HURRAH FOR FATHER Z!!!

A very tired Father Z at the end of the conclave

I was expecting Traditonalists to be upset at the election of the pope, no matter who he would be.  But many are really going over the top and making outright scandalous and heretical statements.  Father Z has a loyal Traditionalist following, and they are not holding back on his blog, either.  But Father Z has decided to put his foot down and is closing the window on these kind of posts.  From his blog, which you can read here:

Dear readers,

Over the years it has been part of my plan to provide a space in which – to put it bluntly – some of you of the more traditionalist flavor could vent a little. After decades of what can only be called oppression and heart-breaking disappointment, some of you were understandably angry. Some venting has been necessary now and then for the sake of healing the bruises.

In the last few years I have sensed that some of the more traditionalist flavor were finally beginning to unclench a bit. Thus, the time for a certain kind of venting is drawing to a close.

Since the announcement of a new Pope last night, I had to clean some really harsh things out of the combox and the comment queue. I lost sleep doing so, and I don’t appreciate that at all. I am grateful also for the work of a friend in the USA to whom I gave the blog’s keys for occasions when I couldn’t be online.

I won’t stand for bashing the new Pope here. It isn’t going to happen in my combox. You are NOT welcome to come into my living room and have a spittle-flecked nutty like whining liberals do whenever Catholic teaching and discipline is reaffirmed. I don’t expect “papolatry”. I ask for respect and decorum when concerns or disagreements are expressed.

I am absolutely thrilled to read this.  As I have pointed out in the past, I have been somewhat alarmed at harsh comments Father Z has allowed to stand on his blog.  Being someone who is very much looked up to in the Traditionalist world, it is very important that he not allow anti-papal statements to stand.

Father Z's next paragraph concerns me a bit, but as he says, we'll just wait and see what happens:

If it turns out that our new Pope starts us down a path you or I don’t like, then we will discuss those matters as they come along. But… how long has he been Pope?

I do have a very real apprehension about the direction the Traditionalists are going to be taking with Pope Francis.  As I posted previously, one Catholic friend of mine said on Saturday before the conclave even started, "I hope this next pope isn't the anti-pope."  It's like they are just waiting to pounce on the pope and rebel against him

Pray for our Church and pray for the Holy Father.