I didn’t leave the Catholic Church… The Catholic Church left me!
I was born and raised a Catholic. My father attended Catholic Seminary. My brothers and I attended Catholic Schools. My family emigrated from Poland, perhaps the most Catholic nation in the world.
As a Catholic I was taught to question man’s authority and obey God’s authority. As a citizen journalist I have become skeptical of those who follow a cause rather than a moral Judeo/Christian compass. I am a believer in mankind’s unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I am an American who is Catholic, until America turns away from the word of God.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope of the Catholic Church, Bishop of Rome, and Sovereign of the Vatican City on March 13, 2013. Initially Catholics celebrated his selection. Since then many Catholics, including me, find Pope Francis problematic at best.
Today Catholics are facing persecution that history has seen before.
Catholics are being attacked by a coalition made up of Collectivists, Communists, judges, environmentalists, politicians, atheists, Islamists, homosexuals, anarchists and fellow Catholics. We have seen these kinds of attacks before in Germany during the 1930s. Wikipedia states:
Hitler’s ideologues Goebbels, Himmler, Rosenberg and Bormann hoped to de-Christianize Germany, or at least distort its theology to their point of view.
The regime moved to close all Catholic institutions which were not strictly religious. Catholic schools were shut by 1939, the Catholic press by 1941. Clergy, women and men religious, and lay leaders were targeted. During the course of Hitler’s rule, thousands were arrested, often on trumped up charges of currency smuggling or “immorality”.
Germany’s senior cleric, Cardinal Bertram, developed an ineffectual protest system, leaving broader Catholic resistance to individual conscience. By 1937 the church hierarchy, which initially sought dètente, was highly disillusioned. [Emphasis added]
To many Catholics it appears that Pope Francis is seeking dètente with this new anti-Catholic coalition. Today many Catholics, due to the Church’s “ineffectual protest system”, are “highly disillusioned.”
As Pope Francis and his papal policies became clearer more of those who contribute to this publication began to raise concerns.
To view columns about Pope Francis click here.
In my column “Politics and Pope Francis: What is the role of the Catholic Church and the State?” I wrote:
There has been growing concern that the Catholic Church has taken the wrong path under the leadership of Pope Francis. Pope Francis has made statements, some misunderstood, that baffle loyal Catholics, this author being one of them.
Pope Francis’ recent statement on climate change as a “scientific reality” requiring Catholics to have a moral and religious responsibility to do something about it has drawn praise from environmentalists and criticism from scientists who understand that changes in the climate are due to nature and nature’s (God’s) laws. Pope Francis seems more concerned over God’s climate than the fact that 11 Christians are slaughtered by members of Islam every hour.
For some Catholics like Anita Schatz to question Pope Francis is blasphemy. Schatz has blocked me from posting on the Catholic TEA Party Facebook page. Shantz states:
I see you requested membership in the Catholic Tea Party again. You must realize you were tossed out because of your anti-Pope posts. You cannot join again because of this. If you insist on posting things like you do on the Pope, you need to find some group that will allow that. I will not bend the rules for anyone so do not try to join again. We keep a list of those we banned.
Anita Schatz
Foundress and Administrator Catholic Tea Party
Schatz wants to protect Pope Francis from criticism. What does the Bible say about those who learn the ways of nations. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a cucumber field, and they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, neither is it in them to do good.” – Jeremiah 10:2-5 ESV / 21
I wrote back to Schatz, “By protecting Pope Francis you do a disservice to all Catholics. The truth will set you free. Beware of false idols.”
I remain blocked by Schatz. That is her prerogative. But should not Catholics unite around the word of God, not the word of the Pope? We will continue to tell the truth and expose the social absurdities that have now become public policy, some of them with the help of Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
As a Catholic I want a Church that changes the world, not a Church that changes with the world. Perhaps it is a time to get back to Christian basics, perhaps it is time for another reformation?
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Do not fear, the Catholic Church did not leave you. Perhaps the Pope has left the Church or is in the process of making his way out the door, but the Church does not belong to the Pope- it belongs to Christ. The Church is HIS Bride and She will remain His Bride regardless of who the pope is. Good and bad popes come and go, the Church remains because She is protected by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Julie,
Beautifully said. Thank you for inspiring and uplifting me.
My sentiments exactly. I have sat in the pews in 10 different churches since my arrival in Rochester NY in 2003. I have left each one of these churches because, without exception, the priests who give the Sunday homily insist on leaving important events out of their message to the congregation. By way of example, during the 2008 presidential campaigns, the issue of healthcare was on the table and in that plan was government subsidies for abortion. Not one word about the churches position on this important issue. Last Sunday, the homily in church #10 didn’t mention one word about the gay marriage issue and how it impacts the natural law of freedom of religion. Instead we get homilies about bible stories having little to do with moving the congregation to action or providing some opportunities to speak out. By the way, the congregation is made up of mostly gray and white hair retirees that likely know the bible inside out! Talk about genocide of Middle East Christians – not a word! I call these homilies – Sunday placebo, verbal bromides for the ignorant, lame and useless parishioners. I no longer leave money in the donations basket. And, I’m tired of being shouted down by ‘liberation theologists,’ who moonlight as pseudo climate scientists. So, I go to church, stare at the sky lights, for God is the light, and pray that the clergy will wake up before the administrative state denies their right to practice religion at all! I wave a rebel flag in defiance!
As a non-Catholic, I have never had much respect for the pope except that he represents a large group of people who may unquestionably believe everything he says. In reference to Julie’s comments above, (basically, good and bad popes come and go), this is true, but pope’s nevertheless leave a mark when they leave and it is much like the president of the U.S. When the present “leader” leaves, how does one turn back the damage that has been done. So, has the Catholic Church left you indeed?
I was planning to write something like this . Then came across your article. It sums up my feelings perfectly. I am glad i am not the only one that has these misgivings. If the church wants to avoid a schism this is a topic that has to be actively debated and reconciled. Thank you for starting the conversation.
I feel the same. I long for a church that actually adheres to the teachings. My family and I are looking around, Orthodox or Lutheran? That’s the question we contemplate now. Peace.
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