What Is The Purpose Of The Pope's Visit? - Belle Ringer - http://www.salvationandsurvival.com/2015/09/the-narrow-gate-no-longer-applies.html
I need to begin this blog by making it clear that it is not my intention to offend or wound those of the Catholic faith. Indeed, I am not questioning your faith or belief in God... that is something that we share. But if you read this blog with any amount of regularity, then you know that I am disparaged of the shape that Jesus's Church is in ... and that includes all churches, including the Catholic Church. And not being a Catholic, I do not invest allegiance or loyalty to the Pope as my intercessor. I do not judge those who do; I simply follow a different path. I choose to adhere to the commands and voice of my Lord through His Holy Word in the Bible.
Now, that I've made my position clear, I want to address my initial opinion of this Pope's historic visit to the U.S. Pope Francis, perhaps far more than any of his predecessors, is seen as "the people's Pope". He seems to have a foot in both worlds; gently admonishing the Church to not be silent in the face of humanity's issues, such as hunger, poverty, terrorism, abortion, and the immigrants that he refers to as "pilgrims". In fact, he has made economic justice and social equality a hallmark of his Papacy, as well as climate change. He has also stood strong for the institutions of family and marriage, along with calls for tolerance and non-discrimination.
But here is what concerns me... Those throughout our cultural and social fabric are looking to him to help solidify their political agendas. Forgive me for being so bold but, to me, it cheapens one's declared faith in God. While announcing that Francis's visit is calling attention to, and unifying the faithful throughout this nation and the world, from what I've seen so far, the Elite are using the Pope's visit to further their own political and social motives.
It was quite obvious in the President's welcoming address; he correctly lavished praise on the Pope for the excitement that 70 million Catholics in this nation are experiencing due to his visit. But if you read the transcript of his speech, you can see religious homilies like mercy, grace and compassion used to subtly inject his political agenda on immigration; racial discrimination; diplomacy versus war; Christians versus Muslims; saving our planet; and of course, his ever-present campaign slogan of hope.
The Pope, himself, did not shy away from interjecting his own worldly motives for this trip; among them "building a just and vastly ordered society" and "sustainable and integrated development". He also found it encouraging that the President is proposing an initiative for reducing air pollution. Isn't this a rather odd testimony for a Pope? Does anyone else think that the Pope sounds like a representative for the United Nations and Agenda 21?
But perhaps it was the political pundits on the news outlets that were the most astonishing, among them, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who best exemplified the real and underlying message from this historic visit. RFK was particularly proud that he shares the name of Francis with the Pope (as did his father), because the historic Saint Francis broke with the Church hierarchy over their fixation on orthodoxy and ideology. He was quick to point out that this resulted in a creed that "all of us have access to God, particularly the poor".
He went on to say, "This Pope has taken the focus away from the orthodoxy and ideology, and from the narrow concern of personal morality, and opened it up to say the Church must become more concerned with these larger issues -- war and peace, poverty, inequalities in our economic order and above all, with pollution -- and that is the sin that we need to focus on today."
WOW! Did you get that? Pollution is now a sin?!? Have you read that anywhere in the Bible? Oh, I forgot ... It is quite obvious to me that it is the "orthodoxy and ideology" of the Bible that RFK wishes this Francis to break. But to me and millions of Christians worldwide, that "orthodoxy" is God's Truth.
It is also apparent that the Elite find those who look to the "orthodoxy" of the Bible for their moral views to be narrow-minded and intolerant. All I can think of is Jesus's admonition in Matthew 7:13-14: Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life, and there are few who find it.
So, now personal morality is to be seen as narrow-minded and of less concern than climate change? Apparently so, if you consider RFK's next statement: "I hope that the Pope will emphasize global climate change as a moral issue; as a sin. It is our obligation to future generations, and to put moral parameters on our behavior [regarding how we treat the planet]". Excuse me?!? Climate change as a moral issue? Moral parameters on how we treat the planet? How about abortion and transgenderism and pedophilia among the priesthood as moral issues; and shouldn't we be setting moral parameters on that behavior???
It is obvious from comments by Kennedy and others that there is hope the Pope will influence public policy in our country during his visit. Here's one statement to prove this point: "Should the Pope influence policy -- after all, he speaks for 70 million Catholics in this country -- he will be a good role model. The U.S. is the most powerful nation in the world, and we have a special obligation to the rest of the world to treat people fairly and model behaviors that are moral behaviors, like forcing the economy to serve humanity." (Oops! There's re-distribution of wealth!) Once again I'd like to point out that our behavior regarding abortion, the destruction of the Biblical family, the criticism of Biblical marriage, and the promotion of transgenderism have been far from moral, although these Elite have championed them all.
I heard statements such as this, regarding the Pope's visit and his address to Congress: that we should "focus on global warming to the welfare of all human beings on the planet." What about the welfare of the 55 million babies we are responsible for aborting? Shouldn't we address that issue before tackling global warming? And, then there is the controversial decision by the Pope to give priests the discretion to grant absolution to women who have had an abortion. I realize that this is an issue that will naturally put me at odds with Catholics... but I believe that a woman will have to go to God to receive forgiveness for the murder of God's creation; no man can do that in His place. So I sincerely believe that any attempt to connect this Papal decision to God's Jubilee Year and the forgiveness of debts is misguided; and me and my faithful Catholic friends will just have to agree to disagree.
Finally, I think it was Robert F. Kennedy's final words that struck me as so paradoxical. He said we should "quit looking at those things that divide us and look at what unifies us". I suspect that he was suggesting that we should just compromise on the moral issues that are dividing the Church and society in America --- issues like same-sex marriage; and the ability to choose your own sexual identity; and even the issue of whether radical Islam is a threat to humanity -- give up the narrow way and get on the bandwagon with a global and ecumenical movement. Except, this is how I see it: it is precisely because we did quit looking at these things [that divided us and separated us from God] that we are in the mess we're in.
I'm sorry, but I am not looking to any man -- and that includes the Pope -- to give me counsel or hope in my eternal future. And when I see religious world leaders aligning themselves with political world leaders and organizations, it only confirms what the Holy Spirit reveals to me [in my spirit] and through the Bible... the time is nearing when men's hearts will fail them because false prophets and leaders have deceived them and led the world astray. Now is the time to know what you believe and in Whom you believe. Be careful to choose your path wisely ... do not enter the wide gate of worldly tolerance and compromise. Yes, it's true that the narrow path and gate are more difficult to enter -- and the world will condemn you for the stand you take -- but your eternal rewards will surpass any and all benefits that the New World Order promises from unity with their "ordered society". It will be interesting to see what transpires from this historic Papal visit, and how it aligns with a Biblical worldview. May God continue to stand with the faithful and give us courage and strength to endure!
1 John 5:4 "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith."
Inauspicious Timing of Pope Francis, Obama Meeting on Jewish Judgement Day - By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz - http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/49361/auspicious-timing-of-pope-francis-obama-meeting-on-jewish-judgement-day-jewish-world/?utm_source=Breaking+Israel+News&utm_campaign=4e9c422d54-BIN_morning_09_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b6d3627f72-4e9c422d54-86588445#u6L6yimTY1kqEosh.97
"This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you." (Leviticus 16:29)
In a meeting fraught with meaning and more than a bit of controversy and tension, Pope Francis is being hosted at the White House by US President Barack Obama on Tuesday, a day which happens to be the holiest day of the Jewish Year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgement.
Though this is not the first meeting between Obama and the Pope, this is the first time that the president will host the Catholic leader, who has also been invited to address a special joint session of Congress.
Gathered on the South Lawn of the White House to greet Pope Francis will be Gene Robinson, the first gay Episcopal bishop in the US; Mateo Williamson, the transgender head of the LGBT Catholic group Dignity USA; and Sister Simone Campbell, a nun who runs Network. She was the focus of the Holy See's disapproval due to her lobbying in support of Obamacare, despite the fact that it funds abortions and compels Catholic institutions to provide birth control for employees.
Though the Vatican has not objected to the guest list, a senior Vatican official told the Wall Street Journal that they were concerned there will be an attempt to maneuver the Pope into a photo-op that would be viewed as tacit endorsement of those views which are objectionable to the Church.
Following the publication of the guest list in the Wall Street Journal last week, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters he was unaware of the specific names on the guest list, but assured them it was not meant as a snub "because there will be 15,000 other people there too."
The Pope's visit to the White House comes at a time when Jewish relations with both those entities are particularly troubled. There are no indications this meeting will help the situation. The Vatican recently signed a treaty with the Palestinian Authority (PA), officially recognizing "Palestine" as a state.
Though not an official branch of the Israeli government, the nascent Sanhedrin recently held a special session addressing this grave issue and questioned his support of Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president, who the Pope has called "an angel of peace." In their statement, the Sanhedrin said that by recognizing the PA, Pope Francis is essentially rejecting the Biblical roots of the Jewish claim to the Land of Israel.
Despite attracting more than 70 percent of the Jewish vote in both of his successful election runs, Obama's policy towards Israel and his nuclear deal with Iran has damaged the longstanding relationship the Democratic party has had with American Jews and perhaps even with its most loyal ally, Israel. The American Jewish community has become polarized as a result.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies, supported Obama in both elections, but ran a multi-million dollar campaign against his nuclear deal with Iran. J Street, a left-wing Washington-based Jewish lobbying group, supported the nuclear deal with a campaign of its own. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a powerful opponent to the Obama-led agreement between Iran and the P5+1 world powers that will leave Iran's nuclear program intact.
Of equal concern, and equally divisive, is the Pope's address to the United Nations General Assembly two days after his reception at the White House. Upon his arrival, the Pope will be greeted by the sight of the flags of the UN member nations, including the flag of the PA. The UN recently passed by an overwhelming majority a resolution that allows states with official observer status to fly their flags. In an ironic twist, the only other nation with that status is the Vatican, and they respectfully declined that privilege.
Rather than build bridges and make connections, the upcoming visit by the Pope seems designed to further alienate the Pope and the White House from religious American Jews, none of whom will be at the White House reception because they will be in their local synagogue praying and fasting.
In New York, Pope Francis Embraced Chrislam and Laid a Foundation for A One World Religion - By Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/in-new-york-pope-francis-embraced-chrislam-and-laid-a-foundation-for-a-one-world-religion
Remarks made by Pope Francis at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan have sparked a firestorm of criticism from those that do not believe that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Many have taken the Pope's remarks as a major step in the direction of a one world religion, and the truth is that the Pope has made other such statements in the past. In recent years, the theory that Christianity and Islam are just two distinct paths to God among many others has rapidly gained traction all over the planet. Some religious leaders have even gone so far as to try to merge Islamic and Christian practices, and the term "Chrislam" is now often used to describe this ecumenical movement. If all this sounds incredibly strange to you, just keep reading, because this is just the tip of the iceberg.
What Pope Francis had to say at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan has received very little coverage by the mainstream media, but it was exceedingly significant. The following is how he began his address...
I would like to express two sentiments for my Muslim brothers and sisters: Firstly, my greetings as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice. I would have wished my greeting to be warmer. My sentiments of closeness, my sentiments of closeness in the face of tragedy. The tragedy that they suffered in Mecca.
In this moment, I give assurances of my prayers. I unite myself with you all. A prayer to almighty god, all merciful.
He did not choose those words by accident. In Islam, Allah is known as "the all-merciful one". If you doubt this, just do a Google search.
And this is not the first time Pope Francis has used such language. For instance, the following comes from remarks that he made during his very first ecumenical meeting as Pope...
I then greet and cordially thank you all, dear friends belonging to other religious traditions; first of all the Muslims, who worship the one God, living and merciful, and call upon Him in prayer, and all of you. I really appreciate your presence: in it I see a tangible sign of the will to grow in mutual esteem and cooperation for the common good of humanity.
The Catholic Church is aware of the importance of promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions - I wish to repeat this: promoting friendship and respect between men and women of different religious traditions - it also attests the valuable work that the Pontifical Council for interreligious dialogue performs.
Pope Francis clearly believes that Christians and Muslims worship the exact same God. And so that helps to explain why he authorized "Islamic prayers and readings from the Quran" at the Vatican for the first time ever back in 2014.
Catholicism and Islam are the two largest religions on the entire planet, and so any one world religion would need to incorporate both of those belief systems. Sadly, this Pope seems to be quite eager to lay the groundwork for such a one world religion.
Pope Francis made another statement at St. Patrick's Cathedral that has shocked believers all over the planet. Apparently this Pope seems to think that the cross was a "failure"...
The cross shows us a different way of measuring success. Ours is to plant the seeds. God sees to the fruits of our labors. And if at times our efforts and works seem to fail and not produce fruit, we need to remember that we are followers of Jesus Christ and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross.
After he made that statement, he didn't continue to go on and explain that the cross was ultimately a great victory. He just ended his thought and moved on to other topics.
Needless to say, many are extremely upset by this. The following comes from Leo Zagami of Infowars.com...
These words have of course outraged most true Christians around the world who cannot imagine Christianity without the value of the cross, which symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for mankind. It's impossible for a Christian of any denomination to imagine the very essence of their faith being discussed in this way, let alone by the Pope. The fact that blood was shed on the cross by Jesus for the ultimate self-sacrifice that could help rid mankind of all sins is one of those essentials of the Faith that should never be questioned.
The mainstream media persists with their undying affection for Pope Francis, never commenting on this outrageous statement.
But even though the Pope is saying things like this, his legend just seems to grow by the day. Even in the United States, throngs of faithful devotees are treating him like he is some sort of supernatural being...
Everywhere he goes, Pope Francis attracts worshipful crowds of people, straining and reaching to touch any part of him as if something spiritual and holy could be imparted to them by doing so. People weep, they cry, they hold up their sick children and beg him to touch them in the hopes they will be healed.
And this is even true of members of Congress. Just check out the disgraceful behavior that some of them have displayed...
Representative Bob Brady, a devout Catholic and Democrat from Pennsylvania immediately made his way to the podium after Pope Francis finished speaking and grabbed the glass that was still filled with water. He then drank the water, gave some of the water to his wife Debra, and saved the rest for his grandchildren. Representative Brady took photos as well, and had his staff send them out to the press. He also shared some of the water with members of his staff and assistant, also a devout Catholic. As for the saved water, he plans to sprinkle it on his grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
I don't know about you, but major alarm bells start going off for me when I read stuff like this.
We are witnessing the initial stages of the rise of a one world religion, and much of the planet is ultimately going to embrace it.
Pope Invoking Globalization - Leo Lyon Zagami - http://www.infowars.com/pope-invoking-globalization/
Pope tearing down Christianity in bid for One World Religion
The US visit of the first Jesuit Pope in history concluded with a speech in Philadelphia's Independence Mall for a crowd of an estimated 50,000 at the "World Meeting of Families." He pushed for globalization and his usual immigration agenda, preaching for immigrants' religious freedoms in the presence of many celebrities which arrived from all over America. This after receiving an unusual blessing from Madonna during her concert in Philadelphia two days earlier, which featured lots of religious imagery including crosses used improperly, and fake nuns.
The closing event for Pope Francis followed his Mass in "Francisville," which the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia renamed the city during mass, at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter and Paul. It was quite boring compared to his appearance in New York at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan for the evening prayer, where he delivered pretty shocking words, stating with no shame to his flock that: "We need to remember that we are followers of Jesus Christ and his life, humanly speaking, ended in failure, the failure of the cross."
These words have of course outraged most true Christians around the world who cannot imagine Christianity without the value of the cross, which symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus for mankind. It's impossible for a Christian of any denomination to imagine the very essence of their faith being discussed in this way, let alone by the Pope. The fact that blood was shed on the cross by Jesus for the ultimate self-sacrifice that could help rid mankind of all sins is one of those essentials of the Faith that should never be questioned.
The mainstream media persists with their undying affection for Pope Francis, never commenting on this outrageous statement.
So why is the Jesuit Pope putting the sacrifice of the cross into question? The answer is to gradually prepare us for "One World Religion," where no symbol will prevail over the other in the name of ecumenism. For this reason, the disgraceful use of the cross by people like Madonna is not only tolerated, but encouraged in their mission to destroy Christianity's symbols.
The New World Order destroyed the sacrality of the Petrine Ministry when they forced Joseph Ratzinger to resign back in 2013 under the priority of constructing and promoting with Pope Francis a "One World Religion." The interfaith ceremony on the 25th of September 2015, at the "Ground Zero Memorial," was concocted by James Massa, a Brooklyn bishop who has been a national Catholic leader on interfaith work. A truly staged event, Pope Francis surrounded himself with supposed leaders of other faiths, that in reality seemed to the expert eye, more like well-placed actors in a well-crafted Jesuit play. There was Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the young Khalid Latif, described by Wikipedia as someone who "has offered his experience to the U.S. State Department." The only genuine figure amongst the many seemed the current Archbishop Demetrios, of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Ex-arch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, who by the way seemed distant and cold to Pope Francis during the entire ceremony.
Of course most of America's media loves Pope Francis' interreligious ways. The Huffington Post reported that Imam Sayyid M. Syeed stated before the Pope's historic visit to the US that, "Much of Catholic America is excited about Pope Francis' first visit to the United States - and so are many American Muslims," adding that Francis' visit, "is even more important for Muslims than it is for Catholics." Are you shocked? Not yet? Well, "This pope," the Imam said, "is our pope."
During his speech at St. Patrick's Cathedral Pope Francis stated to his now loyal Muslims, "I would like to express two sentiments for my Muslim brothers and sisters: Firstly, my greetings as they celebrate the feast of sacrifice. I would have wished my greeting to be warmer. My sentiments of closeness, my sentiments of closeness in the face of tragedy. The tragedy that they suffered in Mecca. In this moment, I give assurances of my prayers. I unite myself with you all. A prayer to almighty god, all merciful."
The stage is now set, and you may not realize this yet, but during the interfaith service at Ground Zero with Pope Francis, on the 25th of September of the year of Our Lord 2015, One World Religion has been activated. But never mind that, let's just listen to the Young People's Chorus of New York City as they sing happily during the departure of the Holy Father from Ground Zero: "Let there be peace on Earth."
George Will: Petrus Romanus Is the False Prophet That Would Lead the World to Ruin - George Will - http://skywatchtv.com/2015/09/24/george-will-petrus-romanus-is-the-false-prophet-that-would-lead-the-world-to-ruin/
Francis grew up around the rancid political culture of Peronist populism, the sterile redistributionism that has reduced his Argentina from the world's 14th highest per-capita GDP in 1900 to 63rd today. Francis' agenda for the planet, "global regulatory norms," would globalize Argentina's downward mobility. As the world spurns his church's teachings about abortion, contraception, divorce, same-sex marriage and other matters, Francis jauntily makes his church congruent with the secular religion of "sustainability." Because this is hostile to growth, it fits Francis' seeming sympathy for medieval stasis, when his church ruled the roost, economic growth was essentially nonexistent and life expectancy was around 30. Francis' fact-free flamboyance reduces him to a shepherd whose selectively reverent flock, genuflecting only at green altars, is tiny relative to the publicity it receives from media otherwise disdainful of his church. He stands against modernity, rationality, science and, ultimately, the spontaneous creativity of open societies in which people and their desires are not problems but precious resources. Americans cannot simultaneously honor him and celebrate their nation's premises.
Pope Francis embodies sanctity but comes trailing clouds of sanctimony. With a convert's indiscriminate zeal, he embraces ideas impeccably fashionable, demonstrably false, and deeply reactionary.
They would devastate the poor on whose behalf he purports to speak, if his policy prescriptions were not as implausible as his social diagnoses are shrill.
Supporters of Francis have bought newspaper and broadcast advertisements to disseminate some of his woolly sentiments that have the intellectual tone of fortune cookies. One example: "People occasionally forgive, but nature never does."
The Vatican's majesty does not disguise the vacuity of this. Is Francis intimating that environmental damage is irreversible? He neglects what technology has accomplished regarding London's air (see Page 1 of Dickens' "Bleak House") and other matters.
And the Earth is becoming "an immense pile of filth"? Hyperbole is a predictable precursor of yet another U.N. Climate Change Conference - the 21st since 1995. Fortunately, rhetorical exhibitionism increases as its effectiveness diminishes.
In his June encyclical and elsewhere, Francis lectures about our responsibilities, but neglects the duty to be as intelligent as one can be. This man who says "the church does not presume to settle scientific questions" proceeds as though everything about which he declaims is settled, from imperiled plankton to air conditioning being among humanity's "harmful habits."
The church that thought it was settled science that Galileo was heretical should be attentive to all evidence. Francis deplores "compulsive consumption," a sin to which the 1.3 billion persons without even electricity can only aspire.
He leaves the Vatican to jet around praising subsistence farming, a romance best enjoyed from 30,000 feet above the realities that such farmers yearn to escape.
The saint who is Francis' namesake supposedly lived in sweet harmony with nature. For most of mankind, however, nature has been, and remains, scarcity, disease, and natural - note the adjective - disasters. Our flourishing requires affordable, abundant energy for the production of everything from food to pharmaceuticals.
Poverty has probably decreased more in the last two centuries than it has in the preceding three millennia because of industrialization powered by fossil fuels. Only economic growth has ever produced broad amelioration of poverty, and since growth began in the late 18th century, it has depended on such fuels.
Matt Ridley, author of "The Rational Optimist," notes that coal supplanting wood fuel reversed deforestation, and "fertilizer manufactured with gas halved the amount of land needed to produce a given amount of food."
The capitalist commerce that Francis disdains is the reason the portion of the planet's population living in "absolute poverty" ($1.25 a day) declined from 53 percent to 17 percent in three decades after 1981. Even in low-income countries, writes economist Indur Goklany, life expectancy increased from between 25 to 30 years in 1900 to 62 years today.
Sixty-three percent of fibers are synthetic and derived from fossil fuels; of the rest, 79 percent come from cotton, which requires synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. "Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides derived from fossil fuels," he says, "are responsible for at least 60 percent of today's global food supply."
Without fossil fuels, he says, global cropland would have to increase at least 150 percent - equal to the combined land areas of South America and the European Union - to meet current food demands.
Francis grew up around the rancid political culture of Peronist populism, the sterile redistributionism that has reduced his Argentina from the world's 14th highest per-capita GDP in 1900 to 63rd today. Francis' agenda for the planet, "global regulatory norms," would globalize Argentina's downward mobility.
As the world spurns his church's teachings about abortion, contraception, divorce, same-sex marriage and other matters, Francis jauntily makes his church congruent with the secular religion of "sustainability." Because this is hostile to growth, it fits Francis' seeming sympathy for medieval stasis, when his church ruled the roost, economic growth was essentially nonexistent and life expectancy was around 30.
Francis' fact-free flamboyance reduces him to a shepherd whose selectively reverent flock, genuflecting only at green altars, is tiny relative to the publicity it receives from media otherwise disdainful of his church.
Secular people with anti-Catholic agendas drain his prestige, a dwindling asset, into promotion of policies inimical to the most vulnerable people and unrelated to what once was the papacy's very different salvific mission.
He stands against modernity, rationality, science and, ultimately, the spontaneous creativity of open societies in which people and their desires are not problems but precious resources. Americans cannot simultaneously honor him and celebrate their nation's premises.
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