What a day. Another massive hurricane hits Puerto Rico. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hits Mexico City. Signs and portents in the sky. The 100th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun approaches.
And today, as you will no doubt have read elsewhere, marks one full year since the four faithful Cardinals presented Bergoglio with the Dubia, asking him to confirm nothing less than that he adheres to the constant, timeless, 2000-year teachings of the Church (Christ's own words, no less) on marriage, Eucharist and the nature of truth.
This pontificate has been a disaster for Catholics worse than any natural phenomenon. And fear ye not them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt. 10:28). There has been a sulphuric miasma to this papacy, and to the current state of the Church Militant, since the night Francis walked out on that balcony and surveyed the people he would try to destroy. So much about things that don't add up, that are ominous, that just seem...off.
- Benedict's sudden, dismaying, mysterious "resignation", mysteriously worded.
- The whole banking halt and sodomite dossier, both of which disappeared upon the abdication.
- Benedict's subsequent behavior that belied his public statements.
- The St. Gallen mafia rumors, confirmed by self-identified participants.
- The public statements, hints, interviews and documents, issued by Francis or his henchmen, that consistently undermine the faith.
- The attacks on Catholics and the Catholic faith by the man claiming to be (mostly) Bishop of Rome.
- Benedict, living on and on in Rome, not hidden, wearing white, the fisherman's ring and keeping other indicia of office.
- Fatima, the partially revealed Fatima secret, the Bishop in White seemingly brought to light.
- All of the unusual natural phenomena, starting with the lightning strike on St. Peter's dome the day of the putative abdication.
- The support and applause given Francis by anti-Catholics and secular powers.
- A PROFOUND SENSUS CATHOLICUS THAT SOMETHING IS DREADFULLY WRONG AND THAT CHASTISEMENT IS COMING.
Against this backdrop, many actual Catholics have been perplexed, and wondering, about what is going on. However, I have always sensed that many good Catholics didn't like to talk about the proposition that things may not be as they are told; that, in fact, as good Catholics it didn't seem right to talk about it. And though there have been opinions propounded on the net, I had not seen any attempt to poll the members of the Body of Christ.
Therefore I put up a poll last week asking readers just to give their opinion: Who do you really think is pope, and why? Even allowing for the undeniable traditionalist (or as others rightly point out, Catholic) bent of the blog, the results surprised me.
I think many are saying, "Hey, I'm either not crazy or else most of us are, but I think Benedict is still pope!" And of those, most cite the ineffectiveness of the putative abdication or some combination of factors including also allegations of heresy, invalid election, deposition, or mistake of fact.
No, this is definitely not a scientific poll. Votes were limited only by platform, and a person with multiple devices could theoretically vote more than once. Yet there were 674 votes, and a sample of 500 in a scientific poll would yield a +/- of 5%. No, it was not a random sample. Yes, most respondents would be considered traditional Catholics or "conservative" Catholics-- but then again, the poll was intended for Catholics only. I don't consider the editorial board of NCR or America to be Catholic.
But even considering the limitations, the results are, I believe, quite significant:
WHICH BEST DESCRIBES YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE CURRENT POPE?
Francis is Pope 16%
Benedict is Pope 72%
Some other person is Pope 1%
No one is Pope 9%
IF YOU CHOSE ANY ANSWER IN POLL ABOVE THAT INDICATES FRANCIS
IS NOT POPE, WHY DO YOU THINK SO?
Benedict's abdication was not effective 38%
Francis' election was invalid 5%
Francis has lost his office due to heresy 4%
Some combination of the above 42%
Neither Francis nor Benedict was ever pope 8%
Out of 674 votes, a staggering 490 said that in their opinion, Benedict XVI is still Pope. That's 72% of those who voted. But who cares if it were "only" half? It boggles the mind.
Of those, the plurality focused on the ineffectiveness of the putative abdication. Meaning, either he never intended to resign; he wrote his resignation in a legally ineffective way; he made a mistake in fact by not intending to resign the whole office; or that he was coerced such that it was truly involuntary.
Even allowing for the readership's "style" of Catholicism (for which Francis does not care), even allowing for some multiple votes-- the least that can be said is that hundreds of Catholics who found this poll on this blog have the opinion that Benedict XVI is still Pope and that the guy the world and most of the self-identified Catholics of the world hail as pope is in fact NOT THE POPE. Ann Barnhardt cited this for the notion that such persons should not feel isolated, weird or crazy-- that there are others. True, but I ask you to consider this: When was the last time in history (not including obvious interregnum periods) that at least 400 Catholics at any one time were not certain who the Pope was? It's unprecedented-- unless the sedes are right. And I don't believe they are.
This uncertainty, in addition to the maladies arising from personnel, policies and persecutions-- this uncertainty by and of itself-- is a chastisement from God. A chastisement that only the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart can alleviate.
There are perhaps practical solutions. Perhaps a true public correction/declaration of deposition would solve the problem of the current occupant. But it would not lift a cloud over the next conclave unless that declaration of deposition leads Benedict to claim the mantle that may still be his, or else prove that he did (or now would) freely and effectively resign, explaining away the coercive indicators from the last such time.
But can I be forgiven for thinking that there is at least one Cardinal who has personal knowledge of the facts of this situation, who is faithful and willing to live up to his vow as a Cardinal to defend the pope and papacy, who maybe has intimate and expert knowledge of Canon Law and the last two living persons to claim to be pope? Anyone?
Please do something before it is truly too late. We need to know what is going on.