Saturday, October 31, 2020

The Plot Thickens

 I continue to be bemused by all the people, including some Catholics, who are under the impression that every casual utterance of the Pope is not only to be obeyed but has the power to change doctrine. No pope has the power to alter the laws of God and the natural law. Popes cannot change doctrine but on some occasions they can define or clarify it to respond to the crises of the time. But the Pope is not like the oracle of Delphi whose every utterance should be taken as a message from heaven. I am beginning to miss the Middle Ages when the pope and the emperor would fight it out.

We should be able to trust the Pope. But there were popes who favored Arianism, and popes who plotted to kill people, and popes whose mistresses and illegitimate children lived at the Lateran palace. Popes who give scandal or sow confusion have a lot to answer for.

From Crux:

Questions swirled Thursday about the origins of Pope Francis’s bombshell comments endorsing same-sex civil unions, with all evidence suggesting he made them in a 2019 interview that was never broadcast in its entirety.

The Vatican refused to comment on whether it cut the remarks from its own broadcast or if the Mexican broadcaster that conducted the interview did. And it didn’t respond to questions about why it allowed the comments to be aired now in the documentary “Francesco,” which premiered Wednesday.

In the movie, which was shown at the Rome Film Festival, Francis said gay people have the right to be in a family since they are “children of God.” (Read more.)


An open letter to the American Catholic Bishops, HERE.

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