This exchange with my friend Karl Keating: the father of the modern Catholic apologetics movement, occurred on my Facebook page, under my recent article, “Pope’s Chilean Abuse Apology Troubles Simcha Fisher.” Karl’s words will be in blue. *** The only good thing (if there is any) is that the true colors of the pope bashers are being shown (more and more) very clearly: manifest for all to see and to decide where they want to stand. Sin has a way of... Read more
Simcha writes in her article, “Pope Francis’ troubling apology” (4-11-18): The Pope’s apology is encouraging, but also troubling. He sets an irreplaceable example of how to respond humbly when confronted with personal error, but he also appears to deflect personal responsibility. We look forward to clarification, after he meets with the Chilean victims, about why he didn’t believe the victims’ accusations, why he felt it was appropriate to denigrate the victims publicly, and whether he intends to be more circumspect... Read more
I have written a book defending Pope Francis as well, called Pope Francis Explained: Survey of Myths, Legends, and Catholic Defenses in Harmony with Tradition. That was published relatively early in his papacy (January 2014), but I think I still amply illustrate the false premises, dubious “facts” and inadequate logic and faulty interpretation often utilized in the ongoing critiques and outright bashing. I wrote two articles that might be regarded as mildly critical of the pope. It has been my position... Read more
One hears this theme again and again from critics of Pope Francis. For example, my friend Fr. Peter Stravinskas stated about the pope’s Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, that “he can’t resist broadsides on his real/perceived enemies and goes on the attack”, and he decries “his dismissive attitude toward” the Catholic “Right.” I replied to him as follows: I don’t see that he is attacking people; rather, false ideas and tendencies. He’d have a long, long way to go to equal the... Read more
Carl E. Olson is the editor of The Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. I like his writing a lot. He’s written several great books. And he seems to have liked my work as well (e.g., a glowing review of my One-Minute Apologist). But I’m not very fond of this effort of Carl’s. Nothing personal . . . Today we are blessed with both pope bashers (the usual suspect reactionaries and also non-reactionaries like Phil Lawler and Ross Douthat), and... Read more
Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, dated 3-19-18, stated: 101. The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others, 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 defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm... Read more
The following words, up to the five asterisks (with my blue highlighting), are all from Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, dated 3-19-18: *** 117. . . . Saint John of the Cross proposed a different path: “Always prefer to be taught by all, rather than to desire teaching even the least of all”.[96] And he added advice on how to keep the devil at bay: “Rejoice in the good of others as if it were your own, and desire... Read more
Did the popes in fact ratify, confirm, accept, approve the conciliarist decrees of the council of Constance? They did not. Here is the council of Constance’s decree Haec sancta (also known as Sacrosancta), promulgated on April 6, 1415: This holy synod of Constance, forming a general council for the extirpation of the present schism and the union and reformation, in head and members, of the Church of God, legitimately assembled in the Holy Ghost, to the praise of Omnipotent God,... Read more
In October 2017, papal critic Sandro Magister wrote an article in L’Ezpresso Magazine (reprinted at the reactionary LifesiteNews site on 10-27-17 and the reactionary One Peter Five site on 10-20-17). He noted that the atheist Eugenio Scalfari, with whom the pope (inexplicably) keeps granting interviews, stated that the pope allegedly “has abolished the places where souls were supposed to go after death: hell, purgatory, heaven.” Recognizing the essential silliness and absurdity of such a claim, Magister writes: “It is seriously doubtful... Read more
Don’t stretch the truth to the breaking point, or make it the reverse of what it is, Bishop White! In August or September 2007, someone who was close to becoming a Catholic, expressed to Bishop “Dr.” [???] James White (the most influential and well-known anti-Catholic polemicist of our time): “I would not have slept with the woman who carried the Christ in her womb if I were Joseph.” The good bishop, in his infinite wisdom and piety, retorted: “An amazingly absurd thing... Read more
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