Thursday, October 22, 2015

Failed Papacy And Questionable Vortex

In today's Vortex Michael Voris discusses the latest talk of the papacy of Francis being "failed".  Apparently some leftists are lodging that complaint as they were hoping for radical changes of doctrine and practice, particularly in matters of sexual ethics.  That hasn't happened - at least not at a pace according to their liking.  I'm not so sure that their frustration is due to the pope as much as it might be to faithful Catholics "shining the light on cockroaches".

There's no doubt that Pope Francis did encourage such progressive thinking due to his extemporaneous interviews and disregard of papal traditions.  No one can gainsay that, not even Michael Voris.  However, today Voris goes through great mental and logical contortions to absolve the pope of any responsibility for this mess.  This is not the first time that Voris has made such vain attempts; I rebutted them at the time and now I'll have to do so again.
  • At 3:50, Voris states that the pope's "own media people have been a disaster, failing him on every score".  Well then, why does the pope retain them?  It's been well over a year now and still the pope hasn't cleaned out that communication office of his.  Some opine that the pope desires that aura of confusion; that opinion has basis.
  • At 4:40, speaking about the pope's "gang of nine" closest advisers, he says "a general is only as good as his first officers".  True enough.  The responsible general knows this and will ensure that he is surrounded by competent men.  Instead, the pope picked men like Maradiaga and Kasper.  Can he possibly claim ignorance of their proclivities?  No - not given the length of time he spent as bishop and cardinal himself.
  • Following that, at 4:52, Voris goes into the pope's "governing style" saying that the pope surrounds himself with people whom he personally likes and avoids those whom he doesn't.  That is NOT just a mere preference of style, but the epitome of irresponsibility.  When one is about the serious task of governance - in this case the shepherding of millions of souls for their eternal salvation, they must select their assistants based on their assistants' abilities and vision in carrying out the mission - not based on trivialities such as personal likes and affinities.   We might expect children to do the latter, not vicars of Christ.
  • At 5:25, Voris says of the pope, "many of those around him who are decidedly progressive and heterodox on various points may be actually using him        Being "used" or putting up the appearance of being used?  Are we really supposed to believe that the pope is such a dear, sweet, naive little bumpkin as to allow himself to be used?  C'mon!  How long has he been bishop and cardinal before going to the Vatican?  He's been "around the block" too many times for us to buy this "being used" poppycock!  He's a big boy now!  He owns the mess he's creating!  In the words on that plaque in President Truman's office, "the buck stops here"!  As much as Voris disdains criticism of the pope, does he realize how patronizing and condescending he sounds towards the pope?
  • The following is the crux of Voris' presentation so I'll break out of the bullets now
At 6:00 he says of those evil boogeymen controlling the pope (they exist, but they don't control the pope - he has full culpability here) that they are trying to paint those of us who ask questions as "enemies of the pope".  That probably is the case; an example is the stunt that Cardinal Wuerl tried to pull a few days ago.  Then Voris's train of thought jumps the track when he says "to slam the pope" would play into their hands.
  • I've said this several times before when Voris tried to scold those of us who criticize the pope's words and actions.  To raise these valid points is NOT equivalent to "slamming the pope".
  • I suspect Wuerl et al are trying to silence us and to inhibit our questioning by implying that we "just don't like this pope".  Is it Voris who is playing into their hands by rehashing his call from several months ago for us to shut up?
One of his closing statements was that due to the machinations of the progressives, the pope has "little maneuvering room".  What difference does that make?  Why cannot the pope just do his job and promulgate the Teachings of Jesus Christ and give the results of that fidelity into the hands of God?  Why is that so complicated?  No doubt it would take courage but that is his responsibility.

The title of the Vortex video is "Failed Papacy".  I don't know about that.  I do know that up till now, this papacy has been one friggin disaster: from clown-nose selfies to "who am I to judge" to muslims praying to "allah" in the Vatican to telling adulterers they can receive Holy Communion - I could go on and on with this.  But after next week he will still be pope.  What will he do with the rest of his papacy?  This is cause for prayer for us, that he will make something of his papacy and do something for Christ's hurting and bruised Church.  Now the video..

16 comments:

  1. Very well written, Janet. You respectfully and logically exposed Mr. Voris' very labored and contorted navigation of the Holy Father's questionable decisions.

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  2. Praise God someone has the courage to put 2 and 2 together ! I am so sick of this side stepping and covering up for this outrageous
    pope who is deliberately causing confusion…..e is responsible…..he causes it all….he brings these evildoers around him !

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  3. Not at all gleefully and quite sadly, I think Voris has made quite a fool of himself in his quest to make this Pope look innocent, as if he is just an imbecile who is allowing these evil men around him to call all the shots, while the Pope himself sits back nodding in agreement at their outlandish heresies because 'HE LIKES THEM'. Wonder if Voris realizes that he is painting a picture of a Pope that is a totally brainless 'yes' man that is so caught up in the 'love and mercy' fuzzies of these vipers that he relies only on his 'emotions' to lead the Church of Christ? Voris seems to be an intelligent guy, I just wish he wouldn't make such a fool of himself.

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  5. "As much as Voris disdains criticism of the pope, does he realize how patronizing and condescending he sounds towards the pope?"

    A superb insight, Janet. To be sure, Voris has simply failed the papacy (and the Church) by adamantly refusing to assist the pope by way of fraternal correction that can be done in great humility by any faithful member of the Church. It is indeed a shame that Voris just doesn't love the Holy Father enough to tell him what he needs to hear or at the very least stop making excuses for his inexcusable actions in public forums. Instead, Voris acts like an enabling child who fails to tell an alcoholic father that he needs to change course instead of continuing to abuse the gift of life he has been granted.

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  6. Voris refuses to acknowledge that "personnel is policy."

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  7. One of the advantages (?) of being an old timer is that we can recognize in Michael Voris' statements the same tired cliches we were hearing in the late 1960s, when Vatican II was vomited out upon the faithful. Every time Pope Paul said or did something outrageous or scandalous we heard the same kinds of remarks that Mr Voris is now making, and they are as hollow now as they were then. If I had a nickel for every "the Pope does't know" line that was spoken I would be living now on the French Riviera.

    This is a somewhat understandable situation when newbies arrive on the scene, but what the newbies (I do not use that term in a pejorative sense) need to cultivate is a little historical perspective before running to the microphones or the keyboards. In Mr Voris' case we can hope that one day he will come to the realization that the position he now takes is untenable.

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  8. All Voris is doing is behaving like a good member of the Apologetics-Industrial Complex -- you know, the "good" people at Patheos and Catholic Answers, the ones who have brought Ultramontanism out of the 19th Century and put it in our backyards, the ones who define "faith" as blind obedience to authority instead of as an intelligent faith in the Triune God.

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  9. Very good commentary on this Vortex. I think you have defined all obvious points correctly. It is so hard to understand how Michael Voris, who is generally very astute, could be so utterly irrational in this Vortex. It makes one wonder if there isn't a big money machine prompting it all. It defies logic.

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  10. Michael Voris insulted my intelligence, though my IQ is not in the highest range. As has been pointed out astutely, he doesn't love pope Francis enough and he doesn't love those millions misled by him enough, to report and comment with some integrity - which we know he is capable of.

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  11. Remember a while back when Voris backtracked his criticism of Pope Francis? I suspect that he has a major funder of his work and that this donor doesn't tolerate criticism of the Pope. So Voris has to please his patron in order to continue. I have no proof, just a gut feeling. As they say "follow the money". It always boils down to money and/or power - yes, even in the Catholic Church and even amongst traditionalists.

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  12. The position MV, CM have put themselves cannot be sustained in the face of the Truth. Perhaps it is the Synod, but I am beginning to notice his looking worn out.

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  13. Voris has painted himself into a corner. He has made it plain that a Catholic can't criticise a Pope and he is stuck with that operating principle but he can't maintain silence (like he has in other context of outrageous Papal praxis) when it comes to the Synod so he is constrained to try and befog what it is that is going on and ABS can not believe any sentient being buys what Voris is trying to sell

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  14. This Vortex is a joke.

    That comment would probably be deleted by Church Militant's mods on their own DISQUS page. You may only disagree but not in a strong way apparently. This is a bugbear I have with Voris. If you disagree with the editorial line you have to walk on eggshells in how you express it and even then run the risk of getting blocked. The moderation policy has more the air of an enclosed Carmelite convent than a lay ministry. Not that I want it to be all rock and roll and something that it's not. Just to ease up a bit. I noticed that they did relent somewhat as the synod progressed, but I was blocked by then.

    Yes, this Vortex had a strong air of fantasy about it and left me feeling rather cold. The Pope can't be that much of a simpleton surely?

    Having said that many, if not most of the reports were magnificent, especially "Freemason Synod". The "alternative" Catholic media played no small role in thwarting a possible act of spiritual terrorism and Church Militant's star shone the brightest. (Church Militant is no longer "alternative" now perhaps and that could mean new dangers.) However when the going got tough the tough got going, and players like the hard-hitting Mundabor blog's ascerbic "dirty work" posts played a key role in the overall defense of the Faith, in my opinion. Meanwhile Church Militant retain their purity, while still taking a peek at Mundabor pages now and then perhaps ;)

    Kudos also to all of the commenters also, on the various blogs, because they gave insight and lent greater authority to the blogs/outlets themselves. Truly this is a manifestation of the Body of Christ - Communion. The blogosphere has sustained me through this rather odd time. When Voris gets back to MI I will ask to be allowed back into the family - I'm suffering not being able to add my tuppenceworth, which will probably be my usual praise. I hope my exile will not be a life sentence.

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  15. Voris is the Vladimir Posner of Papalotry. Sad.

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  16. FYI, you will never hear Voris criticize the Pope. This is a matter of policy.

    From their FAQ on the subject: "ChurchMilitant.com will not engage in public criticism of the Pope. Period."

    http://www.churchmilitant.tv/faq/papalcriticism.pdf

    As long as he is consistent about that, I can live with the policy (after all, it's his website). That is not to say that I agree with the policy, but I do acknowledge that it is reasonable.

    I figure that as long as a person doesn't engage in calumny, detraction, and rash judgment...and looks for the most charitable explanation reasonably possible (note the word "reasonably"), then we should speak the truth in love...regardless of who is the object of that speech.

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