The exposed text says, and it is ‘Pope Francis’ speaking: “I have prayed for time to stop wars, to save the planet, to welcome all the refugees, to restore justice and renew the Church. But God, perhaps …”
WOW. WOW. WOW.
“But God, perhaps …”
This cartoon strip which is ULTRA FRANCIS FRIENDLY is admitting that Pope Francis’ prayers …
Well, I have SAID it BEFORE — about how Francis needs to STOP PRAYING. I have said it more forcefully.
I really don’t KNOW. That is why I am asking. Maybe it says so in the Bible? OOOPs! My mistake. Popes are NOT mentioned in the Bible. Oh?
The recent work I have been doing about popes got me THINKING (which is something I just can’t stop doing).
God & St. Peter between them must have SOME CRITERIA as to what is RIGHT and what is WRONG.
Yes? No?
Let’s, for the sake of it, take the blessing of same sex couple?
Where does God stand on that? He must have a position. Where does St. Peter stand on that?
The traditionalist are opposed to that and many other things. Are THEY RIGHT? Is God on their side. What about St. Peter.
From what I know, (THOUGH, I, OF COURSE, don’t believe in heaven (and SURE don’t won’t to be stuck there for eternity), St. Peter is the arbitrator. Plus, popes are his special envoys.
Just asking. Let me know. Are there any OFFICIAL Church teachings as to popes and heaven.
I know of AT LEAST two popes who deserve to be in heaven. AND PLEASE, don’t start talking about SAINTS. Men create popes as Saints! Not God. God, & St. Peter, are not bound by what men do, even popes … especially the ones that they might not let into heaven.
The ONLY two popes I can be sure of. My FAVORITE pope of ALL TIME — Saint Celestine V. Now that was a POPE. He was a MAN. He was a true Saint. My next Saint John XXIII.
Pope Francis (possibly to the surprise of some) is dead right in that a pope can resign BUT the thorny issue has to do with the part that he added claiming: ‘there was nothing wrong‘. That claim is contentious.
Papal resignations, thanks to St. Celestine V (#196, 1294), have been legally permissible since 1294. Celestine, way shrewder than most realize, got this legalized before he opted to resign. But, that was in 1294. [In 1917, papal resignations were CODIFIED within Canon Law. So, there is no doubt or debate that a pope can officially resign/retire/abdicate. Perfectly kosher.]
However, since 1294, only two popes have resigned!
726-years & 71 popes since 1294 & only 2 have resigned/retired.
ONLY 2 out of 71. 2.8%.
That must say SOMETHING.
If it was SO ‘OK’ for popes to resign don’t you think we might have had a few more.
Yes, of course, being Pope is the ultimate job in the world. Prior to Francis saying ‘NO SO’ the pope was the Vicar of Christ (on earth). It doesn’t get better than that. A Pope has total autocratic powers & within the sovereign ‘Vatican City State’ he cannot be held accountable for any of his actions BY ANYONE on earth. So, it is not a job that one would relinquish lightly.
In recent years we have seen at least two popes that hung on to the end despite serious, lingering health issues: Pius XII & John Paul II. The latter is said to have stated or implied that ‘you cannot climb down from the Cross‘.
While resignations are legal they do cause issues — unsettling the flock key among them. Then there is the possibility (some times even real danger) that there could be a schism. It also ‘weakens’ the OFFICE of the papacy — makes it feel more mortal! No longer an office held for life. An office that the holder can renounce & walk away.
So, while Francis is right that a pope can resign, he probably is wrong in saying that there is nothing wrong with it.
