In the Catholic online world, I am one of a group of people considered the enemy because I support Pope Francis. His online detractors have a name for people like me: “popesplainers”. We support Pope Francis and I guess also explain him to others. Their teaching is that the pope is wrong and they, unlike us, are the true Catholics.
Virtually all of them are not pastors. Many are laity who embrace the Latin mass (TLM) and believe the Pope Paul VI Mass, which they disparagingly call the Novus Ordo—Latin for the ‘new order’, is a fruit of demonic masonry. Some of these detractors even call for the pope to resign.
I learned a long time ago that the true manifestation of evil in the world is those who demand to make their world their way. Many of the pope’s enemies are trying to create the church in their own image based on what they embrace from prior to Vatican II.
Their implication is the Holy Spirit is not alive in the Church today.
A pastor has some real spiritual tools at his disposal that allow him to do his work. Different prayers and blessings that can call upon heavenly powers to assist a pastor especially when there is a threat of duress. I am sure the pope uses all the tools he has.
Let me give you an example: One of my favorites is a prayer in which I call for God’s light to shine into the darkness and the darkness to be revealed.
The pope is a pastor
Pope Francis is a pastor; he has many tools that the Lord gives to him to do his work. As a pastor myself, I can see the fruit those tools. I can see that light is shining into the darkness and revealing the darkness.
Let us take the latest instance that set off his opponents. He said that although it was not dogma, it was his hope Hell was empty.
I pointed out on X that St. Paul wished the same thing. (cf 1 Timothy 2:3–4). Would they protest as much if they understood that it is God’s will that Hell is empty? Scripture teaches us He wants all saved.
Failing to believe in mercy
Two biblical figures are in Hell, according to the Catechism of the Council of Trent—Judas and Cain. Let us look at one of them—Judas. Why is he in Hell? Is it because he betrayed Jesus and turned him over to the Sanhendrin? No. Is it because he committed suicide? No. It is because he despaired of God’s forgiveness. Cain did the same.
God is willing to extend pardon, a conviction necessary to the sinner, lest perchance the bitter remembrance and acknowledgment of his sins should be followed by despair of pardon, as was the case of old with Cain and Judas, both of whom held God to be solely an avenger and punisher of crime, and not also a God of clemency and mercy.—Catechism of the Council of Trent Part IV, Chapter XIV, Question IV
The pope invites all to experience God’s love and forgiveness through coming to know Christ. He wants them to know and reciprocate a deeper love in Christ.
So, he is preaching a spirituality leading Catholics to introduce all to Christ so Our Lord can lead them and us to his holiness. Francis wants to make sure we lead all away from the path to despair.
Many fighting the pope do not understand this tack. They demonstrate their failure to comprehend the pope’s words about Hell.
The darkness being revealed
A faction among the pope’s enemies appears to rejoice over souls going to Hell and, obviously, believe they won’t be among them.
Francis’ words revealed the darkness. Those not in the “we hate Bergoglio” camp are able to see just how dark that camp is. It is clearly not of God.
Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it (John 3:17). Jesus’ words over and over again invited the multitude to repentance and to embrace Jesus’ teachings as a new anthropology. His enemies manipulated the Torah to oppress many and persecute Jesus to His death.
We know that our Catholic faith teaches that when Our Lord returns, He will judge the world. So, our mission is to bring the message of Christ to the world and that message is to lead people to Christ. We must teach others to know His truth prior to this time. St. Faustina taught that this is the time of mercy to precede the time of judgment. The pope missions us and he reminds us that we must be people of prayer to accomplish our mission.
Those who hate us “popesplainers” seem so focused on believing that the vast majority will go to Hell by quoting different visions of saints, they seem to be satisfied with this horror without taking any action to prevent it. I truly believe that if Hell is not empty, some Catholics who go there will consider themselves the holiest of people right up until that time.
Jesus himself warned of this in the parable of the pharisee and the publican. (Luke 18:9-14).
Speaking of Hell
I do speak of Hell when necessary in my homilies and I also point out that Jesus condemned by silence. Notice, for example, that he never returned to the town square to prove He resurrected from the dead. He simply appeared exclusively to five hundred of those disciples not involved in his death. Neither did he speak to King Herod or to the bad thief on the cross during his “trial” and execution, respectively.
He used silence or in his parables he uses words such as “I never knew you.” The people to whom He was most silent were His most closed-hearted detractors. Now we read the gospel accounts and we recognize His enemies.
The light of the gospel reveals the darkness of their hearts. I point out every Lent that if you go through the daily readings, as you approach Good Friday, you will notice each day the pharisees’ hearts get harder and harder until evil consumes them. Remember, they believed they were correct.
We see the same thing with those who hate the pope. Many are revealing a darkness in their heart in the focus on Hell. I say also from the altar that it would seem they dance through their Catholic ministry cubicles every time they believe someone suffers damnation—Not that they actually do that. Meanwhile, they expect they themselves will be welcomed into Heaven.
If anything, I believe, the pope is using the tools that pastors also employ. They reveal to the world those who embraced an angry, unmerciful form of Catholicism instead of welcoming everyone into the barque of Christ. We want all in this vessel to be converted more and more to Him including ourselves. This is what it actually means to be a Catholic.
Let us not forget that an ancient symbol of the Church is as a lifeboat. In the Titanic story, we see two kinds of the rescued in lifeboats. Those who refrained to rescue more souls and those who went out looking to save more. The detractors of the pope seem to be the former and we popesplainers try to be the latter. Either way, by the pope using his pastoral tools, we can see the difference through the light of Christ shining into the darkness.
Fr. Robert J Carr is the pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Allston, MA
Check out his podcast at https://catholicaudiomedia.com
photo: Boris Stroujko via BigStockPhoto.com