Catholic Leaders Issue Sharp Warning on Liberal Pope
Pope Francis has once again betrayed traditional Roman Catholics with a statement that appeared to support civil unions for same-sex couples and has let that misconception stand without correcting the record.
Prominent church leaders are not about to let the usual weaponized ambiguity — a hallmark of the liberal Pope Francis’ reign — go unchallenged.
The statements came from a new documentary film about the pontiff titled “Francesco” by filmmaker Evgeny Afineevsky, where Pope Francis spoke about other social justice warrior pet projects like refugee and migrant advocacy, Catholic News Agency reported.
“Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family,” Francis reportedly said in the documentary footage.
“They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it.”
“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered.” the pope said.
“I stood up for that.”
As per the usual arrangement when one of these bombshells drops, the Vatican has not set the record straight, so it is up to clergy, faithful Catholics and pundits to correct the faithful while the media and liberals in the church run with the heresy as new dogma.
Christine Niles, reporter and producer at the traditional Catholic multimedia platform ChurchMilitant.com called out liberal homosexual-apologist Fr. James Martin for his statement “capitalizing on” the pope’s misleading statements.
Yet another scandal from Pope Francis that Fr. @JamesMartinSJ is capitalizing on. https://t.co/Bi0RSu4lQW
— Christine Niles (@ChristineNiles1) October 21, 2020
“Pope Francis’s support for same-sex civil unions is a major step forward in the church’s support of LGBTQ people,” the Jesuit priest and editor at large of the Jesuit magazine America tweeted.
“It is in keeping with his pastoral approach to LGBT people, including LGBT Catholics, and sends a strong signal to countries where the church has opposed such laws.”
Prominent “Daily Wire” hosts Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles — both practicing Catholics — also expressed their dismay, with Walsh acknowledging that confusion is the “pope’s specialty” as he retweeted Knowles recollection that Francis once called same-sex marriage “a machination of the Father of Lies that seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”
“Confusing” is this pope’s specialty https://t.co/9CxWHX8Ati
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) October 21, 2020
Then there were the Catholic church leaders like Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island, who strongly objected to the pope’s comments in his statement to the faithful Wednesday.
“The Pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the Church about same-sex unions,” Tobin said.
“The Church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships. Individuals with same-sex attraction are beloved children of God and must have their personal human rights and civil rights recognized and protected by law,” he added.
“However, the legalization of their civil unions, which seek to simulate holy matrimony, is not admissible.”
Statement of Bishop Thomas Tobin on the comments of Pope Francis Regarding Civil Unions https://t.co/ZiGxCLb9ea pic.twitter.com/sjn5ZdEJoZ
— Nick Donnelly (@ProtecttheFaith) October 21, 2020
Cardinal Raymond Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, lamented that the pope created “confusion and error among Catholic faithful.”
“They cause wonderment and error regarding the Church’s teaching among people of good will, who sincerely wish to know what the Catholic Church teaches,” Burke wrote in a statement Thursday.
“They impose upon pastors of souls the duty of conscience to make fitting and necessary clarifications.”
Burke went on to assure the faithful that the statements the pope made were not binding and outlined how scripture, tradition, and the official catechism of the Catholic church do not support same-sex activity, let alone such civil unions.
Tyler, Texas Bishop Joseph Strickland tweeted Burke’s statement and wrote approvingly, “Wise counsel…..thank you your eminence……”
Wise counsel…..thank you your eminence…… https://t.co/UvE65yvmst
— Bishop J. Strickland (@Bishopoftyler) October 22, 2020
Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley was a little more charitable to Francis in expressing a personal opinion, but ultimately came to the same conclusion about the danger of it and urged the faithful to disregard his statements as any real change to dogma.
“The demands of sexual morality are very challenging for anyone seeking to lead a life of faithful discipleship,” O’Malley wrote.
“We do not serve people well by falsely claiming that we can change the Decalogue.”
Like many others before, the statement may have been out of context or manipulated, and the Washington Post hinted that the footage was from 2019 and already had been rejected for use by the Vatican but somehow made its way into the documentary.
The statements about the right to family were edited together, with the true meaning more likely pointing to parents not throwing LGBT kids out of families instead of advocating for same-sex couples having a right to children (the problematic way homosexual couples procure children through artificial means or separation from biological parents is itself an intrinsic evil).
Although many outside of the church assume that the doctrine of papal infallibility means that the pope has changed dogma with his statement, the truth is that he’s simply caused more confusion and strife for the faithful with these private statements rather than a formal ex-cathedra declaration.
Just as in the political realm, is there a “deep state” within the Catholic Church that’s trying to destroy the traditional, true faith in favor of its own agenda?
Thankfully, Jesus promises Peter in Matthew 16:18 that the “gates of hell shall not prevail against” the church.
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