The War Against Our Pope

really feel sorry for our Pope. I know that everyone seems to have some sort of an opinion of him, but the vitriol that seems to be increasing at an alarming rate is very concerning and disgusting to me. It really comes down to us as Catholics, either believing the promise of Christ or not. Christ promised us that the gates of Hell would not prevail against His Church. That doesn't mean that Satan won't wage war against Her though, and I propose that is exactly what is going on currently in our Church. It is discouraging to say the least, but also enlightening.

Christ uses great turmoil to reveal and bear the hearts of many - he has done this since the prophesy of Simeon and He continues to do this in our world today.

I will admit, until recently, I was very critical of our Holy Father, and was easily led onto the bandwagon of disparaging his remarks and even his agenda at times. I regret that now. As I see the viciousness and contempt growing on a daily basis, and accelerating with the removal of Bishop Strickland from his diocese of Tyler, I am becoming more and more convinced that there is something truly evil advancing these attacks. They have become over the top and just sickening to witness, and it brings me to tears seeing even clergy disparage and even at times slander the Holy Father. Often these attacks are emotional reactions, and this is obvious, because the utterances are not rational, and are anti-charitable. It seems only Satan can push those who were once good and holy shepherds to acts of disobedience and outright false witness against the legitimate authority of the Catholic Church he hates so much.

It has also become very apparent to me as I view some different venues and sources for information that many of us are being led astray and that fake news is driving us all toward our own destruction. There are many outlets promoting their own twisted agendas and ideas and being very selective with the information they share, therefore skewing it toward avenues supporting their views even if it sacrifices Truth. This is happening on both sides - the right and the left, but it would seem the outright viciousness of attacks from the right seem far worse and dangerous. I regret that once I was a part of this group, and I was very easily swayed and indoctrinated by the claims and accusations, and believed them at face value from people I thought were experts and credible.

I no longer blindly accept what I see and hear on social media. I think none of us should. We must seek Truth and not blindly accept what we are being fed. I believe so much of it is a false narrative. Our Holy Father is not a perfect man or cleric, but He is the Holy Father. Whether he is good or bad, God's permissive will has allowed him to rule and serve in this capacity, and God is the one in control - of all of it. If we believe that, we don't lose our peace, and we don't sink to low levels of uncharity. We must realize that we get the leaders we deserve, and instead of pridefully tossing in our own opinions and accusations, perhaps we should strive to grow in holiness instead. Because otherwise we are entering a spiritual battle we are not prepared for, and the enemy will prevail, not in the Church, but in our own individual hearts and minds. Satan is at war with the Church, and with our Holy Father. He is manipulating so many so effectively. So many are falling for his tactics hook, line and sinker, because he is manipulating their emotional love and attachments to the Church and twisting it into something to further his own ends - the destruction of souls. Good men, good clergy are becoming victims to bad information and fake news, and we are losing them because of it. This is not the work of God, this is the work of the evil one.

The road to Hell is certainly paved with good intentions. Evil is the master of twisting the good, mocking it, to obtain evil ends.

Our Lady said at Fatima, the Holy Father will have much to suffer. I see this being played out right in front of us. I know what it is like to have people bearing false witness against my name and my character.. It hurts. I can't imagine what the Holy Father must be suffering. If we wonder why the Holy Father reaches out to the more liberal minded clergy, perhaps ask yourself how he could reach out to those accusing him of heresy and referring to him as demonic. We also must realize that we are not privy to all the information, and usually there is much more to a story than we see or hear. In charity, we should offer the Holy Father our benefit of the doubt. We must trust God and know he is in control, and we must be praying and striving to grow in holiness always.

I have found some good information regarding what Pope Francis actually says and supports through the Michael Lotton show on the Reason and Theology Youtube Channel. As I said, it has been enlightening. This information is not Gospel, but it does offer an interesting and unbiased reporting on events. He also backs up everything he says with documents and facts.

Let's remember that Christ promised us that the powers of Hell would not prevail, and keep our peace. There is no need for despair and for sinful gossip and slanderous accusations which divide and will conquer us. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church will prevail, let's make sure we do as well so we can dwell in her Heavenly Kingdom forever. Let's aim our weapons at the correct enemy, and fight together for that peace and unity that stems first and foremost from the heart of Christ and then to our own.