Pope Francis S Paradigm Shift Continuity or Rupture in The Mission

P OPE F RANCIS ’ S
J OSÉ A NTONIO U RETA

“Paradigm Shift”
A “paradigm shift” concept is spreading among Catholics. Those
advocating its urgent need think of radical changes to the
structure, doctrine, and pastoral practice of the Church and in its
attitude toward secular society.
P O P E F R A N C I S ’ S “ PA R A D I G M S H I F T ”
Countless Catholics on the other hand see a “paradigm shift” as a
rupture with a magisterium and discipline that the Church has upheld
for centuries as unchangeable.
Faced with this dilemma, is it legitimate for the flock to remain
faithful to the Church’s perennial doctrine and morals and respectfully
resist ecclesiastical authority, even that of the Supreme Pontiff, when
it strives to adulterate the Church’s teachings? Are Catholics today in
a situation analogous to that which led Saint Paul the Apostle to
publicly resist Saint Peter, our first Pope (Gal. 2:11)?
These questions are addressed in this panoramic overview and
assessment of Pope Francis’s attempts to effect a “paradigm shift” in
the Church during the first five years of his pontificate.
Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1951, José Antonio Ureta is

a founding member of the Fundación Roma which,
through its Acción Familia campaign, is today one of
Chile’s most influential anti-abortion and pro-family
organizations. He currently resides in Europe and is
senior researcher for the Société Française pour la
Défense de la Tradition, Famille et Propriété.
B90
P oPe F rancis ’ s
JOSÉ ANTONIO URETA
P oPe F rancis ’ s
Continuity or Rupture in
the Mission of the Church?
a n a ssessmen t oF
H is P on tiFicate ’ s F irst F ive Y ears
Translated by José A. Schelini
e American Society for the

Defense of Tradition, Family and Property
Spring Grove, Penn.
First published as Il “cambio di paradigma” di Papa Francesco: Continuità o rottura nella mis-
sione della Chiesa? Bilancio quinquennale del suo pontificato.
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c on ten ts
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
C H A PT E R 1 Pastoral Retreat From “Non-negotiable Values” . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
C H A P T E R 2 Promoting the Neo-Marxist and Alter-Globalization

Agenda of Popular Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
C H A P T E R 3 Promoting the Green Agenda, World Governance,

and an Ambiguous “Mother Earth” Mysticism . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
C H A P T E R 4 Favorable to Islam and Migration, but Reluctant to

Speak Out for Persecuted Middle Eastern Christians . . . . . . 61
C H A P T E R 5 Religious Indifferentism, Philosophical Relativism,

eological Evolutionism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
C H A P T E R 6 A New, Subjective Morality Without Absolute Imperatives. . . 87
C H A P T E R 7 An Example of the Paradigm Shift:

Holy Communion for “Remarried” Divorcees . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
C H A P T E R 8 e Paradigm Shift’s Common Denominator: Adapting

to Revolutionary and Anti-Christian Modernity . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
C H A P T E R 9 e Flip Side of the Coin: Praise From

Worldly Powers and Anti-Christian Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
C H A P T E R 1 0 It Is Licit to Resist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
C O N C LU S I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
B I B L I O G R A P H Y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
I N D E X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
LIST OF A B B R E V I AT I O N S
C – e New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Confraternity of Catholic Doctrine
KL – e New Testament, translated by James A. Kleist, SJ and Joseph L. Lilly, CM
i n troduction
L ast March, Pope Francis’s pontificate reached its five-year milestone, a suf-
ficient time span for historians, analysts, and scholars to make an initial
assessment on his reign. eir perspectives vary, but all agree that this has
been a period full of innovation. It was marked by his constant efforts to place
the papacy in a new light. Some even speak of a New Church of Francis.1
e idea of a “New Church” comes through like a new paradigm in the de-
bates now enveloping the Church founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ. It leads
one to ask: Can a paradigm shift take place, concerning Her 2,000-year-old life
and teachings?
In its traditional sense, a paradigm is an example or standard to follow.2 Pop-
ularized in 1962, by physicist and philosopher omas S. Kuhn, the expression
paradigm shift has come to mean a major change in the “conceptual or
methodological model underlying the theories and practices of a science or
discipline at a particular time; (hence) a generally accepted worldview.”3 For
the layman, writer George Weigel says that a paradigm shift “signals a dra-
matic, sudden, and unexpected break in human understanding—and thus
something of a new beginning.”4
1. See, for example, La nuova Chiesa di papa Francesco, ed. J. M. Kraus (Rome: Moralia, 2013); the Mar. 14,
2013, headlines of La Repubblica (Rome), http://www.funize.com/images/frontpages/49f68a39ba42
f26173c991cc12df7c44.jpeg; Álvaro de Juana, “La nueva Iglesia del Papa Francisco,” La Razón, Mar. 13, 2017,
https://www.larazon.es/religion/la-nueva-iglesia-del-papa-Francis-EK14699739; Adam Littlestone-Luria,
“How Pope Francis Has Fundamentally Reshaped the Catholic Church,” e Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2017,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/wp/2017/09/24/how-pope-francis-has
-fundamentally-reshaped-the-catholic-church/?utm_term=.8f70db361778; Alexander M. Santora, “Five
Years of Francis Framing a New Church,” NorthJersey.com, Mar. 12, 2018, https://www.northjersey.com
/story/opinion/contributors/2018/03/12/five-years-pope-francis-framing-new-church-opinion/417177002/.
2. “Example, pattern; especially: an outstandingly clear or typical example or archetype.” “Paradigm,” Mer-
riam-Webster.com, accessed Jul. 8, 2018, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paradigm.
3. “Paradigm, n.,” OED Online, June 2018, Oxford University Press, accessed Jul. 18, 2018,
http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/137329. See omas S. Kuhn, Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 4th ed.
(Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2012).
4. George Weigel, “e Catholic Church Doesn’t Do ‘Paradigm Shifts,’” First ings, Jan. 31, 2018,
https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2018/01/the-catholic-church-doesnt-do-paradigm-shifts.
Andrea Lavazza writes in the same line in Avvenire, a daily owned by the Italian Bishops Conference: “e
idea of a paradigm shift has come into common use. e expression was coined to indicate a radical
change in the way of facing a scientific problem. At one stage, all researchers agree on a core of knowledge
and methods and work with them smoothly, making little progress. However, when a series of anomalies
appear in the dominant theory, it enters into crisis and one witnesses a revolutionary phase that leads to
a shift in the paradigm hitherto shared.” Andrea Lavazza, “Islam e occidente, diplomazia e realtà: Cambio
di paradigma,” Avvenire, Sept. 22, 2012, https://www.avvenire.it/opinioni/pagine/cambio-di-paradigma.
2 P O P E FR A N C I S ’ S “ PA R A D I G M S H I F T ”
ere have been and will be more sea changes in the history of science that
can be aptly termed paradigm shifts.5 But it is very rash, to say the least, to
think of a new conceptual model for the Church founded by the Word Incar-
nate. is is because the Church is based upon Divine Revelation and an un-
changeable deposit of faith that was made explicit by a constant and consistent
magisterium over the course of twenty centuries. However, Pope Francis him-
self used the expression in the recent Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium
on Catholic university teaching. In this papal document, he called for “a broad
and generous effort at a radical paradigm shift, or rather—dare I say—at ‘a bold
cultural revolution.’”6
e terms “paradigm shift” and “cultural revolution” bring to mind the idea
of rupture or discontinuity with previous models. Here, the concept is applied
mainly to moral theology and one of its components, Catholic social doctrine.7
It encompasses teachings of Catholicism regarding contemporary society in
many fields, from science to economics, from politics to diplomacy. In the opin-
ion of a large team of bishops and scholars, a paradigm shift is needed in all of
these areas.
In this context, untold numbers of believers ask themselves: Where is the
Church going? At the end of the first five years of this pontificate, they wonder
about the future. Some voice their questions publicly, others ponder them in
5. Khun’s applications of the paradigm shift concept are unacceptable, since he is a post-Darwinian Kant-
ian relativist. For him, concepts of truth and error are valid, but only within a given paradigm. According
to him, science would be incapable of attaining absolute truth in any field, because reality is unknowable.
Like Kant, he “believed that without some sort of a priori paradigm the mind cannot impose order on sen-
sory experience. But whereas Kant and Darwin each thought that we are all born with more or less the
same, innate paradigm, Kuhn argued that our paradigms keep changing as our culture changes. ‘Different
groups, and the same group at different times,’ Kuhn told me, ‘can have different experiences, and there-
fore in some sense live in different worlds.’ Obviously all humans share some responses to experience,
simply because of their shared biological heritage, Kuhn added. But whatever is universal in human expe-
rience, whatever transcends culture and history, is also ‘ineffable,’ beyond the reach of language. Lan-
guage, Kuhn said, ‘is not a universal tool.’ . . . But isn’t mathematics a kind of universal language? I asked.
Not really, Kuhn replied, since it has no meaning.” John Horgan, “What omas Kuhn Really ought
About Scientific ‘Truth,’” Scientific American, May 23, 2012, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross
-check/what-thomas-kuhn-really-thought-about-scientific-truth/. It is no surprise that his thinking was
adopted by deconstructionist, anti-scientific, and absolutely relativistic postmodernism. See Marcel
Kuntz, “e Postmodern Assault on Science: If All Truths Are Equal, Who Cares What Science Has to
Say?” EMBO Reports, Sept. 18, 2012, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3463968/.
6. Francis, Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, Dec. 8, 2017, no. 3, https://w2.vatican.va/content
/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208
_veritatis-gaudium.html.
7. On how Catholic social doctrine derives from theology and especially moral theology, see John Paul II,
Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, Dec. 30, 1987, no. 41, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en
/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987_sollicitudo-rei-socialis.html, and Encyclical Centesimus
Annus, May 1, 1991, no. 55, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents
/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus.html.
INTRODUCTION 3
silence. ere is widespread concern, however, that a paradigm shift may jeop-
ardize one of the Church’s marks: Her unity.
As will be seen later, the paradigm shift debate is indicative of a growing
and profound division in Catholic circles. Fault lines are surfacing, notwith-
standing all the talk within the Church about legitimate diversity, the multi-
faceted nature of ecclesial reality, dialogue, and listening. But, how are dialogue
and listening even possible when the paradigm shift’s “pastoral conversion of
ecclesial language” radically changes the very meaning of words?8
While there are many studies, lectures, and articles on the topic, I highlight a
single emblematic case that involved two prominent churchmen. eir pro-
nouncements were made in the midst of the ongoing debate that erupted during
the February 2014 consistory, when Cardinal Walter Kasper proposed that di-
vorced and civilly “remarried” couples be allowed to receive Holy Communion.9
e first prelate is Chicago archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich. He delivered
a lecture in Cambridge, England, that was expressively titled, “Pope Francis’
Revolution of Mercy: Amoris Laetitia as a New Paradigm of Catholicity.”
e second is the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Müller. Ten days after Cardinal Cupich’s Cambridge
lecture, he published an article in First ings with an equally significant title:
“Development or Corruption? Can ere Be ‘Paradigm Shifts’ in the Interpre-
tation of the Deposit of the Faith?”
ese texts are entirely contrary to one another.
e cardinal archbishop of Chicago advocates the need for a paradigm shift
that is “nothing short [of] revolutionary” in the relationship between moral
doctrine and pastoral praxis. is, he claims, is necessary to respond positively,
as Pope Francis wishes, to the needs caused by the “situations” people face
today. For the American cardinal, this “shift” consists above all in inverting the
order of things: Doctrine and law must be subordinated to life as contemporary
man lives it. e Church should not teach but should learn from social reality.
She should accompany people in their different “situations,” without seeking
to impose on them “an abstract, isolated set of truths.”10 He claims that the par-
adigm shift also consists in understanding that God is present and reveals
8. Guido Vignelli, A Pastoral Revolution: Six Talismanic Words in the Synodal Debate on the Family (Spring
Grove, Penn.: e American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, 2018), xiii,
http://www.tfp.org/PastoralRevolution.
9. See Sandro Magister, “Kasper cambia el paradigma, Bergoglio aplaude,” Mar. 1, 2014, L’Espresso–Settimo
Cielo, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350729ffae.html?sp=y.
10. Blase Cupich, “Pope Francis’s Revolution of Mercy: Amoris Laetitia as a New Paradigm of Catholicity,”
Von Hügel Institute Annual Lecture, Feb. 9, 2018, https://www.vhi.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk/resources-folder
/papers-presentations/cupich-annual-lecture-2018.
Himself even in “situations” that the Church previously defined as sinful.11

Many joined their voices to that of the Chicago archbishop. ey welcomed
the paradigm shift as an authentic and profound rebirth and reinterpretation
of the Church; a rereading of Holy Writ; a new conception of the Church’s
salvific mission in light of what God is supposedly revealing to contemporary
man through society’s present “situations.”
Opposing Cardinal Cupich’s approach, are prelates and theologians who
agree that a paradigm shift may occur legitimately in fields like science, poli-
tics, or economics. However, they find it unacceptable to apply the term to the
interpretation of the substance of the truths of the Faith.
Cardinal Müller is among those who deny that a paradigm shift can take
place within the Church’s perennial teachings or disciplines. In the article cited
above, he recalled that “‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever’
(Heb. 13:8)—this is, in contrast, our paradigm, which we will not exchange for
any other. ‘For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ’ (1 Cor. 3:11).”
e German theologian explained that it is possible and even necessary to
grow in the conceptual and intellectual understanding of the truths of the
Faith. New explanations and insights are possible, but nothing of the Faith’s
substance can be changed. In his view, paradigm shift advocates fall into the
errors of Modernism and even Gnosticism, “by introducing a novel principle
of interpretation by which to give a completely different direction to all of
Church teaching.” is is done on the pretext of a pastoral about-face. In reality,
however, it masks their surrender to the old temptation to adapt the Church
to the world’s prevailing mentality. Moreover, Cardinal Müller says, authentic
growth in the understanding of God’s Revelation “does not occur from any kind
of natural necessity, and it has nothing to do with the liberal belief in progress.”
e cardinal further recalled that “e authority of the papal magisterium
rests on its continuity with the teachings of previous popes.” Were this not so,
he said, the authority of any pope and the Church’s magisterium would lose all
credibility. In fact, how could one guarantee that a paradigm shift implemented
today would not be considered passé tomorrow, and therefore, no longer valid?
us, the German cardinal categorically asserts, “Whoever speaks of a Coper-
nican turn in moral theology, which turns a direct violation of God’s command-
ments into a praiseworthy decision of conscience, quite evidently speaks
against the Catholic faith.” If this is the paradigm shift, he wrote, then “oppo-
sition is a duty of conscience” for the faithful, in keeping with the teaching of
11. See Luiz Sérgio Solimeo, “Cardinal Cupich’s Modernist Concepts,” TFP.org, Feb. 21, 2018,
http://www.tfp.org/cardinal-cupichs-modernist-concepts/.
INTRODUCTION 5
Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians (2:11) and commentaries on this pas-
sage penned by Church Fathers and Doctors, like Saint Augustine and Saint
omas Aquinas.12
e prominence of these two eminent exponents of the clashing viewpoints
on a paradigm shift in Church moral theology and pastoral discipline helps
demonstrate the importance of what is at stake.
However, those aware of the reality of Catholic life today know that such di-
vergence goes far beyond Holy Communion being given to civilly “remarried”
divorcees. e idea of a paradigm shift idea reverberates in controversies over
the validity and priority of other Church teachings and practices, for example,
the desire for a new, supposedly responsible rereading of the Encyclical Hu-
manae Vitae. Some alleged pretexts for this reinterpretation are socio-demo-
graphic problems and caring for the planet.
e promotion of a paradigm shift within the Church has also inspired the
rapid change through which, in just a few years, unnatural vice is increasingly
becoming accepted within the Church. Initially, homosexuals received timid
invitations to join Church activities. Today, the faithful are told to recognize
the “mutual aid to the point of sacrifice”13 supposedly found in their relation-
ships. Similarly, paradigm shifters increasingly clamor for the approval of
Church blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples and Catholic funeral services
for unrepentant homosexuals!
Until five years ago, papal magisterium on these and other pressing issues
was crystal clear. Some matters were “non-negotiable.” ese included:
• the protection of life at every stage, from conception to natural death

• the recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family,
based on marriage, the lifelong union of one man and one woman
• the primary right of parents to raise and educate their children
e voice of Peter strongly insisted that the faithful speak with one voice on
these issues since they directly affect the coherent link between the Faith and
daily life. Conversely, the same supreme magisterium respected the freedom of
lay Catholics, with rightly formed consciences, to make judgments on temporal
12. Gerhard Ludwig Müller, “Development or Corruption? Can ere Be ‘Paradigm Shifts’ in the Interpre-
tation of the Deposit of the Faith?” First ings, Feb. 20, 2018, https://www.firstthings.com/web
-exclusives/2018/02/development-or-corruption.
13. “Relatio post disceptationem,” ird Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (On the
Family), Oct. 13, 2014, 8, http://catholic-ew.org.uk/Home/News/2014/Synod-2015/Relatio-Post
-Disceptationem; See James Martin’s Oct. 13, 2014, Facebook.com post, accessed Jul. 9, 2018,
https://www.facebook.com/FrJamesMartin/posts/10152324462306496.
matters involving their specialized knowledge and technical assessments.14

is age-old approach no longer appears valid today. It has become a victim
of this paradigm shift. One sees glaring silence, coldness, and barely veiled hos-
tility toward those who generously dedicate themselves to defend the sacred-
ness of innocent human life from conception to natural death. ose who
publicly oppose same-sex unions experience similar rejection. Yet both these
forms of public witness are the non-negotiable duty of all Catholics.
On the other hand, prestige is showered on migration activists, and a bound-
less openness is shown to peddlers of the global warming theory-dogma. How-
ever, Christ entrusted no specific mission to the Church on these issues. It
pains me to say it, but the space denied to those who are faithful to the peren-
nial magisterium is often given to non- and even anti-Catholic figures.
While this paradigm shift appears to be purely theoretical, it undeniably im-
pacts the practical life of parishes. As never before, ordinary Sunday Mass-at-
tending faithful feel disoriented. Many express growing disinterest, if not
manifest malaise in the face of some Church developments today. From this
comes an increasingly evident paradoxical transformation. In the past,
churches were full despite the hierarchy’s militancy against atheism and the
spirit of the world. Today, worldlings and atheists cheer Pope Francis’s inno-
vations while the churches are emptying out.
From the viewpoint of doctrine, this pontificate’s pastoral revolution is
highly questionable. From the practical perspective, however, it is already prov-
ing disastrous. e mysterious process of “self-destruction” mentioned by Pope
Paul VI in his famous December 7, 1968 “Address to the Pontifical Lombard
Seminary” is taken to a paroxysm.15
* * *
is work’s scope is limited. It seeks to list the positions of Pope Francis that
reveal a paradigm shift from the Church’s perennial teaching. However, it does
this solely in matters that directly affect the laity, particularly those brave souls
who labor to make the Gospel’s teachings honored in their countries’ public
lives. Consequently, I have deliberately excluded important, albeit controversial
subjects concerning the Church’s structure and fundamental dogmas. ese
surpass the awareness and learning of the average faithful Catholic.
14. See Stefano Fontana, “Così si cambia la dottrina sociale della Chiesa,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana,
Aug. 22, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/cosi-si-cambia-la-dottrina-sociale-della-chiesa; Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics
in Political Life,” Nov. 21, 2002, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc
_con_cfaith_doc_20021124_politica_en.html.
15. Paul VI, “Discorso di Paolo VI ai membri del Pontificio Seminario Lombardo,” Dec. 7, 1968,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/speeches/1968/december/documents/hf_p-vi_spe_19681207
_seminario-lombardo.html.
INTRODUCTION 7
Nor is this work intended as an in-depth doctrinal analysis of each of the

topics it addresses. Instead, its goal is to present a straightforward account
with some commentary. It serves as an inventory as it were, of Pope Francis’s
statements and actions that have most seriously wounded the sensus fidei
(sense of the Faith) of his flock.
Conversely, an in-depth analysis would require a volume for each theme,
and this would render an overall view, a summary evaluation of the first five
years of Pope Francis’s pontificate, harder to grasp. Additionally, such an analy-
sis would exceed my competence as an author. I have no specialized training
in these matters. Nevertheless, I have monitored the debates in the Catholic
Church over the last half-century attentively, doing circumstantial research
about some of the topics addressed therein.
Furthermore, I am a disciple of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (1908–1995)16 and
from my youth have been a militant in the ranks of the movement he inspired
and encouraged for the defense of the three basic values of Christian civiliza-
tion—tradition, family, and property.17 Accordingly, I adopt the words of this
great master of the Counter-Revolution and ardent champion of the Chair of
Peter in the face of the mysterious eclipse that had befallen the papacy already
in the seventies, and which has become acuter since:
It is not with the enthusiasm of my early youth that I stand before the
Holy See today. It is with even greater, much greater enthusiasm. For the
more I live, think, and gain experience, the more I understand and love
the pope and the papacy. is would be true even if I found myself, I repeat,
in the very circumstances that Mr. Jeroboão Cândido Guerreiro depicts.18
I still recall the catechism lessons in which the papacy was explained
to me: its divine institution, powers, and mission. My young heart (I was
about nine) was filled with admiration, rapture, and enthusiasm. I had
found the ideal to which I would dedicate my entire life. From then until
now, my love for this ideal has only grown. And I pray to Our Lady that
she increase it in me always, until my dying breath. I desire that the last
16. For an overview of the life, thought, and work of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, see Roberto de Mattei, e
Crusader of the 20th Century: Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (Leominster, Herefordshire, U.K.: Gracewing, Fowler
Wright, 1995).
17. For a summary of the history of the Brazilian TFP and autonomous sister organizations around the
world, see Um homem, uma obra, uma gesta: Homenagem das TFPs a Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (São Paulo:
Artpress, 1989), http://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/Gesta_0000Indice.htm.
18. The article’s author used a literary device and invented a letter from Jeroboão Cândido Guerreiro, a
fictional person, to bitingly compare two concomitant events: Paul VI’s indulgence with a handful of
Catholic progressives who delivered a defiant document to the Vatican, and, on the other hand, that
pope’s refusal to acknowledge receipt of the TFP petition requesting the Holy See to take measures
against communist infiltration in the Church. The TFP petition had garnered the signatures of
1,600,368 Catholics.
act of my intellect may be an act of faith in the papacy. I want that my

final act of love may be an act of love for the papacy. us, in fact, I would
die in the peace of the elect, well united to Mary, my Mother, and,
through her, to Jesus, my God, my King, and my excellent Redeemer.
In me, Mr. Guerreiro, this love of the papacy is not an abstract love. It
includes a special love for the sacrosanct person of the pope, be it the
one of yesterday, today, or tomorrow. It is a love made of veneration; a
love of obedience.
Yes, I insist, it is a love of obedience. I want to give every teaching of
this pope, as well as those of his predecessors and successors, the full
measure of adherence that Church doctrine prescribes to me, holding
as infallible what She says is infallible, and as fallible what She teaches
is fallible. I want to obey the orders of this or any other pope to the full
extent the Church commands me to obey them. at is, by never super-
seding them with my personal will or the might of any earthly power;
and by refusing obedience to a pope’s order only, and absolutely only,
when it involves sin. For in that extreme case, as the Apostle Paul and
all Catholic moral theologians teach, it is necessary to obey the will of
God first.
at is what I was taught in catechism classes. at is what I read in
the treatises I studied. is is how I think, feel, and am, with all my heart.19
With similar convictions and sentiments, I invite the reader to undertake

this painful way of the cross, that is, to consider the events described and doc-
umented herein. ey marked the first five years of the pontificate of the pres-
ent Successor of Peter since he took office on March 13, 2013.
Last, but not least, I want to thank my brothers-in-ideal, Juan Miguel
Montes, Samuele Maniscalco, and Federico Catani, for their invaluable help in
collecting documentation and reviewing the final text of this work.
May Our Lady—in whose Wise and Immaculate Heart, the faith of all
mankind was concentrated, between her Divine Son’s Death and Resurrec-
tion—strengthen the faith of readers in the Church’s indefectibility and their
hope in a glorious reinvigoration of the papacy. Secondly, may she show com-
passion for this work’s shortcomings.
Saint-Sauveur-Marville, France
Holy Saturday, 2018
J.A.U.
19. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “A perfeita alegria” [e perfect joy], Folha de S. Paulo, Jul. 12, 1970,
http://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/1970_236_CAT_A_perfeita_alegria.htm.
c HaPter 1
Pastoral Retreat From
“Non-negotiable Values”
From the beginning of his pontificate, Francis has strived to abandon the previous
paradigm built around the defense of non-negotiable principles. He has done this by
establishing other priorities. Meanwhile, his strong pronouncements on moral is-
sues—which undoubtedly exist—are usually when the matter was not in the news. It
is as if he has wanted to avoid any possible clash with the establishment. As a result,
these statements seem out of context and are almost always ignored by the media.
rom the last years of John Paul II’s papacy20 and throughout that of Bene-
F dict XVI,21 the Holy See has urged Catholics to defend, first and foremost,
what has been called non-negotiable values or principles.22 In his address to the
European People’s Party conference, the German pope listed them as follows:
As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of

her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion
20. “When political activity comes up against moral principles that do not admit of exception, com-
promise or derogation, the Catholic commitment becomes more evident and laden with responsibil-
ity. In the face of fundamental and inalienable ethical demands, Christians must recognize that what is
at stake is the essence of the moral law, which concerns the integral good of the human person. This is
the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia. . . . Analogously, the family needs to be safe-
guarded and promoted, based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman. . . . The same
is true for the freedom of parents regarding the education of their children; it is an inalienable right
recognized also by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.” Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, “Doctrinal Note on Catholics in Political Life,” Nov. 24, 2002, no. 4. See also the letter by Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger to then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, D.C. (made public
in July 2004), on the obligation of denying communion to authorities and legislators who formally co-
operate with the promotion of abortion or euthanasia, or vote for its legalization. The letter states:
“Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia.” Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles,” accessed Jul. 9,
2018, http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfworthycom.htm.
21. “On the other hand, all Catholics, and indeed all men and women, are called to act with purified con-
sciences and generous hearts in resolutely promoting those values which I have often referred to as ‘non-nego-
tiable.’” Benedict XVI, “Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to Participants in the General Assembly of
Caritas Internationalis,” May 27, 2011, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2011/may
/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110527_caritas.html. (My emphasis.)
22. e expression was coined by Benedict XVI when addressing the question of “Eucharistic consistency”
by the public testimony of one’s own faith. He says that “it is especially incumbent upon those who, by
virtue of their social or political position, must make decisions regarding fundamental values, such as re-
spect for human life, its defense from conception to natural death, the family built upon marriage be-
tween a man and a woman, the freedom to educate one’s children and the promotion of the common
good in all its forms. ese values are not negotiable.” Benedict XVI, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation
Sacramentum Caritatis, Feb. 22, 2007, no. 83, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost
_exhortations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html. (My emphasis.)
of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing

particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among
these, the following emerge clearly today:
l protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of con-
ception until natural death;

l recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the fam-
ily—as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage—

and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to
radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and con-
tribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and
its irreplaceable social role;
l the protection of the right of parents to educate their children.
23
Pope Francis: “i Have never understood

the expression ‘non-negotiable values’”
Pope Francis explicitly abandoned the priority of defending these fundamental
and irrevocable moral principles. Months after his election, he gave an inter-
view to Fr. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, La Civiltà Cattolica’s editor-in-chief, outlining
what could be considered his papacy’s platform or manifesto. It was later re-
produced by Jesuit magazines around the world in their respective languages.
Pope Francis stated:
We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage

and the use of contraceptive methods. is is not possible. I have not
spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that.
But when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them
in a context. . . .
e Church’s pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the trans-
mission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insis-
tently. . . . We have to find a new balance.24
On the first anniversary of his accession to the papal throne, Pope Francis
reaffirmed this thesis in an interview with the director of Corriere della Sera:
“I have never understood the expression ‘non-negotiable values.’ Values are val-
ues, and that is enough, I cannot say that one of the fingers of a hand is less
23. Benedict XVI, “Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Members of the European People’s Party on
the Occasion of the Study Days on Europe,” Mar. 30, 2006, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en
/speeches/2006/march/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060330_eu-parliamentarians.html.
24. Antonio Spadaro, SJ, “A Big Heart Open to God: An Interview With Pope Francis,” America, Sept. 30,
2013, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2013/09/30/big-heart-open-god-interview-pope-francis.
CHAPTER 1 11
useful than another.”25

His first encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, gives an overview of contemporary
life and the challenges facing the evangelizing action of the Church. Pope Fran-
cis put the “new balance” into practice by speaking extensively and emotionally
of exclusion economy, the idolatry of money, social inequality, secularism, and
urbanization. He mentions abortion and the family only in passing, and in a
subdued fashion.26
e Argentine pope has undeniably made occasional pronouncements in
defense of the right to life, marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and
parental rights. eir frequency and efficacy though, seem to be measured with
an eyedropper. Moreover, they are countered by actions that erase much of
their pastoral effectiveness.
Some examples follow.
closeness With ose Who demolish non-negotiable christian values

On many occasions, Pope Francis has shown that he is close to, and even displayed
25. Ferruccio de Bortoli, “Benedetto XVI non è una statua: Partecipa alla vita della Chiesa,” Corriere della
Sera, Mar. 5, 2014, http://www.corriere.it/cronache/14_marzo_04/vi-racconto-mio-primo-anno-papa
-90f8a1c4-a3eb-11e3-b352-9ec6f8a34ecc.shtml. Even the analogy in this quote is incorrect as physiother-
apists claim there is indeed a hierarchy in the usefulness of the hand’s fingers. “Hierarchy of the fingers -
umb: It has always been considered as the hand’s most important finger. It intervenes in both force
pressures and precision tweezers. . . . Index: It is a primordial element in fine, multiple-fingered pres-
sures. . . . Middle: It is of little importance from a functional point of view when it is distal, except for
writing and applying spherical pressure. . . . Pinky: It is essential in applying all pressures. . . . Ring finger:
It is the least disturbing in amputations.” Jean Delprat, Solange Ehrler, Michel Romain, Jacques Xenard,
“Estudio de la prensión,” Encyclopédie Médico-Chirurgicale, https://fr.scribd.com/document/106460939
/05-Estudio-de-La-Prension, first published as “Bilan de la préhension,” Encycl. Méd. Chir. (Paris: Edi-
tions Scientifiques et Médicales Elsevier), Kinésithérapie-Médecine physique-Réadaptation, 26-008-D-
20, 2002, 16 p.
26. The same idea was taken up in the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, published on the
fifth anniversary of the inauguration of his Petrine ministry. In paragraph 101, Pope Francis writes,
“The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of oth-
ers, seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialist, communist or populist. Or they relativize it, as
if there are other more important matters, or the only thing that counts is one particular ethical issue
or cause that they themselves defend. Our defense of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be
clear, firm and passionate. . . . Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the
destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert
euthanasia, the victims of human trafficking, new forms of slavery, and every form of rejection.” In
paragraph 102, he reiterates, “We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our
present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a sec-
ondary issue compared to the ‘grave’ bioethical questions. That a politician looking for votes might say
such a thing is understandable, but not a Christian, for whom the only proper attitude is to stand in the
shoes of those brothers and sisters of ours who risk their lives to offer a future to their children.”
Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, Mar. 19, 2018, nos. 101–2, https://w2.vatican.va
/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319
_gaudete-et-exsultate.html. (My emphasis.)
camaraderie with, Marco Pannella27 and Emma Bonino.28 Both leaders of Italy’s
Radical Party championed the fight to legalize divorce, contraception, in vitro
fertilization, abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex civil unions approved in that
country.
e pope phoned Pannella at the hospital shortly after he underwent surgery.
He also supported the radical leader’s campaign criticizing the prison system.29
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life
(PAV), is well known for being part of the papal inner circle. Commenting on
Pannella’s death, he stated that it was “a great loss for our country” since he
was “the inspirer of a more beautiful life not only for Italy but for our world,
which needs more than ever men who can speak like him.”30
Pope Francis also called Emma Bonino. She was notorious in the seventies
for performing clandestine abortions. She once published a photo of one of these
crimes to help promote procured abortion’s legalization. e pope spoke to her
about poverty, migrants, and Mediterranean shipwrecks of migrant boats.31
Later, in an interview with Corriere della Sera’s Massimo Franco, Pope Francis
included Bonino along with former communist leader and erstwhile president
Giorgio Napolitano “among the great [people] in Italy today” for being “the person
who knows Africa better.” “ey tell me,” he added, “these are people who think
differently from us. It’s true, but be patient! Look at people and what they do.”32
27. “Among the longest-lived actors in the Italian political scene over the last five decades, he embraced and lived
as a protagonist in virtually all civil battles fought in our country: from those for divorce and abortion in the ’60s
and ’70s to more recent ones for the decriminalization of drugs, against therapeutic obstinacy, for the right to eu-
thanasia, and in defense of prisoners’ rights.” Sandro Iannaccone, “Addio a Marco Pannella: Ecco la sua storia,”
Wired.it, May 19, 2016, https://www.wired.it/attualita/politica/2016/05/19/chi-era-marco-pannella/.
28. “Bonino began her political career during the 1970s as a militant feminist, vocal and active in the cam-
paign for the legalization of abortion. She was jailed for her pro-abortion activities in 1975, but in 1976 was
elected to Parliament as a deputy for the Radical Party.” Gino Moliterno, Encyclopedia of Contemporary Italian
Culture s.v. “Bonino, Emma” (London: Routledge, 2000). “Our Lady of Battles [Emma Bonino]. . . . e positions
expressed by Emma Bonino are rarely conciliatory . . . for example, she recently stood up to the Vatican be-
cause of the Catholic Church’s decision to oppose experiments with so-called stem cells (which would give
hope of healing to people affected by various pathologies). She demonstrated before St. Peter’s basilica with
posters that some consider blasphemous, such as ‘No Taliban. No Vatican.’” Redattori di Biografieonline.it,
“Emma Bonino, biografia,” last updated Apr. 28, 2013, https://biografieonline.it/biografia-emma-bonino.
29. See “Papa Francesco telefona a Pannella: E lui interrompe lo sciopero della sete,” La Repubblica, Apr.
25, 2014, http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2014/04/25/news/papa_pannella_sciopero_sete-84450161/.
30. “L’incredibile intervento di Paglia (Pontificia Accademia Della Vita!) in memoria di Marco Pannella,” Il
Timone, Feb. 23, 2017, http://www.iltimone.org/35739,News.html.
31. See “Bonino: ‘Papa Francesco mi ha telefonato per chiedermi come sto,’” La Repubblica, May 2, 2015,
http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2015/05/02/news/bonino_papa_francesco_mi_ha_telefonato_per
_chiedermi_come_sto_-113373754/.
32. Massimo Franco, “Francesco: ‘Il mio abbraccioai fratelli ortodossi,’” Corriere Della Sera, Feb. 8, 2016,
http://www.corriere.it/cronache/16_febbraio_08/francesco-il-mio-abbraccio-fratelli-ortodossi
-739bf6ee-cdf6-11e5-9bb8-c57cba20e8ac.shtml.
CHAPTER 1 13
He later granted Bonino a private audience focused mainly “on the themes
of migratory flows, welcoming, and integrating immigrants.”33
Inspired by Pope Francis’s friendliness, the archbishop of Naples, Cardinal
Crescenzio Sepe, opened the doors of the historic Sanctuary of Capodimonte
to Emma Bonino so that she could hold a pre-election political rally there.34
Inspired by the archbishop’s actions, other Italian parishes allowed similar
events in their churches.
e Catholic world also erupted in commotion when the Holy See granted
the cross of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great to former Dutch minister Lil-
ianne Ploumen. She is known for her support of abortion and the homosexual
lobby’s agenda.35
Equally shocking was the publicity the Italian bishops’ daily Avvenire gave
Beppe Grillo, founder of the 5-Star Movement and well-known proponent of
abortion and euthanasia. is support was given precisely when his move-
ment’s congressional representatives in the House supported a bill that was a
stepping-stone toward euthanasia. In fact, Avvenire published a long interview
with Mr. Grillo the same day that its director, Marco Tarquinio, gave an inter-
view to Corriere della Sera praising the politician’s positions. TV2000 (owned
by the Italian Bishops’ Conference) called that simultaneous interview “a rap-
prochement between the 5-Star Movement and the Catholic world.”36
Promoters of compulsory contraception

and abortion are invited to the vatican
A day before the launch of the Encyclical Laudato Sì, the Pontifical Academies
of Sciences and Social Sciences promoted a colloquium on climate change.
e main speaker was Ban Ki-Moon, secretary general of the United Nations.
Another was economist Jeffrey Sachs, a U.N. advisor on so-called sustainable
33. “Udienza. il papa riceve Emma Bonino: Al centro l’accoglienza dei migranti,” Avvenire, Nov. 8, 2016,
https://www.avvenire.it/papa/pagine/papa-riceve-in-udienza-emma-bonino.
34. A group of faithful from the archdiocese’s pro-life committee wrote to the cardinal, “that the crypt of the
Basilica of the Crowned Mother of Good Counsel in Capodimonte . . . was lent for political ends to Mrs.
Emma Bonino, precisely the one who proudly brags about her decades of battles, unfortunately victorious,
in favor of divorce, abortion, artificial fertilization, and the tenacious defender of the liberalization of so-
called light drugs and the legalization of euthanasia, all of which are contrary to the magisterium and the
Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Pasquale Napolitano, “Dall’aborto all’altare: La radicale Bonino fa il
comizio in Chiesa,” Il Giornale, Feb. 19, 2018, http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/politica/dallaborto-allaltare
-radicale-bonino-fa-comizio-chiesa-1495773.html.
35. See Michael Hichborn, “Pope Francis Awards Architect of Safe-Abortion Fund With Pontifical Honor,”
Lepanto Institute, Jan. 12, 2018, http://www.lepantoinstitute.org/pope-francis/pope-francis-awards
-architect-safe-abortion-fund-pontifical-honor/.
36. Maria Antonietta Calabrò, “Beppe Grillo avvenire, San Pietro apre la porta ai ‘barbari,’”
Huffingtonpost.it, Apr. 20, 2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.it/2017/04/19/beppe-grillo-avvenire
-san-pietro-apre-la-porta-ai-barbari_a_22046504/.
development—a low-consumption economic model that supposedly would

neither deplete natural resources nor compromise the ability of future gener-
ations to meet their needs. Sachs is a leading global advocate of abortion as a
means to reduce fertility and exercise population control. He argues that abor-
tion is a “lower risk and cost option” than bringing a new human life into the
world, and that “legalizing abortion significantly reduces a country’s total fer-
tility rate.”37
In July 2015, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences organized a joint sympo-
sium with the U.N. represented by the Sustainable Development Solutions Net-
work. e conference focused on sustainability and modern slavery.38 Mayors
from major cities around the world came to attend. Jeffrey Sachs gave the
opening and closing addresses.
Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, the Academy chancellor, justified the
event saying that “to cooperate with or to cite internationally recognized in-
stitutions and authors does not mean to endorse everything they say or do.”
He added that the issue under discussion was not abortion, and besides, the
U.N. does not promote abortion but only “reproductive health.”39 At a pre-event
press conference, he stated that “To see the devil in the United Nations, which
some on the right tend to do, is not the position of the Holy See.”40
In October 2016, there was another joint conference on sustainable devel-
opment and youth. Again, Jeffrey Sachs delivered its opening speech.
At the end of February 2017, the two Pontifical Academies hosted an inter-
national conference on the environment. Among the speakers were Paul
Ehrlich, author of e Population Bomb, and John Bongaarts, vice president of
the Population Council, an American non-governmental organization (NGO)
that has promoted artificial contraception since the fifties. Ehrlich had previ-
ously criticized Laudato Sì for failing to recognize the importance of contra-
ception and abortion in fighting climate change. Bongaarts has long proposed
sterilization of women and procured abortion as methods of birth control.
Catholic University of America professor Michael Pakaluk wrote:
37. Stefano Gennarini, “Who Is Jeffrey Sachs and Why Was He at the Vatican?” C-Fam, May 14, 2015,
https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/who-is-jeffrey-sachs-and-why-was-he-at-the-vatican/.
38. See “SDSN and Pontifical Academy of Sciences Assembles Top Mayors to Discuss U.N. Sustainable De-
velopment Goals,” United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Jul. 17, 2015,
http://unsdsn.org/news/2015/07/17/sdsn-and-pontifical-academy-of-sciences-assembles-top
-mayors-to-discuss-un-sustainable-development-goals/.
39. Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, “A Response From the Pontifical Academy of Sciences,” First ings, Jun. 25,
2015, https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/06/a-response-from-the-pas.
40. Carol Glatz, “Bishop: Vatican Is Free to Work With Everyone, U.N. Is Not the ‘Devil,’” Catholic News
Service, Jul. 15, 2015, http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2015/bishop-says-vatican
-free-to-work-with-everyone-un-is-not-devil.cfm.
CHAPTER 1 15
Moral theologians would speak in this context of “formal cooper-

ation with evil”. . . .
e evil is compounded by the fact that an invitation to address
any Pontifical Academy is a great honor. is honor can and will be
used by these men in promoting their message.41
changing the nature of Leading vatican

institutions at defended non-negotiable values
e John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family was utterly left
out of the 2014 Synod on the Family. Because of the uproar over this ostracism,
Fr. Jose Granados, the Institute’s deputy director, was admitted to the 2015
Synod as a “consultant to the Secretariat of the Synod.” He participated in the
assembly as a “Collaborator with the Special Secretary,” a secondary position.42
Founded by the Polish Pope and Fr. Carlo Caffarra, the Institute was seen as
a remnant and solid reference point of the Church’s traditional teaching. At
least that was the reason Pope Francis gave for dissolving it and reestablishing
it with a new name, the “Pontifical John Paul II eological Institute for the
Sciences of Marriage and Family.” He did so with the Motu Proprio Summa Fa-
miliae Cura in September 2017. He also gave it a new mission and policy:
Anthropological-cultural change that today influences all aspects of

life and requires an analytic and diversified approach does not permit
us to limit ourselves to practices in pastoral ministry and mission that
reflect forms and models of the past. We must be informed and impas-
sioned interpreters of the wisdom of faith in a context in which indi-
viduals are less well supported than in the past by social structures,
and in their emotional and family life. With the clear purpose of remain-
ing faithful to the teaching of Christ, we must therefore look, with the
intellect of love and with wise realism, at the reality of the family today
in all its complexity, with its lights and its shadows.43
According to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia—an admirer of Marco Pannella

appointed as the new Institute’s Grand Chancellor—the pope broadened the
41. Michael Pakaluk, “By Inviting Enemies of the Church, Papal Academies Risk Perfect Storm,” Crux, Feb.
8, 2017, https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2017/02/08/inviting-enemies-church-papal-academies
-risk-perfect-storm/.
42. “XIV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops—List of Participants,” Holy See Press Office,
updated Oct. 5, 2015, sect. B, no. I., http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino
/pubblico/2015/09/15/0676/01469.html.
43. Francis, Motu Proprio Summa Familiae Cura, Sept. 8, 2017,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio
_20170908_summa-familiae-cura.html.
Institute’s vision with his decision to change it. From its former perspective,
“focused only on moral and sacramental theology,” the Institute changed to
one that “takes contemporary challenges into account.”44
omas Jansen, director of the German Bishops’ Conference official website,
commented on the refounding: “e John Paul II Institute for Studies on Mar-
riage and Family was known as a bastion of resistance against Francis’s mercy
program. Now the pope has dissolved it and founded a new one.”45
e old Institute’s rector, Msgr. Livio Melina, a well-known defender of tra-
ditional teaching and pastoral practice, was replaced by Msgr. Pierangelo Se-
queri, a member of the select group that penned Amoris Laetitia.46 e group
also prefaced the Italian edition of the work titled, Amoris Laetitia: An Inflection
Point in Moral eology, in which several scholars argue that the Apostolic Ex-
hortation “represents a paradigm shift for all moral theology and especially in
interpreting Humanae Vitae.”47
For its part, the Pontifical Academy for Life was also restructured. It was
placed under the direction of a new president, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia,
already the Grand Chancellor of the abovementioned new family institute. e
pope gave Archbishop Paglia detailed instructions to ensure that this Vatican
office’s activities are
• ever more clearly inscribed within the horizon of mercy. . . . [by fo-
cusing on]
• “Reciprocal respect between the sexes and among the generations.”
• “Defense of the dignity of every single human being.”
• “Promotion of the quality of human life. . . .”
• An “authentic human ecology. . . .”
• at will be a Church, he added, “capable of facing places of tension
and conflict like a ‘field hospital.’”48
44. “O Papa reforma o instituto sobre o matrimônio e a família fundado por Wojtyla,” Instituto Humanitas
Unisinos, Sept. 20, 2017, http://www.ihu.unisinos.br/78-noticias/571873-o-papa-reforma-o-instituto-sobre
-o-matrimonio-e-a-familia-fundado-por-wojtyla.
45. Ricardo Cascioli, “La guerra a Giovanni Paolo II dei vescovi tedeschi,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana,
Sept. 22, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/la-guerra-a-giovanni-paolo-ii-dei-vescovi-tedeschi. See
omas Jensen, “Ein inktank für ‘Amoris laetitia,’” katholisch.de, Sept. 20, 2017,
http://www.katholisch.de/aktuelles/aktuelle-artikel/ein-thinktank-fur-amoris-laetitia.
46. See Lorenzo Bertocchi, “Dicastro per Laici, Famiglia e Vita: Ecco le nomine,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidi-
ana, Aug. 18, 2016, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/dicastero-per-laici-famiglia-e-vita-ecco-le-nomine.
47. Dorothy Cummings McLean, “Vatican Appoints Opponents of Church Teaching on Birth Control to
Pro-Life Academy,” LifeSiteNews, Aug. 28, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/humanae-vitae-critics
-appointed-to-pontifical-academy-for-life.
48. Crux Staff, “Pope Francis Issues Marching Orders for New Pro-Life Leader,” Crux, Aug. 18, 2016,
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/08/18/pope-issues-marching-orders-new-pro-life-leader/.
CHAPTER 1 17
To expedite this radical change in direction, Archbishop Paglia quickly pro-

vided the Academy for Life with new bylaws, limiting its membership to five-
year terms, and canceling the old appointments effective December 31, 2017.
e new bylaws stipulate that members be chosen “without regard for their
religion.”49 Further, the old requirement of a pledge to defend magisterium
teaching on the inviolability of innocent human life was removed.50
e new membership appointments excluded some excellent scholars, such
as Luke Gormally, Josef Seifert, John Finnis, Mercedes Wilson, and Christine
Vollmer, all great defenders of the sacredness of innocent human life in their
respective spheres. omas William Hilgers, a staunch opponent of artificial
contraception and in vitro fertilization, was also left out. Jaroslav Sturma, a
psychologist and psychotherapist who views homosexuality as a psycho-affec-
tive disorder, was similarly excluded.
By contrast, Nigel Biggar is among the forty-five new members appointed
by the pope. He is an Oxford professor and Anglican pastor. For him, abortion
should be legal until “18 weeks after conception.” He also claims that “it’s not
clear that a human fetus is the same kind of thing as an adult or a mature
human being, and therefore deserves quite the same treatment.”51
Another of the Institute’s new members is Rabbi Avraham Steinberg. He
claims that
An embryo has “no human status” before 40 days. After 40 days it

has “a certain status of a human being, not a full status”. . . .
“So case by case, occasionally abortion might be permissible, some-
thing which is probably unheard-of in the Catholic point of view.”52
Katarina Leblanc is another new member. She is a professor at the Karolin-

ska Institute where she does stem cell research using in vitro-fertilized, super-
numerary embryonic stem cells.53 Angelo Vescovi is another new member.
49. “Statutes of the Pontifical Academy for Life,” art. 5, §5 (a), Pontifical Academy for Life, Oct. 18, 2016,
http://www.academyforlife.va/content/dam/pav/documents/academy_statute.pdf.
50. See “Bolletino radiogiornale,” Radio Vaticana, Nov. 5, 2016, http://www.radiovaticana.va/proxy
/radiogiornale/ore14/2016/novembre/16_11_05.htm .
51. Nigel Biggar and Peter Singer, “Putting a Value on Human and Animal Life,” Standpoint Magazine,
Jul./Aug. 2011, http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/3990/full.
52. Staff Reporter, “New Members of Vatican Pro-Life Academy Have Defended Abortion and Contracep-
tion,” Catholic Herald, Jun. 16, 2017, http://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/06/16/new-members-of
-vatican-pro-life-academy-have-defended-abortion-and-contraception/.
53. See Renzo Puccetti, “Lo scandalo della Pontificia Accademia per la Vita,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana,
Jun. 19, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/articoli-lo-scandalo-della-pontificia-accademia-per-la
-vitapaglia-copre-i-nuovi-membri-ecco-le-prove-20202.htm.
Although he uses adult stem cells in his work, he is not opposed to the use of
embryonic stem cells in research.54 Fr. Humberto Miguel Yáñez, of the Gregorian
University, another new member, believes that artificial contraception is some-
times licit.55 New member Fr. Maurizio Chiodi has openly criticized some of the
teachings in Humanae Vitae and Donum Vitae.56 His study group campaigned
in favor of the bill that legalized the interruption of nutrition and hydration for
terminal patients. is support was justified with claims in favor of proportion-
ality and respect for different religions and ethical positions.57 Another new
member is German theologian Gerhard Höver, author of an article posted on
the Academy’s Vatican website which claims that the term “intrinsically evil” is
too restrictive and unable to recognize the share of “regularity” existing in “ir-
regular” situations.58
Austen Ivereigh, the author of a Pope Francis biography, justified these nom-
inations saying:
e idea that the PAV [Pontifical Academy for Life]—created in

1994 by St. John Paul II—had to be an enclave for the ideologically
pure was an aberration that led, in practice, to endless problems. . . .
When Pope Francis re-wrote the PAV’s statutes and appointed
Paglia to head the Academy, he wanted to avoid precisely the kind of
situation where people of deeply conservative views could create a
kind of counter-magisterium, sowing confusion about what the
Church teaches.59
In fact, the reality is precisely the opposite: Former members defend what
the Church has always taught, while current magisterium—as has repeatedly
54. See Eric E. Bouhassira, ed., e SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research, s.v. “Vescovi, Angelo” (Singa-
pore: SAGE, 2015), https://books.google.fr/books?id=NIqECgAAQBAJ.
55. See Luciano Moia, “Verso il sinodo: Matrimonio e sessualità, il primato della coscienza,” Avvenire, Jul.
29, 2015, https://www.avvenire.it/chiesa/pagine/matrimonio-e-sessualit-il-primato-della-coscienza-.
56. See Lorenzo Bertocchi, “Accademia Della Vita: Lo spoil system vaticano,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidi-
ana, Jun. 14, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/mobile/articoli-accademia-dellavita-lo-spoilsystem
-vaticano-20149.htm.
57. See Andrew Guernsey, “New Pontifical Academy of Life Appointee Supports Euthanasia by Starvation,”
Rorate Cæli, Jun. 20, 2017, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/06/new-pontifical-academy-of-life.html.
58. Gerhard Höver, “‘Time Is Greater an Space’: Moral-eological Reflections on the Post-Synodal
Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia,” trans. Brian McNeil, http://www.academyforlife.va
/content/dam/pav/documenti%20pdf/2018/01_Hoever_pdf.pdf, first published as “‘Die Zeit ist mehr
wert als der Raum’ Moraltheologische Überlegungen zum Nachsynodalen Apostolischen Schreiben
Amoris Laetitia,” in Marriage, Families and Spirituality, vol. 23, no. 1 (2017): 3–18.
59. Austen Ivereigh, “Academy for Life No Longer an ‘Enclave of the Ideologically Pure,’” Crux, Jun. 20, 2017,
https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2017/06/20/academy-life-no-longer-enclave-ideologically-pure/.
CHAPTER 1 19
been pointed out—spreads confusion concerning Church teaching.

is paradoxical situation led a group of Catholic intellectuals to establish
the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and Family in October 2017. e
Academy provides continuity to the original Institute’s mission, as created by
the Polish Pope. Accordingly, it exists to “reject the horrible evils and errors
which shape modern society and have even entered the doors of the sanctuary
of the Church by the clear exposition of, and by living, the truth about human
life and the family.”60
new vatican Position clears the Way for euthanasia

Pope Francis’s stances on end-of-life issues are also at variance with those of
his immediate predecessors. For example, many were perplexed at the Holy
See’s silence and passivity between February and July 2017 while Charlie Gard’s
parents fought health authorities in U.K. courts.
Charlie suffered from a rare and deadly disease. Against the will of British
authorities, his parents wanted to prevent his life support from being discon-
nected. ey also wanted to move him to the U.S. for medical treatment.
Concerning this, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra stated, “We have reached the ter-
minal station in the culture of death. Public institutions and courts now decide,
even against his parents’ will, whether a child has or does not have the right
to live. We are at the pit of barbarity.”61
In contrast to this judgment, the Pontifical Academy for Life claimed that
any U.S. medical treatment for the eleven-month-old boy was futile. Supporting
this claim, Academy president, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, openly sided with
the English hospital, saying: “All therapeutic obstinacy should be avoided.”62
However, this was clearly a case of court-ordered euthanasia, not one of dis-
continuation of disproportionate therapy.
Equally surprising was the message Pope Francis sent the participants of the
European Regional Meeting of the World Medical Association. e meeting was
organized in the Vatican in conjunction with the Pontifical Academy for Life.
Several speakers who opposed the Church’s end-of-life teaching participated.63
60. Peter Baklinski, “Catholic Laity Launch New Academy for Life After Francis Gutted the Original,” Life-
SiteNews, Oct. 28, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-catholic-laity-launch-new
-academy-for-life-after-pope-francis-gutt.
61. Francesco Boezi, “L’arcivescovo di Bologna, Caffarra, su Charlie Gard: ‘Fermatevi in nome di Dio!’”
Il Giornale, Jun. 30, 2017, http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/caffarra-su-charlie-gard-fermatevi
-nome-dio-1415087.html.
62. Tommaso Scandroglio, “Il pavido assenso di vescovi e alti prelati,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Jun.
30, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/il-pavido-assenso-di-vescovi-e-alti-prelati.
63. See Benedetta Frigerio, “Vaticano: si apre dolcemente la porta all’eutanasia,” La Nuova Bussola Quotid-
iana, Nov. 13, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/vaticano-si-apre-dolcemente-la-porta-alleutanasia.
e pope stated, “Medical interventions have become ever more effective, but
they are not always beneficial: they can sustain, or even replace, failing vital func-
tions, but that is not the same as promoting health. Greater wisdom is called for
today, because of the temptation to insist on treatments that have powerful ef-
fects on the body, yet at times do not serve the integral good of the person.”64
Bioethics professor Tommaso Scandroglio said that prolonging life with pro-
portionate means even with an inferior quality of life is not “therapeutic ob-
stinacy” but a moral obligation for both patient and doctor. is is because
proportion is not measured in relation to the well-being effect, but to the pos-
itive life effect.
Moreover, if medical intervention is effective, as the pope acknowledges, it
cannot be labeled “therapeutic obstinacy” even when it does not lead to solu-
tions. Wearing glasses does not fix eye defects but improves vision. Equally dis-
concerting is the passage where the pontiff affirms that the patient has the
right “in dialogue with medical professionals, to evaluate a proposed treatment
and judge its actual proportionality in his or her concrete case.”65 By contrast,
the Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies that, if reasonable, the patient’s
expressed will must be respected, for otherwise, one opens the door to eu-
thanasia. Finally, given cases like Charlie Gard,66 and more recent ones like
Alfie Evans, the insinuation that “therapeutic obstinacy” is a real danger in
hospitals, not euthanasia, is deceitful.
Researcher Federico Catani highlights another concern. “e biggest con-
cern about the message is where Pope Francis calls for an agreement between
the different struggling factions and even for an eventual approval of end-of-
life legislation: ‘Within democratic societies, these sensitive issues must be ad-
dressed calmly, seriously, and thoughtfully, in a way open to find, to the extent
possible, agreed solutions, also on the legal level. On the one hand, there is a
need to take into account differing world views, ethical convictions, and reli-
gious affiliations, in a climate of openness and dialogue.’”67
Incredible as it may seem, an English judge used the papal message as an
argument to authorize passive euthanasia for Alfie Evans, who suffered from
a brain disease. After months of dispute over a Liverpool hospital policy,
64. Francis, “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Participants in the European Regional Meeting
of the World Medical Association,” Nov. 7, 2017, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/en/messages/pont-messages/2017/documents/papa-francesco_20171107_messaggio-monspaglia.html.
65. Ibid.
66. See Tommaso Scandroglio, “Papa ed eutanasia, un intervento problematico,” La Nuova Bussola Quotid-
iana, Nov. 17, 2017, http://lanuovabq.it/it/papa-ed-eutanasia-un-intervento-problematico.
67. Federico Catani, “Notas de perplexidade acerca da mensagem do Papa Francisco sobre o final da vida,”
trans. Hélio Dias Viana, Fratres in Unum, Nov. 23, 2017, https://fratresinunum.com/2017/11/23/notas
-de-perplexidade-acerca-da-mensagem-do-papa-Francis-sobre-o-final-da-vida/.
CHAPTER 1 21
basing itself on the words of Pope Francis, a court order dated February 20,
2018 authorized doctors to suspend the child’s ventilator and nutrition
against the will of his parents. After the European Court of Human Rights
threw out the parents’ appeal, Alfie’s father, a Catholic like his son, said, “We
have no more legal ways to defend our son, who wants to live, as doctors
and judges cannot wait to see him dead. We beg Pope Francis to intervene.
He is the only one who can defend us.”68
According to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, however, “[the judge’s] decision
was not intended to shorten life but to suspend a situation of therapeutic ob-
stinacy.” Prof. Tommaso Scandroglio commented, “For the president of the
Pontifical Academy for Life, to allow a patient to continue to live in a condition
of disability is therapeutic obstinacy” and not “an unpostponable act of heal-
ing,” since “the ventilator keeping Alfie alive is a treatment disproportionate
to the ends envisaged but absolutely proportionate to its proper purpose, that
is, to oxygenate him and thus keep him alive.” e doctors’ decision, the expert
concludes, “is based on the principle of quality of life and not on respect for
the dignity of the person, including the disabled.”69
On the pretext that “the diversity of opinions in the Church is wealth,” the
PAV president asserted that “the laws of a State represent mediation between
different positions,”70 as if such mediation were acceptable when it violates
non-negotiable values.
Papal silence on crucial Ballot measures

The silence of the Holy See had already caused perplexity during the final de-
bates leading up to legislative approval for same-sex “marriage” in the French
National Assembly on May 18, 2013. Catholics were further puzzled at the
68. Benedetta Frigerio, “La cedu nega il ricorso: ‘Papa Francesco aiuti Alfie!’” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana,
Mar. 29, 2018, http://lanuovabq.it/it/la-cedu-nega-il-ricorso-papa-francesco-aiuti-alfie. On April 4, 2018,
Pope Francis broke the silence on the Alfie Evans case with a tweet. On April 13, he spoke of him during the
Sunday recitation of the Regina Coeli, and on the 18th of the same month, he met the boy’s father, Tom Evans.
In parallel with the pope’s interventions, Archbishop Paglia also spoke out in defense of Alfie’s life. Not so the
English bishops, for whom criticism of the doctors at the Liverpool hospital where the boy was being treated
was unfounded. It should be noted, however, that the pronouncements by the pope and Archbishop Paglia
came only after they had received stringent pressures from the boy’s advocates and from public opinion. Nor
did they ever deny their previous statements on euthanasia. In fact, they did not help to save the boy’s life.
See Sandro Magister, “Alfie Evans’s Easter: Day by Day, a Chronology,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’Espresso–Set-
timo Cielo, Apr. 23, 2018, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2018/04/23/alfie-evanss
-easter-day-by-day-a-chronology/.
69. Tommaso Scandroglio, “Via libera di monsignor Paglia all’uccisione di Alfie,” La Nuova Bussola Quotid-
iana, Mar. 10, 2018, http://lanuovabq.it/it/via-libera-di-monsignor-paglia-alluccisione-di-alfie.
70. Valerio Pece, “Alfie Evans: Per monsignor Paglia potrebbe trattarsi di ‘sospendere una situazione di ac-
canimento terapeutico,’” Tempi, Mar. 9, 2018, https://www.tempi.it/alfie-evans-per-monsignor-paglia
-si-tratta-di-sospendere-una-situazione-di-accanimento-terapeutico.
Vatican silence over the referendum to change the Irish Constitution to le-
galize same-sex “marriage” in that country as well.
e Holy See was silent even when bishops of these respective countries
made declarations that were ambiguous or favorable to same-sex “marriage.”
In the case of Ireland, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin limited
himself to making an after-the-fact statement that the ballot box results had
been “a defeat for humanity.”71
When the Italian Parliament was debating a bill proposed by pro-homosex-
ual Senator Monica Cirinnà, to legalize same-sex civil unions, Pope Francis
was asked during a media interview about the adoption of children by homo-
sexual couples. He declined to comment, stating:
First of all, I do not know what’s happening in the Italian Parliament.

e pope does not interfere with Italian politics. In the first meeting
that I had with [Italian] bishops in May 2013, one of the three things I
said, “With the Italian government: sort it out for yourselves.” Because
the pope is for everyone, and he cannot engage in the practical, do-
mestic politics of one country. is is not the pope’s role. What I think
is what the Church thinks and I have said this on many occasions. is
is not the first country to have this experience: there are many.72
Even worse was the position taken by Mexico’s new apostolic nuncio. Amidst
a national debate on so-called marriage equality, he publicly rebuked Mexico’s
bishops during a press conference at the Basilica of Guadalupe for their cru-
sade against same-sex “marriage.” He said, “Rather than confront one another,
make proclamations, or marches, Mexicans must sit at a table and talk.” He
added, “One of the things Pope Francis recommends is to be on the alert for
clericalism, in other words, priests who want to do everything.”73
e church acts as if “it does not take its teachings seriously”

All these pronouncements, administrative measures, and symbolic acts ex-
press a radical change of attitude or paradigm on the part of Holy See agencies
71. “Vatican Calls Irish Referendum a ‘Defeat for Humanity,’” Irish Times, last updated May 26, 2015,
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs/vatican-calls-irish-referendum
-a-defeat-for-humanity-1.2226957.
72. Francis, “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Mexico to Rome,” Feb. 17, 2016,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/february/documents/papa-francesco
_20160217_messico-conferenza-stampa.html .
73. Astrid Rivera, “Rechaza nuncio apostólico mediar debate de matrimonio igualitario,” El Universal, Nov.
7, 2016, http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/articulo/nacion/sociedad/2016/11/7/rechaza-nuncio
-apostolico-mediar-debate-de-matrimonio-igualitario.
CHAPTER 1 23
regarding the “non-negotiable values” of previous pontificates. e Catholic

Church increasingly appears to have stopped its war against immorality and
accepted the Sexual Revolution as a side effect of so-called anthropological
change. is has produced disastrous results in Catholic ranks, particularly
those of pro-life and pro-family activists.
Fr. Shenan Boquet underscored how the Academy for Life nominations had
a demoralizing effect on pro-lifers: “Whatever the admirable intentions of the
leadership of the PAV, the real-world effect of appointing an abortion supporter
is the same as if they had appointed a pro-slavery advocate: e appearance
in the public eye that the Church does not take its teaching against abortion
as seriously as it once did. is has a direct impact upon pro-life advocates on
the ground, who stand exposed to the accusation of being ‘more Catholic’ than
the Vatican.”74
e Human Life International chairman’s assessment applies to all of the
other initiatives mentioned above.
74. Shenan J. Boquet, “Why the Pontifical Academy for Life Must Be Unapologetically Pro-Life,” Crux, Jun.
26, 2017, https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2017/06/26/pontifical-academy-life-must-unapologetically
-pro-life/.
c HaPter 2
Promoting the Neo-Marxist
and Alter-Globalization Agenda
of Popular Movements
Catholic doctrine teaches that communism is “intrinsically wrong.”75 However,
Marxist movements and leftist regimes around the world see Pope Francis as a
point of reference. Indeed, the current pontiff has shown himself very close to the
claims of these groups and governments. Despite the disastrous results of real
socialism—for example, the martyrdom of many Christians and the spread of
misery—and its unnatural character, Francis has repeatedly stated that com-
munism has stolen Christianity’s banner in the struggle for the poor. He thus gives
the impression that this ideology is well-intentioned. Vatican geopolitics now also
seem to cultivate a privileged relationship with its regimes, from Venezuela to
China. ese regimes are more or less directly inspired by real socialism, dubbed
“this shame of our time” by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the celebrated document
Libertatis Nuntius,76 which condemned liberation theology during the pontifi-
cate of John Paul II.
I n a press conference shortly after his visit to the Vatican, Cuban dictator
Raul Castro said, “I told [Pope Francis] that in Cuba, the leadership group
and I, read all his speeches every day. If you [Pope Francis] continue speaking
like this, sooner or later, I will return to prayer and I will return to the Catholic
Church. . . . I may convert again to Catholicism, even though I am a Commu-
nist.”77 Was this pure political manipulation,78 or are the pope’s positions really
that close to communism? at is the question.
Pope Francis has repeatedly denied being a Communist claiming that he is
75. “Communism is intrinsically wrong, and no one who would save Christian civilization may collaborate
with it in any undertaking whatsoever. ose who permit themselves to be deceived into lending their aid
toward the triumph of Communism in their own country will be the first to fall victims of their error.” Pius
XI, Encyclical Divini Redemptoris, Mar. 19, 1937, no. 58, https://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xi/en
/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19370319_divini-redemptoris.html.
76. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Instruction on Certain Aspects of the ‘eology of Libera-
tion,’” Aug. 6, 1984, sec. 11, no. 10, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith
/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19840806_theology-liberation_en.html.
77. Gerard O’Connell, “Cuba’s Raul Castro Tells Pope Francis: ‘I Could Become a Catholic Again,’” America,
May 10, 2015, https://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/cubas-raul-castro-tells-pope
-francis-i-could-become-catholic-again.
78. For details on the meaning of the encounter between Pope Francis and Raul Castro, see Armando Val-
ladares, “Francis, el nuncio y el tirano,” CubDest, May 12, 2015, http://www.cubdest.org/1506
/c1505castrorom.htm.
merely defending the poor. However, on several occasions, he has expressed

friendship for communist personalities and seems to believe that the only mis-
take of Marxism is to seek to turn the struggle of the poor into an ideology.
Propensity to sympathize With communism

Eugenio Scalfari, an avowed atheist and founder of the secularist Italian news-
paper La Repubblica, held one-on-one meetings with the pope. He later wrote
about them in sensation-causing articles. Scalfari claimed not to have recorded
the conversations but only taken notes on them.79 After an October 7, 2016
meeting, he claimed to have had this dialogue with the pope:
[ES:] So you yearn for a society where equality dominates. is, as

you know, is the program of Marxist socialism and then of commu-
nism. Are you therefore thinking of a Marxist type of society?
[Pope:] It has been said many times and my response has always
been that, if anything, it is the communists who think like Christians.
Christ spoke of a society where the poor, the weak and the marginal-
ized have the right to decide. Not demagogues, not Barabbas, but the
people, the poor, whether they have faith in a transcendent God or
not. It is they who must help to achieve equality and freedom.80
A journalist from Il Messaggero asks him:
— Q: You were regarded as a communist, pauperist, populist pope.

e Economist, which has dedicated a cover to you, stated that you
speak like Lenin. Do you identify yourself in this depiction?
— Pope Francis: I say only that the communists have stolen the
flag. e flag of the poor is Christian. Poverty is at the center of the
79. After Pope Francis’s first interview with Eugenio Scalfari, Vatican spokesman Fr. Lombardi said that
the words that appeared between quotation marks in the daily La Repubblica were a reconstitution from
memory so that not all of the aforementioned expressions could be safely attributed to the pope. It so
happens that at an international meeting for journalists, Scalfari said that before publishing the inter-
view he sent it to the pope and obtained approval for the publication from his secretary. is fact was
never denied. Moreover, the controversial phrases were all published verbatim in L’Osservatore Romano,
in the book Interviews and Conversations with Journalists, published by Libreria Editrice Vaticana, and on
the Vatican website, where they were online for several months. erefore, official and semi-official (in
the case of L’Osservatore Romano) organs of the Holy See have given credence to its veracity. It is note-
worthy that Pope Francis never formally denied the words attributed to him by Eugenio Scalfari despite
the perplexity expressed by many faithful, who legitimately interpret his silence as an approval: Qui tacet
consentire videtur (silence gives consent).
80. Eugenio Scalfari, “Pope Francis: ‘Trump? I Do Not Judge. I Care Only If He Makes the Poor Suffer,’” La
Repubblica, Nov. 11, 2016, http://www.repubblica.it/vaticano/2016/11/11/news/pope_francis
_trump-151810120/. See also “Abbattere i muri: Intervista del papa alla Repubblica,” L’Osservatore Ro-
mano, Nov. 11, 2016, http://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/news/abbattere-i-muri.
CHAPTER 2 27
Gospel. e poor are at the center of the Gospel. Take Matthew 25. . . .
Or, let us look at the Beatitudes, another flag. e communists say
that all this is communist. Yes, right, twenty centuries later. Now when
they speak one could say to them: but you are Christians (laughs).81
In an interview with five young Belgians, reaffirming his love for the poor,
he said, “at’s precisely why, two months ago, a person said, ‘is pope is a
Communist!’ No! is is a flag of the Gospel, not of communism. It is poverty
without ideology. . . . Just read the Gospel. e problem is that throughout his-
tory sometimes this attitude toward the poor has been turned into ideology.”82
In a book-interview with French intellectual Dominique Wolton, he re-
peated: “I was once told: ‘But you are a communist!’ No. Communists are Chris-
tians. It was the others who stole our flag!”83 What flag is this that Communists
would have stolen from Christians? It clearly is not just the defense of the poor,
which the Church has always done, but the demand for full socioeconomic
equality and moral license, which Catholic social doctrine has always rejected.
During an interview published in the Turin daily La Stampa, Vatican corre-
spondent Andrea Tornielli asked, “What does it feel like to be called a ‘Marx-
ist’?” e pope replied: “e Marxist ideology is wrong. But I have met many
Marxists in my life who are good people, so I don’t feel offended.”84
In fact, while speaking with Marcelo López Cambronero and Feliciana
Merino Escalera, authors of Francisco: El Papa Manso, he praised Esther
Ballestrino de Careaga, a communist Paraguayan exile who was his boss in a
laboratory and who introduced him to political thought, helping him acquire
a clear awareness that capitalism is essentially unjust.85
Similarly, in Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin’s book, Pope Francis:
His Life in His Own Words, the pope commented about his youth, saying: “My
81. “Full English Text of Pope Francis’ Interview With ‘Il Messaggero’—Pope Francis: Communism Stole
Our Flag,” Zenit, Jul. 2, 2014, https://zenit.org/articles/full-english-text-of-pope-francis-interview-with
-il-messaggero/; see “Papa Francesco: ‘Il comunismo ci ha rubato la bandiera.’” Il Messaggero, Jun. 29, 2014,
https://www.ilmessaggero.it/PRIMOPIANO/VATICANO/papa_francesco_serve_argine_deriva_morale
/notizie/770510.shtml.
82. Juan Vicente Boo, “Papa Francisco: ‘Dicen que este Papa es comunista, pero el amor a los pobres es
la bandera del Evangelio,’” ABC, last updated Apr. 7, 2014, https://www.abc.es/sociedad/20140404
/abci-papa-francisco-comunismo-201404041917.html.
83. Dominique Wolton, Politique et société: Pape François, rencontres avec Dominique Wolton (Paris: Obser-
vatoire, 2017), 227.
84. Andrea Tornielli, “Never Be Afraid of Tenderness,” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Dec. 15, 2013,
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/12/16/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican/never-be-afraid-of-tenderness
-3sMZy95oJWmaNvfq4m1sTN/pagina.html.
85. See Iván de Vargas, “Entrevista a los autores de libro documento ‘Francisco, el Papa manso,’” Zenit, Nov. 29,
2013, https://es.zenit.org/articles/entrevista-a-los-autores-de-libro-documento-francisco-el-papa-manso/.
mind was not made solely for religious questions. . . . I read Our word and pro-
posals, a publication by the Communist Party, and I loved every article ever
written by Leónidas Barletta, one of their best-known members.”86
In the book-interview with Dominique Wolton, the author asked if after
childhood and adolescence any women had left a mark on him. e pope re-
sponded that Esther Ballestrino had been one such woman, affirming:
Yes. ere is one that taught me to think about political reality.

She was a communist. . . .
She gave me books, all communist, but taught me to think politics.
I owe so much to this woman. I owe this woman a lot because she is
the woman who taught me to think. . . .
is woman really taught me to think.87
ese words imply that the Marxist theory of class struggle as the founda-
tion of society is the reading of political reality that Pope Francis learned from
Esther Ballestrino. However, class struggle directly contradicts Catholic teach-
ing, which sees both society and the State stemming from the family’s harmo-
nious relationships.
“inequality is the root of social ills”

For Pope Francis, the Christian ideal is a society without social classes. Speak-
ing to a boy from e Peace Factory NGO who asked him: “But according to
you, pope, one day we will all be equal?” the pontiff responded: “is question
can be answered in two ways: we are all equal—all!—but this truth is not rec-
ognized, this equality is not recognized, and therefore some are—let’s say the
word, but between quotation marks—happier than others. But this isn’t a right!
We all have the same rights! When this is not acknowledged, that society is
unjust [sic]. It isn’t according to justice.”88
In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, in the section titled, “No to
the inequality which spawns violence,” Pope Francis stated: “Until exclusion and
inequality in society and between peoples are reversed, it will be impossible to
eliminate violence.” He then added, “is is not the case simply because inequality
provokes a violent reaction from those excluded from the system, but because
the socioeconomic system is unjust at its root.” Furthermore, he said: “Inequality
86. Francesca Ambrogetti and Sergio Rubin, Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words—Conversations With
Jorge Bergoglio (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010, 2013), 39.
87. Wolton, Politique et société, 376–7, 379.
88. “Pope’s Audience With Children of ‘e Peace Factory,’” Zenit, May 12, 2015, https://zenit.org/articles
/pope-s-audience-with-children-of-the-peace-factory/.
CHAPTER 2 29
eventually engenders a violence which recourse to arms cannot and never will
be able to resolve.”89 In short, according to Pope Francis, “Inequality is the root of
social ills.”90 is is at variance with Catholic social doctrine, which teaches that
sin is the root of all evil (including social evils), and the essential equality of all the
baptized as children of God and heirs of Heaven does not contradict accidental
inequality resulting from varied talents, diligence, education, and condition.91
Promoting eology of the People and Liberation eology

By favoring a classless society, it is no wonder that Pope Francis sympathizes
with liberation theology and especially its Argentine version, known as “e-
ology of the People.”92 e latter was conceptualized by Fr. Lucio Gera93 and Fr.
Juan Carlos Scannone.94 e difference between this and other strains of this
erroneous theology is that the driving force building the Kingdom is not left-
wing political groups or unions—generally secularists. Instead, the Argentine
form of liberation theology has a Gramscian matrix and a third world, Peronist
bias. It attributes the role of fomenting revolution to the Latin Americans in
their struggle against Anglo-Saxon95 imperialism and considers the dynamism
89. Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Nov. 24, 2013, nos. 59, 60, http://w2.vatican.va
/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124
_evangelii-gaudium.html.
90. Ibid., no. 202.
91. Leo XIII teaches: “No one doubts that all men are equal one to another, so far as regards their common
origin and nature, or the last end which each one has to attain, or the rights and duties which are thence
derived. But, as the abilities of all are not equal, as one differs from another in the powers of mind or body,
and as there are very many dissimilarities of manner, disposition, and character, it is most repugnant to
reason to endeavor to confine all within the same measure, and to extend complete equality to the insti-
tutions of civic life.” Leo XIII, Encyclical Humanum Genus, Apr. 20, 1884, no. 26, http://w2.vatican.va
/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_18840420_humanum-genus.html.
92. For a summary view of the origin and proposals of the eology of the People, see João Vitor Santos,
“O Papa Francisco e a teologia do povo: entrevista especial com Juan Carlos Scannone,” trans. André
Langer, Revista IHU Online, no. 465 (May 18, 2015), http://www.ihuonline.unisinos.br/index.php?option
=com_content&view=article&id=5919&secao=465.
93. In recognition of Fr. Lucio Gera’s work, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, archbishop of Buenos Aires,
had him interred in the crypt of that city’s cathedral.
94. “Juan Carlos Scannone, a Jesuit, was a professor at several Latin-American and European universities,
including the Pontifical Gregorian University. He is a former dean of the San Miguel College of Philosophy
and eology of the University of Salvador. He is considered the greatest living theologian. A disciple of
Karl Rahner, he actively participated in the development of the intense post-conciliar debate in Latin
America.” “Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Scannone–Argentina,” Instituto Humanitas Unisinos, Dec. 15, 2017,
http://www.ihu.unisinos.br/184-conferencistas/574652-prof-dr-juan-carlos-scannone-argentina.
95. In the above-cited interview, Juan Carlos Scannone states: “Although he does not consider class strug-
gle as a ‘determining hermeneutic principle’ to understand society and history [the eology of the Peo-
ple] attributes an historical role to conflict—even class [struggle]—by conceiving it from the previous
unity of the people. Accordingly, institutional and structural injustice is understood as betrayal of the peo-
ple by a part of it which thus becomes anti-people.” Santos, “O Papa Francisco e a teologia do povo.”
of their religious beliefs as the greatest potential element for advancing the
revolution.96
His fervor for the Argentine eology of the People led Pope Francis to re-
habilitate liberation theology’s founder. Accordingly, he received Fr. Gustavo
Gutierrez in a private audience at the Vatican only six months after being
elected pope.97 He also submitted a preface in his own handwriting for the book
Poor for the Poor: e Mission of the Church, by Cardinal Gerhard Müller, a dis-
ciple of Father Gutierrez, who contributed two chapters to the book. At its Feb-
ruary 25, 2014 launching, spokesman for the Holy See Fr. Federico Lombardi
declared that liberation theology, “has now definitively entered into the normal
life of the Church.”98 Earlier, in September of 2013, L’Osservatore Romano had
already begun to devote ample space to Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez’s writings.99
alliance With marxist-inspired Popular movements

Putting into practice the postulates of liberation theology, Pope Francis has
placed the prestige of the papacy at the service of so-called popular movements
96. In his interview with Dominique Wolton, Francis explains the difference: “In the 1980s there was a ten-
dency toward a Marxist analysis of reality, but later it was renamed ‘theology of the people.’ I do not really
like the name, but that is how I got to know it. To go with the people of God and do the theology of cul-
ture. ere is a thinker you should read: Rodolfo Kusch, a German who lived in northeastern Argentina, a
very good philosopher and anthropologist. He made me understand one thing: e word ‘people’ is not a
logical word. It is a mythical word. One cannot speak of people logically because it would only be a de-
scription. To understand a people, to understand the values of this people one must enter into the spirit,
the heart, the work, the history and myth of their tradition. is point is truly at the basis of the theology
called ‘of the people.’ at is to say, to go along with the people, to see how they express themselves.”
Wolton, Politique et société, 47–8. Commenting on this passage, Vatican analyst Sandro Magister adds an
interesting point: “Kusch took his inspiration from Heidegger’s philosophy to distinguish between ‘being’
and ‘dwelling,’ describing with the first category the rationalistic and domineering vision of Western man
and with the second the vision of the indigenous Latin American peoples, in peace with nature and ani-
mated by none other than a ‘myth.’” Sandro Magister, “e Myth of the ‘Pueblo’: Francis Reveals Who Told
It to Him,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’Espresso–Settimo Cielo, Sept. 18, 2017,
http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/09/18/the-myth-of-the-pueblo-francis
-reveals-who-told-it-to-him/.
97. In August 2014, Pope Francis lifted the suspension a divinis that Pope John Paul II had imposed on the
priests Ernesto Cardenal, Fernando Cardenal, Miguel d’Escoto, and Edgard Parrales in 1984. All of them
had been “liberationist” cabinet ministers of Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. See Saturnino Rodriguez,
“La teología de la liberación (III)—En la actualidad: futuro esperanzado,” Religión Digital, Jun. 27, 2017,
http://www.periodistadigital.com/religion/opinion/2017/06/27/religion-iglesia-opinion-saturnino
-rodriguez-la-teologia-de-la-liberacion-iii-teologia-de-la-liberacion-en-la-actualidad-futuro-esperanzado
-papa-francisco.shtml.
98. “Maradiaga, Mueller e Guttierrez: Chiesa povera per i poveri,” Rossoporpora, Feb. 26, 2014,
http://www.rossoporpora.org/rubriche/interviste-a-cardinali/346-maradiaga-mueller-e-gutierrez
-chiesa-povera-per-i-poveri.html.
99. See “L’Osservatore Romano riabilita la teologia della liberazione” La Stampa, Sept. 3, 2013,
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/09/03/vaticaninsider/ita/vaticano/losservatore-romano-riabilita
-la-teologia-della-liberazione-HgyXjIIAMrXsKYBYxupTAJ/pagina.html.
CHAPTER 2 31
that do not hide their clearly Marxist orientation. is support goes notably
to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, “a platform built by various pop-
ular movements around Francis’s call for the poor and organized peoples not
to resign themselves but to be protagonists of change.”100
In fact, this platform was formed by a seminar on “e Emergence of the
Excluded” that the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, headed by Bishop Marcelo
Sánchez Sorondo, organized in Rome on December 5, 2013.101 is seminar
will be discussed later. Event organizers invited avowedly Marxist leaders of
Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement-MST (João Pedro Stédile), the Movement
of Excluded Workers of Argentina (Juan Grabois), and the international organ-
ization Via Campesina to attend. ey came with all travel expenses paid by
the Vatican.
ese movements claim that “the road to change through institutional
channels seems decisively blocked.” us, they do not hesitate to resort to “the
practice of mass occupations”—that is, to the systematic invasion of proper-
ties—to open “another space” of confrontation and cause “the class struggle”
to become global and enter a new “ascension phase” that makes the earth
tremble.102 For such movements, only when the economy is “socialized and
planned”103 can a “society without exploiters or exploited”104 be realized, which
entails “powerful State intervention.”105 In 2003, the MST leader’s son went so
far as to state: “We want the socialization of the means of production. We will
adapt the Cuban and Soviet experiments to Brazil.”106
marxist Preaching at the World meetings of Popular movements

So far, there have been three World Meetings of Popular Movements.
e First World Meeting was held in the Vatican on October 27–29, 2014.
100. “Quienes somos,” Encuentro Mundial de Movimientos Populares, accessed Jul. 13, 2018,
http://movimientospopulares.org/es/emmp-2/.
101. “Latin American People’s Movements With Pope Francis,” Alainet.org, Dec. 18, 2013,
https://www.alainet.org/de/node/81811.
102. João Pedro Stédile, “E la terra tremerà,” Adista News, Jan. 3, 2014, http://www.adista.it/articolo/53494.
103. Juan Grabois, “Capitalismo popular: Una variante salvaje del modelo. Nota en agenda oculta,” La
Alameda, Sept. 10, 2012, https://laalameda.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/capitalismo-popular-una
-variante-salvaje-del-modelo/.
104. Juan Grabois, “Capitalismo popular: La respuesta liberal a la crisis de la sociedad salarial,” Blog de
Juan Grabois, Sept. 1, 2012, http://juangrabois.blogspot.com/.
105. “La economía popular ‘Surge de la exclusión. No es una expresión de la solidaridad humana,’” Pru-
dentia Politica, Oct. 24, 2014, https://prudentiapolitica.blogspot.com/2014/10/la-economia-popular
-no-va-ser-nunca.html.
106. Alexandre Mansur and Gerson Camarotti, “MST–Os filhos querem revolução; guerra no campo,”
Época, Jul. 7, 2003, http://revistaepoca.globo.com/Epoca/0,6993,EPT564366-1653-5,00.html.
Its undisputed attraction was Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, an icon of
the social and indigenist movements. He declared the meeting would give rise
to “a great alliance of the excluded” in the struggle against capitalism “that
buys and sells everything.”107
e Second World Meeting took place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on
July 7–9, 2015 during Pope Francis’s apostolic visit to that country. Its climax
was a long speech by the pontiff.
e ird World Meeting was again held at the Vatican on November 3–5,
2016. Its star was Uruguay’s former president José Mujica (aka “comrade
Pepe”). Journalist Ignacio Ramonet, director of the ultra-leftist Le Monde
Diplomatique, introduced him to the participants. “Speaking from the heart,”
he stated, “Pepe is also an example of coherence of life. He is a man who
fought when his country had a horrible military dictatorship, one of the worst
in the Southern Cone, and he chose the path of arms because the way of pol-
itics was not possible.”108
e World Meetings provide an overview of the global situation as seen by
the popular movements, from a Marxist perspective naturally.
In his summary of the inaugural day of the First World Meeting, the Brazilian
MST leader João Pedro Stédile stated that the international effort was informed
by the Marxist intellectual Antonio Gramsci. He went on to conclude:
ere is a growing concentration of land ownership, wealth . . . by

a minority of capitalists. . . .
[at] the United States’ empire controls the world economy. . . .
at in most countries [the judiciary branch] acts as an instru-
ment to defend the interests of capital. . . .
[at] social struggles are still in the phase of “protests” and not
in that of building a project of society that involves workers and is
107. Ignacio Ramonet, “Impressiones de una jornada histórica,” Movimientos Populares, Oct. 27–29, 2014,
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/EMMP-Una-jornada-historica-IR.pdf.
108. http://www.movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/pepemujica4.mp3, at 5:58,
8:08–8:28. is was not the only time the guerrillas were praised. On the second day of the First World
Meeting, Víctor Hugo López Rodríguez, director of the Chiapas-based Frei Bartolomé de Las Casas Human
Rights Center made an apology of the Zapatista national Liberation army (of Comandante Marcos),
who “rebelled [against] memory to break into history and begin to build a world with justice and dignity.”
Victor Hugo López Rodríguez, “El Evangelio del Papa Francisco en la alegría de los pueblos originarios,”
Oct. 28, 2014, https://redtdt.org.mx/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Ponencia-Frayba-en-Vaticano.pdf.
During one of the sessions of the ird Meeting, Argentine activist Alejandra Díaz, representing the maga-
zine La Garganta Poderosa, stated, “We have come with the thought and utopia of Che Guevara, wishing we
have a better world for everyone, not only for us or for a few, a world that is truly egalitarian for all.”
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Alejandra_Diaz._Argentina2
-online-audio-converter.com_.mp3, 1:10-1:23.
CHAPTER 2 33
based on solidarity, equality, and especially justice.109
In turn, the Second World Meeting’s discussion workshops concluded,

among other things, that:
e labor world’s problems are structural, [ for] the capitalist eco-

nomic model seeks very high profitability at low cost.
[And should, therefore, be replaced by] a popular and social com-
munity economy that safeguards the life of communities . . . in which
comradeship prevails.
[It was also stated that] the city belongs to the workers; it was the
workers who built the cities. ey are currently occupied by those
with large capitals and spurious interests.
[Which requires] expropriation, urbanization, and regularization
of informal settlements and emergency villages.
[Hence] the urgent need to organize an urban reform and an
agrarian reform.110
moderate Final statements allow radical message to Get rough

A slightly more moderate statement is always adopted at the end of these
meetings. Here are some examples.
e First World Meeting stated that “the structural causes of inequality and
exclusion have been analyzed,” and concluded that “the roots of social and en-
vironmental ills must be sought in the inequitable and predatory nature of the
capitalist system that places profit above the human being.”111
e Second World Meeting’s “Santa Cruz Charter” declared:
We must overcome a social, political, economic and cultural

model where the market and money have become the regulators of
human relations at all levels. . . .
We do not want to exploit or be exploited; we do not want to ex-
clude or be excluded. . . .
We reaffirm our commitment to the processes of transformation
109. João Pedro Stédile, “El mundo en crisis: Síntesis del primer dia de trabajo del Encuentro Mundial de
Movimentos Populares, Roma, 27 de Octubre, de 2014,” Movimientos Populares, accessed Jul. 14, 2018,
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/El-Mundo-en-Crisis-EMMP-Joa
-Pedro-Stedile.pdf.
110. “La tierra y la producción campesina,” Movimientos Populares, accessed Jul. 14, 2018,
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/conclusiones-de-los-talleres-EMMP.pdf.
111. “Declaración final Encuentro Mundial Movimientos Populares,” no. 3, Movimientos Populares, Oct. 29,
2014, http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/DECLARACION-FINAL
-EMMP-rivista-da-Czerney.pdf.
and liberation . . . to give life to the hopes and utopias that call us to
revolutionize the deeper structures of oppression, domination, col-
onization, and exploitation. . . .112
We will foster alternative forms of economy. . . . We want a commu-

nity and social economy. . . in which solidarity prevails over profit. . . .
[erefore, w]e foster an integral agrarian reform to distribute the
land in a fair and equitable manner.113
e ird World Meeting issued “Proposals for Transformative Action at

We, the World’s Popular Movements Have Assumed in Dialogue With Pope
Francis.” ese proposals summarized a critique of Western democracies and
a call for “participatory democracy” in the Chavista mold:114
e so-called representative democracies increasingly represent

corporate elites, capital, banks. . . .
[And therefore one needs to foster] legislative initiatives that pro-
mote a participatory democracy in which protagonism belongs to
the people. . . .
[About migration, one must] demand the existence of universal
citizenship that cuts across borders and establishes an inclusive mi-
gration policy. . . .
[by creating] international opinion courts with the capacity to im-
pose ethical and symbolic sanctions to raise awareness at the inter-
national level.115
eir communist goal shows through more clearly on the socio-economic

level, as they aim at,
e democratization of the soil and the restructuring of land
112. “Carta de Santa Cruz,” Jul. 9, 2015, Movimientos Populares, http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content

/uploads/2015/07/Carta-di-Santa-Cruz-Portoghese.pdf.
113. Nelson Vilca, “Documento final del II Encuentro Mundial de Movimientos Populares en Santa Cruz
de la Sierra, Bolivia” Jul. 10, 2015, https://agenciadenoticiaspueblosoriginarios.wordpress.com
/2015/07/10/documento-final-del-ii-encuentro-mundial-de-movimientos-populares-en-santa-cruz
-de-la-sierra-bolivia/.
114. “Propuestas de acción transformadora que asumimos los movimientos populares del mundo en diál-
ogo con el Papa Francisco,” Movimientos Populares, accessed Jul. 14, 2018, http://movimientospopulares.org
/es/propuestas-de-accion-transformadora-que-asumimos-los-movimientos-populares-del-mundo-en
-dialogo-con-el-papa-Francis/.
115. “Síntese de los movimientos populares en los tres dias del EMMP,” Movimientos Populares, accessed
Jul. 15, 2018, http://movimientospopulares.org/espanol/.
CHAPTER 2 35
ownership so it can be distributed among those who work it.

[For which it is necessary] to move toward the existence of forms
of collective ownership that avoid commercialization and for-profit
use. . . .
Land must be collectively owned and ensure the fulfillment of its
social function, which is to feed and give life to the people.116
On February 16–19, 2017, “the first U.S. regional World Meeting of Popular
Movements” was held in Modesto, California. Its message stated, “Racism and
White Supremacy are America’s original sins. ey continue to justify a system of
unregulated capitalism that idolizes wealth accumulation over human needs.”117
e church officially assumes the agenda of the “Popular movements”

e World Meetings were sponsored by the now dissolved Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace, as well as by the enormous Dicastery for Promoting In-
tegral Human Development, both presided over by Cardinal Peter Turkson. In
a July 6, 2015 Santa Cruz, Bolivia press conference, he stated that the Second
World Meeting “promised to be a great dialogue that will perpetuate in time
the communication, cooperation, and coordination between the grassroots
movements and the Church at all levels”; that the marginalized “must be the
protagonists of the indispensable economic, social, political, and cultural
changes”; and, therefore, that “the Church intends to take the needs and aspi-
rations of the popular movements as its own.”118
On the following day, the Ghanaian cardinal explained that such popular move-
ments “promote an alternative lifestyle. . . . ey reject consumerism, waste, and
the technocratic paradigm. ey seek community forms of organization of work,
land [ownership] and housing.” Using rhetoric palatable to any Marxist, he con-
cluded: “ey want neither to exploit nor be exploited, to exclude or be excluded.”119
Pope Francis embraced the same type of rhetoric in his addresses to partic-
ipants in each of these World Meetings. He renewed his calls to radically
change the current socioeconomic structures based on private property and
free enterprise even though only their excesses are condemnable.
At the First World Meeting, he said:
116. EMMP, “Síntese de los movimientos populares en los tres dias del EMMP,” America Latina en
Movimiento, Nov. 7, 2016, https://www.alainet.org/es/articulo/181509.
117. “Message from Modesto,” World Meeting of Popular Movements, Feb. 19, 2017,
http://popularmovements.org/news/message-from-modesto/.
118. Peter Turkson, “Conferencia de prensa,” Movimientos Populares, Jul. 6, 2015,
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/press-conference-ESP.pdf.
119. Peter Turkson, “Conferencia,” Movimientos Populares, Jul. 7, 2015,
http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015.07.07-pkat-intro.pdf.
It [solidarity] means thinking and acting in terms of community.

It means that the lives of all take priority over the appropriation of
goods by a few. It also means fighting against the structural causes
of poverty and inequality; of the lack of work, land and housing; and
of the denial of social and labor rights. . . .
Today I want to join my voice to yours and support you in your
struggle. . . .
We Christians have . . . a program we could call revolutionary.120
According to Ignacio Ramonet, this speech confirms “Pope Francis’s new

historical role as a flag-bearer in solidarity with the struggle of the poor of Latin
America and the marginalized of the world.”121
Speaking in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, during the Second World Meet-
ing, Pope Francis stated:
You have mentioned the many forms of exclusion and injustice. . . .

Can we recognize that invisible thread which links them? I wonder
whether we can see that those destructive realities are part of a sys-
tem which has become global. Do we realize that that system has im-
posed the mentality of profit at any price, with no concern for social
exclusion or the destruction of nature?
Let us not be afraid to say it: We want change, real change, struc-
tural change. . . .
Positive change, a change which is good for us, a change—we can
say—which is redemptive. . . .
Once capital becomes an idol and guides people’s decisions, once
greed for money presides over the entire socioeconomic system, it
ruins society, it condemns and enslaves men and women. . . .
e universal destination of goods. . . . [i]s a reality prior to private
property. Property, especially when it affects natural resources, must
always serve the needs of peoples.122
In his address to the participants of the ird World Meeting, after the Paris,
120. Francis, “Address of Pope Francis to the Participants in the World Meeting of Popular Movements,”
Oct. 28, 2014, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/october/documents
/papa-francesco_20141028_incontro-mondiale-movimenti-popolari.html.
121. Ramonet, “Impressiones de una jornada histórica.”
122. Francis, “Address of the Holy Father—Participation at the Second World Meeting of Popular Move-
ments,” Jul. 9, 2015, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/july/documents
/papa-francesco_20150709_bolivia-movimenti-popolari.html.
CHAPTER 2 37
Brussels, and Nice bloody attacks by ISIS, the pope condemned,
at unjust structure linking all the forms of exclusion that you
experience . . . [which] enslaves and robs of freedom. Some it lashes
mercilessly, while constantly threatening others, in order to herd
everyone, like cattle, to wherever the god of money chooses.
ere is . . . a basic terrorism that is born of the overall control of
money worldwide.123
In a letter to participants in the Regional World Meeting in the United

States, after thanking Cardinal Turkson for his “continued support of popular
movements” from his new dicastery, Pope Francis wrote: “For some time, the
crisis of the prevailing paradigm has confronted us. I am speaking of a system
that causes enormous suffering to the human family, simultaneously assaulting
people’s dignity and our Common Home in order to sustain the invisible
tyranny of money that only guarantees the privileges of a few.”124
Lifesaver for a Foundering marxist Left

What is the practical effect of Pope Francis’s revolutionary preaching and Vat-
ican cooperation with popular movements to advance Marxist and post-Marx-
ist left-wing trends?
While in Rome for the December 5, 2013 “Emergence of the Excluded” sym-
posium, activist João Pedro Stédile stated at a parallel meeting of the alter-
globalization movement, that “in the current historical context, the balance
of forces at the class struggle level is very unfavorable to the working classes”
and that “the world is experiencing a period of reflux in the mass movement.”
However, drawing on the “school of British historical Marxists,” the MST leader
hoped that the current period of reflux would also be a “period of resistance
as a prelude to a process of recovery” which would require “the working class
to unite on an international level.”125
After the three World Meetings were held, Stédile could well say: “Mission
accomplished!”
at was the enthusiastic exclamation of Marxist lawyer Juan Grabois who
123. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the 3rd World Meeting of Popular
Movements,” Nov. 5, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/november
/documents/papa-francesco_20161105_movimenti-popolari.html.
124. Francis, “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Occasion of the World Meetings of Popular
Movements in Modesto (California) [16-18 February 2017],” Feb. 10, 2017, http://movimientospopulares.org
/es/carta-del-papa-Francis-a-los-movimientos-populares-modesto-california-16-19-feb-2017/.
125. “Movimenti di tutto il mondo, unitevi! La lotta di classe secondo i senza terra brasiliani,” Amig@s MST
– Italia, accessed Jul. 15, 2018, http://www.comitatomst.it/node/1058.
is a consultant to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development,

coordinator of Buenos Aires’s cartoneros (scrap cardboard collectors) and of
the World Meeting of Popular Movements. In his lecture presenting the prin-
cipal documents published by the latter, he stated:
Francis has updated the sense of the preferential option for the poor
by clarifying that it implies not only solidarity with them but also rec-
ognizing them as a social and political subject, promoting their pro-
tagonism in all fields, always accompanying them in their own reality
and never from abstract ideological schemes. In other words, it is not
merely a question of working for the poor but of struggling with the
poor against the structural causes of inequality and injustice. In this
sense, Francis’s contributions to popular thought—including the two
speeches to popular movements offered in this edition—have not only
renewed Church social doctrine but are now a priceless tool for the
theoretical and doctrinal updating of those who aspire for the struc-
tural transformation of society and the overcoming of capitalism.126
In preparation for the Bolshevik Revolution’s centennial, Rome’s well-known

virtual newspaper Il Manifesto, the only one in Italy to call itself a “Communist
daily,” featured a book containing Pope Francis’s three speeches to popular
movements in its October 4, 2017 edition. e director explained the reason
to the bishops’ newspaper Avvenire: “Because we hold these messages from the
pope as our own and want to bring the radicalism and simplicity of these words
to our readers.”127 In the book edited by Il Manifesto, Juan Grabois and Alessan-
dro Santagata do not hide the fact that many popular movements oppose the
Church on issues such as abortion and homosexual rights.128
ese facts suggest reasons why Francis X. Rocca titled his December 22,
2016 article in e Wall Street Journal, “How Pope Francis Became the Leader
of the Global Left.”129
126. Juan Grabois, “Documentos: Encuentro Mundial de Movimientos Populares,” intro., accessed Jul. 14,
2018, http://movimientospopulares.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Documents_castellano_web.pdf.
127. “‘Publicamos as palavras do papa. Com convicção.’ Entrevista com Norma Rangeri, redatora-chefe do
jornal italiano Il Manifesto,” Instituto Humanitas Unisinos, Oct. 6, 2017, http://www.ihu.unisinos.br/572416
-publicamos-as-palavras-do-papa-com-conviccao-entrevista-com-norma-ranger-redatora-chefe-do
-jornal-italiano-il-manifesto.
128. See Sandro Magister, “e Communists the Pope Likes. And Vice Versa,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’E-
spresso–Settimo Cielo, Oct. 11, 2017, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/10/11
/i-comunisti-che-piacciono-al-papa-e-viceversa/.
129. Francis X. Rocca, “How Pope Francis Became the Leader of the Global Left,” e Wall Street Journal, Dec.
22, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-pope-francis-became-the-leader-of-the-global-left-1482431940.
CHAPTER 2 39
sympathy for the castro Brothers’ cuban dictatorship

Support for popular movements has not been the only way for the pope to ex-
press his preference for left-wing politics. It has been apparent also during his
visits to left-leaning countries in Latin America, through his attitude toward
their respective rulers.
In Cuba, Pope Francis avoided criticizing the regime that rules that island
prison. is spurred an Agence France Presse reporter on the papal flight out
of Havana to contrast this omission with his attacks on capitalism during an
earlier trip to Latin America. When she asked the pope why he had treated the
two so differently, he justified himself by saying, “In my speeches in Cuba, I al-
ways mentioned the Church’s social teaching. I spoke clearly, not gingerly or
gently, about the things that need to be corrected. . . . But here in Cuba—and
this perhaps will help to answer your question—the visit was a very pastoral
visit with the Catholic community, with Christians, but also with people of
goodwill, and for this reason my interventions were homilies. . . . It was a more
pastoral language.”130
His benevolence for the Cuban regime was so blatant that in the same press
conference, the pope tried to deny that the regime’s police had arrested fifty
dissidents for attempting to meet him:
First, I didn’t hear that this happened. I didn’t hear any news. . . . Yes,
I would like to meet with them. . . . First of all, the Nunciature made it
very clear that I was not going to grant audiences because audiences
were being sought not only by dissidents but also by other groups. . . .
Secondly, phone calls were made from the Nunciature to certain peo-
ple belonging to this group of dissidents . . . to tell them that, when I
arrived at the Cathedral for the meeting with the consecrated persons
I would be happy to greet those who were there. . . . But since no one
spoke up in the greeting, I don’t know if they were there or not.131
From the public’s perspective, however, the visit’s highlight was Pope Fran-
cis’s meeting with Fidel Castro; a meeting which the pontiff, himself, requested.
According to former Cuban political prisoner, well-known writer, and former
U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Ar-
mando Valladares, Pope Francis’s attitude, which was recorded in photographs
that went around the world, “was that of someone who was visiting a venerable
130. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Santiago de Cuba to Washington,
D.C.,” Sept. 22, 2015, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015
/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150922_intervista-santiago-washington.html.
131. Ibid.
prophet rather than a bloodthirsty dictator.”132

A report from the Inter American Press Association published less than two
weeks after the visit, confirmed the gravity of the situation in Cuba, denounc-
ing the ongoing repression and lack of freedom which continued during the
pope’s visit.
venezuela: Pope Francis saves the

regime and turns His Back on the Bishops
Equally surprising has been his attitude toward Venezuela. Hugo Chavez, the
sponsor of what he called twenty-first century socialism, passed away the same
week as Pope Francis’s election. Until then, the diplomatic position of the Holy
See was one of unequivocal support for the bishops of Venezuela, defending
the Church against the hostility of the Chavista regime. at position has
changed, however, despite the worsening economic and social situation under
the new president Nicolás Maduro and even as misery and protests spread
throughout the nation’s territory.
Since February 2014, massive street protests have been almost continuous
resulting in hundreds of deaths, especially of young demonstrators killed by
the Chavez militias. As Cardinal Jorge Urosa, archbishop of Caracas, explained
during a visit to Rome in February 2015, “that the main cause for Venezuela’s
scarcity and crisis is that the government wants to establish ‘a totalitarian,
Marxist-Communist political system.’”133
Nevertheless, the Vatican came to its aid on two occasions when the gov-
ernment was particularly fragile, calling on the parties to dialogue. In April
2014, the Vatican sent Archbishop Aldo Giordano, apostolic nuncio in Caracas,
to participate as an observer at the talks between Maduro and the opposition,
fulfilling a naïve request by a sector of the latter. en, in October 2016, the
pope received Maduro at the Vatican. He was seeking Francis’s mediation while
mass demonstrations were taking place in Venezuela. At the same time, the
National Assembly declared that Maduro’s actions could be called a coup d’é-
tat. at mediation occurred, chaired by Archbishop Emil Paul Tscherrig, a
special envoy of the pope.
However, less than three months later, Andrés Oppenheimer, a well-known
Argentine analyst of Latin American affairs wrote in his column in Miami’s
El Nuevo Herald:
132. Armando F. Valladares, “Cuba: Francisco abraza a los lobos y apuntala el ‘muro’ comunista,” CubDest,
Oct. 3, 2015, http://www.cubdest.org/1506/c1510pastorlobosav.htm.
133. Marta Jiménez, “Cardenal Urosa: Totalitarismo marxista-comunista trajo la crisis a Venezuela,” ACI
Prensa, Feb. 16, 2015, https://www.aciprensa.com/noticias/cardenal-urosa-totalitarismo-marxista
-comunista-trajo-la-crisis-a-venezuela-83288/.
CHAPTER 2 41
e Vatican’s mediation effort was a disaster. It legitimized that

country’s authoritarian ruler, Nicolás Maduro, throwing him a life-
saver, as millions of street protesters demanded his resignation in
October 2016. It allowed Maduro to gain time, strengthen himself
and repress the opposition even more. . . .
[He concluded:] It is time to end this drama. And Pope Francis
should take the first step by ceasing to be an obstacle to collective
pressure for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.134
e Vatican’s patient benevolence toward Maduro’s totalitarian regime

reached a climax during Holy Week of 2017. On Holy ursday, Chavista thugs
interrupted the Mass of Chrism celebrated by Cardinal Urosa in the Caracas
cathedral, shouting threats and physically attacking the celebrant. At the time,
Pope Francis and the Secretariat of State did not publish any official statement
repudiating the sacrilegious aggression or manifesting solidarity with the vic-
tim. In his Urbi et Orbi message a few days later, the pontiff did not even men-
tion the suffering Venezuelan people.135
Worse, in the regular press conference during his return flight from Egypt, the
pope attributed significant blame for the failure of peace efforts to the opposition:
ere was the intervention of the Holy See . . . and . . . it did not
succeed. It was left there. It did not succeed because the proposals
were not acceptable, or were diluted, or it was a “yes, yes” but then a
“no, no”. . . . I believe . . . they are insisting to renew this work of facil-
itating. . . . I think that this must be with conditions now. Very clear
conditions. Part of the opposition does not want this. Interesting, the
opposition itself is divided.136
is is how Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Spain’s former Minister of Justice, re-

acted to this balancing act between government and opposition:
With immense pain, I include the Vatican in my complaint about
134. Andrés Oppenheimer, “Papa Francisco, ¡Dé un paso atrás en Venezuela!” El Nuevo Herald, Feb. 8, 2017,
last updated Feb. 10, 2017, http://www.elnuevoherald.com/opinion-es/opin-col-blogs/andres
-oppenheimer-es/article131574119.html.
135. See Raymond J. de Souza, “It’s Time for Francis and the Vatican to Get Tough on Venezuela,” Crux,
Apr. 24, 2017, https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/04/24/time-francis-vatican-get
-tough-venezuela/.
136. Francis, “Return Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Egypt to Rome,” Apr. 29,
2017, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/april/documents/papa-francesco
_20170429_egitto-volo.html.
equal consideration for victims and executioners. . . . e Venezuelan

bishops . . . have been heroes before the tyrant. But Rome has addressed
the issue as if it were a dispute over territorial boundaries.137
On May 5, 2017, the bishops of Venezuela issued a public note stating: “We
reject the convocation for the Constitutional Assembly and urge the popula-
tion in general not to resign themselves, to raise their voice of protest but do
so without falling into the game of those who, by generating violence, seek to
lead the country to scenarios of greater confrontation in order to aggravate
the situation.”138 at same day, the pope sent them a letter saying he was con-
vinced that “the serious problems of Venezuela can be solved if there is the will
to build bridges and if one wishes to seriously dialogue.”139
When the Holy See finally decided to ask the Maduro government to sus-
pend the convocation of the National Constitutional Assembly, the Clarín
newspaper of Buenos Aires commented:
Jorge Bergoglio chose to break the silence and oppose the

Venezuelan constitutional convention when it was too late.
e Argentine pope has made the worst diplomatic blunder of his
over four-year long pontificate, a gaffe evidenced by the rush to try
and break the silence on the Venezuelan regime when time had prac-
tically run out.140
e disagreement between the pope and the Venezuelan bishops on the

Church’s attitude toward the Chavista regime was such that the six bishops of
the Bishops’ Conference leadership took the initiative to fly to Rome and report
on the country’s dramatic situation. ey held an unscheduled meeting with the
pope, explaining to him that the upheaval in Venezuela was “a fight between a
government which has turned into a dictatorship . . . and an entire people which
is crying out for freedom and desperately seeking, at the risk of its youngest lives,
137. Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, “Venezuela, una nación secuestrada,” El Mundo, Aug. 2, 2017,
http://www.elmundo.es/opinion/2017/08/02/5980d07246163f58278b4643.html.
138. Venezuelan Bishops Conference, “Comunicado de la presidencia de la CEV: ‘No reformar la constitu-
ción sino cumplirla,’” Il Sismografo, May 5, 2017, http://ilsismografo.blogspot.fr/2017/05/venezuela
-comunicado-de-la-presidencia.html.
139. “Papa Francisco envía carta a los obispos de Venezuela,” Conferencia Episcopal Venezolana, May 5,
2017, http://www.cev.org.ve/index.php/noticias/224-papa-francisco-envia-carta-a-los-obispos
-de-venezuela.
140. Julio Algañaraz, “El comunicado vaticano: El peor papelón diplomático del pontificado del Papa
Francisco,” Clarín, Aug. 4, 2017, https://www.clarin.com/mundo/comunicado-vaticano-peor
-papelon-diplomatico-pontificado-papa-Francis_0_SysX14zv-.html.
CHAPTER 2 43
bread, medicine, security, work and fair elections,”141 as e Economist reported.

Later, after a meeting with the pope during his visit to Colombia, Cardinal
Jorge Urosa, archbishop of Caracas, told the press:
e dialogue and culture of encounter that Pope Francis wants in

Venezuela is not possible because the government does not listen. . . .
e government is committed to implementing a totalitarian, sta-
tist, and communist system and does not listen to what we say, that
this way is a wrong way.142
e Wall Street Journal thought it appropriate to publish an article by William

McGurn titled, “Speak for Venezuela, Pope Francis,” in which he states that,
When Pope Francis wants to make the objects of his disfavor feel his
sting, he’s never lacked for words—especially when it involves the U.S.
But when it comes to the brutality of Venezuela’s government
against its own people, Pope Francis and the Vatican have mostly
avoided calling out Nicolás Maduro by name.143
e Buenos Aires daily Clarín published an article titled, “When will the
pope speak about Venezuela? Francis’s silence is shuddering: A silence that af-
flicts.”144 However, during his return flight from Colombia, when asked if he
could speak out stronger and more clearly regarding President Maduro, who
claims to be in union with him, the pontiff replied: “I believe that the Holy See
has spoken out forcefully and clearly. What President Maduro says, it is up to
him to explain; I don’t know what his thoughts are.”145
e conflict between the first Latin American pope and his continent’s peo-
ple was also evident at the October 2, 2016 referendum on the Colombia Peace
141. Erasmus [pseud.], “Stop Being Soft on Our Despot, Venezuela’s Bishops Tell Francis: A Plea to the
Pope,” e Economist, Jun. 11, 2017, http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2017/06/plea-pope.
142. “Obispos venezolanos se reunieron con el Papa: ‘El diálogo no es posible con un gobierno totalitario,’”
NTN24, Sept. 7, 2017, http://archivo.ntn24america.com/noticia/Obispos-venezolanos-se-reunieron
-con-el-papa%3A-%22El-di%C3%A1logo-no-es-posible-con-un-gobierno-totalitario%22-151775.
143. William McGurn, “Speak for Venezuela, Pope Francis: e First Latin American Pontiff Is Harder on
Trump an on Caracas’s Despot,” e Wall Street Journal, Aug. 7, 2017, https://www.wsj.com/articles
/speak-for-venezuela-pope-francis-1502144547.
144. Ricardo Roa, “Cuándo el Papa va a hablar de Venezuela: El silencio de Francisco es estruendoso:
Un silencio que lastima,” Clarín, Aug. 1, 2017, https://www.clarin.com/opinion/papa-va
-hablar-venezuela_0_Sy-1zYa8W.html.
145. “Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Return Flight From Colombia to Rome,”
Sept. 10, 2017, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/september/documents
/papa-francesco_20170910_viaggioapostolico-colombia-voloritorno.html.
Deal which President Juan Manuel Santos and the narco-Marxist FARC guer-
rillas negotiated in Cuba. Despite the intense moral pressure exerted on them,
a majority of the Colombian people voted against it. On the eve of the vote, the
main television stations broadcast a video message over and over again, in
which the pope promised to go to Colombia if the Peace Accord was approved.
Still, the population voted against it, judging correctly that it clearly favored
the guerrillas. e same people, who welcomed the Vicar of Christ with devo-
tion, did not hesitate to reject the FARC in the subsequent parliamentary elec-
tions; and they did so even more categorically then at the time of the
referendum.
extending a Hand to china’s communist

dictatorship at the expense of underground catholics
e Holy See has adopted the same conciliatory attitude toward China, a
regime for which it manifests sympathy.
e chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Bishop Marcelo
Sánchez Sorondo, an Argentine who is close to the pope, surprised Catholics
by declaring, after a trip to Mao’s country:
Right now, those who are best implementing the social doctrine
of the Church are the Chinese.
ey hold the common good above all else, everything else comes
second to the common good.
I met an extraordinary China: What people don’t realize is that
the central value in China is work, work, work.
You do not have shantytowns, you do not have drugs, young peo-
ple do not take drugs.
[Beijing] is defending the dignity of the person.146
On an earlier trip to a conference on organ transplants (China is one of the

largest organ traffickers on earth), he told the Chinese Communist Party-con-
trolled Global Times newspaper: “e real thing is that at this moment China
and pope have a very good relation.”147
146. “Msgr. Sanchez Sorondo: China, the Best Implementer of the Social Doctrine of the Church,”
AsiaNews.it, Feb. 7, 2018, http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Msgr.-Sanchez-Sorondo:-China,-the-best
-implementer-of-the-social-doctrine-of-the-Church-43033.html; see also “Vatican Official Praises China
for Witness to Catholic Social Teaching,” National Catholic Register, Feb. 7, 2018,
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/vatican-official-praises-china-for-witness-to-catholic
-social-teaching; Bernardo Cervellera, “Msgr. Sanchez Sorondo in Wonderland,” AsiaNews.it, Feb. 7, 2018,
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Msgr.-Sanchez-Sorondo-in-Wonderland-43037.html.
147. Li Ruohan, “Pope, China ‘Have a Very Good Relation’: Vatican Bishop,” Global Times, Aug. 5, 2017,
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1059768.shtml.
CHAPTER 2 45
is sympathy leads the Vatican to seek the establishment of relations with
the Chinese communist regime. is same regime, however, has doggedly
hounded the underground Catholic Church while extending its hand to the Vat-
ican. It proposes a working agreement whereby the atheistic rulers would con-
trol bishops’ appointments and the whole life of the Church in the country.148
Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, firmly opposes any
agreement which would be contrary to Catholic doctrine and the rights of the
papacy. is is because it implies recognizing the so-called Patriotic Church,
whose bylaws are formally schismatic. He calls for resistance, preferring to re-
main underground to apostasy through the acceptance of a national church.
In an interview with LifeSiteNews in February 2017, Cardinal Zen said, “I can
understand that the pope is really naïve. . . . He doesn’t know the Chinese com-
munists. But unfortunately the people around him are not good at all. ey
have very wrong ideas. And I’m afraid that they may sell out our underground
Church. at would be very sad.” e cardinal said that he has written the pope
several times, “but then he doesn’t answer my letters.”149
Referring to the bad influence of the secretary of state, on another occasion
the cardinal said,
Pope Francis does not know the real Communist Party in China,
but [Cardinal Pietro] Parolin should know. . . . Pope Francis needs
someone to calm him down from his enthusiasm. . . .
“I told the pope that he [Parolin] has a poisoned mind. He is very
sweet, but I have no trust in this person. He believes in diplomacy,
not in our faith.”150
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, the Chinese cardinal said,
In Beijing, they know very well that irregular bishops are not well
148. In an editorial in La Civiltà Cattolica, Chinese Jesuit Fr. Joseph You Guo Jiang wrote: “As long as the
Chinese Communist Party is the only leading party in the government, Marxism will continue to [be] the
ideological guideline for society. us, the Chinese Catholic Church will have to redefine its role and rela-
tionship with the Party and its ideological theories. is does not necessarily mean that the Church has to
agree completely with Party politics and values, but it must find flexible and effective way[s] to continue
its mission and ministry in China.” Joseph You Guo Jiang, SJ, “Catholicism in 21st Century China,” La Civiltà
Cattolica, Jun. 1, 2017, https://laciviltacattolica.com/catholicism-in-21st-century-china/.
149. Claire Chretien, “Exclusive: Cardinal Zen Says ‘Naïve’ Pope and Bad Advisors Are Betraying Under-
ground Church in China,” LifeSiteNews, Feb. 21, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/interview
-cardinal-zen-begs-vatican-not-to-sell-out-to-chinese-govt.
150. Christopher White, “Cardinal Says Pope’s Top Diplomat Has ‘Poisoned Mind’ on China,” Crux,
Oct. 16, 2017, https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/10/16/cardinal-says-popes-top-diplomat
-poisoned-mind-china/.
regarded by the people. erefore, a known schismatic church is a

lesser evil than an objectively schismatic church actually blessed by
the pope with an agreement. . . .
Inviting members of our faithful clergy to the Holy See to come
out into the open through a bad agreement, would mean imposing
upon them the acceptance of government control. ey would feel
betrayed after years of suffering.151
Also, Cardinal Zen spoke regarding the bishops of the Patriotic Church in a
video released on the 14th of that same month on the website of the magazine
Polonia Christiana. He said, “I really cannot believe that the Holy See doesn’t
know that there is no bishops’ conference! ere is only a name. ey never re-
ally have a discussion, meetings. ey meet when they are called by the gov-
ernment. e government gives instructions. ey obey. It’s fake.”152
“now We must die at the Hand of our Father!”

Turning a deaf ear to these reflections, the Vatican continued negotiations un-
daunted and removed the Chinese Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, then the sec-
retary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, to be Nuncio in
Greece. He also opposed the proposed agreement.153
Shortly before Christmas 2017, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli traveled to
Beijing as Vatican envoy to meet with communist rulers and two underground
bishops who were faithful to the Holy See. He asked them, on the pope’s behalf,
to renounce their dioceses so that he could replace them with excommunicated
prelates of the Patriotic Church. One of these bishops then asked Cardinal Zen
to deliver a personal letter to Pope Francis. e pope received this letter in Rome
after the weekly general audience of January 10. Two days later the cardinal had
a private meeting with the pontiff, and on January 29, 2018, he revealed in his
blog hitherto confidential aspects of his meetings with Pope Francis.
In fact, he disclosed that at the time of Archbishop Savio Hon’s farewell he
and the Archbishop had spoken to the pope about these two dioceses. Pope
Francis was surprised and told them he would look into the matter. In their
151. Guido Santevecchi, “Il cardinale di Hong Kong in piazza: Ho scritto al papa, non ceda a Pechino,” Cor-
riere della Sera, Jul. 1, 2017, http://www.corriere.it/esteri/17_luglio_01/joseph-zen-ze-kiun-cardinale-85
-anni-marcia-ragazzi-ho-scritto-papa-non-ceda-pechino-9b9d0e9e-5e91-11e7-a166-a251b30d0494.shtml.
152. John Horvat II, “Cardinal Zen: Situation of Church in China Worse an Before,” TFP.org, Jul. 31, 2017,
http://www.tfp.org/cardinal-zen-situation-church-china-worse/. See also, https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=zKHtiRmIicM.
153. See Andrea Tornielli, “Savio Hon nunzio in Grecia,” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Sept. 28, 2017,
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/09/28/vaticaninsider/ita/vaticano/savio-hon-nunzio-in-grecia
-1ZYVPLLJqZuu32MhiFLPLI/pagina.html.
CHAPTER 2 47
last conversation, they asked him if he had investigated the situation. “Yes,” he
replied, “I told them [his collaborators in the Holy See] not to create a new
Mindszenty case!” In this same post, Cardinal Zen clarified his views on Vatican
intervention in China, saying:
So, do I think that the Vatican is selling out the Catholic Church
in China? Yes, definitely, if they go in the direction which is obvious
from all what they are doing in recent years and months. . . .
Am I the major obstacle in the process of reaching a deal between
the Vatican and China? If that is a bad deal, I would be more than
happy to be the obstacle.154
In response, the Vatican spokesman, Mr. Greg Burke, stated that there is
consonance between the secretary of state and the pope “on the steps in the
dialogue in progress . . . which he [the pope] follows with special attention. It
is therefore surprising and regrettable that the contrary is affirmed by people
in the Church, thus fostering confusion and controversy.”155
Moreover, the secretary of state himself gave an interview to journalist Gi-
anni Valente to defend these initiatives. He stated that the Vatican’s principal
goal in the dialogue with the Chinese government is preparing for unity be-
tween the two Catholic communities, the underground and the patriotic, so
that we won’t have to speak of “legitimate” and “illegitimate,” “un-

derground” and “official” bishops in the Church in China.
[In a direct reference to Cardinal Zen, the secretary of state added
that] criticism should be directed at building communion and not
at stirring up divisions. . . .
[so] expressions such as power, betrayal, resistance, surrender,
confrontation, failure, compromise should make room for others,
such as service, dialogue, mercy, forgiveness, reconciliation, collab-
oration, communion.156
e secretary of state’s harshness toward Cardinal Zen and underground

Catholics is in stark contrast with his openness to Chinese communist rulers.
154. “Dear Friends in the Media,” Jan. 29, 2018, http://oldyosef.hkdavc.com/?p=967.

155. Greg Burke, dir., “Dichiarazione del direttore della Sala Stampa, Greg Burke,” Holy See Press Office, Jan.
30, 2018, https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2018/01/30/0089
/00168.html#ing.
156. Gianni Valente, “Parolin: ‘Ecco perché dialoghiamo con la Cina,’” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Feb. 3,
2018, http://www.lastampa.it/2018/01/31/vaticaninsider/parolin-why-we-are-in-dialogue-with
-china-C8mlJsD0PDNsmsx7db6ZIJ/pagina.html.
Indeed, he later stated that “the mission proper to the Church is not to change
the structures or administration of the State,” because it “does not want to re-
place the State but wants to make a positive and serene contribution for the
good of all.”157
e Chinese cardinal soon responded in his blog, saying that Cardinal
Parolin “loves the Ostpolitik diplomacy of his master [Cardinal] Casaroli and
despises the genuine faith of those who firmly defend the Church.” Regarding
the calls for reconciliation, the prelate wrote, “It is not a question of personal
offenses to forgive, but of slavery from which to be freed.” And he asks: “Mercy
for the persecutors? For their accomplices? Rewarding traitors? Punishing the
faithful? Forcing a legitimate bishop to hand over his post to an excommuni-
cate one? Is this not what rather puts salt in the wounds?”
In addition, the Vatican cannot ignore the existence of two structures in
China: “One structure is based on the principle of the Primacy of Peter upon
which Jesus established his Church; the other structure is imposed by an athe-
istic government that intends to create a schismatic church subject to its
power,” thus forcing underground Catholics “into [a] cage.” e cardinal con-
cludes by saying that “if by chance a bad agreement is signed with China
someday, obviously with the pope’s approval, [I will] withdraw in silence to
‘monastic life.’”158
In a “Painful Appeal” posted on his blog in August 2016, just before the sec-
tion titled, “Agreement acceptance and conscientious objection. Fidelity to the
pope despite the pope,” the veteran cardinal wrote, “I remember an expression
that appeared long ago on the Internet, on a Catholic site in China: ‘After so
many years, our enemies have not yet been able to make us die. Now we must
die at the hand of our Father. All right then, let’s die!’”159
at is what he sought to avoid with his Painful Appeal, and it is also what
Catholics around the world must avoid even if doing so means they must exercise
conscientious objection and maintain “fidelity to the pope despite the pope.”
157. Ibid.
158. “Non sono ancora riuscito a capire per che cosa dialogano con la Cina,” Feb. 13, 2018,
http://oldyosef.hkdavc.com/?p=987.
159. Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, “Card. Zen: Le mie perplessità sul dialogo Cina-Santa Sede e le ricadute sulla
Chiesa cinese,” AsiaNews.it, http://www.asianews.it/notizie-it/Card.-Zen:-Le-mie-perplessitC3A0
-sul-dialogo-Cina-Santa-Sede-e-le-ricadute-sulla-Chiesa-cinese-38222.html.
c HaPter 3
Promoting the Green Agenda,
World Governance, and an Ambiguous
“Mother Earth” Mysticism
According to oft-reiterated Church social doctrine, there are issues such as abor-
tion, divorce, and the natural structure of marriage, about which Catholics are
bound to have a unanimous position. Conversely, other topics are left to the judg-
ment of the rightly formed consciences of the faithful. However, by embracing en-
vironmentalist ideology, Pope Francis establishes a new paradigm.
A lthough unsupported by any definitive scientific data, the Encyclical

Laudato Sì presupposes catastrophic ecological theories are true. It invites
the faithful to focus primarily on environmental issues rather than those like the
right to life where they are obliged to speak with one voice. In recent years, the
Holy See has been organizing international congresses, providing platforms to
speakers who have always promoted global population reduction (through con-
traception and abortion) supposedly to save the planet. Moreover, as one senior
Vatican official put it, for the first time in history, the Holy See’s agenda coincides
with that of the United Nations, which opposes Catholic truth on many points.
In July 2014, Pope Francis called concern for the environment “one of the
greatest challenges of our time.” Giving a theological tone to his comments, he
said the world needs to “chang[e] to a form of development which seeks to re-
spect creation. . . . is is our sin: exploiting the land and not allowing it to give
us what it has within it.”160
Launching an ecological encyclical Hand in Hand With the u.n.

Pope Francis published the Encyclical Laudato Sì161 a few months before three
crucial U.N. meetings on Sustainable Development Goals. In so doing, he ig-
nored the recommendations of a coalition of solid theologians, scientists, and
160. Francis, “Meeting With the World of Labor and Industry: Address of Pope Francis,” Jul. 5, 2014,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/july/documents/papa-francesco
_20140705_molise-mondo-del-lavoro.html.
161. At a Vatican-organized colloquy, Ban Ki-Moon, U.N. secretary general, linked the encyclical with U.N.
initiatives: “is year, with the upcoming encyclical, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in Sep-
tember, and a global climate agreement, we have an unprecedented opportunity to articulate—and cre-
ate—a more sustainable future and a life of dignity for all.” Ban Ki-Moon, “Secretary-General’s Remarks at
Workshop on the Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development ‘Protect the Earth,
Dignify Humanity’ [As Delivered],” Apr. 28, 2015, https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement
/2015-04-28/secretary-generals-remarks-workshop-moral-dimensions-climate-change.
economists162 while, on the other hand, he requested the collaboration of con-

troversial intellectuals such as ex-friar Leonardo Boff,163 a follower of liberation
theology. He also consulted Hans Schellnhuber,164 a member of the failed Club
of Rome. e 1972 Limits to Growth study published by this group posited that
the world’s 1970-known oil reserves would be exhausted by 1990.165 Also,
Schellnhuber is sympathetic to the “Gaia theory.”166 He promotes the Earth
Charter, a Global Council to be elected by the world’s population, and a Plan-
etary Court with universal jurisdiction.167 He also peddles the idea that the
human population of the earth should not surpass one billion. His proposals
are so radical that even e New York Times described him as “a scientist known
for his aggressive stance on climate policy.”168
In preparation for the encyclical’s publication, the Vatican hosted a day ded-
icated to climate change. It had the following objectives:
To help strengthen the global consensus on the importance of cli-

mate change in the context of sustainable development. . . .
e desired outcome is a joint statement on the moral and reli-
gious imperative of dealing with climate change in the context of sus-
tainable development.”169
162. For the Sept. 17, 2014 and April 27, 2015 letters sent by the Cornwall Alliance to Pope Francis, see
http://cornwallalliance.org/landmark-documents/protect-the-poor-ten-reasons-to-oppose-harmful
-climate-change-policies/; http://cornwallalliance.org/anopenlettertopopefrancisonclimatechange/.
163. “—Did the pope read your books? —More than that. He asked me for material for Laudato Sì. I gave him
advice and sent him things I wrote. . . . e pope told me directly: ‘Boff, do not send me your letters directly.’ —
Why not? —He said to me, ‘Otherwise under-secretaries will intercept them and I will not receive them. It is
better to send things to the Argentine ambassador to the Holy See, with whom I have a good relationship. . . .
e day before the publication of the encyclical the pope sent for me to thank me for the help.” Joachim Frank,
“Leonardo Boff im interview: “Papst Franziskus ist einer von uns,” Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Dec. 16, 2015,
https://www.ksta.de/kultur/leonardo-boff-im-interview—papst-franziskus-ist-einer-von-uns—25372660.
164. For details on his positions and contribution in writing Laudato Sì, see Voice of the Family, “Professor
Schellnhuber: Climate Science and the ‘Population Problem,’” Voice of the Family, Jun. 26, 2015,
http://voiceofthefamily.com/professor-schellnhuber-climate-science-and-the-population-problem/.
165. See Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III, e Limits to
Growth (New York: Universe, 1972), 58, http://www.donellameadows.org/wp-content/userfiles/Limits
-to-Growth-digital-scan-version.pdf ; Bjørn Lomborg, “e Limits to Panic,” Project Syndicate, Jun. 17, 2013,
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/economic-growth-and-its-critics-by-bj-rn-lomborg.
166. See Voice of the Family, “Schellnhuber: Climate Science and the ‘Population Problem.’”
167. See Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, “Expanding the Democracy Universe,” Center for Humans &
Nature, accessed Jul. 16, 2018, http://www.humansandnature.org/democracy-hans-joachim-schellnhuber.
168. James Kanter, “Scientist: Warming Could Cut Population to 1 Billion,” e New York Times, Mar. 13, 2009,
https://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/scientist-warming-could-cut-population-to-1-billion/.
169. “Protect the Earth, Dignify Humanity. e Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable
Humanity,” Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Apr. 28, 2015,
http://www.casinapioiv.va/content/accademia/en/events/2015/protectearth.html.
CHAPTER 3 51
Speakers included U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon; Ecuador’s leftist

ex-president, Rafael Correa; and Jeffrey Sachs, an economist who favors pop-
ulation control through abortion.
Hans Schellnhuber participated in the press conference following the pub-
lication of Laudato Sì. He was later made a member of the Pontifical Academy
of Sciences.
apocalyptic vision Founded on dogmas With no scientific Basis

Departing from his role as guardian of the Faith and Christian morals, Pope
Francis intervened in a highly technical debate in his encyclical. He proposed
solutions that broad sectors of the scientific, economic, and political worlds
consider harmful to humanity, and particularly the globe’s more impoverished
regions and peoples. He did this despite having written in the Apostolic Ex-
hortation Evangelii Gaudium that “neither can believers claim that a scientific
opinion which is attractive but not sufficiently verified has the same weight as
a dogma of faith.”170 Moreover, in Laudato Sì, he recognized that there are dis-
cussions about environmental problems in which it is difficult to reach a con-
sensus, and, therefore, he “encourage[d] an honest and open debate.”171
Nevertheless, he stated, “A very solid scientific consensus indicates that
we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system.”
Furthermore, he affirmed that “a number of scientific studies indicate that
most global warming in recent decades is due to the great concentration of
greenhouse gases . . . released mainly as a result of human activity” and “the
problem is aggravated by a model of development based on the intensive use
of fossil fuels.”172
Pope Francis did not even support these assertions with footnotes.173 Nev-
ertheless, the encyclical uses them to give an apocalyptic view of environmen-
tal threats:174 “e pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has
170. Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 243.

171. Francis, Encyclical Laudato Sì, May 24, 2015, no. 188, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html.
172. Ibid., no. 23.
173. On this subject, Cardinal George Pell stated, “e Church has got no mandate from the Lord to pro-
nounce on scientific matters.” Rosie Scammell, “Cardinal George Pell Takes a Swing at Pope Francis’ Envi-
ronmental Encyclical,” e Washington Post, Jul. 17, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national
/religion/cardinal-george-pell-takes-a-swing-at-pope-francis-environmental-encyclical/2015
/07/17/ecc04ef8-2cbb-11e5-960f-22c4ba982ed4_story.html?utm_term=.59375c01abea.
174. For example, although CO2 is a natural part of the atmosphere necessary for the growth of any plant,
including marine phytoplankton, and for the release of oxygen into the atmosphere, the pope says that
“Carbon dioxide pollution [sic] increases the acidification of the oceans and compromises the marine
food chain.” Francis, Laudato Sì, no. 24.
so stretched the planet’s capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustain-

able as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those which even now
periodically occur in different areas of the world.”175
Promoting a miserabilist176 Lifestyle at Will mostly Burden the Poor

According to Pope Francis, “the deepest roots of our present failures . . . have
to do with the direction, goals, meaning and social implications of technolog-
ical and economic growth,”177 which seeks an indefinite increase in wealth.
Conversely, he calls for “a new synthesis,”178 a “radical change”179 and “a bold
cultural revolution.”180 Although not suggesting “a return to the Stone Age,”181
he argues that “humanity is called to recognize the need for changes of lifestyle,
production and consumption, in order to combat this warming or at least the
human causes which produce or aggravate it.”182
is new ecological culture, he argues, “needs to be a distinctive way of look-
ing at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational program, a lifestyle and
a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the techno-
cratic paradigm.”183 As an example of “harmful habits of consumption” for the
environment, the pope quotes “the increasing use and power of air-condition-
ing.”184 In this, he forgets that air-conditioning is not a frivolous luxury, but a ne-
cessity for the living and working conditions of millions of people in warmer
climates. Had they had air-conditioning, 14,000 elderly people probably would
not have died in the 2003 heat wave that afflicted southern France.185
Pope Francis also seems to forget that around 1820 there were some 1 bil-
lion people on Earth (Hans Schellnhuber’s ideal population figure). Since
then, industrial improvements have helped boost worldwide life expectancy
175. Ibid., no. 161.

176. [Publisher’s Note: By miserabilism, the author means a leftist mindset of growing, quasi mystical dis-
gust with dignity, progress, and, ultimately, Christian culture and civilization.]
177. Ibid., no. 109.
178. Ibid., no. 112.
179. Ibid., no. 171.
180. Ibid., no. 114.
181. Ibid., no. 114.
182. Ibid., no. 23.
183. Ibid., no. 111.
184. Ibid., no. 55.
185. “Air conditioning is not systematically used in France, even in retirement homes or hospitals. . . . the
overall excess mortality rate in France between August 1 and August 20 was estimated at 14,800 deaths.”
Stéphanie Vandentorren, MD, et al., “Mortality in 13 French Cities During the August 2003 Heat Wave,”
American Journal of Public Health 94, no. 9 (Sept. 2004): 1518–20, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc
/articles/PMC1448485/.
CHAPTER 3 53
at birth by 30 years.186 In addition, Angus Maddison, a pioneer in quantita-

tive macroeconomic history, estimates that global per capita income in-
creased more than tenfold, from $667 in 1820 to $7,285 in 2006. He expects
this to increase to $11,814 by 2030 (amounts are in 1990 international Geary-
Khamis dollars).187
According to Pope Francis, “they [the excluded] are the majority of the
planet’s population, billions of people.” ey are the main victims of develop-
ment. us, an “ecological approach” becomes indispensable to “hear both the
cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”188
On the one hand, the encyclical also seems to overlook that the world has
succeeded in diminishing extreme poverty. From 1990 to 2010, it was halved.
is information comes from a U.N. 2014 report on Millennium Development
Goals, a presumably unbiased source. On the other hand, if the encyclical’s
proposals were implemented, the greatest victims would be the poor on the
peripheries. e encyclical would ensure that those residing in the world’s less
developed regions would remain in their underdeveloped state.
As for the “cry of the earth,” it is demagogic to claim that humanity today
leaves only “debris, desolation and filth” to future generations.189 As columnist
George Will pointed out, to disprove this assertion, it suffices to compare Lon-
don’s pollution levels in Charles Dickens’s novels to what anyone can see there
today.190 Nor is the reality of trash as bad as it sounds. Much of the waste is re-
cycled, which is an additional source of jobs and wealth.191
indigenous Peoples, a model of ecological respect for nature

Pope Francis’s romantic vision of indigenous peoples stands in stark contrast
to his criticism of progress and development. As he sees it, the Indians of the
Americas are models of wisdom in their relationship with nature: “For them,
land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors
who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to
186. See How Was Life? Global Wellbeing Since 1820, ed. Jan Luiten van Zanden, et al. (Paris: OECD, 2014),
106, http://www.oecd.org/statistics/how-was-life-9789264214262-en.htm.
187. See Angus Maddison, “e West and the Rest in the World Economy: 1000–2030 Maddisonian and
Malthusian Interpretations,” World Economics 9, no. 4 (Oct.–Dec. 2008), 76, https://www.researchgate.net
/publication/237678324.
188. Francis, Laudato Sì, no. 49.
189. Ibid., no. 161.
190. See George F. Will, “Pope Francis’s Fact-Free Flamboyance,” e Washington Post, Sept. 18, 2015,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/pope-franciss-fact-free-flamboyance/2015/09/18
/7d711750-5d6a-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html?utm_term=.3063b1df62ac.
191. See James V. Schall, SJ, “Concerning the ‘Ecological’ Path to Salvation,” Catholic World Report, Jun. 21,
2015, https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2015/06/21/concerning-the-ecological-path-to-salvation/.
maintain their identity and values. When they remain on their land, they
themselves care for it best.”192
In another passage, speaking of cooperatives and self-sufficiency, Francis af-
firms: “ey are able to instill a greater sense of responsibility, a strong sense of
community, a readiness to protect others, a spirit of creativity and a deep love
for the land.” He adds, “these values are deeply rooted in indigenous peoples.”193
During the pope’s trip to Mexico, he preached a sermon to the Chiapas In-
dians. After stating that humanity is in “one of the greatest environmental
crises in world history,” he affirmed, “In this regard, you have much to teach
us, much to teach humanity. Your peoples, as the bishops of Latin America
have recognized, know how to interact harmoniously with nature, which they
respect as a ‘source of food, a common home and an altar of human sharing.’”194
Evidently, such praise is related to the conflicts in various parts of the world
between these communities and national governments regarding hydroelectric
dams or mining projects on indigenous lands.
Furthermore, Pope Francis acknowledged in the encyclical that “the principle
of the subordination of private property to the universal destination of goods,
and thus the right of everyone to their use, is a golden rule of social conduct
and ‘the first principle of the whole ethical and social order.’”195 Contradictorily,
however, this principle of subordination of private property to the common
good loses all validity when it comes to indigenous populations. For them, the
right to ancestral lands is absolute, even if this sanctuary-making is detrimental
to the common good of the nation and of the indigenous peoples themselves.
us, during a meeting with participants at the ird Indigenous Peoples’
Forum, organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Pope
Francis affirmed that in “reconcil[ing] the right to development . . . with the pro-
tection of the particular characteristics of indigenous peoples and their territo-
ries,” something which is “especially clear when planning economic activities
which may interfere with indigenous cultures and their ancestral relationship
to the earth. . . . the right to prior and informed consent should always prevail.”196

193. Ibid., no. 179.
194. Francis, “Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis: Holy Mass With Representatives of the Indigenous
Communities of Chiapas,” Feb. 15, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2016
/documents/papa-francesco_20160215_omelia-messico-chiapas.html.
196. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants of the III Global Meeting of the
Indigenous Peoples’ Forum of the International Fund for Agricultural Development,” Feb. 15, 2017,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/february/documents/papa-francesco
_20170215_popoli-indigeni.html.
CHAPTER 3 55
Pope Francis held other meetings with indigenous peoples during his Jan-
uary 2018 trip to Chile and Peru, where he visited the Amazon region.
Speaking to natives of that vast region, the pope used strong rhetoric: “ose
of us who do not live in these lands need your wisdom and knowledge to enable
us to enter into, without destroying, the treasures that this region holds. And
to hear an echo of the words that the Lord spoke to Moses: ‘Remove the sandals
from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground’
(Exod. 3:5).” e pontiff went on to reiterate his preference for the indigenous
lifestyle over that of the developed West, which he deems reprehensible: “e
fact is your lives cry out against a style of life that is oblivious to its own real
cost. You are a living memory of the mission that God has entrusted to us all:
the protection of our common home.”197
is begs the question: Is this continuous rebuke of the West’s cultural and
economic model and unending praise for the supposed wisdom of the indige-
nous lifestyles a key to understanding the guidelines to be issued at the up-
coming 2019 Special Synod on the Amazon? e answer should be
categorically affirmative, considering the liberation theology leanings of some
of the Pre-Synodal Council’s eighteen members, for example, Cardinal Claudio
Hummes, and Most Rev. Erwin Kräutler, bishop emeritus of Xingu, Brazil.198
ese two Brazilian prelates have raised concern because of their support
for the priestly ordination of married men (viri probati). is could encourage
the revision of the Latin Church’s policy on priestly celibacy—a practice that
might spread from the Amazon to the rest of the Church. Additionally, it will be
necessary to keep a close watch on the Amazon Synod to see if it will try to im-
pose on all Catholics the indigenist ideology promoted by a pro-liberation the-
ology sector of the Brazilian bishops. is ideology was denounced forty years
ago by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira in his well-documented book, Indigenous Trib-
alism: A Communist-Missionary Ideal for Brazil in the Twenty-First Century.199
Global Governance to Promote a teilhardian “universal communion”

Also disturbing is that Laudato Sì strongly endorses global control of ecological
problems. In several passages, it insists “that our planet is a homeland and that
197. Francis, “Address of the Holy Father: Meeting With Indigenous People of Amazonia,” Jan. 19, 2018,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018/january/documents/papa-francesco
_20180119_peru-puertomaldonado-popoliamazzonia.html.
198. e Council will work with the General Secretariat to prepare the Special Assembly.
199. See Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Indian Tribalism: e Communist-Missionary Ideal for Brazil in the
Twenty-First Century, in Crusade for a Christian Civilization vol. 10, no. 4 (Oct.-Dec. 1980),
http://www.tfp.org/indian-tribalism-the-communist-missionary-ideal-for-brazil-in-the-twenty-first-century/.
humanity is one people living in a common home.”200 “What is needed . . . is an

agreement on systems of governance for the whole range of so-called ‘global
commons,’”201 “a true world political authority”202 “empowered to impose sanc-
tions”203 and “penalties for damage inflicted on the environment.”204
Finally, despite claims that the ecological defense of nature does not require
“a divinization of the earth,”205 that would “put all living beings on the same
level . . . depriv[ing] human beings of their unique worth,”206 Laudato Sì contains
passages that echo the pantheistic and evolutionist mysticism of Fr. Pierre Teil-
hard de Chardin. Indeed, he is even mentioned by name in footnote 83.207
According to the encyclical, the world is a “sacrament of communion. . . .
[in which] the divine and the human meet . . . in the last speck of dust of our
planet.”208 “e ultimate destiny of the universe is in the fullness of God, which
has already been attained by the risen Christ, the measure of the maturity of
all things.”209 From this premise, Pope Francis reasons that “ecological conver-
sion”210 “entails a loving awareness that we are not disconnected from the rest
of creatures, but joined in a splendid universal communion.”211
Likewise, Laudato Sì presents man as the product of evolutionary processes,
whose qualitative novelty “presupposes a direct action by God.”212 e author
never mentions the God-created, rational human soul, save covertly in foot-
note 141, which says, “love is always lived out in body and spirit.”

201. Ibid., no. 174.
202. Ibid., no. 175, quoting Benedict XVI and John XXIII.
203. Ibid.
204. Ibid., no. 214.
205. Ibid., no. 90.
206. Ibid.
207. See Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira, “Notes on Laudato Sì,” Aug. 3, 2015, http://www.unavox.it/ArtDiversi
/DIV1294_Da-Silveira_Note_su_Laudato-si.html. On November 18, 2017, the plenary assembly of the
Pontifical Council for Culture passed a motion asking Pope Francis to remove the Monitum issued by the
Holy Office of June 30, 1962 stating that his theological and philosophical texts contained grave errors of
Catholic doctrine. See Flavia Grossi, “Plenaria Pontificio Consiglio Della Cultura e Teilhard de Chardin:
Approvata petizione al papa per rimuovere il monitum,” DISF.org, Nov. 18, 2017, http://www.disf.org
/teilhard-de-chardin-petizione-monitum-consiglio-cultura.
208. Francis, Laudato Sì, no. 9, quoting Bartholomew I, “Global Responsibility and Ecological Sustainabil-
ity: Closing Remarks,” Halki Summit I, Istanbul, Jun. 20, 2012.
209. Ibid., no. 83.
210. Ibid., no. 219.
211. Ibid., no. 220.
212. Ibid., no. 81.
CHAPTER 3 57
support for the anti-christian agenda Behind sustainable development

Pope Francis implemented the principles of Laudato Sì in his address to the
United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2015. He denounced the
“misuse and destruction of the environment,” and the “dramatic reality of this
whole situation of exclusion and inequality.” He did this, “together with all
those who are seeking urgently needed and effective solutions.” For him, “the
adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the World Sum-
mit, which opens today, is an important sign of hope.”213
His support for the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” is all the
more serious and surprising given the Vatican’s own reservations about it.
Earlier that same month, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See
to the United Nations had filed at the General Assembly’s September 1 ses-
sion, an official statement expressing its misgivings. The statement said the
agenda would only be acceptable if the concepts “‘sexual and reproductive
health’ and ‘reproductive rights’” explicitly excluded abortion or abortifa-
cients from its definition. It further expressed its reservations with the term
“contraception” and asked that “family planning” only include morally licit
methods. Likewise, to be acceptable, the term “gender” should mean biolog-
ical sexual identity. Finally, the statement reiterated that parents’ “primary
responsibility” and “prior rights” in their children’s education must include
their right to religious freedom.214
None of that prevented Bishop Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the
Holy See’s two Academies of science, from declaring emphatically that “for the
first time the pope’s teaching . . . runs parallel to that of the United Nations.”215
Moreover, the September 1, 2016 papal message celebrating the “World Day
of Prayer for the Care of Creation” gave guidelines for individual behavior and
approved questionable government initiatives.
To address individuals’ supposed ecological responsibilities, Pope Francis
quoted the schismatic Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople verbatim: “Inas-
much as we all generate small ecological damage,” we are called to acknowledge
“our contribution, smaller or greater, to the disfigurement and destruction of
213. Francis, “Address of the Holy Father: Meeting With the Members of the General Assembly of the
United Nations Organization,” Sept. 25, 2015, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150925_onu-visita.html.
214. “On the Outcome Document of the United Nations Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Devel-
opment Agenda ‘Transforming Our World: e 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,’” Sept. 1, 2015,
https://holyseemission.org/contents//statements/55e60e559a5749.94098476.php.
215. “Obispo Sánchez Sorondo: ‘Por primera vez el magisterio del Papa es paralelo al de las Naciones
Unidas,’” La Gaceta, Jul. 20, 2017, https://gaceta.es/civilizacion/pri%C2%ADme%C2%ADra-vez-ma%C2%
ADgis%C2%ADte%C2%ADrio-papa-pa%C2%ADra%C2%ADle%C2%ADlo-na%C2%ADcio%C2%ADnes
-uni%C2%ADdas-20170720-0725/.
creation.” e Argentine pontiff then concluded, “Let us repent of the harm we

are doing to our common home.”216
Pope Francis described this supposed ecological sin, then called for a firm
purpose of amendment:
As individuals we have grown comfortable with certain lifestyles

shaped by a distorted culture of prosperity and a “disordered desire
to consume more than what is really necessary”. . . .
Examining our consciences, repentance and confession . . . lead
to a firm purpose of amendment. is in turn must translate into
concrete ways of thinking and acting that are more respectful of cre-
ation. For example: “avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing
water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can rea-
sonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using
public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unneces-
sary lights, or any number of other practices.”217
To make this commitment more cogent, the pope suggested as “a comple-

ment to the two traditional sets of seven [spiritual and corporal works of
mercy]: may the works of mercy also include care for our common home.”218
At the institutional level, the pope declared that “the protection of our com-
mon home requires a growing global political consensus.” Accordingly, he ex-
pressed his satisfaction at the fact that “in September 2015, the nations of the
world adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, and that, in December
2015, they approved the Paris Agreement on climate change, which set the de-
manding yet fundamental goal of halting the rise of the global temperature.”219
e Holy See’s support for the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”
is all the more disconcerting as it is already being implemented through the
proliferation of initiatives such as the World Health Organization’s Innov8 ap-
proach, which aims to impose abortion, contraception, and hedonistic sex ed-
ucation on children in less developed countries.
On behalf of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC), British
researcher Matthew McCusker stated that, “the approval of the SDGs [goals of
the Sustainable Development agenda] by Pope Francis and other organs of the
216. Francis, “Show Mercy to Our Common Home: Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the Celebra-
tion of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation,” Sept. 1, 2016, no. 3, http://w2.vatican.va/content
/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160901_messaggio
-giornata-cura-creato.html.
217. Ibid., nos. 3–4.
218. Ibid., no. 5.
219. Ibid., no. 4.
CHAPTER 3 59
Holy See greatly increases the threat to the most innocent and vulnerable
amongst us.” Hence, “it is absolutely necessary for all Catholics to resist, in the
manner most appropriate to their position with[in] the Church, this alignment
between ecclesiastical authorities and an international agenda that pursues the
destruction of innocent life and of the very structure of the family.”220
“Gnostic and Pagan melodrama” on the Facade of saint Peter’s Basilica

Pope Francis’s convergence with the most radical and pagan green agenda pro-
moted by the U.N. and international organizations was evident on December
8, 2015, when the show “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” was pro-
jected on the facade of Saint Peter’s Basilica. It was a true “ecological mani-
festo.” Financed by the World Bank Group, it aimed at translating the Encyclical
Laudato Sì into images. It showed lions, tigers, and leopards where the early
Christians were martyred and a huge owl hovering above, as marching Bud-
dhist monks seemed to point to a way of salvation other than Christianity.221
Journalist Antonio Socci noted that “at St. Peter’s, on the feast of the Immac-
ulate Conception, instead of celebrating the Mother of God they preferred to
celebrate Mother Earth to propagandize the dominant ideology, this neo-
pagan and neo-Malthusian ‘climate and ecology religion’ held by the great
world powers.” He called the show “a Gnostic and neopagan melodrama that
had a very precise anti-Christian ideological message.”222
220. Matthew McCusker, “e Impact of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on Children
and the Family, and eir Endorsement by the Holy See,” Voice of the Family, Feb. 3, 2017,
http://voiceofthefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Impact-of-the-United-Nations
-Sustainable-Development-Goals22-2-17.pdf.
221. See Roberto de Mattei, “San Pietro: Una basilica oltraggiata,” Corrispondenza Romana, Dec. 11, 2015,
https://www.corrispondenzaromana.it/san-pietro-una-basilica-oltraggiata/.
222. Antonio Socci, “I retroscena della profanazione di San Pietro,” AntonioSocci.com, Dec. 10, 2015,
http://www.antoniosocci.com/i-retroscena-della-profanazione-di-san-pietro-2/.
c HaPter 4
Favorable to Islam and Migration, but
Reluctant to Speak Out for Persecuted
Middle Eastern Christians
In Pope Francis’s speeches, migration and welcoming are recurrent topics. e in-
tensity of his pronouncements far surpasses those of previous pontiffs. In fact, ac-
cording to Francis, opening the West to migrants seems to be a non-negotiable
principle. Added to this is a policy of dialogue with Islam, whatever the cost. e
pope pursues this goal by minimizing Islam’s terrorism matrix while showing ex-
treme caution in denouncing the religious nature of the persecution of Christians
in Muslim-majority countries.
U nfortunately, the Holy See’s slide toward unbridled migration is not new.
Laurent Dandrieu documented it abundantly in his book Église et immi-
gration: Le grand malaise.223
is policy’s starting point can be roughly traced back to John XXIII’s en-
cyclical Pacem in Terris. It stated, “Every human being has the right to freedom
of movement and of residence within the confines of his own State. When there
are just reasons in favor of it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other coun-
tries and take up residence there.”224
Two essential conditions established by Pius XII, John XXIII’s predecessor,
are missing in this text. e first was the migrant’s extreme need. e second
was the host nation’s right to restrict access for the sake of the common good.
According to John XXIII, everyone has the right to migrate to “a country in
which he hopes to be able to provide more fittingly for himself and his depend-
ents. It is therefore the duty of State officials to accept such immigrants.”225
Half a century later, that first imbalanced favoring of migrants has grown
into an exaltation of immigration as such. For Benedict XVI, “multiethnic and
intercultural” societies226 are signs of the times to express the unity of the
human family. More than this, they would be “to some degree an anticipation
223. Laurent Dandrieu, Église et immigration: Le grand malaise—Le pape et le suicide de la civilization eu-
ropéene (Paris: Renaissance, 2017).
224. John XXIII, Encyclical Pacem in Terris, Apr. 11, 1963, no. 25, http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii
/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_11041963_pacem.html.
225. Ibid., no. 106.
226. Benedict XVI, “Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for the 97th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
(2011): ‘One Human Family,’” Sept. 27, 2010, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages
/migration/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20100927_world-migrants-day.html.
and a prefiguration of the undivided city of God.”227 Local populations are crit-

icized for a “nationalist attitude”228 and the “xenophobia, at times racism, fear
and intolerance”229 they supposedly show.
e supposed eological and

redemptive character of Welcoming migrants
Under Pope Francis, the imbalance has been exacerbated. He has made his vis-
its to the Mediterranean islands of Lampedusa and Lesbos, and his harsh re-
bukes on behalf of migrants, one of his pontificate’s central planks.
“Between these two islands . . .” says Laurent Dandrieu, “Francis has issued
an ocean of statements about migrants in his typically spontaneous, disjointed,
and often approximate style.” According to the Valeurs Actuelles editor, his
“speeches are mixed with spectacular and symbolic gestures that eventually
form a kind of obsessive hype.”230 For example, in Lampedusa, Pope Francis cel-
ebrated Mass on a boat-shaped altar. He brought three Syrian Muslim migrant
families back with him on the plane from Lesbos. e pope celebrated Holy
ursday in a migrant center. He washed the feet of twelve migrants, three of
which were Muslim. During a general audience, he walked into the throng of
pilgrims to greet a dozen young migrants. He brought them onto the dais, and,
surrounded by them, stated, “A Christian excludes no one, gives a place to every-
one, allows everyone to come!”231
In his first message for Migrants Day, Pope Francis said that migration can
“open vistas for the growth of a new humanity foreshadowed in the paschal
mystery: a humanity for which every foreign country is a homeland and every
homeland is a foreign country.”232 His statement misapplied a second-century
text which aimed instead to show that, for a Catholic, Heaven is his true home.
e early Church never alluded to a Universal Republic as an ideal for mankind.
227. Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in Veritate, Jun. 29, 2009, no. 7, http://w2.vatican.va/content
/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html.
228. Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Octogesima Adveniens, May 14, 1971, no. 17,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_letters/documents/hf_p-vi_apl_19710514_octogesima
-adveniens.html. e Vatican site’s version mistranslated the French original “étroitement nationaliste” as
“strictly nationalist.”
229. Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People and Pontifical Council Cor
Unum, “Welcoming Christ in Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons,” Jun. 6, 2013, no. 42,
http://www.pcmigrants.org/documento%20rifugiati%202013/927-INGL.pdf.
230. Dandrieu, Église et immigration, 72.
231. Francis, “General Audience,” Jun. 22, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2016
/documents/papa-francesco_20160622_udienza-generale.html.
232. Francis, “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (2014),”
Aug. 5, 2013, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents
/papa-francesco_20130805_world-migrants-day.html.
CHAPTER 4 63
In his book-interview with Dominique Wolton, the pope gave the migration
phenomenon a theological dimension: “Our theology is a theology of migrants.
Because we all are migrants since the call of Abraham, with all the migrations
of the people of Israel, and then Jesus himself was a refugee, an immigrant.
Moreover, existentially, because of our faith, we are migrants.”233
In this commentary, the pontiff again confuses humanity’s pilgrimage toward
Heaven with the sporadic migrations of individuals, families, or peoples in dire
need. Moreover, he fails to state that the Holy Family returned to Nazareth as
soon as political conditions allowed it with Herod’s death and that the Chosen
People saw their successive migrations as a punishment or trial which increased
their longings for the Promised Land and their desire to return. erefore, mi-
gration was considered something anomalous and contrary to God’s designs.
During the 2017 Christmas Mass, Pope Francis’s homily again applied a re-
ligious connotation to the welcoming of migrants:
Mary and Joseph, for whom there was no room, are the first to em-
brace the One who comes to give all of us our document of citizenship. . . .
Little Child of Bethlehem, we ask that. . . . your tenderness awaken
our sensitivity and recognize our call to see you in all those who ar-
rive in our cities.234
does the right to migrate trump national security?

On the eve of Hamburg’s G20 meeting in July 2017, Pope Francis invited Eugenio
Scalfari to Casa Santa Marta for a conversation. Scalfari later said that the pope
expressed concern about alliances among the great powers. According to the jour-
nalist, when asked to elaborate on this threat, the pontiff responded, “e danger
is related to immigration. We, you know, have as the main problem, unfortunately
growing in the world today, the poor, the weak, the excluded, of which immigrants
are a part. . . . Other [countries] have few local poor, but they fear the invasion of
immigrants. at’s why the G20 worries me: It strikes a blow at migrants in coun-
tries in half of the world, and it hurts them even more as time goes by.”235
According to Francis, neither fear of invasion nor security concerns should
restrict immigration. In his Message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and
Refugees, published on January 14, 2018, Francis affirmed: “e principle of
233. Wolton, Politique et société, 26–7.

234. Francis, “Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis,” Dec. 24, 2017, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/homilies/2017/documents/papa-francesco_20171224_omelia-natale.html.
235. Eugenio Scalfari, “Scalfari intervista Francesco: ‘Il mio grido al G20 sui migranti,’” La Repubblica, Jul. 8, 2017,
http://www.repubblica.it/vaticano/2017/07/08/news/scalfari_intervista_francesco_il_mio_grido_al_g20
_sui_migranti_-170253225/.
the centrality of the human person . . . obliges us to always prioritize personal

safety over national security.”236
His statement caused consternation. It contradicts the Aristotelian princi-
ple embodied in Catholic social doctrine, according to which the common
good of society (koinion sumpheron) prevails over the private good of individ-
uals.237 Moreover, the pope’s statement is contradictory in itself because, as the
Catechism of the Catholic Church says, the common good presupposes that “au-
thority should ensure by morally acceptable means the security of society and
its members,” so that the common good “is the basis of the right to legitimate
personal and collective defense.”238
e few words Pope Francis has uttered recognizing the right of states to
regulate migration, seem to echo voters’ sentiments in several countries, for
example, his January 8, 2018 address to the members of the Diplomatic Corps.
However, in themselves, these milder statements are insufficient to counter-
balance his strong, relentless hype in favor of widespread migrant acceptance
during these past five years.239
Moreover, such caution did not prevent the pope from clearly intruding into
Italy’s immigration policy in his message for the 104th World Day of Migrants and
Refugees 2018. Issued amid the discussion of a legislative bill that would grant
citizenship to the children of immigrants born in Italy, based on jus soli, it stated,
“e universal right to a nationality should be recognized and duly certified for
all children at birth.”240 According to Most Rev. Ignazio Zambito, bishop emeritus
of Patti, the pope-endorsed bill is “inopportune” and “unfortunate.” e prelate
continued: “We cannot give citizenship, which instead is earned, deserved, ob-
tained with fatigue, by fully and truly embracing the principles, rules, and laws of
the host country.”241 Similarly, philosopher Stefano Fontana posited that the papal
236. Francis, “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 104th World Day of Migrants and Refugees
2018,” Jan. 14, 2018, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/migration/documents/papa
-francesco_20170815_world-migrants-day-2018.html.
237. “e common good of society is superior to any other interest because it is the creative principle, the
conservative element of human society; it follows that every true citizen must desire it and seek it at all
cost.” Leo XIII, Letter to French Bishops Notre Consolation, May 3, 1892, https://w2.vatican.va/content
/leo-xiii/fr/letters/documents/hf_l-xiii_let_18920503_notre-consolation.html.
238. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1909, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive
/catechism/p3s1c2a2.htm.
239. See Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Members of the Diplomatic Corps Accred-
ited to the Holy See for the Traditional Exchange of New Year Greetings,” Jan. 8, 2018, http://w2.vatican.va
/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018/january/documents/papa-francesco_20180108_corpo
-diplomatico.html.
240. Francis, “104th World Day of Migrants.”
241. Rachele Nenzi, “Il vescovo critica Bergoglio: ‘Lo ius soli è sciagurata follia,’” Il Giornale, Oct. 19, 2017,
http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/vescovo-critica-bergoglio-ius-soli-sciagurata-follia-1454344.html.
CHAPTER 4 65
intrusion violated the State’s legitimate autonomy in the temporal sphere.242
disregarding europe’s christian roots for the sake of multiculturalism

In July 2017, responding to the pope’s remarks to Eugenio Scalfari, philosopher
Marcello Pera, former president of the Italian Senate, stated, “I do not under-
stand this pope. What he says is beyond any rational understanding. . . . Why
does he insist on total acceptance? e pope does this because he detests the
West. He aspires to destroy it. He does everything to achieve that end.”243
Indeed, the flip side of the pope’s pro-migration stance seems to be a distaste
for Europe’s Christian identity. In a La Croix interview, journalists pointed out
that he spoke much of Europe’s roots but avoided calling them Christian.244 He
replied, “We need to speak of roots in the plural. ere are many. In this sense,
when I hear about the Christian roots of Europe, I am sometimes afraid of the
tone, which can be triumphalist or avenging. at becomes colonialism.”245
In a similar vein, Francis commented on European culture in his book-in-
terview with Dominique Wolton, saying:
It has important Christian roots, that is true. But that is not

enough to define it.
ere are all our capabilities. ese abilities to integrate, to receive
others. ere is also language, within the culture. In our Spanish lan-
guage, 40% of the words are Arabic [sic]. Why? Because they were
there for seven centuries. And they left their mark.246
In these statements, the pontiff ’s wishful thinking reaches a climax. In fact, the
last edition of the Royal Spanish Academy’s dictionary includes more than 93,000
entries.247 “[Renowned Spanish linguist Rafael] Lapesa’s . . . inflated but often-
quoted figure of four thousand Arabisms includes formal variants, derivatives
242. See Fontana, “Così si cambia.”

243. Niccolò Magnani, “Marcello Pera vs papa Francesco/‘Bergoglio fa politica, è in atto uno scisma nella
Chiesa,’” Il Sussidiario, Jul. 10, 2017, http://www.ilsussidiario.net/News/Cronaca/2017/7/10/Marcello-Pera
-vs-Papa-Francesco-Bergoglio-fa-politica-e-in-atto-uno-scisma-nella-Chiesa-/773071/.
244. In his November 25, 2014 address to the Council of Europe, Francis mentioned Europe’s roots twelve
times but never called them Christian. See Francis, “Address of Pope Francis to the Council of Europe,”
Nov. 25, 2014, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/november/documents
/papa-francesco_20141125_strasburgo-consiglio-europa.html.
245. Guillaume Goubert and Sébastien Maillard, “Le pape François à La Croix: ‘Il faut intégrer les migrants,’”
La Croix, May 16, 2016, http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Pape/Pape-Francois-Il-faut-integrer-migrants
-2016-05-16-1200760525.
246. Wolton, Politique et société, 135.
247. See http://www.rae.es/diccionario-de-la-lengua-espanola/presentacion.
coined within Spanish . . . and the numerous Arabic place names found in
Spain.”248 Even that inflated figure represents only 4.3% of the Spanish dictionary,
ten times less than the number claimed by Francis.
When receiving the Charlemagne Prize, the pope stated, “e roots of our
peoples, the roots of Europe, were consolidated down [through] the centuries
by the constant need to integrate in new syntheses the most varied and dis-
crete cultures. e identity of Europe is, and always has been, a dynamic and
multicultural identity.”249
According to the pontiff, European invasions were good for the formation
of its identity. Speaking to the director of the progressive Catholic weekly La
Vie, Francis acknowledged that “today one can speak of Arab invasion. It is a
social fact.” en he added optimistically, “How many invasions Europe has
known throughout her history! She always knew how to rise again, to go for-
ward and find herself as if magnified by the exchange between cultures.”250 He
returned to the subject during his return flight from Lesbos: “Today, Europe
must resume this capacity that it has always had, of integrating. Because the
nomads, the Normans and many peoples came to Europe and Europe has in-
tegrated them and enriched its culture.”251
Favoring Jus Soli to the detriment of the civil authority’s autonomy

e illusory character of Europe’s supposedly unlimited capacity to absorb an
uninterrupted and massive immigrant flow without detriment to its traditional
identity was evident in the Facebook post that Rome’s mayor, Virginia Raggi,
published on June 13, 2017. e Eternal City’s mayor said:
Rome is under heavy migratory pressure. We cannot continue like

this. In the past days, I have sent a letter . . . asking the Interior Ministry
for a moratorium on new arrivals of immigrants to the city. . . .
It is time to listen to the Roman citizens: we cannot allow new so-
cial tensions. at is why I find it impossible, besides risky, to think
248. Steven N. Dworkin, A History of the Spanish Lexicon: A Lingusitic Perspective (New York: Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 2012), 83.
249. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis: Conferral of the Charlemagne Prize,” May 6, 2016,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/may/documents/papa-francesco
_20160506_premio-carlo-magno.html.
250. Jean-Pierre Denis, “Conversation politique avec le pape François,” La Vie, Mar. 2, 2016,
http://www.lavie.fr/religion/catholicisme/conversation-politique-avec-le-pape-francois-02-03-2016
-71086_16.php.
251. Francis, “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Lesbos to Rome,” Apr. 16,
2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/april/documents/papa-francesco
_20160416_lesvos-volo-ritorno.html.
CHAPTER 4 67
about creating new reception structures.252
Despite her moratorium request, at his June 21, 2017 general audience eight
days later, the pope expressed his “sincere appreciation” for the “I was a for-
eigner” campaign, a Radical Party initiative that collected signatures demand-
ing a more liberal immigration law.253 Unrelenting, at his September 27, 2017
general audience, he welcomed “the representatives of many organizations
from civil society engaged in assistance to migrants and refugees who, together
with Caritas, have given their support to the petition for a new law on migra-
tion better adapted to the current context.”254 He did this despite saying on his
return flight from Mexico: “e pope does not interfere with Italian politics. . . .
Because the pope is for everyone, and he cannot engage in the practical, do-
mestic politics of one country.”255 He said this in response to a reporter’s ques-
tion about a pending bill to legalize same-sex civil unions.
However, Rome is not an isolated case. Its experiences mirror what is hap-
pening in every major European city. Because of this relentless hype to open
borders indiscriminately, Catholic bishops everywhere are in solidarity with
secular trends wishing to turn Europe into an open space, a land of freedom
and human rights. ese liberals want the Old Continent to renounce its
Catholic past and Christian identity. ey want it to become a Euro-Babel, a
multi-ethnic and multicultural melting pot, the model for a globalized world.256
a misunderstood charity Prepares for a Future submission to islam

In concrete terms, this means passively accepting the irresponsible mass
immigration policies promoted by important European leaders. It entails
allowing mostly Islamic immigrant ghettos to form inside European nations.
In these enclaves, Muslims refuse to assimilate into the culture of their host
countries. They are filled with men who dream of extending the Islamic
252. Virginia Raggi, Facebook.com, Jun. 13, 2017,

https://www.facebook.com/virginia.raggi.m5sroma/posts/795231333992651:0.
253. Francis, “General Audience,” Jun. 21, 2017, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2017
/documents/papa-francesco_20170621_udienza-generale.html.
254. Francis, “General Audience,” Sept. 27, 2017, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences
/2017/documents/papa-francesco_20170927_udienza-generale.html.
255. Francis, “From Mexico to Rome.”
256. roughout history, many utopianists dreamed of abolishing states and building a Universal Repub-
lic, from Jan Amos Komensky (17th century) to socialist European M.P. Antonio Giolitti, for whom the
United Nations “has finally become an embryo, a first cell of the world government,” [Pier Giorgio Betti,
“L’utopia del governo mondiale,” L’Unità, Sept. 4, 1990, pg. 5, col. 4], all the way to baron Jean-Baptiste du
Val-des-Grâces, Giuseppe Mazzini, Victor Hugo, Henri de Saint-Simon, Alexandre Saint-Yves d’Alveydre,
and Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber.
umma to all of Europe. “Who has the right to say that France will not be
Muslim in thirty or forty years?” Marwan Muhammad, the spokesman of the
Collective against Islamophobia, asked in the Grand Mosque of Orly. “No
one in this country has the right to define for us what constitutes the French
identity.”257
Imbibed with this hegemonic pretension, immigrant communities that
dominate the urban outskirts of large cities (banlieues) have become Salafist
hotbeds. In them, young Muslims are radicalized and recruited into the Islamic
holy war. ese no-go zones pose a permanent threat to the national security
of Europe. Consider, for example, the ISIS and al-Qaeda terrorist attacks in
France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, and England.
In short, Pope Francis’s rhetoric and symbolic gestures continuously encour-
age Europeans to let their guard down in the face of the threat posed by ongo-
ing, massive invasions by populations who refuse to assimilate. e pope’s
message is a prelude to chaos if not outright submission to Islam, as Michel
Houellebecq’s novel of the same name suggests.258
“e Church’s drama today,” Laurent Dandrieu concludes, “is that she often
gives Europeans the feeling that the Old Continent is already lost. By reducing
Europe’s identity to a ‘culture of encounter,’ the Church seeks to open the con-
tinent’s gates to forces that threaten to destroy its real identity.”259
an idyllic view of islam at ignores its violent nature

e promotion of a “culture of encounter”260 has led Pope Francis to idealize
Muhammad’s religion. us, the pontiff has seemingly tried to exonerate him
from responsibility for the violence perpetrated on his behalf.
Pope Francis’s rosy vision of Islam was displayed in his first official docu-
ment, the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium. He stated, “We Christians
should embrace with affection and respect Muslim immigrants to our coun-
tries. . . . Faced with disconcerting episodes of violent fundamentalism, our re-
spect for true followers of Islam should lead us to avoid hateful generalizations,
for authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Koran are opposed to every
257. Fabien Roland-Lévy, “Islam français, le livre que va scandaliser: Choc. Elisabeth Schemla dénonce la
montée de l’islam radical. A tort?” Le Point, Apr. 25, 2013, http://www.lepoint.fr/societe/islam-francais
-le-livre-qui-va-scandaliser-25-04-2013-1690484_23.php.
258. See Michel Houellebecq, Submission: A Novel, trans. Lorin Stein (New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2015).
259. Dandrieu, Èglise et immigration, 285.
260. Francis, “For a Culture of Encounter: Morning Meditation in the Chapel of the Domus Sanctae
Marthae,” Sept. 13, 2016, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2016/documents/papa
-francesco-cotidie_20160913_for-a-culture-of-encounter.html.
CHAPTER 4 69
form of violence.”261
Fr. Guy Pagès is a very active evangelizer of Muslims and Internet apologist. In
an open letter to Pope Francis, he noted that this pontifical statement contained
a terrifying inaccuracy. . . .
[because, according to Muslims,] Allah alone knows the interpre-
tation of the Koran (Koran 3:7). . . .
is is so because Islam has no magisterial authority. Likewise, the Koran’s

tolerant verses were abrogated by the “sword verse (Koran 9:5, 29),”262 and “over
half of the Koran’s 6,235 verses scorn non-Muslims and manifest the ominous
intention of killing or subjecting them.”263 Finally, history and current events
flatly belie the pope’s claim of Islam’s supposedly peaceful nature.
Nevertheless, in a December 21, 2014 letter to Christians in the Middle East,
Pope Francis wrote: “e majority of you live in environments which are pre-
dominantly Muslim. You can help your Muslim fellow citizens to present with
discernment a more authentic image of Islam, as so many of them desire, reit-
erating that Islam is a religion of peace.”264
Moreover, in July 2016, while returning by plane from Krakow’s World Youth
Day, the pope responded to a question about Fr. Jacques Hamel’s “barbaric
murder” just days before, while celebrating Mass outside Rouen, saying:
I don’t like to speak of Islamic violence because every day when I

open the newspapers I see acts of violence, here in Italy: Someone
kills his girlfriend, someone else his mother-in-law. . . . And these vi-
olent people are baptized Catholics! ey are violent Catholics. . . . If
I spoke about Islamic violence, I would also have to speak about
Catholic violence. Not all Muslims are violent; not all Catholics are
violent. It’s like a fruitcake, there’s a little bit of everything, there are
261. Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 253. It is significant that the pope’s claim to Islam’s peaceful character
was made five months after the diplomatic adviser of the al-Azhar mosque’s Grand Imam demanded “a
statement [by Pope Francis] affirming that Islam is a peaceful religion,” as a condition for resuming diplo-
matic relations, which had been interrupted after Benedict XVI’s Regensburg address. Benjamin Roger,
“Al-Azhar tente de renouer le dialogue avec le Vatican,” Jeune Afrique, Jun. 7, 2013,
http://www.jeuneafrique.com/170368/societe/al-azhar-tente-de-renouer-le-dialogue-avec-le-vatican/.
262. Guy Pagès, “Deuxième lettre ouverte au pape François,” Islam & Verité, Nov. 27, 2015,
http://www.islam-et-verite.com/deuxieme-lettre-ouverte-au-pape-francois/.
263. Ibid. See Center for the Study of Political Islam, “Statistical Islam,” accessed Aug. 21, 2018,
http://www.cspipublishing.com/statistical/pdf/Statistical_Islam.pdf.
264. Francis, “Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Christians in the Middle East,” Dec. 21, 2014,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20141221
_lettera-cristiani-medio-oriente.html.
violent people in these religions. One thing is true: I believe that in

almost all religions there is always a small fundamentalist group.
Fundamentalist. We have some ourselves. And when fundamental-
ism gets to the point of killing—and one can kill with the tongue
(these are words of the Apostle James, not mine) as well as with a
knife . . . I believe that it is not right to identify Islam with violence. It
is not right and it is not true. I had a long talk with the Grand Imam
at the University of al-Azhar, and I know what they are thinking: they
are looking for peace, for encounter.265
As Laurent Dandrieu rightly points out:
Here the will to exempt Islam as such from any complacency to-
ward violence borders on the most complete absurdity through the
path of sophistry: For what relationship can there be between private
violence . . . led by the passion of jealousy or anger . . . [and] in oppo-
sition to the more explicit precepts of one’s own religion266 and a se-
ries of systematic, organized attacks done not in spite of Islam but
in its name and justified by Koran texts that are not disputed by any-
one? . . . Here the pope gives way to a particularly harmful form of
cultural relativism by implying that all religions are equated in terms
of violence, each harboring in its bosom—as collateral damage—
“small fundamentalist groups.”267
is islam a means of salvation?

ere is worse. For Pope Francis, Islam is not only peaceful but a means of sal-
vation for Muslims. Addressing immigrants at the end of his January 19, 2014
visit to the Roman parish of Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio, the pontiff
said, “It is important that you share . . . the Bible with those who are Christian;
the Koran with those who are Muslim. Share with them the faith they have re-
ceived from their parents. Go forward always. Share your own faith too. God
is only one. He is the same. Some [worship Him] in one way, some in another.”268
265. Francis, “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Poland to Rome,” Jul. 31, 2016,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/july/documents/papa-francesco_20160731
_polonia-conferenza-stampa.html.
266. With a bit of irony, Riccardo Cascioli observed: “Perhaps we are distracted, but we never read in any
paper’s crime section of a man attacking his ex-wife to the cry of ‘Long live Christ the King.’ Riccardo Cas-
ciolo, “Ma chi vuole una guerra di religione?” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Aug. 1, 2016,
http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/ma-chi-vuole-una-guerra-di-religione.
267. Dandrieu, L’Église et immigration, 134–5.
268. Francis, “Bergoglio ai presunti rifugiati: Bibbia e Corano lo stesso Dio, condividere la propria fede,”
YouTube, uploaded Aug. 10, 2015, https://youtu.be/BXaqlOj4qIg.
CHAPTER 4 71
Pope Francis’s repeated expressions idealizing Islam led a large group of for-
mer Muslims who converted to Catholicism to write an open letter to the pope
on Christmas Day, 2017. Together with friends who signed on, they express
their perplexity:
If Islam is a good religion in itself, as you seem to teach, why did

we become Catholic? Do not your words question the soundness of
the choice we made at the risk of our lives? . . .
at the pope seems to propose the Quran as a way of salvation,
is that not cause for worry? Should we return to Islam?
We beg you not to seek in Islam an ally in your fight against the pow-
ers that want to dominate and enslave the world, since they share the
same totalitarian logic based on the rejection of the kingship of Christ.269
reluctance to talk about christian

Persecution, not to offend muslim Powers
It is perplexing to note how the pope’s friendliness for Islam has been accom-
panied by an enigmatic discretion when it comes to defending persecuted
Christians in Muslim lands. Marc Fromager is the director of the French affil-
iate of Aid to the Church in Need. He gave an interview to Le Figaro online ti-
tled, “Are persecuted Christians in the east the great forgotten ones in Pope
Francis’s discourse?” Fromager stated:
Eastern Christians tell me they no longer understand anything.

ey sometimes feel they have been abandoned even by their Chris-
tian brothers in the West. . . .
ey have the impression that we do not understand what is hap-
pening to them.270
e height of this perceived abandonment came during the Islamic State’s

onslaught on Iraq’s Nineveh Plains. e Islamist attack forced 200,000 Christians
(and other minorities) to leave their villages. Millions around the world sympa-
thized with the persecuted Christians by adopting the Nazarene symbol—used
to identify Christians slated to be killed or expelled.271 Meanwhile, the Vatican
269. “From Former Muslims Who Became Catholics, and eir Friends, to His Holiness Pope Francis,
About His Attitude Toward Islam,” Dec. 24, 2017, http://exmusulmanschretiens.fr/en/.
270. Alexis Feertchak, “Les chrétiens persécutés d’orient, grands oubliés du discours du pape François?”
Le Figaro, Aug. 1, 2016, http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/religion/2016/08/01/31004-20160801ARTFIG00208
-les-chretiens-persecutes-d-orient-grands-oublies-du-discours-du-pape-francois.php.
271. See Heba Kanso, “Symbol of Mideast Oppression Becomes Source of Solidarity,” CBSnews, Oct. 20, 2014,
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-christians-symbol-of-mideast-oppression-becomes-source-of-solidarity/.
merely published a simple “note,” that was dreadfully late. In it, spokesman Fr.
Federico Lombardi, asked the international community, on the pope’s behalf,
to end the “present humanitarian drama.”272
Nothing is said in this cold little statement, [wrote journalist Giu-

liano Ferrara] about those responsible for these “harrowing events.”
Not a nod to the causes that forced the “troubled communities” to
flee from their villages. . . .
[It showed] disconcerting reticence in the face of bloodthirsty
criminals, [added Antonio Socci] with whom, local bishops say, there
is no possibility of dialogue.273
What is the reason for this reluctance? Pope Francis himself hinted at it in an
interview with the Barcelona daily La Vanguardia: “Persecuted Christians are a
concern that touches me closely as a pastor. I know many things about persecu-
tions that I do not think it prudent to tell here to not offend anyone. But in some
places, it is forbidden to have a Bible, or teach catechism, or carry a cross.”274 In
other words, from Francis’s own lips one learns that his reluctance in speaking
out against the persecution of Christians is to not offend Muslim authorities.
Pope Francis’s extreme caution has long been a source of bewilderment. He has
avoided taking a firm stand in the case of Asia Bibi, a Catholic Pakistani mother
condemned to death for an alleged blasphemy against Muhammad that she never
uttered. Despite numerous and prolonged requests that he speak out in her de-
fense, the pontiff never mentioned that heroic woman by name. At an April 2015
public audience, he limited himself to a quick handshake with the victim’s husband
and daughter. Many Vatican observers and commentators immediately noticed
the gesture and pointed it out. Finally, in February 2018, to diminish the scandal
caused by the pope’s sidestepping of this crucial issue, papal advisers organized a
private audience with Asia Bibi’s relatives. One of the many Nigerian students kid-
napped by the Islamist movement Boko Haram also attended that audience. Mrs.
Bibi’s tragedy had moved the world. e pope addressed it merely in one tweet.
Also, while making little reference to the repulsive terrorist attack against
Christian mothers and children after an Easter 2016 celebration in Lahore,
272. “Dichiarazione del Direttore della Sala Stampa a nome del Santo Padre,” Holy See Press Office, Aug. 7,
2014, https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2014/08/07/0559/01234.html.
(Our translation of the Italian original.)
273. Antonio Socci, “Iraq, Antonio Socci: I cristiani muoiono e papa Francesco sta in silenzio,” Libero Quotidi-
ano, Aug. 11, 2014, http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/sfoglio/11671032/Iraq—Antonio-Socci—i.html.
274. Henrique Cymerman Benarroch, “Entrevista al Papa Francisco: ‘La secesión de una nación hay que
tomarla con pinzas,’” La Vanguardia, Jun. 12, 2014, http://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional
/20140612/54408951579/entrevista-papa-Francis.html.
CHAPTER 4 73
Pakistan, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with the victims’ families. How-
ever, he carefully avoided condemning the perpetrators or denouncing their
Christianophobic motives. He simply called it “an abominable attack.”275
is was not an isolated case. e pontiff said nothing when the young Su-
danese mother Meriam Yahia Ibrahim was imprisoned with her young chil-
dren. She was sentenced to death for one reason alone: She was Christian. After
her release, thanks solely to international pressure, the pope received her.276
Sandro Magister’s August 2014 evaluation that Pope Francis is repeating his
behavior toward evangelicals in Argentina, remains valid:
Not to fight their leaders, but to make them his friends.

is is the same approach that he has adopted with the Muslim
world: prayer, invocation of peace, general condemnations of the evil
that is done, but with careful attention to keep his distance from spe-
cific cases concerning precise persons, whether victims or butchers.277
is consistent behavior led analyst Alexandre del Valle to comment early
on in the current pontificate: “Pope Francis’s silence about the new Chris-
tianophobia and his Islamically correct professions of faith will not stop death
penalties for ‘apostates’ and other persecutions of Christians in Pakistan, Syria,
North Africa, or elsewhere.”278
“a ‘dialogue’ Based on complacency, compromise, and duplicity”

is very worldly prudence does not stem from ignorance. Well-known Catholic
Islamicists have warned against the illusory nature of this “policy of the extended
handed.” For example, after Father Hamel’s assassination in France and the ter-
rorist attacks in Germany, Egyptian Jesuit Fr. Samir Khalil Samir, professor emer-
itus at Rome’s Pontifical Oriental Institute and one of the world’s leading
Islamicists, stated: “We also must have the courage to say that Islam has elements
of violence in the Koran and in the life of Muhammad. If we continue to say that
275. Francis, “Regina Cæli,” Mar. 28, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2016

/documents/papa-francesco_regina-coeli_20160328.html.
276. See Elise Harris, “Meriam Ibrahim Lands in Rome, Meets With Pope Francis,” Catholic News Agency,
Jul. 24, 2014, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/meriam-ibrahim-lands-in-rome-meets
-with-pope-francis-76068.
277. Sandro Magister, “e Strange Silences of a Very Talkative Pope,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’Espresso–
Settimo Cielo, Aug. 1, 2014, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350853bdc4.html?eng=y.
278. Alexandre Del Valle, “Christianophobie: Le calvaire des chrétiens dans le monde,” Atlantico, Apr. 1,
2013, http://www.atlantico.fr/decryptage/christianophobie-calvaire-chretiens-dans-monde-alexandre
-del-vall-685762.html/page/0/1.
‘Islam is a religion of peace,’ we only create confusion and mystification.”279

After the Palm Sunday 2017 slaughter in Egypt, when questioned by the Na-
tional Catholic Register’s Edward Pentin on whether Islamism is true Islam, Fa-
ther Samir replied: “ISIS [‘Islamic State’] is the application of what is taught.
It’s not outside Islam, or something invented. No, they are applying Islam.
When we hear it has nothing to do with Islam—that it means salaam; that it
means peace—this is all false. It’s not true. ISIS is not doing anything which is
neither in the Quran nor in the Mohammedan tradition.”280
e assessment of Egyptian Jesuit Henri Boulad was even more incisive. He
is a former president of Caritas for North Africa and the Middle East. In an in-
terview with Le Figaro, he deplored the “monumental disingenuousness” of
some theologians and bishops who “ignore the systematic plan of Islam to con-
quer the planet.” He fears that gestures such as bringing three Muslim families
on the papal plane back from Lesbos “are viewed by Islam as signs of weakness.”
“e pope should take more into account the sensitivity of Eastern Christians.
ey feel marginalized and barely consulted in the dialogue with Muslims.”281
After the Palm Sunday Islamist attack on Coptic Christians, Father Boulad said:
i accuse Islam of being the cause of this barbarity and of all acts
of violence committed in the name of the Muslim faith. I accuse not
only terrorists or terrorism. I accuse not only the Muslim Brother-
hood or the nebula of small groups that gravitate around this violent
and totalitarian jihadist confraternity. I accuse not only Islamism or
radical and political Islam.
i merely accuse Islam, which is political and radical by its very
nature.
As I wrote more than twenty-five years ago, Islamism is Islam
without disguise, in all its logic and rigor. . . .
i accuse the Catholic Church of maintaining with Islam a ‘dialogue’
based on complacency, compromise, and duplicity. After more than fifty
years of one-way initiatives, such monologue is today in neutral [gear].282
279. Samir Khalil Samir, “Fr. Samir: Islamic Terror in France and Germany a Crisis of Integration, but
Above All of Politics,” AsiaNews.it, Jul. 26, 2016, http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Fr-Samir:-Islamic
-terror-in-France-and-Germany-a-crisis-of-integration,-but-above-all-of-politics-38144.html.
280. Edward Pentin, “Father Samir: Egypt’s Palm Sunday Terror Reflects a Sickness Within Islam,” Na-
tional Catholic Register, Apr. 13, 2017, http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/father-samir-egypts
-palm-sunday-terror-reflects-a-sickness-within-islam.
281. Jean-Marie Guénois, “Migrants: les coulisses de l’opération controversée du Pape,” Le Figaro, May 6,
2016, http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2016/05/06/01016-20160506ARTFIG00277-migrants
-les-coulisses-de-l-operation-controversee-du-pape.php.
282. François Sweydan, “Père Henri Boulad: ‘Attentats contre les chrétiens coptes dimanche des ramaux:
J’accuse l’Islam,’” Dreuz.info, Apr. 19, 2017, http://www.dreuz.info/2017/04/19/pere-henri-boulad
-attentats-contre-les-chretiens-coptes-dimanche-des-rameaux-jaccuse-lislam/.
c HaPter 5
Religious Indifferentism,
Philosophical Relativism,
Theological Evolutionism
One of the most expressive signs of a paradigm shift in Francis’s pontificate has
been the primacy of praxis283 replacing the traditional primacy of doctrine. ere
has been talk of a “pastoral about-face” in the Church. e pope has set aside
theological issues for the sake of pastoral care. He has embraced a theological
evolutionism according to which nothing is certain and permanent in time. In-
stead, everything changes with the historical-cultural context. is was evident
in the celebrations for the 500 th anniversary of Luther’s so-called Reformation.
W e closed the previous chapter with Father Boulad’s critique of the

Church’s pernicious and ineffective relationship with Islam. It could be
applied just as well to Catholic dialogue with other Christian religions, Judaism,
and Eastern pagan religions. is dialogue too is based on “complacency, com-
promise, and duplicity.” It also instills religious indifferentism and doctrinal
relativism in the minds of the Catholic faithful.
“ere is no catholic God,” “We are all children of God”

e most visible manifestation of this deviation was the disturbing video portray-
ing the pope’s January 2016 intentions for the Worldwide Prayer Network. is
first video was a new initiative that was widely disseminated on social media. It
featured a Buddhist, a Jew, a Catholic priest, and a Muslim taking turns by saying,
“I confide in Buddha,” “I believe in God,” “I believe in Jesus Christ,” and “I believe
in God, Allah.” ey are followed by Pope Francis, who says: “Many think differ-
ently, feel differently, seeking God or meeting God in different ways. In this crowd,
in this range of religions, there is only one certainty we have for all: We are all chil-
dren of God.”284 en, the pope gave the month’s prayer intention, “that sincere
283. Praxis: of Latin and Greek origin, it is used in philosophy and political science to describe the process
by which a theory, teaching, or aptitude can be applied or embodied. Immanentist and evolutionist
schools of thought, such as Marxism, defend the primacy of praxis over theory, which is supposedly inca-
pable of following the unceasing transformation of reality.
284. Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, “Inter-religious Dialogue,” Holy Cross TV, Jan. 8, 2016,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODAb0ImTKg.
In addition to the final scene’s disturbing symbolism, there are three serious errors in this short text:
(1) e statement that all men are “children of God.” Fr. Ignace de la Potterie wrote: “Divine sonship is
always a gratuitous gift of grace and cannot preclude grace bestowed gratuitously in baptism and recog-
nized and embraced in the faith.” Ignace de la Potterie, “Men Are Not Born Sons of God. ey Become So,”
30Days, 12–2009, http://www.30giorni.it/articoli_id_22029_l3.htm.
dialogue among men and women of different faiths, may produce fruits of peace
and justice.” At the same time, each of the religious representatives presented a
symbol of their respective creed. e final scene shows those symbols together.
e arrangement places the Buddha statue in the highest position, below which
is placed, the masbaha (Islamic prayer beads), with the Christ Child at the bottom,
next to the menorah (the seven-branched candelabra of Judaism).
Pope Francis reportedly made two more disturbing statements that are con-
sistent with the interconfessionalism promoted by this video. Both statements
are found in his first celebrated interview with Eugenio Scalfari. e October
2013 conversation was transcribed by La Reppublica and republished in both
L’Osservatore Romano and the Vatican’s website. In it, the pope asserted prob-
lematically: “I believe in God, not in a Catholic God, there is no Catholic God,
there is God.”285 e second statement is found later in the interview. Smiling at
the idea of trying to convert the atheistic reporter, the pope said: “Proselytism286
is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen
to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us.”287
e pope developed this idea in his book-interview with Dominique Wolton:
(2) One can seek God in various ways. However, one cannot “find God in many ways.” ere is only one
way to find God and that is in the one, true, and revealed religion, the Holy Roman Catholic Church,
founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ.
(3) ere is not just “one certainty for all.” ere are many other religious certainties. ey are obtained
both by reason and by the true faith. ey start with the existence of a personal God (which Buddhists
deny). Canon 2, “On Revelation,” of the First Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, decreed,
“If anyone says that the one, true God, our creator and lord, cannot be known with certainty from the
things that have been made, by the natural light of human reason: let him be anathema.” Vatican Council
I, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Filius, Apr. 24, 1870, can. 2, no. 1, in Norman P. Tanner, SJ, ed., Decrees of the
Ecumenical Councils (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1990), 2:810, https://www.ewtn.com
/library/councils/v1.htm#4.
285. Simone Sereni, “‘God Is Not Catholic’: And According to Some, Neither Is the Pope,” Aleteia, Oct. 7,
2013, https://aleteia.org/2013/10/07/god-is-not-catholic-and-according-to-some-neither-is-the-pope/.
286. From the context of this interview and other uses he makes of the word, it follows that Pope Francis con-
demns proselytism not just in the word’s negative sense, namely, the use of dishonest means to attract new co-
religionists, but even in the word’s legitimate meaning, that is, the apostolate, missionary activity aimed at
bringing a person from another religion or none to the Catholic Church, using only loyal and persuasive
means. Incidentally, in this second and entirely correct meaning, proselytism was wrongly condemned in the
1993 joint Catholic-Orthodox Balamand declaration and in the “Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patri-
arch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia” in Havana in February 2016. e latter document improperly con-
demned uniatism for that very reason: “It is today clear that the past method of ‘uniatism,’ understood as the
union of one community to the other, separating it from its church, is not the way to reestablish unity.” “Joint
Declaration of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia,” Feb. 12,
2016, no. 25, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/february/documents
/papa-francesco_20160212_dichiarazione-comune-kirill.html.
287. Scalfari, “Così cambierò la Chiesa”; Jimmy Akin, “Did Pope Francis Just Say at Evangelization Is
‘Nonsense’? 8 ings to Know and Share,” National Catholic Register, Oct. 1, 2013,
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/did-pope-francis-just-say-that-evangelization
-is-nonsense-8-things-to-know.
CHAPTER 5 77
Proselytism destroys unity. And that is why interreligious dialogue

does not mean that everyone agrees: No, it means walking together,
each with his own identity. . . . But the master of oppositions, of bipo-
lar tensions as we say, is [Romano] Guardini, who teaches us this
path of unity in diversity. What happens with fundamentalists today?
Fundamentalists close themselves up in their own identity and want
to hear nothing else. . . .
Go to Africa, where there are so many missionaries. ey spend their
entire lives there. ey make true revolutions. Not to convert—that was
in another time when one talked about conversion—but to serve.288
is last sentence proves that Pope Francis’s earlier criticism of proselytism
was not aimed at spurious methods of persuasion, which harm the evangeliz-
ing effort. Instead, he meant the very intent of attracting non-Catholics to the
true Faith. How does he reconcile that with Our Lord’s Great Commission to
the Apostles, prior to his Ascension: “Go ye into the whole world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)?
Luther a “reformer” Who “offered the church a remedy”?

e audience Pope Francis granted in the Vatican on October 13, 2016—the
opening day of the Fatima centennial year—to a thousand Lutherans was an-
other disconcerting symbolic gesture. After receiving their gift, a lavish copy
of Luther’s heretical 95 theses, the pope spoke to them wearing a stole with in-
scriptions that alluded to the quincentennial of Luther’s revolt, while flanked
by a statue of the heresiarch in a place of honor. Extending to adult Lutherans
a status that is held only by those who are in full communion with the Catholic
Church, the pope said, “e Apostle Paul tells us that, by virtue of our baptism,
we all form the one Body of Christ. . . . Let us continue with confidence on our
ecumenical journey, because we know that, beyond the many open questions
that still separate us, we are already united.”289
288. Wolton, Politique et société, 36–7, 153.

289. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Pilgrimage of Lutherans,” Oct. 13,
2016, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco
_20161013_pellegrinaggio-luterani.html.
During his visit to Rome’s Evangelical Lutheran church, Francis had evoked that same idea that Catholics
and Lutherans are already united. Answering a question from a woman who is married to a Catholic and who
expressed bitterness that the two were not “able to partake together in the Lord’s Supper,” the pope answered
ambiguously. He implied that it was a personal decision for her to take in conscience: “It is true that in a cer-
tain sense sharing is saying that there are no differences between us, that we have the same doctrine—I un-
derline the word, a difficult word to understand—but I ask myself: don’t we have the same Baptism? And if we
have the same Baptism, we have to walk together. . . . When you pray together, that Baptism grows, it becomes
strong; when you teach your children who Jesus is, why Jesus came, what Jesus did, you do the same, whether
in Lutheran or Catholic terms, but it is the same. e question: and the Supper? ere are questions to which
Previously, the pope allowed Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM, Cap., Preacher
to the Papal Household, to assert in his presence during the 2016 Good Friday
ceremony:
only if one is honest with oneself and with the few theological ‘lights’ that I have, one must respond the same,
you see. . . . I respond to your question only with a question: how can I participate with my husband, so that
the Lord’s Supper may accompany me on my path? It is a problem to which each person must respond. A pas-
tor friend of mine said to me: ‘We believe that the Lord is present there. He is present. You believe that the
Lord is present. So what is the difference?’—‘Well, there are explanations, interpretations . . .’ Life is greater
than explanations and interpretations. Always refer to Baptism: ‘One faith, one baptism, one Lord,’ as Paul
tells us, and take the outcome from there. I would never dare give permission to do this because I do not have
the authority. One Baptism, one Lord, one faith. Speak with the Lord and go forward. I do not dare say more.”
Francis, “Responses of the Holy Father to the Questions of ree Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Com-
munity of Rome,” Nov. 15, 2015, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/november
/documents/papa-francesco_20151115_chiesa-evangelica-luterana.html.
Inspired by these words, the sixty German bishops present at the meeting of the German Bishops’ Con-
ference held February 19–22, 2018, approved, by an overwhelming majority (only 13 bishops voted
against), the issuing of a pastoral handout prepared by the Commission for Ecumenism titled, “On the
Path of Unity With Christ: Confessional Marriages and Joint Participation in the Eucharist.” e document
deems mixed Catholic-Lutheran couples a “practical laboratory of unity.” It provides an opening for the
reception of Holy Communion by the Protestant spouse, invoking the “grave spiritual necessity” men-
tioned in canon 844 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. On the eve of this work’s final editing, seven German
bishops, including the cardinal-archbishop of Cologne, wrote a letter to the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith asking it to clarify if the desire to share the Eucharist in order to favor ecumenism could be
considered, yes or no, as a “grave spiritual necessity,” and whether the Bishops’ Conference of a single
country could take an isolated decision in a matter that affects the faith and practice of the universal
Church. See Edward Pentin, “Complete Letter of Seven German Bishops on Holy Communion for Protes-
tant Spouses Published,” National Catholic Register, Apr. 25, 2018, http://www.ncregister.com/blog
/edward-pentin/full-text-of-seven-german-bishops-letter-on-intercommunion-for-protestant-s.
e Holy See convened the leadership of the German Bishops’ Conference to Rome for a meeting. During
the same, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith officially declared, according to the com-
muniqué issued by the Secretariat for Communications, that Pope Francis “appreciates the ecumenical com-
mitment of the German bishops and asks them to find, in a spirit of ecclesial communion, a unanimous result,
if possible.” “Communiqué, 03.05.2018,” Holy See Press Office, May 3, 2018, http://press.vatican.va/content
/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/05/03/180503e.html.
Cardinal Willem Eijk, archbishop of Utrecht and president of the Bishops’ Conference of e Netherlands,
deemed the pope’s answer “completely incomprehensible.” e prelate said, “e Church’s doctrine and
practice regarding the administration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist to Protestants is perfectly clear. . . .
e differences between faith in consubstantiation and that of transubstantiation are so great that one must
really demand that someone who wishes to receive Communion explicitly and formally enters into full com-
munion with the Catholic Church . . . and in this way explicitly confirms his acceptance of the faith of the
Catholic Church, including the Eucharist.” Edward Pentin, “Cardinal Eijk: Pope Francis Needed to Give Clar-
ity on Intercommunion,” National Catholic Register, May 7, 2018, http://www.ncregister.com/blog
/edward-pentin/cardinal-eijk-pope-needed-to-give-clarity-to-german-bishops-on-intercommuni. As far as
the cardinal is concerned, Pope Francis should have simply informed the German delegation of what the
Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly stipulate in this matter.
For his part, Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,
pointed out that the possibly unanimous result the Vatican asked the German bishops to attain cannot contra-
dict the Catholic faith: “One cannot separate the Catholic faith from a unanimous understanding. If that sepa-
ration happened, we would then have a schism in the Catholic Church.” Walter Sánchez Silva, “Cardeal Müller
sobre comunhão para protestantes: Não se pode contradizer a fé católica,” ACIDigital, May 8, 2018,
https://www.acidigital.com/noticias/cardeal-muller-sobre-comunhao-para-protestantes-nao-se-pode
-contradizer-a-fe-catolica-56387.
CHAPTER 5 79
e righteousness of God is that by which God makes those who

believe in his Son Jesus acceptable to him. It does not enact justice
but makes people just.
Luther deserves the credit for bringing this truth back when its
meaning had been lost over the centuries, at least in Christian
preaching, and it is this above all for which Christianity is indebted
to the Reformation, whose fifth centenary occurs next year.290
On October 31, 2016, just a fortnight after the disturbing meeting in the Paul
VI Audience Hall, the pope went to Lund, Sweden, where the current secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation resides. e pope went there to mark the be-
ginning of the year of the quincentennial of Luther’s rupture with the Church.
e event’s official aim was “expressing the gifts of the Reformation and asking
forgiveness for the division which followed theological disputes.”291 Paolo Ricca,
a Waldensian theologian and pastor, explained the journey’s symbolic scope:
“e participation at the commemoration is a gesture of great relevance. Because
the pope is going to Lund, to the home of the Lutherans, as if he were one of the
family. My impression is, in a way I wouldn’t know how to define, that he also
feels part of that portion of Christianity born of the Reform.”292 Commenting on
the pope’s homily in Lund, German Lutheran theologian omas Schirrmacher
later stated that “from [his] point of view, on that occasion, Francis interpreted
Luther’s thinking better than most Lutheran bishops.”293
290. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM, Cap., “‘Be Reconciled to God’–Good Friday Sermon, 2016, in St. Peter’s Basil-
ica,” Cantalamessa.org, Mar. 26, 2016, http://www.cantalamessa.org/?p=3050&lang=en. is perspective had a
bearing on Pope Francis’s journey to Fatima, where he stated: “Great injustice is done to God’s grace whenever
we say that sins are punished by his judgment, without first saying—as the Gospel clearly does—that they are
forgiven by his mercy! Mercy has to be put before judgment and, in any case, God’s judgment will always be
rendered in the light of his mercy. Obviously, God’s mercy does not deny justice, for Jesus took upon himself the
consequences of our sin, together with its due punishment. He did not deny sin, but redeemed it on the cross.
Hence, in the faith that unites us to the cross of christ, we are freed of our sins; we put aside all fear and
dread, as unbefitting those who are loved (cf. 1 John 4:18).” Francis, “Greeting of the Holy Father: Blessing of the
Candles—Pilgrimage of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima,” May 12, 2017,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/may/documents/papa-francesco
_20170512_benedizione-candele-fatima.html. (My emphasis.) For a deeper understanding of this convergence,
see Fr. Stefano Carusi, “L’influsso di Lutero dietro la ‘tesi Kasper’? Un aspetto del recente sinodo sulla famiglia,”
Disputationes eologicae, Dec. 21, 2014, http://disputationes-theologicae.blogspot.fr/2014/12/linflusso
-di-lutero-dietro-la-tesi.html; “Praise for Martin Luther at St. Peter’s Basilica: ‘Martin Luther Had Brought the
Truth to Light Again,’” e Eponymous Flower, Mar. 27, 2016, http://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/search
/label/Father%20Cantalamessa.
291. “Pope Francis to Go to Sweden for the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation,” L’Osservatore
Romano, Jan. 25, 2016, http://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/pope-francis-go-sweden-500th
-anniversary-protestan.
292. Roberto de Mattei, “To Which Church Does Pope Bergoglio Belong?” trans. Francesca Romana, Rorate
Cæli, Oct. 19, 2016, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/10/de-mattei-to-which-church-does-pope.html.
293. omas Schirrmacher, “Wie protestantisch ist der papst?” Zeit, Oct. 27, 2017,
http://www.zeit.de/2017/44/thomas-schirrmacher-protestantismus-martin-luther-papst-franziskus.
In fact, the pope’s sympathy for the German heresiarch was apparent during
the press conference he gave on his return flight from Armenia. He stated:
I think that Martin Luther’s intentions were not mistaken; he was

a reformer. . . . e Church was not exactly a model to emulate. ere
was corruption and worldliness in the Church; there was attachment
to money and power. at was the basis of his protest. He was also
intelligent, and he went ahead, justifying his reasons for it. . . .
He offered a “remedy” for the Church, and then this remedy rigid-
ified in a state of affairs, a discipline, a way of believing, a way of act-
ing, a mode of liturgy.294
Pope Francis believes such stiffening is not an attack on unity, but an en-
richment for the Church. He made this clear to members of the Pentecostal
Church of Reconciliation during his July 28, 2014 visit to Caserta, Italy:
e Church is one in diversity. And, to use a beautiful word of an

Evangelist whom I love very much, a diversity “reconciled” by the Holy
Spirit. . . .
We are in the epoch of globalization, and we think about what
globalization is and what unity would be in the Church: perhaps a
sphere, where all points are equidistant from the center, all equal?
No! is is uniformity. And the Holy Spirit doesn’t create uniformity!
What shape can we find? Let us consider a prism: the prism is unity,
but all its parts are different; each has its own peculiarity, its
charisma. is is unity in diversity. It is on this path that we Chris-
tians do what we call by the theological name of ecumenism.295
294. Francis, “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Armenia to Rome,” Jun. 26,
2016, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/june/documents/papa-francesco
_20160626_armenia-conferenza-stampa.html.
295. Francis, “Address of Pope Francis: Private Visit of the Holy Father to Caserta for a Meeting With the
Evangelical Pastor Giovanni Traettino,” Jul. 28, 2014, https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2014/july/documents/papa-francesco_20140728_caserta-pastore-traettino.html.
Many Protestants do not share the implicit relativism of this concept of ecumenism. For example, Pedro
Tarquis, member of the committee for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in Spain,
declared to Religión Digital: “In essence, nothing has changed. . . . If Luther were rehabilitated, the pope
would cease to exist as such.” Asked about the possibility of a communion without absorption, Tarquis
replied, “I see this as impossible today, except in some very superficial evangelical denomination that does
not care about the underlying problem. I would say that 90% of Protestant evangelicals worldwide, not only
in Spain, would be absolutely against [it] because of the great differences [that remain]. It would be like say-
ing that because the Partido Popular and Podemos have the same constitution they could unite in the same
party.” Jesús Bastante, “‘Esperamos que los actos conmemorativos sean un testimonio de que somos una
Iglesia viva,” Periodista Digital, Jul. 8, 2017, http://www.periodistadigital.com/religion/otras-confesiones
/2017/07/08/religion-iglesia-confesiones-500-anos-reforma-protestante-pedro-tarquis-esperamos-que
-los-actos-conmemorativos-sean-un-testimonio-de-que-somos-una-iglesia-viva.shtml.
CHAPTER 5 81
e contradiction between the errors of the Lutheran heresy and the dog-
mas of the Catholic faith seem of little importance to Pope Francis. Presumably,
this is because he does not believe that Truth is abstract and absolute, but
pragmatic and variable. In fact, in that same encounter with the Pentecostals,
the pope stated, “Brother Giovanni [the local pastor who hosted the pope] said
something that I completely share: e truth is an encounter, an encounter
between people. Truth is not found in a laboratory, it is found in life.”296
“e Word of God is a dynamic reality”

Supposedly, this would also be true for understanding and adhering to Divine
Revelation. As Pope Francis explained to Fr. Antonio Spadaro in a famous in-
terview at the beginning of his pontificate, “Ours is not a ‘lab faith,’ but a ‘jour-
ney faith,’ a historical faith. God has revealed himself as history, not as a
compendium of abstract truths.”297 Hence, the Church’s new synodality would
consist in “an attitude of listening and discernment of all that the Spirit moves
in the consciousness of the people of God.”298
Pope Francis developed this evolutionary conception of Divine Revelation
further during a meeting to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1992 Cate-
chism of the Catholic Church:
Only a partial vision regards the “deposit of faith” as something

static. e word of God cannot be mothballed like some old blanket
in an attempt to keep insects at bay! No. e word of God is a dy-
namic and living reality that develops and grows because it is aimed
at a fulfillment that none can halt. . . .
Doctrine cannot be preserved without allowing it to develop, nor
can it be tied to an interpretation that is rigid and immutable without
demeaning the working of the Holy Spirit.299
On that occasion, in contrast with the Church’s traditional teaching as reit-

erated in the Catechism—which, as seen, was the reason for the celebration—
Pope Francis made a concrete application of his vision of a dynamic deposit of
faith: “It must be clearly stated that the death penalty is an inhumane measure
296. Francis, “Private Visit to Caserta.”

297. Spadaro, “A Big Heart.”
298. Francis, “Il Papa: ‘La Chiesa missionaria non si chiuda in se stessa,’” Corriere della Sera, Oct. 19, 2015,
http://www.corriere.it/cronache/15_ottobre_19/papa-francesco-la-chiesa-missionaria-non-si-chiuda
-se-stessa-2973aab8-7620-11e5-9086-b57baad6b3f4.shtml.
299. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting Promoted by the Pontifical
Council for Promoting the New Evangelization,” Oct. 11, 2017, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/speeches/2017/october/documents/papa-francesco_20171011_convegno-nuova-evangelizzazione.html.
that, regardless of how it is carried out, abases human dignity. It is per se con-
trary to the Gospel.”300
e death Penalty’s Legitimacy Has Been

church teaching for 2,000 Years
Edward Feser, co-author with Joseph Bessette of By Man Shall His Blood
Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment, reacted to Pope
Francis’s statement that the death penalty is “per se contrary to the
Gospel,” in an article published in The Catholic Herald.
He states that Revelation cannot teach errors in matters of faith and
morals and “Yet there are a great many passages in Scripture that teach
the legitimacy of capital punishment.” He also affirms that “the Fathers
of the Church understood such passages to be sanctioning capital pun-
ishment, and the Church has for two thousand years consistently fol-
lowed this interpretation,” and that the First Vatican Council teaches
that “Catholics are obliged to interpret Scripture consistent with the
way the Fathers understood it, and consistent with the Church’s tradi-
tional interpretation.”
He concludes, saying, “Taken together, these teachings logically entail
that the legitimacy of capital punishment is regarded by the Church as
a divinely revealed doctrine.” (Edward Feser, “‘e Pope’s Remarks on Capital
Punishment Need to Be Clarified,” e Catholic Herald, Oct. 15, 2017,
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2017/10/15/the-popes
-remarks-on-capital-punishment-need-to-be-clarified/.)
Also, Pope Innocent III required Waldensian heretics to affirm this
teaching’s legitimacy as a condition of their readmission to the Church.
Nothing above prevents public authority, at a given epoch, from
making a prudential decision not to include the death penalty in its
criminal code.
One finds another application of his understanding of Catholic teaching’s

evolutionary nature in his Wolton book-interview. Regarding just war, he said:
Even today we must ponder well the concept of “just war.” In po-
litical philosophy, we learned that to defend oneself, one can wage
war and consider it as just. But, can we call it “just war”? Or rather
300. Ibid.
CHAPTER 5 83
“defensive war”? Because peace is the only just thing. . . .

No war is just. e only thing just is peace.301
Such statements collide with no. 2309 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
ere, the Catechism reiterates the Church’s traditional teaching going back to
Saint Augustine. It lists the conditions for the moral legitimacy of just war.302
truth as a superior synthesis of real-Life tensions

At the beginning of the dialogue between Eugenio Scalfari and Pope Francis,
the pontiff responded to a Scalfari editorial with his “Letter to a Non-believer.”
e pope had been asked whether there is an absolute truth. He was asked fur-
ther if it is wrong to think that there are only some relative and subjective
truths. e pontiff replied: “I would not speak about ‘absolute’ truths, even for
believers, in the sense that absolute is that which is disconnected and bereft
of all relationship. Truth, according to the Christian faith, is the love of God
for us in Jesus Christ. erefore, truth is a relationship. As such each one of us
receives the truth and expresses it from within, that is to say, according to one’s
own circumstances, culture and situation in life, etc.”303
Aware of the relativistic implications of his thought, the pope had previ-
ously qualified, “This does not mean that truth is variable and subjective,
quite the contrary. But it does signify that it comes to us always and only as
a way and a life.” However, this qualification does not eliminate the subjec-
tivist perspective of the pontiff ’s concept of truth. If truth is not presented
as an objective expression of reality (esse id quod est, as Saint Augustine says),
but instead is “always and only” (i.e., exclusively) as a necessarily individual
path and life, then it loses its universal and absolute character by which it is
valid for all men, situations, and time. Each person would grasp truth exclu-
sively according to his own situation and history. Truth would be variable
and subjective. Logically speaking, Pope Francis’s qualification is useless.
e pontiff ’s tendency to relativism becomes even more explicit in his final,

302. See Catechism, no. 2309.
303. Francis, “Letter to a Non-believer: Pope Francis Responds to Dr. Eugenio Scalfari Journalist of the
Italian Newspaper ‘La Repubblica,’” Sept. 4, 2013, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2013
/documents/papa-francesco_20130911_eugenio-scalfari.html.
In a sermon at Santa Marta, the pope expressed the same idea of truth being situation-based. He stated,
“Paul did not tell the Athenians: ‘is is the encyclopedia of truth. Study it and you will have the truth.’ No!
Truth does not fit into an encyclopedia. Truth is an encounter, an encounter with the Supreme Truth:
Jesus, the great truth. No one owns the truth. Truth is received in the encounter.” Kelen Galvan, “Papa diz
que para evangelizar, cristãos devem construir pontes e não muros,” Cançao Nova, May 8, 2013,
https://noticias.cancaonova.com/especiais/Francis/papa-diz-que-para-evangelizar-cristaos-devem
-construir-pontes-e-nao-muros/.
Hegelian-flavored appeal: “We must have a correct understanding of the terms

and, perhaps, in order to overcome being bogged down by conflicting absolute
positions, we need to redefine the issues in depth.”304
In a part of the Wolton book-interview that deals with communication and
ecumenism, one finds this insightful exchange:
Pope Francis: [One must] not be afraid of tensions. How do you

solve a tension? On the upper plane.
Dominique Wolton: It is the German philosopher, Hegel, that . . .
Pope Francis: Hegel makes the synthesis. I say something else:
at the synthesis is done on a plane superior to the two parties. And
what we find in the higher plane retains the two initial points of view
at its root. Because life is always in tension, it is not in the synthesis.
e synthesis is not really vital. e tension, yes, is vital.305
In another passage of this same book-interview, Francis affirms that he

learned this mysterious concept of synthesis in the works of Romano Guardini,
whom he considers the master of “bipolar tensions,” which pave the way for
“unity in diversity.” However, he must explain how this is to be reconciled with
the inviolable principle of non-contradiction (a synthesis that does not resolve
the previous discrepancy).306
is relativism undergirding Pope Francis’s thought was identified by ag-
nostic intellectual Zygmunt Bauman. Commenting on the “Letter to a Non-
believer,” Bauman wrote:
Employing “truth” in the singular in a polyphonic world is like try-

ing to applaud with one hand. With one hand you can only slap or
caress, but not applaud. Pope Francis not only preaches the need for
dialogue but practices it. A true dialogue between people with ex-
plicitly different points of view who communicate to understand
each other. . . . 307
Scalfari agreed with Bauman’s assessment:
Pope Francis is, therefore, one of the very few vicars of Christ who
304. Francis, “Letter to a Non-believer.”

305. Wolton, Politique et société, 240.
306. See page 138.
307. Zygmunt Bauman, “Se il Papa ama il dialogo vero più della verità,” La Repubblica, Oct. 21, 2014,
http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2014/10/21/se-il-papa-ama-il-dialogo
-vero-piu-della-verita53.html.
CHAPTER 5 85
guides the Church after two thousand years, one of the very few—in
my view the only one—that deals in this way with the problem of
Truth and, therefore, of the absolute. . . .
What about truth? e pope rejects the word “relativism,” in the
sense of a specific movement with characteristics of religious politics,
but he does not reject the word “relative.” No to relativism; but the
Pope acknowledges the fact that the truth is relative.308
truth as a vital and Pragmatic relationship

Based on these premises, one understands why Pope Francis wrote in the
Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium that “realities are greater than
ideas.”309 e pope affirmed that this concept is one of the four principles which
guide his actions.
In theory, this postulate can have a omistic interpretation.310 Indeed, the
pope quotes St. omas’s adage, “adaequatio intellectus ad rem” in his exhor-
tation. is means that conceptual elaborations are at the service of under-
standing and conducting reality. However, in the sociological-pastoral context
in which it is inserted, the postulate takes on a very different connotation. As
Fr. Giovanni Scalese explained, “It rather means that we should accept reality
as it is, without intending to change it on the basis of absolute principles, for
example, moral principles, which are only abstract ‘ideas’ that most of the time
risk being turned into ideology.”311
In fact, as Father Scalese pointed out, “this postulate is at the basis of Francis’s
308. Eugenio Scalfari, “Il Vicario di Cristo e la verità relativa che conduce a Dio,” La Repubblica, Oct. 28, 2014,
http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2014/10/28/news/il_vicario_di_cristo_e_la_verit_relativa_che_conduce
_a_dio-99162795/.
309. Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, nos. 231, 233. Prof. Giovanni Turco says, “Taking a closer look at it, more
than principles here you have presuppositions, undemonstrated and indemonstrable points of view that
evoke nothing metaphysic but exist exclusively in function of praxis, as happens with ideologies: We can
call it ‘pragmatic ‘transcendentalism.’” Giovanni Turco, “[Da leggere] alcune linee guida per la lettura
filosfica del pontificato di Bergoglio,” Radio Spada, Jun. 25, 2017, https://www.radiospada.org/2017/06
/da-leggere-alcune-linee-guida-per-la-lettura-filosofica-del-pontificato-di-bergoglio/, republished sum-
mary of “Axes de lecture philosophique de textes du pontificat actuel,” Courrier de Rome 593 (Nov. 2016),
https://laportelatine.org/publications/presse/courrier_de_rome/2016/1611cdr593.pdf.
310. is is how Fr. Giovanni Cavalcoli interpreted it in his essay titled, “La dipendenza dell’idea dalla re-
altà nella Evangelii Gaudium di papa Francesco,” PATH (2/2014), 13:287–316, http://www.cultura.va
/content/dam/cultura/docs/pdf/accademie/path/2-2014.pdf.
311. Giovanni Scalese, “I postulati di papa Francesco,” Antiquo Robore, May 10, 2016, no. 6b,
http://querculanus.blogspot.fr/2016/05/i-postulati-di-papa-francesco.html.
However, as Fr. Scalese adroitly puts it, “in human action, one is inevitably guided by some principles
that are abstract by their nature. It is no use therefore to argue about the abstract character of ‘doctrine,’
opposing to it a ‘reality’ to which one should simply conform. If reality is not enlightened, guided, ordered
by some principles, it risks breaking into chaos.” Ibid., no. 8.
continuing polemic against doctrine.”312 According to Cardinal Carlo Caffarra,

however, “A Church that doesn’t pay enough attention to doctrine isn’t a more
pastoral Church, but a more ignorant Church.”313
According to Prof. Giovanni Turco, the new pontifical language “gives rise
to Bergoglio’s profound thought: Truth is a relationship. It is not the relation-
ship’s criterion but its product. erefore, truth is relative in the full sense of
the word. It is clear that such a relationship is not understood in the omistic
sense as adequatio rei et intellectus, but as a vital and pragmatic relationship
that derives from a situation. us understood, truth has no content of its own.
It cannot be ‘absolute,’ that is, ‘always valid.’ For this very reason, it ceases to
be truth (and becomes mere opinion)!”314
is relativistic postulate also undergirds the pope’s praxis and pastoralism.
What Roberto de Mattei says of the new modernist’s way of thinking can be
applied to Pope Francis: “e traditional maxim according to which ‘agire se-
quitur esse’ [action follows being] is stood on its head: action precedes Being,
and man finds truth and faith itself in action,” and, therefore, “the mysteries of
faith starting from the consciousness of man, from his needs, his aspirations,
from all that springs from his experience of life.”315
312. Ibid., no. 6b.

For example, he cites these phrases by the pope that show some aversion to doctrine: “It is true that in a
certain sense sharing is saying that there are no differences between us, that we have the same doctrine—I
underline the word, a difficult word to understand—but I ask myself: don’t we have the same Baptism?”
Francis, “Responses to ree Members”; “e view of the Church’s teaching as a monolith to defend with-
out nuance or different understandings is wrong.” Spadaro, “A Big Heart”; “Rather than offering the healing
power of grace and the light of the Gospel message, some would ‘indoctrinate’ that message, turning it into
‘dead stones to be hurled at others.’” Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Mar. 19, 2016, no. 49,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco
_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf; “Our teaching on marriage and the family cannot fail to
be inspired and transformed by this message of love and tenderness; otherwise, it becomes nothing more
than the defense of a dry and lifeless doctrine.” Ibid., no. 59. For more, see Giovanni Scalese, “Dottrina vs
discernimento,” Antiquo Robore, Apr. 18, 2017, http://querculanus.blogspot.fr/2017/04/dottrina-vs
-discernimento.html.
313. Matteo Matzuzzi, “Only a Blind Man Can Deny at ere’s Now in the Church Great Confusion,”
trans. Juliana Freitag, Caffarra.it, Jul. 21, 2018, http://www.caffarra.it/eng140117.php.
314. Giovanni Turco, “[Da leggere] alcune linee guida.”
315. Roberto de Mattei, “Roberto de Mattei Double-Post: ‘Meltdown of the Church’ and a Response: ‘e
Process at Has Led Us to the New Modernists,’” trans. Fr. Richard Cipolla, Rorate Cæli, Dec. 1, 2013,
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/12/roberto-de-mattei-double-post-meltdown.html.
c HaPter 6
A New, Subjective Morality
Without Absolute Imperatives
Public statements and gestures made by the Pontiff and those close to him reveal
a drastic paradigm shift in the moral field. A new interpretation of the Encyclical
Humanae Vitae—now being debated—and countless openings in sexual matters,
in general, plow a deep furrow in the Church’s unchangeable magisterium and
discipline. e copious use of ambiguous expressions leaves the ordinary faithful
with a confused impression that the Church is caving into the Sexual Revolution.
P hilosophical relativism and the primacy of praxis inevitably lead to ethical

relativism, according to which there are no moral absolutes.
Eugenio Scalfari posed a question, “Your Holiness, is there a single vision of
the Good? And who decides what it is?”
e pope responded:
Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage

people to move toward what they think is Good. . . .
[And the pope added, e]veryone has his own idea of good and evil
and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives
them.316
e controversial Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, which will be an-

alyzed later in more detail, welcomed this relativization of moral absolutes.
For now, suffice it to note that paragraph 303 said that, “individual conscience
needs to be better incorporated into the Church’s praxis in certain situations
which do not objectively embody our understanding of marriage.” e papal
document stated further that, in an objective situation of adultery, a person
may find that continuing to live more uxorio (i.e., as husband and wife), “for
now is the most generous response which can be given to God, and come to
see with a certain moral security that it is what God himself is asking amid the
concrete complexity of one’s limits, while yet not fully the objective ideal.”317
On August 5, 2017, Prof. Josef Seifert published an article in the German the-
ological and philosophical journal AEMAET titled with the question: “Does
316. Eugenio Scalfari, “e Pope: How the Church Will Change,” La Repubblica, Oct. 1, 2013,
http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/10/01/news/pope_s_conversation_with_scalfari
_english-67643118/.
317. Francis, Amoris Laetitia, no. 303.
Pure Logic reaten to Destroy the Entire Moral Doctrine of the Catholic
Church?” He says that no. 303 of Amoris Laetitia is:
a moral theological atomic bomb that threatens to tear down the

whole moral edifice of the Ten Commandments and of Catholic
moral teaching. . . .
[He goes on to explain this dramatic statement:] If only one case of
an intrinsically immoral act can be permitted and even willed by God,
must this not apply to all acts considered “intrinsically wrong”? . . .
Must then not from pure logic euthanasia, suicide, or assistance
to it, lies, thefts, perjuries, negations or betrayals of Christ, like that
of St. Peter, or murder, under some circumstances and after proper
“discernment,” be good and praiseworthy because of the complexity
of a concrete situation (or because of a lack of ethical knowledge or
strength of will)?318
Regarding adultery, the bishop of Como, Italy, has already taken that step. In
a pastoral note on “remarried” divorcees living more uxorio he stated that, “each
conjugal act [sic] remains an ‘objective disorder,’ but it is not necessarily a ‘grave
sin’ that prevents one from fully welcoming the life of grace.”319 In his turn, in an
opinion titled “Moral eological Deepening,” which was attached to the
bishop’s Pastoral Note, moralist Msgr. Angelo Riva categorically stated that such
adulterous relations “are not sins. ey are good acts of conjugal life.”320
High-ranking Prelates confirm moral Paradigm shift

e Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, confirmed the radical
nature of this new understanding of morality in an interview with Vatican News,
318. Josef Seifert, “Does Pure Logic reaten to Destroy the Entire Moral Doctrine of the Catholic
Church?” AEMAET 6, no. 2 (2017): 5–7, http://www.aemaet.de/index.php/aemaet/article/view/44/pdf_1.
Because of that article, the archbishop of Granada illegitimately and illegally dismissed Prof. Seifert from
the chair of Realist Phenomenology of the International Academy of Philosophy, of which he was the
founder. It was a first example of what Prof. Claudio Pierantoni called “the beginning of the official perse-
cution of orthodoxy within the Church.” Claudio Pierantoni, “Josef Seifert, Pure Logic, and the Beginning
of the Official Persecution of Orthodoxy Within the Church,” AEMAET 6, no. 2 (2017): 22,
http://www.aemaet.de/index.php/aemaet/article/view/46/pdf_1.
319. Diocesi di Como, “Nota pastorale per l’attuazione del cap. VIII di Amoris Laetitia: Accompagnare, dis-
cernere e integrare le fragilità,” Feb. 14, 2018, no. 20, https://famigliechiesacomo.files.wordpress.com
/2018/02/diocesicomo_notapastorale_capviii_al2.pdf.
320. Angelo Riva, “Approfondimento di teologia morale in margine alla nota pastorale per l’attuazione del
cap. VIII di Amoris Laetitia,” Jan. 30, 2018, p. 23, https://famigliechiesacomo.files.wordpress.com/2018/02
/approfondimentoteologiamorale_30gennaio2018_donangeloriva.pdf; “Linee guida crescono da una per-
iferia all’altra, i ‘dubia’ sempre più ignorati,” Chiesa e Post Concilio, Mar. 18, 2018,
https://chiesaepostconcilio.blogspot.fr/2018/03/linee-guida-crescono-da-una-periferia.html.
CHAPTER 6 89
a media outlet launched by the Holy See’s new Secretariat for Communication.
He stated that Amoris Laetitia represents “a new paradigm” through which the
pope calls for “a change in attitude,” “a paradigm shift, and the text [of Amoris
Laetitia] itself insists on this, that’s what is asked of us—this new spirit, this
new approach” to deal pastorally with the marital situations examined in the
document.321
is idea had already been proposed by Cardinal Walter Kasper in an article
published by the magazine Stimmen der Zeit, in November 2016, under the title,
“Amoris Laetitia: Bruch oder aufbruch?” (Amoris Laetitia: Rupture or the be-
ginning of a journey?). Cardinal Kasper says that “one only understands Amoris
Laetitia if one understands the paradigm shift that it undertakes,”322 which con-
sists, he says, in shifting from a moral of the law to Saint omas Aquinas’s
moral of the virtues, or rather his own misreading of the latter.323 e same
idea of paradigm shift was already present in the book Amoris Laetitia: Wen-
depunkt für die Moraltheologie? (Amoris Laetitia: A turning point in moral the-
ology?), written in 2016 by Stephan Goertz and Caroline Witting, professors of
Moral eology at the University of Mainz, Germany.
Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, made the same assessment
in a February 2018 lecture at the University of Cambridge, England, titled,
“Pope Francis’s Revolution of Mercy: Amoris Laetitia as a New Paradigm of
Catholicity.” Six criteria underlie the new paradigm. e first is:
families are a privileged place of God’s self-revelation and activity,

then no family should be considered deprived of God’s grace. . . .
321. Alessandro Gisotti, “Card. Parolin: Il 2018 di Francesco all’insegna di giovani e famiglia,” Vatican
News, Jan. 11, 2018, 09:30, https://www.vaticannews.va/it/vaticano/news/2018-01/card--parolin--il-2018
-di-francesco-allinsegna-di-giovani-e-fami.html#play; Edward Pentin, “Cardinal Parolin: Amoris Laetitia
Represents New Paradigm, Spirit and Approach,” National Catholic Register, Jan. 11, 2018,
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-parolin-amoris-represents-new
-paradigm-new-spirit-new-approach.
322. Walter Kasper, “‘Amoris Laetitia’: Bruch oder aufbruch?” Stimmen der Zeit 11 (Nov. 2016),
http://www.stimmen-der-zeit.de/zeitschrift/ausgabe/details?k_beitrag=4752128&cnid=13&k
_produkt=4754046.
323. “Sometimes one opposes the moral of the law to the moral of virtue because one sees the for-
mer as the expression of an outward desire, and the latter, as a call to interiority. is opposition is
not founded on the Summa eologiae, in which the treatise on law follows the treatise on virtue,
and in which virtuous works are the object of precepts and consist of instructions equally directed
to the intellect and the will, thereby showing man how to achieve, with divine grace, the perfection
of his created and redeemed being.” Jacques Etienne, “Loi et grâce: Le concept de la loi nouvelle
dans la Somme théologique de S. omas d’Aquin,” Revue théologique de Louvain 16, no. 1 (1985): 18–
9, https://www.persee.fr/doc/thlou_0080-2654_1985_num_16_1_2089; see Basil Cole, OP,
“omism, Moral Claim and Amoris Laetitia,” Anthropotes 33 (2017): 313–26,
http://www.istitutogp2.it/public/Basil%20Cole%20OP_Anthropotes%202017-1_estratto.pdf.
[since] whenever there is a family striving to live together and to

love one another, the Spirit is already present.324
George Weigel is the well-known biographer of John Paul II. He replied to

Cardinal Cupich in a First ings article, stating that the “evolution of the
Church’s understanding of the Gospel over the centuries is not a matter of ‘par-
adigm shifts,’ or ruptures, or radical breaks and new beginnings; it’s a question
of what theologians call the development of doctrine,” which must be “organic
and in continuity with ‘the faith once . . . delivered to the saints.’”325
Loose Phrases and symbolic Gestures

at, in Practice, relativize moral mandates
Pope Francis confirms this moral relativism through highly symbolic gestures.
e first was his response to a journalist’s question on the return flight from
Rio de Janeiro, after the World Youth Day. It has become a kind of motto of his
pontificate. e journalist mentioned widely documented homosexual moral
scandals in Montevideo, Uruguay involving Msgr. Battista Ricca, a close col-
laborator of the pope, and asked how the pope intended to:
confront the whole question of the gay lobby? . . .

[e pope replied:] I see that many times in the Church, over and
above this case, but including this case, people search for “sins from
youth,” for example, and then publish them. . . . But if a person,
whether it be a lay person, a priest or a religious sister, commits a sin
and then converts, the Lord forgives, and when the Lord forgives, the
Lord forgets. . . . So much is written about the gay lobby. I still haven’t
found anyone with an identity card in the Vatican with “gay” on it.
ey say there are some there. . . . If someone is gay and is searching
for the Lord and has good will, then who am I to judge him?326
By shifting from the issue of sinful homosexual relations, at the heart of the
question, to the homosexual tendency, which can be involuntary, the pope seemed
to imply in his imprecise language that he judges neither same-sex attracted peo-
ple nor those who engage in homosexual relations. at was how the media in-
terpreted the phrase “who am I to judge?” and trumpeted it to the four corners
324. Cupich, “Revolution of Mercy,” 6–7.

325. Weigel, “e Catholic Church Doesn’t Do ‘Paradigm Shifts.’”
326. Francis, “Press Conference of Pope Francis During the Return Flight: Apostolic Journey to Rio de Janeiro
on the Occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day,” Jul. 28, 2013, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/en/speeches/2013/july/documents/papa-francesco_20130728_gmg-conferenza-stampa.html.
CHAPTER 6 91
of the world. is received no subsequent papal rectification. In several cases,

both Catholic legislators and voting citizens approved bills and ballot measures
favoring the legalization of homosexual unions. When doing so, they rationalized
their actions claiming that they could not be “more papist than the pope.”327
In January 2015, Francis received in audience at his Santa Marta residence
a transsexual from Plasencia, Spain named Neria Lejárraga, who tried to as-
sume a male identity. In a letter to the pontiff, she had complained that after
having undergone sex-change surgery she was rejected by Catholics in her city.
e pope called her by telephone and invited her to visit him at the Vatican,
with all expenses paid by the Apostolic Nunciature in Madrid. He received her
in the company of her so-called fiancée.328 In his press conference on the plane
returning from Georgia and Azerbaijan, the pope described the meeting in de-
tail. In his narrative, the pope used the masculine pronoun when referring to
Neria. “He, who had been she, but is he.”329 Never did he condemn her sex
change and planned “marriage” to another woman.
Equally disconcerting, the pope granted an audience to his former student
Yayo Grassi, accompanied by his homosexual partner, the Indonesian Iwan Bagus,
at the Washington, D.C. Nunciature. e pontiff cordially embraced the two in
front of the cameras. A subsequent note published by the Holy See Press Office
aggravated this scandal. e communiqué stated, “e only real audience granted
by the pope at the Nunciature was with one of his former students and his family
[sic].”330 e note thereby downgraded to the status of a “brief greeting” the pope’s
meeting with Kim Davis, the renowned Rowan County Clerk, from Kentucky, who
suffered jail time for having refused to register homosexual unions.
Even more egregious was the official reception at the Apostolic Palace of
Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, who was accompanied by his
homosexual partner, architect Gauthier Destenay. e two contracted a civil
union in 2010, then “married” in 2015, when same-sex “marriage” was legalized
in the Grand Duchy. e visit’s pretext was the meeting of European leaders in
the Eternal City to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome (the
327. Lisa Bourne, “Pope Francis: Don’t Be ‘More Papist an the Pope,’” LifeSiteNews, Apr. 28, 2017,
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/francis-blasts-critics-for-defending-catholic-teaching-dont
-be-more-papist.
328. See “El Papa recibe en audiencia privada a un transexual español,” El País, Jan. 27, 2015,
http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/01/27/actualidad/1422355975_624238.html.
329. Francis, “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Azerbaijan to Rome,” Oct. 2,
2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco
_20161002_georgia-azerbaijan-conferenza-stampa.html.
330. Fr. Federico Lombardi, dir., “Statement Regarding a Meeting of Pope Francis and Mrs. Kim Davis at
the Nunciature in Washington, DC,” Holy See Press Office, Oct. 2, 2015, https://press.vatican.va/content
/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2015/10/02/0749/01616.html.
first building block for today’s European Union).331 Pablo Iglesias, leader of the
Spanish ultra-leftist party Podemos, immediately tweeted a photo of the re-
ception, with the caption, “Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, re-
ceived at the Vatican with his husband. And here [cardinal] Cañizares
[archbishop of Valencia] says that gays go to hell.” Bettel responded immedi-
ately with his own tweet: “It was a pleasure and an honor for me and Gauthier
to be welcomed by the leader of the Catholic Church.”332
Similar anomalies have taken place regarding artificial birth control methods.
e pope has allowed unchallenged circulation of statements attributed to him
that are contrary to Church teaching. e statement of Sr. Martha Pelloni, a Tere-
sian Carmelite Missionary nun, was a disturbing example. She is a teacher and
founder of aid organizations for peasants. During a talk show on the decriminal-
ization of abortion in Argentina, she stated to Radio Cut (Corrientes, Argentina),
“ere must be responsible parenthood, planning.” She went on to add, “Speaking
of this theme, Pope Francis used three words with me: preservativo, transitorio,
reversible [meaning contraceptive, temporary, reversible]. A diaphragm, and, if
there is no alternative, we counsel peasant women to have . . . a tubal ligation.”333
Another Argentine nun, Sr. Lúcia Caram, who lives in Catalonia, Spain, and
defends abortion and same-sex “marriage,”334 asserted to the media that in a
meeting with the pope he told her to “keep wreaking havoc.”335
e vatican Publishes scandalous sex education textbook

Relativistic preaching from a pope’s lips, highlighted by extremely symbolic
gestures, only aggravates the “moral fluidity”336 of society today. is moral
331. See Cecilia Rodriguez, “Pope Francis’ Welcome to World’s Only Openly Gay Prime Minister Rekindles
Vatican Controversy,” Forbes, Apr. 9, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2017/04/09/pope
-franciss-welcome-to-worlds-only-openly-gay-prime-minister-rekindles-vatican-controversy.
332. “Pablo Iglesias cree que los obispos españoles no entenderían esta foto,” HuffingtonPost.es, Mar. 25,
2017, http://www.huffingtonpost.es/2017/03/25/pablo-iglesias-obispos-foto_a_22011379/.
333. Hemos Visto, “Martha Pelloni: El Papa le habría recomendado el preservativo,” Adelante la Fe, Apr. 3,
2018, 8:52–9:10, https://adelantelafe.com/martha-pelloni-el-papa-le-habria-recomendado-preservativos
-diafragma-o-ligadura-de-trompas/; Martha Pelloni: ‘En Corrientes el índice de pobreza es muy grande,”
Radiocut.fm, 8:52–9:10, https://radiocut.fm/audiocut/martha-pelloni-en-corrientes-el-indice-de
-pobreza-es-muy-grande/.
334. See Ignacio A. Castillo, “La Iglesia no debe meterse en la decisión de una mujer de abortar; ni siquiera
Dios, que por algo nos hizo libres,” La Opinión de Málaga, Jan. 23, 2014, http://www.laopiniondemalaga.es
/sociedad/2014/01/23/iglesia-debe-meterse-decision-mujer/647536.html.
335. German Parga, “El Papa Francisco le pide a Lucía Caram que ‘siga armando lío,’” 20Minutos.es, Oct. 6,
2016, https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/2856412/0/papa-Francis-sor-lucia-caram-lio/.
336. “‘La Verità’ intervista Aldo Maria Valli: ‘Un papa non può guidare la Chiesa con i ‘forse,’ i ‘dipende,’ i
‘però,’” Le Cronache di Papa Francesco, Jan. 7, 2017, https://cronicasdepapafrancisco.com/2017/01/07
/la-verita-intervista-aldo-maria-valli-un-papa-non-puo-guidare-la-chiesa-con-i-forse-i-dipende-i-pero/.
e expression is Aldo Maria Valli’s.
CHAPTER 6 93
relativism in society is reaching unimagined levels with disastrous conse-

quences for the individual faithful, families, and for public morality—the foun-
dation of life together.
e publication of an unusual sex education textbook was yet another
harmful case. Printed in several languages, it was made available to partici-
pants of the 2016 World Youth Day, in Krakow, Poland.
e Pontifical Council for the Family produced the noxious book before its
merger into a new mega-dicastery. At the time, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia
led the Council. e Catholic University of Saint Anthony of Murcia, in Spain,
collaborated in the book’s writing. Titled e Meeting Point, it is divided into
six units. It claims to be a “Project for Affective and Sexual Formation,” in re-
sponse to Pope Francis’s call in Amoris Laetitia,337 from which it quotes exten-
sively. It supposedly takes into account progress made in the fields of
psychology and pedagogy. However, it makes no mention of the Ten Com-
mandments (not even the Sixth and Ninth). Nor does it mention the sinful and
unnatural character of homosexual relations.
Movements that fight hedonistic sexual education programs promoted by in-
ternational organizations and against the pro-abortion lobby have been rightly
scandalized by the textbook’s sensual and graphically explicit character.338
American psychiatrist Rick Fitzgibbons is an assistant professor at the John
Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family Studies at the Catholic University of
America, with forty years of professional experience. He wrote:
In a culture in which youth are bombarded by pornography, I was

particularly shocked by the images contained in this new sex educa-
tion program, some of which are clearly pornographic. My immediate
professional reaction was that this obscene or pornographic ap-
proach abuses youth psychologically and spiritually.
Youth are also harmed by the failure to warn them of the long-
term dangers of promiscuous behaviors and contraceptive use. As a
professional who has treated both priest perpetrators and the victims
of the abuse crisis in the Church, what I found particularly troubling
was that the pornographic images in this program are similar to
337. Pontifical Council for the Family, e Meeting Point: Project for Affective and Sexual Formation, July
19, 2016.
338. See Pete Baklinski, “Vatican Sex Ed ‘Surrenders’ to Sexual Revolution: Life and Family Leaders React,”
LifeSiteNews, Jul. 29, 2016, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vatican-surrenders-to-sexual-revolution-
with-release-of-sex-ed-program-life; Stephanie Block, “e Poverty at Is the Vatican’s New Sexual Edu-
cation Program,” Spero Forum, Aug. 4, 2016, http://www.speroforum.com/a/BZZBFMQVUF52/78494
-e-poverty-that-is-the-Vaticans-new-sexual-education-program.
those used by adult sexual predators of adolescents.339
Judy Brown, president of the American Life League, said in a press release,
“It’s bad enough when Planned Parenthood pushes perverse forms of sex edu-
cation into our schools. For the Vatican to jump on that bandwagon is a night-
mare scenario. Someone must be asleep at the wheel, and it’s high time for
them to wake up.”340
“reinterpreting” Humanae Vitae to Legitimize artificial Birth control

is year is the fiftieth anniversary of Humanae Vitae. us the Holy See set up
a work team to study the history of the encyclical’s writing, coordinated by
Msgr. Gilfredo Marengo. In September 2015, he wrote an article for Vatican In-
sider that was meaningfully titled, “Humanae Vitae and Amoris Laetitia: Parallel
stories.” In it, the author wondered if “the controversial game ‘yes to the pill—
no to the pill’ as well as the current ‘yes to Communion for remarried di-
vorcees—no to Communion for remarried divorcees’ is nothing but the
surfacing of much more discomfort and fatigue in the fabric of ecclesial life.”341
According to Prof. Roberto de Mattei, this initiative is part of an orches-
trated plan to “reinterpret” Humanae Vitae to accept the use of artificial meth-
ods of birth control in some cases.342
The encyclical’s golden anniversary was marked by a lecture series at the
Gregorian University in Rome. The third lecture of the series, titled, “Re-read-
ing Humanae Vitae (1968) in Light of Amoris Laetitia (2016),”343 was delivered
on December 14, 2017, by moralist Fr. Maurizio Chiodi. He is a member of
the abovementioned special work team. In his talk, he defended the thesis
that “one can understand how in situations in which these [methods] are im-
possible or impracticable other forms of responsibility must be found: these
339. Rick Fitzgibbons, “Psychiatrist: e Vatican’s Sex Ed Is the Most Dangerous reat to Youth I’ve Seen
in 40 Years,” LifeSiteNews, Sept. 2, 2016, https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/exclusive-the-new
-threat-to-catholic-youth-the-meeting-point.
340. Pete Baklinski, “Petition Urges Pope Francis to Withdraw ‘Nightmare’ Vatican Sex-Ed Program,” Life-
SiteNews, Aug. 22, 2016, https://www.lifesitenews.com/pulse/catholic-pro-life-org-launches-petition
-asking-pope-francis-to-withdraw-nig.
341. Gilfredo Marengo, “‘Humanae Vitae e Amoris Laetitia, storie parallele,’” La Stampa–Vatican Insider,
Mar. 23, 2017, http://www.lastampa.it/2017/03/23/vaticaninsider/ita/commenti/humanae-vitae
-e-amoris-laetitia-storie-parallele-Mqg9RCXIpwtYnj9ajItpdO/pagina.html.
342. Roberto de Mattei, “De Mattei: e Plan of ‘Reinterpretation’ for Humanae Vitae,” trans. Francesca
Romana, Rorate Cæli, Jun. 14, 2017, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2017/06/de-mattei-plan-of
-reinterpretation-for.html.
343. Diane Montagna, “New Academy for Life Member Uses Amoris to Say Some Circumstances ‘Require’
Contraception,” LifeSiteNews, Jan. 8, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-academy-for
-life-member-uses-amoris-to-say-some-circumstances-require-c.
CHAPTER 6 95
‘circumstances,’ for responsibility, require other methods of birth control. In

these cases, ‘technological’ intervention [that is, the artificial methods con-
demned by the encyclical] does not deny the responsibility of the procreating
relationship.”344
In a January 9, 2018 statement, Prof. Josef Seifert commented, “e situation
ethics Fr. Chiodi defends would also deny the intrinsic wrongness of abortion
and euthanasia, and of many other acts listed in Veritatis Splendor as acts that
are morally wrong under all circumstances and in all situations.” He expressed
the hope that “Pope Francis, Archbishop Paglia, and the large majority of mem-
bers of PAV will ask Father Chiodi to revoke these grave errors, or to resign im-
mediately his membership in this illustrious Academy.”345 Unfortunately, so far
nothing has happened. . .
toward De Facto acceptance of same-sex unions

Following Italy’s approval of the Cirinnà law, which legalized same-sex civil
unions, Pope Francis, in his book-interview with French intellectual Do-
minique Wolton, declared himself favorable to them:
What to think of same-sex marriage? “Marriage” is a historical

word. It has always been a man and a woman in humanity and not
only in the Church. at cannot be changed. . . .
at cannot be changed. It’s the nature of things. ey are like this.
Let’s call it civil unions. . . .
Let’s say things as they are: Marriage is a man with a woman. at
is the precise term. Let’s call the same-sex union a “civil union.”346
It is surprising that Francis affirms that “marriage is a historical word” as if

it were a human, not a divine institution. e immutability of marriage does
not derive from the fact that it has always been this way in history, but from
the Divine will. is is all the more so since Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself re-
stored marriage to its original dignity, elevating it to the dignity of Sacrament.
His proposal to call a partnership founded on unnatural vice a “civil union” is
equally disconcerting, for it legitimizes such unnatural unions in the eyes of
344. Sandro Magister, “Goodbye, ‘Humanae Vitae.’ Francis Liberalizes the Pill,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’E-
spresso–Settimo Cielo, Jan. 30, 2018, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2018/01/30
/goodbye-humanae-vitae-francis-liberalizes-the-pill/.
345. Maike Hickson, “Professor Seifert Comments on Fr. Chiodi’s ‘Re-Reading of Humanae Vitae,’”
OnePeterFive, Jan. 9, 2018, https://onepeterfive.com/professor-seifert-comments-fr-chiodis-re
-reading-humanae-vitae/.
the public, especially the youth.347

In this context, one understands better the announcement by Bishop Bren-
dan Leahy of Limerick, Ireland: “Gay couples must be made welcome at next
year’s World Meeting of Families in Ireland.” Organized by the new Dicastery
for the Laity, Family, and Life, the meeting is scheduled for August 21–26, 2018,
and the pope is expected to attend. “We are living in changing times and family
too is changing,” the bishop said.348
e organizing committee released a promotional video in which Most Rev.
David Gerard O’Connell, a native of Cork, Ireland who is now auxiliary bishop
of Los Angeles, states:
Pope Francis, he gets it. He gets it that our society has changed so
much in the last couple of generations.
We have all sorts of configurations of families now, whether it’s
just the traditional family of mum and dad together, or it’s now mum
on her own or dad on his own, or a gay couple raising children, or
people in second marriages.349
Due to protests by the Lumen Fidei movement, that part of the video was
excluded by the meeting organizers.
The same thing happened with a promotional booklet for the event. It
originally had five pictures of homosexual couples. They were later removed
together with this statement: “While the Church upholds the ideal of mar-
riage as a permanent commitment between a man and a woman, other
unions exist which provide mutual support to the couple. Pope Francis en-
courages us never to exclude but to accompany these couples also, with love,
care and support.”350
u.s. Jesuit James martin’s Bridge to the Homosexual community

Pope Francis’s April 12, 2017 appointment of Fr. James Martin, SJ as a consultant
347. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recog-
nition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons,” Jul. 31, 2003, no. 6, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia
/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html.
348. Sarah MacDonald, “Gay Couples Must Be Made Welcome at World Meeting of Families, Insists
Bishop,” e Irish Independent, Oct. 13, 2017, https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gay-couples
-must-be-made-welcome-at-world-meeting-of-families-insists-bishop-36222730.html.
349. Sarah MacDonald, “Welcome to Gay Parents Edited Out of Church Video,” e Irish Independent,
Mar. 5, 2018, https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/welcome-to-gay-parents-edited-out-of-church
-video-36669007.html.
350. Patsy McGarry, “Images of Same-Sex Couples Removed From World Meeting of Families Booklet,”
e Irish Times, Jan. 30, 2018, https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/religion-and-beliefs
/images-of-same-sex-couples-removed-from-world-meeting-of-families-booklet-1.3372908.
CHAPTER 6 97
to the Holy See’s Secretariat of Communications was equally telltale of this grad-
ual acceptance of homosexual relationships. Just months before, on October
30, 2016, New Ways Ministry honored the Jesuit with its Build Bridges Award.
Years earlier, this group was condemned by the Holy See and by the United
States Bishops’ Conference for favoring homosexual relations and unions. At
the bestowal, the organization’s executive director stated, “Being mentioned by
Fr. Martin is better than being mentioned by e New York Times or CNN,”
because when he links to a post by the group the number of visits increases
twentyfold.351
For decades, Father Martin has been laboring to force Church acceptance
of the homosexual community and its lifestyle. He authored Building a Bridge:
How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter Into a Relationship
of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. In it, he argued that the Church must
acknowledge that “the L.G.B.T. community brings unique gifts to the Church.”
He said the Church must treat homosexuals like any other group, without fear
of appearing to be in “a tacit agreement with everything that anyone in the
L.G.B.T. community says or does.” e Church must do this, he emphasized,
because “L.G.B.T. people are beloved children of God with gifts—both as indi-
viduals and as a community.”352
Father Martin has condemned Catholic institutions that fire employees who
enter into same-sex unions. He approved of Cardinal Schönborn, archbishop
of Vienna, when the prelate praised such unions. Similarly, he has called for
the elimination of the expressions “objectively disordered” and “intrinsically
disordered,” which the Catechism of the Catholic Church employs when refer-
ring to homosexuality, for their presumed cruelty.353
In a video released in September 2017, Father Martin stated that the
Church’s teaching that homosexuals should remain celibate throughout their
lives is not binding on conscience because it was not “received” [by the Peo-
ple of God] “for it to be really authoritative.”354 And in a September 19, 2017
351. Jim Russell, “New Ways Ministry’s ‘Fr. James Martin Effect,’” Crisis Magazine, Apr. 12, 2017,
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2017/new-ways-ministrys-fr-james-martin-effect.
352. James Martin, SJ, “We Need to Build a Bridge Between LGBT Community and the Catholic Church,”
America, Oct. 30, 2016, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2016/10/30/james-martin-sj-we
-need-build-bridge-between-lgbt-community-and-catholic-church.
353. Ibid. See Catechism of the Catholic Church, nos. 2357, 2358; Jonathan Merritt, “is Vatican Adviser Is
Moving Catholics Toward LGBT Inclusion,” Religion News Service, Jun. 6, 2017, http://religionnews.com/2017
/06/06/this-top-vatican-official-is-quietly-moving-catholics-toward-lgbt-inclusion/.
354. “Brandon Ambrosino Interviews James Martin, SJ, Villanova University, Aug. 29, 2017,” Joseph Sci-
ambra, “James Martin on Same-Sex Marriage, Humanae Vitae and Ex-gays,” YouTube, Sept. 20, 2017,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfbYRJN-jWE&feature=youtu.be, 3:03, 3:20–22; Marco Tosatti,
“‘Insegnamento non ricevuto’, liberi i cristiani LGBT,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Sept. 22, 2017,
http://lanuovabq.it/it/insegnamento-non-ricevuto-liberi-i-cristiani-lgbt.
Facebook post, he wrote to his half-million followers: “The Holy Spirit knows
what She’s doing.”355
When Obama’s executive order imposing transgender restrooms on schools
was reversed by the Trump White House, Father Martin sent his followers a
tweet saying he disapproved: “It saddens me that a #trans student cannot
choose what bathrooms to use.”356
Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity,
Family, and Life, praised Father Martin’s Building Bridges, saying it is “much-
needed.” For his part, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, archbishop of Newark, called it
“brave, prophetic.”357
toward a Liturgical Blessing for Homosexual unions?

The Vatican Secretariat for Communications’ hiring of Accenture is another
indication of the growing rapprochement with the homosexual movement.
This company was commissioned to reorganize and unify all of the Holy
See’s current channels of communication. This includes Vatican Media, Vat-
ican Radio, and Vatican News. Accenture is known worldwide for promoting
the homosexual lobby’s political agenda. In 2013, it received the award of
Britain’s most “gay friendly” employer, and, in 2016, Ireland’s “best LGBT
workplace” award.358 Accenture produces videos proposing strategies to pro-
mote homosexual rights worldwide. It co-signed an amicus curiae brief for
Obergefell v. Hodges, favoring the approval of same-sex “marriage” by the
U.S. Supreme Court.
Moreover, last Christmas, the Holy See installed a crèche in Saint Peter’s
Square with neither ox nor donkey. The figures of the Holy Family were
placed in the background while many others in the foreground evoked the
corporal works of mercy. The secular media saw this, too, as a sign of this
rapprochement. The most talked about scene was called: “Clothe the naked.”
It featured a naked man, with a shaved body, seemingly forged by bodybuild-
ing. The secular media referred to it as favorable to homosexuality and as
355. James Martin, SJ, Facebook, Sept. 19, 2017,

https://www.facebook.com/FrJamesMartin/posts/10154760118671496?pnref=story.
356. James Martin, SJ, Twitter, Feb. 22, 2017, 9:40 PM, https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status
/834578641698844674. On July 29, 2018, Fr. Martin had 226,000 Twitter followers.
357. Claire Chretien, “Francis-Appointed Cardinals Back Jesuit’s Pro-LGBT Book,” LifeSiteNews, Apr. 7,
2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/francis-appointed-cardinals-back-jesuits-pro-lgbt-book.
358. Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, “Vatican Hires LBGT Activist Company to Create and Run New Internet
News Platform,” LifeSiteNews, Dec. 20, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vatican-hires-lgbt
-activist-company-to-create-and-run-new-internet-news-pla.
CHAPTER 6 99
having “homoerotic allusions.”359

e president of Arcigay Naples admitted that “the presence of the Vatican
Nativity Scene for us is a reason to be even happier this year. For the homosex-
ual and transsexual community of Naples, it is an important symbol of inclu-
sion and integration.” In fact, the crib was a gift from the Abbey of
Montevergine (Avellino), in whose vicinity homosexuals celebrate an “‘ances-
tral gay pride’ pilgrimage” [sic] with references to the pagan cult of Cybele, the
goddess symbol of androgyny.360
Pope Francis’s and the Holy See’s direct actions in this matter go hand-in-
hand with the Vatican’s silence on initiatives that encourage acceptance of ho-
mosexual unions in the Church. An example of this is the statement of Cardinal
Reinhard Marx, president of the German Bishops’ Conference and member of
the small circle of the pope’s advisors on the reform of the Curia, known as C9.
Questioned by Bavarian public radio on the proposal to have a Church blessing
ceremony for homosexual couples, the archbishop of Munich said,
“One must also encourage priests and pastoral workers to give

people in concrete situations encouragement. I do not really see any
problems there.”
e specific liturgical form such blessings—or other forms of “en-
couragement”—should take is a quite different question . . . that re-
quires further careful consideration. . . .
[e cardinal repeated] there could be “no general solutions.”
“It’s about pastoral care for individual cases.”361
359. “Vaticano, papa Francesco e il presepe gay in piazza San Pietro: Scandalo mondiale, mai vista una roba
così,” Libero Quotidiano, Dec. 31, 2017, http://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/italia/13295190/vaticano-papa-
francesco-presepe-gay-scandalo-piazza-san-pietro-rivolta-cristiana.html.; Fabrizio D’Esposito, “Vaticano, il
presepe filogay scatena la destra clericale,” Il Fatto Quotidiano, Dec. 31, 2017,
https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/premium/articoli/vaticano-il-presepe-filogay-scatena-la-destra-clericale/;
Diane Montagna, “Vatican’s ‘Sexually Suggestive’ Nativity Has Troubling Ties to Italy’s LGBT Activists,” Life-
SiteNews, Dec. 20, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vaticans-sexually-suggestive-nativity-has
-troubling-ties-to-italys-lgbt-act.
360. Ibid.
361. Anian Christoph Wimmer, “Cardinal Marx Endorses Blessing Ceremonies for Same-Sex Couples,”
Crux, Feb. 4, 2018, https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2018/02/04/cardinal-marx-endorses-blessing
-ceremonies-sex-couples/.
c HaPter 7
An Example of the
Paradigm Shift: Holy Communion
for “Remarried” Divorcees
e Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia is undoubtedly the document-symbol
of the ongoing paradigm shift and cultural revolution. It opened the possibility for
civilly “remarried” divorcees to receive Holy Communion on a “case-by-case basis.”
Great Catholic theologians and scholars see it as the “straw that breaks the back”
of moral theology as a whole. Four cardinals respectfully raised dubia on the sub-
ject, but the pope never responded. Dozens of bishops, priests, religious, theolo-
gians, and laymen have taken a public stand in defense of traditional Catholic
doctrine, a front of resistance unseen in Church history for centuries.
T here is one application of the moral relativism denounced earlier that is

dramatic beyond description. Indeed, it entails the serious risk of multi-
plying sacrileges. It is the issue of marriage indissolubility, and the Church’s de
facto acceptance of adulterous unions in the name of a pastoral policy in-
formed by people’s actual lives.
e Church’s centuries-old discipline denies Holy Communion for civilly
“remarried” divorcees. ey are in an objective state of mortal sin. eir fault
is further aggravated by scandal if their adulterous situation is public and no-
torious. Whatever their subjective intentions may be, such persons are objec-
tively in the state of “manifest grave sin.” Consequently, they cannot receive the
Holy Eucharist.362 To receive Holy Communion they must first repent of their
sins and abandon their illicit relations. If “remarried” divorcees cannot leave
the house where they live with the adulterous partner because, for example,
they must raise their children, then they must commit to living chastely, i.e.,
under the same roof, but not in the same bed.
However, there are growing numbers of divorced Catholics who civilly “re-
marry.” Because of this, efforts have been made since the seventies to relativize
the prohibition of their receiving Holy Communion. Such efforts have been
362. See Code of Canon Law, can. 915, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P39.HTM. “If the di-
vorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God’s law.
Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same
reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of
Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and
of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.” Catechism of the Catholic
Church, no. 1650.
seen primarily in the United States and Canada.363
solemn magisterial reaffirmation of

eucharistic exclusion for civilly “remarried” divorcees
e issue was raised during the 1980 Synod on the family because of these lib-
eral efforts. After the synod, John Paul II published the Apostolic Exhortation
Familiaris Consortio. In paragraph 84, he confirmed the exclusion of divorced
and “remarried” persons from Holy Communion. e undergirding principles
were approved by a majority of the Synod Fathers:
However, the Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon

Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion di-
vorced persons who have remarried. ey are unable to be admitted
thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively
contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church, which
is signified and effected by the Eucharist.
Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these peo-
ple were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into
error and confusion regarding the Church’s teaching about the indis-
solubility of marriage.364
test of strength Between the Leadership

of the German episcopate and the Holy see
Despite the text’s clarity, the three German bishops of the ecclesiastical province
of the Upper Rhine published a joint pastoral letter in July 1993. ey claimed
363. ese attempts began in diocesan groups specializing in pastoral care for divorcees, including those
civilly “remarried.” Group chaplains sustained that if, in conscience, “remarried” divorcees considered
themselves to be free from their first marriage bond, then they could receive Communion even without a
canonical declaration of marriage nullity.
In 1971, under the pretext of respect for conscience, a committee of the Catholic eological Society of
America presented a study that endorsed this so-called pastoral practice. e condition was that the “re-
married” divorcees present themselves for Communion “after proper consultation, reflection and prayer.”
In 1972, in the name of a solution in the internal forum, Most Rev. Robert Tracy, bishop of Baton Rouge,
wrote a pastoral letter proposing a diocesan tribunal that would issue a “decree of good conscience.” Ken-
neth R. Himes, OFM, and James A. Coriden, “Notes on Moral eology 1995: Pastoral Care of the Divorced
and Remarried,” eological Studies 57 (1996): 100, http://cdn.theologicalstudies.net/57/57.1/57.1.6.pdf.
In September 1972, the Administrative Board of the National Conference of [U.S.] Catholic Bishops sent
the Vatican a study raising the possibility of admitting to Communion “remarried” divorcee couples who
did not live as brothers and sisters. Accordingly, in March 1975, the secretary of the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith wrote the president of the United States Catholic Conference reiterating that cou-
ples living in irregular unions can receive Communion only if they (a) live in chastity, and (b) receive it in
churches where they are unknown, to avoid scandal. See ibid.
364. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio, Nov. 22, 1981, no. 84,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh
_19811122_familiaris-consortio.html.
CHAPTER 7 103
that the Church should treat divorced and civilly “remarried” couples with mercy.
ey asserted that Canon Law’s prescriptions are general but fail to take into ac-
count complex individual cases. ey suggested that each “remarried” divorcee
could discern his or her situation with the aid of a priest, and decide, in con-
science, whether or not to receive Holy Communion. e celebrant or Eucharis-
tic minister would be forbidden to refuse Communion to the divorcee.365
at pastoral letter had an enormous impact because of its authors’ fame.
Two of them were well-known theologians, the Most Rev. Walter Kasper,
bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, and Most Rev. Karl Lehmann, archbishop of
Mainz and president of the German Bishops’ Conference. e third was the
Bishops’ Conference vice-president, Most Rev. Oskar Saier, a respected canon-
ist and archbishop of Freiburg im Breisgau.
e impact was such that it prompted a Vatican response. After a series of
meetings between Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and the German bishops, the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a year later a Curia doc-
ument titled “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Concerning the Re-
ception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried Members of the
Faithful.” It emphatically stated: “Members of the faithful who live together as
husband and wife with persons other than their legitimate spouses may not
receive Holy Communion. Should they judge it possible to do so, pastors and
confessors, given the gravity of the matter and the spiritual good of these per-
sons as well as the common good of the Church, have the serious duty to ad-
monish them that such a judgment of conscience openly contradicts the
Church’s teaching. Pastors in their teaching must also remind the faithful en-
trusted to their care of this doctrine.”366
Some ignored the Church’s teaching. They argued erroneously, for exam-
ple, that Eucharistic ministers cannot make an external judgment on the
subjective conditions of a civilly “remarried” divorcee being in mortal sin.
Addressing this claim, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts published
365. “e [Rhine] bishops suggest eight criteria for discernment: (1) Responsibility for the collapse of the
first marriage ‘must be acknowledged and repented’; (2) it must be clear ‘that a return to the first partner
is really impossible’; (3) ‘restitution must be made for wrongs done’; (4) any ‘obligations to the wife and
children of the first marriage’ must be met; (5) ‘scandal should be taken into consideration’; (6) the second
relationship ‘must have proved itself over a long period of time to represent a decisive and also publicly
recognizable will to live together permanently’; (7) whether or not there exist moral obligations of ‘fidelity
to the second relationship’ should be determined; (8) it should be clear that ‘the partners seek truly to live
according to the Christian faith and with true motives.’” Himes and Coriden, “Pastoral Care of the Di-
vorced and Remarried,” 104.
366. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church Concerning
the Reception of Holy Communion by the Divorced and Remarried Members of the Faithful,” Sept. 14, 1994,
no. 6, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc
_14091994_rec-holy-comm-by-divorced_en.html.
a June 2000 document titled “Declaration Concerning the Admission to Holy

Communion of Faithful Who Are Divorced and Remarried.” This Holy See
document reaffirmed, “The prohibition found in the cited canon [915], by its
nature, is derived from divine law and transcends the domain of positive ec-
clesiastical laws: the latter cannot introduce legislative changes which would
oppose the doctrine of the Church.”367
Pope Francis nods to a change in the church’s Position

is firm and clear position became a victim of the paradigm shift. In his very
first Angelus address, from the balcony of the papal palace, newly-elected Pope
Francis praised Cardinal Walter Kasper, calling him “a good theologian.”368
e second sign of paradigm shift came on the return flight from Rio de
Janeiro, after the World Youth Day. e pope was asked if there is any possibility
of changing Church discipline regarding access to the sacraments by divorced
and “remarried” people. Francis responded: “e Orthodox have a different
practice. ey follow the theology of what they call oikonomia, and they give a
second chance, they allow it. But I believe that this problem . . . must be studied
within the context of the pastoral care of marriage.”369
e expectation of change mushroomed, even more, when the media car-
ried statements by an Argentine woman and her divorced companion. ey
claimed that Pope Francis had phoned her and authorized her to receive Holy
Communion. e condition was, not to do so in her parish. at way there
would be no conflict with her pastor.370 e Holy See Press Office did not deny
her story. It merely stated that such conversations should be understood in the
context of the pope’s personal pastoral relations. ey should not be seen as
events with “consequences for the teachings of the Church.”371
e “Kasper report” triggers chain reactions

On October 8, 2013, the ird Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod
of Bishops was convoked in this atmosphere charged with mixed signals. e
367. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, “Declaration: II. Concerning the Admission to Holy Communion
of Faithful Who Are Divorced and Remarried,” Jun. 24, 2000, no. 1, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia
/pontifical_councils/intrptxt/documents/rc_pc_intrptxt_doc_20000706_declaration_en.html.
368. Francis, “Angelus,” Mar. 17, 2013, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2013
/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20130317.html.
369. Francis, “Returning From Rio’s World Youth Day.”
370. See “Franicsco llamó a una divorciada para decirle que puede comulgar,” Cronista, Apr. 22, 2014,
https://www.cronista.com/informaciongral/Francis-llamo-a-una-divorciada-para-decirle-que-puede
-comulgar-20140422-0117.html.
371. “Santa Sede. Le telefonate del papa, non trarre conclusioni su insegnamento della Chiesa,” Avvenire,
Apr. 24, 2014, https://www.avvenire.it/chiesa/pagine/papa-divorziati-eucaristia-lombardi.
CHAPTER 7 105
announcement stated the synod would be held in October of the following

year. Its delegates would address “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the
Context of Evangelization.”372 is theme would also be the subject of the next
Ordinary Synod, in 2015, which would discuss “e Vocation and Mission of
the Family in the Church and Contemporary World.”373 ere would also be
broad consultation with the grassroots.
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, sent
out a preparatory document to the world’s bishops. It included a 38-question
survey on “new situations” surrounding the family. Four of these were partic-
ularly controversial. ey dealt with unions between same-sex persons374 and
pastoral care, especially access to Holy Communion for divorced couples in a
second union.375
Papal speeches encouraged the grassroots to respond to the Baldisseri
questionnaire proposing Church pastoral and doctrinal changes. The so-
called grassroots were really progressive lay groups and bishops’ conferences.
For example, the Office of Pastoral Care for the Freiburg Archdiocese issued
an official document that encouraged “remarried” divorcees to immediately
and unscrupulously present themselves for Holy Communion. They could
do so based on a simple “decision taken responsibly and according to one’s
372. Synod of Bishops, ird Extraordinary General Assembly, “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the
Context of Evangelization—Preparatory Document,” Nov. 5, 2013, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia
/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20131105_iii-assemblea-sinodo-vescovi_en.html.
373. Synod of Bishops, Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly, “e Vocation and Mission of the Family in
the Church and Contemporary World—Lineamenta,” Dec. 9, 2014, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia
/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20141209_lineamenta-xiv-assembly_en.html.
374. Here are this topic’s questions:
5. On Unions of Persons of the Same Sex
a) Is there a law in your country recognizing civil unions for people of the same-sex and equating it in some way to
marriage?
b) What is the attitude of the local and particular Churches toward both the State as the promoter of civil unions be-
tween persons of the same sex and the people involved in this type of union?
c) What pastoral attention can be given to people who have chosen to live in these types of union?
d) In the case of unions of persons of the same sex who have adopted children, what can be done pastorally in light
of transmitting the faith?
Synod of Bishops, ird Extraordinary General Assembly, “Preparatory Document,” III–5
375. Here are the survey’s controversial questions on this matter:
4. Pastoral Care in Certain Difficult Marital Situations . . . .
c) Are separated couples and those divorced and remarried a pastoral reality in your particular Church? Can you ap-
proximate a percentage? How do you deal with this situation in appropriate pastoral programs?
d) In all the above cases, how do the baptized live in this irregular situation? Are [they] aware of it? Are they simply
indifferent? Do they feel marginalized or suffer from the impossibility of receiving the sacraments?
e) What questions do divorced and remarried people pose to the Church concerning the Sacraments of the Eu-
charist and of Reconciliation? Among those persons who find themselves in these situations, how many ask for
these sacraments?
Ibid., III–4.
conscience.”376 At the time, Freiburg’s archbishop was Most Rev. Robert Zol-
litsch, president of the German Bishops’ Conference.
With most cardinals present in Rome for the February 2014 consistory, Pope
Francis asked them to discuss the family, using an introductory report he had
commissioned from Cardinal Walter Kasper. As seen, Cardinal Kasper was the
German prelate who issued a 1993 joint pastoral with two other Rhine bishops,
proposing to remove the prohibition of communion for divorced and “remar-
ried” persons.
Cardinal Kasper’s 2014 report again suggested a paradigm shift for the
Church regarding communion for “remarried” divorcees. He said the issue
should be considered from the perspective of those who are suffering and re-
questing help. He claimed (falsely) that in the early Church, Christians who
separated from their still-living spouse and entered into a second union were
not allowed to marry a second time but that, after a certain period of penance,
they received a life raft in the form of Communion. He went on to say that while
the Latin Church had abandoned this custom, the (schismatic) Orthodox had
retained it with the principle of oikonomia, as Pope Francis mentioned during
the press conference returning from Rio de Janeiro.
In subsequent weeks, renowned historians refuted Cardinal Kasper’s thesis
that the early Church admitted “remarried” divorcees to Communion. ey
conclusively proved that councils had approved Communion for remarried
widows and widowers, not for “remarried” divorcees.
Many cardinals reacted to the dissemination of the Kasper thesis. Among
376. Birger Menke, “Diocese Opens Door to Communion for the Remarried,” Spiegel Online, Aug. 10, 2013,
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/freiburg-catholic-diocese-opens-door-to-communion
-for-remarried-people-a-926645.html.
In response to this scandalous initiative, German Archbishop Gerhard L. Müller reaffirmed the indis-
solubility of marriage and the prohibition of Communion for public sinners. See Gerhard Ludwig Müller,
“Testimony to the Power of Grace: On the Indissolubility of Marriage and the Debate Concerning the
Civilly Remarried and the Sacraments,” Oct. 23, 2013, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations
/cfaith/muller/rc_con_cfaith_20131023_divorziati-risposati-sacramenti_en.html. In this article, first pub-
lished in L’Osservatore Romano, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith condemned,
in passing, the pastoral leniency of oikonomia practiced by the Orthodox schismatics. However, state-
ments from two other prelates overshadowed Archbishop Müller’s intervention: Cardinal Reinhard Marx,
archbishop of Munich, and Cardinal Oscar Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras—both very
close to Pope Francis and members of the C9, the group of cardinals who assist the pope in the reform of
the Curia. Cardinal Marx declared that this article could not “stop discussions.” “‘Müller Cannot Stop
Discussions’ Relating to Remarried Divorcees,” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Nov. 11, 2013,
http://www.lastampa.it/2013/11/11/vaticaninsider/mller-cannot-stop-discussions-relating-to
-remarried-divorcees-xPpiKwGFyq80O1a7QoxGqM/pagina.html. Cardinal Maradiaga pontificated that
Archbishop Müller “‘is a professor of German theology;’ ‘he sees things in black-and-white terms . . . in
terms of good and bad. . . .’ But, ‘the world isn’t like that, my brother. You should be a bit flexible.’”
“Maradiaga Says Müller Needs to ‘Be a Bit More Flexible,’” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Jan. 21, 2014,
http://www.lastampa.it/2014/01/21/vaticaninsider/maradiaga-says-mller-needs-to-be-a-bit-more
-flexible-vZdAXTfW8PCqOqYloLM4oM/pagina.html.
CHAPTER 7 107
them were Cardinals Burke, Müller, Brandmüller, De Paolis, Caffarra, and Pell.
Historians, theologians, canonists, and moralists all weighed in. Eight U.S. Do-
minican professors published a notable work in which they highlighted that
Cardinal Kasper’s report would entail suppressing the obligation of chastity
according to one’s state in life. It would be as if the faithful could not be sure of
the help of grace in the practice of the virtue of purity.377
On the eve of the Extraordinary Synod, the first five of the above-noted car-
dinals published their assessments together with those of four experts in a
book titled, Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Matrimony and Communion in the
Catholic Church. In it, the authors recounted the centuries-old history of
Catholic opposition to Communion for “remarried” divorcees. ey also
showed there is no argument supporting the kind of tolerance Cardinal Kasper
was proposing. e latter deplored the book’s publication as “an ideological
war” aimed at Pope Francis.378 National Catholic Register’s well-known Rome
correspondent Edward Pentin reported that “reliable and high-level sources
allege the head of the secretariat of the synod of bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo
Baldisseri, ordered they [copies of the book] be intercepted [removed from the
Synod Fathers’ mail boxes] because they would ‘interfere with the synod.’”379
maneuvers to impose the “Kasper esis” at the extraordinary synod

On October 5, 2014, the Extraordinary Synod opened, but with various anom-
alies.380 When the intermediate report was read, many protested that it did not
reflect the actual content of most speeches but only the Kasper minority thesis.
ey pointed out that the thesis included a surprising moral principle—the
377. “Although the present proposals concern only the divorced-and-remarried, adopting them—even as
a ‘merely’ pastoral practice—requires that the Church accept in principle that sexual activity outside of a
permanent and faithful marriage is compatible with communion with Christ and with the Christian life. If
accepted, however, it is hard to see how the Church could resist admitting to Holy Communion unmar-
ried cohabiting couples, or persons in homosexual unions, and so forth. Indeed, the logic of this position
suggests that the Church should bless such relationships (as the Anglican communion is now doing), and
even accept the full gamut of contemporary sexual ‘liberation.’ Communion for the divorced-and
-remarried is only the beginning.” John Corbett, OP, et al., “Recent Proposals for the Pastoral Care of the
Divorced and Remarried: A eological Assessment,” Nova et Vetera 12, no. 3 (Summer 2014): 615–6,
http://www.laikos.org/recent-proposals-a-theological-assessment.pdf.
378. Antonio Manzo, “Intervista al cardinale Kasper: ‘Voglione la guerra al Sinodo, il papa è il bersaglio,’” Il
Mattino, Sept. 18, 2014, https://www.ilmattino.it/primopiano/cronaca/cardinale_kasper_intervista_mattino
-595778.html.
379. Edward Pentin, “Vatican Alleged to Have Intercepted Synod Book,” Newsmax, Feb. 25, 2015,
https://www.newsmax.com/edwardpentin/pope-francis-cardinal-walter-kasper-cardinal-gerhard
-muller-vatican/2015/02/25/id/626811/.
380. e two main anomalies were the failure to make public the speeches given during the Synod’s meet-
ings and the addition of six progressive prelates to the drafting committee of the intermediate and final
reports. For an overview of the anomalies, see Edward Pentin, e Rigging of a Vatican Synod? An Investiga-
tion Into Alleged Manipulation at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2015).
so-called principle of gradualness. at principle would supposedly allow one

to gather positive elements from objectively sinful situations. For example, one
should see “seeds of the Word that have spread beyond its visible and sacra-
mental boundaries”381 in premarital relations or homosexual unions. In other
words, any sin would become just an imperfect form of good. One should prac-
tice a kind of ecumenism with evil or sin. “According to official sources, at least
forty-one bishops who [were] involved in the Synod were quite surprised—and
quite ‘agitated’—at the appearance of the document Monday.”382
In subsequent workshops, the intermediate report was literally shredded
by the sheer number of proposed amendments, some seven hundred. Most of
them recommended that the final report should emphasize above all that there
is only one marriage model: e indissoluble union of one man and one
woman, open to having children and raising them in the Faith. Despite the
pope’s presence, discontent exploded in the Synod hall when it was announced
that reports from the language groups383 would not be communicated to the
Synod Fathers. Naturally, this increased the risk that the final report would
merely disregard their proposed changes.384 Faced with such strong opposition,
and after a vote, the texts were finally communicated to the participants.
Although the drafting committee was compelled to draw up a compromise
text for the final vote, three paragraphs failed to muster the required two-thirds
majority for approval and inclusion in the final report. One dealt with the pas-
toral care of persons with same-sex attraction. e other two concerned Com-
munion for “remarried” divorcees. ese paragraphs’ failure to secure the votes
needed proves the existence of divergent positions among the Synod Fathers.
Despite their rejection and contrary to the Synod rules, Pope Francis ordered
that they be included in the final report. is report would be sent to dioceses
and parishes to inspire grassroots proposals for the Ordinary Synod the following
year.385 Commenting on this, Cardinal Reinhard Marx told the daily Die Zeit, “e
381. Synod of Bishops, III Extraordinary General Assembly, “Relatio post disceptationem,” 4.
382. Robert Royal, “Synod Day 9—Bishops to World: ‘Never Mind,’” e Catholic ing, Oct. 15, 2014,
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2014/10/15/synod-day-9-bishops-to-world-never-mind/.
383. “From October 13 to 16, [2014] the assembly was divided into 10 Circoli minori (small working
groups), composed of an average 25 persons each, divided according to language groups. ese groups
discussed the content of the RPD [Relatio Post Disceptationem] and made recommendations for changes
and other inputs.” e Servant General, “Report and Reflections on the III Extraordinary General Assem-
bly of the Synod of Bishops,” Couples for Christ, Oct. 24, 2014, http://cfcffl.net/report-and-reflections
-on-the-iii-extraordinary-general-assembly-of-the-synod-of-bishops/.
384. Reportedly, Cardinal Pell stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and said, “You must stop manipu-
lating this Synod.” Robert Royal, “Synod Day 11: Some Numbers,” e Catholic ing, Oct. 17, 2014,
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2014/10/17/synod-day-11-some-numbers/.
385. See Brian Williams, “Baldisseri: Pope Francis Approved Controversial Midterm Relatio,” OnePeterFive,
Jan. 29, 2015, https://onepeterfive.com/baldisseri-pope-francis-approved-controversial-midterm-relatio/.
CHAPTER 7 109
synod debates were just a starting point. Francis wants to get things moving, to
push processes forward. e real work is about to begin.”386
e secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri,
expressed similar ideas to the newspaper Avvenire: “In fact, we believe that this
period between the two Synods is the most important. . . . ere are study
groups at various levels here in Rome that will study the most sensitive issues,
especially those that touch on points that have not received a qualified major-
ity.”387 In turn, when in the U.K. launching his book, Pope Francis’s Revolution of
Tenderness and Love, Cardinal Walter Kasper stated, “We should all pray for it
because a battle is going on.”388
nearly 900,000 Faithful ask for an

enlightening Word, but the vatican is silent
e pope, himself, described that battle in an interview with the Argentine
newspaper La Nación: “‘e German Cardinal Walter Kasper said we should
look for hypotheses, that is, he paved the way. And some people got fright-
ened.’”389 He continued: “In the case of divorcees who have remarried, we posed
the question, what do we do with them? What door can we allow them to
open? is was a pastoral concern: will we allow them to go to Communion?
Communion alone is no solution. e solution is integration. ey have not
been excommunicated, true. But they cannot be godfathers to any child being
baptized, Mass readings are not for divorcees, they cannot give Communion,
they cannot teach Sunday school, there are about seven things they cannot do,
I have the list over there. Come on!”390
Faced with this threat to Church teaching, a group of organizations and laity
under the name Filial Appeal promoted a message to Pope Francis which stated:
We see widespread confusion arising from the possibility that a
386. Christa Pongratz-Lippitt, “Cardinal Marx: Pope Francis Has Pushed Open the Doors of the Church,”
National Catholic Reporter, Oct. 28, 2014, https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/cardinal-marx
-pope-francis-has-pushed-open-doors-church.
387. Mimmo Muolo, “Sinodo. Baldisseri: ‘Sinodo scelte coraggiose,’” Avvenire, Jan. 23, 2015,
https://www.avvenire.it/chiesa/pagine/scelte-coraggiose-attesa-del-sinodo.
388. Cindy Wooden, “Cardinal Kasper Asks for Prayers for Synod, Saying ‘a Battle Is Going on,’” Catholic
Herald, Mar. 23, 2015, http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/23/cardinal-kasper-asks-for
-prayers-for-synod-saying-a-battle-is-going-on/.
389. Elisabetta Piqué, “Pope Francis: ‘God Has Bestowed on Me a Healthy Dose of Unawareness,’”
La Nación, Dec. 7, 2014, https://www.lanacion.com.ar/1750350-pope-francis-god-has-bestowed-on
-me-a-healthy-dose-of-unawareness.
390. Elisabetta Piqué, “e Synod on the Family: ‘e Divorced and Remarried Seem Excommunicated,’”
La Nación, Dec. 7, 2014, https://www.lanacion.com.ar/1750351-the-synod-on-the-family-the
-divorced-and-remarried-seem-excommunicated.
breach has opened within the Church that would accept adultery—
by permitting divorced and then civilly remarried Catholics to receive
Holy Communion—and would virtually accept even homosexual
unions when such practices are categorically condemned as being
contrary to Divine and natural law.
Paradoxically, our hope stems from this confusion. Truly, in these
circumstances, a word from Your Holiness is the only way to clarify
the growing confusion amongst the faithful.391
Nearly nine hundred thousand Catholics—including 211 cardinals, arch-

bishops, and bishops—signed the petition. e petition was delivered person-
ally by a commission and followed specific instructions received from one of
the pope’s close collaborators. However, the Holy See did not even acknowledge
receipt. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, on October
28, 2017, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller stated, “e mere fact that a petition
with 870,000 signatures addressed to the pope asking him for clarification re-
mains unanswered . . . raises questions. It’s really hard to understand.”392
At the same time, the Filial Appeal coalition published and sent to all the
world’s bishops a copy of the booklet, Preferential Option for the Family—100
Questions and Answers Relating to the Synod, authored by Most Rev. Aldo
Pagotto, archbishop of Paraíba (Brazil), Most Rev. Robert Vasa, bishop of Santa
Rosa, Calif., and Most Rev. Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana
(Kazakhstan). Cardinal Jorge Medina Estévez, prefect emeritus of the Congre-
gation for Divine Worship, wrote the preface. e questions in this guide pre-
sented the most common objections to the themes raised by the Extraordinary
Synod on the Family (sexuality, indissolubility, divorce, homosexuality, Com-
munion for “remarried” divorcees, and so on) and provided clear and straight-
forward answers.393 Published in six languages and widely disseminated among
the faithful, this booklet helped increase the number of signers of the Filial Ap-
peal to Pope Francis.
Meanwhile, three other scholarly publications came out in defense of the in-
dissolubility of marriage. First, eleven cardinals authored a book of essays titled,
391. “Filial Appeal to His Holiness Pope Francis on the Future of the Family,” accessed Jul. 23, 2018,
https://www.tfpstudentaction.org/assets/imgs/inline/filialpetition-en.pdf.
392. Christian Geyer and Hannes Hintermeier, “Das christentum hechelt nicht nach applaus,” Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, Oct. 28, 2017, http://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/debatten/kardinal-walter-brand
mueller-ueber-den-streit-um-amoris-laetitia-15266671.html.
393. Aldo di Cillo Pagotto, SSS, Robert F. Vasa, and Athanasius Schneider, Preferential Option for the
Family: 100 Questions and Answers Relating to the Synod (Rome: Supplica Filiale, 2015),
http://www.tfp.org/images/stories/PDF_files/Preferential_Option_for_the_Family_English.pdf.
CHAPTER 7 111
Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family.394 e signed contributions

were compiled by Prof. Winfried Aymans, a Canon Law specialist at the Univer-
sity of Munich. Second, a book was published containing the lectures from a
seminar organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family, titled, Family and
Church. Finally, the International Union of Catholic Jurists published essays by
nine internationally-renowned experts under the direction of its president
Miguel Ayuso, a professor at the University of Comillas, Spain. ese experts
state that admitting civilly “remarried” divorcees and homosexual couples to
Holy Communion “represents the most serious challenge posed to the integrity
of Catholic doctrine from the sixteenth century to the present day.”395
reforming the canonical Process of nullity to influence the debate

ere was also the mobilization of what came to be known as the “Kasper
group.” eir main initiative was a behind closed doors symposium at the Gre-
gorian University, organized by the presidents of the bishops’ conferences of
Germany, France, and Switzerland. It was attended by Cardinal Reinhard Marx,
five bishops, fifty experts, and just one journalist, from La Repubblica. Two of
the topics discussed were “Marriage and divorce” and “Sexuality as an expres-
sion of love.” A German bishop commented, “e dogmatists say that the
teaching of the Church is fixed. On the contrary, there is a development. And
we need a development on sexuality, even if not sticking to this one alone.” An-
other participant commented on Communion for “remarried” divorcees: “How
can we deny it, as if it were a punishment, to people who failed and found a
new partner with whom to start a new life?”396 Two months before the Synod,
the German Bishops’ Conference posted a dossier on its website containing
the main speeches from that off-limits symposium.
e pope’s main intervention favoring the “Kasper thesis” was the promulga-
tion and disclosure of two Motu Proprios: Mitis Iudex Dominus and Mitis et Mis-
394. Winfried Aymans, ed., Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and the Family (San Francisco: Ignatius,
2015). e chapter authors were Cardinals Carlo Caffarra, Baselios Cleemis, Paul Josef Cordes, Dominik
Duka, Willem Jacobus Eijk, Joachim Meisner, John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela,
Camillo Ruini, Robert Sarah, and Jorge Liberato Urosa Savino.
395. e experts are Danilo Castellano (Università degli Studi of Udine, Italy); Ricardo Dip (São Paulo Justice
Tribunal, Brazil); Brian McCall (Oklahoma University, U.S.A.); Wolfgang Waldstein ( former Dean of the Uni-
versity of Salzburg, Austria); Bernard Dumont (France); Alejandro Ordóñez (Attorney General of Colombia);
José María Sánchez (University of Seville, Spain); Luis María de Ruschi (Interdiocesan Tribunal of Buenos
Aires); Miguel Ayuso (University of Comillas, Spain, also president of the International Union of Catholic Ju-
rists). See Carmelo López-Arias, “La Unión Internacional de Juristas Católicos aportará, con vistas al sínodo,
un libro contundente,” Religión en Libertad, Aug. 18, 2015, https://www.religionenlibertad.com/la-union-in
ternacional-de-juristas-catolicos-aportara-con-vistas-al-sinodo-44358.htm.
396. “‘La Chiesa deve riconoscere il valore dell’amore gay,’ voilà l’agenda del sinodo ‘ombra,’” Il Timone, May
27, 2015, http://www.iltimone.org/news-timone/la-chiesa-deve-riconoscere-il-valore-dellamore-gay/.
ericors Iesus. ey made profound changes to the legal proceedings for declaring
marriage nullity in the Latin and Eastern-rite Codes of Canon Law. e changes
introduced by this reform included: Cases would now be decided by a single
judge; the bishop was allowed to personally assume nullity causes; the obligatory
double decree of nullity was eliminated; and the possibility of a fast-track process
was introduced. Voices were raised, warning about the possibility that grounds
for nullity would not be scrutinized with the required care, thus risking that
legally valid marriages might be improperly declared null and void.397 e papal
initiative was interpreted as a means of avoiding that a majority of Synod Fathers
would suggest a mere simplification of marriage nullity procedures as a solution
for divorcees. Such a procedural simplification maintains the prohibition of Holy
Communion for those whose marriages were judged valid.
In the meantime, the Instrumentum laboris, the basic text for the Synod’s dis-
cussions, was distributed. Surprisingly, paragraph no. 123 erroneously claimed
that “a great number agree that a journey of reconciliation or penance, under
the auspices of the local bishop, might be undertaken by those who are divorced
and civilly remarried, who find themselves in irreversible situations.”398
e 2015 ordinary synod opens With

denunciations of manipulation and ends in Failure
Before the 2015 Synod’s opening, Cardinal George Pell delivered a letter, signed
by thirteen cardinals including himself, to the pope. All the signatories would
be participants in the Ordinary Synod. ey called the pope’s attention to “con-
cerns” shared by other participants regarding the synodal process. In their
judgment, the process appeared to be “designed to facilitate predetermined
results on important disputed questions.” A major concern was that the mem-
bers of the drafting committee and the rapporteurs for the various language
groups were chosen, not by the Synod Fathers but by the Synod Secretariat.
ey also deemed the Instrumentum laboris inadequate as a “guiding text or
the foundation of a final document.”
During the first debate, with the pope present, Cardinal Pell and other Synod
Fathers raised some of the issues addressed in the letter without mentioning it.
When Francis spoke the next day, he rejected all the requests made in the letter.
At a later press conference, Cardinal Tagle, a prominent figure in the progressive
397. See, for example, Sandro Magister, “Forbidden to Call It Divorce. But It Sure Looks Like It,” trans. Matthew
Sherry, L’Espresso–Settimo Cielo, Sept. 15, 2015, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351199.html;
Sandro Magister, “Nullity of Marriage. A Reform at Risks Sinking in the Dock,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’E-
spresso–Settimo Cielo, Dec. 31, 2015, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351131.html.
398. Synod of Bishops, Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly, “e Vocation and Mission of the Family in
the Church and the Contemporary World—Instrumentum Laboris,” 2015, no. 123, http://www.vatican.va
/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20150623_instrumentum-xiv-assembly_en.html.
CHAPTER 7 113
faction, stated with visible satisfaction, “e new method adopted by the Synod
has definitely caused a bit of confusion, but it is good to be confused once in a
while. If things were always clear, then we might not be in real life anymore.”399
As in the 2014 Synod, the development of the Relatio finalis was manipu-
lated. To the Synod Fathers’ great surprise, the text they received came with
an absolute prohibition of disclosure that extended to the fifty-one auditors
and other participants in the assembly. It was distributed in the afternoon, and
only in Italian, a language which few participants had mastered. Italian is also
little known in the geographical areas most opposed to a change in Church
discipline such as Africa, Poland, and the United States. Moreover, the text
completely ignored the 1,355 Synod Father–proposed corrections. It substan-
tially reiterated the Instrumentum laboris, including its most criticized para-
graphs on homosexuality and “remarried” divorcees. e debate was set for
the following morning. Only written suggested amendments were allowed.
Despite the sleight of hand, Pope Francis faced an unexpected refusal of the
document. Fifty-one Synod Fathers participated in the debate, most of whom op-
posed the text. Among them were prominent prelates such as Cardinals Ouellet,
Bagnasco, and Caffarra, as well as Archbishops Kurtz and Gadecki, presidents of
the Bishops’ Conferences of the United States and Poland, respectively. Plainly, the
document could not be reintroduced the next day. It ran the risk of being rejected.
e drafting committee spent the night preparing a new text from which
all references to homosexual couples were removed. Regarding Communion
for “remarried” divorcees, it presented a compromise solution in an ambiguous
paragraph from the report of the Germanicus language group, which included
Cardinal Walter Kasper and Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congre-
gation for the Doctrine of the Faith. e text was read to the assembly in the
morning and voted on in the early afternoon, leaving insufficient time to thor-
oughly analyze the content of the most controversial proposals. e text ob-
tained a qualified majority for 94 paragraphs. Paragraph 85 contained the
German group’s new proposal. It implied a back door opening to the possibility
for civilly “remarried” divorcees to receive Holy Communion.400 It was approved
399. Sandro Magister, “irteen Cardinals Have Written to the Pope. Here’s the Letter,” trans. Matthew
Sherry, L’Espresso–Settimo Cielo, Oct. 12, 2015 http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1351154.html.
400. Addressing what the Relatio finalis would contain, during a press briefing on the eve of its release,
Cardinal Schönborn stated, “‘Discernment’ is the key word, and I invite you to think this is not black and
white, a simple yes or no; one must discern [each case].” Iacopo Scaramuzzi, “Sui divorziati risposati il Sin-
odo indica la via del ‘discernimento,’” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Oct. 24, 2015, http://www.lastampa.it/2015
/10/24/vaticaninsider/sui-divorziati-risposati-il-sinodo-indica-la-via-del-discernimento-tRfmF7sDD6DYB
c0nVp2CCK/pagina.html. Indeed, the Relatio finalis does not affirm the right of divorced and civilly “remar-
ried” people to receive Holy Communion. Instead, it denies the Church’s right to publicly define their
lifestyle as adulterous, leaving it up to pastors to make that assessment.
with a single vote over the required two-thirds majority (178 for, 80 against,
and 7 abstentions).
Pope Francis’s final address expressed no enthusiasm for the Synod’s out-
come and contained repeated disapproval of the Synod Fathers who defended
the Church’s traditional teaching and pastoral practice. Concluding, he said
this Synod, “was also about laying closed hearts, which bare the closed hearts
which frequently hide even behind the Church’s teachings or good intentions,
in order to sit in the chair of Moses and judge, sometimes with superiority and
superficiality, difficult cases and wounded families.”401
Contradictory interpretations of the document began the day after the
Synod’s end.
Defending the traditional meaning, Cardinal Raymond Burke told the Na-
tional Catholic Register that the Relatio finalis’s section on Discernment and
Integration “is of ‘immediate concern because of its lack of clarity in a funda-
mental matter of the faith: the indissolubility of the marriage bond which both
reason and faith teach all men.’”402 For his part, Bishop Athanasius Schneider
published a statement deploring the document’s “highly skillful, elaborated
ambiguity,” whereby “All parties, both the promoters of the so-called ‘Kasper
agenda’ and their opponents are apparently satisfied stating, ‘All is OK. e
Synod did not change the doctrine.’ Yet, such a perception is quite naive, be-
cause it ignores the back door and the pending time bombs in the abovemen-
tioned text section, which become manifest by a careful examination of the
text by its internal interpretive criteria.”403
Confirming Bishop Schneider’s fears, Cardinal Kasper portrayed the final
report as a green light for his thesis: “I am satisfied. e door has been opened
to the possibility of giving communion to remarried divorcees. Yes, there has
been some opening, but one does not speak about the consequences. Every-
thing is in the hands of the pope, who will decide what to do.”404
401. Francis, “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis—Conclusion of the Synod of Bishops,” Oct. 24, 2015,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/october/documents/papa-francesco
_20151024_sinodo-conclusione-lavori.html.
402. Edward Pentin, “Cardinal Burke: Final Report Lacks Clarity on Indissolubility of Marriage,” National
Catholic Register, Oct. 26, 2015, http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/cardinal-burke-final
-report-lacks-clarity-on-indissolubility-of-marriage.
403. “Bishop Athanasius Schneider Reaction to Synod: Door to Communion for Divorced & Remarried
Officially Kicked Open,” Rorate Cæli, Nov. 4, 2015, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/11/rorate
-exclusive-bishop-athanasius.html.
404. Serena Sartini, “Ostia ai divorziati se pentiti e i gay non sono famiglia,” Il Giornale, Oct. 26, 2015,
http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/politica/ostia-ai-divorziati-se-pentiti-e-i-gay-non-sono
-famiglia-1186816.html.
CHAPTER 7 115
in Amoris Laetitia, situation ethics

triumph With a strategy “typical of a Jesuit”
at papal decision came very quickly. Pope Francis published the post-syn-
odal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on the feast of Saint Joseph, patron
of the family, just five months after the Synod’s closure.
It claimed not to have changed Church doctrine on the indissolubility of
marriage. Nevertheless, the exhortation introduced a tremendous change in
pastoral practice for civilly “remarried” divorcees. It allowed them to be ab-
solved in confession and receive Holy Communion without the commitment
to live chastely, as brother and sister.
at permission was not given in general terms. Amoris Laetitia says nothing
about canon 915, which forbids giving communion to those who obstinately per-
severe in “manifest grave sin.” However, Amoris Laetitia encouraged shepherds
of souls to “accompany” people living in irregular marriages. It told pastors to
“discern” their situation, aiming to integrate them fully into the life of the Church.
A simple footnote said that such integration could include reception of the sacra-
ments. In other words, sacramental absolution and the Eucharist can be given
to “remarried” divorcees provided it is done on a “case by case” basis.
It is, therefore, a substantial change. Its chief promoter, Cardinal Walter
Kasper, welcomed it in advance as “the first step in a reform that will turn
a page in the Church after 1,700 years.”405 In language typical of situation
ethics adepts, the cardinal justified the step taken in Amoris Laetitia, saying,
“God’s law and commandments are valid forever, for all situations, but all
situations are different and one cannot tell each person that he lives in adul-
tery or that he or she is a sinner. One needs to take the situation into ac-
count and apply God’s commandment to the specific situation: this is the
tradition of the Church.”406
Archbishop Bruno Forte was one of the vice presidents of the Extraordi-
nary and Ordinary Synods. He was also a close collaborator of Pope Francis
in writing the exhortation. He explained that the moral paradigm shift fol-
lowed a strategy that was elaborated by the Supreme Pontiff himself
whereby solutions would be given on a “case by case” basis. “If we speak ex-
plicitly about Communion for the divorced and remarried,” Pope Francis is
reported to have told Archbishop Forte, “you do not know what a terrible
405. Tommaso Bedini Crescimanni, “Kasper elogia Fratel Paoli e la diocesi,” Il Tirreno, Mar. 16, 2016,
http://iltirreno.gelocal.it/lucca/cronaca/2016/03/16/news/kasper-elogia-fratel-paoli-e-la-diocesi-1.13136909.
Cardinal Kasper’s allegation that the Council of Nicaea, in 325, authorized Communion to people living in a
“second union” is baseless. In fact, as has been said, in its canon 8, that Council confirmed only that widowed
persons who remarry are in full communion with the Church.
406. “Amoris Laetitia, parla il cardinale Kasper,” Stanze Vaticane, Apr. 2, 2018,
http://stanzevaticane.tgcom24.it/2018/04/02/amoris-laetitia-parla-il-cardinale-kasper/.
mess we will make. So we won’t speak plainly, do it in a way that the prem-
ises are there, then I will draw out the conclusions.” “Typical of a Jesuit,”
Archbishop Forte quipped.407
Numerous and authoritative churchmen have stated the exhortation is sim-
ply ambiguous because it did not create a clear general rule and left the con-
clusion implicit. Consequently, they requested an official interpretation that
confirms traditional discipline.408 Other analysts took an even more unfavorable
view. ey stated that the exhortation contained ambiguous teachings whose
natural sense is at variance with traditional teaching. One such analyst was
Bishop Athanasius Schneider.409 Others affirmed that Amoris Laetitia collided
head-on with Catholic dogma. Professors Robert Spaemann410 and Josef Seifert
407. “Incontro con monsignor Forte sull’esortazione di papa Francesco, ‘Amoris Laetitia,’” Zona Locale,
May 3, 2016, http://www.zonalocale.it/2016/05/03/-nessuno-si-deve-sentire-escluso-dalla-chiesa-/20471.
See also Steve Skojec, “Forte: Pope Did Not Want to Speak ‘Plainly’ of Communion for Remarried,”
https://onepeterfive.com/pope-speaking-plainly-communion-divorced-messy/.
408. See Raymond Burke, “‘Amoris Laetitia’ and the Constant Teaching and Practice of the Church,” Na-
tional Catholic Register, Apr. 12, 2016, http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/amoris-laetitia-and-the
-constant-teaching-and-practice-of-the-church/; Athanasius Schneider, “Official Response of Bishop
Athanasius Schneider to Amoris Laetitia,” Rorate Cæli, Apr. 26, 2016, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com
/2016/04/official-response-of-bishop-athanasius.html; Edward Pentin, “Livi: ‘Amoris Laetitia’ Is Vulnera-
ble to ‘Every Malevolent Interpretation,’” National Catholic Register, Apr. 14, 2016,
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/livi-amoris-laetitia-is-vulnerable-to-every
-malevolent-interpretation; Redazione, “Il preside dell’Istituto Giovanni Paolo II: ‘L’esortazione è un doc-
umento positivo, non c’è alcun cambiamento,” Il Foglio, Apr. 11, 2016,
http://www.ilfoglio.it/chiesa/2016/04/11/il-preside-dellistituto-giovanni-paolo-ii-lesortazione-post
-sinodale-un-documento-positivo-non-c-alcun-cambiamento___1-v-140538-rubriche_c868.htm; ibaut
Collin, “Couples non mariés, divorcés remariés: le pari osé du pape François,” Le Monde, Apr. 6, 2016,
https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2016/04/08/couples-non-maries-divorces-remaries-le-pariose
-du-pape-francois_4898896_3232.html; Robert Royal, “Beautiful, Moving, and Divisive,” e Catholic ing,
Apr. 8, 2016, https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2016/04/08/beautiful-moving-and-divisive/.
409. On July 2, 2016, Bishop Athanasius Schneider wrote a letter to The Remnant commenting on
Amoris Laetitia’s “ambiguous expressions” that, “contain a real spiritual danger, which will cause doctri-
nal confusion, a fast and easy spreading of heterodox doctrines concerning marriage and moral law,
and also the adoption and consolidation of the praxis of admitting divorced and remarried to Holy
Communion, a praxis which will trivialize and profane, as to say, at one blow three sacraments: the
sacrament of Marriage, of Penance, and of the Most Holy Eucharist.” Athanasius Schneider, “Bishop
Athanasius Schneider Replies to The Remnant’s Open Letter on Amoris Laetitia,” The Remnant, Jun. 2,
2016, http://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2558-bishop-athanasius-schneider
-replies-to-the-remnant-s-open-letter-on-amoris-laetitia.
410. In an interview with Catholic News Service, he stated: “Article 305 together with footnote 351 . . . di-
rectly contradicts article 84 of Pope John Paul II’s exhortation Familiaris consortio. . . . It cannot be expected
in a papal exhortation that people will rejoice in a pleasant text and ignore decisive sentences, which
change the teachings of the Church. ere is actually only a clear yes or no decision: to give Communion or
not. . . . at it is an issue of a breach emerges doubtlessly for every thinking person, who knows the respec-
tive texts.” Anian Christoph Wimmer, “Full Text: Interview With Robert Spaemann on Amoris Laetitia,”
Catholic News Agency, Apr. 29, 2016, https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-interview
-with-robert-spaemann-on-amoris-laetitia-10088.
CHAPTER 7 117
are included in this group.411 Others, similarly claiming that the change implied
a serious breach with Church traditional teaching, called for the repeal of Amoris
Laetitia by the current pope or a successor.412
Nevertheless, numerous diocesan bishops and some Bishops’ Conferences have
published documents to implement the Apostolic Exhortation. Some did this in a
sense that maintains traditional discipline. Others authorized civilly “remarried”
divorcees to receive Holy Communion after a period of discernment. Due to this
work’s limited scope, I will not list them here. e number of documents and the
various grounds alleged for their pastoral applications is substantial.
From the “declaration of Fidelity to the church’s

unchangeable teaching on marriage” to the Correctio Filialis
In September 2016, promoters of the Filial Appeal issued a petition titled, “De-
claration of Fidelity to the Church’s Unchangeable Teaching on Marriage and
to Her Uninterrupted Discipline.” Its 36,049 signatories included three cardi-
nals, nine bishops, 636 diocesan and religious priests, 46 deacons, 25 seminar-
ians, 51 lay religious, 150 cloistered and active nuns, as well as 458 academics,
professors of theology and religion, catechists, and pastoral workers. e Dec-
laration stated that:
. . . irregular unions of cohabitating Catholics who never married in

the Church, or divorcees who have attempted a civil marriage, radically
contradict and cannot express the good of Christian marriage, neither
411. Josef Seifert published an article titled, “Amoris Laetitia: Joy, Sadness and Hopes” in the German phi-
losophy and theology journal AEMAET. He stated: “I think that some passages of AL, particularly those
that are likely to have the greatest effect, are cause of great concern and even of deep sadness, not only be-
cause some of them can easily lead to misunderstandings and in their consequence to abuse, but also be-
cause others—at least apparently—stand in sharp conflict with the word of God and the teaching of the
Catholic Church on the moral order, on intrinsically wrong and disordered actions, on the divine com-
mandments and on our ability to keep them with the help of divine grace, on the indissolubility of mar-
riage, on the sanctity of the sacraments of the Eucharist and marriage, on eternal damnation (hell), and
on the sacramental discipline and pastoral care of the Church that derives from the Word of God and
from a 2000 year old sacred tradition of the Church.” Josef Seifert, “Amoris Laetitia: Joy, Sadness and
Hopes,” AEMAET 5, no. 2 (2016): 169, http://www.aemaet.de/index.php/aemaet/article/view/35/pdf.
412. See, for example, Claude Barthe, “L’instinct de la foi,” L’Homme Nouveau, Apr. 6, 2016,
http://www.hommenouveau.fr/1647/tribune-libre/l-instinct-de-la-foi.htm; James V. Schall, SJ, “In Amoris
Laetitia, Who Is Admonishing Whom?” Catholic World Report, Apr. 8, 2016,
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2016/04/08/in-who-is-admonishing-whom/; Roberto de Mattei,
“L’esortazione post-sinodale Amoris Laetitia: Prime riflessioni su un documento catastrofico,” Corrispon-
denza Romana, Apr. 13, 2016, http://www.corrispondenzaromana.it/lesortazione-post-sinodale-amoris
-laetitia-prime-riflessioni-su-un-documento-catastrofico/; Luíz S. Solimeo, “Because of Its Grave Errors
‘Amoris Laetitia’ Should Be Rejected,” TFP.org, May 4, 2016, http://www.tfp.org/tfp-home/catholic
-perspective/because-of-its-grave-errors-amoris-laetitia-should-be-rejected.html; Matthew McCusker,
“Key Doctrinal Errors and Ambiguities of Amoris Laetitia,” Voice of the Family, May 7, 2016,
http://voiceofthefamily.com/key-doctrinal-errors-and-ambiguities-of-amoris-laetitia/.
partially nor analogously, and should be seen as a sinful way of life or

as a permanent occasion of grave sin. . . .
[ from which is deduced] the impossibility of giving absolution and
Holy Communion to Catholics living manifestly in an objective state
of grave sin.413
Earlier, in July 2016, forty-five Catholic theologians and scholars sent a cir-
cular letter to every cardinal and the prefect of the Congregation for the Doc-
trine of the Faith. eir missive included a “eological Critique” of Amoris
Laetitia. e analysis stigmatized many of the Apostolic Exhortation’s passages
with a theological censure: Eleven propositions were censured as haeretica
(heretical), five as erronea in fide (erroneous in the Faith), three as false. Most
others incur the censures of aequivoca (equivocal), ambigua (ambiguous), ob-
scura (obscure), praesumptuosa (presumptuous), anxia (causing uneasiness),
dubia (doubtful), captiosa (captious), malesonans (evil-sounding), piarum au-
rium offensiva (offensive to pious ears).414
A year later, on September 24, 2017, sixty-two Catholic priests and intellec-
tuals from twenty nations (most of them signatories of the circular letter to the
College of Cardinals) made public a letter they had sent to Pope Francis. e
public version was titled, Correctio filialis de haeresibus propagatis (Filial cor-
rection due to the propagation of heresies). After publication, additional signa-
tories joined, for a combined total of 250 distinguished individuals. is Filial
Correction stated that the pope—through his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris
Laetitia and other statements, deeds, and omissions—has upheld seven hereti-
cal positions on marriage, moral life, and the reception of the sacraments, and
promoted the spreading of such heretical opinions within the Church.415 Ques-
tioned about the Correctio filialis, the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
declared, “It is important to dialogue, even within the Church.”416
413. “Declaration of Fidelity to the Church’s Unchangeable Teaching on Marriage and to Her Uninter-
rupted Discipline,” Filial Appeal, nos. 6, 26, accessed Jul. 23, 2018, http://www.filialappeal.org/full.
414. e “eological Critique” says that it “does not deny or question the personal faith of Pope Francis.” In-
stead, it affirms that Amoris Laetitia contains “many statements whose vagueness or ambiguity permit inter-
pretations that are contrary to faith or morals, or that suggest a claim that is contrary to faith and morals
without actually stating it. It also contains statements whose natural meaning would seem to be contrary to
faith or morals.” Joseph Shaw, et al., “e Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia: A eological Critique,”
OnePeterFive, p. 2, accessed Jul. 24, 2018, https://onepeterfive.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/45
-theologians-censure-AL.pdf.
415. “Correctio filialis de haeresibus propagatis,” Jul. 16, 2017, http://www.correctiofilialis.org/wp-content
/uploads/2017/08/Correctio-filialis_English_1.pdf.
416. “Parolin, lettera eresie? Occorre dialogo,” ANSA, Sept. 28, 2017,
http://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2017/09/28/parolin-lettera-eresie-occorre-dialogo_3ec88a16
-fa2a-463a-b94a-d80747159e61.html.
CHAPTER 7 119
Four cardinals Present Five Dubia and Pope Francis does not respond
Meanwhile, four well-known cardinals undertook an even more critical initia-
tive with enormous repercussion.
e diametrically opposite interpretations of Amoris Laetitia, and its prac-
tical guidelines, as well as the confusion swirling among the faithful, prompted
another action. On September 19, 2016, Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Ray-
mond Burke, and the later deceased Carlo Caffarra and Joachim Meisner sent
a private letter to the pope, with a copy to the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith. In their letter, they expounded five doubts concerning Amoris
Laetitia’s chapter 8.417 ese dubia were:
It is asked whether . . . it has now become possible to grant absolu-

tion in the sacrament of penance and thus to admit to holy Commun-
ion a person who, while bound by a valid marital bond, lives together
with a different person more uxorio [as husband and wife]. . . .
[D]oes one still need to regard as valid the teaching . . . on the ex-
istence of absolute moral norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts
and that are binding without exceptions? . . .
[I]s it still possible to affirm that a person who habitually lives in
contradiction to a commandment of God’s law . . . finds him or herself
in an objective situation of grave habitual sin? . . .
[D]oes one still need to regard as valid the teaching . . . according
to which “circumstances or intentions can never transform an act
intrinsically evil by virtue of its object into an act ‘subjectively’ good
or defensible as a choice”? . . .
[D]oes one still need to regard as valid the teaching . . . that conscience
can never be authorized to legitimate exceptions to absolute moral
norms that prohibit intrinsically evil acts by virtue of their object?418
Once the letter became public, several prelates expressed their support and
desire that the pope respond clearly to the dubia. Among them were Chinese
417. Acknowledging that confirming the baptized in the Faith and dissipating ambiguities that can create
divisions in the Church are at the core of the Petrine ministry is an act of fidelity to the papacy. In addi-
tion, every cardinal has the duty to assist the pope in his solicitude for the universal Church. e practice
called dubia (Latin for “doubts”), of sending formal questions to the pope and to the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith that are formulated to elicit a straightforward yes or no answer, without theological
arguments, has existed in the Church for hundreds of years.
418. Edward Pentin, “Full Text and Explanatory Notes of Cardinals’ Questions on ‘Amoris Laetitia,’”
National Catholic Register, Nov. 14, 2016, http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/full-text
-and-explanatory-notes-of-cardinals-questions-on-amoris-laetitia.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong;419 Most. Rev. Jan
Watroba, bishop of Rzeszów and chairman of the Polish Bishops’ Conference’s
Committee for the Family;420 Most Rev. Józef Wróbel, auxiliary bishop of Lublin,
Poland;421 and Most Rev. Athanasius Schneider, auxiliary bishop of Astana,
Kazakhstan.422
e “Welcoming” Pope denies the Dubia cardinals an audience

Since the Holy Father decided not to respond, the four cardinals interpreted
his silence as an invitation to continue the discussion calmly and respectfully.
However, eight months after the dubia were first presented, Pope Francis gave
indications that he would not respond since he felt that the dubia do not allow
for categorical responses.423
Perhaps this explains why the pope did not respond to the sorely missed
Cardinal Caffarra’s request for an audience on the four cardinals’ behalf. The
request was made through a letter dated April 25, 2017. In that audience,
the cardinals would have personally talked with the pope about the dubia,
because of Amoris Laetitia’s varying interpretations, whereby, “What is
sin[ ful] in Poland is good in Germany . . . what is prohibited in the archdio-
cese of Philadelphia is permitted in Malta. And so on.” Moreover, the cardi-
nal wished to speak with the Holy Father, because of the “numerous
419. See Raymond Arroyo, “e World Over With Raymond Arroyo,” Feb. 16, 2017, Twitter, 16:05–16:18,
https://twitter.com/RaymondArroyo/status/833679507668230144; YouTube, 16:05–16:18,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHQc7rQeY_U&t=2s.
420. See “Streit um ‘Amoris Laetitia,’” Die Tagespost, Oct. 18, 2017, https://www.die-tagespost.de/politik
/Streit-um-bdquo-Amoris-laetitia-ldquo;art315,174099.
421. See Michele M. Ippolito, “Il vescovo Wrobel: ‘La Amoris Laetitia non é stata scritta bene,’” La Fede
Quotidiana, Nov. 21, 2016, http://www.lafedequotidiana.it/vescovo-wrobel-la-amoris-laetitia-non
-stata-scritta-bene/.
422. See Athanasius Schneider, “Una nuova voce si leva: Il vescovo Athanasius Schneider in difesa dei
quattro cardinali,” Corrispondenza Romana, Nov. 24, 2016, https://www.corrispondenzaromana.it
/speciale-una-nuova-voce-si-leva-il-vescovo-athanasius-schneider-in-difesa-dei-quattro-cardinali/.
423. Just three days after the dubia’s disclosure, in an interview with the newspaper Avvenire, on November
17, 2016, Pope Francis stated, “Some—think of certain replies to Amoris Laetitia—continue not to under-
stand; white or black, even if it is in the flow of life that one must discern.” Stefania Falasca, “L’intervista ad
Avvenire. Papa Francesco: Non svendo la dottrina, seguo il Concilio,” Avvenire, Nov. 17, 2016,
https://www.avvenire.it/papa/pagine/giubileo-ecumenismo-concilio-intervista-esclusiva-del-papa
-ad-avvenire. Fr. Antonio Spadaro spoke in the same sense in answer to Crux’s question, “Why hasn’t the
pope responded to the cardinals?” He stated: “The pope doesn’t give binary answers to abstract ques-
tions. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t responded. His response is to approve and to encourage positive
pastoral practices.” Further on, he added, “The ones who really understand Catholic doctrine are the
pastors, because doctrine does not exist for the purpose of debate but for the salus animarum [‘the
health of souls’]—for salvation rather than intellectual discussion.” Austen Ivereigh, “Jesuit Close to Pope
Says Attacks on ‘Amoris’ Are ‘Part of the Process,’” Crux, Dec. 4, 2016, https://cruxnow.com/interviews
/2016/12/04/jesuit-close-pope-says-many-attacks-amoris-result-bad-spirit/.
CHAPTER 7 121
statements [that] have appeared from individual bishops, cardinals, and

even Bishops’ Conferences, approving what the magisterium of the Church
has never approved.”424
Prominent individuals close to Pope Francis have argued that a response to
the dubia would be superfluous. ey claim it has already been given during
the Synod’s discussions and that the answer can be found in the Apostolic Ex-
hortation itself.425 However, this borders on a fallacious circular argument: To
interpret Amoris Laetitia’s ambiguities, one must look at Amoris Laetitia’s am-
biguous terms . . .
One could readily respond to such claims with journalist Phil Lawler, editor
of Catholic World News. He wrote, “If the papal teaching is clear, how can it
mean one thing in Poland, and another in Germany? If the final answer to that
vexed question is No in Philadelphia and Portland, how can it be Yes in Chicago
and San Diego? If some bishops are interpreting the papal document incor-
rectly, why have they not been corrected?”426
In the an interview with the Crux website (see footnote 423), Father Spadaro
said: “e questions of the four cardinals have actually already had an answer
during the Synod, where the dialogue was broad, profound and above all
frank . . . Amoris Laetitia is the ripe fruit of the Synod. And in the Synod, all the
necessary answers were given more than once.”
a Papal statement adds to the confusion

Just weeks after the four cardinals’ audience request, a rescript—an admin-
istrative act issued by a competent authority—dated June 5, 2017, and
signed by the cardinal secretary of state, ordered the publication of two doc-
uments on the Vatican website and in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis (AAS). De-
scribed as authentic magisterium, the two documents were: (a) A note
containing the criteria drawn up by the bishops of the Buenos Aires pastoral
424. Sandro Magister, “Another Letter from the Four Cardinals to the Pope. is Too With No Response,”
L’Espresso–Settimo Cielo, Jun. 20, 2017, http://magister.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/2017/06/20
/another-letter-from-the-four-cardinals-to-the-pope-this-too-with-no-response/.
425. Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga told Swiss Italian Radio “I think, first, that they have not read
Amoris Laetitia, because unfortunately, this is the case!” Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, “Cadinali, guerre di religione
e dubia,” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Apr. 14, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it/articoli-cardinali-guerre
-di-religione-e-dubia-19547.htm. Interviewed in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the prefect of the Apostolic Peni-
tentiary, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza said that the pontiff did not respond to the dubia “simply because he be-
lieved that he had responded in practice through his document.” Marco Tosatti, “Da Hong Kong al
Kazakistan, adesione ai ‘dubia,’” La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, Feb. 26, 2017, http://www.lanuovabq.it/it
/articoli-da-hong-kong-al-kazakistan-adesione-ai-dubia-19066.htm.
426. Phil Lawler, “On Request for Clarification of Amoris Laetitia, the Pope’s Silence Speaks Volumes,” Cat-
holic Culture, Nov. 16, 2016, https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1185.
region,427 and (b) Pope Francis’s letter of approval to such criteria stating
that “there are no other interpretations.”428 On December 6, 2017, Andrea
Tornielli, a journalist close to the pope, announced in Vatican Insider that
Cardinal Parolin’s rescript containing both documents had been published
on the AAS website and in its printed issue as an October 2016 document,
the month of its promulgation.
e rescript’s disclosure increased the confusion even more because the Ar-
gentine Bishops’ criteria would admit divorced and “remarried” Catholics to Holy
Communion. On December 5, 2017, Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, presi-
dent of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, told Catholic News Service:
e fact that the pope requested that his letter and the interpreta-
tions of the Buenos Aires bishops be published in the AAS means that
His Holiness has given these documents a particular qualification that
elevates them to the level of being official teachings of the Church. . . .
us together the two documents became the Holy Father’s au-
thentic magisterium for the whole Church.429
For his part, veteran Vatican analyst Marco Tosatti wrote:
e news can only serve to further feed the confusion and uncer-
tainty surrounding the controversial apostolic exhortation and the
pope’s way of doing things. . . .
For what purpose? To oblige everyone to give religious assent to
a magisterium expressed in oblique and ambiguous forms or to
reply without committing himself in a direct response that would
427. On Sept. 5, 2016, the bishops of the Pastoral Region of Buenos Aires sent their priests a note with
“minimal criteria” according to which “5) When the concrete circumstances of a couple make it
feasible . . . one can propose they commit to live in continence.” But, “6) In other, more complex circum-
stances . . . the aforementioned option may not be feasible. . . . [so that] when a person judges that he
would commit another fault by harming the offspring of the new union, Amoris Laetitia opens the possi-
bility of access to the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist.” “Obispos de la Región Buenos Aires
dan criterios pastorales sobre los divorciados en nueva unión,” AICA, Sept. 13, 2016, nos. 5–6,
http://www.aica.org/25025-obispos-de-la-region-buenos-aires-dan-criterios-pastorales-sobre.html.
428. Francis, “Carta del Santo Padre Francisco a los Obispos de la Región Pastoral de Buenos Aires,” Sept.
5, 2016, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/es/letters/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160905
_regione-pastorale-buenos-aires.html. See also, Acta Apostolicae Sedis, vol. 108, no. 10, pp. 1071–4,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/2016/acta-ottobre2016.pdf; Andrea Tornielli, “Amoris
Laetitia, il papa rende ufficiale la lettera ai vescovi argentini,” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, Dec. 6, 2017,
http://www.lastampa.it/2017/12/06/vaticaninsider/ita/vaticano/amoris-laetitia-il-papa-rende
-ufficialela-lettera-ai-vescovi-argentini-7Uzx2Ijt6sIYUdZNAQl0wI/pagina.html.
429. Cindy Wooden, “Pope’s Letter to Argentine Bishops on ‘Amoris Laetitia’ Part of Official Record,” Cat-
holic News Service, Dec. 6, 2017, http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2017/popes
-letter-to-argentine-bishops-on-amoris-laetitia-part-of-official-record.cfm.
CHAPTER 7 123
unequivocally reveal the pope’s mind to the doubtful and perplexed?430
Brave reaction by ree Kazakh Bishops

After an official stamp was given to the bishops of the Buenos Aires Pastoral
Region’s interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, on December 31, 2017, feast of the
Holy Family, three Kazakhstan shepherds—Most Rev. Tomasz Peta, metropol-
itan archbishop of Astana; his auxiliary bishop Most Rev. Athanasius Schnei-
der; and the archbishop emeritus of Karaganda, Most Rev. Jan Pawel
Lenga—published a “Profession of the Immutable Truths About Sacramental
Marriage.” ey observed that, after the publication of the Apostolic Exhorta-
tion, various Bishops’ Conferences and individual bishops issued norms allow-
ing some civilly “remarried” divorcees to receive Holy Communion. ey stated
further that those norms received an approval:
. . . even from the supreme authority of the Church. . . .

[ese norms] caused a considerable and ever increasing confu-
sion among the faithful and the clergy. . . .
[And they are] a means of . . . . spreading the ‘plague of divorce’
even in the life of the Church.
Accordingly, these prelates felt obliged to reiterate seven immutable truths

on the sacrament of marriage to the faithful. ey end, saying, “It is not licit
(non licet) to justify, approve, or legitimize either directly or indirectly divorce
and a non-conjugal stable sexual relationship through the sacramental disci-
pline of the admission of so-called ‘divorced and remarried’ to Holy Commun-
ion, in this case a discipline alien to the entire Tradition of the Catholic and
Apostolic faith.”431 Afterward, one cardinal and five more bishops endorsed
“Profession of the Immutable Truths.”
a “multi-speed” church Based on

Geographically differentiated Pastoral disciplines
Neither the “Profession” nor any of the earlier initiatives—Filial Appeal, Dubia,
Correctio filialis, and so on—received an answer from Pope Francis or any
430. Marco Tosatti, “Vatican. Una notizia ambigua; Un’indiscrezione e una voce che speriamo non sia con-
fermata su mons. Gaenswein,” Stilum Curiæ, Dec. 1, 2017, http://www.marcotosatti.com/2017/12/01
/vaticano-una-notizia-ambigua-unindiscrezione-e-una-voce-che-speriamo-non-sia-confermata-su
-mons-gaenswein/; see Dorothy Cummings McLean, “Confusion Explodes as Pope Francis rows Magis-
terial Weight Behind Communion for Adulterers,” LifeSiteNews, Dec. 4, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com
/news/pope-upgrades-guidelines-allowing-communion-for-adulterers-to-authentic-mag.
431. “Full Text of Kazakhstan Catholic Bishops Statement on Amoris Laetitita,” LifeSiteNews, Jan. 2, 2018,
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/full-text-of-kazakhstan-catholic-bishops-statement-on-amoris-laetitia.
agency of the Holy See. Senior Vatican analyst and Crux editor, John L. Allen,
Jr., speculated that “the pope’s strategic silence,” was due to an “apparent will-
ingness to tolerate a bit of pastoral chaos at the moment.” According to Allen,
the varying implementations “will allow people to do some comparing and
contrasting,” and thus “find out which side has the better read on reality.”432
at interpretation of the developments would not be arbitrary since, in
Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis himself said that, “not all discussions of doctrinal,
moral or pastoral issues need to be settled by interventions of the magisterium.
Unity of teaching and practice . . . does not preclude various ways of interpret-
ing some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it. . . .
Each country or region, moreover, can seek solutions better suited to its culture
and sensitive to its traditions and local needs.”433 Incidentally, the pope de-
clared himself aware of the risk of confusion that such differentiated interpre-
tations and solutions entail: “I understand those who prefer a more rigorous
pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion. But I sincerely believe that
Jesus wants a Church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in
the midst of human weakness.”434
Also, in the Synod’s closing speech, the pope expressed himself in favor of
different solutions for various geographical areas: “And—apart from dogmatic
questions clearly defined by the Church’s magisterium—we have also seen
that what seems normal for a bishop on one continent, is considered strange
and almost scandalous—almost!—for a bishop from another; . . . what for
some is freedom of conscience is for others simply confusion. Cultures are in
fact quite diverse, and every general principle—as I said, dogmatic questions
clearly defined by the Church’s magisterium—every general principle needs
to be inculturated.”435
e papal promotion of geographically differentiated practices inaugurated
a multi-speed Church where a single moral problem is regulated differently,
depending on where one is. German-speaking, so-called adult Catholics are al-
lowed to follow the fast-track missionary evangelization, while backward
Catholics attached to their traditions, be they Africans or Poles, are permitted
to follow a slower pace.436
432. John L. Allen, Jr., “Does Francis Have an ‘R&D Strategy’ on the Divorced/Remarried?” Crux, Nov. 14,
2016, https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2016/11/14/francis-rd-strategy-divorcedremarried/.
434. Ibid., no. 308.
435. Francis, “Conclusion of the Synod of Bishops,” Oct. 24, 2015.
436. See Roberto de Mattei, “e Failed Synod: Everyone Defeated, and Catholic Morality in Particular,”
trans. Francesca Romana, Rorate Cæli, Oct. 27, 2015, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/10/de
-mattei-failed-synod-everyone.html?m=1.
CHAPTER 7 125
Regardless of Pope Francis’s intentions, his refusal to respond to the dubia

and to other initiatives by paradigm shift opponents has objectively increased
the confusion among the faithful and division within the Church.437
serious reats of division among catholics

In the face of this situation, prelates with lofty responsibilities or who are re-
spected for their learning agree that the confusion among the faithful could
lead to a schism.
“Uncertainty, confusion and disorientation among many faithful” is the ex-
pression used by the dubia cardinals in their September 19, 2016 letter to Pope
Francis. Later, in a note explaining their disclosure of the letter, they added,
“We have noted a grave disorientation and great confusion of many faithful re-
garding extremely important matters for the life of the Church.”438
“It is a fact—which only a blind man can deny—that there exists in the
Church, a great confusion, uncertainty, and insecurity,” Cardinal Caffarra later
asserted to the newspaper Il Foglio.439 Likewise, in an interview with the news-
paper e Remnant, Cardinal Burke stated, “ere’s great danger of a contin-
ued confusion in the Church, which is leading souls into error with regard to
437. In an interview to EWTN, Cardinal Burke responded to Fr. Antonio Spadaro’s accusation that the
dubia promoters were creating division in the Church. e cardinal stated: “Only when these questions,
which we have raised according to the traditional manner of resolving questions in the Church which
have to do with very serious matters, only when these questions are adequately answered will the division
be dissipated. But as is happening right now, as long as this continues, the division will only grow and of
course the fruit of division is error. And here we’re talking about the salvation of souls, people being led
into error in matters which have to do with their eternal salvation. And so Father Spadaro is very much in
error in that affirmation.” Claire Chretien, “Cardinal Burke Defends Dubia Signers in Blockbuster EWTN
Interview,” LifeSiteNews, Dec. 16, 2016, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-burke-responds-to
-dubia-critics-not-a-sign-of-illness-to-care-abou.
On November 1, 2017, the moderately progressive Crux published a letter sent to the pope by Fr.
omas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., professor emeritus at Oxford and the Gregorian University, a member of
the International eological Commission, and the former executive director of the Secretariat on Doc-
trine of the United States Catholic Conference. e theologian stated: “In Amoris Laetitia, your guidance
at times seems intentionally ambiguous, thus inviting both a traditional interpretation of Catholic teach-
ing on marriage and divorce as well as one that might imply a change in that teaching. . . . e Holy Spirit
is given to the Church, and particularly to yourself, to dispel error, not to foster it. . . . Yet you seem to cen-
sor and even mock those who interpret Chapter 8 of Amoris Laetitia in accord with Church tradition as
Pharisaic stone-throwers who embody a merciless rigorism. is kind of calumny is alien to the nature of
the Petrine ministry.” omas G. Weinandy, OFM, Cap., “July 31, 2017 Letter to the Holy Father,” Crux, Nov.
1, 2017, https://cruxnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Francis-Letter-Final.pdf.
438. Pentin, “Cardinals’ Questions on Amoris Laetitia.”
439. CWR Staff, “‘Only a Blind Man Can Deny at ere Is Great Confusion in the Church,” trans. Andrew
Guernsey, Catholic World Report, Jan. 15, 2017, https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2017/01/15/only
-a-blind-man-can-deny-that-there-is-great-confusion-in-the-church/, translation of Matteo Matzuzzi,
“‘Solo un cieco può negare che nella Chiesa ci sia grande confusione’. Intervista al cardinale Caffarra,” Il
Foglio, Jan. 14, 2017, http://www.ilfoglio.it/chiesa/2017/01/14/news/carlo-caffarra-papa-sinodo-famiglia
-coscienza-newman-chiesa-114939/.
questions that have to do with their very salvation.”440 He reiterated that po-
sition during a talk in Virginia:
ere continues to spread a very harmful confusion in the

Church. . . .
Many people because of this confusion are becoming very upset,
and understandably so.441
In turn, Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Wor-
ship, warned, “Without a common faith, the Church is threatened by confusion
and then, progressively, she can slide into dispersion and schism.”442 His assess-
ment is similar to that of Bishop Schneider: “In our day, we see an ambiguity
whose breadth is comparable only to the general confusion during the fourth-
century Arian crisis. . . . ere is not only a risk of schism, but a kind of schism
already exists in the Church.”443
“it is not to Be excluded at i Will enter

History as the one Who split the catholic church”
Even lay observers and analysts of Catholic life have commented on this divi-
sion. In an interview with Catholic News Agency, well-known German philoso-
pher Robert Spaemann stated, “Chaos has been erected as a principle, with the
stroke of a pen. e pope should have known that with such a step he splits the
Church and leads her toward a schism.”444 e New York Times columnist Ross
Douthat spoke of a “low-grade civil war”445 and “a submerged schism.”446 Guido
Horst in the headline of an editorial in Die Tagespost referred to “de facto
440. Michael Matt, “e Remnant Interview of Cardinal Raymond Burke,” e Remnant, Jan. 9, 2017,
https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/index.php/articles/item/2980-the-remnant-interview-of-cardinal
-raymond-burke.
441. Charles Collins, “Burke Again Says Pope Must Answer ‘Amoris’ Questions,” Crux, Mar. 27, 2017,
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/03/27/burke-says-pope-must-answer-amoris-questions/.
442. Pete Baklinski, “Cardinal Sarah: Church Is Facing ‘Grave Risk’ of Schism Over Morality,” LifeSiteNews,
Apr. 24, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/card.-sarah-a-decentralized-church-would-face
-confusion-then-dispersion-the.
443. Athanasius Schneider, “Interview With TV-Libertés—‘Terres de Mission,’ Program no. 10,” TV-Lib-
ertés, Dec. 4, 2016, 11:28–11:38, 13:06–13:16, https://gloria.tv/video/3TPZg1Enfkw9D7qULW8ejhcdY.
444. Robert Moynihan, “Letter #37, 2016–e Danger of Schism,” Inside the Vatican, Apr. 28, 2016,
https://insidethevatican.com/news/newsflash/letter-37-2016-danger-schism/.
445. Ross Douthat, “e New Catholic Truce,” e New York Times, Apr. 9, 2016,
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/10/opinion/sunday/the-new-catholic-truce.html.
446. Ross Douthat, “e End of Catholic Marriage,” e New York Times, Dec. 1, 2016,
https://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/the-end-of-catholic-marriage/.
CHAPTER 7 127
schism.”447 More incisively, philosopher Marcello Pera, former president of the

Italian Senate, told the Naples daily Il Mattino that, “there is a schism hidden in
the Catholic world, which is pursued by Bergoglio with determination and ob-
stinacy.”448 Measuring his words, EWTN lead anchor Raymond Arroyo said in a
panel discussion that the climate in the Church “gives the feeling of a schism.
It’s not a schism, but it gives the feeling of one.”449 Even Charles Collins, Crux’s
managing editor and a journalist favorable to the current pontificate’s orienta-
tion admitted: “It is difficult not to acknowledge the confusion in the Church.”450
Indeed, the idea that the Church is enveloped in confusion and moving to-
ward schism is widespread. us, Der Spiegel’s Italy correspondent did not fear
being dubbed a fake news source when he reported that, in a moment of self-
criticism, the pope is alleged to have said: “It is not to be excluded that I will
enter history as the one who split the Catholic Church.”451
447. Guido Horst, “Leitartikel: Faktisches schisma,” Oct. 18, 2017, Die Tagespost,
https://www.die-tagespost.de/politik/Leitartikel-Faktisches-Schisma;art315,175459.
448. Niccolò Magnani, “Marcello Pera vs papa Francesco/‘Bergoglio fa politica, è in atto uno scisma nella
Chiesa,’” Il Sussidiario, Jul 10, 2017, http://www.ilsussidiario.net/News/Cronaca/2017/7/10/Marcello
-Pera-vs-Papa-Francesco-Bergoglio-fa-politica-e-in-atto-uno-scisma-nella-Chiesa-/773071/.
449. Claire Chretien, “‘It Gives the Feeling of a Schism’: EWTN Panel Analyzes Current ‘Disaster’ in the
Church,” LifeSiteNews, Feb. 17, 2017, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/it-gives-the-feeling-of-a
-schism-ewtn-panel-analyzes-current-disaster-in-th.
450. Collins, “Burke Again Says Pope Must Answer.”
451. Walter Mayr, “Der papst kocht,” Der Spiegel, Dec. 23, 2016, http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/gesellschaft
/vatikan-kritik-an-papst-franziskus-nimmt-vor-weihnachten-zu-a-1127247.html.
c HaPter 8
The Paradigm Shift’s Common
Denominator: Adapting to Revolutionary
and Anti-Christian Modernity
Whatever the field affected by Pope Francis’s paradigm shift, a shared trait is al-
ways the desire to embrace modernity and align the Church with the secular and
anti-Christian Revolution which most popes over the last two centuries con-
demned in various ways. us, preaching on God is increasingly replaced with
preaching human values.
W hile each change described in previous chapters is grave, even more so

is this pontificate’s overall direction. Adapting to the “spirit of the world”
seems to be its common denominator. Regarding Western civilization, this
specifically means adjusting to a revolutionary process that has been destroy-
ing its Christian character in the name of modernity since the Renaissance.
modernity’s Profound moral unity is

the mentality of the anti-christian revolution
It is often said in progressive environments that a Catholic must be a man of
his time. Such progressives claim that Catholics must accept the transforma-
tions and progress that make society today different from previous times. What
they forget to say is that such changes must conform to the spirit and doctrine
of the Gospel if they are to be acceptable to the faithful. Only then will change
promote authentic social progress. us, discerning the good and evil that exist
in today’s world is needed.
The features of an age cannot be broken down into mutually

autonomous, good and bad aspects. Every historical period has
its own mentality, which simultaneously results from good and
bad elements. If the former predominate and the latter are only
secondary, the epoch, without being excellent, can be called good.
On the contrary, if evil aspects dominate and good is found just
in one or another detail, then the epoch must be called bad. In
the problem of relationships between Catholics and their time, it
is not enough to take a stand in the face of fragmentary aspects
of the world in which they live. The faithful must consider the
characteristics of the time in their profound moral unity and take
a stand in the face of it.452
Jean Baudrillard, Jacinto Lageira, and Alain Brunn recognize that profound
moral unity of modern culture:
Modernity is neither a sociological, political nor properly speak-

ing a historical concept. It is a characteristic mode of civilization
that opposes that of tradition, that is, all other previous or tradi-
tional cultures. . . .
Inextricably entangled in both myth and reality, modernity is spec-
ified in all fields: modern state, modern technology, modern music
and painting, modern customs and ideas—as a kind of general cate-
gory and cultural imperative. . . . Variable in its forms, contents, in
time and space, it is unstable and irreversible except as a value sys-
tem, a myth—and in this sense, one needs to write it with a capital
letter: Modernity. In this, it looks like Tradition. . . .
It acts as a force-idea and a dominant ideology, sublimating the
contradictions of history into the effects of civilization.453
From what Tradition did modernity seek to free itself and thus become the
dominant ideology and historical path trodden over the last centuries? Clearly,
it was the Catholic culture and civilization that prevailed in the Middle Ages.
stages in the Process of de-christianization of the West

Pope Pius XII succinctly described the stages of this philosophical and religious
emancipation when he spoke of a subtle and mysterious enemy that has sought
to effect the intellectual, moral, and social disintegration of Christendom:
It has sought nature without grace [the Renaissance], reason without

faith [Protestantism and the Enlightenment], freedom without authority
[the French Revolution], and, at times, authority without freedom [Com-
munism]. It is an “enemy” that has become more and more apparent
with an absence of scruples that still surprises: Christ yes; the Church
no! [Protestantism]. Afterward: God yes; Christ no! [the French Revolu-
tion’s Enlightenment]. Finally the impious shout: God is dead and, even,
452. Antônio de Castro Mayer, Carta pastoral sobre problemas do apostolado moderno: Contendo um cate-
cismo de verdades oportunas que se opõem a erros contemporâneos, 2nd ed. (Campos, Brazil: n. p., 1953),
55–6, https://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/Carta%20Pastoral%20sobre%20os%20Erros%20do%20
Apostolado%20Moderno.pdf.
453. Jean Baudrillard, Jacinto Lageira, and Alain Brunn, “Modernité,” in Encyclopédie Universalis, accessed
Jul. 24, 2018, https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/modernite/.
CHAPTER 8 131
God never existed! [Communism]. And behold now the attempt to build
the structure of the world on foundations which we do not hesitate to
indicate as the main causes of the threat that hangs over humanity:
economy without God, law without God, politics without God.454
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira called this enemy the Revolution with a capital R:
Its profound cause is an explosion of pride and sensuality that has

inspired, not one system, but, rather, a whole chain of ideological sys-
tems. eir wide acceptance gave rise to the three great revolutions
in the history of the West: the Pseudo-Reformation, the French Rev-
olution, and Communism.
Pride leads to hatred of all superiority and, thus, to the affirma-
tion that inequality is an evil in itself at all levels, principally at the
metaphysical and religious ones. is is the egalitarian aspect of the
Revolution.
Sensuality, per se, tends to sweep aside all barriers. It does not accept
restraints and leads to revolt against all authority and law, divine or
human, ecclesiastical or civil. is is the liberal aspect of the Revolution.
Both aspects, which in the final analysis have a metaphysical char-
acter, seem contradictory on many occasions. But they are reconciled
in the Marxist utopia of an anarchic paradise.455
It would be wrong to think that the Revolution subverts only the political
order: “A process so profound, vast, and prolonged cannot develop without en-
compassing every domain of human activity, such as culture, art, laws, customs,
and institutions.”456
454. Pius XII, “Allocation to the Union of Men of the Italian Catholic Action,” Oct. 12, 1952,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/it/speeches/1952/documents/hf_p-xii_spe_19521012
_uomini-azione-cattolica.html.
455. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, 3rd English ed. (York, Penn.: e American
Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, 1993), intro., 3, http://www.tfp.org/revolution
-and-counter-revolution/. In his essay, Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira summarizes the historic stages of this cen-
turies-long process as follows:
e Pseudo-Reformation was a first revolution. It implanted, in varying degrees, the spirit of doubt, religious
liberalism, and ecclesiastical egalitarianism in the different sects it produced.
e French Revolution came next. It was the triumph of egalitarianism in two fields: the religious field in the
form of atheism speciously labeled as secularism; and the political field through the false maxim that all inequal-
ity is an injustice, all authority a danger, and freedom the supreme good.
Communism is the transposition of these maxims to the socioeconomic field.
ese three revolutions are episodes of one single Revolution, within which socialism, liturgicism, the poli-
tique de la main tendue (policy of the extended hand), and the like are only transitional stages or attenuated man-
ifestations. Ibid., 3–4.
456. Ibid., 4.
From clash to dialogue With revolutionary modernity

Since the dawn of Christianity, clergy and faithful alike have been tempted to
conform to the spirit of the world (see Rom. 12:2). is did not change when,
from the Renaissance on, the revolutionary spirit of modernity began to dom-
inate the cultural, intellectual, and political life of the West. Mainly from the
nineteenth century on, the Church was pressured to adapt to the new emerging
world. “It is not a matter of choosing between the principles of 1789 and the
dogmas of the Catholic religion,” exclaimed Duke Albert de Broglie, one of the
leaders of the liberal Catholic bloc, “but to purify principles with dogmas and
make both walk side by side. It is not a question of confronting each other in a
duel but of making peace.”457
Seeing the danger that Revolutionary principles would infiltrate society and
Catholic circles, Pius IX458 and Pius X459 issued explicit condemnations against
the attempt to reconcile the Church with modern errors. ey urged Catholics
to courageously confront the secular, liberal, and egalitarian offensives unleashed
457. Albert de Broglie, Questions de religion et d’histoire (Paris: Michel Lévy Frêres, 1860), 2:199,
https://books.google.com/books?id=9JUTIdKex-QC.
458. In his Syllabus (or Index of the main errors of his time), Pius IX condemned this proposition: “e
Roman Pontiff can, and ought to, reconcile himself, and come to terms with progress, liberalism and
modern civilization” (prop. 80). e condemned proposition is from the allocution Iamdudum Cernimus,
given by Pius IX at the secret consistory of March 18, 1861. It states:
Civil society in Our unhappy times is more than ever thrown into agitation and turmoil. Some defend princi-
ples they call the principles of modern civilization; others defend the rights of justice and of Our most holy reli-
gion. e former ask that the Roman Pontiff reconcile and make an alliance with what they call progress,
liberalism, the new civilization. e latter rightly ask that the immutable and unshakable principles of eternal
justice be kept inviolable in their integrity and that the salutary force of Our divine religion be fully safe-
guarded. . . .
erefore, We ask those who invite Us to extend a friendly hand to today’s civilization, if the facts are such as
to induce the Vicar of Christ on Earth—supernaturally established by Christ Himself to defend the purity of His
heavenly doctrine and feed His lambs and sheep, confirming both in it—to make an alliance with the present-day
civilization, from which come great evils that are never deplored enough, so many horrible opinions, and so
many errors and false principles entirely contrary to the Catholic religion and its doctrine, without seriously in-
juring his conscience, and without great scandal for all the good. . . .
If civilization were to be understood as a system expressly combined to weaken and perhaps overthrow the
Church of Christ, it is certain that neither the Holy See nor the Roman Pontiff could ever come to an understand-
ing with this civilization. Pius IX, Allocution Iamdudum Cernimus, Mar. 18, 1861,
https://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-ix/it/documents/allocuzione-iamdudum-cernimus-18-marzo-1861.html.
459. Addressing the secret cause of disciplinary infractions in the behavior of followers of the popular,
modernist-inspired educational movement Le Sillon, St. Pius X explained to the French bishops:
You are the past; they are the pioneers of the civilization of the future. You represent the hierarchy, social in-
equalities, authority, and obedience—worn out institutions to which their hearts, captured by another ideal, can
no longer submit. Occurrences so sad as to bring tears to Our eyes bear witness to this frame of mind. And we
cannot, with all Our patience, overcome a just feeling of indignation. Now then! Distrust of the Church, their
Mother, is being instilled into the minds of Catholic youth; they are being taught that after nineteen centuries
She has not yet been able to build up in this world a society on true foundations; She has not understood the so-
cial notions of authority, liberty, equality, fraternity and human dignity; they are told that the great bishops and
kings, who have made France what it is and governed it so gloriously, have not been able to give their people true
justice and true happiness because they did not possess the Sillonist Ideal! Pius X, Encyclical Notre Charge Apos-
tolique, Aug. 25, 1910, http://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius10/p10notre.htm.
CHAPTER 8 133
by the promoters of the Revolution. Other pontiffs were less energetic. Others
were even conciliatory. With John XXIII and the opening of the Second Vatican
Council, that position of combat against modernity and its errors was officially
abandoned and replaced with an attitude of benevolent dialogue with the mod-
ern world.
In his speech closing the Council, Pope Paul VI expressed very clearly the
meaning of this change of attitude:
Yes, the Church of the council has been concerned, not just with
herself and with her relationship of union with God, but with man—
man as he really is today. . . .
Secular humanism, revealing itself in its horrible anti-clerical re-
ality has, in a certain sense, defied the council. e religion of the
God who became man has met the religion (for such it is) of man who
makes himself God. And what happened? Was there a clash, a battle,
a condemnation? ere could have been, but there was none. e old
story of the Samaritan has been the model of the spirituality of the
council. A feeling of boundless sympathy has permeated the whole
of it. e attention of our council has been absorbed by the discovery
of human needs (and these needs grow in proportion to the greatness
which the son of the earth claims for himself). But we call upon those
who term themselves modern humanists, and who have renounced
the transcendent value of the highest realities, to give the council
credit at least for one quality and to recognize our own new type of
humanism: we, too, in fact, we more than any others, honor
mankind. . . .
A wave of affection and admiration flowed from the council over
the modern world of humanity. Errors were condemned, indeed, be-
cause charity demanded this no less than did truth, but for the per-
sons themselves there was only warning, respect and love. Instead of
depressing diagnoses, encouraging remedies; instead of direful prog-
nostics, messages of trust issued from the council to the present-day
world. e modern world’s values were not only respected but hon-
ored, its efforts approved, its aspirations purified and blessed.460
Despite these candid intentions, the Catholic Faith at the time of the Council
did not purify modernity’s humanistic values. Instead, many, and especially the
youth of the time, took these humanistic values to their final consequences.
460. Paul VI, “Address of Pope Paul VI During the Last General Meeting of the Second Vatican Council,”
Dec. 7, 1965, http://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/speeches/1965/documents/hf_p-vi_spe
_19651207_epilogo-concilio.html.
ey leaped into postmodernity, that is, the current stage of the Revolution.
ere, “the height of individual liberty and of consentaneous collectivism”461
was represented by the structuralist dream of the dissolution of all large social
organizations. Small, self-managed urban and rural communities were to re-
place the destroyed institutions. Molded by the hippie generation, the members
of these communes were to give up “the old standards of individual reflection,
volition, and sensibility. ese w[ould] be gradually replaced by forms of
thought, deliberation, and sensibility that are increasingly collective.”462
e May 1968 student revolt at Paris’s Sorbonne University can be seen as
the beginning of that profound change. Its most enduring cultural change has
been the evaporation of authority in the family, school, business, and so forth.
It also led to the loosening of morals with the Sexual Revolution. In the opinion
of those who lived through the Sorbonne Revolution and analysts who later
studied it, the Second Vatican Council to some extent anticipated and even fa-
vored the Sorbonne’s outbreak by refusing to employ a language of dogmatic
affirmations and a reiteration of moral prohibitions.463
461. Corrêa de Oliveira, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, 158.

462. Ibid.
463. “e demands of the movement of May ’68,” writes Mariologist and Council expert Fr. René Laurentin,
“coincided to a great extent with the major ideas of the council, in particular of the conciliar constitution
on the Church and the world.” In his opinion, “Vatican II was already to some extent the dissent of a group
of bishops who banded together against the curia that was trying to stage an institutionally prefabricated
council.” René Laurentin, Enjeu du deuxième synode: Et contestation dans l’Église (Paris: Seuil, 1969), 14, 16.
Religion sociologist Jean-Louis Schlegel writes: “Even before 1968, rebellion became widespread and ex-
tended to the Church herself, to her structures and behavior, as well as to the holders of religious power. . . .
“A post-conciliar climate of Christian ‘insurrection’ or ‘subversion,’ which tends to cast into outer dark-
ness all that we had worshiped before, with the feeling that the Church has ‘deceived us’ thus joins the
more general cultural, social, and political effervescence that has been developing since the early 1960s. . . .
“When Cardinal Marty, newly installed in Paris, stated that ‘God is not conservative,’ he winked at
Catholics who indeed were so and who attacked the unbearable revolution. Philosopher Maurice Clavel
took another step: he saw the [May 1968] events as an irruption of the Spirit.” Jean-Louis Schlegel,
“Changer l’Église en changeant la politique,” in À la gauche du Christ: Les chrétiens de gauche en France de
1945 à nos jours, ed. Denis Pelletier and Jean-Louis Schelegel (Paris: Seuil, 2012), 279–80, 282.
In his book, Principles of Catholic eology, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote about the post-council pe-
riod, “e interdenominational communion that took place during the ecumenical Mass celebrated on
the barricades was long regarded as a kind of salvation-historical event, as a revelation-event that intro-
duced a new era of Christianity.” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Principles of Catholic eology: Building Stones
for a Fundamental eology, trans. Mary Frances McCarthy, SND (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1987), 387–8.
As the editing of this work was wrapping up, historian Agostino Giovagnoli gave an interview to the
Servizio Informazione Religiosa news agency. Questioned on the connection between the Second Vatican
Council and the May ’68 student revolts, he stated: “e ’68 [revolution] was above all an anti-institutional
challenge and it is on this terrain that one can recognize the nexus linking the two phenomena.” He added,
“e Catholic Church anticipated a transformation that later, in May 1968 presented itself in a convulsive way
in the sense of a re-dimensioning of the weight of institutions within society.” Giovanna Pasqualin Traversa, “Il
Sessantotto. Agostino Giovagnoli (storico): ‘Profondo legame con il Concilio che ne ha antecipato alcuni
tratti,’” Servizio Informazione Religiosa, Apr. 26, 2018, https://agensir.it/italia/2018/04/26/il-sessantotto
-agostino-giovagnoli-storico-profondo-legame-con-il-concilio-che-ne-ha-anticipato-alcuni-tratti/.
CHAPTER 8 135
Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Humanae Vitae reiterated long-established Church

doctrine and forbade the use of artificial methods of birth control. Rome then
began to distance itself from the Sexual Revolution and to reaffirm moral prin-
ciples. is was especially seen during the pontificate of John Paul II with the
Encyclicals Evangelium Vitae and Veritatis Splendor, and the documents on ho-
mosexuality published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, led
by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
However, with the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio that red line seems
to have been crossed. As described in Chapter 6, Pope Francis’s teachings and ges-
tures show openness to postmodernity in the realm of sexual morals as well.
It seems this paradigm shift’s remote origin can be found in the same posi-
tive stance vis-à-vis the evolution of contemporary society that John XXIII held
regarding social change during his time. In his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii
Gaudium, Francis explains:
Fifty years after the Second Vatican Council, we are distressed by the

troubles of our age and far from naive optimism; yet the fact that we are
more realistic must not mean that we are any less trusting in the Spirit
or less generous. In this sense, we can once again listen to the words of
Blessed John XXIII on the memorable day of 11 October 1962: “At times
we have to listen, much to our regret, to the voices of people who, though
burning with zeal, lack a sense of discretion and measure. In this modern
age they can see nothing but prevarication and ruin . . . We feel that we
must disagree with those prophets of doom who are always forecasting
disaster, as though the end of the world were at hand. In our times, divine
Providence is leading us to a new order of human relations which, by
human effort and even beyond all expectations, are directed to the ful-
filment of God’s superior and inscrutable designs, in which everything,
even human setbacks, leads to the greater good of the Church.”464
John Paul II established a red line regarding abortion and indissoluble mar-
riage. e immediate origins for Francis’s crossing of this line seem to be the
agenda laid out by the late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. Indeed, Francis (also a
Jesuit) considered himself to be the cardinal’s disciple.465 e spiritual testament

465. In the foreword to the first volume of the controversial cardinal’s opera omnia, titled e Chair of Non-Be-
lievers, Pope Francis says that “the legacy Cardinal Martini has left us is a precious gift. . . . How many of us, in
Argentina, at the ‘end of the world,’ did the Spiritual Exercises from his texts. . . . He was a teacher to many of
us who have heard his words and read his texts.” Francis, “Il papa: ‘La Chiesa missionaria non si chiuda in se
stessa,’” Corriere Della Sera, Oct. 19, 2015, http://www.corriere.it/cronache/15_ottobre_19/papa
-francesco-la-chiesa-missionaria-non-si-chiuda-se-stessa-2973aab8-7620-11e5-9086-b57baad6b3f4.shtml.
of this former archbishop of Milan was entrusted to his Jesuit confrere Georg
Sporschill (with whom he wrote Night Conversations With Cardinal Martini) and
journalist Federica Radice Fossati Confalonieri.466 It was published in Milan’s
daily Corriere della Sera and contains this comment:
e Church must recognize her own mistakes and walk a radical

path of change, starting with the pope and bishops. Pedophilia scan-
dals force us to tread the road of conversion. Questions about sexu-
ality and all issues involving the body are an example. ese themes
are important to each person and are sometimes too important. We
should ask ourselves if people still listen to the advice of the Church
on sexual matters. . . . Neither the clergy nor Church Law can replace
man’s inner self.467
All the external rules, the laws, the dogmas, are there to clarify this
internal voice and for the discernment of spirits.
Who are the sacraments for? . . . Are we carrying the sacraments
to the people who need new strength? I think of all the divorced and
remarried couples, to extended families. . . . e question of whether
the divorced [and “remarried”] can receive Communion ought to be
turned around. How can the Church reach people who have compli-
cated family situations . . . ?
e Church is 200 years behind the times. Why doesn’t it stir? Are
we afraid? Is it fear rather than courage?468
a “church on the move” at overcomes

Her defensiveness toward today’s World
To force the Church to conform to the modern world, Pope Francis uses key-
words that have a talismanic effect. He talks of “building bridges.” He mentions
the need to dialogue instead of being a “builder of walls.”469 Being faithful
466. See Cardinal Carlo M. Martini and Georg Sporschill, Night Conversations With Cardinal Martini (Mah-
wah, N.J.: Paulist, 2012).
467. Georg Sporschill, SJ and Federica Radice Fossati Confalonieri, “‘Chiesa indietro di 200 anni’: L’ultima
intervista: ‘Perché non si scuote, perché abbiamo paura?’” Corriere Della Sera, Sept. 1, 2012,
http://www.corriere.it/cronache/12_settembre_02/le-parole-ultima-intervista_cdb2993e
-f50b-11e1-9f30-3ee01883d8dd.shtml.
468. John L. Allen, Jr., “Translated Final Interview With Martini,” National Catholic Reporter, Sept. 4, 2012,
https://www.ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/translated-final-interview-martini.
469. During a homily at Santa Marta, the pope said that today’s Christians are like the Apostle Paul in the
Aeropagus. “He did not say, ‘Idolaters! You will go to hell! . . .’” No, he “tried to reach their hearts; he did not
condemn from the outset but sought dialogue. ‘Paul is a pope, a builder of bridges. He did not want to be-
come a builder of walls.’” Francis, “Jesus Excludes No One: Morning Meditation in the Chapel of Domus
Sanctae Marthae,” May 8, 2013,
CHAPTER 8 137
means “going out to the outskirts.”470 “An evangelizing community is also sup-
portive, standing by people at every step of the way, no matter how difficult or
lengthy this may prove to be.”471 In this evangelizing effort, the bishop must
“sometimes go before his people, pointing the way.” In some circumstances
though, he must “walk after them . . . allowing the flock to strike out on new
paths.”472 Catholics must be “a Church on the move.”473
It is also necessary to “dialogue with states, dialogue with society—including
dialogue with cultures and the sciences—and dialogue with other believers.”474
“In a culture which privileges dialogue as a form of encounter, it is time to de-
vise a means for building consensus and agreement.”475 is is all the more so
since “Seeing reality with the eyes of faith, we cannot fail to acknowledge what
the Holy Spirit is sowing.” Not only “where great numbers of people have re-
ceived baptism,”476 but also where they practice “new ways of relating to God,
to others and to the world around us. . . . the places where new narratives and
paradigms are being formed.”477 is is important, “to overcome suspicion, ha-
bitual mistrust, fear of losing our privacy, all the defensive attitudes which
today’s world imposes on us.”478
Paradoxically, according to Francis, resisting today’s spiritual and moral col-
lapse would be an expression of “worldliness.” Not locking step with the mod-
ern world would be a “self-absorbed Promethean neo-Pelagianism of those
who ultimately trust only in their own powers and feel superior to others be-
cause they observe certain rules or remain intransigently faithful to a particular
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie/2013/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20130508
_non-exclusion.html.
Pope Francis went on to say, “Now is a favorable time in the life of the Church: the last 50, 60 years are a
favorable time because, I remember when I was a child that one would hear in Catholic families, in my
family: ‘No, we cannot go to their home because they are not married in the Church, they are socialist,
atheist eh!’ It was like an exclusion. Now—thanks be to God—one no longer says that, isn’t it so? One does
not say it! is existed as a defense of the faith, but with walls.” Kelen Galvan, “Papa diz que para evange-
lizar, cristãos devem construir pontes e não muros,” Canção Nova–Notícias, May 8, 2013,
https://noticias.cancaonova.com/especiais/pontificado/Francis/papa-diz-que-para-evangelizar
-cristaos-devem-construir-pontes-e-nao-muros/.
471. Ibid., no. 24.
472. Ibid., no. 31.
473. John L. Allen, Jr., “In 2016, Pope Francis Wants a Church on the Move,” Crux, Jan. 6, 2016,
https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/01/06/in-2016-pope-francis-wants-a-church-on-the-move/.
475. Ibid., no. 239.
476. Ibid., no. 68.
477. Ibid., no. 74.
478. Ibid., no. 88.
Catholic style from the past. A supposed soundness of doctrine or discipline

leads instead to a narcissistic and authoritarian elitism, whereby instead of
evangelizing, one analyzes and classifies others.”479 Hence, “we have often been
on the defensive, wasting pastoral energy on denouncing a decadent world.”480
Such actions, in the eyes of the world turn Catholics “into querulous and dis-
illusioned pessimists, ‘sourpusses.’”481
According to Francis, not even social developments that inevitably provoke
the gradual disappearance of indissoluble marriage and the family should in-
spire Catholics to resist. us, Amoris Laetitia stated: “Neither today’s society
nor that to which we are progressing allow an uncritical survival of older forms
and models.”482 All that would be left for the Church to do is adapt to the “an-
thropological and cultural changes” that today “influence all aspects of life.”483
For example, the need for pre-matrimonial and matrimonial pastoral care
should not be confined to “the defense of a dry and lifeless doctrine”484 or
merely “solid doctrinal and spiritual convictions.”485 Instead, they should turn
to “teachers and counselors, family and community physicians, social workers,
juvenile and family advocates . . . drawing upon the contributions of psychol-
ogy, sociology, marital therapy and counseling.”486
an immanentistic and Hegelian view of History

Like the late nineteenth century modernists did, Pope Francis rationalizes
adapting the Church to “anthropological and cultural changes.” According to
him, the justification for change today is the divine impulse present in human-
ity’s progress. In the previously mentioned interview with Fr. Antonio Spadaro,
Pope Francis seemed to suggest an immanentistic and Teilhardian view of the
universe and history. He attributed to divine action the impulses of new dy-
namics in human action:
God manifests himself in historical revelation, in history . . . God

is in history, in the processes. . . .
God manifests himself in time and is present in the processes of
479. Ibid., no. 94.

483. Ibid.
484. Ibid., no. 59.
CHAPTER 8 139
history. is gives priority to actions that give birth to new historical
dynamics.487
us, in Amoris Laetitia the pope pointed out the need “to focus on concrete
realities, since ‘the call and the demands of the Spirit resound in the events of
history.’”488
From that perspective, everything leads to the conclusion that this is an im-
manentist conception that would also include a dialectical dimension derived
from the Hegelian notion of a relative truth. Accordingly, to advance toward
the new world, one must also rely on the “constant tensions present in every
social reality,”489 “tensions and oppositions [which] can achieve a diversified
and life-giving unity,”490 always remembering that “the principal author, the
historic subject of this process, is the people as a whole and their culture.”491
He has told the flock to ever remember that “in the constant tension between
fullness and limitation,” and in the “brighter horizon of the utopian future,”492
time is greater than space, because “time governs spaces, illumines them and
makes them links in a constantly expanding chain, with no possibility of return.
What we need, then, is to give priority to actions which generate new processes
in society.”493
erefore, a historical epoch cannot be judged by an absolute standard—the
demands of truth revealed by God. Instead, it should be assessed by the human-
istic and relativistic “criterion set forth by Romano Guardini: ‘e only measure
for properly evaluating an age is to ask to what extent it fosters the development
and attainment of a full and authentically meaningful human existence, in ac-
cordance with the peculiar character and the capacities of that age.’”494
embracing the revolution at every stage

Consistent with Guardini’s criterion, Pope Francis predictably sympathizes
with each stage of the Revolution in the context of its time.
His goodwill toward its first stage (the Pseudo-Reformation) is evident in
the already mentioned statements and gestures regarding Luther. His position
487. Spadaro, “A Big Heart.”

490. Ibid., no. 228.
491. Ibid., no. 239.
492. Ibid., no. 222.
493. Ibid., no. 223.
494. Ibid., no. 224.
regarding the second stage (the French Revolution) is ambivalent. He approved

State secularization495 and the human rights496 it enshrined, but, on the other
hand, the pope reckons that the democratic, bourgeois, and liberal political
regime it promoted has turned against the lower classes and has been super-
seded by the ideal of participatory democracy. He believes further that nation-
alism is now a hindrance to the “dream of a new European humanism”497 and
to the new, globalized, multiethnic, and multicultural humanity. Lastly, he be-
lieves that the myth of progress promoted by Enlightenment philosophers in
the revolutionary salons of 1789 has been overcome by a green worldview.498
By contrast, his appeal for the utopias of the third stage of the revolutionary
process (Communism), and even for those of the Fourth Eco-tribalist Revolution,
seems to be increasingly expressed by his efforts to bring together all popular
and indigenist movements in the Vatican-sponsored World Meetings and col-
laboration with international bodies to promote ecological global governance.
e church’s definitive Ralliement With the revolution

e founder of La Repubblica had good reasons for titling his article on Laudato
Sì: “Francis, the pope-prophet who meets modernity.”499 He said that the pope
told him in a later meeting, “I will not have much time to finish the work to
which I must dedicate myself, which is the fulfillment of the goals prescribed
by Vatican II and particularly that of having the Church meet with modernity.”500
According to Nicola di Bianco, professor of eology at the Salernitano
495. “Confessional states end badly. . . . I believe that secularism accompanied by a strong law that guar-
antees religious freedom provides a framework for moving forward. We are all equal, as sons of God or
[creations] of our personal dignity. But everyone should have the freedom to display their own faith pub-
licly.” Guillaume Goubert and Sébastien Maillard, “Le Pape François à La Croix: ‘Un État doit être laïque,’”
La Croix, May 16, 2016, http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Pape/Le-pape-Francois-a-La-Croix-Un-Etat
-doit-etre-laique-2016-05-16-1200760526.
496 “What has happened to you, the Europe of humanism, the champion of human rights, democracy and
freedom?” Francis, “Conferral of the Charlemagne Prize.”
497. Ibid.
498. In Laudato Sì, he states, “At one extreme, we find those who doggedly uphold the myth of progress
and tell us that ecological problems will solve themselves simply with the application of new technology
and without any need for ethical considerations or deep change. . . .
“Whereas in the beginning [environmental education] was mainly centered on scientific information,
consciousness-raising and the prevention of environmental risks, it tends now to include a critique of the
‘myths’ of a modernity grounded in a utilitarian mindset (individualism, unlimited progress, competition,
consumerism, the unregulated market).” Laudato Sì, nos. 60, 210.
499. Eugenio Scalfari, “Francesco, papa profeta che incontra la modernità,” La Repubblica, Jul. 1, 2015,
http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2015/07/01/news/francesco_papa_profeta_che_incontra_la
_modernita_-118048516/.
500. Eugenio Scalfari, “Conservatori e temporalisti lo frenano ma Francesco non si fermerà,” La Repubblica,
Oct. 25, 2015, http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2015/10/25/news/conservatori_e_temporalisti_lo
_frenano_ma_francesco_non_si_fermera_-125834299/.
CHAPTER 8 141
eological Institute, that meeting will actually go beyond the claims of

modernity.
is becomes clear, considering that Freud attributed to modernity three
“insults” to human narcissism:
l the Cosmic-Copernican: the earth is not the center of the
universe;
l the biological-Darwinist: man is not the crowning of creation;
l the psychological-Freudian: affirmed the impotence of reason
before the subconscious and the libido.
To these three “insults,” Niklas Luhmann added a fourth: the sociological,

modernity’s present-day inability to model society.
Alluding to these “insults,” Prof. Di Bianco says that the current pontiff wants
to settle accounts with the history of the last few centuries. Francis’s Church would
recover the evolutionary stance by promoting processes and being Herself perma-
nently “under construction.” It would recover Freudian subjectivism by “declaring
that the severity of guilt cannot be separated from the subject’s imputability.” And,
finally, it would recover the sociological stance by upholding “the claims of the op-
pressed, marginalized, poor” and by denouncing “models of economic develop-
ment that produce ‘exclusions’ and ‘inequalities’ and generate a ‘throw-away’
culture.’” Di Bianco concludes, saying that, “With his gestures, style and teaching
Francis is reforming the Church, going beyond the ‘insults’ of ‘modernity.’”501
e abundant documentation in previous chapters and the comments of
Catholic intellectuals and agnostics who are friendly to Pope Francis suffice
to reach a conclusion.
us, I conclude that this pontificate can be characterized as attempting to
carry out a definitive ralliement502 of the Church with the Revolution and its
secularized humanism. Moreover, that this surrender of the Church to the Rev-
olution is being done while the latter is at an impasse because, in its current
stage, its final steps, the Revolution can no longer disguise the full stench and
evil of its ultimate goal.
If consummated, this ralliement will produce catastrophic consequences
for souls. Suffice it to consider this statement of Eugenio Scalfari: “e im-
pulse [Francis] is giving the Ecclesia will have profoundly changed the concept
501. Nicola di Bianco, “Oltre gli ‘insulti’ della modernità,” La Stampa–Vatican Insider, May 14, 2016,
http://www.lastampa.it/2016/05/14/vaticaninsider/ita/commenti/oltre-gli-insulti-della-modernit
-k3IrJh5mm8CBxVKgbAFDRM/pagina.html.
502. With the Encyclical Au milieu des sollicitudes, of February 1892, Pope Leo XIII called on French
Catholics—most of whom were monarchists—to rally to the Republic in order to defend the interests of
the Church from within. In this regard, see Roberto de Mattei, Le ralliement de Léon XIII: L’échec d’un pro-
jet pastoral (Paris: Cerf, 2016).
of religion and divinity, and that will be a cultural change that can hardly be
modified.”503
However, the consequences for the remnants of Christianity in Western so-
ciety will be no less catastrophic.
503. Scalfari, “Francesco, papa profeta.”

c HaPter 9
The Flip Side of the Coin:
Praise From Worldly Powers
and Anti-Christian Currents
Friendliness between Francis and the progressive, secular world is undeniable.
However, through its promotion of modernity, this world was generally hostile to
the Church until his accession to the papacy.
P ope Francis’s magisterial, pastoral, and political choices (summarized in

the preceding chapters) have triggered great perplexity and confusion in
Catholic circles. Conversely, his statements, decisions, and symbolic gestures—
which, when considered as a whole, attempt to surrender the Church to
modernity—have been warmly received, even with fascination, in secular am-
biances and among the world’s powers. e media acknowledge this.504
e first expressive display of this worldly glee was when the Italian edition
of the magazine Vanity Fair chose Pope Francis as its 2013 “Man of the Year.”505
He was then chosen “Person of the Year” by Time magazine,506 the newspaper
Le Monde,507 and no fewer than eleven Latin American newspapers. Also join-
ing them was e Advocate, America’s oldest and largest homosexual magazine.
Justifying its choice, this publication stated, “Pope Francis’s stark change in
rhetoric from his two predecessors—both who were at one time or another
among e Advocate’s annual Phobie Awards—makes what he’s done in 2013
all the more daring.”508
504. “e giddy embrace of the secular press makes Francis suspect among traditionalists who fear he
buys popularity at the price of a watered-down faith. He has deftly leveraged the media’s fascination to
draw attention to everything.” Nancy Gibbs, “Pope Francis, e Choice,” Time, Dec. 11, 2013,
http://poy.time.com/2013/12/11/pope-francis-the-choice/.
505. “His first hundred days have already put him to the fore in the ranking of world leaders who make
history. But the revolution continues.” “Vanity Fair elegge papa Francesco ‘Uomo dell’anno,’” Vanity Fair,
Jul. 9, 2013, https://www.vanityfair.it/news/italia/13/07/09/cover-vanity-papa-francesco.
506. e managing editor of Time wrote that “in less than a year, he has done something remarkable: he
has not changed the words, but he’s changed the music” so that, “in a very short time, a vast, global, ecu-
menical audience has shown a hunger to follow him.” Gibbs, “Pope Francis, e Choice.”
507. “Le Monde’s weekly supplement emphasized that at that moment ‘it [was] not absurd to speak of
‘popemania,’ and praised the message of modernity the Argentine pontiff embodied.” “França: Le Monde
elege o papa Francisco como personalidade do ano de 2013,” Zenit, Dec. 20, 2013, https://pt.zenit.org
/articles/franca-le-monde-elege-o-papa-Francisco-como-personalidade-do-ano-de-2013/.
508. Lucas Grindley, “Person of the Year: Pope Francis,” e Advocate, Dec. 16, 2013,
https://www.advocate.com/year-review/2013/12/16/advocates-person-year-pope-francis. e homosex-
ual magazine added that, “In the same way that President Obama transformed politics with his evolution
on LGBT civil rights, a change from the pope could have a lasting effect on religion.” Ibid.
Politically, the chorus of praise swelled to a climax after Pope Francis published
the Encyclical Laudato Sì. Among others, the following world leaders gave it their
enthusiastic support:
l Ban Ki-Moon, former secretary general of the U.N.;
509
l U.S. President Barack Obama;

510
l French President François Hollande;

511
l former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore;

512
l Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission;

513
l Karmenu Vella and Miguel Arias Cañete, European commission-
ers for the Environment and Climate Action (Both went to the Vati-
can to thank the pope personally for the encyclical.);514
l Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environ-
ment Program;515
509. “I thank deeply Pope Francis for taking such a strong stand on the need for urgent global action. His
moral voice is part of a growing chorus of people from all faiths and all sectors of society speaking out for
climate action.” Ban Ki-Moon, “e Papal Encyclical: A Call for Climate Action,” LinkedIn, Jun. 18, 2015,
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/papal-encyclical-call-climate-action-ban-ki-moon.
510. “I welcome His Holiness Pope Francis’s encyclical, and deeply admire the pope’s decision to make the
case—clearly, powerfully, and with the full moral authority of his position—for action on global climate
change.” Danny Wiser, “Obama Calls for World Leaders to Heed Pope Francis’s Message,” Catholic Herald,
Jun. 19, 2015, http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/06/19/obama-calls-for-world-leaders-to
-heed-pope-franciss-message/.
511. “I express my hopes that Pope Francis’s particular voice be heard on all continents, and not just by
believers.” François Hollande, “Message de M. François Hollande, président de la République, sur l’ency-
clique du pape François consacrée aux questions écologiques, le 18 Juin 2015,” Discours.Vie-Publique, Jun.
18, 2015, http://discours.vie-publique.fr/notices/157001654.html.
512. Al Gore responded to a question about Laudato Sì: “‘I think that Pope Francis is quite an inspiring fig-
ure,’ Gore said at the Haas School of Business’ Dean’s Speaker Series at UC Berkeley in early 2015, ‘really, a
phenomenon. I’ve been startled by the clarity of the moral force he embodies.’
‘I’ve said publicly in the last year—I was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition—I could become a
Catholic because of this pope, he is that inspiring to me.’” “Former VP Al Gore: I Might Become Catholic Be-
cause of Pope Francis,” Church POP, Jul. 28, 2016, https://churchpop.com/2016/07/28/former-vp-al-gore-i
-might-become-catholic-because-of-pope-francis/. (Emphasis in the original.)
513. “‘We greatly hope that Laudato Sì will be an alarm bell that encourages people to confront the prob-
lems of our common future,’ Juncker stated.” Karmenu Vella, “La ‘Laudato Sì’ dá forza al lavoro comune per
cambiare passo,” Avvenire, Sept. 16, 2015, https://www.avvenire.it/opinioni/pagine/ambiente-gli
-euroimpegni-e-impulso-di-francesco.
514. Commissioner Vella also stated, “Many references were made to the papal encyclical during the final
discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals which will be approved by the United Nations next
week in New York.” Ibid.
515. According to Achim Steiner, the encyclical “rings an alarm bell that reverberates not only with Catholics
but also with the other inhabitants of the planet.” Samuel Bleynie, “Dans le monde entier, des réactions à
l’encyclique Laudato Sì du pape François,” La Croix, Jun. 18, 2015, http://www.la-croix.com/Urbi-et-Orbi
/Actualite/Rome/Dans-le-monde-entier-des-reactions-a-l-encyclique-Laudato-si-du-pape-Francois
-2015-06-18-1325223.
CHAPTER 9 145
lSegolène Royal, French minister of Ecology;516

l postmodern sociologist Edgar Morin;
517
l the Europe-Ecology-Greens Party of France, which declared
“Habemus Papam ecologicum! ”;518

l Green deputy François de Rugy, president of the French National
Assembly;519 and
l activist and writer Naomi Klein, author of No Logo, an alter-glob-
alization reference book translated into twenty-eight languages.520
e pope earned new accolades of praise by bringing Muslim families back

on his plane from the island of Lesbos. Among those applauding this action
were Jean-Claude Juncker,521 Martin Schultz, president of the European
516. Ségolène Royal stated to La Croix: “Yes to [the encyclical’s] condemnation of speculation and the race
for short-term profits, because they have greatly contributed to the explosion in our greenhouse gas emis-
sions and the explosion of inequalities.” Emmanuelle Réju, “Ségolène Royal: ‘Défendre la nature, c’est aussi
défendre la dignité des personnes,’” La Croix, Jun. 18, 2015, http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Segolene
-Royal-Defendre-la-nature-cest-aussi-defendre-la-dignite-des-personnes-2015-06-18-1325240.
517. “e encyclical Laudato Sì is perhaps the first act of an appeal for a new civilization.” Antoine Peillon and
Isabelle de Gaulmyn, “Edgar Morin: ‘L’encyclique Laudato Sì est peut-être l’acte 1 d’un a”ppel pour une nouvelle
civilisation,’” La Croix, Jun. 21, 2015, http://www.la-croix.com/Religion/Actualite/Edgar-Morin-L-encyclique
-Laudato-Si-est-peut-etre-l-acte-1-d-un-appel-pour-une-nouvelle-civilisation-2015-06-21-1326175.
518. In an official communiqué, the Greens declared, “Habemus papam ecologicum! . . . Rejection of con-
sumerism, apology for sobriety, denunciation of the powers of money, legitimate questioning of progress and
in particular of GMOs, recognition of the ecological debt owed by the countries of the North to those of the
South. All, just months before the Paris climate conference. is is a considerable commitment that should
lead to an ambitious, binding, and international climate agreement.” Julien Bayou, Sandrine Rousseau,
spokespersons, “Habemus papam ecologicum,” Europe Écologie Les Verts, https://eelv.fr/newsletter
_archive/habemus-papam-ecologicum-2/. See Emmanuelle Réju, “Les écologistes en accord sur (presque)
tout avec le pape François,” La Croix, Jun. 19, 2015, http://www.la-croix.com/Actualite/France
/Les-ecologistes-en-accord-sur-presque-tout-avec-le-pape-Francois-2015-06-19-1325729.
519. “I am amazed to see to what extent the encyclical converges with what we have been saying for many
years,” said the current president of the French National Assembly. Ibid.
520. Naomi Klein stated to La Croix: “Unlikely and surprising alliances are woven, for example, between
me and the Vatican. . . . Trade unions, indigenous communities, confessional and green groups work as
closely as ever.” About the encyclical she added, “It is addressed also to me as a Jewish feminist from a sec-
ular environment.” “Naomi Klein prend fait et cause pour l’encyclique du pape,” La Croix, Jul. 7, 2015,
http://www.la-croix.com/Urbi-et-Orbi/Actualite/Rome/Naomi-Klein-prend-fait-et-cause-pour-l
-encyclique-du-pape-2015-07-02-1330439.
521. In 2016, the city of Aix-la-Chapelle awarded Pope Francis its famous Charlemagne Prize which honors
individuals who have stood out in their commitment to European unification. e presidents of the Euro-
pean Commission, Council, and Parliament went to the Vatican for the solemn occasion. In his speech, Jean-
Claude Juncker stated, “Holy Father, when you take in refugees in the Vatican, you fill our hearts with new
and fresh courage. You personify the idea that solidarity and compassion are not just fine-sounding words
but values that require us, time and again, to take a stand and act. is is why you have far more confidence
in us, the heirs of the Enlightenment, than we have in ourselves—and rightly so.” Jean-Claude Juncker,
“Speech by President Jean-Claude Juncker at the Award Ceremony of the Charlemagne Prize to Pope Fran-
cis,” European Commission, May 6, 2016, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-16-1681_en.htm.
Parliament,522 and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the French far-left party La

France Insoumise [Indomitable France].523
e pope’s statements on Europe’s multicultural roots earned him further
encomiums from the French Communist Party’s secretary-general, Pierre Lau-
rent, in the closing speech of the party’s 37th Congress.524
Pope Francis’s criticisms of capitalism and support for the Left’s agenda and
popular movements earned him praise from their leading champions. Among
them were:
l Hillary Clinton;
525
l Bernie Sanders;
526
l French senator Marie-Noëlle Lienemann—a leader of the Social-
ist Party’s left wing;527
522. “e European Parliament will be receiving the man who at this moment in history is probably a ref-
erence point not just for Catholics but for so many people; he is someone who gives direction in an age in
which many people feel disoriented.” Liz Dodd, “European Parliament Head Commends Pope Francis,”
e Tablet, Oct. 31, 2014, http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/1344/0/european-parliament-head-com
mends-pope-francis.
523. When the pope visited the European Parliament, the failed presidential candidate came to the rostrum
to protest the visit in the name of secularism, but he wrote the Apostolic Nuncio in Paris praising Laudato Sì.
Upon learning of the papal gesture after his visit to Lesbos, he published on his Facebook page and blog an
article titled, “Long live the pope!” In it, he stated: “I ardently salute the pope’s gesture. Besides all the rea-
sons to act and to struggle, one is stronger than all. e pope’s gesture makes it shine in the eyes of the dark
present: We are all the same humanity!” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, “Vive le pape!” Melenchon, Apr. 17, 2016,
http://melenchon.fr/2016/04/17/vive-le-pape/. On the sidelines of the 37th Congress of the French Commu-
nist Party (his ally), and aware of Bernie Sanders’s visit to the Vatican he told Paris’s Le Figaro: “I too would
like to stay at the Santa Marta residence and meet the pope; I have things to tell him.” Sophie de Ravinel,
“Jean-Luc Mélenchon souhaite rencontrer le pape,” Le Figaro, Jun. 8, 2016, http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique
/le-scan/2016/06/08/25001-20160608ARTFIG00219-jean-luc-melenchon-souhaite-rencontrer-le-pape.php.
524. See ibid.
525. During the presidential campaign, in her speech at the famous Al Smith dinner, she stated, “You certainly
don’t need to be Catholic to be inspired by the humility and heart of the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Or to em-
brace his message . . . his calls to reduce inequality, his warnings about climate change, his appeal that we
build bridges, not walls.” Hillary Clinton, “Read the Transcript of Hillary Clinton’s Speech at the Al Smith Din-
ner,” Time, Oct. 21, 2016, http://time.com/4539979/read-transcript-hillary-clinton-speech-al-smith-dinner/.
526. In the middle of his presidential campaign, after participating in a Vatican symposium organized by
the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and having a brief meeting with the pope, U.S. Senator Bernie
Sanders stated, “I just wanted to let him know how appreciative I was and the extraordinary role he’s
playing throughout the world in raising consciousness about massive levels of income and wealth in-
equality.” Elizabeth Landers and Faith Karimi, “Bernie Sanders Says He Met Pope Francis During Visit to
Vatican City,” CNN, Apr. 16, 2016, http://edition.cnn.com/2016/04/16/politics/bernie-sanders-pope
-francis-vatican-visit/index.html.
527. “Senator Marie-Noëlle Lienemann . . . gave a resounding tribute to Pope Francis on Saturday, that he
‘promotes humanistic values against the commodification’ and gives ‘priority to generosity and the
human.’ . . . I often ironize saying that he will be the last anti-capitalist. . . . It is very important that the
head of the Catholic Church promote humanistic values against commodification, which reminds us that
we are in solidarity, that we are brothers.” “Marie-Noëlle Lienemann (PS) rend hommage au pape
François,” L’Obs, Nov. 2, 2016, http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/politique/20131102.AFP0782/marie
-noelle-lienemann-ps-rend-hommage-au-pape-francois.html.
CHAPTER 9 147
lPablo Iglesias,528 leader of Spain’s Podemos party; and,

l the Italian ex-prime minister and former high-ranking commu-
nist leader Massimo D’Alema, who stated, “At this moment, the main
leader of the left is the pope, even because the left is sick.”529
e listing of supportive Latin American Marxist leaders is long. For exam-

ple, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro commented on Evangelii Gaudium saying:
“ey are documents [sic] which, for us in the Bolivarian revolution . . . come
into natural harmony with the whole spiritual and ethical legacy and patri-
mony of our commander Hugo Chávez.”530 In turn, when Laudato Sì was pub-
lished, the Venezuelan dictator solemnly declared on national radio and
television: “From Venezuela, we salute this papal encyclical and assume its
concepts for the construction of a new human ecologism, which, in Venezuela,
we call eco-socialism.”531
Funding provided by billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundation to
American NGOs is worthy of special mention. e effort sought to influence
U.S. Catholic circles by using bishops and laity to build the “critical mass”
needed to support Pope Francis’s priorities. WikiLeaks published an e-mail sent
by People Improving Communities by Organizing (PICO)—a Soros-funded or-
ganization532—to John Podesta, chairman of Hillary Clinton’s presidential cam-
paign. Reporting on a Vatican meeting, the e-mail stated, “Pope Francis, as a
leader of global stature, will challenge the ‘idolatry of the marketplace’ in the
U.S. and offer a clarion call to change the policies that promote exclusion and
528. Pablo Iglesias wrote an article for the newspaper 20 minutos titled, “If the Mass is celebrated by Pope
Francis.” He emphasized that the course adopted by the Pontiff is not that of popes John Paul II and Bene-
dict XVI. He further emphasized that, in Evangelii Gaudium, Francis “denounces ideologies ‘that defend
the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation’ as causing inequality. . . . is makes the
pope and his Church indispensable allies of those who defend social justice.” He concluded, “What is truly
important is that Catholics and everyone else can see and hear Francis more often. And if the Mass is cele-
brated by Francis, perhaps also the secretary-general of Podemos should attend and take some notes.”
Pablo Iglesias y Héctor Illueca, “Si la misa la oficiara el Papa Francisco,” 20 minutos, Mar. 28, 2017,
http://www.20minutos.es/opiniones/pablo-iglesias-hecor-illueca-tribuna-misa-oficiaria-papa-Francis
-2996635/#xtor=AD-15&xts=467263. (Emphasis in the original.)
529. “Massimo D’Alema candida papa Francesco: ‘Lui è il miglior leader della sinistra,’” Libero Quotidiano,
Jan. 24, 2018, http://tv.liberoquotidiano.it/video/politica/13302149/papa-francesco-massimo-d-alema
-pontefice-miglior-leader-sinistra.html.
530. “Maduro: ‘El Papa Francisco está en sintonía con el legado de Chávez,’” El Mundo, Jan. 22, 2014,
http://www.elmundo.es/america/2014/01/22/52dfb8a0e2704e994a8b4570.html.
531. “Venezuela asume carta encíclica del Papa Francisco para la construcción del ecosocialismo,” AVN,
Jun. 18, 2015, http://avn.info.ve/contenido/venezuela-asume-carta-enc%C3%ADclica-del-papa-Francis
-para-construcci%C3%B3n-del-ecosocialismo.
532. See John-Henry Westen, “Breaking: Leaked E-mails Show George Soros Paid $650K to Influence Bish-
ops During Pope’s U.S. Visit,” LifeSiteNews, Aug. 23, 2016, https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking
-leaked-e-mails-show-george-soros-paid-to-influence-bishops-during.
indifference to those most marginalized.”533 Months later, in a letter greeting

the Regional Meeting of Popular Movements held in Modesto, California, Fran-
cis publicly praised PICO, one of the meeting’s sponsors.534
Equally disturbing is the support of papal initiatives by multimillion-dollar
foundations that promote an openly anti-Christian agenda, and warm cheers
for his pontificate by leaders and institutions publicly linked to Freemasonry.
Vatican analyst Marco Tosatti denounced this surprising fact in his blog, Stilum
Curiæ, in an article titled, “Freemasonry’s Extraordinary Love for the Pontiff:
A Study Unveils a Historic First.”535 It lists sixty-two documented cases of state-
ments by notorious Freemasons in leading newspapers and articles published
in Masonic magazines available to the public. All of them praise Pope Francis
for his teaching and attitudes.536
A proverb distilled from centuries-old experience states: “Tell me who your
friends are, and I will tell you who you are.” In the absence of other evidence,
this cannot be considered an absolute criterion, lest one fall into rash judg-
ment. However, it undoubtedly serves as circumstantial evidence, supporting
the existing direct evidence. Applause by the leaders of modernity for Pope
Francis’s statements and initiatives clearly show the public that the present
Successor of Peter is promoting an unprecedented revolution within the
Catholic Church and in Her relations with the modern world.
at is why, as a lay Catholic whose specific vocation is the consecratio
533. George Neumayr, “An Excerpt From George Neumayr’s New Book, ‘e Political Pope,’” e American
Spectator, May 3, 2017, https://spectator.org/the-unholy-alliance-between-george-soros-and-pope-francis/.
534. “I would also like to highlight the work done by the PICO National Network and the organizations
promoting this meeting. I learned that PICO stands for ‘People Improving Communities through Organiz-
ing.’ What a great synthesis of the mission of popular movements: to work locally, side by side with your
neighbors, organizing among yourselves, to make your communities thrive.” Francis, “Popular Move-
ments in Modesto.”
535. See Marco Tosatti, “L’amore strordinario della massoneria per il pontefice. Uno studio documenta
una storica ‘prima volta,’” Stilum Curiæ, Apr. 9, 2017, http://www.marcotosatti.com/2017/04/09/lamore
-straordinario-della-massoneria-per-il-pontefice-uno-studio-documenta-una-storica-prima-volta/.
536. An expressive example of this sympathy is a comment made by the 1st Senior Warden of Seattle’s St.
John’s Lodge no. 9 in the October 2015 issue of that lodge’s magazine: “I found the address to the joint ses-
sion of Congress by Pope Francis very Masonic in nature. He spoke from a universal truth and under-
standing of God’s love for the earth and humanity. His message was nonpartisan and nonsectarian. Pope
Francis understands that, if we destroy mother earth, we destroy ourselves. He spoke directly to the lead-
ers of the world about the interconnectedness of all life. He pleaded with us to foster and promote the
common good of all mankind. Seems like a Masonic message to me.” Anonymous, “Why Do Freemasons
Love Pope Francis? Part III,” OnePeterFive, May 11, 2017, no. 47, https://onepeterfive.com/freemasons
-love-pope-francis-part-iii/.
On the role of Masonry in the revolutionary process, see Leo XIII, Encyclical Humanum Genus; Corrêa
de Oliveira, Revolution and Counter-Revolution, pt. 1, ch. 6, §6. “e Agents of the Revolution: Masonry and
Other Secret Forces.”
CHAPTER 9 149
mundi,537 that is, “ordering [temporal affairs] according to the plan of God,”538
I must ask, “Do Catholics have an obligation to follow the wrong road? Or, on
the contrary, is it licit for them to resist guidelines and teachings that lead
them astray?”
537. Pius XII, “Speech to Participants in the Second World Congress of the Lay Apostolate,” Oct. 5, 1957,
http://w2.vatican.va/content/pius-xii/fr/speeches/1957/documents/hf_p-xii_spe_19571005
_apostolato-laici.html.
538. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, Nov. 21, 1964, no. 31,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const
_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html.
c HaPter 10
It Is Licit to Resist
Faced with this perplexing situation and following Saint Paul’s example (see Gal.
2:11), it is licit to resist. is is not a matter of questioning papal authority since
a Catholic’s love and veneration should only grow by taking this attitude. Love for
the papacy leads the faithful to resist gestures, statements, and politico-pastoral
strategies that clash with the depositum fidei and Church Tradition.
While it is true that no pope can infallibly teach heresy, a pope can err when
not making use of the charism of infallibility or when addressing those things not
covered by the charism. In such cases of error, the faithful can and should resist
for the sake of Truth and the Church.
E very Catholic who truly loves the Church has great respect and love for the
papacy, the Sacred Hierarchy, and the ecclesiastical magisterium. is spir-
itual bond makes it unimaginable or at least difficult for him to admit that the
Church’s hierarchy could ever err even in disciplinary matters. is psycholog-
ical attitude was reinforced by the renewed prestige the papacy acquired with
the proclamation of the dogmas on the papal primacy of jurisdiction and in-
fallibility in the Constitution Pastor Aeternus of the First Vatican Council, prom-
ulgated by Pius IX.
Since the Second Vatican Council, the most notable episodes in the Church’s
crisis were the revolt of progressive prelates and theologians against tradition-
ally-oriented papal documents such as the Encyclicals Humanae Vitae and Ver-
itatis Splendor. However, the conservative backlash to that rebellion unwittingly
accentuated an erroneous position that had been creeping into the mindset
of some of the best Catholics throughout the twentieth century. at error con-
sisted in criticizing progressives not so much for turning away from traditional
teaching but for attacking the magisterium of the reigning pope. Accordingly,
these conservatives subconsciously held that consistency with the teaching of
Scripture and Tradition was no longer the primary rule of orthodoxy. Instead,
orthodoxy was equated with present-day teaching, as if magisterial recency
were the ultimate rule of faith.
Some have dubbed this deviation “magisterialism.”539 It inevitably led to a
form of magisterial positivism analogous to legal positivism. e latter main-
tains that the law is law not because it is good and just, but because it was
promulgated by competent authority. Similarly, magisterial positivism holds
539. Chad Ripperger, FSSP, “Operative Point of View: A Scholar Examines the Root Cause of Present Tensions
Within the Ranks of Faithful Catholics,” Christian Order, Mar. 2001, http://www.christianorder.com/features
/features_2001/features_mar01.html.
that since today’s magisterium is the supreme rule, then what matters is the
teaching of the reigning pontiff and the bishops who follow him, regardless if
it is supported by Tradition or not. “Whatever the current magisterium says is
always what is ‘orthodox.’”540
Consequently, the magisterial innovations implied in Pope Francis’s para-
digm shift have given rise to a paradoxical situation. Conservatives affected by
“magisterialism” were paralyzed at the very thought of having to disagree with
the reigning pope. On the other hand, the old unorthodox rebels cheered and
became loud defenders of the papal magisterium.
Indeed, prelates, theologians, and intellectuals favorable to the Church’s ral-
liement with modernity—i.e., with the anti-Christian Revolution—argue that
the faithful are obliged in conscience to follow Pope Francis in the course he
has been charting for the Barque of Peter. ey claim it is illicit to disagree with
his teachings or resist his direction and guidelines.
To drive their point home further, leading representatives of the progressive
bloc and others close to Pope Francis assert that the changes implemented to
allow “remarried” divorcees to receive Holy Communion stem from a direct
action of the Holy Spirit. erefore, opposing the pope in this matter is tanta-
mount to fighting against God Himself.
is it Preferable to Be “deceived With

the Pope an Being right against Him”?
The views of Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, dean of the Roman Rota, are an egregious
example of this liberal overreach. In an interview with Religión Confidencial,
he stated that the faithful who express doubts about Amoris Laetitia are ques-
tioning “two synods of bishops on marriage and the family. Not just one
synod, but two! One ordinary and another extraordinary. One cannot doubt
the action of the Holy Spirit!”541 Hence, this progressive bloc claims opposi-
tion to such reforms can only come from egocentrism,542 a selfish defense of
540. Ibid. In part, magisterial positivism was favored by the custom of post-Vatican II popes to support
their teachings on Council texts and post-conciliar magisterial documents, in addition to Scripture. Pope
Francis has taken this practice to an extreme, with a preference for quoting his own magisterium.
541. “Decano de la Rota Romana: Con otro papa, los cuatro cardenales que le han escrito podrían perder
su cardinalato,” Religión Confidencial, Nov. 29, 2016, http://www.religionconfidencial.com/vaticano
/Decano-Rota-Romana-Papa-cardenalato_0_2828717124.html.
542. On Feb. 12, 2015, in his personal blog, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, wrote:
“One of the things I have learned . . . is that on closer examination there is a common thread that runs
through all of these dissenters. ey disagree with the pope because he does not agree with them and there-
fore does not follow their position. Dissent is perhaps something we will always have, lamentable as it is,
but we will also always have Peter and his successor as the rock and touchstone of both our faith and our
unity.” Donald Wuerl, “e Pope, Touchstone of Faith and Unity,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s Blog, Feb. 12,
2015, http://cardinalsblog.adw.org/2015/02/pope-touchstone-faith-unity/. (My emphasis.)
CHAPTER 10 153
old privileges,543 or simply fear of leaving one’s comfort zone, fear of change.544
us, progressive champions demand full adherence to the new magis-
terium making no distinctions between the papal teachings’ different degrees
of solemnity and the varying proper assent due to each one. For example, re-
ferring to opponents of the current pontiff ’s direction, Cardinal Donald Wuerl
stated in an interview, “e Church ‘with and under Peter’ moves forward.
ere are always people who are unhappy with something that is going on in
the Church, but the touchstone of authentic Catholicism is adherence to the
teaching of the pope. e rock is Peter, the touchstone is Peter and, as the Holy
Father said, it’s the guarantee of unity. . . . ey’re [the popes] the touchstones
of the authenticity of the faith.”545
Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga is archbishop of Tegucigalpa and sec-
retary of the Council of Nine for the reform of the Curia. In the book he
launched in Italy in 2017, he explicitly criticized one of the cardinal signatories
of the dubia on Amoris Laetitia. For the Honduran prelate, the person of the
pope and the Church magisterium are one and the same thing: “He [Cardinal
Burke] is not the magisterium; the Holy Father is the magisterium, and it is he
who teaches the whole church. e other just expresses his own ideas, which
deserve no further comment. ese are the words of a poor man [sic].”546
Responding to a question about resistance to Pope Francis on the right, He
added, without proper distinctions:
At the end of the day, the other “papabili” cardinals, whom others
wanted to elect, lost, while the one whom the Lord wanted was
543. In a recent book-interview, Cardinal Maradiaga referred to Cardinal Burke, saying: “[He] is a deluded
man who wanted power and instead he lost it. He thought he was the top authority in the United States.”
Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, Only the Gospel is Revolutionary: e Church in the Reform of Pope Francis,
(Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2018) 40–1.
544. Asked what could be the reasons for opposition to Pope Francis, Cardinal Donald Wuerl answered,
“It comes when the Holy Father takes on a structure that includes all the institutions that are a part
of the Holy See like the Secretariat of State, dicasteries, congregations and asks if this ought not to be
looked at to see if it’s really functioning the way it should. As soon as you touch any of these, you
touch personal interests. . . . because of the natural instinct to say, ‘We have always done it this way,
why do we have to change?’ . . . Then there are some whom [sic] I think just feel very uncomfortable;
everything was quite secure and safe and now that’s being challenged. They’re being asked to look at
even the way they go about doing some of the routine things, and Francis is calling them to look and
see if that is really the best way.” Gerard O’Connell, “Cardinal Wuerl: Pope Francis Has Reconnected
the Church With Vatican II,” America, Mar. 6, 2017, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017
/03/06/cardinal-wuerl-pope-francis-has-reconnected-church-vatican-ii.
545. Gerard O’Connell, “Cardinal Wuerl Calls Out Pope’s Opponents,” America, Oct. 18, 2015,
https://www.americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/cardinal-wuerl-calls-out-popes-opponents.
546. Maradiaga, Only the Gospel is Revolutionary, 41.
elected.547 Dissent is logical and understandable; we cannot all think

in the same way. But it is Peter who guides the Church, and therefore,
if we have faith, we must respect the choices and style of this pope
who came from the far side of the world. If they speak of finding some
“heresy” in Francis’s words, they are badly mistaken, because they
are seeing things from a human point of view and not from God’s.548
Cardinal Maradiaga continues, saying, that unconditional loyalty to the oc-

cupant of the Chair of Peter is necessary: “I believe that for a servant of the
church what is indispensable is loyalty to Peter, who today goes by the name
of Francis. Before him, we had Benedict XVI, and before Benedict there was
John Paul II, and so on. What Jesus asks of me is to be loyal to Peter. ose who
do not act this way seek only popularity.”549
e Capuchin Fragkiskos Papamanolis, bishop emeritus of Syros, Santorini,
and Crete, and former president of the minuscule Greek Bishops’ Conference,
was blatantly offensive. He said the cardinals who presented the dubia were
guilty of the sin of scandal. In his open letter to them, he asked if they had not
also committed “the sin of heresy (and apostasy? is is actually how schisms
begin in the Church). It is clear in your document that in practice you do not
believe in the pope’s supreme magisterial authority, reinforced by two synods
of bishops from all over the world. One sees that the Holy Spirit inspires only
you, not the Vicar of Christ and not even the bishops gathered in Synod.”550
547. In 1997, asked by Bavarian television whether the Holy Spirit elects the pope, Cardinal Ratzinger an-
swered: “I would not say so, in the sense that the Holy Spirit picks out the pope . . . I would say that the Spirit
does not exactly take control of the affair, but rather like a good educator, as it were, leaves us much space,
much freedom, without entirely abandoning us. us the Spirit’s role should be understood in a much more
elastic sense, not that he dictates the candidate for whom one must vote. Probably the only assurance he of-
fers is that the thing cannot be totally ruined.” James Martin, SJ, “Does the Holy Spirit Choose the Pope?”
Time, Mar. 11, 2013, http://ideas.time.com/2013/03/11/does-the-holy-spirit-choose-the-pope/. In the spe-
cific case of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio the revelations by Jürgen Mettepenningen and Karim Schelkens
in their biography of Cardinal Godfried Daneels made manifest the existence of strong interference by a so-
called “Sankt Gallen mafia” in the 2013 conclave and strong interference by very human factors that could
hardly be associated with the Holy Spirit. Karim Schelkens stated, “Without the least doubt, Bergoglio’s elec-
tion was prepared at Sankt-Gallen. And the main lines of the program that the pope is carrying out are those
that Daneels & Co. began to discuss more than ten years ago.” “‘Godfried Danneels was al jaren in de weer
als king maker van paus Franciscus,’” Knack, Sept. 23, 2015, http://www.knack.be/nieuws/mensen/godfried
-danneels-was-al-jaren-in-de-weer-als-king-maker-van-paus-franciscus/article-longread-607599.html.
Later, these journalists clarified their story, stating they had merely said that, “the ‘election of Bergoglio cor-
responded with the aims of St. Gallen.’” Edward Pentin, “Cardinal Danneels’ Biographers Retract Comments
on St. Gallen Group,” National Catholic Register, Sept. 26, 2015, http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward
-pentin/st.-gallen-group-not-a-lobby-group-say-authors.
548. Maradiaga, Only the Gospel is Revolutionary, 82.
549. Ibid., 83.
550. Fragkisskos Papamanolis, “Lettera aperta ai 4 cardinali,” Settimananews, Nov. 23, 2016,
http://www.settimananews.it/vescovi/lettera-aperta-ai-4-cardinali/.
CHAPTER 10 155
For progressives today, any dissent from Pope Francis in anything, even in
a matter as earthly as immigration would not seem licit. In his book, journalist
Laurent Dandrieu presented the case of Fr. Christian Venard, a military chap-
lain who, after shocking papal statements equating Islamic violence with al-
leged Catholic violence, wrote an article titled, “Pope Francis and ‘Catholic
Violence’: Stupefaction, Reflection, and Reverence.”551 A week later, he felt
obliged to write a second one titled, “I Prefer Being Wrong With the Pope an
Being Right Without Him: e Need to Follow the Holy Father in All Circum-
stances.”552 e only exception he made was regarding sin.
eologian Ashley Beck is a professor of Catholic social doctrine at St.
Mary’s University in southeast London. He wrote an article that further ex-
emplified this unconditional acceptance improperly imposed by liberals:
“While the Church does allow for divergent viewpoints on some issues
(Laudato Sì, 61), we are simply not free to dissent from the teaching of this
encyclical, any more than we are free to dissent from Catholic teaching about
other moral issues.”553
What to think of all this? Are these progressive assessments doctrinally ac-
ceptable? Are they factually objective and fair? Is “being wrong with the pope”
really better “than being right without him” as the French military chaplain
wrote? Is the Holy Spirit asking Catholics to renounce reason? Or, on the con-
trary, does He want them to remain steadfast in the Faith’s perennial and un-
changeable truths, nourishing themselves with the sensus fidei, so that they
can resist ecclesiastical authorities if necessary?
551. Christian Venard, “Le pape François et la ‘violence catholique’: Stupéfaction, réflexion et révérence,”
Aleteia, Aug. 2, 2016, https://fr.aleteia.org/2016/08/02/le-pape-francois-et-la-violence-catholique
-stupefaction-reflexion-et-reverence/.
552. Christian Venard, “‘Je préfère me tromper en suivant le pape que d’avoir raison contre lui’: De la néces-
sité de suivre le Saint-Père en toute circonstance,” Aleteia, Mar. 23, 2016, https://fr.aleteia.org/2016/08/12
/je-prefere-me-tromper-en-suivant-le-pape-que-davoir-raison-contre-lui/.
Taking this position to an extreme, Massimo Introvigne, in an essay titled, “e reality of Catholic funda-
mentalism,” condemned the publication by the Instituto Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira of a critique of Amoris
Laetitia that, while recognizing that it is part of the non-infallible magisterium, refused assent to those af-
firmations within it that contradict Catholic doctrine. Introvigne claimed that the critique grouped the In-
stituto among fundamentalists. What would be the main error of that alleged fundamentalism? e Italian
sociologist states, “Unlike other founders of religions, Jesus did not write books, he left nothing in writ-
ing. . . . Mohammed left the Book to be followed, Jesus left the Church: ‘He who listens to you, listens to Me’
(Luke 10:13). He left people. Who could and can meet each other. Hence I know that I am Catholic if I fol-
low the person of the pope, not a hypothetical, more or less fossilized text,” identified with Tradition. Mas-
simo Introvigne, “La realtà del fondamentalismo cattolico,” La Nuova Europa, Sept. 13, 2016, 12,
http://www.lanuovaeuropa.org/articoli/dossier/la-realt%C3%A0-del-fondamentalismo-cattolico.
553. Ashley Beck, “No Catholic Is Free to Dissent From the Teaching of Laudato Sì,” Catholic Herald, Jun.
18, 2015, http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2015/06/19/no-catholic-is-free-to
-dissent-from-the-teaching-of-laudato-si/.
e Holy spirit Was not Promised for the Preaching of a new doctrine
It does not take a master in ecclesiology to understand that papal authority
and infallibility have limits and that the duty of obedience to the pope and bish-
ops is not absolute across the board. A balanced position can be summed up
in the following truths, which form part of the intellectual and spiritual patri-
mony of every well-instructed Catholic.
Catholics know by faith that the pope is the head of the visible Church. He
is the Successor of Peter, who received the keys of the Kingdom. Our Lord Jesus
Christ deliberately and publicly gave him this authority. is explains, not only
the faithful’s love for the pope (the “sweet Christ on earth,” as Saint Catherine
of Siena said554) but also the obedience that Catholics render to his teachings
and decisions as universal Doctor and Shepherd of Christ’s flock. is notwith-
standing, as Bishop Schneider opportunely and concisely recalled in an inter-
view with Rorate Cæli, “e Church is not the private property of the pope. e
pope cannot say ‘I am the Church,’ as did the French king Louis XIV, who said:
‘L’État c’est moi.’ [‘I am the State.’] e pope is only the Vicar, not the successor
of Christ.”555
In fact, the first duty of the pope—whose supreme ministry is to “strengthen
[his] brethren” in the faith (C Luke 22:32)—is to keep, interpret, and proclaim
the Word of Christ to the world unchanged (see Deut. 4:2). As Saint Paul the
Apostle wrote, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel
to you other than that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema”
(C Gal. 1:8). For this reason, in defining papal infallibility, the First Vatican
Council solemnly stated in the constitution Pastor Aeternus: “For the Holy Spirit
was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by his revela-
tion, make known some new doctrine, but that, by his assistance, they might
religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith trans-
mitted by the apostles.”556
ere is no doubt that the breath of the Holy Spirit shall “renew the face of
the earth” (Ps. 103:30) and lead the Church to the fullness of truth (see John
16:13). He will do so using the Church’s living magisterium, especially papal
554. Maria Antonietta Falchi Pellegrini, “St. Catherine and the Priests: A Message for the Church of the
ird Millennium,” May 17, 2000, accessed Jul. 27, 2018, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia
/congregations/cclergy/documents/jub_preti_20000517_falchi_en.html.
555. “Exclusive: Bishop Athanasius Schneider Interview With Rorate Caeli,” Rorate Cæli, Feb. 1, 2016,
https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/02/exclusive-bishop-athanasius-schneider.html. [Publisher’s
Note: e phrase attributed to Louis XIV may be apocryphal. No contemporary record that the French
king said this exists. First recorded use is from 1834, 119 years after the monarch’s death.]
556. First Vatican Council, Pastor Aeternus, Jul. 18, 1870, session 4, ch. 4, in Norman P. Tanner, SJ, ed.,
Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils (Washington: Georgetown University Press, 1990), 2:816,
https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/papae1.htm.
CHAPTER 10 157
magisterium, to mediate and make current Her unchangeable divine teaching.

However, the Holy Spirit does not do this by teaching new truths. Instead, He
helps the Church delve deeper into those same revealed words that never pass
away (see Matt. 24:35). erefore, the magisterium does not contain or propose
any novelty. Rather, it reiterates and deepens in new ways the perennial truth
contained in Scriptures and Tradition: non nova sed nove (Not new things, but
in a new way). Accordingly, in the exercise of the magisterium, there can never
be even the slightest shadow of contradiction between old and new truths
since the truths contained in the deposit of faith are unchangeable. Progress
and enrichment in their understanding must be “in the same doctrine, in the
same sense, and in the same meaning.”557 Catholic truth would not subsist, and
there would be no true Tradition if a contradiction were found between a new
teaching or discipline and that handed down from time immemorial.558
occasions When it is Legitimate to Prudentially suspend one’s assent

Infallible teaching—which can never contradict the deposit of faith entrusted
to the Church—is guaranteed to the Church hierarchy only in two situations:
a) solemn (ex cathedra—“from the chair”) declarations by the pope or by a
council summoned and approved by the pope; and,
b) the universal ordinary teaching of the bishops in union with the pope,559
i.e., in what has been taught “everywhere, always, by all.”560
557. “But some one will say, perhaps, shall there, then, be no progress in Christ’s Church? Certainly; all
possible progress. For what being is there, so envious of men, so full of hatred to God, who would seek to
forbid it? Yet on condition that it be real progress, not alteration of the faith. For progress requires that the
subject be enlarged in itself, alteration, that it be transformed into something else. e intelligence, then,
the knowledge, the wisdom, as well of individuals as of all, as well of one man as of the whole Church,
ought, in the course of ages and centuries, to increase and make much and vigorous progress; but yet only
in its own kind; that is to say, in the same doctrine, in the same sense, and in the same meaning.” St. Vincent
of Lerins, Commonitory: For the Antiquity and Universality of the Catholic Faith Against the Profane Novel-
ties of All Heresies, ch. 23, no. 54.
558. at is why it is absurd for the current Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Sosa Abascal, to
claim that it is necessary to “contextualize” Jesus’s words about the indissolubility of marriage since “at
that time no one had a recorder to record the words.” Indeed, from the earliest days of the Church the
words of Our Lord were accepted “in the same sense and in the same meaning.” Giuseppe Rusconi,
“Gesuiti/Padre Sosa: Parole di Gesu’? Da contestualizzare!” Rossoporpora, Feb. 18, 2017,
http://www.rossoporpora.org/rubriche/interviste-a-personalita/672-gesuiti-padre-sosa-parole
-di-gesu-da-contestualizzare.html.
559. e Constitution Dei Filius of the First Vatican Council reads: “Further, by divine and Catholic faith, all
those things must be believed which are contained in the written word of God and in tradition, and those
which are proposed by the Church, either in a solemn pronouncement or in her ordinary and universal teach-
ing power, to be believed as divinely revealed.” First Vatican Council, Dei Filius, ch. 3. (My emphasis.)
560. Commonitory of St. Vincent of Lerins:
[5.] erefore, it is very necessary, on account of so great intricacies of such various error[s], that the
rule for the right understanding of the prophets and apostles should be framed in accordance with the
standard of Ecclesiastical and Catholic interpretation.
erefore, everyday teachings or authentic magisterium that have no an-

tiquity and contain novelties are not endowed with the charisma of infallibility.
ey do not constitute a proximate rule of faith, which admits no doubt. ey
should not be given an assent of faith, but only religious assent (sometimes
called religious submission) of will and intellect.561
However, when there is contradiction between a novel teaching and the tra-
ditional magisterium, or when a teaching or directive is clearly contrary to rea-
son (as seen in the question of unbridled immigration and the radical
ecological agenda), a Catholic is not obliged to err with the pope.562 On the con-
trary, it is perfectly legitimate to suspend prudential assent563 and even present
a “fraternal correction.”564 What Msgr. Brunero Gherardini, dean of the Faculty
[6.] Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which
has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense Catholic, which, as
the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. is rule we shall observe if
we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true,
which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those inter-
pretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like man-
ner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of
almost all priests and doctors. Commonitory, ch. 2, nos. 5–6.
561. e renowned Jesuit theologian Domenico Palmieri (1829–1909) wrote:

Secondly, (to the Roman Pontiff ’s ordinary magisterium) is also due certain religious assent when nothing
prudently leads (suadeat) to a suspension of assent. I explain these terms. We do not say that an assent of
Catholic faith is due, for the Church does not propose here a doctrine to be professed (tenenda). We do not
say that a formal assent of divine faith is due, for that assent is due to the infallible proposition said to be
such and such, and in our hypothesis, that proposition does not exist. We do not say that it is a metaphysi-
cally certain assent, for since the certainty of infallibility does not exist, error does not seem impossible and thus
one sees that the opposite may be true. If that knowledge exists, there can be no place for metaphysical cer-
tainty. So we say that the assent is morally certain if, as a consequence, motives appear—whether true or false,
but derived from a non-culpable error—that lead us to conclude otherwise (as to the matter taught), we say
that assent is not due since in these circumstances the will does not act imprudently upon suspending assent.”
Domenico Palmieri, SJ, Tractatus de Romano Pontifice (Prati: Giachetti, 1891), 719–20, Latin to Portuguese
trans. Daniel P. Pinheiro, in “Assentimento ao magistério, (Parte Final: Doutrina Comum dos Teólogos e
Bibliografia),” Scutum Fidei, Feb. 20, 2013, https://scutumfidei.org/2013/02/20/assentimento-ao
-magisterio-parte-final-doutrina-comum-dos-teologos-e-bibliografia/.
562. In the article “Can ere Be Errors in Documents of the Magisterium?” (Catolicismo, July 1969), Ar-
naldo V. Xavier da Silveira, based on leading theologians, demonstrates the thesis that “the First Vatican
Council . . . established the four conditions under which the pope is infallible. us, it is easy to understand
that, in principle, when such conditions are not fulfilled, there can be error in a papal document.
“In other words, we could say that the simple fact that the documents of the magisterium are divided
into infallible and non-infallible ones leaves open, in thesis, the possibility of error in any of the non-infal-
lible ones.” Arnaldo Vidigal Xavier da Silveira, Can Documents of the Magisterium of the Church Contain Er-
rors? Can the Catholic Faithful Resist em? (Spring Grove, Penn.: e American Society for the Defense of
Tradition, Family and Property, 2015), 113, http://www.tfp.org/DocumentsMagisterium.
563. See Palmieri in footnote 561 above.
564. Roberto de Mattei, “e Irrevocable Duties of Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church,” trans. Francesca
Romana, Rorate Cæli, Dec. 16, 2016, https://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2016/12/de-mattei-irrevocable-du-
ties-of.html. In his article, the professor recalls that, besides honors and privileges, cardinals have precise
obligations. “Among these responsibilities there is that of fraternally correcting the pope when he com-
mits an error in the governing of the Church, as happened in 1813, when Pius VII signed the ill-fated
CHAPTER 10 159
of eology at the Lateran University for many years, wrote with his usual in-
sight about Church magisterium in general, also applies to the pope’s teaching,
gestures, and attitudes:
e magisterium is not a super-church that would impose its judg-

ments and behaviors on the Church herself, nor a privileged caste
above the people of God, a kind of strong power which one ought to
obey, period. . . .
Very often, the instrument is made into an [independent] value
as such and used to cut off all discussion at its origin as if it were
above the Church and did not have before it the enormous weight
of Tradition to embrace, interpret, and retransmit in its integrity
and fidelity.565
Public resistance to erroneous teachings is Legitimate

Moreover, in serious cases, it is legitimate to publicly resist shepherds and even
the pope:
l When private resistance or mere obsequious silence is not suffi-
cient for the faithful to remain steadfast in the Faith (see 1 Pet. 5:9);
l for protecting the Faith of the Church;
l and for defending what little Christianity remains in countries
in which the faithful are citizens.
Treaty of Fontainbleau with Napoleon, or in 1934 when the Cardinal Dean, Gennaro Granito di Belmonte,
admonished Pius XI , on behalf of the Sacred College, for the rash use he made of the Holy See’s finances.”
In an interview with the National Catholic Register, Cardinal Burke stated, “ere is, in the Tradition of
the Church, the practice of correction of the Roman Pontiff. It is something that is clearly quite rare. But if
there is no response to these questions [the dubia], then I would say that it would be a question of taking
a formal act of correction of a serious error. . . .
“It is the duty in such cases, and historically it has happened, of cardinals and bishops to make clear
that the pope is teaching error and to ask him to correct it.” Edward Pentin, “Cardinal Burke on Amoris
Laetitia Dubia: ‘Tremendous Division’ Warrants Action,” National Catholic Register, Nov. 15, 2016,
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/cardinal-burke-on-amoris-laetitia-dubia-tremendous
-division-warrants-action.
565. Brunero Gherardini, “Chiesa-tradizione-magistero,” published as “Mons. Gherardini sull’impor-
tanza e i limiti del magistero autentico,” Disputationes Theologicae, Dec. 7, 2011,
http://disputationes-theologicae.blogspot.fr/2011/12/mons-gherardini-sullimportanza-e-i.html.
e danger of this “instrumentalization” of the magisterium to introduce novelties was predicted by
another leading figure of the Roman school, Msgr. Pietro Parente, later a cardinal, in an article published
on February 10, 1942, in L’Osservatore Romano. In his study, Msgr. Parente denounced “the strange identi-
fication of Tradition (source of Revelation) with the living magisterium of the Church (custodian and in-
terpreter of the Divine Word).” Pietro Parente, “Supr. S. Congr. S. Officii Decretum 4 febr.
1942—Annotationes,” Periodica de Re Morali, Canonica, Liturgica 31 (Feb. 1942): 187 [originally published
as “Nuove tendenze teologiche,” L’Osservatore Romano, Feb. 9–10, 1942]. In fact, if Tradition and magis-
terium are the same thing, Tradition ceases to be an unchanging deposit of faith and begins to vary ac-
cording to the teaching of the reigning pope.
Numerous authorities explicitly acknowledge the legitimacy of public re-

sistance to erroneous decisions or teachings by shepherds, including the sov-
ereign pontiff. Arnaldo Xavier da Silveira amply quotes them in his study
titled, “Public Resistance to Decisions by the Ecclesiastical Authority.” is
analysis was first published in the August 1969 issue of the Brazilian monthly
Catolicismo.566 e first of the great authors quoted is none other than Saint
omas Aquinas.567 Others are Saint Robert Bellarmine,568 Suarez,569 Vitoria,570
566. See Xavier da Silveira, Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 127–46.
567. “If the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate even publicly. Hence Paul, who
was Peter’s subject, rebuked him in public, on account of the imminent danger of scandal concerning
faith, and, as the gloss of Augustine says on Galatians 2:11, “Peter gave an example to superiors, that if at
any time they should happen to stray from the straight path, they should not disdain to be reproved by
their subjects.” St. omas Aquinas, Summa eologiæ, II–II, q. 33, a. 4, r. 2.
In his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians, studying the episode in which St. Paul resisted St.
Peter to his face, St. omas wrote: “e occasion of the rebuke was not slight, but just and useful,
namely, the danger to the Gospel teaching. . . . e manner of the rebuke was fitting, i.e. public and plain.
Hence he says, ‘I said to Cephas,’ i.e. to Peter, ‘before them all,’ because that dissimulation posed a danger
to all. ‘em that sin, reprove before all’ (1 Tim. 5:20). is is to be understood of public sins and not of
private ones, in which the procedures of fraternal charity ought to be observed.” St. omas Aquinas,
Commentary on Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, ch. 2, lect. 3. (My emphasis.) Earlier in the same chap-
ter, St. omas wrote: “[To the] prelates, indeed, an example of humility [was given] that they not disdain
corrections from those who are lower and subject to them; subjects have an example of zeal and freedom,
that they fear not to correct their prelates, particularly if their crime is public and verges upon danger to
the multitude.” Ibid.
568. “Just as it is lawful to resist a Pontiff invading a body, so it is licit to resist him invading souls, or dis-
turbing a state, and much more if he tried to destroy the Church. I say, it is lawful to resist him, by not
doing what he commands, and by blocking him, lest he should carry out his will; still, it is not lawful to
judge or punish or even depose him, because he is nothing other than a superior.” St. Robert Bellarmine,
De Controversiis, On the Roman Pontiff, trans. Ryan Grant (Charleston, S.C.: Mediatrix Press, 2015) vol. 1,
bk 2, ch. 29, p. 303.
569. “If [the pope] lays down an order contrary to right customs one does not have to obey him; if he tries to
do something manifestly opposed to justice and to the common good, it would be licit to resist him; if he
attacks by force, he could be repelled by force, with the moderation characteristic of a just defense (cum
moderamine inculpatæ tutelæ).” Francisco Suarez, De fide, vol. 12, disp. 10, sect. 6, no. 16, quoted in Xavier
da Silveira, Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 134. (My emphasis.)
570. Cajetan, in the same work in which he defends the superiority of the pope over the Council, says in chap.
XXVII: “en, one must resist to his face a pope who publicly destroys the Church, for example not wishing to
confer ecclesiastical benefices except for money or in exchange for services; and one must deny, with all
obedience and respect, the possession of such benefices to those who have bought them.” And Sylvester
(Prierias), at the word Papa, §4, asks: “What must one do when the pope, by his evil customs, destroys the
Church?” And in §15: “What must one do if the pope wishes, without cause, to abrogate positive Law?” To
this, he responds: “He would certainly sin; one should not permit him to carry on like this, nor should one obey
him in that which is evil; but one should resist him with a courteous rebuke.” erefore, if he wished to hand
over all the treasure of the Church or the patrimony of Saint Peter to his family, if he wished to destroy the
Church, or other similar things, one should not permit him to act in this way, rather one would be obliged to
resist him. e reason for this is that he does not have power to destroy; it being clear therefore that if he
does, it is licit to resist him. From all of this it follows that, if the pope, by his orders and his acts, destroys
the Church, one can resist him and impede the execution of his commands. . . .
A second proof of the thesis. According to natural law, it is licit to repel violence with violence. Now,
CHAPTER 10 161
Cornelius a Lapide,571 Wernz-Vidal,572 and Peinador.573

Some of these eminent writers seem to state that only obsequious silence is le-
gitimate, not public resistance. Xavier da Silveira’s study shows that those authors
were analyzing merely ordinary cases, not extraordinary ones, in which there is:
• “a proximate danger for the faith” (Saint omas). . . .

• [or] “an aggression against souls” (Saint Robert Bellarmine) or a
“public scandal” (see Cornelius a Lapide) in a doctrinal matter. . . .
• To sustain the contrary would be to ignore the fundamental role
of Faith in Christian life.574
us, Xavier da Silveira concludes that public resistance applies to both doc-
trinal teachings and disciplinary decisions.
e right to be faithful to the Gospel in matters of Faith and morals and
the freedom of conscience to follow one’s reasoned convictions in contingent
matters575 are all the more indispensable as Pope Francis’s paradigm shift
opens Church gates to a flood of errors from the anti-Christian Revolution.
with such orders and dispensations, the pope does violence, because he acts against the law, as was proven
above. en, it is licit to resist him. As Cajetan observes, we do not affirm all this in the sense that someone
has the right to be judge of the pope or have authority over him, but rather in the sense that it is licit to
defend oneself. Anyone, indeed, has the right to resist an unjust act, to try to impede it and to defend him-
self. Franciscus de Vitoria, OP, Obras de Francisco de Vitoria, 486–7, quoted in Xavier da Silveira, Can Doc-
uments of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 133–4. (My emphasis.)
571. That superiors can be rebuked, with humility and charity, by their subjects, in order that the truth be de-
fended, is what Saint Augustine (Epist. 19), Saint Cyprian, Saint Gregory, Saint omas, and the others
cited above declare on the basis of this passage (Gal. 2:11). ey clearly teach that Saint Peter, being supe-
rior was reprimanded by Saint Paul. . . . Rightly, then, did Saint Gregory say (Homil. 18 in Ezech.): “Peter
held his tongue in order that, being the first in the apostolic hierarchy, he would be also the first in humil-
ity.” And Saint Augustine wrote (Epist. 19 ad Hieronymum): “Teaching that the superiors should not refuse
to let themselves be reprimanded by their subjects, Saint Peter left to posterity an example more unusual
and more holy than that which Saint Paul left on teaching that, in defense of the truth, and with charity it is
given to the juniors to have the boldness to resist their elders without fear.” Cornelius a Lapide, vol. 18, ad. Gal.
2:11, quoted in Xavier da Silveira, Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 135. (My emphasis.)
572. “e just means to be employed against a bad pope are, according to Suarez (Defensio fidei catholicae,
bk. 4, ch. 6, nos. 17–8): the more abundant help of the grace of God; the special protection of one’s
guardian Angel; the prayer of the Church universal; admonition or fraternal correction in secret or even in
public; as well as legitimate defense against aggression whether it be physical or moral.” Wernz-Vidal, Ius
can., 2:436, quoted in Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Error?, 136. (My emphasis.)
573. “‘A subject also can be obliged to the fraternal correction of his superior.’ (S. eol., II–II, 33, 4). For the
superior also can be spiritually needy, and there is nothing to prevent that he be liberated from such need
by one of his subjects. Nevertheless, ‘in a correction by which subjects reprehend their prelates, it be-
hooves them to act in an appropriate manner, that is, not with insolence and asperity, but with meekness
and reverence’ (S. eol., ibid.). erefore, in general the superior must always be admonished privately.
‘Keep in mind however that, when there is a proximate danger for the faith, prelates must be censured
even publicly, by their subjects.’ (S. eol., II–II, 33, 4, 2)” Antonius Peinador, Cursus brevior theol. mor.,
tom. 2, 1:287, quoted in Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 136.
574. Xavier da Silveira, Can Documents of the Magisterium Contain Errors?, 144–5.
575. See Summa eologiæ, II–I, q. 94, a. 4.
e changes advocated by the pope during these five years amount to coer-
cion over the rightly formed consciences of millions of Catholics. Indeed, the
faithful are urged by the highest authorities of the Catholic Church to accept:
l a new faith that does not correspond, in some essential points,
to the perennial teachings of Our Lord Jesus Christ;

l the errors of the agnostic and relativist philosophy of modernity
and the anti-Christian revolution at its core; and,

l political and socioeconomic solutions and scientific hypotheses
that do not rise to the level of studied conclusions attained after ma-
ture and objective reflection.
is coercion over souls is seen further as Pope Francis often seeks to dis-
credit attitudes of fidelity to Gospel commands. Doing so, he uses offensive im-
ages and epithets that resound well with the mainstream media, whipping up
witch hunts against Catholics who dissent from his papacy’s orientation.
Pope Francis refrains from naming those who criticize and oppose his pastoral
changes and the ideas that undergird them. However, he seems to take pleasure
in stigmatizing them. Some of his insults include: “Fundamentalists,” “rigid Chris-
tians,” “Christian hypocrites,” “closed hearts,” “legalistic slave,” “restorationists,”
“casuistic intellectuals,” “accountant of the Spirit,” “Pelagians,” “Dark Christians,”
“Spiritualistic pietist,” “doctors of the law,” and “Reactionaries!”576
Bishop Schneider aptly comments on the Family Synod debates:
During the great Arian crisis in the IV century, the defenders of the
Divinity of the Son of God were labeled “intransigent” and “traditional-
ist” as well. Saint Athanasius was even excommunicated by Pope
Liberius, and the pope justified this with the argument that Athanasius
was not in communion with the Oriental bishops who were mostly
heretics or semi-heretics. Saint Basil the Great stated in that situation
the following: “Only one sin is nowadays severely punished: the attentive
observance of the traditions of our Fathers. For that reason, the good
ones are thrown out of their places and brought to the desert” (Ep. 243).
To tell the truth, [Bishop Schneider continues,] the bishops who sup-
port holy Communion for “remarried divorcees” are the new Pharisees
and Scribes, for they despise God’s commandment, thus contributing
576. “Pope Francis’s Bumper Book of Insults,” accessed Jul. 27, 2018,
http://popefrancisbookofinsults.blogspot.com/. A recent convert to the Catholic Faith, living in Brighton,
U.K., runs a blog on current Church affairs. He decided to compile these epithets and published them on-
line as Pope Francis’s Little Book of Insults. e compilation’s success was such that he detached it from his
blog and gave it its own website. e collection is now called, Pope Francis’s Bumper Book of Insults. It is
updated regularly.
CHAPTER 10 163
to have the “divorced and remarried” continue in adultery body and

soul (Matt. 15:19), because they want an externally “clean” solution
where they too are seen as “clean” in the eyes of the powerful [the media,
public opinion].577
e right to resist Becomes a duty When the common Good is at stake

In the Gospel, Our Lord teaches, “If one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him
also the other.” “Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you” (Matt. 5:39, 44).
Considered individually, I am sure that millions of perplexed Catholics ac-
cept with resignation the pope’s coercion against their moral integrity and rea-
soned convictions in contingent matters. However, they can and sometimes
must speak out when his attacks endanger not just their faith, but that of mil-
lions of weaker faithful and the very survival of their nations. Faced with the
choice of crossing their arms in resignation, and not disagreeing with Pope
Francis on the one hand, or resisting his evil pastoral and sociopolitical
changes, they may, in good conscience, emulate Saint Paul who “resisted [Saint
Peter] to his face because he was in the wrong” (KL Gal. 2:11).
ese faithful Catholics can formulate their own reaction by using a model
of resistance, which is both firm and imbued with veneration and respect for
the supreme pontiff. is model is the “Declaration of Resistance” to Paul VI’s
policy of Ostpolitik. It was written in 1974 by the sorely missed Plinio Corrêa
de Oliveira and is titled, “e Vatican Policy of Détente With Communist Gov-
ernments—Should the TFPs Stand Down? Or Should ey Resist?” Its key
paragraphs read as follows:
e bond of obedience to the Successor of Peter, which we will

never break, which we love in the most profound depths of our soul,
and to which we tribute our highest love, this bond we kiss at the
very moment in which, overwhelmed with sorrow, we affirm our po-
sition. And on our knees, gazing with veneration at the figure of His
Holiness Paul VI, we express all our fidelity to him.
In this filial act, we say to the Pastor of Pastors: Our soul is yours,
our life is yours. Order us to do whatever you wish. Only do not order
us to do nothing in the face of the assailing Red wolf. To this, our con-
science is opposed.578
577. Athanasius Schneider, “Against Pharisees,” Polonia Christiana 41 (Nov.–Dec. 2014),

http://www.pch24.pl/against-pharisees,31907,i.html.
578. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “e Vatican Policy of Détente With Communist Governments: Should the
TFPs Stand Down? Or Should ey Resist?” Feb. 18, 1975, http://www.tfp.org/vatican-policy-detente
-communist-governments-tfps-stand-resist/, first published as “A política de distensão do Vaticano com
os governos comunistas. Para a TFP: omitir-se? ou resistir?” Folha de S. Paulo, Apr. 10, 1974,
https://pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/MAN%20-%201974-04-08_Resistencia.htm.
c oncLusion
A s I reach the end of this assessment of Pope Francis’s first five years, I must
answer the question posed in this book’s title. All things considered, it is
not rash judgment for me to affirm that his paradigm shift is not an organic
development of the Church’s traditional teaching. On the contrary, it looks in-
creasingly like an about-face.
erefore, in the measure that this change does not express the teachings
of Our Lord Jesus Christ in their purity and integrity, the faithful may and even
should publicly resist its doctrinal innovations and practical applications.
at resistance should be exercised not just regarding the admission of adul-
terers to the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, but in defense of human life when
threatened by procured abortion and euthanasia. It should lead the faithful to
defend indissoluble marriage and oppose the legal recognition of same-sex
unions. It should inspire them to stand for private property and free enterprise
against collectivist policies and assaults by so-called popular movements.
Catholics should be moved to reject miserabilism, and Indigenism, which are
proposed as solutions to a theoretical anthropogenic global warming over
which the scientific community is divided. e baptized should be motivated
to uphold their Christian identity and national culture in the face of the migra-
tion crisis. Consequently, it should lead them to reject the West’s Islamization,
the philosophical and spiritual relativism of a multiculturalist utopia, and the
Vatican’s Ostpolitik with anti-Christian regimes that persecute Catholics.
Catholics must, therefore, enter a state of resistance579 and remain so until
the true Catholic paradigm becomes again the compass that guides, inspires,
and vivifies the whole life of the Church.
A question, however, remains: How should the faithful deal with pastors
who subscribe to and implement the Bergoglian paradigm shift? How should
they relate to its promoter, the shepherd of shepherds, himself ?
e question is similar to that posed by Fr. Nicola Bux in the title of his 2010
book on the new rite of the Mass, How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Faith.
He used an intentionally provocative title because of the liturgy’s ambiguities
and the abuses that accompany its celebration.
Catholics must ask themselves: How should they maintain relations with
paradigm shift shepherds, at all levels, without losing their faith?
It seems indispensable to avoid two simplistic and opposite solutions. One
579. See American TFP, “TFP Statement on Pope Francis’s ‘Paradigm Shift’: Resist as Saint Paul Teaches,”
Jul. 17, 2108, TFP.org, http://www.tfp.org/tfp-statement-on-pope-francis-paradigm-shift-resist-as
-saint-paul-teaches/.
would be to say, “After all, the pope is the representative of Christ and the bishops
are the successors of the Apostles. ey are the living magisterium. Who am I to
judge? If the pope and the bishops who support him are mistaken, it is their prob-
lem.” e other would be, “All this is clearly heresy; therefore, the man promoting
it cannot be pope.” One would thus embrace sedevacantism and dispense oneself
from resisting a superior because his authority is no longer recognized.
ese false alternatives must be rejected. e faithful must recognize Pope
Francis as the Vicar of Christ on earth and the diocesan bishops as successors
of the Apostles. Notwithstanding this recognition, Catholics must “resist them
to the face,” as Saint Paul did with the first pope.
is balanced and courageous position takes into account the wise words
of a great seventeenth-century canonist, Fr. Paul Laymann, SJ, who stated, “As
long as the pope is tolerated by the Church and publicly acknowledged as the
universal shepherd, he continues to really possess the power of the papacy in
such a way that all his decrees have no less strength and authority than they
would have if he were a true believer, as Baez and Suarez rightly explain.”580
is middle way avoids both pitfalls. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira once sug-
gested it to the Chilean TFP’s leaders, as a conclusion for their book, e Church
of Silence in Chile. is explosive 1976 best seller denounced nearly all of the
Chilean hierarchy for having collaborated with Communism in bringing about
the country’s destruction.581
580. Paul Laymann, SJ, eologia moralis (Venice: n.p., 1683), tom. 1, bk. 2, tr. 1, ch. 7, 153,
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_cNcQB5d8hqoC. In the same vein, the eighteenth-century Dominican
Charles Billuart wrote: “Christ, by a special dispensation, for the common good and tranquility of the
Church continues to give jurisdiction even to a heretical pope until the Church declares him to be mani-
festly heretical.” Caroli Renati Billuart, OP, Tractatus de fide et regulis fidei: D. . a Q. 1 ad 16, vol. 1,
Summa S. omæ, Cursus theologiæ, secunda secundæ (Liège: S.S.E., 1751), diss. 4 (“Dissertation on Vices
Opposed to Faith”), a.3 (“On Heresy”), 128, https://books.google.com/books?id=FZBcAAAAcAAJ.
581. [Publisher’s Note: Between 1966 and 1976, the Chilean hierarchy, led by the archbishop of Santiago,
Cardinal Raul Silva Henríquez, openly favored President Salvador Allende’s rise to power with a public
statement, arguing that it was morally licit for a Catholic to vote for a Marxist candidate. After Allende’s
rise to power, the cardinal celebrated, holding a Te Deum service in the Cathedral.
During the thousand days it was in power, the communist regime brought Chile to the same situation
of oppression and misery that Venezuela suffers today. Despite this, the bishops gave their full support to
the government and its structural and political reforms, including the nationalization of all education,
even Catholic schools.
Even when the civilian population took to the streets demanding a military intervention to save the
country from Communism, and both Parliament and the independent body responsible for verifying pub-
lic accounts declared that the Allende administration had broken the law, Cardinal Silva Henríquez kept
up intense contacts with the Communist Party, trying to make a deal that would prevent the regime’s
downfall. In the end, however, Salvador Allende’s intransigence made his fall inevitable. He committed
suicide in the presidential palace, using the AK-47 he received as a gift from Fidel Castro.
During the subsequent military regime, Cardinal Silva Henríquez and the bishops of Chile were the
main force opposing the successful program of economic and social reconstruction based on private
property and free enterprise that General Augusto Pinochet’s cabinet promoted. Echoing a policy
CONCLUSION 167
e Brazilian TFP founder’s proposal seems all the more valid today. Indeed,
a large number of bishops, and the Holy See itself, are helping to topple not
just private property, as Salvador Allende’s Chile did, but other non-negotiable
values as well. Moreover, they labor to subvert the Church’s sacramental dis-
cipline and, directly or indirectly, Catholic morals and the Faith itself.
e Catholic leader proposed this middle way in answer to the following
question:
Having set forth our attitude of resistance, we turn our attention

once again to our spiritual life as Catholics. . . .
Are we obliged, according to sound doctrine, to go to those [de-
molishing] pastors and priests . . . to receive the teachings of the
Church from their lips and to receive the sacraments from their
hands?582
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira replied:
In this respect, it is necessary to point out that:

a) In order for there to be a full ecclesiastical filiation . . . there
must be in the spiritual relations between sheep and shepherd, as
between son and father, a minimum level of mutual confidence and
harmony.
b) Given the extension and importance that these pastors and
priests have assigned to the destructive action . . . in the concrete
order there are no conditions for the habitual exercise of those rela-
tions. We cannot see how such an exercise could fail to bring with it
a proximate risk for the Faith and grave scandals for the good.
c) is being so, and save for better judgment, we affirm that the
launched by President Jimmy Carter, the cardinal and bishops did this under the pretext of upholding
human rights. However, they showed concern only for the pseudo-rights of subversives. ey had none for
the legitimate rights of the population.
Based on over 200 documents, the book e Church of Silence in Chile was an exposé of the Chilean hier-
archy’s collusion with the failed communist revolution and its subversive groups. In its conclusion, it asked
how the Catholic faithful should interact with shepherds promoting the country’s destruction. It suggested
that, while remaining united to Holy Church, the faithful should interrupt their ordinary Church life with
the demolishing shepherds. See, e Chilean Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family, and Property, e
Church of Silence in Chile: e TFP Proclaims the Whole Truth (Cleveland: Lumen Mariae, 1976), 352–8.
As noted, this proposed course of action was the brainchild of Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira. Having first
suggested it for the Chilean TFP’s book, the founder of the Brazilian TFP did the same for the Uruguayan
TFP’s work titled, Leftism in the Church: “Fellow-traveler” of communism in the long adventure of failures
and metamorphoses. He also used it in his own book in Brazil titled, e Church in the face of the escalating
communist threat: An appeal to the silent bishops.]
582. Chilean TFP, Church of Silence, 352.
cessation of ecclesiastical relations583 with such bishops and priests

is a right of conscience of Catholics who judge it to be unbearable,
that is to say, harmful for the Faith itself and the life of piety, and scan-
dalous for the faithful people.584
A reader may wonder: Does the interruption of a Catholic’s ordinary Church

life with the demolishing shepherds not amount to schism, even though their
authority and jurisdiction remain fully recognized?
For the reader’s peace of mind, I note that the rights that support unjustly
coerced faithful are analogous to those enjoyed by a good wife who is psycho-
logically attacked by an abusive husband. It is comparable to those of children
toward a bad father. Without abandoning the family home, mother and chil-
dren may legitimately move to an isolated part of the house. In doing this, they
make use of their right of self-defense against the father’s evil ways. eir with-
drawing from routine family life does not mean they reject the indissoluble
conjugal and filial ties that bind them to husband and father. Nor are they re-
miss in their duty of fidelity to him by avoiding regular contact. On the con-
trary, their removal may stir the father to examine his conscience. It may bring
him to repentance. at would mean a return to ordinary family life for all.
This analogy is not a stretch. Indeed, Saint Paul teaches in the Epistle to
the Ephesians, “The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of
the Church. He is the savior of his body” (Eph. 5:23). Later on, the Fathers
of the Church and medieval canonists used this mystical marriage
metaphor.585 Thus, the episcopal ring is a symbol of this mystical marriage
between a bishop and his diocese. If the metaphor evokes the faithful’s duty
of fidelity and submission—that of “the wife”—it also esteems their position,
either by reiterating their rights or emphasizing the duties of the bishop,
583. [Publisher’s Note: In the Italian original, the word is convivenza, meaning, literally, living together.]
584. Ibid., 352–3. Naturally, the proposal to interrupt ordinary Church life with the demolishing shepherds
should not be put into practice in a universal manner, since “d) . . . it is in the nature of this process [of de-
struction] that its peculiarities do not develop in a manner absolutely simultaneous throughout the entire
country. On the contrary, it is a bit more advanced in one place and a bit more retarded in another” (Ibid.,
353). To transpose the problem to today, I could say, for example, that regarding giving Holy Communion to
civilly “remarried” divorcees, the situation in Germany is not that of neighboring Poland or Africa. Plinio
Corrêa de Oliveira continues: “It is also necessary to consider the case of some ecclesiastics whose com-
mitment to the process of destruction exists, but in a limited way and to a very tenuous degree” (Ibid.).
From the combination of these two circumstances, the reasoning concludes that, “Accordingly, it is under-
standable that some of the faithful frequent the churches of the shepherds and priests whom we de-
nounce, and that others refuse to do so and separate themselves from all habitual spiritual and religious
relation with such ecclesiastics, even relating to the sacramental life” (Ibid). (e bold is mine.)
585. e metaphor was used by Sts. Cyprian, Ephrem, Ambrose, and Gregory the Great. It became fre-
quent among medieval canonists starting with Huguccio, around 1190. See Laurent Fontbaustier, La dé-
position du pape hérétique: Une origine du constitutionnalisme? (Paris: Mare & Martin, 2016), 53–65.
CONCLUSION 169
who represents—“the husband.” A fortiori, the metaphor can be applied to

the relations between the universal Church and a pope.
However, an old adage says that “every analogy limps.” With a marriage’s
consummation, the bond uniting a Catholic couple becomes absolutely indis-
soluble. e mystical marriage between a bishop and his diocese, however, is
dissolved by his resignation or transfer to another diocese.586 In the case of the
universal Church, it is dissolved by a pope’s resigning. Mutatis mutandis, this
does not prevent the analogy from being valid for the “wife”—that is, a diocesan
community or the universal Church. When a Catholic community is the victim
of abuse by the “husband”—be it the bishop or the pope—it can legitimately
seek to defend itself.
Except for the indissolubility difference, the situations are analogous. More-
over, the rights of a wife who feels obliged to separate from her husband go
even further. Indeed, an abused wife has the right to stop living under her hus-
band’s roof. She can move to another dwelling, or force her straying consort
to do so. Reiterating the Church’s millennial legislation, the 1983 Code of Canon
Law establishes that “Spouses have the duty and right to preserve conjugal liv-
ing unless a legitimate cause excuses them” (Can. 1151). In addition to unfor-
given and uncondoned adultery (Can. 1152), a couple may legitimately
separate “with the bond remaining,” “if either of the spouses causes grave men-
tal or physical danger to the other spouse or to the offspring or otherwise ren-
ders common life too difficult” (Can. 1153 §1).587 Such separation may be
decreed by the local ordinary or, “if there is danger in delay,” a spouse can take
measures “on his or her own authority” (Ibid). “In all cases, when the cause for
the separation ceases, conjugal living must be restored. . . .” (Can. 1153 §2).588
Legal separation “with the bond remaining” is an institution that survives in
586. Cardinal Bernard Gantin, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops from 1984 to 1998, was adamantly
opposed to careerism in the current practice of transferring bishops from a secondary to a more impor-
tant diocese. In an interview with 30 Giorni, he stated:, “Let us be clear: e relationship between a bishop
and a diocese is also depicted as a marriage and a marriage, according to the spirit of the Gospel, is indis-
soluble. e new bishop must not make other personal plans. ere may well be serious reasons, very se-
rious reasons for a decision by the authorities that the bishop should go from one family, so to speak, to
another. In making this decision, the authorities take numerous factors into consideration. ey do not
include an eventual desire by a bishop to change see.” Sandro Magister, “e Scourge of Divorce Between
Bishop and Diocese,” trans. Matthew Sherry, L’Espresso–Settimo Cielo, Jun. 6, 2013,
http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350531bdc4.html?eng=y.
587. e 1917 Pio-Benedictine Code developed the legitimate causes for interrupting life in common a bit
more: “If one spouse gives his name to a non-Catholic sect; if he raises the children non-Catholic; if he
leads a criminal or disgraceful life; if one creates grave danger to the soul or body of the other; if, by cru-
elty, one renders common life too difficult; these reasons and others of their sort are for the other spouse
completely legitimate reasons for leaving” (Can. 1131 §1). Edward N. Peters, cur., e 1917 or Pio-Benedic-
tine Code of Canon Law (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2001), 388–9.
588. Code of Canon Law, http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P45.HTM.
the laws of many countries with Christian roots. It only loosens a bit the conju-
gal bond by waiving cohabitation. All other marriage duties remain, notably
those of fidelity and the obligation to provide succor in case of need.
is separation “with the bond remaining,” which is so peaceably accepted
by canon and civil law, represents a far more drastic measure than the one I
suggest. My proposal is a simple suspension of the ordinary interaction. It is the
equivalent of living in separate quarters, though still under the same roof, from
shepherds whose flock feels psychologically abused by their efforts to impose
an unacceptable paradigm shift in the Church’s teaching, discipline, and life.
is well-balanced resistance is what characterizes my proposal as a middle
way. In other words, it preserves intact the bond of fidelity that unites the faith-
ful to their legitimate shepherds. On the other hand, however, it takes the
needed prudential measures to safeguard the integrity of one’s faith. All the
while, it shows charity toward the weak by preventing them from becoming
scandalized with continued normal relations with prelates who are self-de-
stroying the Church.
I proffer these analyses and the proposal to resist and interrupt ordinary
Church life with demolishing shepherds as a simple layman. Although I ac-
company attentively the great doctrinal questions raised by the clash between
the Church and today’s anti-Christian revolution, I am guided only by the sen-
sus fidei and my reason illuminated by the Faith. I have completed no advanced
studies in dogmatic and moral theology or canon law. Accordingly, I present
these analyses and proposal alike for the consideration of faithful shepherds
wishing to resist the paradigm shift in the Church. ey are open to the schol-
arly critique of canonists, philosophers, and historians. I wish to share them
with the leaders of Catholic organizations who are not willing to abandon the
struggle for the Gospel’s eternal principles in today’s society.
Some fear that the virtual division within the Church fostered by the para-
digm shift may lead to a formal split. If it happens—God forbid!—then
Catholics faithful to their baptismal vows should cling to the perennial teach-
ing of the Church’s traditional magisterium. ey should hearken to the shep-
herds who transmit it unchanged. ey should do this in the hope that the
Holy Spirit will lead the straying shepherds back to the right path. However,
they should avoid anxiety over the canonical status of the wayward shepherds.
is is a complex and delicate theological and canonical issue that is well be-
yond the grasp and competence of the average faithful. Even among specialists,
it has aroused much controversy.
In the present confusion, which threatens to worsen very soon, one thing is
sure: Catholics faithful to their baptism will never break the sacred bond of
love, veneration, and obedience that unites them to the Successor of Peter and
the successors of the Apostles. is is true even when these may eventually op-
CONCLUSION 171
press them in their attempt to demolish the Church. If in the abuse of their
power and seeking to coerce the faithful into accepting their deviations those
prelates condemn them for their fidelity to the Gospel and for legitimately re-
sisting abusive authority, it is those shepherds, not the faithful, who will be re-
sponsible for the rupture and its consequences before God, the rights of the
Church, and history. Saint Athanasius is a case in point. Although he was a vic-
tim of the abuse of power, he remains a star in the Church’s firmament forever.
Even in such extreme circumstances, without mitigating their legitimate
position of resistance, the faithful should continue to pray for the conversion
of those straying shepherds. us would they imitate the actions of a good
mother and her children in the face of an abusive husband and father with
whom they have ceased to have daily interaction. ese would pray in the hope
that their conjugal and family life would be restored as soon as the cause for
their separation has ended.
* **
I close this assessment of Pope Francis’s first five years by reiterating my un-
shakable faith and unalterable fidelity to the Roman Pontiff ’s primacy of uni-
versal jurisdiction and his ex cathedra infallibility, as well as to the truth of the
Faith on the indefectibility of the Church as contained in Holy Writ and pro-
claimed by the ordinary universal magisterium. e indefectibility of the One,
Holy, Roman Catholic Church is the supernatural property that guarantees the
perpetuity and immutability of Her essential elements—the Faith, sacraments,
and sacred hierarchy. It is founded on the promise of Our Lord and confirmed
in the closing verse of the Gospel of Saint Matthew: “Behold, I am with you all
days, even to the consummation of the world” (Matt. 28:20).
e words that Sister Lúcia, one of the Fatima seers, addressed to the late
Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, first president of the John Paul II Institute for Studies
on Family and Marriage, further reinforce my confidence in the Church’s inde-
fectibility. e cardinal had written her, announcing that he had consecrated
the Institute’s work to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. His Eminence explained
her response in an interview, saying: “I received a very long letter. . . . In it we
find written: ‘the decisive battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan
will be about marriage and the family.’ ‘Do not be afraid,’ she added, ‘because
anyone who works for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be
fought and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.’ And then
she concluded: ‘However, Our Lady has already crushed [the devil’s] head.’”589
589. Diane Montagna, “Fatima Visionary to Cardinal: ‘Final Battle Between God and Satan Will Be Over
Marriage and Family,’” Aleteia.org, Jan. 17, 2017, https://aleteia.org/2017/01/17/fatima-visionary-to
-cardinal-final-battle-between-god-and-satan-will-be-over-marriage-and-family/.
“e future belongs to God,” Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira wrote, and, full of holy
optimism, he added:
As we look at some brethren in the Faith, we are even faced with

a great deal of sorrow and apprehension. In the heat of battle, it is
possible and even likely that we will have terrible disappointments.
However, it is quite certain that the Holy Spirit continues to stir up
in the Church admirable and indomitable spiritual energies of faith,
purity, obedience, and dedication, which in due time will once again
cover the Christian name with glory.
e twentieth century will be not only the century of the great
struggle but especially the century of the immense triumph.590
I finish these lines, therefore, confident of Mary Most Holy’s approaching

intervention to solve the present crisis of self-destruction in the Church. I do
this, inspired only out of love for the papacy, and with the desire to see it shine
again with renewed splendor.
“Lord, that your kingdom may come, may the reign of Mary come!”
590. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira, “O século da guerra, da morte e do pecado,” Catolicismo, no. 2 (Feb. 1951) 6,
http://www.pliniocorreadeoliveira.info/1951_002_CAT_O_s%C3%A9culo_da_guerra.htm.
B iBLioGraPHY
I. Papal Documents
Benedict XVI.
(Addresses, Messages, and Speeches—chronological order)
———. “To the Members of the European People’s Party on the Occasion of the Study
Days on Europe.” Mar. 30, 2006. http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi
/en/speeches/2006/march/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060330_eu
-parliamentarians.html.
———. “For the 97th World Day of Migrants and Refugees (2011): ‘One Human Fam-
ily.’” Sept. 27, 2010. http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/messages
/migration/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20100927_world-migrants-day.html.
———. “To Participants in the General Assembly of Caritas Internationalis.” May 27,
2011. http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2011/may
/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110527_caritas.html.
(Papal Documents—alphabetical order)

———. Caritas in Veritate (Encyclical). Jun. 29, 2009.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents
/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate.html.
———. Sacramentum Caritatis (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation). Feb. 22, 2007.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/apost_exhortations
/documents/hf_ben-xvi_exh_20070222_sacramentum-caritatis.html.
Francis.
(Addresses and Speeches—chronological order)
———. “Meeting With the World of Labor and Industry: Address of Pope Francis.” Jul.
5, 2014. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/july
/documents/papa-francesco_20140705_molise-mondo-del-lavoro.html.
———. “Address of Pope Francis: Private Visit of the Holy Father to Caserta for a
Meeting With the Evangelical Pastor Giovanni Traettino.” Jul. 28, 2014.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/july/documents
/papa-francesco_20140728_caserta-pastore-traettino.html.
———. “Address of Pope Francis to the Participants in the World Meeting of Popular
Movements.” Oct. 28, 2014. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2014/october/documents/papa-francesco_20141028_incontro-mondiale
-movimenti-popolari.html.
———. “Address of Pope Francis to the Council of Europe.” Nov. 25, 2014.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/november
/documents/papa-francesco_20141125_strasburgo-consiglio-europa.html.
———. “Pope’s Audience With Children of ‘e Peace Factory.’” Zenit. May 12, 2015.
https://zenit.org/articles/pope-s-audience-with-children-of-the-peace-factory/.
———. “Address of the Holy Father—Participation at the Second World Meeting of

Popular Movements.” Jul. 9, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/speeches/2015/july/documents/papa-francesco_20150709_bolivia
-movimenti-popolari.html.
———. “Address of the Holy Father: Meeting With the Members of the General Assembly
of the United Nations Organization.” Sept. 25, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content
/francesco/en/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco
_20150925_onu-visita.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis—Conclusion of the Synod of Bishops.”
Oct. 24, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015
/october/documents/papa-francesco_20151024_sinodo-conclusione-lavori.html.
———. “Responses of the Holy Father to the Questions of ree Members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Community of Rome.” Nov. 15, 2015.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/november
/documents/papa-francesco_20151115_chiesa-evangelica-luterana.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis: Conferral of the Charlemagne Prize.”
May 6, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/may
/documents/papa-francesco_20160506_premio-carlo-magno.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Pilgrimage of
Lutherans.” Oct. 13, 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco_20161013_pellegrinaggio
-luterani.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the 3rd World Meet-
ing of Popular Movements.” Nov. 5, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/en/speeches/2016/november/documents/papa-francesco_20161105
_movimenti-popolari.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants of the III Global Meet-
ing of the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development.” Feb. 15, 2017. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/speeches/2017/february/documents/papa-francesco_20170215_popoli
-indigeni.html.
———. “Greeting of the Holy Father: Blessing of the Candles—Pilgrimage of His Holi-
ness Pope Francis to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima.” May 12, 2017.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/may/documents
/papa-francesco_20170512_benedizione-candele-fatima.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to Participants in the Meeting Pro-
moted by the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.” Oct. 11,
2017. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017/october
/documents/papa-francesco_20171011_convegno-nuova-evangelizzazione.html.
———. “Address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Members of the Diplomatic
Corps Accredited to the Holy See for the Traditional Exchange of New Year Greet-
ings.” Jan. 8, 2018. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018
/january/documents/papa-francesco_20180108_corpo-diplomatico.html.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 175
———. “Address of the Holy Father: Meeting With Indigenous People of Amazonia.”
Jan. 19, 2018. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2018
/january/documents/papa-francesco_20180119_peru-puertomaldonado
-popoliamazzonia.html.
(Angelus and Regina Caeli—chronological order)

———. “Angelus.” Mar. 17, 2013. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20130317.html.
———. “Regina Cæli.” Mar. 28, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/angelus/2016/documents/papa-francesco_regina-coeli_20160328.html.
(Forewords, and Other Non-traditional Papal Writings)

———. “Il papa: ‘La Chiesa missionaria non si chiuda in se stessa.’” Corriere Della
Sera. Oct. 19, 2015. http://www.corriere.it/cronache/15_ottobre_19/papa
-francesco-la-chiesa-missionaria-non-si-chiuda-se-stessa-2973aab8-7620
-11e5-9086-b57baad6b3f4.shtml.
(General Audiences—chronological order)

———. “General Audience.” Jun. 22, 2016.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2016/documents
/papa-francesco_20160622_udienza-generale.html.
———. “General Audience.” Jun. 21, 2017.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2017/documents
———. “General Audience.” Sept. 27, 2017.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2017/documents
(Homilies—chronological order)
———. “Jesus Excludes No One: Morning Meditation in the Chapel of Domus Sanctae
Marthae.” May 8, 2013. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/cotidie
/2013/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20130508_non-exclusion.html.
———. Galvan, Kelen. “Papa diz que para evangelizar, cristãos devem construir pontes
e não muros.” Canção Nova–Notícias. May 8, 2013. https://noticias.cancaonova.com
/especiais/pontificado/Francis/papa-diz-que-para-evangelizar-cristaos-devem
-construir-pontes-e-nao-muros/.
———. “Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis: Holy Mass With Representatives of the
Indigenous Communities of Chiapas.” Feb. 15, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content
/francesco/en/homilies/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160215_omelia
-messico-chiapas.html.
———. “For a Culture of Encounter: Morning Meditation in the Chapel of the Domus
Sanctae Marthae.” Sept. 13, 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/en/cotidie/2016/documents/papa-francesco-cotidie_20160913_for-a-culture
-of-encounter.html.
———. “Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis.” Dec. 24, 2017.

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2017/documents
/papa-francesco_20171224_omelia-natale.html.
(Interviews)
———. “Full English Text of Pope Francis’ Interview With ‘Il Messaggero’–Pope Fran-
cis: Communism Stole Our Flag.” Zenit. Jul. 2, 2014. https://zenit.org/articles
/full-english-text-of-pope-francis-interview-with-il-messaggero/.
———. ambrogetti, Francesca and Sergio Rubin. Pope Francis: His Life in His Own
Words—Conversations With Jorge Bergoglio. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2010, 2013.
———. Benarroch, Henrique Cymerman. “Entrevista al Papa Francisco: ‘La secesión
de una nación hay que tomarla con pinzas.’” La Vanguardia. Jun. 12, 2014.
http://www.lavanguardia.com/internacional/20140612/54408951579
/entrevista-papa-Francis.html
———. de Bortoli, Ferruccio. “Benedetto XVI non è una statua: Partecipa alla vita
della Chiesa.” Corriere della Sera. Mar. 5, 2014. http://www.corriere.it/cronache
/14_marzo_04/vi-racconto-mio-primo-anno-papa-90f8a1c4-a3eb-11e3-b352
-9ec6f8a34ecc.shtml.
———. denis, Jean-Pierre. “Conversation politique avec le pape François.” La Vie.
Mar. 2, 2016. http://www.lavie.fr/religion/catholicisme/conversation-politique
-avec-le-pape-francois-02-03-2016-71086_16.php.
———. Goubert, Guillaume, and Sébastien Maillard. “Le pape François à La Croix:
‘Un état doit être laïque.” La Croix. May 16, 2016. http://www.la-croix.com
/Religion/Pape/Le-pape-Francois-a-La-Croix-Un-Etat-doit-etre-laique-2016
-05-16-1200760526.
———. Falasca, Stefania. “L’intervista ad Avvenire. Papa Francesco: Non svendo la
dottrina, seguo il Concilio.” Avvenire. Nov. 17, 2016. https://www.avvenire.it
/papa/pagine/giubileo-ecumenismo-concilio-intervista-esclusiva-del-papa
-adavvenire.
———. Piqué, Elisabetta. “Pope Francis: ‘God Has Bestowed on Me a Healthy Dose of
Unawareness.’” La Nación. Dec. 7, 2014. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/1750350
-pope-francis-god-has-bestowed-on-me-a-healthy-dose-of-unawareness.
———. “e Synod on the Family: ‘e Divorced and Remarried Seem Excommuni-
cated.’” La Nación. Dec. 7, 2014. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/1750351
-the-synod-on-the-family-the-divorced-and-remarried-seem-excommunicated.
———. scalfari, Eugenio. “e Pope: How the Church Will Change.” La Repubblica.
Oct. 1, 2013. http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/10/01/news/pope_s
_conversation_with_scalfari_english-67643118/.
———. ———. “Il Vicario di Cristo e la verità relativa che conduce a Dio.” La Repub-
blica. Oct. 28, 2014. http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2014/10/28/news
/il_vicario_di_cristo_e_la_verit_relativa_che_conduce_a_dio-99162795/.
———. ———. “Francesco, papa profeta che incontra la modernità.” La Repubblica.
Jul. 1, 2015. http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2015/07/01/news
/francesco_papa_profeta_che_incontra_la_modernita_-118048516/.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 177
———. ———. “Conservatori e temporalisti lo frenano ma Francesco non si fermerà.”

La Repubblica. Oct. 25, 2015. http://www.repubblica.it/politica/2015/10/25/news
/conservatori_e_temporalisti_lo_frenano_ma_francesco_non_si_fermera
_-125834299/.
———. ———. “Pope Francis: ‘Trump? I Do Not Judge. I Care Only If He Makes the Poor
Suffer.’” La Repubblica. Nov. 11, 2016. http://www.repubblica.it/vaticano/2016/11/11
/news/pope_francis_trump-151810120/.
———. ———. “Scalfari intervista Francesco: ‘Il mio frido al G20 sui migranti.’” La Re-
pubblica. Jul. 8, 2017. http://www.repubblica.it/vaticano/2017/07/08/news
/scalfari_intervista_francesco_il_mio_grido_al_g20_sui_migranti_-170253225/.
———. spadaro, sJ, Antonio. “A Big Heart Open to God: An Interview With Pope Fran-
cis.” America. Sept. 30, 2013. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2013/09/30
/big-heart-open-god-interview-pope-francis.
———. tornielli, Andrea. “Never Be Afraid of Tenderness.” La Stampa–Vatican Insider.
Dec. 15, 2013. http://www.lastampa.it/2013/12/16/vaticaninsider/eng/the-vatican
/never-be-afraid-of tenderness-3sMZy95oJWmaNvfq4m1sTN/pagina.html.
———. Wolton, Dominique. Politique et société: Pape François, rencontres avec Do-
minique Wolton. Paris: Observatoire, 2017.
(Messages—chronological order)
———. “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees
(2014). Aug. 5, 2013. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages
/migration/documents/papa-francesco_20130805_world-migrants-day.html.
———. “Show Mercy to Our Common Home: Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for
the Celebration of the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.” Sept. 1, 2016.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2016
/documents/papa-francesco_20160901_messaggio-giornata-cura-creato.html.
———. “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Occasion of the World Meet-
ings of Popular Movements in Modesto (California) [16-18 February 2017].” Feb.
10, 2017. http://movimientospopulares.org/es/carta-del-papa-Francis-a
-los-movimientos-populares-modesto-california-16-19-feb-2017/.
———. “To the Participants in the European Regional Meeting of the World Medical
Association.” Nov. 7, 2017. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/messages/pont-messages/2017/documents/papa-francesco_20171107
_messaggio-monspaglia.html.
———. “Message of His Holiness Pope Francis for the 104th World Day of Migrants
and Refugees 2018.” Jan. 14, 2018. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/messages/migration/documents/papa-francesco_20170815_world
-migrants-day-2018.html.
(Traditional Papal Documents—Alphabetical Order)

———. “A los Obispos de la Conferencia Episcopal Venezolana” (Letter). May 5, 2017.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations
/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf.
———. Amoris Laetitia (Apostolic Exhortation). Mar. 19, 2016.

https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/francesco/pdf/apost_exhortations
/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia_en.pdf.
———. “Carta del Santo Padre Francisco a los Obispos de la Región Pastoral de
Buenos Aires” (Letter). Sept. 5, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/es
/letters/2016/documents/papa-francesco_20160905_regione-pastorale
-buenos-aires.html
———. Evangelii Gaudium (Apostolic Exhortation). Nov. 24, 2013.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents
/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html.
———. Gaudete et Exsultate (Apostolic Exhortation). Mar. 19, 2018.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents
/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20180319_gaudete-et-exsultate.html.
———. “Joint Declaration of His Holiness Pope Francis With His Holiness Kirill, Pa-
triarch of Moscow and All Russia.” Feb. 12, 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content
/francesco/en/speeches/2016/february/documents/papa-francesco
_20160212_dichiarazione-comune-kirill.html.
———. Laudato Sì (Encyclical). May 24, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica
-laudato-si.html.
———. “Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to the Christians in the Middle East.”
Dec. 21, 2014. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2014
/documents/papa-francesco_20141221_lettera-cristiani-medio-oriente.html.
———. “Letter to a Non-believer: Pope Francis Responds to Dr. Eugenio Scalfari Jour-
nalist of the Italian Newspaper ‘La Repubblica.’” Sept. 4, 2013.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2013/documents
/papa-francesco_20130911_eugenio-scalfari.html.
———. Mitis et Misericors Iesus (Motu Proprio). Aug. 15, 2015.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents
/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20150815_mitis-et-misericors-iesus.html
———. Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (Motu Proprio). Aug. 15, 2015.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents
/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20150815_mitis-iudex-dominus-iesus.html.
———. Summa Familiae Cura (Motu Proprio). Sept. 8, 2017. http://w2.vatican.va
/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu
-proprio_20170908_summa-familiae-cura.html.
———. Veritatis Gaudium (Apostolic Constitution). Dec. 8, 2017.
https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents
/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208_veritatis-gaudium.html
(Trip Press Conferences—chronological order)

———. “In-Flight Press Conference of Pope Francis During the Return Flight: Apos-
tolic Journey to Rio de Janeiro on the Occasion of the XXVIII World Youth Day.”
Jul. 28, 2013. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2013
/july/documents/papa-francesco_20130728_gmg-conferenza-stampa.html.
BIBLIOGRAPHY 179
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Santiago de
Cuba to Washington, D.C.” Sept. 22, 2015. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco
/pt/speeches/2015/september/documents/papa-francesco_20150922
_intervista-santiago-washington.html.
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Mexico to Rome.”
Feb. 17, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016/february
/documents/papa-francesco_20160217_messico-conferenza-stampa.html.
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Lesbos to
Rome.” Apr. 16, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2016/april/documents/papa-francesco_20160416_lesvos-volo-ritorno.html.
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Armenia to
Rome.” Jun. 26, 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016
/june/documents/papa-francesco_20160626_armenia-conferenza-stampa.html.
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Poland to
Rome.” Jul. 31, 2016. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2016
/july/documents/papa-francesco_20160731_polonia-conferenza-stampa.html.
———. “In-Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Azerbaijan to
Rome.” Oct. 2, 2016. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches
/2016/october/documents/papa-francesco_20161002_georgia-azerbaijan
-conferenza-stampa.html.
———. “Return Flight Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis From Egypt to
Rome.” Apr. 29, 2017. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2017
/april/documents/papa-francesco_20170429_egitto-volo.html.
———. “Press Conference of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Return Flight From
Colombia to Rome.” Sept. 10, 2017. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en
/speeches/2017/september/documents/papa-francesco_20170910
_viaggioapostolico-colombia-voloritorno.html.
(Videos—chronological order)
———. Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. “Inter-religious Dialogue.” Holy Cross TV.
Jan. 8, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODAb0ImTKg.
———. “Bergoglio ai presunti rifugiati: Bibbia e corano lo stesso Dio, condividere la
propria fede.” YouTube. Uploaded Aug. 10, 2015. https://youtu.be/BXaqlOj4qIg.
John XXIII. Pacem in Terris (Encyclical). Apr. 11, 1963. http://w2.vatican.va/content

/john-xxiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_11041963_pacem.html.
John Paul II. Familiaris Consortio (Apostolic Exhortation). Nov. 22, 1981.
http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_exhortations/documents
/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio.html.
———. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (Encyclical). Dec. 30, 1987. http://w2.vatican.va
/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_30121987
_sollicitudo-rei-socialis.html
———. Centesimus Annus (Encyclical). May 1, 1991. http://w2.vatican.va/content

/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991
_centesimus-annus.html.
Leo XIII. Au milieu des sollicitudes (Encyclical). Feb. 16, 1892. http://w2.vatican.va
/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_16021892
_au-milieu-des-sollicitudes.html.
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i ndex
a mentality of, 129–130

Abortifacients, 57 Arcigay Naples, 99
Abortion, 12, 49, 57, 58 Argentine eology of the People, 30
establishing red line regarding, 135 Arroyo, Raymond, 120n419, 127
legalization of, 12, 17 Artificial contraption, 14, 17, 18
opposition of popular movements to Athanasius, Saint, 171
Church position on, 38 Augustine, Saint, 5, 83, 161n571
in population control, 14 Aymans, Winfried, 111
promoters of, 13–15 Ayuso, Miguel, 111
teaching against, 23
Absolute imperatives, subjective moral- B
ity without, 87–88 Bagnasco, Cardinal Angelo, 113
Academy for Life, 23 Bagus, Iwan, 91
Accenture, hiring of, 98 Baklinski, Peter, 19n60, 93n338, 94n340,
Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 121 126n44
Adoption by homosexuals, 22 Baldisseri, Cardinal Lorenzo, 105, 107, 109
Adultery, 87, 88 Ballestrino, Esther, 28
Church’s acceptance of, 101 Ban Ki-Moon, 13, 49n161, 51
uncondoned, 169 Baptism, 77, 109, 137, 170
e Advocate, 143 Barletta, Leónidas, 28
Alganaraz, Julio, 42n140 Baroque of Peter, 152
Allen, John L., Jr., 124, 136n468, 137n473 Barthe, Fr. Claude, 117n412
Allende, Salvador, 166n581, 167 Bartholomew I, Patriach, 57
al-Qaeda terrorist attack, 68 Bastante, Jesús, 80n295
Alterglobaization movement, 37 Baudrillard, Jean, 130
Ambrogetti, Francesca, 27, 28n86 Baumann, Zygmunt, 84
Ambrose, Saint, 168n585 Beck, Ashley, 155
American Life League, 94 Behrens, William W., III, 50n165
Amicus curiae brief, 98 Bellarmine, Robert, Saint 160, 160n568,
Amoris Laetitia, 16, 87–88, 89, 93, 94, 101, 161
115–117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 124, 138, Belmonte, Cardinal Gennaro Granito di,
139, 152 159n564
Amoris Laetitia: An Inflection Point in Benarroch, Henrique Cymerman,
Moral eology, 16 72n274
Amoris Laetitia: Wendepunkt für die Benedict XVI, 9, 10n23, 61, 62n227, 154
Moraltheologie?, 89 Bergoglio, Cardinal Jorge Mario, 29n93,
Anthropological change, 23 42, 86, 127, 154n547
Anti-Christian agenda behind sustain- Bertocchi, Lorenzo, 16n46, 18n56
able development, 57–59 Bessette, Joseph, 82
Anti-Christian currents, 143–149 Bettel, Xavier, 91, 92
Anti-Christian Revolution, 129, 152, 161, 170 Betti, Pier Giorgio, 67n256
Bibi, Asia, 72 criticisms of, 146

Biggar, Nigel, 17 Caram, Lúcia, 92
Billuart, Fr. Charles, 166n580 Carbon dioxide pollution, 51n174
Bioethical questions, 11n26 Cardenal, Ernesto, 30n97
Biological sexual identity, 57 Careaga, Esther Ballestrino de, 27, 28
Bipolar tensions, 84 Caritas, 67
Birth control. See also Contraception Carusi, Stefano, 79n290
abortion as method of, 14 Casaroli, Cardinal Ricardo, 16n45, 48,
artificial methods of, 92, 135 70n266
Humanae Vitae in legitimizing, 94–95 Castellano, Danilo, 111n395
Block, Stephanie, 93n338 Castillo, Ignacio A., 92n334
Boezi, Francesco, 19n61 Castro, Fidel, 39
Boff, Leonardo, 50 Castro, Raul, 25
Boko Haram, 72 Catani, Federico, 8, 20
Bongaarts, John, 14 Catechism of the Catholic Church, 20, 65,
Bonino, Emma, 12–13 81, 97
Boo, Juan Vicente, 27n82 Catherine of Siena, Saint, 156
Boquet, Fr. Shenan, 23 Catholicism
Bortoli, Ferruccio de, 11n25 end-of-life teaching in, 19–20
Bouhassira, Eric E., 18n54 future of, 2–3
Boulad, Fr. Henri, 74, 75 social doctrine in, 2, 28–29, 64
Bourne, Lisa, 91n327 teachings of, 2
Brandmüller, Cardinal Walter, 107, 110, Catholic university teaching, 2
119 Celli, Archbishop Claudio Maria, 46
Broglie, Albert de, 132 Chardin, Fr. Pierre Teilhard de, 56
Brown, Judy, 94 Charisma, of infallibility, 158
Brunn, Alain, 130 Charlemagne Prize, 145n521
Burke, Cardinal Raymond, 107, 114, Chavez, Hugo, 40, 147
116n408, 119, 125, 153n543 Chiapas Indians, 54
Burke, Greg, 47 China, Communism and underground
Bux, Nicola, 165 Catholics and, 44–46
Chiodi, Fr. Maurizio, 18, 94, 95
c Chretien, Claire, 45n149, 125n437,
Cafete, Miquel Arias, 144 127n449
Caffarra, Cardinal Carlo, 15, 19, 86, 107, Christian civilization, basic values of, 7
111n394, 113, 119, 120, 125, 171 Christianophobia motives, 73
Cajetan, 160n570 Christian persecution
Calabrò, Maria Antonietta, 13n36 religious nature of, 61
Camarotti, Gerson, 31n106 reluctance to talk about, 71–73
Cambronero, Marcelo López, 27 Church, future of, 2
Cañizares, Cardinal Antonio 92 e Church of Silence in Chile, 166, 167
Cannone, Juan Carlos, 29 Cirinnà, Monica, 22
Cantalamessa, Fr. Raniero, 78–79 Class struggle, 31, 37
Capitalism, 27, 32 Marxism and, 28
attacks on, 39 Cleemis, Cardinal Baselios, 111n394
INDEX 197
Clericalism, 22 d
Climate change, 13, 14, 50 D’Alema, Massimo, 147
Clinton, Hilary, 146, 147 d’Alveydre, Alexandre Saint-Yves, 67n256
Club of Rome, 50 Dandrieu, Laurent, 61, 62, 68, 69, 70n267,
Coccopalmerio, Cardinal Francesco, 122 155
Code of Canon Law, 169 Daneels, Cardinal Godfried, 154n547
Collective against Islamophobia, 68 Darwin, Charles, 2n5
Collin, ibaut, 116n408 Davis, Kim, 91
Collins, Charles, 126n44, 127 Death penalty, 81–82
Colombia Peace Deal, 43–44 legitimacy of, 82
Communion for remarried divorcees, 3, De-Christianization of the West, stages
101–127 in, 130–131
Communism De facto schism, 126–127
Catholic doctrine on, 25 Delprat, Jean, 11n25
propersity to sympathize with, 26–28 Del Valle, Alexandre, 73
Como, Diocesi di, 88n319 Democracy, participatory, 140
Confalonieri, Federica Radice Fossati, Denis, Jean-Pierre, 66n250
136, 136n467 De Paolis, Cardinal Velasio, 107
Congregation for the Doctrine of the d’Escoto, Miguel, 30n97
Faith, 135 Destenay, Gauthier, 91
Consecratio mundi, 148–149 Dialogue
Contraception, 12, 49, 57, 58 based on competency, compromise,
artificial, 14, 17, 18 and duplicity, 73–74
promoters of compulsory, 13–15 benevolent, 133
Coptic Christians, Palm Sunday Islamist as broad, profound, and frank, 121
attack on, 74 Catholic, 75
Corbett, John, 107n377 with the Chinese government, 47
Cordes, Cardinal Paul Josef, 111n394 importance of, 118
Coriden, James A., 102n363 interreligious, 77
Correa, Rafael, 51 with Islam, 61–74
Correctio filialis, 117–118 lack of possibility for, 72
Correctio filialis de haeresibus propa- with men and women, 75
gatis, 118 multifaceted nature of, 3
Corriere della Sera, 10 need for, 84, 136, 137
Counter-Revolution, 7 parties for, 40
Crescimanni, Tommaso Bedini, 115n405 promise for great, 4, 35
Cretien, Claire, 98n357 with revolutionary modernity, 132–
Cuba, Castro brothers’ dictatorship in, 136
39–40 Diaphragm, 92
Cultural revolution, 2, 52, 101 Di Bianco, Nicola, 140–141, 141n501,
Cupich, Cardinal Blase, 3, 4, 89, 90, 142n503
90n324 Dicastery for Promoting Integral
Curia, reform of the, 99 Human Development, 38
Cyprian, Saint, 161n571, 168n585 Dip, Ricardo, 111n395
Divine Revelation, 2, 81
Divini Redemptoris, 25n75 European Court of Human Rights, 21

Divorce, fight to legalize, 12 European Regional Meeting of the
Divorcees, communion for remarried, 3, World Medical Association, 19
101–127 Euthanasia, 12, 13
Doctrine, development of, 90 passive, 20–21
Dodd, Liz, 146n522 Vatican position on, 19–21
Domun Vitae, 18 Evangelii Gaudium, 11, 28–29, 51, 68, 85,
Douthat, Ross, 126 135, 147
Duka, Cardinal Dominik, 111n394 Evangelium Vitae, 135
Dumont, Bernard, 111n395 Evans, Alfie, passive euthanasia, 20–21
Dworkin, Steven N., 66n248 Evans, Tom, 21n68
e F
Earth Charter, 50 Falasca, Stefania, 120n423
Ecclesiastical filiation, 167 Familiaris Consortio, 102
Ecological approach, 53 Family planning, 57
Ecological conversion, 56 FARC, 44
Eco-socialism, 147 Farrell, Cardinal Kevin, 98
Ecumenism, 80n295 Feertchak, Alexia, 71n270
Église et immigration: Le grand malaise, Feser, Edward, 82
61 Filial Appeal, 109–110
Egocentrism, 152–153 Finnis, John, 17
Ehrler, Solange, 11n25 First Vatican Council, 82
Ehrlich, Paul, 14 Fitzgibbons, Rick, 93–94
Eijk, Cardinal Willem Jacobus, 111n394 5-Star Movement, 13
Eleven Cardinals Speak on Marriage and Fontana, Stefano, 6n14, 64–65
the Family, 111 Fontbaustier, Laurent, 168n585
Embryonic stem cells, 18 Forte, Archbishop Bruno, 115–16
End-of-life teaching, 19 Fourth Eco-tribalist Revolution, 140
Environmental ideology, 49 Francis. See also writings of
Environmental threats, 51 Chinese policy and, 44–48
Ephrem, Saint, 168n585 Christian persecution and, 71–73
Episcopal ring, 168 Cuban policy and, 39–40
Escalera, Feliciana Merino, 27 defense of non-negotiable values, 15–
Estévez, Cardinal Jorge Medina, 110 19
Ethical relativism, 87 denial of being Communist, 25–27
Etienne, Jacques, 89n323 on Divine Revelation, 81
Euro-Babel, 67 five year evaluationof, 1–2, 165, 171
Europe honors for, 60, 143
disregarding Christian roots for the on inequality, 28–29
sake of multiculturalism, 65–66 Islam and, 68–71
Islamic immigrant ghettos inside, jus soli and, 66–67
67–68 liberation theology and, 29–30
multicultural roots of, 146 Marxist-inspired popular movements
No-go zones in, 68 and, 30–31
INDEX 199
migration and, 62–63 Gregory, Saint, 161n571

Venezuela and, 40–44 Gregory the Great, Saint, 168n585
Francisco: El Papa Manso, 27 Grillo, Beppe, 13
Franco, Massimo, 12 Grindley, Lucas, 143n506
Frank, Joachim, 50n163 Grossi, Flavia, 56n207
Freemasonry, 148 Guardini, Fr. Romano, 77, 84, 139
French Revolution, 140 Guénois, Jean-Marie, 74n281
Frigerio, Benedetta, 19n63, 21 Guernsey, Andrew, 18n57
Fromager, Marc, 71 Guerreiro, Jeroboão Cândido, 7n18
Gutierrez, Fr. Gustavo, 30
G
Gadecki, Bishop Stanislaw, 113 H
“Gaia theory,” 50 Habemus Papam ecologicum, 145
Galvan, Kelen, 83n303 Hamel, Fr. Jacques, 69
Gantin, Cardinal Bernard, 169n586 Harris, Elise, 73n276
Gard, Charlie, 19, 20 Hedonistic sex education, 58
Gassi, Yayo, 91 Henríquez, Cardinal Silva, 166n581
Gaudete et Exsultate, 11n26 Heresy, 81, 151, 154
Gaulmyn, Isabelle de, 145n517 Hichborn, Michael, 13n35
Gavalconi, Giovanni, 85n310 Hickson, Maike, 95n345
Gennarini, Stefano, 14n37 Hilgers, omas William, 17
Gera, Lucio, 29 Himes, Kenneth R., 102n363
Geyser, Christian, 110n392 History, Immanentistic and Hegelian
Gherardini, Msgr. Brunero, 158–159 view of, 138–139
Gibbs, Nancy, 143n504, 143n506 Hoffman, Matthew Cullinan, 98n358
Giolitti, Antonio, 67n256 Hollande, François, 144
Giordano, Archbishop Aldo, 40 Holy communion for remarried di-
Giovagnoli, Agostino, 134n463 vorcees, 3, 101–127
Gisotti, Alessandro, 89n321 Homo erotic allusions, 99
Glatz, Carol, 14n40 Homosexual community, Martin, James’
Global governance, in promoting a uni- bridge to, 96–98
versal communion, 55–56 Homosexuality, 90–91, 97
Global population reduction, 49 legalizations of unions, 91
Global warming, 6 as a psycho-affective disorder, 17
Gnostic and pagan melodrama, 59 relations in, 93
Gnosticism, 4 Homosexual rights, opposition of popu-
Goertz, Stephan, 89 lar movements to Church position
Gore, Al, 144 on, 38
Gormally, Luke, 17 Homosexuals
Goubert, Guillaume, 65n245, 140n495 adoption by, 22
Grabois, Juan, 31, 37–38 agenda of, 13
Gradualism, principle of, 108 Catholic funeral services for, 5
Gramsei, Antonio, 32 celibacy of, 97
Granados, Fr. Jose, 15 involvement in Church activities, 5
Green Agenda, promoting, 49–59 Homosexual unions
liturgical blessing for, 98–99 papal authority and, 16

refusal to register and, 91 Innocent III, 82
Hon Tai-Fai, Archbishop Savio, 46 Instrumentum laboris, 112, 113
Horgan, John, 2n5 International Fund for Agricultural De-
Horst, Guido, 126, 127n447 velopment, 54
Horvat, John, II, 46n152 International Union of Catholic Jurists,
Houellebecq, Michel, 68 111
Höver, Gerhard, 18 Intrinsically evil, 18
How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Introvigne, Massimo, 155n552
Faith (Bux), 165 In vitro fertilization, 12, 17
Hugo, Victor, 67n256 Ippolito, Michele M., 120n421
Humanae Vitae, 5, 18, 87, 94, 135, 151 ISIS, 37, 68, 74
reinterpreting to legitimize artificial Islam
birth controls, 94–95 Church’s relation with, 75
Human narcissism, 141 future submission to, 67–68
Human rights, 140 idyllic view of, 68–70
Humanum Genus, 29 as means of salvation, 70–71
Hummes, Cardinal Claudio, 55 terrorism matrix, 61
Huntermeier, Hannes, 110n392 Islamism, 74
Islamization, 166
i Ivereigh, Austen, 18, 120n423
Iannaccone, Sandro, 12n27
Ibrahim, Meriam Yahia, 73 J
Iglesias, Pablo, 92, 147 Jansen, omas, 16
Illuecca, Pablo Iglesias y Héctor, Jiang, Fr. Joseph You Guo, 45n148
146n523 Jiménez, Marta, 40n133
Immigrants, granting citizenship to the John Paul II, 2n7, 9, 25, 90, 102, 135, 154
children of, 65 John Paul II Academy for Human Life
Indefectibility, 171 and Family, 19
Indigenism, 165 John Paul II Institute for Marriage and
Indigenous peoples, romantic vision of, Family Studies, 93
53–55 John Paul II Institute for Studies on Mar-
Indigenous Tribalism: A Communist-Mis- riage and Family, 15, 16, 171
sionary Ideal for Brazil in the Twenty- John XXIII, 61, 135
First Century, 55 opening of Vatican Council II, 133
Indissolubility of marriage, 110–111, Juncker, Jean-Claude, 144, 145–146
115, 135 Jus soli, 64, 66–67
Inequality, 57, 131, 146n525 Just war, 82–83
as root of social ills, 28–29
social, 11 K
structural cause of, 33, 36, 38 Kanso, Heba, 71n271
Infallibility, 151, 156 Kant, Immanuel, 2n5
charism of, 151, 158 Kanter, James, 50n168
conditions for exercise, 158n562 Kasper, Cardinal Walter, 3, 89, 103, 104,
ex cathedra, 171 106, 107, 109, 113, 115
INDEX 201
Kasper agenda, 114 Lúcia, Sister, 171

Kasper Report, 104–107 Luhmann, Niklas, 141
Kasper thesis, 111–112 Lumen Fidei movement, 96
dissemination of, 106–107 Luther, Martin, 80, 139
maneuvers to impose at the extraor- as a reformer, 77–81
dinary synod, 107–109 Lutheran World Federation, 79
Klein, Noami, 145
Komensky, Jan Amos, 67n256 m
Kräutler, Bishop Erwin, 55 MacDonald, Sarah, 96n348–349
Kuhn, omas S., 1, 2n5 Maddison, Angus, 53
Kuntz, Marcel, 2n5 Maduro, Nicolás, 40, 41, 43, 147
Kurtz, Archbishop Joseph, 113 Magister, Sandro, 3n9, 21n68, 30n96,
Kusch, Rodolfo, 30n96 38n128, 73, 95n344, 112n397,
113n399, 121n424, 169n586
L Magisterialism, 151–152
Lageira, Jacinto, 130 Magisterial positivism, 151–152
Landless Workers Movement (MST), 31 Magisterium, 4, 5, 17, 18–19, 87, 121, 124,
Lapide, Cornelius a, 161 151, 156–157, 158, 170, 171
La Repubblica, 26 Magnani, Niccolò, 65n243, 127n448
Laudato Si, 13, 14, 49, 50, 51, 55, 56–57, Maillard, Sébastien, 65n245, 140n495
59, 147 Manifest grave sin, 101
publication of, 144 Maniscalco, Samuele, 8
world leader support for, 144–145 Mansur, Alexandre, 31n106
Laurent, Pierre, 146 Manzo, Antonio, 107n378
Laurentin, Fr. René, 134n463 Maradiaga, Cardinal Oscar, 106n376,
Lavazza, Andrea, 1n4 121n425, 153, 154n548
Lawler, Phil, 121n426 Marengo, Gilfredo, 94
Laymann, Fr. Paul, 166 Marriage, 11
Leahy, Bishop Brendan, 96 consummation of, 169
Leblanc, Katarina, 17 immutability of, 95
Legal separation, 169–170 indissolubility of, 101, 110–111, 114,
Lehmann, Cardinal Karl, 103 115, 135, 138, 169
Lejárraga, Neria, 91 mystical metaphor for, 168–169
Lenga, Jan Pawel, 123 as Sacrament, 95
Leo XIII, 29n91 Marriage equality, 22
L.G.B.T. community, 97 Married men, priestly ordination of, 55
Liberation theology, 25, 29–30, 50, 55 Martin, Fr. James, 5n13, 96–98, 154n547
Libertatis Nuntius, 25 Martini, Cardinal Carlo M., 135, 136n466
Lienemann, Marie-Noëlle, 146 Marx, Cardinal Reinhard, 99, 108, 111
Life, defense of the right to, 11 Marxism theory of class struggle, 28
Life expectancy, 52–53 Marxist ideology, 27
Littlestone-Luria, Adam, 1n1 Marxist Left, 37–38
Lombardi, Fr. Federico, 30, 72, 91n330 Marxist preaching, at the World Meetings
López-Arias, Carmelo, 111n395 of Popular Movements, 31–33
Lapesa, Rafael, 65 Matt, Michael, 126n440
Mattei, Roberto de, 7n16, 59n221, Moral mandates, 90–92

79n292, 86, 94, 117n412, 123n436, Moral relativism, 90, 92–93, 101
158n564 Moral theology, 5
Matzuzzi, Matteo, 86n313 Morin, Edgar, 145
Mayer, Bishop Antônio de Castro, Motu Proprio Summa Familiae Cura, 15
130n452 Movement of Excluded Workers of Ar-
Mayr, Walter, 127n451 gentina, 31
Mazzini, Giuseppe, 67n256 Moynihan, Robert, 126n44
McCall, Brian, 111n395 Muhammad, Marwan, 68
McCarrick, Archbishop eodore, 9n20 Mujica, José, 32
McCusker, Matthew, 58, 59n220, Müller, Cardinal Gerhard, 3, 4, 5n12, 30,
117n412 78n289, 106n376, 107, 113
McGarry, Patsy, 96n350 Multiculturalism, Europe’s Christian
McGurn, William, 43 roots for the sake of, 65–66
McLean, Dorothy Cummings, 16n47, Multiethnic and intercultural societies,
123n430 61
Meadows, Dennis L., 50n165 Muolo, Mimmo, 109n387
Meadows, Donella H., 50n165 Muslims, recruitment into Islamic holy
Medical interventions, 20 war, 68
Meisner, Cardinal Joachim, 111n394, 119 Muslim-majority countries, persecution
Mélenchon, Jean-Luc, 146 of Christians in, 61
Melina, Msgr. Livio, 16 Mystical marriage metaphor, 168–169
Menke, Birger, 106n376
Mettepenningen, Jürgen, 154n547 n
Middle Eastern Christians, persecuted, Napolitano, Giorgio, 12
61–74 Nationalist attitudes, 62
Migrants National security, migration of, 63–65
theological and redemptive character Nature, ecological defense of, 56
of welcoming, 62–63 Nazarene symbol, 71
theology of, 63 Nenzi, Rachele, 64n241
Migration, slide toward unbridled, 61 Neumayr, George, 148n533
Miserabilist lifestyle, promoting, 52–53 New Church, idea of, 1
Missionary evangelization, 124 New Church of Francis, 1
Mitis et Misericors Iesus, 111–112 Night Conversations With Cardinal Mar-
Mitis Iudex Dominus, 111–112 tini, 136
Modernism, 4 No Logo, 145
Modernity Non-contradiction, 84
anti-Christian, 12 Non-negotiable values, 5–6
humanistic values and, 133–134 demolishment of, 11–13
Moia, Luciano, 18n55 institutions that defend, 15–19
Moliterno, Gino, 12n28 pastoral retreat from, 9–23
Montagna, Diane, 94n343, 99n359–360 understanding, 10–11
Montes, Juan Miguel, 8 Nullity, reforming the canonical process
Moral doctrine, 3 of, 111–112
Morales, Evo, 32
INDEX 203
o high-ranking prelated in confirming

Obama, Barack, 143n506, 144 moral, 88–90
Obergefell v. Hodges, 98 Holy communion for remarried di-
O’Connell, Bishop David Gerard, 25n77, vorcees, 3, 101–127
96, 153n545 Khun’s application of, 2n5
Oikonomia, 104, 106 need for, 3–5
Oliveira, Plinio Corrêa de, 7, 8n19, 55, primacy of praxis and, 75
131, 134n461, 163, 166, 167–168, 172 Parental rights, 11
Onalyekan, Cardinal John Olorunferni, Parente, Cardinal Pietro, 159n565
111n394 Parga, German, 92n335
Open Society Foundation to American Paris Agreement on Climate Change, 58
NGOs, 147 Parolin, Cardinal Pietro, 22, 45, 48, 88,
Oppenheimer, Andrés, 40–41 118, 119n418
Ordóñez, Alejandro, 111n395 Parrales, Edgard, 30n97
Organ transplants, 44 Participatory democracy, 34, 140
Orthodox Schismatics, 106 Passive euthanasia, 20–21
Orthodoxy, 151 Pastor Aeternus, 151, 156
Ostpolitik, 48, 163, 165 Pastoral about-face in the Church, 75
Oulett, Cardinal, 113 Pastoral disciplines, geographically dif-
ferentiated, 123–125
P Pastoral retreat from non-negotiable
Pacem in Terris, 61 values, 9–23
Pagès, Guy, 69 Paul, Saint, 156, 161n571, 163, 166, 168
Paglia, Archbishop Vincenzo, 12, 15–17, Resistance and, 163
19, 21, 93, 95 Paul VI, 6, 6n15, 7n18, 62n228, 135, 163
Pagotto, Archbishop Aldo de Cillo, 110 closing of Vatican Council II, 133
Pakaluk, Michael, 14–15 Peace Factory NGO, 28
Palmieri, Fr. Domenico, 158n561, Pece, Valerio, 21n70
158n563 Peillon, Antoine, 145n517
Pannella, Marco, 12, 15 Peinador, Antonius, 161, 161n573
Papal authority, 151, 156 Pell, Cardinal George, 51n173, 107,
Papal infallibility, 156 108n384, 112
Papal magisterium, 5 Pellegrini, Maria Antonietta Falchi,
Papal primacy of jurisdiction, 151 156n554
Papamanolis, Fragkiskos, 154 Pelloni, Martha, 92
Paradigm, defined, 1 Penance, reconciliation through sacra-
Paradigm shift, 170 ment of, 101n362
adaptation to revolutionary and anti- Pentecostal Church of Reconciliation, 80
Christian modernity, 129–142 Pentin, Edward, 74, 78n289, 89n321, 107,
Apostolic Exhortation as a, 16 114n402, 116n408, 125n438, 154n547,
in Church moral theology, 5 159n564
from Church’s perennial teaching, 6 People Improving Communities by Or-
coining of, as term, 1n4 ganizing (PICO), 147–148
debate over, 3 Pera, Marcello, 127
defined, 1–2 Peta, Archbishop Tomasz, 123
Peter, Saint, 163 Priestly ordination of married men, 55

Peters, Edward N., 169n587 Primacy of praxis, 75
Philosophical relativism, 75–86, 87 Private property, subordination of, 54
Piacenza, Cardinal Mauro, 121n425 Proselytism, 76–77
Pierantoni, Claudio, 88n318 Pseudo-Reformation, 139
Pinochet, Augusto, 166n581 Puccetti, Renzo, 17n53
Pinto, Fr. Pio Vito, 152
Pio-Benedictine Code, 169n587 r
Piqué, Elizabeth, 109n389–390 Raggi, Virginia, 66–67
Pius IX, 132, 151 Rahner, Fr. Karl, 29n94
Pius XII, 61, 130, 132 Ralliement, 140–142
Planned Parenthood, 94 Ramonet, Igracio, 32, 36
Ploumen, Lilianne, 13 Randers, Jørgen, 50n165
Podesta, John, 147 Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph, 9n20, 25,
Pongratz-Lippitt, Christa, 109n386 103, 134n463, 135, 154n547
Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV), 12, Ravinel, Sophiede, 146n523
16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23 Real-life tensions, truth as a superior
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 14, 31 synthesis, 83–85
Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Real socialism, 25
35 Reformation, 75
Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, Relatio finalis, 113, 114
103–104 Relativism, 83–84, 85
Pontifical Council for the Family, 93 cultural, 70
Pontifical John Paul II eological Insti- ethical, 87, 90
tute for the Scienes of Marriage moral, 90, 92–93, 101
and Family, 15–16 philosophical, 75–86, 87
Pope Francis: His Life in His Own Words Religión Confidencial, 152
(Amgrogetti and Rubin), 27–28 Religious assent, 158
Pope Francis’s Bumper Book of Insults, Religious indifferentism, 75–86
162n576 Religious submission, 158
Pope Francis’s Revolution of Tenderness Remaining in the Truth of Christ: Matri-
and Love (Kasper), 109 mony and Communion in the Catholic
Popular movements Church, 107
agenda of the, 35–37 Remarried divorcees, communion for, 3,
alliance with Marxist-inspired, 30–31 101–127
Marxist preaching at world meetings Reproductive health, 14
of, 31–33 Resistance, right of, 163
positivism Interruption of a Catholic’s ordinary
legal, 151 Church life, 167–171
magisterial, 151–152 Revolution, 131
Postmodernism, 2n4 Revolutionary modernity, dialogue with,
Preferential Option for the Family—100 132–136
Questions and Answers Relating to the Ricca, Fr. Battista, 90
Synod, 110 Ricca, Paolo, 79
Priestly celibacy, 55 Ripperger, Fr. Chad, 151n539
INDEX 205
Riva, Angelo, 88 Sartini, Serena, 114n404

Rivera, Astrid, 22n73 Savino, Cardinal Jorge Liberto Urosa, 40,
Roa, Ricard, 43n144 41, 43, 111n394
Rocca, Francis X, 38 Scalese, Giovanni, 85–86
Rodriguez, Saturnino, 30n97 Scalfari, Eugenio, 26, 63, 65, 76, 83, 84–
Rodríguez, Victor Hugo López, 32n108 85, 87, 140n499–500, 141–142
Rodriquez, Cecilia, 92n331 Scammell, Rosie, 51n173
Roger, Benjamin, 69n261 Scandroglio, Tommaso, 19n61, 20, 21
Roland-Lèvy, Fabien, 68n257 Scaramuzzi, Iacopo, 113n399
Romain, Michel, 11n25 Schall, James V., 53n191, 117n412
Royal, Robert, 108n382, 116n408 Schelkens, Karim, 154n547
Royal, Segolène, 145 Schellhuber, Hans, 50, 51, 52
Rubin, Sergio, 27, 28n86 Schirrmacher, omas, 79
Ruini, Cardinal Camillo, 111n394 Schism, 125, 126, 127
Ruiz-Gallardón, Alberto, 41–42 de facto, 126–127
Ruphan, Li, 44n147 risk of, 126–127
Ruschi, Luis María de, 111n395 Schismatic church, 45, 46, 48, 106
Russell, Jim, 97n351 Schlegel, Jean-Louis, 134n463
Schneider, Bishop Athanasius, 110, 114,
s 116, 120, 123, 126, 156, 162–163
Sachs, Jeffrey, 13–14, 51 Schönborn, Cardinal Christophe, 97,
Sacramental absolution, 115 113n399
Saier, Archbishop Oskar, 103 Schultz, Martin, 145–146
Saint-Simon, Henri de, 67n256 Sciamba, Joseph, 97n354
Salernitano eological Institute, 141 Sedevacantism, 166
Same-sex attraction, 90 Seifert, Josef, 17, 87–88, 95, 116–117
pastoral care of persons with, 108 Self-destruction, 6
Same-sex marriage, 21–22, 91 Sepe, Cardinal Crescenzio, 13
in Irish Constitution, 21–22 Sequeri, Msgr. Pierangelo, 16
Supreme Court approval of, 98 Sereni, Simone, 76n285
Same-sex unions, 12, 105 Servan-Schreiber, Jean-Jacques, 67n256
Church blessing ceremonies for, 5 Sex-change surgery, 91
de facto aceptance of, 95–96 Sex education, 94
firing of employees entering into, 96 hedonistic, 58
legalization of, 95 Sex-education textbook, Vatican publi-
Samir, Fr. Samir Khalil, 73, 74n179 cation of, 92–94
Sánchez, José María, 111n395 Sexual Revolution, 87, 134, 135
Sanders, Bernie, 146 acceptance of, 23
Santa Cruz Charter, 33–34 Shaw, Joseph, 118n414
Santagata, Alessandro, 38 Silva, Walter Sánchez, 78n289
Santevecchi, Guido, 46n151 Silveira, Arnaldo Xavier da, 56n207,
Santora, Alexander M., 1n1 158n562, 160, 161
Santos, João Vitor, 29n92 Singer, Peter, 17n51
Santos, Juan Manuel, 44 Situation ethics, 115–117
Sarah, Cardinal Robert, 111n394, 126 Socci, Antonio, 59, 72
Social ills, inequality as root of, 28–29 Terrorism, 61

Socialism, real, 25 al-Quaeda attacks and, 68
Society for the Protection of the Unborn Islamist, 71, 72–73, 74
Child, 58–59 TFP, 7n18, 166, 167
Solimeo, Luiz Sérgio, 4n11, 117n412 eological evolution, 75–86
Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 2n7 eology of the People, 29, 30
Sorbonne University, 1968 student revolt erapeutic obstinacy, 20, 21
at, 134 omas Aquinas, Saint, 5, 85, 89, 160,
Sorondo, Archbishop Marcelo Sánchez, 161
14, 31, 44, 57 Tobin, Cardinal Joseph, 98
Soros, George, 147 Tornielli, Andrea, 27, 46n153, 122
Sosa Abascal, Fr. Arturo, 157n558 Tosatti, Marco, 97n354, 121n425, 122,
Souza, Fr. Raymond J. de, 41n135 123n430, 148
Spadaro, Fr. Antonio, 10, 81, 120n423, Tracy, Robert, 102n363
121, 125n437, 138, 139n487 Traettino, Giovanni, 80n295
Spaemann, Robert, 116–117, 126 Transgender bathrooms, 98
Sporschill, Georg, 136 Transsexuals, 61
State secularization, 140 Traversa, Giovanni Pasqualin, 134n463
Stédile, João Pedro, 31, 32–33, 37 Treaty of Rome, celebration of 60th an-
Steinberg, Avraham, 17 niversary of, 91–92
Steiner, Achim, 144 Trump, Donald, 98
Stem cell research, 17–18 migration and national security, 63–
Stilum Curiae, 148 65
Sturma, Jasoslav, 17 Truth
Suarez, Fr. Francisco, 160n569, 161n572 as a superior synthesis of real-life
Subjective morality, 87–99 tensions, 83–85
Summa eologiae, 89n323 as a vital and pragmatic relationship,
Sustainable development, 14 85–86
anti-Christian agenda behind, 57–59 Tscherrig, Archbishop Emil Paul, 40
Sustainable Development Agenda, 58 Tubal ligation, 92
Sustainable Development Goals, 58 Turco, Giovanni, 85n309, 86
Sustainable Development Solutions Net- Turkson, Cardinal Peter, 35, 37
work, 14
Sweydan, François, 74n282 u
Synodality, 81 Uniatism, 76n286
Synod on the Family, 15 United Nations, launching ecological en-
cyclical in hand with, 49–51
t United Nations Commission on Human
Tagle, Cardinal Luis Antonio, 112–113 Rights, 39
Tanner, Norman P., 76n284 Unity in diversity, 84
Tarquinio, Marco, 13 Universal communion, global gover-
Tarquis, Pedro, 80n295 nance in promoting, 55–56
Teachings, public resistance to, 159–163 Urbi et Orbi, 41
Tedescchi, Ettore Gotti, 121n425
Ten Commandments, 88, 93
INDEX 207
v 116n410
Val-des-Grâces, Jean-Baptiste du, Witting, Caroline, 89
67n256 Wolton, Dominique, 27, 28, 30n96, 63,
Valente, Gianni, 47n156 65, 76–77, 83n301, 84, 95
Valladares, Armando, 25n78, 39, 40n132 Wooden, Cindy, 109n388, 122n429
Valli, Aldo Maria, 92n336 Worldliness, 137
Vandentorren, Stéphanie, 52n185 World Meeting of Popular Movements,
Varela, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco, 31
111n394 Worldwide Prayer Network, 75
Vargas, Iván de, 27n85 Wróbel, Bishop Jósef, 120
Vasa, Bishop Robert, 110 Wuerl, Cardinal Donald, 152n542, 153,
Vatican, attitude toward Chavista 153n544
regime, 42
Vatican Council I, 151, 156 x
Vatican Council II, 134 Xenard, Jacques, 11n25
goals prescribed by, 140 Xenophobia, 62
opening and closing of, 133
Vella, Karmenu, 144 Y
Venard, Christian, 155 Yáñez, Fr. Humberto Miguel, 18
Venezuela
Francis’s attitude toward, 40–44 Z
support for leaders of, 147 Zambito, Bishop Ignazio, 64
Veritatis Gaudium, 2 Zapatista National Liberation Army,
Veritatis Splendor, 95, 135, 151 32n108
Vescovi, Angelo, 17–18 Zen, Cardinal Joseph, 45–46, 47–48, 120
Via Campesina, 31 Zollitsch, Robert, 106
Vidal, Petri, 161, 161n572
Vignelli, Guido, 3n8
Vilca, Nelson, 34n113
Visto, Hermos, 92n333
Vitoria, Franciscus de, 160, 160n570
Vollmer, Christine, 17
W
Waldstein, Wolfgang, 111n395
Watroba, Bishop Jan, 120
Weigel, George, 1, 90
Weinandy, Fr. omas G., 125n437
Wernz, Francisco Xavier, 161, 161n572
Weston, John-Henry, 146n532
White, Christopher, 45n150
Will, George, 53
Williams, Brian, 108n385
Wilson, Mercedes, 17
Wimmer, Anian Christoph, 99n361,
Free e-book versions of this work are available at:
english:
www.tfp.org/ParadigmShift
italian:
www.atfp.it/il-cambio-di-paradigma-di-papa-francesco
Portuguese:
https://ipco.org.br/a-mudanca-de-paradigma
P OPE F RANCIS ’ S
J OSÉ A NTONIO U RETA

A “paradigm shift” concept is spreading among Catholics. Those
advocating its urgent need think of radical changes to the
structure, doctrine, and pastoral practice of the Church and in its
attitude toward secular society.
P O P E F R A N C I S ’ S “ PA R A D I G M S H I F T ”
Countless Catholics on the other hand see a “paradigm shift” as a
rupture with a magisterium and discipline that the Church has upheld
for centuries as unchangeable.
Faced with this dilemma, is it legitimate for the flock to remain
faithful to the Church’s perennial doctrine and morals and respectfully
resist ecclesiastical authority, even that of the Supreme Pontiff, when
it strives to adulterate the Church’s teachings? Are Catholics today in
a situation analogous to that which led Saint Paul the Apostle to
publicly resist Saint Peter, our first Pope (Gal. 2:11)?
These questions are addressed in this panoramic overview and
assessment of Pope Francis’s attempts to effect a “paradigm shift” in
the Church during the first five years of his pontificate.
Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1951, José Antonio Ureta is

a founding member of the Fundación Roma which,
through its Acción Familia campaign, is today one of
Chile’s most influential anti-abortion and pro-family
organizations. He currently resides in Europe and is
senior researcher for the Société Française pour la
Défense de la Tradition, Famille et Propriété.
B90

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P OPE F RANCIS ’ S

J OSÉ A NTONIO U RETA

Born in Santiago, Chile, in 1951, José Antonio Ureta is

Translated by José A. Schelini

e American Society for the

English translation copyright © 2018 e American Society for the

Free e-book versions of this work are available at:

ISBN (Softcover): 978-1-877905-56-8

Library of Congress Catalogue Card No.: 2018958393

Printed in the United States of America

C H A PT E R 1 Pastoral Retreat From “Non-negotiable Values” . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

C H A P T E R 2 Promoting the Neo-Marxist and Alter-Globalization

C H A P T E R 3 Promoting the Green Agenda, World Governance,

C H A P T E R 4 Favorable to Islam and Migration, but Reluctant to

C H A P T E R 5 Religious Indiﬀerentism, Philosophical Relativism,

C H A P T E R 6 A New, Subjective Morality Without Absolute Imperatives. . . 87

C H A P T E R 7 An Example of the Paradigm Shift:

C H A P T E R 8 e Paradigm Shift’s Common Denominator: Adapting

C H A P T E R 9 e Flip Side of the Coin: Praise From

C H A P T E R 1 0 It Is Licit to Resist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Himself even in “situations” that the Church previously defined as sinful.11

• the protection of life at every stage, from conception to natural death

matters involving their specialized knowledge and technical assessments.14

Nor is this work intended as an in-depth doctrinal analysis of each of the

act of my intellect may be an act of faith in the papacy. I want that my

With similar convictions and sentiments, I invite the reader to undertake

As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of

of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing

ception until natural death;

ily—as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage—

Pope Francis: “i Have never understood

We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage

useful than another.”25

closeness With ose Who demolish non-negotiable christian values

Promoters of compulsory contraception

development—a low-consumption economic model that supposedly would

Moral theologians would speak in this context of “formal cooper-

changing the nature of Leading vatican

Anthropological-cultural change that today influences all aspects of

According to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia—an admirer of Marco Pannella

To expedite this radical change in direction, Archbishop Paglia quickly pro-

An embryo has “no human status” before 40 days. After 40 days it

Katarina Leblanc is another new member. She is a professor at the Karolin-

e idea that the PAV [Pontifical Academy for Life]—created in

been pointed out—spreads confusion concerning Church teaching.

new vatican Position clears the Way for euthanasia

Papal silence on crucial Ballot measures

First of all, I do not know what’s happening in the Italian Parliament.

e church acts as if “it does not take its teachings seriously”

regarding the “non-negotiable values” of previous pontificates. e Catholic

merely defending the poor. However, on several occasions, he has expressed

Propensity to sympathize With communism

[ES:] So you yearn for a society where equality dominates. is, as

A journalist from Il Messaggero asks him:

— Q: You were regarded as a communist, pauperist, populist pope.

Yes. ere is one that taught me to think about political reality.

“inequality is the root of social ills”

Promoting eology of the People and Liberation eology

alliance With marxist-inspired Popular movements