{"id":33440,"date":"2019-05-28T12:51:03","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T16:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=33440"},"modified":"2019-05-28T12:52:12","modified_gmt":"2019-05-28T16:52:12","slug":"do-i-think-popes-can-never-be-criticized-for-any-reason-nope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2019\/05\/do-i-think-popes-can-never-be-criticized-for-any-reason-nope.html","title":{"rendered":"Do I Think Popes Can Never be Criticized for Any Reason? Nope."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I Respectfully Criticize the Prudence of Pope Francis\u2019 Repeated Interviews with an Atheist Who Lies About Him (Eugenio Scalfari)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

94-year-old atheist journalist Eugenio Scalfari makes notes of the pope\u2019s \u201cwords\u201d from memory. He\u2019s on record not only \u201crecording\u201d that the pope denies hell (which is an outrageous lie and easily refuted), but (a thing far less known) also heaven<\/em> and purgatory<\/em>. So the puzzling thing is: why does the pope keep giving interviews to him?<\/p>\n

I expressed this position at the end of one of my papers<\/a> where I vigorously defended the pope against the false accusation that he denies hell, and against further scurrilous accusations from muckraking journalist Phil Lawler.<\/p>\n

If you hear anyone state the lie about me described in the title (that I have heard for over 20 years) \u2014 what is often described as \u201cultramontanism\u201d or \u201cpapolatry\u201d show him or her this post.<\/p>\n

Note that my criticism is for lack of \u201cPR savvy\u201d or for imprudence: not for any theology. I\u2019m not judging his orthodoxy or motivation or his heart at all. I\u2019m simply saying that he has acted unwisely in this respect (acting as a loyal adviser or friend would act). In the above-linked paper, I state:<\/p>\n

It\u2019s simply bad \u2018media policy\u2019 or \u2018public relations\u2019 or whatever one wants to call it. The pope has not been promised infallibility in media savvy or media relations or flawless wisdom and prudence in communicating the Catholic message.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Scalfari going out and saying that the pope denies heaven, hell, and purgatory could be prevented.<\/p>\n

Why would Pope Francis want to risk millions being confused and scandalized by the press that has come out? Jesus explained to His disciples what He meant by hard-to-understand parables. He didn\u2019t leave them hanging in befuddlement as to what He meant. That\u2019s where I agree with Karl Keating; even largely with Lawler. It makes little sense to me. Yet I will not attack his orthodoxy or his motivations, as Lawler does.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not confused as to his beliefs on hell. Anyone who will spend 15 minutes at Google shouldn\u2019t be. Everyone here knows what he teaches about hell. But millions of the ignorant masses do not<\/em> know, and are being scandalized by the dumb articles about it now. It would be confusing to people who read one of the articles and did not<\/em> read the Vatican disavowal. There was no reason why this thing should have happened at all. Now it\u2019s all people see on the news, right on Good Friday.<\/p>\n

All the pope had to do was require that any resulting \u201cinterview\u201d had to be consented to by him or at least the Vatican, to prevent this nonsense. It\u2019s an awful odd strategy to deliberately engage in behavior that has a track record of causing disinformation about the faith (specifically about the pope\u2019s beliefs) to come out, thinking that that is the best and most prudent way to draw in maybe a few thousand atheists, while millions of Catholics and other Christians are scandalized and befuddled.<\/p>\n

It sounds a lot more like leaving 99 lost sheep to evangelize one, than vice versa.\u00a0The nonsense is on every \u201cfront page.\u201d The weak are being stumbled. I don\u2019t think this is rocket science. Most people don\u2019t actively seek for information. They just let it come to them through media (heaven help them).\u00a0People can have honest disagreements (even with popes) on strategy and tactics.<\/p>\n

Here, I\u2019ll compliment Phil Lawler. He started out his article today with \u201cOkay, Pope Francis probably did not<\/em>\u00a0say: \u201cThere is no hell.\u201d \u201d\u00a0He\u2019s evolved. Now he knows that the pope \u201cprobably\u201d didn\u2019t deny hell. In the book (without looking), as I recall, he just left it hanging, as if it were an open question.\u00a0Credit where due . . . his charity towards the Holy Father is growing. It\u2019s geological-time growth, but it\u2019s growth.<\/p>\n

[and recently, he argued against<\/em><\/a> the latest written charge that the pope is guilty of heresy]<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m outraged that Phil Lawler states outright that Pope Francis is deliberately seeking to sow confusion (which was the thesis of his book). He wrote in his article today:\u00a0\u201cI can only conclude that Pope Francis . . . is deliberately<\/em>\u00a0creating confusion.\u201d [\u201cdeliberately\u201d is italicized in the original]<\/p>\n

My criticism of the pope, on the other hand, is that he has been unwise and imprudent in talking to a guy who keeps misrepresenting him in public and causing great scandal.\u00a0Huge<\/em> difference . . . Lawler has been guilty of slander and lying against the Holy Father. I\u2019m offering respectful advice, that I think (if followed) would be helpful to:<\/p>\n

1) the Catholic flock,
\n2) particularly less educated and weak members of the flock,
\n3) non-Catholic observers who \u2014 believing the lies in the press \u2014 think the pope has become a flaming heterodox dissident,
\nand
\n4) the Holy Father himself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

***<\/p>\n

(originally 3-31-18)<\/p>\n

Photo credit:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0geralt<\/a>\u00a0(1-16-18)<\/span> [Pixabay<\/a> \/\u00a0Pixabay License<\/a>]<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I Respectfully Criticize the Prudence of Pope Francis\u2019 Repeated Interviews with an Atheist Who Lies About Him (Eugenio Scalfari) 94-year-old atheist journalist Eugenio Scalfari makes notes of the pope\u2019s \u201cwords\u201d from memory. He\u2019s on record not only \u201crecording\u201d that the pope denies hell (which is an outrageous lie and easily refuted), but (a thing far […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":33446,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[138],"tags":[2412,8762,4801,3026,4800,1848,162,8759,3027],"class_list":["post-33440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-papacy-infallibility","tag-criticism-of-the-pope","tag-criticized","tag-lost-shepherd-how-pope-francis-is-misleading-his-flock","tag-papolatry","tag-phil-lawler","tag-pope-bashing","tag-popes","tag-reverence-towards-the-pope","tag-ultramontanism"],"yoast_head":"\nDo I Think Popes Can Never be Criticized for Any Reason? Nope.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Acting as a loyal adviser or friend would act, I criticized Pope Francis for lack of "PR savvy" or for imprudence: not for any theology. I believe he has acted unwisely in some respects.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2019\/05\/do-i-think-popes-can-never-be-criticized-for-any-reason-nope.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do I Think Popes Can Never be Criticized for Any Reason? Nope.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Acting as a loyal adviser or friend would act, I criticized Pope Francis for lack of "PR savvy" or for imprudence: not for any theology. 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Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. 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Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. 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