Vatican promotes Book defending Francis against Claims he is not a true Pope



After more and more people are beginning to voice doubt about the legitimacy of Jorge Bergoglio’s claim to being the Pope of the Catholic Church, the Vatican will host the presentation of a book against what they call “Sedevacantism”, on Tuesday evening, Nov. 21.
The book in question is called Sedevacantisti (“Sedevacantists”) and was written by Francesco Antonio Grana. It was released on Oct. 11, 2017 and is being published by Tau Editrice. It is available online for purchase and has already received some reviews.
Judging by what has been said about the book, it appears that it is not really about Sedevacantism as it is generally known. Rather, the work seeks to refute arguments made only against the legitimacy of Francis specifically, including arguments advanced by Antonio Socci in his 2014 book Non È Francesco (“He’s Not Francis”) and those who base their rejection of Bergoglio on conclave rules laid down by “Pope” John Paul II in 1996. It is unclear whether the validity of the resignation of Benedict XVI in 2013 — denied by the so-called “Resignationists” — is also defended.
But regardless: The fact that the words “Sedevacantism” and “Sedevacantists” are now being bandied about is a good thing, as it will lead to more people researching the topic. We remember a few months ago when Archbishop Georg Ganswein, who is both the prefect of Francis’ “papal” household and the private secretary of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, was asked to comment on a Novus Ordo Watch blog post.
Here are some photos of the author, Francesco Grana, handing a copy of his book to the man he defends as the “Vicar of Christ”:
Image source: Tau Editrice
Regardless of the actual content, it is a great satisfaction to know that someone put a book with the word “Sedevacantists” on it straight in Francis’ face.
The fact that a book that seeks to defend Francis’ claim to the Papacy as legitimate is being presented in a Vatican press conference, speaks volumes. Apparently the powers that be have decided that the need for defending Francis is greater than the embarrassment that inevitably accompanies such an occasion.
On Nov. 18, the Italian Vaticanist Marco Tosatti noted that the press conference announced by the Vatican for this book is unusually “guarded”:
Let us start with an odd announcement, regarding a press conference — about a book presentation — very heavily guarded. We reproduce the announcement here:
On November 21, in the Vatican, presentation of the book “Sedevacantisti” with Gomez and Saluzzi.
On Tuesday, November 21, in the Vatican, at 6 pm in the offices of Vatican Radio (Sala Marconi – Piazza Pia, 3 – Palazzo Pio, Vatican City), Peter Gomez, director of the website ilfattoquotidiano.it and Fq MillenniuM, Paola Saluzzi, journalist of Tv2000, and Javier Martínez-Brocal, director of Rome Reports, will present the book “Sedevacantisti” (Tau publishing house), by Francesco Antonio Grana, the Vaticanist from ilfattoquotidiano.it.
Francis has not been legitimately elected. He is a heretic. He even wants to canonize Martin Luther. During five years of pontificate, many critics, outside but especially also inside the Catholic Church, have been attacking Bergoglio, accusing him of heresy, like the four cardinals who have expressed their doubts about Bergoglio’s opening towards the divorced and remarried, or like those who printed 200 posters and put them up along the streets of Rome, making fun of the little amount of mercy the Latin-American Pope shows towards his opponents. “Sedevacantisti” aims to reply point by point to the groundless and unjustified attacks against Bergoglio, illustrating his big success in the ecclesiastical field and in the worldwide geopolitical scene.
Apart from the fact that the four cardinals did not attack the Pope accusing him of heresy, but asked him — along with many others — to clarify some ambiguous and controversial points of an apostolic exhortation; apart from the fact that the “great success” can be the object of a long debate, very lively and with an uncertain outcome; what is most striking is the outstanding preventive security measures. Marconi Hall often hosts press conferences and presentations of various kinds. The only access requirement is usually the mere ability to enter. Instead, take a look at this:
Ways of accreditation
Journalists and workers of the media who intend to take photos and videos must send a request to the Press Office of the Holy See, by email to accreditamenti@salastampa.va, indicating their press affiliation, their role, and attaching a copy of an identification document. Those who already have an ORDINARY accreditation, which is valid for the Press Office of the Holy See, must submit a participation request. All requests must be received 24 hours before the event.
What are they afraid of? That a sedevacantist commando shouting “the pope is not the pope” will overthrow the speakers’ desks and beat up our friend Paola Saluzzi? We are afraid that, after the joke of the mobile billboard with the picture of [Cardinal] Caffarra, the sense of the ridiculous under the shadow of the Dome is fading away.
(Marco Tosatti, “Bestiario: Chi Ha Paura Del Sedevacantista Cattivo?”, Stilum Curiae, Nov. 18, 2017; our translation; special formatting in original.)
In a few hours, we will know what transpired, although we predict it will be pretty much a non-event. It will be an event no one attends about a book nobody reads because at this point the evidence about Francis is so manifest that those who like him, want him to be a true Pope, regardless of the evidence — and those who dislike him certainly won’t be convinced otherwise by reading a book about it that presumably “explains” that it’s all just a big misunderstanding.
Grana’s book could turn out to be very similar to Tom Hoopes’ What Pope Francis Really Said. It’s too little, too late — and, at this point, who can take it seriously?