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Tuesday 28 June 2016

The Pope Francis praise of Martin Luther began with Pope Benedict XVI - they are in fact, two sides of the same modernist coin, but not just them.

Through the research of a very welcomed and regular commenter on this blog, Mark Thomas, comes a reminder which most of us may have forgotten. After posting this, Wolverine, another commenter, left a link to a New York Times article from 1983 where John Paul II himself, also praised Martin Luther wherein the Times states:
"The Pope referred to Luther as the theologian who ''contributed in a substantial way to the radical change in the ecclesiastical and secular reality in the West.'' He continued: ''Our world still experiences his great impact on history.''
In the interests of truth and fairness, it is incumbent upon us to be thorough and honest in our criticism of Pope Francis. This scandal did not begin with him and sadly, it does not appear that it will end with him.

The recent aeroplane interview, a regular occurrence and cross, so it seems, has revealed much more. As I wrote previously, there is also his praise of the wretched heretic Martin Luther, who's act 500 years ago will be commemorated by Pope Bergoglio in Lund, Sweden this coming October, presumably. Whilst we are justifiably concerned about the comments of Pope Francis pertaining to our need for sorrow over how we've abused sodomites for two millennia, our focus should also on the praise of the man who ripped apart Christendom and lead tens to hundreds of millions of souls to Hell.

Jorge Bergoglio was not the first Pope to praise him, Joseph Ratzinger was!

Look, the problem we have today with Pope Francis is because of Pope Benedict XVI. His actions in February 2013 lead to this. He is responsible. He forsook his office. He abandoned his flock to be hounded by wolves - modernist, heretical, savage wolves, worse than himself.

Earlier today, at a celebration of the 65th anniversary of his ordination, Joseph Ratzinger who gave no sign of being incapable of still being Pope, said:
"His goodness from the first election day and in every moment of my life, I am struck. His goodness is the place where I live and I feel protected" 
Lay the cause at the feet of the problem and hold to the fire the feet of those who refuse to fix it.



The Pope, Martin Luther, and Our Time 

September 25, 2011 A.D., by Mark Brumley, The Catholic World Report

“Martin Luther” is not a popular figure in most Catholic circles. But now here comes Pope Benedict XVI, a fellow German, visiting his homeland and speaking to German Evangelical Christians, i.e. Lutherans, as we call them here.

"The Holy Father seems comfortable talking about Luther with Lutherans, even talking with obvious regard and sympathy for Luther. Shocking? Not to those who have followed the nuances of Catholic teaching on non-Catholic Christians as it has developed, especially as expressed in the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and in papal teaching since then.

"Pope Benedict shows how a Catholic can have a certain sympathetic reading of Luther, notwithstanding the same Catholic’s rejection of Luther’s repudiation of the Catholic Church.

"In this way, a Catholic can see what is most important when it comes to assessing Luther—not denying the problems with him but also not overlooking what Luther got right or demonizing him.

"In his address Benedict makes a number of key points regarding Luther. First, there is Luther’s “burning question”, as Benedict puts it: “what is God’s position towards me, where do I stand before God?” This remains the central question of life today, even though many people don’t realize it.

"Second, there is Luther’s Christ-centered spirituality. Benedict clearly thinks on both of these points Luther is right and that calling attention to this fact is important for all Christians today.

"When it comes to ecumenism, the most important point for Benedict is that we keep in view our common ground as Christians: “It was the error of the Reformation period that for the most part we could only see what divided us and we failed to grasp existentially what we have in common in terms of the great deposit of sacred Scripture and the early Christian creeds. For me, the great ecumenical step forward of recent decades is that we have become aware of all this common ground, that we acknowledge it as we pray and sing together, as we make our joint commitment to the Christian ethos in our dealings with the world, as we bear common witness to the God of Jesus Christ in this world as our inalienable, shared foundation.”

18 comments:

Wolverine said...

Oh this goes back even further, to John Paul II's praise of Luther.

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/06/world/pope-praises-luther-in-an-appeal-for-unity-on-protest-anniversary.html

If your readers are interested in the truth of Ratzinger's modernist thinking, I suggest James Larson's excellent works.

http://www.waragainstbeing.com/

http://www.waragainstbeing.com/node/49

Vox Cantoris said...

Wolverine,

Thank you for this, I will update to post.

I did not know.

How devastating is all of this.

But we have victory in Our Lord Jesus Christ!

Unknown said...

There is a considerable difference between Benedict and Bergoglio. Benedict knew what he was talking about and was able to reflect on Luther's theology vs. Catholic doctrine in a way that made Lutheran theologians think (e.g. in the General Audience on November 19, 2008). Bergoglio, however, has no idea what he is talking about. It is not clear that he has ever read one single page of Luther's writing.

My Blog said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The late Monsignoir Luigi Villa RIP covered all the papacies from John XXIII to Pope BVXI and exposed all their heretical views from their writings as well as from their strange and at times very un Catholic behavior. We are swallowing some very bitter pills right now but we must keep focused on Our Lady's remedies and Her Promises.

Anonymous said...

Not only has Bergoglio praised Martin Luther, he has adopted
the most heretical part of Luther's redemption theology.
Compare what Bergoglio said here (be warned, it is damaging to
your soul: http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-the-christian-life-proclaims-the-road-to-reco ) to Luther's exortation to
"be a sinner, and sin boldly". That line is easily researched.
What Bergoglio proposes is not to stop sinning, but to keep
sinning, and not to repent and ask the Lord for forgiveness,
but to ask unrepentant sodomities and other sinners for
forgiveness, because the church "offended" them. We cannot
follow false shepherds into perdition.

Ana Milan said...

Brothers in arms: Unprecedented moment two Popes embrace as Benedict thanks Francis for his 'mercy-filled' reign


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3663733/Francis-honors-Benedict-says-retirement-Franciscan.html#ixzz4CtU08Y1i
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

When will the CDF clear-up this position for us - have we got two popes, if not why hasn't PB fully resigned, stopped wearing the garb of a pontiff & go and live outside the Vatican? One of these men has Papal Infallibility, but which one? Or do neither of them have? Have, indeed, any of the post Vatican II Council had legitimate right to the Seat of Peter?

It's time for answers. The CC leadership has been shaming all of us since Vatican II & the outcome is plain for all to see. Catholics should stop being obedient to heresy no matter what form it takes. Cardinal Müller please face the universal Catholic faithful & clarify the position. We cannot take any more!

Wolverine said...

This farce has gone on long enough! Someone, with an ounce of courage within the hierarchy, needs to provide the remnant faithful with a morsel of clarity on the current situation. What an abomination of desolation we see unfolding.

Since I don't expect a word from our cowardly Bishops I suggest everyone read/meditate on the short book of Jude (last epistle before Revelation) to understand what is happening.

TLM said...

I read the entire article at the link at Catholicworldreport.com. Interesting indeed. But.............Benedict's approach to Lutheranism is completely different than Francis' approach, it seems to me. The way it read, Benedict gave Luther credit where due WITHOUT condoning the harm he did. It seems, unless I am misinterpreting the article, that Benedict presented the teachings of the Church in a way that sparked some flickers of 'rethinking' among Lutherans. One thing Benedict is that Francis is NOT......a BRILLIANT theologian. It said in the article that Benedict in no way compromised Catholicism just in order to help steer Lutherans in coming father down the road to complete unity with the Catholic Church, BUT .......presented them with a lot of 'food for thought' that they were not at all negative to. If this is truly the case, (and the key word here is IF) what I seen Benedict attempting to do is to bring them back into full communion with the Church! And maybe not 'in one felt swoop' but seems as though he was trying to 'work with them'. Sometimes IT IS ACTUALLY a process.

Now that all said, the approach of the 'two Popes' seems entirely different. Francis seems to want to 'bend the Church' so as to come into conformity WITH THE LUTHERANS, and the 'Lutheran theology'. He seems to want to do this, not only with them, but others as well. (think Muslims, and others that he 'professes' to be one with us....ugh!!) I agree with SVEN, that Benedict knows what he's doing, but Francis has no idea. Seems to me Benedict wants to 'bring them back' and Francis wants to 'come over to their side', so to speak. Indeed it WOULD BE WONDERFUL if the Lutherans were to 'come home'. A real miracle and answer to prayer with the obvious work and intervention of the Holy Spirit.

One thing about this, however, that is beyond my understanding, is how Benedict can be so affirmative in his praises of Francis!!! Benedict is no one's dummy. He's indeed BRILLIANT! How can he actually watch what Francis is doing and give him any kind of a 'thumbs up'???? I don't get it!!!! And maybe I'm not seeing the whole picture???

Mark Thomas said...

Part 1 of 2.

Vox, Pope Saint John Paul II also praised Martin Luther. Here is a 1983 A.D. letter from that marked the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's birth. Martin Luther was a man of "profound piety", according to Pope Saint John Paul II.

November 5, 1983 A.D.

"Consequently Luther's profound piety that, with burning passion, was driven by questioning on eternal salvation, is clearly delineated." — Pope Saint John Paul II.

====================================================================================

VATICAN CITY — To my venerated brother, Cardinal Johannes Willebrands, president of the Secretariate for Christian Unity.

Nov. 10, 1983 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther of Eisleben. On this occasion numerous Christians, especially of the Lutheran-Evangelical confession, recall that theologian who, at the threshold of modern times contributed in a substantial way to the radical change of ecclesiastical and secular reality of the West.

Our world still today bears the experience of his great impact on history.

For the Catholic Church through the centuries the name of Martin Luther is tied to the memory of a sad period and, in particular, to the experience of the origin of deep ecclesiastical divisions.

For this reason the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther must be for us an occasion to meditate, in truth and in Christian charity, on that pregnant event of history that was the epoch of the Reformation.

Because it is time that distances us from historical events and makes them often better understood and evoked.

Therefore, well known personalities and institutions of Lutheran Christianity indicated that the year dedicated to Luther could be marked by a genuine ecumenical spirit and that discussion on Luther may be propitious to Christian unity.

I receive with satisfaction this intention and extend to you a fraternal invitation to arrive together at a deeper and more complete image of the historical events and a critical reflexion on the manifold heritage of Luther.

In fact, scientific research by evangelical and Catholic scholars, the results of which have already reached notable points of convergence, has led to the outlining of a more complete and more differentiated picture of Luther's personality, of the complex web of historical reality in society, in politics and in the church of the first half of the 16th century.

Consequently Luther's profound piety that, with burning passion, was driven by questioning on eternal salvation, is clearly delineated.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas said...

Part 2 0f 2.

"Consequently Luther's profound piety that, with burning passion, was driven by questioning on eternal salvation, is clearly delineated." — Pope Saint John Paul II.

====================================================================================

Similarly it becomes clear that the break in ecclesiastical unity is not reduced to a simple lack of comprehension by authorities of the Catholic Church nor to only the simple comprehension of true catholicism by Luther, even if both had their role.

The decisions taken indeed had very deep roots. In the dispute on the interpretational line and on the reception of Christian faith, which have in themselves a potential of ecclesiastical division, cannot be explained only by historical reasons.

Therefore, a double force is necessary, both in confronting Martin Luther and in the search for reestablishment of unity.

In the first place it is important to continue accurate historical work, It is a question of, through an investigation without taking sides, motivated only by the search for truth, arriving at a just image of the Reformer, of the entire epoch of the Reformation and of the people who were involved in it.

Guilt, where it exists, must be recognized, on whichever side it is found where polemics have clouded the view, the direction of this view must be corrected and independently by one side or the other.

Furthermore, we must not let ourselves be led by the intention of erecting a judgment on history, but the intention must be only that of better understanding the events and of becoming bearers of the truth.

Only offering ourselves, without reservation, to a purification through the truth, can we find a common interpretation of the past and gain at the same time a new point of departure for the dialogue of today.

And it is precisely this second thing that is dominant.

The clarification of history that turns to the past and its lasting significance must go on equal footing with the dialogue of faith that, at present, we undertake to search for unity.

This dialogue finds its solid base, in conformity with the written Evangelical-Lutheran confessional in that which unites us even after the separation and that is to say: in the word of the Scriptures, in the confession of faith, in the councils of the ancient church.

I therefore trust, Cardinal, that on these bases and in this spirit, the Secretariat for Unity, with your guidance, leads forward this dialogue initiated with great seriousness in Germany even before the Second Vatican Council, and does it in fidelity to the free faith, which allows penitence and docility to learn by listening.

In humble contemplation of the mystery of divine providence and in listening devotely to what the spirit of God teaches us today in the memory of events of the Reformation, the church has to extend the confines of its love to go to meet in unity all those who, through baptism, bear the name of Jesus Christ.

I accompany with my special prayers and blessings, the work of your secretariat and all the ecumenical forces for the great cause of unity of all Christians.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Anonymous said...

http://www.barnhardt.biz/2016/01/26/luther-in-his-own-words/

Mark Thomas said...

Vox, the bottom line is that Pope Venerable Pius XII made the radical decision to enter the Church into the Ecumenical Movement. He also authorized Catholics to pray at ecumenical gatherings with schismatics and heretics.

From Pope Venerable Pius XII to Pope Francis, our Popes have thrown in with the Ecumenical Movement. During the past 70 or so years, Rome has extolled the virtue of the Ecumenical Movement. Rome has declared that the Church's commitment to the Ecumenical Movement is irrevocable. The same applies to the Ecumenical Movement's "cousin"..."interfaith dialogue".

Pope Saint John Paul II gave us Assisi I, an II. Assisi gave us the horrific sight of the gold statue of Buddha that rested atop the Tabernacle at the Church of Saint Peter.

In 2011 A.D., Pope Benedict XVI gave us Assisi III, which included Wande Abimbola, of the African Yoruba religion. Inside the Basilica, Abimola chanted a hymn "in honor of the god Ifa and his wife Olukum".

In 1983 A.D., Pope John Paul II participated in a liturgical event at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rome...2010 A.D. for Pope Benedict XVI...2015 A.D. for Pope Francis.

Beyond that, Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, and Saint John Paul II prayed in synagogues and mosques.

We have to face the fact that in recent years, Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, Saint John Paul II, are/were staunch, unrelenting promoters of ecumenism and "interfaith" "dialogue". They appointed bishops who are committed to ecumenism/interfaith "dialogue".

Therefore, the path that said Popes paved in regard to ecumenism and interreligious "dialogue" will be traveled by the Church for years, and years, and years to come. Therefore, Catholic identity throughout the Church will be compromised for years, and years, and years to come.

Vox, that is the reality that we face...unless a Pope overthrows the Church's commitment to a movement that has been with us since the days of Pope Venerable Pius XII. I don't find that a likely prospect.

Pax.

Mark

Michael Dowd said...

Considering Mark's comments it appears there are no limits to the lengths the Church will not go to compromise itself and it's doctrine for the sake of ecumenism. And we should remember that the compromises required are trending downwards, away from God and towards secularism. We see this in Pope Francis' actions every day who clearly has Protestant and secular beliefs. What efforts towards ecumenism really means are efforts to water down and, in many cases, renounce our Catholic faith. It is unquestionably a bad thing and needs to be challenged at every turn. Hopefully, Mark Thomas will lend a hand in this effort.

Mick Jagger Gathers No Mosque said...

What is funny is that Cardinal Ratzinger got scorched for not treating Luther with kid gloves.

ABS has many posts up about the execrable bastard, Luther, who was NOT a Christian. He is a complete and utter phony, a gnostic who taught that Jesus was a composite of good and evil. Luther was a fat jew-hating violent vow-breaking drunk who routinely referenced farting.

The Pope who excommunicated the heresiarch called him a Wild Boar and ordered than all of his works be burned and that nobody praise him.

ABS knows that Ecumenism is the Universal Solvent of Tradition and, thus, he knows that he has to post these truths.

As it gets closer to the october celebrations, during which time the putative pope will try to soak this miserable bastard in christian glory, ABS will put up a post with all of the links on one page for we must go toe to toe with the heterodox praxis of our times and fight it tooth, nail, and bone.

Here is the link to where ratizinger got burned:

http://thenesciencentnepenthene.blogspot.com/2016/02/fun-with-luther-joseph-cardinal.html

Anonymous said...

@ Paul Morphy

Hmmmmmm.
Mark Thomas accusation here against Pope Pius XII bears being checked and re-checked for accuracy.

thewarourtime.com said...

The full letter: The text of Pope John Paul II's letter marking the 500th anniversary of the birth of Martin Luther, translated from the Italian by UPI - http://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/11/05/The-text-of-Pope-John-Paul-IIs-letter-marking/8338436856400/
***
Clearly reading it and one has a different picture of what the great and saintly pope was saying. Some excerpts:

"For the Catholic Church through the centuries the name of Martin Luther is tied to the memory of a sad period and, in particular, to the experience of the origin of deep ecclesiastical divisions."

And

"Therefore, a double force is necessary, both in confronting Martin Luther and in the search for reestablishment of unity.

In the first place it is important to continue accurate historical work, It is a question of, through an investigation without taking sides, motivated only by the search for truth, arriving at a just image of the Reformer, of the entire epoch of the Reformation and of the people who were involved in it.

Guilt, where it exists, must be recognized, on whichever side it is found where polemics have clouded the view, the direction of this view must be corrected and independently by one side or the other."

Tommyab said...

The constant opposing between "law" and "grace" in Pope Francis discourses is Lutheranism.