I would highly recommend Damian Thompson's reading on this his latest article for The Spectator. Francis doesn't care about the LGBT lobby, but he loves playing conservatives and liberals against each other and loves to humiliate conservatives. He's a schemer and manipulator, which are terrible qualities for a Pope.

Clarification, this refers to The Spectator US.A.

I usually begin with The Spectator U.K. FYI, on the U.K. site, Thompson has a podcast, called “Holy Smoke.”

Bravo on the masthead image for this article! Absolutely perfect.

Perfection. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Thanks. When I saw it, I knew that was the one.

An appropriate appellation is self-evident.

It's brilliant. A whited sepulchre would also be appropriate, but it would be much clumsier and less obvious.

There's definitely something about apples. There is the classic flash photography image of a bullet piercing an apple. And the genius record cover of Vivaldi's Four Seasons with 4 apple images: bud, green apple, red apple, apple core.

You put your right foot in
You take your right foot out
You put your left foot in
And you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself around
It's what the Vatican's all about!

I am raising a question.

Bella Dodd planted about 1000 communist men into the seminary to destroy the church from within. Could Bergolio be a late communist implant?

His parents were alleged communists. His most influential teacher was a Marxist woman

Advocates a 1 world order under the leadership of China

Signs the Vatican- China agreement destroying the faithful underground church

Receives 2 billion dollars from China

Restores a Marxist, liberation theology priest to ministry, one who Pope StJohn Paul removed

Destroys church teaching on homosexuality and the Eucharist.

Destroys the Pontifical Academy for Life and appoints pro abortion individuals to the institute.

Protects and promotes homosexual bishops and cardinals

Just wondering.

Great and accurate analysis here. The Bergoglian calculation is clear: By giving just enough semblance of orthodoxy, he keeps people thinking that the current Vatican regime is Christian/Catholic instead of intrinsically demonic. That way all the obedient Catholics keep obeying the McCarrick Church instead of rebelling. It's brilliant and it works. The manipulation of obedient Catholics will only end when enough clergy and laity find the courage to walk away from it. This does not seem to be close to happening. When it does, how free and refreshing it will be. And yes, they will be yelled at by Catholics who are still obedient and afraid for being "schismatic" - just like Edmund Campion was. But history will prove them right. Keep praying for courage and holy anger to fill our clerical and lay leaders.

Great to see Edmund Campion mentioned, as he is a very local Saint. He printed his subversive pamphlets in Stonor House, about 12 miles from my house:

https://www.stonor.com/st-e...

It is in a beautiful valley where you could see the Queen's men coming from a distance. And, with the steeply sloping ground, you could duck out from the back of the attic. Stonor still has a Catholic Chapel and Masses.

And he was a Jesuit. It now seems bizarre beyond belief.

I visited Stonor a couple of years ago and prayed in that chapel. I sensed that we would need the same courage of Campion. He disobeyed the false "head of the church" Queen Elizabeth, and so we now have a false "head of the church" Jorge Bergoglio.

God love The Queen. Catholic or not, she is a devout woman. The globalists want to take down the RF, and Meghan and Harry, and Gayle and Oprah, do not have God in their hearts as they scheme. Please pray for The Queen and her country and heirs.

I was referring of course to Elizabeth I, whom Edmund Campion preached before as a young Oxford scholar and by whom he was later executed. God save England, Mary's Dowry.

Isn't this contrived drama brought to public attention hot on the heels of the suppression of Masses at The Basilica? Eh, yes.

Two steps forward and one step back to inform the hopelessly obedient and faithfully fatefully docile to remain confident with a ship which is way off course.

‘If we don’t roll up our sleeves and immediately take care of the Earth, with radical personal and political choices, with an economic ‘green’ turn by
directing.......sooner or later our common home will throw us out the window,” the Pope said.

Welcome to the GoodShip: Titanic Barque - with a pachamama figurehead on the bow leading the way.....to an Iceberg named Divine Justice.
They will pay!

In a more explosive development that few are looking at, the pope called explicitly for the creation of a "new world order" where the Church's salvific purpose will be reduced to 'getting along' with everyone and caring for 'Mother Earth'. Meanwhile, we are distracted by this quasi-orthodox presentation by the CDF which as Steve points out, seems to be the "same old, same old" shell game.

Yes, my post you have replied to includes a quote from his 'new world order' spiel which is basically masonic and pagan in it's alarmist concerns
for the "ire of nature", not God. Anybody with even the remotest intelligence can smash his message to bits given it's paucity regarding Authentic Christian Thought and Belief.

He is lead by an evil spirit......the only doubt is to what degree he is willingly complicit.

One can read his shitball here...sorry, I mean his spitball.https://www.vaticannews.va/...

"One of the surest signs of God's wrath against his people are unworthy priests." (-- A Saint. John Eudes?)

"Man will give an account of every careless word he has spoken." (Mt 12:36)

Cardinal Reinhard Marx and the German hierarchy will ignore the CDF, and using their 'synodal way' to justify the defiance, and be a 'nurturing, gathering People of God.

Cardinal Marx, who helped buy a ship with Church money, to collude with people traffickers in the Mediterranean, consulting no one.

I can only agree with Steve. The "wink-wink-nudge-nudge" papal signalling is so evident that only the wilfully self-deluded can keep deceiving themselves. Pope Francis publically approves of secular same sex unions, as the link in the article shows. And it is not the only signal, as is plain from many other episodes from the 2013 "Who am I to judge" saga up to date. Not to mention his fellow "Jesuit" Jimmy Martin.

https://www.ncronline.org/n...

Now some guy called Ladaria, who only Catholic geeks have ever heard of, gives the thumbs down to an official Church blessing (with, no doubt, an entry in the parish register and a marriage certificate). Who will be better remembered - the Pope or the Cardinal?

I am reminded of the time circa 1984 when a guy at a local parish was parted from his first wife and happily shacked up with Number 2. Fortunately, their parish priest, known as "Flash" from the sheer speed of his Masses, was a pastoral kind of guy and gave them an off-the-books blessing. How many low key blessings of homo couples have been given in the back rooms of Munich churches.....I couldn't even guess, mein Herr.

And the pelvic urges of the clergy must not be overlooked. Fortunately Father Richard Barton's Bishop (of Clifton diocese, aka Bristol, 120 Miles east of London) was also a pastoral kind of guy and was perfectly OK with Richard's boyfriend.... I would guess as long as it was not too blatantly paraded and didn't get in the media.

https://newhumanist.org.uk/...

I so relate to you, and have sympathy for you. Yet, what will come? I think America will become China-like. Our descendants maybe will even lose historical records of the civilization and thought before!

Surely he will let the Germans go along as they want, as he supports the Amazonians.
***

I have to tell you that, politically, the Biden presidency is following the German model, in terms of immigration and green energy, and uniforms for pregnant men and women. See, they kicked up Ursula Von der Leyen up to the U.N, before she could get investigated for all the money she spent on consultants for her defense department. As one does, rather than having expertise in your department. And what was the one thing v/d Leyen got done, even when tanks and artillery did not work, and planes could not fly? Well, she got the pregnancy uniforms.

I think McKinsey Consulting is phoning it in, re-selling their just out of graduate school expertise (Here is looking at you, Chelsea Clinton and Pete Buttigieg), that they previously sold to the Germans, to the Biden administration.

I wish they would do some investigative reporting on this, and I hope I got to a valid email for Tucker Carlson. I don’t do Twitter and I am persona non grata here and there online. Hence, trying to get this info out, here.

Our representatives work on their social media accounts, and we pay people with no experience at consulting firms...who want us to go all in one lock step direction, or, at least, want to re-sell something they created previously.

I saw this because I was in Germany, until January of last year. McKinsey. They openly wrote to v/d Leyen that their advice was, that they would get better advice, if they spent more on consulting. Open cheek, that! But why would they blink? In the end, they did not investigate the costs, but kicked her up to the U.N. Surely this has been discussed in passing in English language media, if not that one article from the young advisor from Mc Kinsey. My oh my.

One can't help but recall Bergoglio’s comment recounted by Archbishop Forte in regard to communion for the divorced and remarried – “…not too directly or it will make a mess. We’ll clarify it later…”
Regard well critiques provided by the infamous James Martin, Simone Campbell and Bryan Massingale -- they have the talent to turn what they regard a sow's ear into their silk purse, Bergoglio is of the same breed. It will be fascinating to see how the Germans regurgitate the CDF statement which, in reality, should never have been necessary to offer, if every notion which flies from between men's ears, as well as other locales, were not given credence.
This will serve to be a placebo...they are biding time. How many times have we seen it before?

I have read this CDF statement being referred to as "controversial".

The window has shifted so much that simply restating 2000 year old doctrine is considered controversial to the world.

It’s controversial to those outside the Church or to those inside the Church who are outside their minds.

But it’s also forceful enough to make me doubt that Steve’s scenario is likely. Time will tell.

Dear Steve, What a ‘tour de force’. This is Steve Skojec at his best, and, oh, what a great and needed service you are providing to the faithful. I know you get discouraged at times, perfectly understandable, but we are at war. You are our warrior, leading the way. There is no one your equal in this department. Refresh yourself , keep your heart of flesh, and maintain your humour. We are in this for the long hall, and we need you just where you are. God’s speed! Sincerely In Christ Jesus, Larry Clarence Lewis, Canada.

The picture accompanying this article deserves a Pulitzer. It has stuck with me since I first saw it. Excellent.

Another "throw the dogs a bone!"

I don't think so. I agree with Steve S., Barry (in his blog entry currently below) and others like Timothy Gordon who say this "one step forward, two steps back" is the Francis methodology. It's what he does. I guess it's to wear down resistance or minimize the uproar when things go against the faith.

I think that is what James meant with his comment, that it's "one step forward, two steps backward." Several years ago I dubbed this Vatican dance el pasodoble bergogliano, the Bergoglian two-step. Curiously, it's among the few dances in the world where one partner, viz. Bergoglio, is entitled to step repeatedly on the other's toes (that's ours, in case you hadn't understood clearly), and to give him the finger, the latter gesture only permitted, naturally, when the finger is not inserted squarely in the other's eye.

We have the same perspective -- sorry to have been obscure.
It occurred to me this morning that the timing for this bone of consolation tossed to faithful Catholics is curiously announced just days after last week's outrage regarding the offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at Saint Peter's Basilica.
Bergoglio regards himself the top cat toying with groundlings.

Not really a step. Just not a movement. Its as dead as 'conservatives' that conserve nothing.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop...

My thoughts exactly!

Unfortunately, this is typical of traditional Catholic blogs. "There is no good news". "Everyone is out to get us". "No one gets the benefit of the doubt." "Anyone who does not agree with me is clearly a heretic." (or in this case, "Someone agrees with me but I am still sure they are a heretic.")

They had the "benefit of the doubt," surely from me, for decades. Bergoglio has deliberately eradicated that protocol. Rouse yourself from slumber. False consolations are not appropriate any longer.

1. "There is no good news". - How many degrees of pollyanna are seriously worth turning to avoid harsh realities. By the way we love good news, it's called The Gospel.

2. "Everyone is out to get us". Not true. Some people are dead. 😏

3. "No one gets the benefit of the doubt." One can genuinely offer one, of course! However the benefit of the doubt doesn't do multiples very well.

4. "Anyone who does not agree with me is clearly a heretic." If one professes Catholic Truths and another rejects that....well.....

5. "Someone agrees with me but I am still sure they are a heretic." Have you heard the story about the serial killer who in one particular happenstance saved a toddler from a burning building? The following week he claimed his 73rd victim.

Thank you so much for that reminder. We've been shot with a transquilizer before they gut us.

Well, I suppose we’ll see. But the CDF was pretty strong in this case:

"For this reason, it is not licit to impart a blessing on relationships, or partnerships, even stable, that involve sexual activity outside of marriage (i.e., outside the indissoluble union of a man and a woman open in itself to the transmission of life), as is the case of the unions between persons of the same sex.”

Not licit would seem to mean what it says, notwithstanding the preferences of a local ordinary.

Well, as we all knew, Christ hasn't abandoned his Church or his Vicar. It's also true that this Pope is unlikely to ever fix the German Church.

There was a good phrase in this post which explains a lot of the chaos, but which is also comforting, even if some don't realise it: "The Germans, as they are wont to do, keep trying to systematize their heresies and scandal. Francis wants chaos at the local level."

It's not principled or brave on the part of the Pope, but allowing bishops to handle issues as they see fit keeps the pressure off the Church in general. It lets the problem fester and grow worse, but everyone gets to live to fight another day.

More important is the Pope's refusal to allow "systematisation" of heresies. This standard modernist practice of avoiding clear denials of Catholic doctrine keeps them in the Church, "annoyingly". Even the Pope's civil unions fiasco, which favours an immoral interpretation, doesn't openly deny Catholic dogma. Its all scandalous. That's obvious. The bottom line is that the Church hasn't been abandoned by Christ. There is a line over which its leadership can't cross. Therefore sedevacantism or flight into schism are not options.

As long as we have our technicalities to console us...

I agree it looks like a technicality, but it's the difference between having a Martin Luther or a Karl Marx running the Church. Whatever the Popes since Vatican II have done and would like to do, there is a line they can't cross. I'm very consoled by this technicality.

Up and until the One Church of the E.U.?

The Germans want their tax money.

—{My RCIA deacon reported my baptism. I am officially a Catholic to the German government, without a certificate of baptism from the Church. (I refused to sign a form allowing them to enter my conversion with the State, given Germany’s history with the Jews, and their current practice of not registering Muslims.) Yet, without my signature, I was still made Catholic to the State. Not signing this form for the government, I was not given a baptismal certificate, and am not a Catholic to the Church. Priorities. }

The Vatican wants the German money, and the money from their Rocketman film investment....

I wish I could upvoate this article... I'll have to settle with emailing it to a few friends.

Update: after posting I saw there IS a way to upvote! Done!

Now about that email...