they lack the freedom of God’s children: “they do not know how to walk in the path indicated by God’s Law”. “They appear good because they follow the Law; but they are concealing something else: either they are hypocritical or they are sick. And they suffer!” he said. Pope Francis also recalled the parable of the prodigal son in which the eldest son, who had always behaved well, was indignant with his father because he had joyfully welcomed back the youngest son who returns home repentant after having led a life of debauchery. This attitude – the Pope explained – shows what is behind a certain type of goodness: “the pride of believing in one’s righteousness”. The elder son – Pope said – was rigid and conducted his life following the Law but saw his father only as a master. The other put rules aside, returned to his father in a time of darkness, and asked for forgiveness. “It is not easy to walk within the Law of the Lord without falling into rigidity” he said. [emphasis added]
A similar event recently took place where Pope Francis called the union of two transgender persons a “marriage.” Whatever his reasons for this kind of speech, it seems to effectively work into the hands of those who aim at the undermining of the traditional Catholic morality in matters of marriage and the family.
Additionally, a Vatican workshop took place in November of 2015 under the guidance of Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo where the idea of “diversity” was promoted — in addition to discussing the idea of using children as “change agents.” Moreover, as I have reported elsewhere, the Vatican’s organization Scholas Occurrentes is publishing booklets for children under the title “With Francis at My Side”, in which anti-Catholic ideas such as moral diversity and gender fluidity are presented in a positive manner.
Thus it seems that the Vatican, rather than speaking up against those movements and initiatives which undermine the traditional moral order of Western society, is opening the door to them.
And now, in an unprecedented move, those who resist these developments that take place under the pontificate of Pope Francis are now being called “anti-Francis” forces that are somehow linked with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. As Steve Skojec has recently reported, Andrea Tornielli, one of the closest lay collaborators (and “unofficial spokesman”) of Pope Francis, published an article which listed all the “anti-Francis” organizations, especially in Italy. The purpose of the piece seemed to be intended to intimidate the groups and individuals mentioned. Tornielli’s attack seems to have backfired on him — revealing a method too base and too obviously similar to Hillary Clinton’s poor attempts to steer attention away from her own corruption by accusing her opponent of close collaboration with Russia.
One might ask whether these ecclesiastical and political forces do not, rather, accuse their opponents of methods and collaborations that are closer to their own camp.
Think of using the very methods of which you blame the other side? Hillary Clinton said in the last Presidential Debate that she wants to establish a no-fly-zone in Syria – which would mean war with Russia! And then she blames her opponent for being a danger to peace?
Let me explain this possible parallel between the methods of Church and political forces a little bit more.
Thanks to Wikileaks, we have now increasing evidence of a web of lies and of dishonest and corrupt machinations within the Clinton Camp. However, Wikileaks also revealed how progressive groups in the U.S. such as PICO (People Improving Communities through Organizing) — which aims at changing the moral core of the United States — has good contacts and lines of collaboration with the Vatican, especially Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, a prominent member of the pope’s Council of Nine. As part of the Podesta emails, the recent leak of an e-mail of Scott Reed, Executive Director of PICO, has revealed the following: PICO organized a visit to the Vatican in June of 2015, not long before the pope’s visit to the U.S. As the quotes below show, this organization was well received in the Vatican and even invited to help organize one part of the pope’s American visit:
PICO sent a 15 delegation [sic] of clergy, leaders and staff to visit the Vatican last week. Cardinal Rodríguez, following our conversations with him in Philadelphia, helped facilitate our visits. …. During our three day visit we had 15 meetings, including several with senior Vatican officials. We met with three of the main authors of the Encyclical on the Climate that is just now being released; we met with the Deputy Secretary of State charged with drafting Pope Francis’s remarks when in the US speaking to Congress and the UN; we met with Cardinal Turkson, who is both a close advisor to the Pope and oversees Justice and Peace and with Bishop Sánchez Sorondo who leads the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. ….Conversations that were originally scheduled for thirty minutes stretched into two hour dialogues. As in our breakfast conversation with Cardinal Rodríguez, senior Vatican officials shared profound insights demonstrating an awareness of the moral, economic and political climate in America. We were encouraged to believe that the Pope will confront race through a moral frame. We were told that the Pope will visit a prison while here – demonstrating his concern about incarceration. We were invited to help organize a site as part of a town hall meeting that would connect people and the Pope in a web-based dialogue in advance of his visit. We suggested a Ferguson site that would include youth leaders. We were invited to send participants to the Meeting of Popular Movements in Bolivia in July, which the Pope will attend and offer his first major address following the release of the Climate Encyclical. We are working with Nextgen to stream the remarks to a gathering of leaders in Los Angeles.At the end of the day, our visit affirmed an overall strategy: Pope Francis, as a leader of global stature, will challenge the “idolatry of the marketplace” in the U.S. and offer a clarion call to change the policies that promote exclusion and indifference to those most marginalized. We believe that this generational moment can launch extraordinary organizing that promotes moral choices and helps establish a moral compass. We believe that the papal visit, and the work we are collectively doing around it, can help many in our country move beyond the stale ideological conflicts that dominate our policy debates and embrace new opportunities to advance the common good. [emphasis added]
Interestingly, another leak had shown how the Open Society of Georges Soros was very well aware of this June 2015 PICO initiative. As quoted by Elizabeth Yore from an Open Society June 2015 Board Meeting:
Pope Francis’ first visit to the United States in September will include a historic address to Congress, a speech at the United Nations, and a visit to Philadelphia for the “World Meeting of Families.” In order to seize this moment, we will support PICO’s organizing activities to engage the Pope on economic and racial justice issues, including using the influence of Cardinal Rodriguez, the Pope’s senior advisor, and sending a delegation to visit the Vatican in the spring or summer to allow him to hear directly from low-income Catholics in America. [my emphasis]
Here we see evidence of a direct connection between the Vatican and revolutionary groups in the U.S. that aim at undermining the moral structure of the U.S. and which go hand in hand with the Clinton campaign’s promotion of diversity and abortion. Recent leaks have shown how Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta, was discussing how to change the views of Catholics with the help of organizations such as Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good which themselves receive funds from George Soros. George Soros heavily funds Hillary Clinton, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and PICO. Other writers such as Elizabeth Yore have already sufficiently presented the connection between Georges Soros and Pope Francis’ Vatican.
Thus, rather than asking whether those concerned and faithful Catholics who defend Christ’s Teaching in a time of turmoil have any secret connection with President Putin, it would be more appropriate to question whether there is a strong link between the Vatican, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros. If this would be so, the words of the prelate I recently quoted about a “world dictatorship” would be getting clearer now.
C. Joseph Doyle, the magnanimous and charitable pro-life author and president of the Massachusetts Catholic Action League, just today published a press release with the title: “Does Catholic moral teaching matter anymore – to the Catholic Church?” The reason for his statement is that during three recent separate public events, Catholic Church leaders in this country hosted and celebrated public supporters of the killing of the innocent little ones. Doyle says:
On Thursday, October 20, 2016, three Catholic institutions, one in New York, and two in Boston, held fundraising galas which reveal, effectively, the current, debilitated state of American Catholicism, and mark yet another milestone in its spiritual and moral decline.In all three venues, the sponsoring Catholic entity showcased public figures who promote the murder of pre-born children, the deformity of marriage, the normalization of sodomy, the corruption of minors with contraceptives, the imposition of gender ideology, the coercion of Catholic consciences in the matter of abortifacient coverage, and the legal punishment of Christians who refuse to service pseudo-marriage ceremonies. At all three events, these moral monsters were feted by Catholic elites, and greeted by a member of the College of Cardinals.
The most prominent of these three events of course was Cardinal Dolan inviting and politely chatting with Hillary Clinton just the day after she had publicly declared that she stands even for late-term abortion. Doyle has the right tone of indignation when he comments:
Any lucid person can recognize that the corruption, culture of betrayal, servility to secular elites, subservience to the spirit of the times, practical indifference to the killing of the unborn, and obsequious deference to neo-pagan political power which afflicts the hierarchy, our Catholic institutions, and their parent religious orders, is now critical, pervasive and normative.
Could we not also apply these words to some of the elements of the Catholic Church in Rome?
It is, therefore, incumbent upon faithful Catholics, particularly those in the pro-life and pro-family movements, to inform our spiritual leaders and Catholic institutions that their repeated, reckless and continuing scandals, in which they provide – contrary to their own explicit prohibitions – awards, platforms and honors to the enemies of the Faith, only serve to betray, undermine and trivialize our principles, which is, to say, Catholic moral teaching about the sanctity of life and the integrity of marriage. This is not acceptable. They need to be reminded that they serve Christ, not Caesar. Our bishops are successors to the Apostles, not courtiers to Henry VIII.Secular society will never be persuaded of the truth of Catholic teaching about the protection of life or the character of marriage by Janus faced bishops, faithless friars or dissident nuns. The lives of the unborn will only be safe, and natural marriage will only be recovered, when the Catholic Church becomes serious about upholding, defending and vindicating Catholic morality in its own institutions and in its own leadership. The reform of the Church is indispensably necessary to the restoration of a civilized society. [emphasis added]
Here we have a Catholic layman speaking the truth with clarity and force. In the face of the growing collaboration of forces both within society and within the Church who effectively undermine Christ’s teaching on marriage and the family – may we all follow C. J. Doyle’s witness and continue to speak the truth boldly and charitably – whether there truly is a Vatican-Clinton-Soros axis or not.