The facade of Cardinal Raymond Burke's Vatican apartment. (Credit: Elizabeth Alva/EWTN)
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 29, 2023 / 17:31 pm (CNA).
Pope Francis reportedly has confirmed that he plans to take away Cardinal Raymond Burke’s Vatican apartment and salary but denied that he referred to the American prelate as his “enemy,” according to a web post by papal biographer Austen Ivereigh.
The pope reportedly announced at a meeting of Vatican heads on Nov. 20 that he intended to take action against Burke, who has publicly criticized some papal initiatives, according to the Italian Catholic news blog La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, which first reported the news on Nov. 27.
The Associated Press later confirmed the report based on conversations with two anonymous sources.
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that Burke said he has not been informed of the pope’s intention to take away his apartment and salary.
“People can draw their own conclusions about why the Holy Father told this to Austen Ivereigh and not the person concerned,” Burke said. He told the outlet that he intends to stay in Rome even if he is forced to find somewhere else to live.
“It’s my duty as a cardinal to remain in Rome,” he said.
Pope Francis removed Burke from the post of prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (the highest judicial authority in the Church) in 2014 and instead appointed him cardinal patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a mostly ceremonial role dedicated to the spiritual welfare of the members of the order. He remained patron until this year but had held only the title, having been reportedly restricted from active involvement since 2016 and thus sidelined during the extensive institutional reforms of the order over the last years.
In an article that was highly critical of Burke published on the website Where Peter Is, Ivereigh wrote that Pope Francis confirmed to him that he plans to take away Burke’s apartment and salary.
“I met with Pope Francis on the afternoon of November 27th. It was a short meeting because of his lung inflammation, which meant it took him some effort to speak. (The following evening his trip to Dubai was canceled because it had not improved enough.) In the course of our conversation, Francis told me he had decided to remove Cardinal Burke’s cardinal privileges — his apartment and salary — because he had been using those privileges against the Church,” Ivereigh wrote.
“He told me that while the decision wasn’t a secret, he didn’t intend a public announcement but earlier that day (Monday) it had been leaked,” he wrote.
Ivereigh is the author of two hagiographic biographies of Pope Francis and co-authored the 2020 book “Let Us Dream: A Path to a Better Future” with the Holy Father. He also holds a key advisory position in the current Synod on Synodality.
Ivereigh wrote that the pope said, contrary to some media reports, that he did not refer to Burke as his “enemy.”
According to the La Nuova Bussola Quotidian’s unnamed Vatican source, Pope Francis told the meeting of Vatican department heads on Nov. 20: “Cardinal Burke is my enemy, so I take away his apartment and his salary.”
In his web post, Ivereigh wrote that he doubted the veracity of that report, saying: “I knew this quote was pure fiction. Pope Francis would never conduct a personal vendetta. It was conveniently in line with the traditionalist narrative of a merciless, vindictive pope who recklessly and unreasonably ‘punishes’ those who disagree with him.”
Ivereigh said he “wrote Pope Francis a note alerting him to this quote and offering to correct it with the truth as he had put it to me” and received a clear denial from the Holy Father.
“On Tuesday evening I had a note back from the pope. ‘I never used the word “enemy” nor the pronoun “my.” I simply announced the fact at the meeting of the dicastery heads, without giving specific explanations,’” Ivereigh wrote.
CNA reached out to the Vatican press office to confirm Ivereigh’s report but did not receive a response by time of publication.
The papal biographer has been a frequent critic of Burke, who had publicly voiced his concerns about the Synod on Synodality’s threat to Church doctrine.
In a recent post on the social media platform X, Ivereigh compared the cardinal to Archbishop Marcel Lefevbre, who founded the Priestly Society of St. Pius X and was excommunicated for ordaining priests without Vatican approval.
Ivereigh wrote: “Burke’s claim to be on the true branch while the tree goes its own way was the justification of Abp. Lefebvre, who led a schism following Vatican II. Just as Lefebvre rejected collegiality then, Burke rejects synodality now, despite both being authentic Church developments.”
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Deacon Ronnie Lastovica, right, and Bishop Joe Vasquez of the Diocese of Austin celebrate Mass in the Mountain View Unit prison in Gatesville, Texas, which houses the state’s female death row, on Dec. 1, 2023. / Credit: Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition/TDCJ Communications
Vatican City, Jan 20, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
In an important move for the Catholic Church in Texas on Monday, Pope Francis named Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez to replace 75-year-old Cardinal Daniel DiNardo as head of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
DiNardo, who was made a cardinal in 2007 and who led the U.S. bishops’ conference as president from 2016-2019, turned 75 — the standard retirement age for Catholic bishops — in May of 2024.
The 67-year-old Vásquez is returning to the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, where he served as an auxiliary bishop from 2002-2010. The bishop is coming back to the archdiocese almost exactly 15 years after moving 160 miles to the northwest to lead the Diocese of Austin.
The Mexican-American bishop also served as apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Tyler from November of 2023 to December of 2024, after Pope Francis removed Bishop Joseph Strickland.
The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston serves 1.7 million Catholics in 146 parishes across 10 counties in southeastern Texas. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the U.S.
According to the archdiocese, the local Church is multicultural, with members coming from every continent. Liturgies are held in 14 different languages.
Vásquez, whose seminary education included five years in Rome studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo in 1984.
He grew up the oldest of six children in the small town of Stamford, in west-central Texas.
Vásquez has served as a consultant to the U.S. bishops’ conference committee on pro-life activities and as lead bishop for Region X for the V National Encounter for Hispanic/Latino Ministry (V Encuentro).
Vatican City, Dec 7, 2018 / 10:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Ahead of the beatification Saturday of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his 18 companions, who were martyred in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, Pope Francis said martyrs have a special place in the Church.
“The Church has always paid special devotion to the martyrs, who have faith and love for the Lord Jesus, even to the shedding of their blood as witness,” he wrote in a letter to Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu.
Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Becciu, as the pope’s envoy, will celebrate the Dec. 8 beatification of the 19 Algerian martyrs at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Cross in Oran.
In his letter, composed in Latin, the pope recalled the suffering and persecution experienced by Christ, quoting his words to his disciples that “a servant is no greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
These words have been confirmed throughout time and place in the persecution and martyrdom of Christians, he continued.
“Persecutions are not a reality of the past,” he said, quoting his 2018 apostolic exhortation Gaudete et exsultate, “for today too we experience them, whether by the shedding of blood, as is the case with so many contemporary martyrs, or by more subtle means, by slander and lies.”
He also said that “at other times, persecution can take the form of gibes that try to caricature our faith and make us seem ridiculous.”
But Christians should not be afraid of persecution, Francis said, because Christ told his followers that “all power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. […] And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
The death of these 19 martyrs has acted like a seed planted in the desert, and “the seeds have sprouted,” resulting in the growth of virtues, Francis said. The martyrs loved eternal life more than death, and now “they possess what they loved, and they will possess it even more fully at the resurrection of the dead.”
Pope Francis authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to recognize the martyrdoms in January.
Bishop Claverie, who was a French Algerian and the Bishop of Oran from 1981 until his Aug. 1, 1996 martyrdom, is one of the future blesseds. He and his companions were killed during the Algerian Civil War by Islamists.
In addition to Claverie, those being beatified are: Brother Henri Vergès, Sister Paul-Hélène Saint-Raymond, Sister Esther Paniagua Alonso, Sister Caridad Álvarez Martín, Fr. Jean Chevillard, Fr. Alain Dieulangard, Fr. Charles Deckers, Fr. Christian Chessel, Sister Angèle-Marie Littlejohn, Sister Bibiane Leclercq, Sister Odette Prévost, Brother Luc Dochier, Brother Christian de Chergé, Brother Christophe Lebreton, Brother Michel Fleury, Brother Bruno Lemarchand, Brother Célestin Ringeard, and Brother Paul Favre-Miville.
The best known of Claverie’s companions are the seven monks of Tibhirine, who were kidnapped from their Trappist priory in March 1996. They were kept as a bartering chip to procure the release of several imprisoned members of the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria, and were killed in May. Their story was dramatized in the 2010 French film Of Gods and Men, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
After the death of the monks of Tibhirine, Bishop Claverie knew his life was in serious danger. A bomb exploded at the entrance of his chancery Aug. 1, 1996, killing him and an aide, Mohamed Bouchikhi.
Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Oct. 5, 2016. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA
CNA Staff, Mar 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).
March 13 marks the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis as the 265th successor of St. Peter. Here is a timeline of key events during his papacy:
2013
March 13 — About two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the papacy, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio is elected pope. He takes the papal name Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and proclaims from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica: “Let us begin this journey, the bishop and people, this journey of the Church of Rome, which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another.”
March 14 — The day after he begins his pontificate, Pope Francis returns to his hotel to personally pay his hotel bill and collect his luggage.
July 8 — Pope Francis visits Italy’s island of Lampedusa and meets with a group of 50 migrants, most of whom are young men from Somalia and Eritrea. The island, which is about 200 miles off the coast of Tunisia, is a common entry point for migrants who flee parts of Africa and the Middle East to enter Europe. This is the pope’s first pastoral visit outside of Rome and sets the stage for making reaching out to the peripheries a significant focus.
Pope Francis gives the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 2, 2013. Elise Harris/CNA.
July 23-28 — Pope Francis visits Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to participate in World Youth Day 2013. More than 3 million people from around the world attend the event.
July 29 — On the return flight from Brazil, Pope Francis gives his first papal news conference and sparks controversy by saying “if a person is gay and seeks God and has goodwill, who am I to judge?” The phrase is prompted by a reporter asking the pope a question about priests who have homosexual attraction.
Nov. 24 — Pope Francis publishes his first apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel). The document illustrates the pope’s vision for how to approach evangelization in the modern world.
2014
Feb. 22 — Pope Francis holds his first papal consistory to appoint 19 new cardinals, including ones from countries in the developing world that have never previously been represented in the College of Cardinals, such as Haiti.
March 22 — Pope Francis creates the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The commission works to protect the dignity of minors and vulnerable adults, such as the victims of sexual abuse.
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience on Nov. 29, 2014. Bohumil Petrik/CNA.
Oct. 5 — The Synod on the Family begins. The bishops discuss a variety of concerns, including single-parent homes, cohabitation, homosexual adoption of children, and interreligious marriages.
Dec. 6 — After facing some pushback for his efforts to reform the Roman Curia, Pope Francis discusses his opinion in an interview with La Nacion, an Argentine news outlet: “Resistance is now evident. And that is a good sign for me, getting the resistance out into the open, no stealthy mumbling when there is disagreement. It’s healthy to get things out into the open, it’s very healthy.”
2015
Jan. 18 — To conclude a trip to Asia, Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Manila, Philippines. Approximately 6 million to 7 million people attend the record-setting Mass, despite heavy rain.
March 23 — Pope Francis visits Naples, Italy, to show the Church’s commitment to helping the fight against corruption and organized crime in the city.
May 24 — To emphasize the Church’s mission to combat global warming and care for the environment, Pope Francis publishes the encyclical Laudato Si’, which urges people to take care of the environment and encourages political action to address climate problems.
Pope Francis at a Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 17, 2015. Bohumil Petrik.
Sept. 19-22 — Pope Francis visits Cuba and meets with Fidel Castro in the first papal visit to the country since Pope John Paul II in 1998. During his homily, Francis discusses the dignity of the human person: “Being a Christian entails promoting the dignity of our brothers and sisters, fighting for it, living for it.”
Sept. 22-27 — After departing from Cuba, Pope Francis makes his first papal visit to the United States. In Washington, D.C., he speaks to a joint session of Congress, in which he urges lawmakers to work toward promoting the common good, and canonizes the Franciscan missionary St. Junípero Serra. He also attends the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which focuses on celebrating the gift of the family.
Pope Francis speaks to the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 24, 2015. . L’Osservatore Romano.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis begins the second Synod on the Family to address issues within the modern family, such as single-parent homes, cohabitation, poverty, and abuse.
Oct. 18 — The pope canonizes St. Louis Martin and St. Marie-Azélie “Zelie” Guérin. The married couple were parents to five nuns, including St. Therese of Lisieux. They are the first married couple to be canonized together.
Dec. 8 — Pope Francis’ Jubilee Year of Mercy begins. The year focuses on God’s mercy and forgiveness and people’s redemption from sin. The pope delegates certain priests in each diocese to be Missionaries of Mercy who have the authority to forgive sins that are usually reserved for the Holy See.
2016
March 19 — Pope Francis publishes the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which discusses a wide variety of issues facing the modern family based on discussions from the two synods on the family. The pope garners significant controversy from within the Church for comments he makes in Chapter 8 about Communion for the divorced and remarried.
April 16 — After visiting refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos, Pope Francis allows three Muslim refugee families to join him on his flight back to Rome. He says the move was not a political statement.
Pope Francis at the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Feb. 24, 2016. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
July 26-31 — Pope Francis visits Krakow, Poland, as part of the World Youth Day festivities. About 3 million young Catholic pilgrims from around the world attend.
Sept. 4 — The pope canonizes St. Teresa of Calcutta, who is also known as Mother Teresa. The saint, a nun from Albania, dedicated her life to missionary and charity work, primarily in India.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — Pope Francis visits Georgia and Azerbaijan on his 16th trip outside of Rome since the start of his papacy. His trip focuses on Catholic relations with Orthodox Christians and Muslims.
Oct. 4 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to Amatrice, Italy, to pray for the victims of an earthquake in central Italy that killed nearly 300 people.
2017
May 12-13 — In another papal trip, Francis travels to Fatima, Portugal, to visit the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima. May 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the first Marian apparition to three children in the city.
July 11 — Pope Francis adds another category of Christian life suitable for the consideration of sainthood: “offering of life.” The category is distinct from martyrdom, which only applies to someone who is killed for his or her faith. The new category applies to those who died prematurely through an offering of their life to God and neighbor.
Pope Francis greets a participant in the World Day of the Poor in Rome, Nov. 16, 2017. L’Osservatore Romano.
Nov. 19 — On the first-ever World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis eats lunch with 4,000 poor and people in need in Rome.
Nov. 27-Dec. 2 — In another trip to Asia, Pope Francis travels to Myanmar and Bangladesh. He visits landmarks and meets with government officials, Catholic clergy, and Buddhist monks. He also preaches the Gospel and promotes peace in the region.
2018
Jan. 15-21 — The pope takes another trip to Latin America, this time visiting Chile and Peru. The pontiff meets with government officials and members of the clergy while urging the faithful to remain close to the clergy and reject secularism. The Chilean visit leads to controversy over Chilean clergy sex abuse scandals.
Aug. 2 — The Vatican formally revises No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which concerns the death penalty. The previous text suggested the death penalty could be permissible in certain circumstances, but the revision states that the death penalty is “inadmissible.”
Aug. 25 — Archbishop Carlo Viganò, former papal nuncio to the United States, publishes an 11-page letter calling for the resignation of Pope Francis and accusing him and other Vatican officials of covering up sexual abuse including allegations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. The pope initially does not directly respond to the letter, but nine months after its publication he denies having prior knowledge about McCarrick’s conduct.
Aug. 25-26 — Pope Francis visits Dublin, Ireland, to attend the World Meeting of Families. The theme is “the Gospel of family, joy for the world.”
Pope Francis at the 2018 World Meeting of Families in Ireland. Daniel Ibanez/CNA.
Oct. 3-28 — The Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment takes place. The synod focuses on best practices to teach the faith to young people and to help them discern God’s will.
2019
Jan. 22-27 — The third World Youth Day during Pope Francis’ pontificate takes place during these six days in Panama City, Panama. Young Catholics from around the world gather for the event, with approximately 3 million people in attendance.
Feb. 4 — Pope Francis signs a joint document in with Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, titled the “Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together.” The document focuses on people of different faiths uniting together to live peacefully and advance a culture of mutual respect.
Pope Francis and Ahmed el-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, signed a joint declaration on human fraternity during an interreligious meeting in Abu Dhabi, UAE, Feb. 4, 2019. Vatican Media.
Feb. 21-24 — The Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church, which is labeled the Vatican Sexual Abuse Summit, takes place. The meeting focuses on sexual abuse scandals in the Church and emphasizes responsibility, accountability, and transparency.
Oct. 6-27 — The Church holds the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, which is also known as the Amazon Synod. The synod is meant to present ways in which the Church can better evangelize the Amazon region but leads to controversy when carved images of a pregnant Amazonian woman, referred to by the pope as Pachamama, are used in several events and displayed in a basilica near the Vatican.
Oct. 13 — St. John Henry Newman, an Anglican convert to Catholicism and a cardinal, is canonized by Pope Francis. Newman’s writings inspired Catholic student associations at nonreligious colleges and universities in the United States and other countries.
2020
March 15 — Pope Francis takes a walking pilgrimage in Rome to the chapel of the crucifix and prays for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. The crucifix was carried through Rome during the plague of 1522.
March 27 — Pope Francis gives an extraordinary “urbi et orbi” blessing in an empty and rain-covered St. Peter’s Square, praying for the world during the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis venerates the miraculous crucifix of San Marcello al Corso in St. Peter’s Square during his Urbi et Orbi blessing, March 27, 2020. Vatican Media.
2021
March 5-8 — In his first papal trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pope Francis becomes the first pope to visit Iraq. On his trip, he signs a joint statement with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani condemning extremism and promoting peace.
July 3 — Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who was elevated to the College of Cardinals by Pope Francis, is indicted in a Vatican court for embezzlement, money laundering, and other crimes. The pope gives approval for the indictment.
July 4 — Pope Francis undergoes colon surgery for diverticulitis, a common condition in older people. The Vatican releases a statement that assures the pope “reacted well” to the surgery. Francis is released from the hospital after 10 days.
July 16 — Pope Francis issues a motu proprio titled Traditionis Custodes. The document imposes heavy restrictions on the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.
Dec. 2-6 — The pope travels to Cyprus and Greece. The trip includes another visit to the Greek island of Lesbos to meet with migrants.
Pope Francis greets His Beatitude Ieronymos II in Athens, Greece on Dec. 5, 2021. Vatican Media
2022
Jan. 11 — Pope Francis makes a surprise visit to a record store in Rome called StereoSound. The pope, who has an affinity for classical music, blesses the newly renovated store.
March 19 — The pope promulgates Praedicate Evangelium, which reforms the Roman Curia. The reforms emphasize evangelization and establish more opportunities for the laity to be in leadership positions.
May 5 — Pope Francis is seen in a wheelchair for the first time in public and begins to use one more frequently. The pope has been suffering from knee problems for months.
Pope Francis greeted the crowd in a wheelchair at the end of his general audience on Aug. 3, 2022. Daniel Ibanez/CNA
July 24-30 — In his first papal visit to Canada, Pope Francis apologizes for the harsh treatment of the indigenous Canadians, saying many Christians and members of the Catholic Church were complicit.
2023
Jan. 31-Feb. 5 — Pope Francis travels to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. During his visit, the pope condemns political violence in the countries and promotes peace. He also participates in an ecumenical prayer service with Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Moderator of the Church of Scotland Iain Greenshields.
Pope Francis greets a young boy a Mass in Juba, South Sudan on Feb. 5, 2023. Vatican Media
March 29-April 1 — Pope Francis is hospitalized for a respiratory infection. During his stay at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, he visits the pediatric cancer ward and baptizes a newborn baby.
April 5 — The pope appears in the Disney documentary “The Pope: Answers,” which is in Spanish, answering six “hot-button” issues from members of Gen Z from various backgrounds. The group discusses immigration, depression, abortion, clergy sexual and psychological abuse, transgenderism, pornography, and loss of faith.
April 28-30 — Pope Francis visits Hungary to meet with government officials, civil society members, bishops, priests, seminarians, Jesuits, consecrated men and women, and pastoral workers. He celebrates Mass on the final day of the trip in Kossuth Lajos Square.
Pope Francis stands on an altar erected outside the Parliament Building in Budapest’s Kossuth Lajos’ Square during a public outdoor Mass on April 30, 2023. Vatican Media
June 7 — The Vatican announces that Pope Francis will undergo abdominal surgery that afternoon under general anesthesia due to a hernia that is causing painful, recurring, and worsening symptoms. In his general audience that morning before the surgery, Francis says he intends to publish an apostolic letter on St. Thérèse of Lisieux, “patroness of the missions,” to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth.
June 15 — After successful surgery and a week of recovery, Pope Francis is released from Gemelli Hospital.
Aug. 2-6 — Pope Francis travels to Lisbon, Portugal, for World Youth Day 2023, taking place from Aug. 1-6. He meets with Church and civil leaders ahead of presiding at the welcoming Mass and Stations of the Cross. He also hears the confessions of several pilgrims. On Aug. 5, he visits the Shrine of Our Lady of Fátima, where he prays the rosary with young people with disabilities. That evening he presides over the vigil and on Sunday, Aug. 6, he celebrates the closing Mass, where he urges the 1.5 million young people present to “be not afraid,” echoing the words of the founder of World Youth Days, St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis waves at the crowd of 1.5 million people who attended the closing Mass of World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal on Aug. 6, 2023. Vatican Media.
Aug. 31-Sept. 4 — Pope Francis travels to Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country. The trip makes Francis the first pope to visit the Asian country that shares a 2,880-mile border with China, its most significant economic partner. Mongolia has a population of about 1,300 Catholics in a country of more than 3 million people.
Pope Francis meets with local priests and religious of Mongolia, which includes only 25 priests (19 religious and six diocesan), 33 women religious, and one bishop — Cardinal Giorgio Marengo — in Ulaanbaatar’s Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on Sept. 2, 2023. Credit: Vatican Media
Sept. 22-23 — On a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Pope Francis meets with local civil and religious leaders and participates in the Mediterranean Encounter, a gathering of some 120 young people of various creeds with bishops from 30 countries.
Pope Francis asks for a moment of silence at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. A Camargue cross, which comes from the Camargue area of France, represents the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The three tridents represent faith, the anchor represents hope, and the heart represents charity. Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Oct. 4-29 — The Vatican hosts the first of two monthlong global assemblies of the Synod on Synodality, initiated by Pope Francis in 2021 to enhance the communion, participation, and mission of the Church. Pope Francis celebrates the closing Mass of the synod at St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29. The second and final global assembly will take place at the Vatican in October 2024.
Pope Francis at the Synod on Synodality’s closing Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Oct. 29, 2023. Vatican Media
Nov. 25 — Pope Francis visits the hospital briefly for precautionary testing after coming down with the flu earlier in the day. Although he still participates in scheduled activities, other officials read his prepared remarks. The Vatican on Nov. 28 cancels the pope’s planned Dec. 1–3 trip to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, where he was scheduled to deliver a speech, due to his illness.
Dec. 18 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issues the declaration Fiducia Supplicans, which authorizes nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations.” Various bishops from around the world voice both support for and criticism of the document.
2024
Jan. 14 — Pope Francis for the first time responds publicly to questions about Fiducia Supplicans in an interview on an Italian television show. The pope underlines that “the Lord blesses everyone” and that a blessing is an invitation to enter into a conversation “to see what the road is that the Lord proposes to them.”
Feb. 11 — In a ceremony attended by Argentine president Javier Milei, Pope Francis canonizes María Antonia of St. Joseph — known affectionately in the pope’s home country as “Mama Antula” — in a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica. The president and the former archbishop of Buenos Aires embrace after the ceremony. Pope Francis, who has not returned to his homeland since becoming pope in 2013, has said he wants to visit Argentina in the second half of this year.
Pope Francis meets with Argentina President Javier Milei in a private audience on Feb. 12, 2024, at the Vatican. Credit: Vatican Media
March 13 — Pope Francis celebrates 11 years as supreme pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church.
April 8 — The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith releases Dignitas Infinita (“Infinite Dignity”), a document that reaffirms the Church’s perennial opposition to abortion, euthanasia, and gender ideology.
May 19 — Pope Francis appears on CBS’ “60 Minutes” in an interview with Norah O’Donnell, where he states categorically that women’s ordination to the priesthood and the diaconate is off the table.
In an interview with 60 Minutes’ Norah O’Donnell, Pope Francis took aim at his “conservative critics” in the United States. Credit: CBS News/Adam Verdugo
June 14 — Pope Francis becomes the first pope to address the G7 Summit in the southern Italian region of Puglia. In his remarks, he stresses that human dignity requires that the decisions of artificial intelligence (AI) be under the control of human beings. During the three-day event, the pope also meets with U.S. President Joe Biden.
Sept. 2-13 — Pope Francis embarks on a 12-day trip of more than 20,000 miles over seven flights through Asia and Oceania. The trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore is his most ambitious international trip yet and the longest of his 11-year pontificate. In East Timor, 600,000 Catholics attend Mass with the Holy Father.
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu in Dili, Timor-Leste, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Oct. 2-27 — The three-year Synod on Synodality concludes with the final session in Rome and the adoption of the final report, which in a surprise move Pope Francis signs immediately, stating he will not issue a separate postsynodal document.
Dec. 7 — Pope Francis holds a consistory at the Vatican in which he creates 21 new cardinals, including Archbishop Frank Leo of Toronto; Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu of Tehran-Isfahan, Iran; and Archbishop Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, reflecting the pope’s emphasis on the Church’s global mission.
Pope Francis places the red biretta on Cardinal Domenico Battaglia, archbishop of Naples, during the consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica, Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Dec. 24 — On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica to officially launch the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica before Mass on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2024, officially launching the Jubilee Year 2025. Credit: Vatican Media
2025
Jan. 14 — “Hope,” Pope Francis’ autobiography, is released. The book marks the first time a pope has provided a first-person narration of the episodes that have marked his entire life, in this case from his childhood in Argentina in a family of Italian immigrants to becoming the successor of St. Peter.
Feb. 14 — Pope Francis is hospitalized with bronchitis and later develops double pneumonia.
March 13 — While still in Gemelli Hosptial in Rome for treatment for respiratory illnesses, Pope Francis celebrates the 12th anniversay of his election to the papacy.
As Scripture instructs us, if you enter a town and the inhabitants reject the Word of God, kick off the dust from your feet and go out from that place.
I believe that Christ is calling Cardinal Burke to kick off the dust from the Bergoglian Debacle and remove himself from that place of iniquity and faithlessness. Move on, Cardinal Burke; God has plans for you elsewhere.
Now that Ivereigh has invoked the specter of Abp. Lefebvre, I would not be surprised to learn that the revocation of Cardinal Burke’s apartment and salary proves to be a precursor to his excommunication. Jesus sought for a return of His love, not the cultivation of servile fear among the faithful. Persecution outside the Church is multiplying red martyrs, and within the white sort. God help us!
Why not excommunicate Burke? Our current pontiff does many things that have no theological justification, but do have a political purpose. Bergoglio is not a spiritual man, he is a political actor, through and through.
WPI and the spokesman of Pontiff Francis Austen Ivereigh, are the public relations arm of their emergent “paradigm-shift-apostasy-church,” men who shove Christ aside, and assert that a mere steward, a pontiff, is their law-giver.
They promote the pathology identified by Fr. Robert Imbelli, an apostate establishment called “the Decapitated Body of Christ.”
The Pope denies that he called Cardinal Burke his “enemy.” What of it? How childish. Anyone can see that Francis abuses Burke every way he knows how, and even smirks when the “poor man” is intubated. Pope Francis should give up the Christian pretense. Even the NYT reports that Francis is enemies with Burke…
At least we have forever the authentic Catholic witness and Word of God from the first Pope: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22)
Exactly. Evidently the call to listen and accompany applies only to those who willfully defy and reject church teaching. Otherwise, it seems to be open season on the faithful.
Imagine a kingdom where a friend of God is denied entry to his castle.
Imagine Jesus at Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Matthew 7:13-14 has Jesus pointing to the narrow way. As Francis constricts Burke’s path, so Burke’s eternal kingdom is now more apparent, clear, and bright. God is blessing Cardinal Burke. Francis is a mere instrument. As was Judas, as was Herod, as was Pilate, etc.
The dastardly act is confirmed. How can anyone be so cruel, to evict old men in mid winter [Dec 21 is a technicality, it’s cold outside].
Well, Ivereigh as is his wont has the answer. One cannot claim, as does Card Burke, to be fruit upon the true branch while the tree itself is in disagreement with Burke’s criticisms of Synodality.
What is cartoonish is while the pope believes Cdl Burke is acting against the Church all these years he has refused to meet with him even once. Cartoonish and childlike.
Having read Julie Meloni’a book The Saint Galen Mafia the way this papacy has developed is no suprise. Vatican II was loaded with Modernists,clergy,laity,biblcal scholars and theologians who were very influential in influencing the Church with their modernist understanding of reality. One example is Father Raymond Brown, whose 20 or more books on the Gospels that denied the divinity of Jesus, denied that Gospels were written by the authors, and underminded confidence in Dei Verbum. I think this what Pope Saint Paul VI meant when he said ‘the smoke of Satan has entered the temple.’
For months I have read many comments on many different posts. I had been educated by them and they have given me food for thought. I feel the criticisms are healthy and necessary. This helps dissipate the clericalism that exists in the Church But, what I have repeatedly read is the comment that one must follow Jesus and not the Pope’s actions, thoughts, pronouncements, etc. This is interesting and enlightening. What I have been taught is that the pope is the successor to Peter and that one of the strengths of our Church is that we obey and respect the pope as the Head of the Church. Myself and others on rare occasions did not agree with the great Saint John Paul II or Benedict XVI, but, we obeyed. Now, I am enlightened to find through commentators in the many posts, that I have read, that if I do not agree with the next pope who may indeed be more conservative, then I simply ignore him and follow my conscience? It is hard to obey but is one of the strengths of our Church. By the way, I am appalled at the Latin Mass bans, the blessing of certain lifestyle, etc.
If some authentic magisterial document teaches this, please tell me the source: “I have been taught… that…we obey and respect the pope as the Head of the Church.” It has been my understanding that we respect the truth and true teachings of the CHURCH. The pope is not equal to the Church.
As I have commented to others This was what I and others were taught in the Catholic school system years ago. I thank you for your comments. I have formed a more enlightened view of the role of the pope on these many months by reading the commentators.
It has several times occurred to me, perhaps not wholly frivolously,that the election of Cardinal Bergoglio might have been permitted so that the faithful (and not just professional theologians) might develop a more considered view of the papacy. In the past I have been an enthusiastic and wholly uncritical supporter of the reigning Pope. But I had then only just become a teenager. And the Pope was Pius XII.
meiron,
Here’s a (portion of a) Vatican I document you might be interested in:
“First dogmatic constitution on the church of Christ
Session 4 – 18 July 1870” otherwise known as “Pastor Aeternus”
From Chapter 3:
“We renew the definition of the Ecumenical Council of Florence, in virtue of which all the faithful of Christ must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff possesses primacy over the whole world, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is the true Vicar of Christ, and THE HEAD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH, and Father and Teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him, in Blessed Peter, by Jesus Christ our Lord, to pasture, to rule, and to govern the Universal Church; as is also contained in the acts of the General Councils and in the Sacred Canons.
“Hence we teach and declare that, by the appointment of our Lord, the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all other Churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; to which all, of whatever rite and dignity, both pastors and faithful, both individually and collectively, are bound, by their duty of hierarchical SUBORDINATION AND TRUE OBEDIENCE, to submit, not only in matters which belong to faith and morals, but also in those that appertain to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.
“And since, by the Divine right of Apostolic primacy, the Roman Pontiff is placed over the Universal Church, We further teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all causes, the decision of which belongs to the Church, recourse may be had to his tribunal, and that none may re-open the judgment of the Apostolic See, for none has greater authority, nor can anyone lawfully review its judgment. Therefore, they stray from the right course who assert that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman Pontiffs to an Ecumenical Council, as if to an authority higher than that of the Roman Pontiff.
“If anyone, then, shall say that the Roman Pontiff has the office merely of inspection or direction, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the Universal Church, not only in things which belong to faith and morals, but also in those which relate to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world; or assert that he possesses merely the principal part, and not all the fullness of this supreme power; or that this power which he enjoys is not ordinary and immediate, both over each and all the Churches and over each and all the Pastors and the faithful; let him be anathema.” http://catholicplanet.org/councils/20-Pastor-Aeternus.ht
This was what was taught in the Catholic school system I was in at both the elementary level and high school level. This was many years ago. I am not the only one who still believes this. I thank you for your comments to me. It helps shape my views.
In response to your question. This is what I was taught and many others in the Catholic school system where I was educated many years ago. I agree with your comment and thank you for reminding me of the fact that you stated.
Rather than fault your education, have you considered that you were not a very good student? The pope’s job is to protect the Church not destroy it. When he is busy doing damage, we are obliged to disobey. Not complicated.
JML, God bless you. We have faith in Christ who in the Spirit shows us the Father. We make the Sign of the Cross and always without any mention of any Pope. He is Christ’s vicar and only that.
JML did not say anything about the Sign of the Cross.
What JML was saying was respect and obedience to the Pope as head of the Church, as taught in Catholic schools a long time ago.
Not to take away the true and divine authority from Our Lord Jesus Christ over His Church, the “Pastor Aeternus” document of Vatican One does say the Supreme Pontiff is HEAD of the Church and to him is due our respect and obedience.
“Session 4 – 18 July 1870” otherwise known as “Pastor Aeternus.”
From Chapter 3:
“…we renew the definition of the Ecumenical Council of Florence, in virtue of which all the faithful of Christ must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff possesses primacy over the whole world, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is the true Vicar of Christ, and THE HEAD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH, and Father and Teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him, in Blessed Peter, by Jesus Christ our Lord, to pasture, to rule, and to govern the Universal Church; as is also contained in the acts of the General Councils and in the Sacred Canons.
“Hence we teach and declare that, by the appointment of our Lord, the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all other Churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; to which all, of whatever rite and dignity, both pastors and faithful, both individually and collectively, are bound, by their DUTY of hierarchical SUBORDINATION AND TRUE OBEDIENCE, to SUBMIT, not only in matters which belong to faith and morals’ but also in those that appertain to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world…”
“And since, by the Divine right of Apostolic primacy, the Roman Pontiff is placed over the Universal Church, We further teach and declare that he is the SUPREME JUDGE of the faithful, and that in all causes, the decision of which belongs to the Church, recourse may be had to his tribunal, and that none may re-open the judgment of the Apostolic See, for none has greater authority, nor can anyone lawfully review its judgment. Therefore, they stray from the right course who assert that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman Pontiffs to an Ecumenical Council, as if to an authority higher than that of the Roman Pontiff.
If anyone, then, shall say that the Roman Pontiff has the office merely of inspection or direction, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the Universal Church, not only in things which belong to faith and morals, but also in those which relate to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world; or assert that he possesses merely the principal part, and not all the fullness of this supreme power; or that this power which he enjoys is not ordinary and immediate, both over each and all the Churches and over each and all the Pastors and the faithful; let him be anathema.”
JML, you are right – just not enough. The Pope is the head of the Church on earth, i.e., Christ’s representative on earth, and as such, must protect and teach what Christ and His Church teach and do.
If the Pope announced it was ok to shoplift if you need the stuff, would it be ok just because he’s the Pope?? No. Because stealing is wrong and you know it. Jesus walked on water but Popes do NOT. In the past we have had many who had mistresses, children out of wedlock, etc. WE had a point in church history, during the Avignon Residency, where we had TWO claimants to being Pope, who each ran their own bureaucracy.So, who was telling the truth and who to listen to?? They have faults and foibles just like the rest of us. Does not Frances claim that he frequents confession?
When a Pope speaks officially on faith and morals, catholics are supposed to obey. I dont think we need to agree when he calls Joe Biden a “good catholic”. Unfortunately, this Pope has gone off the rails many times making vague unofficial comments regarding sexuality in particular, which has sewn confusion among the faithful. Catholics follow what has been Church teaching, and most informed catholics are aware when a priest, bishop or pope is going off the rails.
As I have replied to other commentator, this is what I and others were taught in the Catholic school system that we attended years ago. Your comments, like the others that I have replied to as well as past commentators I have read over these many months, have helped shaped my more enlightened view. Thank you for your comments. I do believe that we have many bishops who have gone off the rails as well as priests.
… but denied that he referred to the American prelate as his “enemy,” according to a web post by papal biographer Austen Ivereigh.
You really can’t make up this stuff. It’s a bit like saying, ‘I heard someone say you like to eat worms on toast, but I corrected him saying you love toast.’
He’s taking away what is essentially the PENSION of a old man who has dedicated his life in service to the Church and his apartment… but “I’m not his ‘enemy.'”
Jesuitical rationalization.
With “friends” like this, please don’t accompany me ….
Ivereigh: “It was conveniently in line with the traditionalist narrative of a merciless, vindictive pope who recklessly and unreasonably ‘punishes’ those who disagree with him.”
Bergoglio has simply adopted the Carl Olson approach to faithful Catholic writers. A bully’s Bolshevist blackguardism.
I’m sure that Mr. Olson would likewise deny that he considers faithful Catholic writers to be his “enemies.” He has certainly failed to utter one syllable, private or public, which even attempts to explain (since he cannot excuse) his unprovoked malice towards us.
Mr. Stove: I truly don’t know what I’ve done to elicit such a comment. But it’s a rather entertaining remark, so here it is. And, next time, don’t forget to ask me if I’ve stopped beating my wife. Sigh.
Mr. Olsen, Mr. Stove’s “ironometer” needs adjustment.
He also forgot to insert something snide about Trump.
BINGO on Ivereigh. For the stove, the heat was possibly turned a tad too high upon its intemperate mind, and the fire alarm failed. Pity that. Did you once reject a piece he judged as brilliant? Maybe in a sad old age he’s facing homelessness. I don’t believe you beat your wife nor are you unfair to anyone here. The stove needs a new thermometer.
Are you sure you are on the right web page? Your description of Mr. Olson and his work – with which I have disagreed from time to time – is bizarre in the extreme. If he was anything like what you maintain, you would not be commenting here.
Malice? There are plenty of comments here that set my blood boiling, and I know I can be headstrong, but I try to utter a quick prayer and say to myself how would the kind, even temperament of Carl Olson handle it.
Who has thoroughly discredited himself in the eyes of the faithful. No one of merit listens to him any more than they do Francis. The Vatican has become an echo chamber with a cross affixed.
Unlike others on this site, I try to apply Hanlon’s razor when the pope does something questionable. “Never attribute malice to something explained by neglect, ignorance, or incompetence”. I try to tell myself that he is coming from a spirit of humility and that he genuinely believes his actions will benefit the church. Like he genuinely wants to help same sex attracted people conquer their fleshly desires by being more welcoming. Or that he actually believes suppressing the tlm will bring more unity. I don’t necessarily agree with those ideas but I try to believe that he is acting in good faith. Only wish more people could be like me.
The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.
Critical thinking is evidence based, ultimately, and rests on the facts. I don’t mean to be disrespectful here, but there is simply no empirical evidence whatsoever to support your belief that Francis is acting in good faith. In fact, the cold hard facts point in the opposite direction, and it is more appropriate to assume the worst than to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. His actions have spoken clearly and consistently, and actions reveal the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
So you desire to see nothing narcissistic in blatant cold-blooded cynical manipulation? We went through many years of Catholic nihilism in the post VII era where moral theologians made the entire enterprise of moral theology a sophist exercise of a war on God given guilt. The infantile hippie culture of the sixties that said feeling guilty was the primary evil dominated what passed for a moral theology that revived proportionalism and consequentialism to rationalize immorality until JPII largely discredited such thought with his masterful book length encyclical, The Splendor of Truth. Now we have a moral sophist like Francis abusing the concept of “discernment” as a catchword for moral subjectivity. In Amoris Laetitia he tells us a man can “discern” that in his concrete circumstances, God just might be asking him to be happy with his new wife. No mention is made about an absence of mercy towards the abandoned family. This is the essence of his narcissistic thought. A desire to be celebrated by sinners in love with their sins at the expense of the tragic consequences to the victims of sin, immorality which any Christian should understand as his “obligation to judge”. Self-aggrandizement in thought and deed is not the Christian life.
To write “Ivereigh is the author of two hagiographic biographies of Pope Francis” is both inaccurate and clearly uniformed. Both biographies are the most thorough accounts of this pope’s life, formation and subsequent theological perspectives that he has brought to his leadership of the church, however one agrees or disagrees with it. Such ad hominem attacks are not only unwarranted but betray a lack of balance in a matter that one expects informed judgement and fair presentation.
Whom do you believe you are fooling? The Ivereigh “biographies” are comically written, breathless, fanboy treatises that conflict with countless personal testimonies, such as those of fellow Argentinian prelates and ordinary Catholics in Buenos Aires who suffered under Bergoglio’s authoritarian hubris, indifference, and dishonesty. They also clearly conflict with everything that has transpired in Rome over the past decade. Just stop. You sound completely ridiculous.
Really, I know people in Pennsylvania who despise him.
I recently became aware of a young man who is apostatizing because he finds Francis and his politicization of the Petrine Office to be dispositive proof against Church indefectibility.
Just an average garden variety Catholic here……
A) if this account is true I don’t think the Pope thought it through.
B) I am not a fan of his because he has a clear pattern of getting involved in activist politics ( global warming, lgbtqrst, etc etc).
I wish he could find a way to recenter himself and the church to saving souls and lives. He should have long ago been smack dab in the fight for peace in Ukraine. He never stepped foot in Ireland during the abortion battle that legalized abortion. Same for Ireland’s gay marriage referendum.
Denies calling Cardinal Burke his enemy.
But not treating him as one.
What a tiny, tiny man.
He’s not treating him as his enemy. That’s slander. You, on the other hand, are treating the pope as your enemy.
Tell us, o brave “anon,” how exactly is he treating Cardinal Burke?
As Scripture instructs us, if you enter a town and the inhabitants reject the Word of God, kick off the dust from your feet and go out from that place.
I believe that Christ is calling Cardinal Burke to kick off the dust from the Bergoglian Debacle and remove himself from that place of iniquity and faithlessness. Move on, Cardinal Burke; God has plans for you elsewhere.
Now that Ivereigh has invoked the specter of Abp. Lefebvre, I would not be surprised to learn that the revocation of Cardinal Burke’s apartment and salary proves to be a precursor to his excommunication. Jesus sought for a return of His love, not the cultivation of servile fear among the faithful. Persecution outside the Church is multiplying red martyrs, and within the white sort. God help us!
Why on earth would Francis excommunicate Burke? There is no evidence to suggest he would.
There is a Mt. Everest of evidence he is a man without ethics.
Who?
The man who initiated the first action. Francis obviously.
Because Francis panders in uncharity.
Why not excommunicate Burke? Our current pontiff does many things that have no theological justification, but do have a political purpose. Bergoglio is not a spiritual man, he is a political actor, through and through.
WPI and the spokesman of Pontiff Francis Austen Ivereigh, are the public relations arm of their emergent “paradigm-shift-apostasy-church,” men who shove Christ aside, and assert that a mere steward, a pontiff, is their law-giver.
They promote the pathology identified by Fr. Robert Imbelli, an apostate establishment called “the Decapitated Body of Christ.”
The Pope denies that he called Cardinal Burke his “enemy.” What of it? How childish. Anyone can see that Francis abuses Burke every way he knows how, and even smirks when the “poor man” is intubated. Pope Francis should give up the Christian pretense. Even the NYT reports that Francis is enemies with Burke…
At least we have forever the authentic Catholic witness and Word of God from the first Pope: “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart.” (1 Peter 1:22)
So much for “Who am I to judge?” as “his enemies” appearto be the closest “friends of God”
good point
Exactly. Evidently the call to listen and accompany applies only to those who willfully defy and reject church teaching. Otherwise, it seems to be open season on the faithful.
My thoughts exactly.
Imagine a kingdom where a friend of God is denied entry to his castle.
Imagine Jesus at Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
Matthew 7:13-14 has Jesus pointing to the narrow way. As Francis constricts Burke’s path, so Burke’s eternal kingdom is now more apparent, clear, and bright. God is blessing Cardinal Burke. Francis is a mere instrument. As was Judas, as was Herod, as was Pilate, etc.
The dastardly act is confirmed. How can anyone be so cruel, to evict old men in mid winter [Dec 21 is a technicality, it’s cold outside].
Well, Ivereigh as is his wont has the answer. One cannot claim, as does Card Burke, to be fruit upon the true branch while the tree itself is in disagreement with Burke’s criticisms of Synodality.
If Burke’s eviction is true it can be interpreted as a clear message to the other cardinals.
No magnanimity. No dialogue. Cdl.Burke is a martyr.
I thought that the whole “enemy” bit was unbelievable coming from the Pope; it sounded cartoonish. Glad to hear it didn’t happen.
What is cartoonish is while the pope believes Cdl Burke is acting against the Church all these years he has refused to meet with him even once. Cartoonish and childlike.
How do you know it didn’t happen? A denial from the same source who blatantly lied about McCarrick and blatantly lied about Rupnik?
Having read Julie Meloni’a book The Saint Galen Mafia the way this papacy has developed is no suprise. Vatican II was loaded with Modernists,clergy,laity,biblcal scholars and theologians who were very influential in influencing the Church with their modernist understanding of reality. One example is Father Raymond Brown, whose 20 or more books on the Gospels that denied the divinity of Jesus, denied that Gospels were written by the authors, and underminded confidence in Dei Verbum. I think this what Pope Saint Paul VI meant when he said ‘the smoke of Satan has entered the temple.’
For months I have read many comments on many different posts. I had been educated by them and they have given me food for thought. I feel the criticisms are healthy and necessary. This helps dissipate the clericalism that exists in the Church But, what I have repeatedly read is the comment that one must follow Jesus and not the Pope’s actions, thoughts, pronouncements, etc. This is interesting and enlightening. What I have been taught is that the pope is the successor to Peter and that one of the strengths of our Church is that we obey and respect the pope as the Head of the Church. Myself and others on rare occasions did not agree with the great Saint John Paul II or Benedict XVI, but, we obeyed. Now, I am enlightened to find through commentators in the many posts, that I have read, that if I do not agree with the next pope who may indeed be more conservative, then I simply ignore him and follow my conscience? It is hard to obey but is one of the strengths of our Church. By the way, I am appalled at the Latin Mass bans, the blessing of certain lifestyle, etc.
If some authentic magisterial document teaches this, please tell me the source: “I have been taught… that…we obey and respect the pope as the Head of the Church.” It has been my understanding that we respect the truth and true teachings of the CHURCH. The pope is not equal to the Church.
Thanks.
As I have commented to others This was what I and others were taught in the Catholic school system years ago. I thank you for your comments. I have formed a more enlightened view of the role of the pope on these many months by reading the commentators.
It has several times occurred to me, perhaps not wholly frivolously,that the election of Cardinal Bergoglio might have been permitted so that the faithful (and not just professional theologians) might develop a more considered view of the papacy. In the past I have been an enthusiastic and wholly uncritical supporter of the reigning Pope. But I had then only just become a teenager. And the Pope was Pius XII.
meiron,
Here’s a (portion of a) Vatican I document you might be interested in:
“First dogmatic constitution on the church of Christ
Session 4 – 18 July 1870” otherwise known as “Pastor Aeternus”
From Chapter 3:
“We renew the definition of the Ecumenical Council of Florence, in virtue of which all the faithful of Christ must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff possesses primacy over the whole world, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is the true Vicar of Christ, and THE HEAD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH, and Father and Teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him, in Blessed Peter, by Jesus Christ our Lord, to pasture, to rule, and to govern the Universal Church; as is also contained in the acts of the General Councils and in the Sacred Canons.
“Hence we teach and declare that, by the appointment of our Lord, the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all other Churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; to which all, of whatever rite and dignity, both pastors and faithful, both individually and collectively, are bound, by their duty of hierarchical SUBORDINATION AND TRUE OBEDIENCE, to submit, not only in matters which belong to faith and morals, but also in those that appertain to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.
“And since, by the Divine right of Apostolic primacy, the Roman Pontiff is placed over the Universal Church, We further teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all causes, the decision of which belongs to the Church, recourse may be had to his tribunal, and that none may re-open the judgment of the Apostolic See, for none has greater authority, nor can anyone lawfully review its judgment. Therefore, they stray from the right course who assert that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman Pontiffs to an Ecumenical Council, as if to an authority higher than that of the Roman Pontiff.
“If anyone, then, shall say that the Roman Pontiff has the office merely of inspection or direction, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the Universal Church, not only in things which belong to faith and morals, but also in those which relate to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world; or assert that he possesses merely the principal part, and not all the fullness of this supreme power; or that this power which he enjoys is not ordinary and immediate, both over each and all the Churches and over each and all the Pastors and the faithful; let him be anathema.”
http://catholicplanet.org/councils/20-Pastor-Aeternus.ht
JML, The Pope is NOT the head of the Catholic Church. Where did you get this idea? I refer you to One, Jesus Christ, Who IS the Head of the Church.
This was what was taught in the Catholic school system I was in at both the elementary level and high school level. This was many years ago. I am not the only one who still believes this. I thank you for your comments to me. It helps shape my views.
In response to your question. This is what I was taught and many others in the Catholic school system where I was educated many years ago. I agree with your comment and thank you for reminding me of the fact that you stated.
Rather than fault your education, have you considered that you were not a very good student? The pope’s job is to protect the Church not destroy it. When he is busy doing damage, we are obliged to disobey. Not complicated.
JML, God bless you. We have faith in Christ who in the Spirit shows us the Father. We make the Sign of the Cross and always without any mention of any Pope. He is Christ’s vicar and only that.
Deacon Edward, with all due respect,
JML did not say anything about the Sign of the Cross.
What JML was saying was respect and obedience to the Pope as head of the Church, as taught in Catholic schools a long time ago.
Not to take away the true and divine authority from Our Lord Jesus Christ over His Church, the “Pastor Aeternus” document of Vatican One does say the Supreme Pontiff is HEAD of the Church and to him is due our respect and obedience.
“Session 4 – 18 July 1870” otherwise known as “Pastor Aeternus.”
From Chapter 3:
“…we renew the definition of the Ecumenical Council of Florence, in virtue of which all the faithful of Christ must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff possesses primacy over the whole world, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is the true Vicar of Christ, and THE HEAD OF THE WHOLE CHURCH, and Father and Teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him, in Blessed Peter, by Jesus Christ our Lord, to pasture, to rule, and to govern the Universal Church; as is also contained in the acts of the General Councils and in the Sacred Canons.
“Hence we teach and declare that, by the appointment of our Lord, the Roman Church possesses a superiority of ordinary power over all other Churches, and that this power of jurisdiction of the Roman Pontiff, which is truly episcopal, is immediate; to which all, of whatever rite and dignity, both pastors and faithful, both individually and collectively, are bound, by their DUTY of hierarchical SUBORDINATION AND TRUE OBEDIENCE, to SUBMIT, not only in matters which belong to faith and morals’ but also in those that appertain to the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world…”
“And since, by the Divine right of Apostolic primacy, the Roman Pontiff is placed over the Universal Church, We further teach and declare that he is the SUPREME JUDGE of the faithful, and that in all causes, the decision of which belongs to the Church, recourse may be had to his tribunal, and that none may re-open the judgment of the Apostolic See, for none has greater authority, nor can anyone lawfully review its judgment. Therefore, they stray from the right course who assert that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman Pontiffs to an Ecumenical Council, as if to an authority higher than that of the Roman Pontiff.
If anyone, then, shall say that the Roman Pontiff has the office merely of inspection or direction, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the Universal Church, not only in things which belong to faith and morals, but also in those which relate to the discipline and government of the Church spread throughout the world; or assert that he possesses merely the principal part, and not all the fullness of this supreme power; or that this power which he enjoys is not ordinary and immediate, both over each and all the Churches and over each and all the Pastors and the faithful; let him be anathema.”
JML, you are right – just not enough. The Pope is the head of the Church on earth, i.e., Christ’s representative on earth, and as such, must protect and teach what Christ and His Church teach and do.
If the Pope announced it was ok to shoplift if you need the stuff, would it be ok just because he’s the Pope?? No. Because stealing is wrong and you know it. Jesus walked on water but Popes do NOT. In the past we have had many who had mistresses, children out of wedlock, etc. WE had a point in church history, during the Avignon Residency, where we had TWO claimants to being Pope, who each ran their own bureaucracy.So, who was telling the truth and who to listen to?? They have faults and foibles just like the rest of us. Does not Frances claim that he frequents confession?
When a Pope speaks officially on faith and morals, catholics are supposed to obey. I dont think we need to agree when he calls Joe Biden a “good catholic”. Unfortunately, this Pope has gone off the rails many times making vague unofficial comments regarding sexuality in particular, which has sewn confusion among the faithful. Catholics follow what has been Church teaching, and most informed catholics are aware when a priest, bishop or pope is going off the rails.
As I have replied to other commentator, this is what I and others were taught in the Catholic school system that we attended years ago. Your comments, like the others that I have replied to as well as past commentators I have read over these many months, have helped shaped my more enlightened view. Thank you for your comments. I do believe that we have many bishops who have gone off the rails as well as priests.
JML, you were correct all along. No further explanation is needed. God bless you.
LJ, that’s why Popes should speak rarely so that when they do the faithful sitbup and listen carefully. This Pope suffers from terminal logorrhea.
… but denied that he referred to the American prelate as his “enemy,” according to a web post by papal biographer Austen Ivereigh.
You really can’t make up this stuff. It’s a bit like saying, ‘I heard someone say you like to eat worms on toast, but I corrected him saying you love toast.’
He’s taking away what is essentially the PENSION of a old man who has dedicated his life in service to the Church and his apartment… but “I’m not his ‘enemy.'”
Jesuitical rationalization.
With “friends” like this, please don’t accompany me ….
A truly reprehensible but not surprising action from this petty and misguided tyrant. The war against the faithful continues on.
Really?? Has the Pope heard the old saying ” actions speak louder than words”??
Ivereigh: “It was conveniently in line with the traditionalist narrative of a merciless, vindictive pope who recklessly and unreasonably ‘punishes’ those who disagree with him.”
Yes. It is, isn’t it?
Does anyone believe anything Bergoglio says anymore?
Yes: Austen Ivereigh.
Bergoglio has simply adopted the Carl Olson approach to faithful Catholic writers. A bully’s Bolshevist blackguardism.
I’m sure that Mr. Olson would likewise deny that he considers faithful Catholic writers to be his “enemies.” He has certainly failed to utter one syllable, private or public, which even attempts to explain (since he cannot excuse) his unprovoked malice towards us.
Mr. Stove: I truly don’t know what I’ve done to elicit such a comment. But it’s a rather entertaining remark, so here it is. And, next time, don’t forget to ask me if I’ve stopped beating my wife. Sigh.
Mr. Olsen, Mr. Stove’s “ironometer” needs adjustment.
He also forgot to insert something snide about Trump.
BINGO on Ivereigh. For the stove, the heat was possibly turned a tad too high upon its intemperate mind, and the fire alarm failed. Pity that. Did you once reject a piece he judged as brilliant? Maybe in a sad old age he’s facing homelessness. I don’t believe you beat your wife nor are you unfair to anyone here. The stove needs a new thermometer.
Are you sure you are on the right web page? Your description of Mr. Olson and his work – with which I have disagreed from time to time – is bizarre in the extreme. If he was anything like what you maintain, you would not be commenting here.
Malice? There are plenty of comments here that set my blood boiling, and I know I can be headstrong, but I try to utter a quick prayer and say to myself how would the kind, even temperament of Carl Olson handle it.
Who has thoroughly discredited himself in the eyes of the faithful. No one of merit listens to him any more than they do Francis. The Vatican has become an echo chamber with a cross affixed.
Touché!
Unlike others on this site, I try to apply Hanlon’s razor when the pope does something questionable. “Never attribute malice to something explained by neglect, ignorance, or incompetence”. I try to tell myself that he is coming from a spirit of humility and that he genuinely believes his actions will benefit the church. Like he genuinely wants to help same sex attracted people conquer their fleshly desires by being more welcoming. Or that he actually believes suppressing the tlm will bring more unity. I don’t necessarily agree with those ideas but I try to believe that he is acting in good faith. Only wish more people could be like me.
“Only wish more people could be like me.”
So, you’ll be confessing the sin of pride soon?
Douay-Rheims Bible Luke 18:11
The Pharisee standing, prayed thus with himself: O God, I give thee thanks that I am not as the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, as also is this publican.
Critical thinking is evidence based, ultimately, and rests on the facts. I don’t mean to be disrespectful here, but there is simply no empirical evidence whatsoever to support your belief that Francis is acting in good faith. In fact, the cold hard facts point in the opposite direction, and it is more appropriate to assume the worst than to give him the benefit of the doubt at this point. His actions have spoken clearly and consistently, and actions reveal the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Are you suggesting that he’s just plain stupid?
So you desire to see nothing narcissistic in blatant cold-blooded cynical manipulation? We went through many years of Catholic nihilism in the post VII era where moral theologians made the entire enterprise of moral theology a sophist exercise of a war on God given guilt. The infantile hippie culture of the sixties that said feeling guilty was the primary evil dominated what passed for a moral theology that revived proportionalism and consequentialism to rationalize immorality until JPII largely discredited such thought with his masterful book length encyclical, The Splendor of Truth. Now we have a moral sophist like Francis abusing the concept of “discernment” as a catchword for moral subjectivity. In Amoris Laetitia he tells us a man can “discern” that in his concrete circumstances, God just might be asking him to be happy with his new wife. No mention is made about an absence of mercy towards the abandoned family. This is the essence of his narcissistic thought. A desire to be celebrated by sinners in love with their sins at the expense of the tragic consequences to the victims of sin, immorality which any Christian should understand as his “obligation to judge”. Self-aggrandizement in thought and deed is not the Christian life.
To write “Ivereigh is the author of two hagiographic biographies of Pope Francis” is both inaccurate and clearly uniformed. Both biographies are the most thorough accounts of this pope’s life, formation and subsequent theological perspectives that he has brought to his leadership of the church, however one agrees or disagrees with it. Such ad hominem attacks are not only unwarranted but betray a lack of balance in a matter that one expects informed judgement and fair presentation.
Whom do you believe you are fooling? The Ivereigh “biographies” are comically written, breathless, fanboy treatises that conflict with countless personal testimonies, such as those of fellow Argentinian prelates and ordinary Catholics in Buenos Aires who suffered under Bergoglio’s authoritarian hubris, indifference, and dishonesty. They also clearly conflict with everything that has transpired in Rome over the past decade. Just stop. You sound completely ridiculous.
Maybe, F.X., you’re referring to someone other than Francis.
What’s disturbing is the silence of fellow cardinals , bishops and clergy.
What’s disturbing is the silence from fellow cardinals and clergy
Argentinians – both laity and clergy- know precisely who Bergoglio is. This is why he has never returned to Argentina.
Bingo. He is absolutely hated in Argentina.
Really, I know people in Pennsylvania who despise him.
I recently became aware of a young man who is apostatizing because he finds Francis and his politicization of the Petrine Office to be dispositive proof against Church indefectibility.
I hope you can show him the Church is the truthful word of God that never changes ragardless of corrupt witnesses.
The report came from an anonymous source.
The denial was coursed through Ivereigh.
Such fun!
Just an average garden variety Catholic here……
A) if this account is true I don’t think the Pope thought it through.
B) I am not a fan of his because he has a clear pattern of getting involved in activist politics ( global warming, lgbtqrst, etc etc).
I wish he could find a way to recenter himself and the church to saving souls and lives. He should have long ago been smack dab in the fight for peace in Ukraine. He never stepped foot in Ireland during the abortion battle that legalized abortion. Same for Ireland’s gay marriage referendum.