Pope Francis Spews Gaffes Galore In Eastern Europe

Today in Slovakia, the pope gave a talk that was, quite frankly, a multi-faceted embarrassment.  I link now to the summary from Catholic News Agency and will link to the full version when I can find it.  Anyway, he started by setting up another of his infamous false dichotomies, this one between the Gospel and the Catholic faith.  He used the pejorative  term "defensive Gospel" against what seems to be a lovely term, "creativity of the Gospel".  No, the Gospel is the message of Jesus, as taught by the Church over these past two thousand years.  There is no novelty in the Gospel, as evidenced by the end of public revelation after the death of John the Evangelist.  While we may attain greater understanding of already-exisiting truth, there is no new "truth" to be revealed.  Gosh!  One might get the feeling that he's trying to cajole us into accepting some heresy under the guise of "creativity"!  (ahem!)

If my last sentence seems rather far-fetched, read on a bit further.  He laments that "for many people, tradition is a relic from the past.  It no longer speaks to them or affects the way they live their lives".  But let's get one thing straight.  They don't need anyone to twist the timeless truths of Jesus Christ into some newfangled heretical monstrosity.  They need to be taught the faith because, quite frankly, the progressives following "the spirit of Vatican II" have deliberately cheated us of our heritage and continue to do so.  The piece of pig-slop known as Traditionis Custodes is just the latest attempt to rob us of our Tradition and yes, the graces of God that flows through the Traditional Latin Mass.  The pope may thus rest assured that no one is "judging and blaming the world".  No, the blame lies squarely at the feet of liberal clerics who have sought to twist Church teaching into all manners of banal jokes.

Then he bemoans the Church "viewing life with a detached gaze... The center of the Church is not the Church".  That's true enough, but that center is certainly not this world.  Rather, the Church's "center" is none other than the Holy Trinity.  He then asks what people expect from the Church.  Wrong question.  What does God expect from the Church?  It is NOT "freedom, creativity, dialogue".  The Church's main mission is to save souls from hell and assist them to heaven, in obedience to the commission that Jesus gave to His apostles.  

Then he says "young people...are not attracted by a faith that leaves no interior freedom".  So does that mean that he will rescind Traditionis Custodes, that screed that is overtly designed to put the screws to those who attend the Latin Mass?  Surely he knows that a high percentage of those attendees are young people, with spouses and children, right?  Or is "interior freedom" only for those who dissent from Church teaching?  Speaking of the actual definition of "freedom", may I suggest that he examine the Benedictus?  It's a key prayer found in Lauds, part of the Divine Office that he, as a cleric, is bound to pray daily.  It's most educational.  I won't give it away; I'll let readers read the Benedictus for themselves.

So much error and chicanery, so little time.  I haven't time to tackle the whole thing, but perhaps will take it up later.  Other good bloggers are posting about this, too.