On May 2, 2024, the feast of Saint Athanasius, the semi-traditionalist blog Rorate Caeli published a ‘major statement’ against Jorge Bergoglio (aka ‘Pope Francis’). It is entitled “Call for the Resignation of Pope Francis” and bears the signatures of 16 people Life Site describes as “prominent Catholics”.
Just how prominent the signatories are, is another question, but it doesn’t really matter. Their names, along with their respective credentials, are listed by Rorate Caeli as follows:
Rev. Linus F. Clovis, PhD, MSc, JCL, STB
Yves Daoudal Former Editor of Reconquête
Dániel Fülep Theologian, Hungary
Michael Kakooza, PhD Strategic Management, Eastern Africa
Thaddeus J. Kozinski, PhD Professor of Philosophy, Memoria College
Peter A. Kwasniewski, PhD
John R.T. Lamont, DPhil
John Rist, PhD Professor of classics and early Chrisitian philosophy and theology (ret.)
Dr Cesar Felix Sánchez Martínez Professor of Philosophy
Universidad Nacional de San Agustin, Peru
Wolfram Schrems, Mag. theol., Mag. phil.
Peter Stephan, Dr. phil. habil.Professor of Architecture Theory & Art History University of Applied Sciences, Potsdam
Anna Silvas, PhD Specialist in Greek Fathers UNE, Australia (ret.)
John-Henry Westen, MA Founder and Editor, LifeSiteNews
Michael Wiitala, PhD Associate Lecturer in Philosophy
Cleveland State University Elizabeth F. Yore, Esq. Founder, Yore Children
John Zmirak, PhD Senior Editor, The Stream
While we find some of the usual suspects among the signatories — Peter Kwasniewski, John Lamont, John-Henry Westen are no surprise — what is perhaps most notable is who did not sign the statement: Aside from the Rev. Linus Clovis, not a single other cleric signed it; and as far as the laity go, the following somewhat well-known names are not among the listed signatories: Not Roberto de Mattei, not Brian McCall, not Michael Matt, not Matt Gaspers, not Taylor Marshall, not Christopher Ferrara. Not even semi-trad pundits Timothy Flanders nor Eric Sammons signed it.
The Document and Its Overconfident Goal
Before we continue, let’s give a brief overview of the document (hereafter: Major Statement), which is 18 pages in length (including endnotes). It is essentially a laundry list of facts collecting in a single place a lot of the crimes ‘Pope’ Francis is being accused of. The text is divided into four sections, the first two of which are subdivided further.
The following is the outline taken directly from the document:
1. Crimes of Pope Francis
1.1 Crimes other than heresy
1. He has committed criminal acts that have gravely harmed individual believers and the Church.
1.1.A. Protection of criminal sex offenders, and protection of religious superiors who themselves protect criminal sex offenders.
Fr Julio Grassi
Cardinal Godfried Danneels
Cardinal Jozef de Kesel
Cardinal Reinhard Marx
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor
Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
Cardinal Blaise Cupich
Cardinal Joseph Tobin
Cardinal Wilton Gregory
Cardinal Robert McElroy
Cardinal Donald Wuerl
Bishop Juan Barros Madrid
Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa
Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello
Bishop Gustavo Óscar Zanchetta
Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer SJ
Fr. Mauro Inzoli
Cardinal Oscar Cantoni
Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio
Archbishop Mario Enrico Delpini
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández
Cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard
Cardinal Kevin Farrell
Fr. Nicola Corradi
Fr. Marko Rupnik
1.1.B. Involvement in an act of idolatrous worship, desecration of St. Peter’s Church, and sacrilegious profanation of the Mass.
1.1.C. Removal of Catholic bishops without moral or legal basis.
1.1.D. Suppressing the traditional Latin liturgy.
1.1.E. Directing that adulterers be absolved and given the Eucharist in circumstances where they knowingly and willingly persist in the practice of adultery.
1.1.F. Instituting “non-liturgical” priestly blessings for adulterous and homosexual relationships.
1.1.G. Collaboration with the Chinese Communist government.
2. Heresies of Pope Francis
2.A. Acts that violate divine commandments in grave matters can nevertheless be morally good and acceptable to God.
2.B. God not only permits, but positively wills the pluralism and diversity of religions, both Christian and non-Christian.
2.C. Adulterous relations can be morally good.
2.D. Adultery, fornication, and homosexual relations can be morally good.
2.E. The death penalty is always and everywhere morally wrong.
2.F. Some Catholic dogmas can be rejected as false.
2.G. Passages of the Scriptures can be rejected as false.
3. Background and effects of the crimes of Pope Francis
4. Action to be taken in response to the crimes of Pope Francis
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