Is Benedict XVI Still the Pope?

July 17, 2019 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

A book that came out in Italian last year has now been translated into English. Antonio Socci is a journalist specializing in Vatican affairs. He’s written a book in three parts. The first examines the details of Benedict XVI’s historic resignation. He speculates about international conspiracies and a plan to oust Benedict for Francis. The second part analyzes the present situation. Is Benedict still pope? The answer is ambiguous but interesting. The third part of the book digs into the prophecies of Fatima and St Malachy and the author speculates in an apocalyptic manner.

What do I think of it? Well, I must admit, part of me has always been a sucker for conspiracy theories. They are always tantalizing inasmuch as there is always just enough evidence to think, “Well what if?” But I’m not really convinced about this one or most the others. I’ve written further about the weird phenomenon of conspiracy theories here.

You can read my full review of The Secret of Benedict XVI over at my main blog here.

Why So Much Fear In America?

February 2, 2017 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

When I lived in England people were not so scared all the time.

Here in the USA I hear so much fear from people. I’ve lived back in my home country now for ten years. For eight of those years Barack Obama was the president.

From those who disliked the president there was so much fear mongering. You read the junk like I did: There were FEMA camps prepared to house the religious people when Obama declared martial law. Obama was a Muslim Manchurian candidate. He was a foreigner and a secret communist. He was gay. He was atheist. He was anti American. He wanted to take your guns. He despised you. He wanted to close down your churches. He was secretly working for the Saudis and the Iranians. He hated God’s people.

You know all the conspiracy theories and threats. They were all based on fear.

Now Trump is president the other side are engaging in the fear mongering. Trump is the new Hitler. Trump is going to bash gays, ban Muslims and bring about martial law. Trump is the dictator and his staff are Goering, Goebbels and Himmler. Trump is the demagogue, the pawn of the big internationalist oil, industrial military complex. Trump is going to bring about the end of our freedoms.

Really?

OK. I don’t like Trump, and I sure didn’t like Obama, and I really didn’t like Hillary, but why all the fear?

In England they people weren’t paranoid all the time. They generally considered the government to be on their side and that it was run by fairly competent people who knew what they were doing. Sure there was corruption and lies. Sure there were political extremists who either hated Thatcher or hated Blair of hated whoever was in power, but honestly, there was not the same level of fear and conspiracy theories you find here in the USA.

I have a theory. I think it is because of who we are as a people. Look at our history. Most of the immigrants who came here were fleeing some kind of persecution. Protestant settlers came for religious freedom from oppressive state religion regimes. Jews came here to escape pogroms. Irish came here to escape the English oppression. Others came to escape crushing poverty caused by greedy capitalists, aristocrats or politicians or all three. The Native Americans and Blacks were oppressed and enslaved.

America was founded as a protesting nation–a refugee nation–a nation of people who had every reason to suspect the powers that be. They were a people who had every reason to be cautious and to believe that the powers that be were out to get them, to grab their wealth, smash their religion, quash their freedoms and enslave them.

I think that fear and distrust of the establishment runs deep in our bloodstream.

Is it healthy? I think up to a point it is. We should be suspicious of those who hold power.

But if we’re Christians we should also have a bit more trust and confidence in God’s providence. What he is doing is always and everywhere above and beyond the little power plays of people here on earth. Will we be persecuted from time to time? That is what the master promised. Will we be misunderstood, maligned and even martyred? It seems that is part of the deal. Will government powers hate us, wealthy people scorn our values and the diabolically controlled despise us? Of course. It they did that to our Master why do we think it will be different for us?

And if that is not the case right now at this time and in this place for you and for me you can be assured it is the case for many thousands of our brothers and sisters elsewhere in our sad and frightened world.

If it is not the case here and now for you and for me, then stop worrying and be thankful.

Then remember the words of Pope St John Paul II who lived through the Nazis AND the Communists, who stepped out on the balcony and said,

“Do not be afraid!”

The Third Fatima Secret: The Truth at Last!

May 30, 2016 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

We can now reveal the truth once and for all. On the authority of no less than Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, this is no more than a rumor. The simple truth is that the third Fatima secret was revealed in full.

A communique issued by the Vatican last week states,

“In this regard, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI declares ‘never to have spoken with Professor Dollinger about Fatima’, clearly affirming that the remarks attributed to Professor Dollinger on the matter ‘are pure inventions, absolutely untrue’, and he confirms decisively that ‘the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima is complete’.”

Despite this very clear statement you can be sure that Catholic conspiracy theorists will say things like…”The fact that the Vatican wheeled out Emeritus Pope Benedict to make a statement show how desperate they are to continue the cover up!” or “This is exactly what you would expect if there was a cover up…that the Vatican would deny, deny, deny!”

In other words, for the Fatima conspiracy theories to continue to have traction the conspiracy theorists must posit that Emeritus Pope Benedict is a liar.

On the other hand we could say that Pope Benedict is not a liar, and the third Fatima prophecy was revealed in full and thank God for what we have learned by living in these terrible times, and take heed because we’re not out of the woods yet and perhaps listen to Pope John Paul II’s advice. In October 1981 when asked about the third secret, he held up his rosary and said, j121

“Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray and ask for nothing else. Put everything in the hands of the Mother of God.” Asked what would happen in the Church, he said: “We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because it is only in this way that the Church can be effectively renewed. How many times, indeed, has the renewal of the Church been effected in blood? This time, again, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong, … we must entrust ourselves to Christ and to His holy Mother, and we must be attentive, very attentive, to the prayer of the Rosary.

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Ten Traits of Catholic Fundamentalism

March 7, 2016 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

5. Invincible Self Righteousness – Protestant fundamentalists are totally convinced they are right. There is no argument or discussion. Catholic fundamentalists are the same. The have their proof texts. They have their watertight world view. No discussion. No dialogue. It’s their way or the highway. Their response to this blog post will prove my point, for the ones to whom I am referring will not engage my points, but dismiss me and my message.

6. Anger and Violence Fundamentalism is always tinged with anger. There’s no sense of humor here. There’s no joy. There’s no laughter. Especially there is no sense of humor about themselves. Fundamentalists are angry and aggressive, and given enough rope they will move from verbal violence to other forms of aggression. The Catholic fundamentalists who bother to read this far and react in anger to this blog post by threatening to sue me for example, will prove my point and they will not even be able to see this themselves.

7. Fear and Loathing Protestant fundamentalists are fueled by fear and loathing. Catholic fundamentalists are the same. There is little light, joy, peace and confidence in their lives. Instead life is narrowed down by fear and loathing. Where there is fear there is darkness.

8. Suspicion and Separation Those who are outside the group are the sinners and suspect ones, but those who seem to be inside the group, but do not share the group think are suspected even more. The only ones who are worse than the sinners outside are the sinners inside the fortress. Therefore everyone inside must conform constantly, and anyone who steps outside the rules or exhibits the wrong attitude will soon be shunned, then excluded.

9. Conspiracy Theories – the atmosphere of suspicion and fear inevitably breeds conspiracy theories. The big, dark nefarious secret powers are always thought to be behind the scenes planning some sort of hostile attack on the select few of the faithful.

10. Persecution complex Fundamentalists do just about everything possible to make themselves obnoxious and unlikeable, then when people dislike them or get down on them they love to play the persecuted victim. It is almost as if they are not only looking for persecution, but are anticipating it with a sick kind of thrill.

Why take time to analyze these ten principles? Because what we see in the extreme religious behaviors of fundamentalists is not limited to Protestants or Catholics. It is actually the sick form of any religion. There are fundamentalist Muslims, fundamentalist Hindus, fundamentalist Jews, fundamentalist Mormons.

You name it. This is the form of religion that is a kind of anti-religion.

Furthermore, as we approach Holy Week, remember that it was this kind of religion which drove the Scribes and Pharisees who eventually scapegoated Jesus and made sure he was killed.

Finally, the analysis is not just a critique of fundamentalists. It should be a sober critique of all Christians because all of us, at one point or another, if we are not careful and prayerful, will fall into these traps to a greater or lesser extent.

I know what I’m talking about because, on my worst days, I see that kind of Catholic looking back at me from the mirror.

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The Mysterious Case of Scalia’s Priest

February 16, 2016 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

I have to confess, I am fond of conspiracy theories. I like to ponder who really killed JFK. Why was the Bush clan so close to the Hinckley family whose son tried to assassinate Reagan when Bush Sr was VP? Is Jimmy Carter really one of the Kennedy boys and is Bill Clinton really a Rockefeller? Was Queen Elizabeth I a man and are the members of the British Royal family immortal shapeshifting reptilians from outer space? Were the twin towers brought down by Cheney and his gang? Is Osama Bin Laden still alive (along with Elvis Presley) and was Princess Diana bumped off by the Duke of Edinburgh as part of an Illuminati plot?

In liking conspiracy theories I don’t suppose they are all true, but I’m intrigued by the mindset that gets absorbed by conspiracy theories. The true believers line up all the facts to fit the theory. When the facts don’t fit it is evidence that the nefarious powers have altered the news stories and tinkered with the evidence. If there is no evidence, that is evidence itself of how good the cover up really is. “Of course Queen Elizabeth appears to be a sweet old grandma who loves Corgi dogs and never reveals herself to be an alien reptilian shapeshifter! That’s exactly how you would expect a secret alien reptilian shapeshifter to disguise himself!!!! Duh!!!”

The other thing that is tantalizing about conspiracy theories is that there is always just enough evidence to set you thinking and wondering if, perhaps, the conspiracy theory is true after all.

Take the intriguing story of the Bisley Boy. The legend is that the young Princess Elizabeth–the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn– was sent to a country village to escape the plague. She died there and the villagers–so afraid of the wrath of the king– substituted the only other child with red hair–a little boy. It was okay. The kid would probably die young or have his head cut off. That’s the way things were back then. Besides there were already two other heirs to the throne ahead of this child and the little girl was considered illegitimate anyway. No big deal. Of course, as things go, the boy not only grows up and survives, but it looks like he-she is going to be the monarch. Suddenly it is in his interests, and the interests of his supporters to keep the secret. It explains a lot about Queen Elizabeth: why she never married, why no one–not even doctors–saw her unclothed. Why she wore wigs (he was bald) and heavy white make up (to hide his beard) why she had a deep voice and liked hunting…..

…You know how it goes. The more you believe the conspiracy theory the more the facts just seem to fit…..or you make them fit and ignore the ones that don’t.

One must not let something like facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

So, all of that to observe that poor old Justice Antonin Scalia was hardly cold before people began to smell a rat. The usual whispers started to surface: “Why such a rush to remove the body? Why no autopsy? Was he discovered with a pillow over his head? Isn’t an isolated ranch exactly the right place to bump somebody off? Did you know the owner of the ranch was a Democrat donor? Why was the judge pronounced dead over the phone without the even seeing the body? Is that because the coroner knew he was going to die anyway?” Continue Reading

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The Mysterious Case of Scalia’s Priest

February 16, 2016 By Fr. Dwight Longenecker

So the internet rumor and conspiracy mill gets going. I read it all with interest and take it with a hefty pinch of salt. Let’s face it, if someone was going to bump off a Supreme Court judge they could surely have managed it even more secretly and quietly. Would the murderer really have left the pillow over his head? That’s not smart. Was he really discovered with a pillow over his head? How do we know?

I’m ready to pooh pooh the conspiracy theories. The man was nearly eighty. His health was not good.

But then, as a Catholic priest, a curious detail comes up. The reports were that Justice Scalia reported feeling tired at supper and retired for an early night. When he didn’t appear the next morning they knocked on his door and getting no response eventually forced their way in and found the poor man had died in his sleep of natural causes.

All well and good, but the Washington Post reported that the details of Scalia’s death were shrouded in “confusion and chaos”. An early report in the New York Times on Saturday said that a spokesperson for the Diocese of El Paso confirmed that a Catholic priest, Fr Mike Alcuino, had been called to the ranch to give Scalia the last rites.

Here’s what seems odd: If a priest was called to administer the Last Rites, then he must have done so when Scalia was still alive. If he died during the night the priest must have been called sometime on Friday evening, but then why did they say the priest was called on Saturday afternoon? If the judge was alive, but so sick that they had to call a priest for the Last Rites, then why wasn’t the man rushed to hospital? Did someone call a priest, knowing that Scalia was going to die that night? It sounds pretty sinister and creepy.

This is how conspiracy theories are fed. One piece of the puzzle doesn’t seem to fit and the missing piece raises the suspicion of the already suspicious and makes the whole mystery that much deeper.

Well, take a deep breath. As usual, there are some facts to explain the matter: The priest was called on Saturday afternoon after Scalia was already dead. He didn’t administer the Last Rites. You don’t administer sacraments to a dead person. Instead the priest would have said some set prayers in presence of the body for the repose of the deceased person’s soul. The press (and perhaps the Diocesan Spokesperson) got the wrong end of the stick and said it was “The Last Rites” when it wasn’t.

Deacon Kandra explains the whole thing here.

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