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Showing posts from September, 2024

Pope Francis: The Poison Oozes to the Surface

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Larry Chapp, ex-seminarian and renowned, retired professor of theology for 20 years has written an excellent analysis of the papal comments in Singapore. He commences by endeavouring to interpret the Pope’s remarks within their rightful context, scrupulously resisting the allure of hyperbole, so as not to exacerbate the situation further than it already stands: "Before I proceed, however, a couple of caveats are in order. First, these remarks by the pope are clearly not in any way definitive teachings of the papal magisterium. Even if we judge them as imprudent and ambiguous, there is no need to throw accusations of formal heresy around. Let’s not invent crises where none exist. The remarks are problematical, but can also be dismissed as the mere incautious musings of a pope speaking off the cuff." I recognise the need for a caution which seeks to avoid any further undermining of a papacy which is doing enough of that all on its own, but how much "informal heresy" ...

Pope Francis Says That Jesus Doesn't Matter

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Amazing Gospel this Sunday, wasn't it? Mark 8:27-35 Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’ This came directly after Pope Francis told children in Singapore "All religions are paths to reach God". Tell that to the Incans or the Mayans Holy Father! The Vatican tried to nuance this by altering the Pope's words when they published a transcript, but given that it was recorded on video, and everyone was wise to it, they eventually changed it back (do they or the Pope have any credibility left to squander?). Obviously he (the Pope) was trying to avoid offending non Catholics but if you can't expect the Pope to talk about Jesus, what on earth do you expect him to talk about? If you believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and that none can come to the Father except through Him (see Jn 14:6), how does it help t...

Synodal Metastasis

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  Gavin has had a new chat with Professor Larry Chapp. You can watch/ listen to it here: I think there are some excellent points made, especially regarding the non-prophetic stance the Vatican has taken under Pope Francis which simply accepts the current world view and seeks to conform the Church to modern progressive secular values. We have seen another major example of this trend this week as the Vatican adopts BCE and CE over BC and AD, as Katherine & Gavin discuss in this video: Returning to Gavin's discussion with Dr Chapp, the key points revolve around the idea of synodality , what it means and what the two academics think it is supposed to achieve. Neither of them are deceived. It's is very obvious to anyone with even a modicum of theology insight that the revisionist theology of proletarian privilege runs like an Ariadne’s thread through the whole thing. We can also see clearly (and this isn't mentioned in the interview) the fingerprints of the now deceased Ca...