My Unabashed Support for Pope Francis

Pope Francis is under siege now in a way we have never seen any papacy attacked in modern times. The enemies of Pope Francis want him out of the papacy and they will go to almost any lengths to do it. They use every kind of invective possible against him. They accuse him of being the devil himself.

One of John Zuhlsdorf's readers asked Zuhlsdorf if it was okay to pray for the pope's death. You would think a good priest would say that we need to pray that the pope be guided by the Holy Spirit and protected from all evil forces, given the courage and ability to fulfill the duties of his office.

Nope. Zuhlsdorf did not have the least problem with praying for the death of the pope. 

And now these enemies of Pope Francis feel they have finally gotten the weapon they need to blow Pope Francis out of the water.  That weapon, of course, is Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.  

Some news sources are reporting a coup in the Church.  I think the word "coup" is a very good description of these events.  

Which side is the Holy Spirit on?  Is the Holy Spirit the inspiration for those who attack and smear Pope Francis?  Does the Holy Spirit inspire division and hate?  

I am unabashed in my support of Pope Francis.  I think he is one of the most holy men to ever sit in the Chair of Peter.  We have been very blessed with good and holy popes for the past 150 years or more.  Pope Francis ranks up there with the best of them.  

I see Pope Francis as a holy man of God who has given his entire life in service to the Church. Unlike many in his position, his greatest joy is being around the weak and poor.  I will always think of him in Washington, DC, turning down a luncheon with the high and mighty in the US Congress and instead spending his time in a soup kitchen among the homeless. We have never seen any high ranking prelate, and certainly never a Pope, choosing the poor over the powerful, at least not in our lifetime.

.A girl hugs Pope Francis as he visits with people at St. Maria's Meals Program of Catholic Charities in Washington Sept. 24. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Everything about Pope Francis shouts "authentic!"  Never have we had any prelate or pope identify himself to the world as a "sinner."  Never have we seen a pope kneel down at the confessional as an example for all the world.

Never have we seen a pope kneeling down and not just washing the feet of poor refugees, but kissing their feet and treating them with the utmost dignity and respect in ways they may have never experienced before.

And we know that these kind of actions didn't just begin when he was elected Pope.  AOL.com reported that:

"Bergoglio passed up the opportunity as Argentina's archbishop to live in the grand Archbishop's Palace in Buenos Aires -- the official residence. Instead, he chose to live in a "small room" in a downtown Buenos Aires apartment building, where he commuted by bus to the Metropolitan Cathedral. In this humble space, Cardinal Bergoglio even did his own cooking -- and the place was only heated by a small stove, said USA Today."

He rode the subway with the public, always making himself available to anyone who wished to speak with him. He regularly visited the poor in their neighborhoods.

As a cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio made it a habit to preach in Buenos Aires' Constitución square. He also formed a close bond with Paraguayans and Bolivians in the Buenos Aires slums.

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio kissing Cristian Marcelo Reynoso’s foot during a Masswith youth trying to overcome drug addiction in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2008.

Cardinal Bogoglio in Buenos Aires.

Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio takes the Line A of the underground prior to the celebration of the traditional Tedeum mass at the Metropolitan Cathedral on May 25, 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

We have been hearing so much about priests and bishops who put themselves above the people, living their own lives, seeking after pleasure and comfort.  But Jorge Bergoglio has always lived his life for others.  Back in the 70's and 80's he put his life at risk getting people out of Argentina when they were being hunted down by the military, as the New York Post reported in an article entitled, "Pope Francis saved many from Argentina’s death squads."

Pope Francis loves Our Lady.  He dedicated his papacy to her from the beginning.  He says, despite his busy schedule, he manages to pray three rosaries every day.  He also spends an hour in adoration every day.  Can we say that?  

He is not in the best of health. He has only one lung, and other health problems.  He never allows that to stop him.  He has received assassination threats when he has traveled.  He has never allowed that to stop him from going into the crowds and meeting the people.  He must give ulcers to his security detail.  

Pope Francis loves people.  He invites the poor and homeless into the Vatican to have lunch with him. He makes personal phone calls and counsels people over the phone.  

He lives in a small apartment outside the papal apartments where he is much more accessible to people.  He never turns anyone away.  There is the very famous picture of Pope Francis hugging a very deformed man, not in the least put off by his appearance.  

And yet no Pope in recent history has ever been as reviled, mocked and hated by those who call themselves Catholic as Pope Francis has experienced.  I reported the vile words used by Michael Voris accusing Pope Francis of conspiring with evil.  Read these awful accusations and see if they have any connection to the man I just described:

You have treated too many of the faithful with coldness and callousness, abusing the power of your office in regard to their sufferings over this horrendous unconscionable evil which you have facilitated.

. . .

Your hypocritical and shameless parade of empty words of sorrow and pleading for forgiveness are an egregious affront to those who believe in God, because you lack all sincerity.

How many trips are you going to take, paid for by the faithful, where you continue to meet with victims, supposedly mourn with them and then return to Rome and conspire with those who abused them or created the environment for the abuse — or both?

Your actions and omissions have left you unable to reign over the Church in any meaningful way. You have no credibility, no moral authority, not a shred of decency left after having covered up one scandal after another, until the day you go to your own grave.

You had better hope that this is not the state you die in, or you will be delivered over to the demons for an everlasting death of agony and torment in the unquenchable fire, for popes are not immune from risk of damnation, whether you believe in Hell or not.

Voris has the gall to accuse Pope Francis of not believing in hell, when no pope has ever preached more about the danger of going to hell.  Voris is a disgrace to his religion.  He is the one who should be worrying about eternity.

Pope Francis has been given a very heavy cross.  He is the spiritual leader of many who despise him and would literally like to see him dead.  He is human, and he has said he does have trouble dealing with the hatred directed towards him.  But I have no doubt that this only drives him more to his knees.  

Our Lord told us that by their fruits we will know them.  When I look at Pope Francis, I see a humble, holy man who loves God and loves His people.  I see a man who will literally sacrifice his life to serve God.

Pray for the Pope.