Quo Vadis?

Whither goest thou?

Is the reason Francis can’t answer 5 dubia because he is too busy granting interviews?

Nope, he can’t answer the 5 dubia because he would have to admit he is busy destroying what’s left of Catholic morals with his modernist ambiguity!

The following is the full text of the interview the Holy Father granted to the Belgian Catholic weekly publication “Tertio”, on the occasion of the conclusion of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

 [(Interviewer) Representative of the bishops for means of communication …

(Francis) You once brought me some young people who asked good questions

(Interviewer) There is a Pope who gives good answers…

(Francis) I’ll wait a moment … I want to see the questions, because I haven’t seen them…]

QUESTION - In our country we are going through a moment in which national politics wishes to separate religion from public life: for example, in education. It is the opinion that, in a time of secularisation, religion should be reserved to private life. How can we be at the same time a missionary Church, outbound towards society, and live this tension created by this public opinion?

FRANCIS - Well, I do not want to offend anyone, but this is an old-fashioned mindset. This is the legacy that the Enlightenment has left to us - is it not? - in which every religious phenomenon is a subculture. It is the difference between laicism and secularism. I have spoken about this with the French. … Vatican Council II tells us about the autonomy of things, of processes and institutions. There is a healthy secularism, for instance, the secularism of the State. In general, a secular State is a good thing; it is better than a confessional State, because confessional States finish badly. But secularism is one thing, and laicism is another. Laicism closes the doors to transcendence, to the dual transcendence: both transcendence towards others and, above all, transcendence towards God; or towards what is beyond us. And openness to transcendence is part of the human essence. It is part of man. I am not speaking about religion, I am speaking about openness to transcendence. Therefore, a culture or a political system that does not respect openness to the transcendence of the human person “prunes” or cuts down the human person. Or rather, it does not respect the human person. This is more or less what I think. Therefore, sending to the sacristy any act of transcendence is a form of “asepsis”, which has nothing to do with human nature, which cuts from human nature a good part of life, which is openness.

QUESTION - You are concerned about the interreligious relationship. In our times we live with terrorism and with war. At times it can be seen that the roots of the current wars reside in the difference between religions. What can be said about this?

FRANCIS - Yes, I believe that this opinion exists. But no religion as such can foment war. Because in this case it would be proclaiming a god of destruction, a god of hatred. One cannot wage war in the name of God or in the name of a religious position. War cannot be waged in any religion. And for this reason terrorism and war are not related to religion. Religion is distorted to justify them, this is true. You are witnesses of this, you have experienced it in your homeland. But they are distortions of religion, that do not relate to the essence of the religious fact, which is instead love, unity, respect, dialogue, all these things. … But not in that aspect, or rather, we must be categorical about this, no religion proclaims war for the fact of religion. Religious distortions, yes. For example, all religions have fundamentalist groups.

All of them, we do too. And they destroy, starting from their fundamentalism. But these are small religious groups that have distorted and have “sickened” their religion, and as a result they fight, they wage war, or they cause division in communities, which is a form of war. But these are the fundamentalist groups we have in all religions. There is always a small group …

QUESTION – Another question on war. We are currently commemorating the centenary of the First World War. What would you say to the European continent about the post-war message, “No more war!”?

FRANCIS - I have spoken to the European continent three times: twice in Strasbourg and once last year, or this year, I do not remember, when there was the Charlemagne Prize [6 May 2016]. I think that “No more war!” has not been taken seriously, because after the First there was the Second, and after the Second there is this third war we are experiencing now, piecemeal. We are at war. The world is conducting a third world war: Ukraine, Middle East, Africa, Yemen … It is very grave. Therefore, we say the words “No more war!”, but at the same time we manufacture weapons and sell them, and we sell them to those who are fighting, as arms producers sell them to this and that, to those who are at war with each other. It is true. There is an economic theory that I have not tried to confirm, but which I have read in several books: that in the history of humanity, when a State saw that its accounts were not in good shape, waged war to balance its budget. That is, it is one of the easiest ways to produce wealth. Certainly, the price is very high: blood.

“No more war!” was something that Europe said sincerely, I believe: Schumann, De Gasperi, Adenauer … they said it sincerely. But afterwards … Nowadays there is a lack of leaders; Europe is in need of leaders, leaders who go ahead. … Well, I do not want to repeat what I said in the three speeches.

QUESTION - Is there any chance that you will come to Belgium for this commemoration of the war?

FRANCIS - It is not planned, no … I used to go to Belgium every year and a half when I was the provincial [superior], because there was an association of friends of the Catholic University of Córdoba. And so I used to go there to speak. They did the [spiritual] Exercises, and I used to go to thank them. I became fond of Belgium. For me the most beautiful city in Belgium is not yours, but rather Bruges [laughs].

[Interviewer: I have to tell you that my brother is a Jesuit.

Francis: Really? I didn’t know!

Interviewer: So, apart from being Jesuit, he’s a good person.

Francis: I was about to ask you if you were Catholic … (laughter)]

QUESTION – We are about to conclude the Year of Mercy. Can you tell us how you lived this Year, and what you expect when the Year comes to an end?

FRANCIS – The Year of Mercy was not an idea that came to me unexpectedly. It takes its cue from Blessed Paul VI. Paul VI had already taken a number of steps to rediscover God’s mercy. St. John Paul II then placed great emphasis on this with three facts: the Encyclical Dives in Misericordia, the canonisation of St. Faustina, and the Feast of Divine Mercy on the Octave of Easter; he died on the eve of that feast day. He introduced the Church onto this road in this way. I felt that the Lord wanted this. It was … I don’t know how the idea formed in my heart. One fine day I said to Msgr. Fisichella, who had come about matters related to his Dicastery, “How I would like to hold a Jubilee, a Jubilee of Mercy”. And he said, “Why not?” And that is how the Year of Mercy began. It is the best assurance that it was not a human idea, but rather that it came from on high. I believe that it was inspired by the Lord. And evidently it went very well. In addition, the fact that the Jubilee was held not only in Rome, but all over the world, in all dioceses and within each diocese, created a lot of movement, a lot of movement … People were very active. There was a lot of activity and people felt called to reconcile themselves with God, to encounter the Lord again, to feel the caress of the Father.

QUESTION – The German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer made the distinction between cheap grace and costly grace. So, what does cheap or costly mercy mean to you?

FRANCIS – Cheap mercy or costly mercy: I do not know Bonhoeffer’s text, I don’t know when he explains this. .. But it is cheap because there is nothing to pay; one doesn’t have to buy indulgences, it is a pure gift. And it is costly because it is the most precious gift. There is a book based on an interview I gave, entitled “The name of God is Mercy”. It is precious because it is the name of God: God is merciful.

It reminds me of that priest I had in Buenos Aires, who continued to celebrate Mass and to work, and he was 92 years old! At the beginning of Mass he would always give certain warnings. He is very energetic, 92 years old, preaches very well, the people go to listen to him. “Please, switch off your mobile phones”. And during the Mass, the Offertory began, and a telephone began to ring. He stopped and said, “Please, switch off your mobile phones”. And the altar boy, who was next to him, said, “Father, it is yours”. And he took out his phone and answered: ‘Hello!’” [Laughter]

QUESTION – To us, it seems that you are indicating Vatican Council II for our times. You are showing us ways of renewal in the Church. The Synodal Church. … In the Synod you explained your vision of the Church of the future. Could you explain this for our readers?

FRANCIS - The “Synodal Church”, let me take this word. The Church is born from the community, it is born from the foundation, it is born from Baptism, and it is organised around a bishop, who brings it together and gives it strength; the bishop who is the successor of the Apostles. This is the Church. But in all the world there are many bishops, many organised Churches, and there is Peter. Therefore either there is a pyramidal Church, in which what Peter says is done, or there is a synodal Church, in which Peter is Peter but he accompanies the Church, he lets her grow, he listens to her, he learns from this reality and goes about harmonising it, discerning what comes from the Church and restoring it to her. The richest experience of all this was that of the last two Synods. There all the bishops of the world were heard, during preparation; all the Churches of the world, the dioceses, worked. All this material was worked on during the first Synod, which gave its results to the Church, and then we returned a second time – the second Synod – to complete all this. And from there Amoris Laetitia emerged. It is interesting to see the rich variety of nuances, typical of the Church. It is unity in diversity. This is synodality.

Do not descend from high to low, but listen to the Churches, harmonise them, discern. And so there is a post-Synodal exhortation, which is Amoris Laetitia, which is the result of two Synods, in which all the Church worked, and which the Pope made his own. It is expressed in a harmonious way. It is interesting that all that it contains [Amoris Laetitia], in the Synod it was approved by more than two thirds of the fathers. And this is a guarantee. A synodal Church means that there is this movement from high to low, high to love. And the same in the dioceses. But there is a Latin phrase, that says that the Churches are always cum Petro et sub Petro. Peter is the guarantor of the unity of the Church. He is the guarantor.

This is the meaning. And it is necessary to progress in synodality, which is one of the things that the Orthodox have conserved. And also the Oriental Catholic Churches. It is a richness of theirs, and I recognise it in the Encyclical.

QUESTION - It seems to me that the Second Synod made the passage from the method of “seeing, judging and acting” towards “listening, understanding and accompanying”. It is very different. These are the things that I am constantly saying to people. The passage of the Synod is from seeing, judging and acting, and then to listening to the reality of the people, understanding well this reality and then accompanying people on their path…

FRANCIS - Because each person said what he thought, without fear of feeling judged. And everyone had the attitude of listening, without condemning. And then we discussed, like brothers, in the groups. But it is one thing to debate like brothers and another to condemn a priori. There was great freedom of expression. And this is beautiful!

QUESTION - In Krakow, you gave valuable inspiration to the young. What could be a special message to the young people of our country?

FRANCIS - Not to be afraid, not to be ashamed of faith; not to be ashamed to seek out new ways. And to the young who are not believers: do not worry, search for the meaning of life. To a young person, I would give two pieces of advice: seek out horizons and do not go into retirement at the age of 20. It is very sad to see a young pensioner at 20, 25 years of age, isn’t it? Seek out horizons, go ahead, continue to work in this human task.

QUESTION - A final question, Holy Father, regarding the media: a consideration regarding the means of communication…

FRANCIS – The communications media have a very great responsibility. Nowadays they have in their hands the possibility and the capacity to form opinion: they can form a good or a bad opinion. The means of communication are the builders of a society. In and of themselves, they are made to build, to interchange, to fraternise, to make us think, to educate. In themselves they are positive. It is obvious that, given that we are all sinners, also the media can – we who use the media, I am using a means of communication here – become harmful. And the communications media have their temptations. They can be tempted by calumny, and therefore used to slander, to sully people, especially in the world of politics. They can be used as a means of defamation: every person has the right to a good reputation, but perhaps in their previous life, or ten years ago, they had a problem with justice, or a problem in their family life, and bringing this to light is serious and harmful; it can annul a person. In slander we tell a lie about a person; in defamation, we leak a document, as we say in Argentina, “Se hace un carpetazo” – and we uncover something that is true, but already in the past, and which has already been paid for with a jail sentence, with a fine, or whatever. There is no right to this. This is a sin and it is harmful. A thing that can do great damage to the information media is disinformation: that is, faced with any situation, saying only a part of the truth, and not the rest. This is disinformation. Because you, to the listener or the observer, give only half the truth, and therefore it is not possible to make a serious judgement. Disinformation is probably the greatest damage that the media can do, as opinion is guided in one direction, neglecting the other part of the truth. And then, I believe that the media should be very clear, very transparent, and not fall prey – without offence, please – to the sickness of coprophilia, which is always wanting to communicate scandal, to communicate ugly things, even though they may be true. And since people have a tendency towards the sickness of coprophagia, it can do great harm. Thus, I would say that there are these four temptations. But they are builders of opinion and can construct, and do immense good, immense.

QUESTION – To conclude, a word for priests. Not a speech, because they say we have to conclude. … What is most important for a priest?

FRANCIS – It is a rather Salesian answer, but it comes from the heart. Remember that you have a Mother who loves you, and never cease to love your Mother, the Virgin. Secondly, let yourself be looked at by Jesus. Third: seek out the suffering flesh of Jesus in your brothers: there you will encounter Jesus. This as a basis. Everything comes from here. If you are an orphan priest, who has forgotten that he has a Mother; if you are a priest who has drifted away from He Who called you, from Jesus, you will never be able to carry the Gospel. What is the way? Tenderness. May they have tenderness. Priests should never be ashamed of having tenderness.

May they caress the suffering blood of Jesus. Today there is a need for a revolution of tenderness in this world that suffers from “cardiosclerosis”.

QUESTION - Cardio…?

FRANCIS – Cardiosclerosis.

source: Bollettino, Interview with the Holy Father Francis for the Belgian Catholic weekly, “Tertio”, 07.12.2016

• Dutch excerpt from interview — Tertio, “Revolutie van tederheid bezweert cardiosclerose”

• Spanish full interview — Bollettino, Entrevista del Santo Padre Francisco en el semanario católico belga "Tertio", 07/12/2016

• Italian full interview — Bollettino, Intervista del Santo Padre Francesco al settimanale cattolico belga “Tertio”, 07.12.2016

Just another typical day at Francis’ Vatican

Francis extends the faculties of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X

“For the Jubilee Year I had also granted that those faithful who, for various reasons, attend churches officiated by the priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X, can validly and licitly receive the sacramental absolution of their sins.[15] For the pastoral benefit of these faithful, and trusting in the good will of their priests to strive with God’s help for the recovery of full communion in the Catholic Church, I have personally decided to extend this faculty beyond the Jubilee Year, until further provisions are made, lest anyone ever be deprived of the sacramental sign of reconciliation through the Church’s pardon.”

source: Vatican, FRANCIS TO ALL WHO READ THIS APOSTOLIC LETTER MERCY AND PEACE, #12

Even though no personal prelature was announced today,

it is a step closer to becoming a reality.

 Not yet!

To be continued...

More on Francis’ idea of Mercy:

• Francis’ modernist idea of Mercy contra the Church’s

The ‘Jubilee Year of Mercy’ is over!

Will he show the FSSPX some ‘mercy’ on Monday?

Where's Francis?

Can you find Francis?

Yesterday the three day extravaganza known as the Jubilee for Teens began.  It was kicked off by the teens walking through the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica.  Today, 150 priests plus Francis heard reconciliations for the teens.  Francis himself heard the reconciliations of sixteen young men and women (13 to 16 years of age) in an one hour period.  The teens were then bused to Rome’s Olympic Stadium where they were to hear an important video message from Francis himself!  Tomorrow Francis will oversee a special Novus Ordo service at St. Peter’s Square where an expected crowd of 70,000 will gather.  The theme is the same as the Jubilee of Mercy - ‘Growing merciful like the Father’.

 Did Francis admonish this young lady for dressing like a man?

Youngsters cued up to go to St. Peter’s Square.

RomeReports reports on this...

Surprise, Francis is here!

It’s never a dull day with Francis around!

That’s how humbleness rolls!
 

Related:

• Francis message to the youth, “life...is...the endless party”

Nope, we didn't make this up.

Francis’ Jubilee

Year of Mercy

has an

official olive oil!

After much consideration and deliberation Msgr. Rino Fisichella awarded a contract to Oleificio Morettini to produce the official olive oil of the Jubilee. The idea behind this is that pilgrims coming to Rome for the Jubilee Year will need an olive oil and since they are not familiar with Italy, why not have an olive oil with the Year of Mercy seal on it so they know they are purchasing a quality product.  The olive oil will also be served at all meals in the Vatican City.  Oleificio Morettini is a family owned firm which has been producing olive oil since 1950.  Notice the design on the bottle is an olive tree which takes the stylized form of a pseudo-crucifix.  No word on how much, if any money passed hands to make this deal happen.

The official Olive Oil of the Jubilee

The Jubilee of 1950

Our favorite church outside of Rome, the Chiesa del Domine Quo Vadis,
is mentioned at the 1 minute & 6 seconds mark.

The fruits of Francis' “Who am I to judge?” Jubilee of Mercy

First, the attendance was down at Francis' general audiences.

Next, the Holy Door's numbers turned out to be a flub.  

Now, the confessionals are empty for the year of mercy.

“Who are you to judge me?” The confessions of a confessor

(an anonymous letter from a priest)

“The facts are these. Since the opening of the Holy Year backed by Pope Francis and on the occasion of the Christmas festivities of 2015 - as also since Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been sitting on the throne of Peter - the number of faithful who approach the confessional has not increased, neither in ordinary time nor in festive. The trend of a progressive, rapid diminution of the frequency of sacramental reconciliation that has characterized recent decades has not stopped. On the contrary: the confessionals of my church have been largely deserted.”

For more information read:

• Sandro Magister, Jubilee of Mercy, But With the Confessionals Empty & “Who are you to judge me?” The confessions of a confessor

2015 is finished!

A recap of 2015 courtesy of Vatican Radio

Francis made news every day in 2015

Rome Reports' top images of Francis

What do Francis and his 'god of surprises'

have in store for the world in 2016?

About that Holy Door of 'Mercy'...

The Vatican (as of 24 December 2015) is claiming more than 400,000 pilgrims have already passed through the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica since it was opened on December 8th, 2015.





400,000 pilgrims in 16 days equals 25,000 per day. According to the Vatican's Jubilee of Mercy website, the Holy Door is open from 07:00 to 17:00.  That's 10 hours per day divided into 25,000 which means roughly 2,500 people per hour walk through the doors.  This equates to 41.66 people per minute.


Here's a recent photo we found tweeted by a respected German journalist, Armin Schwibach, of the line for the Holy Door.  Have any readers of Call Me Jorge... seen any other photos of the line?

source: twitter, Armin Schwibach , posted at 12:34 AM - 24 Dec 2015

Looks like the Holy Door is less popular than Francis' general audiences!

 Francis' latest general audience on 16 December 2015.

 Another shot of 16 December 2015 general audience.

Here's the link to the Vatican's webcam of St. Peter's Square, where one can see the line for the Holy Door in this Francis' Jubilee Year of Mercy.

A screen capture of St. Peter's Square webcam.

Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) launches 'Mercy in Motion'

Turning the church into an NGO as 

it helps de-christianize Europe!

How much do you want to bet 'proper formation' doesn't include educating the moslems about their Savior, Jesus the Christ, nor informing them of the New Testament?

Where were all the people?

There was plenty of room in St. Peter's Square on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Regular readers of Call Me Jorge... know of our reporting about the decline in the number of people attending Francis' general audiences.  For those that don't, Francis had less people show up to his general audiences in the last year than Benedict XVI did in his worst year.  With every month which passes the audiences keep getting smaller and smaller.  During his papal travels abroad, the crowds predicted for Francis often fail to materialize.  Usually the blame is placed on weather.  On the day in which the Holy Door was opened by Francis to kick off the Jubilee of Mercy a crowd in excess of 100,000 was expected.  The reality turned out to be far, far less with only 40,000 in attendance.  Don't worry officials had several excuses handy — people were worried because of the terrorist attacks in Paris, the weather was poor, and last but not least it was a Holy Day of Obligation (the Feast of the Immaculate Conception) so the native Italians had the day off and decided to commit a sin by Christmas shopping.

Francis' Jubilee of Mercy kicks off

...with the groping of nuns

 Grope her, she might be a terrorist!

 Nothing says humble church like putting your hands all over a consecrated virgin.

 She's a fundamentalist because she is carrying a Rosary!

Did they search that nun's bag for a bomb?

Nothing like an immodestly dressed security woman inappropriately touching a nun.

Get ready for a year of Francis' mercy!

Vatican's English translation of Francis' December 2nd interview with Credere (Believe)

...it is so far out there, you have

to read it in order to believe it!

Hugs make the blasphemy go down in a most delightful way.

The Pope explains the motives and 

expectations of the Jubilee of Mercy

Vatican City, 2 December 2015 (VIS) – The Italian magazine “Credere” today published an interview with Pope Francis ahead of the imminent opening of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, in which the Holy Father explains the motives and expectations of this convocation. The following are extensive extracts from the interview:

“The theme of mercy has been strongly accentuated in the life of the Church, starting with Pope Paul VI. John Paul II underlined it firmly with Dives in Misericordia, the canonisation of St. Faustina and the institution of the feast of Divine Mercy on the Octave of Easter. In line with this, I felt that it was as if it was the Lord's wish to show His mercy to humanity. It was not something that came to my mind, but rather the relatively recent renewal of a tradition that has however always existed. … It is obvious that today's world is in need of mercy and compassion, or rather of the capacity for empathy. We are accustomed to bad news, cruel news and the worst atrocities that offend the name and the life of God. The world needs to discover that God is the Father, that there is mercy, that cruelty is not the way, that condemnation is not the way, because it is the Church herself who at times takes a hard line, and falls into the temptation to follow a hard line and to underline moral rules only; many people are excluded. The image of the Church as a field hospital after a battle comes to mind here: it is the truth, so many people are injured and destroyed! … I believe that this is the time for mercy. We are all sinners, all of us carry inner burdens. I felt that Jesus wanted to open the door to His heart, that the Father wants to show us his innate mercy, and for this reason he sends us the Spirit. … It is the year of reconciliation. On the one hand we see the weapons trade … the murder of innocent people in the cruellest ways possible, the exploitation of people, of children. There is currently a form of sacrilege against humanity, because man is sacred, he is the image of the living God. And the Father says, 'stop and come to me'”.

In response to the second question on the importance of divine mercy in the life of Pope Francis, who has repeatedly affirmed his awareness of being a sinner, he says:

“I am a sinner … I am sure of this. I am a sinner whom the Lord looked upon with mercy. I am, as I said to detainees in Bolivia, a forgiven man. … I still make mistakes and commit sins, and I confess every fifteen or twenty days. And if I confess it is because I need to feel that God's mercy is still upon me”. Francis recalled that he felt this sensation in a particular way on 21 September 1953, when he felt the need to enter a church and confess to a priest he did not know, and from then his life was changed; he decided to become a priest and his confessor, who was suffering from leukaemia, accompanied him for a year. “He died the following year”, said the Pope. “After the funeral I cried bitterly, I felt totally lost, as if with the fear that God had abandoned me. This was the moment in which I came across God's mercy, and it is closely linked to my episcopal motto: 21 September is the feast day of St. Matthew, and the Venerable Bede, when speaking of the conversion of St. Matthew, says that Jesus looked at him 'miserando atque eligendo'. … The literal translation would be 'pitying and choosing'”.

“Can the Jubilee of Mercy be an opportunity to rediscover God's 'maternity'? Is there an almost 'feminine' aspect of the Church that must be valued?” is the third question.

“Yes”, the Holy Father replies. “God Himself affirms this when He says in the Book of Isaiah that a mother could perhaps forget her child, even a mother can forget, but 'I will never forsake you'. Here we see the maternal dimension of God. Not everyone understands when we speak about God's maternity, it is not part of 'popular' language – in the good sense of the word – and may seem rather elitist; for this reason I prefer to speak about the tenderness, typical of a mother, God's tenderness that comes from his innate paternity. God is both father and mother”.

In response to a question on whether the discovery of a more merciful and emotional God, Who is moved to tenderness for mankind, should lead to a change of attitude towards others, Francis says: “Discovering this leads us to have a more tolerant, more patient, more tender attitude. In 1994 during the Synod, in a group meeting, I said that it was necessary to begin a revolution of tenderness … and I continue to say that today the revolution is that of tenderness, because justice derives from this. … The revolution of tenderness is what we must cultivate today as the fruit of this year of mercy: God's tenderness towards each one of us. Each one of us must say, 'I am a wretch, but God loves me as I am; so, I must love others in the same way'”.

The journalist recalls St. John XXIII's famous “Sermon to the moon”, in which greeting the faithful one night, he told them to give a caress to their children. “This image became an image of the Church's tenderness. In what way does the theme of mercy help our Christian communities to convert and renew themselves?”

“When I see the sick, the elderly, the caress comes to me spontaneously. … The caress is a gesture that can be interpreted ambiguously, but it is the first gesture that a mother and father offer a newborn child, this gesture that says 'I love you, I wish well to you'”.

Finally, “ is there a gesture you intend to make during the Jubilee to show God's mercy?”

“There will be many gestures, but one Friday each month I will make a different gesture”, the Holy Father concludes.

Related:

• Sigh... does Francis ever shut up?

Does a leopard change his spots?

Sigh... does Francis ever shut up?

...another day, another interview

Credere, official magazine of the Jubilee of Mercy!

Francis conducted another interview, this time with "Credere" (Believe) the official magazine of the 'Jubilee of Mercy'. We wonder what is the official automobile of the 'Jubilee of Mercy'? The official snack?  Yerba maté?  Back onto the topic of Francis latest interview. It can be read in its entirety at the Vatican website, Intervista del Santo Padre Francesco al settimanale “Credere” (Dec 2nd, 2015). Below are some highlights and a synopsis of what was said.

The theme of Mercy has always existed in the church but the special importance placed on it in recent times is a new tradition.  It started with Paul VI, then John Paul II emphasized this strongly with 'Divine Mercy'.  Francis realized,  

"it was necessary to do something and continue this tradition."  

During the Conclave, Francis was given a book on Mercy by Cardinal Walter Kasper, Francis' first Angelus was on Mercy, as was his first homily in St. Anne's.  This comes not from cold calculation but from inside Francis.  The Holy Spirit wants it!  There is so much badness and cruelty in the world that Mercy is needed now more than ever.

"I felt that Jesus wants to open the door of your heart, that the Father wants to show off his bowels (guts) of mercy, and this sends us the Spirit"

The church is a field hospital of Mercy, judging none but giving them compassion and caressing.  It is sacrilegious to go on living the way we are in the world because we are made in God's image.  God is the Father of Mercy not cruelty.

"I am a sinner, I'm a sinner, I'm sure of it; I am a sinner to whom the Lord has looked with mercy."

Francis relates a story from his past which can be summed up by saying that he views religion as a faith experience.  This faith experience is one of the traits of the modernists Pope Saint Pius X wrote of in his encyclical, Pascendi Dominici Gregis (1907).  Francis then goes on to explain the maternal dimension of God.

"Not everyone understands when talking about the "motherhood of God", it is not popular language...so I prefer to use (speak of) a mother's tenderness , the tenderness of God, born from the bowels (guts), paternal tenderness. God is father and mother."

Does this remind you of the rabbi's Shekinah or Leonardo Boff's Feminie Side of God?  During this Jubilee of Mercy we need to have a revolution of tenderness!  When Francis sees the infirm or elderly, he spontaneously caresses them.  It is his way of showing, "I love you."  Every Friday Francis will make a new gesture which witnesses to God's mercy.

Is the FSPPX going to celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy?

Index of Forbidden Sermons: Menzingen censors SSPX Priest's Sermon

M. l’abbé Patrick de La Rocque

M. l’abbé Patrick de La Rocque, a member of the FSSPX and the curé de Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet, gave an interesting sermon this past Sunday. He mentioned that soon it will be the Jubilee Year of Mercy which Francis proclaimed. This Jubilee Year is to celebrate 50 years of Vatican II. The good abbé said it is inconceivable to participate in this year of jubilee because one would be celebrating 50 years of the ruin of the Catholic Church. The point he makes about the shift in tactics by the Vatican is an insightful one.  He also covers the recent letter which mentions the sacrament of reconciliation and the FSSPX.  Interestingly, this sermon was on the FSSPX website, La Port Latine, for only one day and then it was removed.  Since we are pressed for time at Call Me Jorge... we have used google translate for the translation of M. l’abbé Patrick de La Rocque's sermon. The translation is good enough for the reader to get the gist of the points de La Rocque was making.  We found the sermon here in its original French.

Sunday, September 6, 2015 - Sermon by Rev. Fr. Patrick de La Rocque: those 50 years may not be the opportunity of penance, not of joy

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Dear faithful,

To listen to your many questions in recent days, I have to go back on an event that took place this week and which left many - rightly - somewhat perplexed. On 1 September, the Pope, the same day that he received the infamous Gaillot, bishop deposed by John Paul II, the same day the Pope wrote and published a letter addressed to Bishop Fisichella, in charge of the next Jubilee of Mercy . In that letter, it enacts some application principles of this jubilee, first for all the Catholic faithful, and in special cases: the sick, the elderly, prisoners ... and members of the Priestly Fraternity St. Pius X.

Paradox of this Pope who, by the same token, we recognize openly and publicly as Catholics. It's fifty years is known, but here it publicly acknowledges. What he said about us?

"I established, he said, by my own disposition, those who during the Holy Year of Mercy, come near to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation - you understand the confession, the sacrament of penance - j 'established so that those who approach the priests of the Society of St. Pius X will receive valid and lawful absolution of their sins. "

What is the scope, the rationale of this provision?

The first thing that is clear is that in this letter, the Pope invites us, wants to involve us in this Jubilee of Mercy. It is important first of all to ask ourselves this. What is this jubilee? Should we, can we participate or not?

A jubilee, you know - the term is common - an anniversary is being celebrated in joy, in jubilation. You celebrate the silver jubilee or gold of your wedding, we of our priesthood. Joyful event in which we give thanks to God for his blessings. In the Church, jubilees are mostly anniversary of the Redemption of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

For example, in 2000, in his Bull of Indiction - is the papal act by which the Pope decreed a jubilee - Pope John Paul II opened the Jubilee precisely to celebrate the great mystery, gorgeous, the redemptive Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He said it was the first words of his Bull of Indiction: "The eyes fixed on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, the Church prepares to cross the threshold of the third millennium".

Eyes fixed on the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God ... We were facing a jubilee quite traditional, classic as to its nature, which is why we participated happily there, taking us to largely away from all the dramatic events that took place on the occasion of this jubilee. Whether ecumenical or interfaith, unfortunately they have multiplied. But the Jubilee itself, this jubilee one was quite catholic, traditional; and acts Catholics, traditional, we have participated. Making a double profession of faith, first of all by this pilgrimage to Rome and then taking the defense of the faith, and to this end Bishop Fellay asked us to prepare a comprehensive study on the so serious problem of liturgical reform. (1)

What about the Jubilee today? What just celebrate? This requires looking at theBull of Indiction of Pope Francis in which he enacts jubilee. This is where are described the purpose and intent of the jubilee. However, this text is extremely clear. This is to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II.

The Church, the Pope said, feels the need to keep alive this event. And that is why,he says, I will open the Holy Door for the fiftieth anniversary of the conclusion of the ecumenical council Vatican II.

Vatican II was completed December 8, 1965, and it is therefore on that date, for the 50th anniversary of this event, which will open this jubilee.

Can we rejoice, rejoice, this event was the Second Vatican Council? It is clear, unfortunately, not.

This council itself all causes of decay, the decay, the Church has known for 50 years; whether at the doctrinal level, at the pastoral level. One such very present today, this huge weakness of the Church to the false religions. If Islam is today present in our country, so strong and so vivid, it's primarily because of the Church who hid who was ashamed of his message about Jesus Christ, only Saviour; Church outside of which there is no salvation. We experience all the practical consequences of these erroneous principles, set by the council. This is just one example among many others.

So it is obvious that we can not rejoice in this event the council. These fifty years, for us and for those looking to have an objective view of lucidity, doctrinal and pastoral, these fifty years may not be the opportunity of penance, not of joy.

Returning to the text on Tuesday to see the issues, what it hides behind itself. There is undoubtedly a lot of skill on the part of Pope Francis. For years, decades, they try to make us recognize the Second Vatican Council and its new erroneous principles. They sought to send them to recognize in principle, trying to make us sign alleged doctrinal statements.

Being in Rome in these doctrinal discussions from 2009 to 2011, I can tell you it has seen in the texts of doctrinal statements that they wanted us to sign. And they failed. So rather than make us recognize in principle all these new teachings, they seek to act by the praxis, to make us take actions which, in themselves, by their nature, involve implicit recognition of that.

They want us to take part in the jubilee celebrating 50 years of Vatican II.

We are there - I do not judge intentions, I only take a few history lessons - we are here facing a truly revolutionary tactic, familiar to Marxists. When the revolution can achieve the principles of the man he considered his enemy, he tries to make him take concrete acts by which it puts parentheses principles.

For example, read the book of Mrs. Hue, "In  China  jails". She tells how, being hungry, we denied him any food until Friday when we came to bring him meat, that it renounces its principles of Catholic life. In pure theory, she could eat; she was starving, there was a serious circumstance ... But she understood very well that we wanted to prejudice his Catholic principles. And she refused. It was she who was right.

We still reports how, still in the Communist China to nullify a deeply Catholic parish, Communist troops sought to compel the faithful to just get out of their church benches to burn. It was not an act directly sacrilege. It was not undermining the Blessed Sacrament. These Catholics, with their lively faith, of course, refused. They were right.

I believe that for us today, is exactly, although at a different scale, the same situations in which we are. Keep this strength in faith, this quiet strength, this gentle but firm force is precisely to keep our principles, simply Catholic principles, which reject the error. Keep these principles and live according to these principles. Do not live according to the principles to which we remain attached internally is simply called liberalism.

So maybe some people would say to me: but still we gain since through this, the Pope recognizes the validity, legality of our faiths. I would answer you: the better, the better for the timorous souls, good for the souls that are not of this parish. But for you, it, it is obvious that you have no doubt that recognition brings nothing.

You know: that the priest can forgive, it must have jurisdiction. But in the Church, there are three kinds of courts. There is what is called the national standard. The Pope has ordinary jurisdiction over the universal Church; the bishop has ordinary jurisdiction over his diocese: first type of jurisdiction, the ordinary jurisdiction.Second type of jurisdiction, the jurisdiction is delegated. The bishop can not assume all the confessions of his diocese, delegates part of its jurisdiction to the pastor, priest which will delegate to his assistants again. Second type of jurisdiction, delegated jurisdiction; always given by the Church, through intermediaries, in a human chain.

There is yet a third type of jurisdiction, always given by the Church - comes necessarily any jurisdiction of the Church, the Pope is necessarily the law of the Church. Well precisely, in canon law, the law of the Church, there is this third type of jurisdiction, called to substitute and by which the Church, the Pope, therefore, automatically gives its jurisdiction to priests, at any Priest in some cases, in case that the called necessary. These case of necessity, it is quite simple, they are managed by the great principle of canon law, the first law of the Church is the salvation of souls. And when the salvation of souls is threatened, the Church through its law automatically gives gives jurisdiction to any priest to exercise his ministry well with those souls; Locum jurisdiction. Note to avoid some misunderstandings: some say that supplied jurisdiction is given to priests by the faithful. It is radically wrong. The faithful have no jurisdiction. The court is always given by the Church. And the Church, the Pope gives the direct jurisdiction to priests, regardless of the human chain, in order to perform the acts necessary for salvation.

That there when needed today is unfortunately more than obvious. Would that confession in this field to take only one. There is not a week in office without guard that we have people external to this parish, who come to us for confession, so they come out of the confessional of a Parisian parish. Outraged by what they were told by the concept of sin completely distorted the supposed priest had confessed. So they came here to get a true absolution. And this is not the fact of a particular priest. This is unfortunately a fact that is in the whole Church.

One need only look at the synod on the family. When it is the question of recognition in the Church of homosexual unions, when it is: "Someone who sins against nature remains in a state of grace, he can commune", when in other words: "Someone who has denied the loyalty oath before God on the day of her marriage can commune", there is, at the highest level of the Church, a severe case of necessity. And that is why, for years, decades, all the absolutions, all the sacraments, weddings, absolutions, you receive this parish, you know, and are valid and lawful. You have seen how they were sanctifiers because through them, yes, Christ, the Church was. Yes, they were valid and lawful.

So, in this jubilee, that the Pope puts in the balance, facing what he asks - rejoice a deleterious council - you see, it has no weight.

What we need today to ask us to our patron saint, St. Pius X, is at once the strongest in faith, this great unity in our lives, guided and led by this beautiful faith. It is asking this great charity in these times of confusion that so many people unfortunately are lost, as are lost; great charity to them. Do not judge, do not condemn, but we remain in this great faithfulness that characterized you for so long, it is she who will be for those true light.

So be it.

Father Patrick de La Rocque, priest of the Priestly Society of Saint Pius X

Transcript: Y. RB for LPL

(1) In presenting officially to John Paul II in 2001. The problem of liturgical reform (PRL), St. Pius X wanted to show the existing intimate link between the liturgical and theological crisis crisis. Dissonance Episcopal teachings occurred since, clearly show the urgency of doctrinal clarification, which alone will enable a true liturgical renewal. [The problem of liturgical reform: on sale at the French Library at the price of € 35 5.]