Cardinal Ouellet to Archbishop Vigano: "Such a thing cannot come from God’s Spirit"

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, has come out with a scathing response to Archbishop Vigano's attack against Pope Francis.   He published an open letter to Vigano on October 7 [HERE].

Ouellet makes many profound and serious statements and charges in his letter, but there is one statement in particular which should shake Vigano to his core, as well as anyone else who supports the Archbishop in his attack against Pope Francis:

Reading how you concluded your last message, apparently very spiritual, mocking and casting doubt on his faith, seemed to me to be really too sarcastic, even blasphemous! Such a thing cannot come from God’s Spirit.

This is the statement referred to by Ouellet in Vigano's last letter:

Has Christ perhaps become invisible to his vicar? Perhaps is he being tempted to try to act as a substitute of our only Master and Lord? 

Vigano's attack is not against Pope Francis.  It is light years more serious than that.

The Office of the Papacy is guarded and protected by none other than the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.  Although the man occupying the Chair of Peter may be a great sinner, he can never, in his official capacity as Vicar of Christ and spiritual leader of the Church, act against the Holy Spirit and mislead the Church.  This is the definition of papal infallibility, a doctrine of the Catholic Church.

As Cardinal Ouellet writes in his letter:

Is not communion with the Successor of Peter an expression of our obedience to Christ who chose him and sustains him with his grace?

It is no exaggeration to say that to attack the Pope is, in reality, an attack against the Holy Spirit, the true leader of the Church.

Cardinal Ouellet is saying that Vigano's actions are of demonic origin and a direct and blasphemous assault upon the Holy Spirit.  This is a sin of unimaginable proportions, directly inspired by Satan himself.

This teaching is found in Mark 3, which relates the incident of the Pharisees accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan.

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

Jesus responded to them:

28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

Nothing can be more serious than this.

Yet, none other than Father John Zuhlsdorf pushed this aside as being of no consequence, contradicting Cardinal Ouellet and denying that Vigano's actions were in any way blasphemous.

This was Zuhlsdorf's comment in red to Ouellet's statement:

Reading how you end your last, seemingly very spiritual message, making light of yourself and casting doubt on his faith, seemed to me really too sarcastic, even blasphemous! This cannot come from the Spirit of God. [Blasphemy?  I suggest that blasphemy is really about detraction against God, not against any human being, no matter what his role.]

Zuhlsdorf's comment is evidence of one of two things  Either Zuhlsdorf is completely ignorant of the divine origin of the Papacy, and ignorant of the doctrine of Papal infallibility, or Zuhlsdorf places no importance on the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Papacy.  John Zuhlsdorf is actually placing himself in danger of blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

It is really tragic that Catholics do not read the Bible.  If they did, they would realize the danger they are in when rebelling against those whom God has placed in authority.

Look at the example of Korah rebelling against Moses.  Korah was of the priestly tribe, the Levites, but that wasn't good enough for him.  He felt he should have as much power and authority as Moses.

Numbers 16:1-3:

Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men.

And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men.

They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?”

When confronted by Korah, Moses prayed.  Then he faced his accusers.  Moses told them that their rebellion was not about him and his brother, Aaron.  It was much more serious.  Verse 11:

It is against the Lord that you and all your company have gathered together.

As a result of their rebellion, not against Moses but against God, the earth literally opened up and swallowed Korah and those with him.

In the book of I Samuel is the story of David, chosen to replace the evil Saul as King of Israel.  Even though the young shepherd boy was made King of Israel by the prophet Samuel, Saul remained on the throne.  Saul became aware that David was to replace him and sought to kill him, forcing David to literally run for his life.

As Saul was pursuing David, he took a rest in a cave, not knowing that David and his men were at the back of that very same cave.  David's men told him that this was his chance.  I Samuel 24:4:

The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.

That doesn't sound so bad, does it?  David didn't hurt Saul.  He just cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

But that is not how David saw it.  David had personally attacked God's anointed.  He had humiliated Saul, exposing how weak he really was.  Even though David was the rightful king and Saul was his enemy literally trying to kill him, David felt intense sorrow for his disrespectful and disdainful actions against Saul.

Verses 5-7:

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”

With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

Two chapters later, Numbers 26, David and one of his men, Abishai, came across a sleeping Saul in his camp with his spear stuck in the ground next to his head.  Abishai figured this was their chance to do away with Saul.  Verse 8:

Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”

Here is David looking at the man who wanted him dead.  It would be so easy to just get rid of his enemy once and for all.  But there was a problem:  Saul was God's anointed, and David knew it.  Verses 9-11:

But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?

As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.

Saul was a very evil king, and God had already decided that David was to replace him.  But David recognized that Saul was God's anointed, and only God had the right to judge him.  David would never dare usurp the authority of God.   

These two examples show us how serious God views those who act against the ones He sets in authority.  He sees it not as rebellion against a human being, but rebellion against God Himself.

Cardinal Ouellet wrote to Vigano:

[Y]our current position appears incomprehensible and extremely deplorable to me, not only because of the confusion that it sows in the People of God, but also because your public accusations seriously damage the reputation of the Successors of the Apostles

Division and strife are never the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  These things always come from the devil.

Cardinal Ouellet appeals to Vigano:

Dear brother, how much I wish that I could help you return to communion with him who is the visible guarantor of communion in the Catholic Church. I understand that deceptions and sufferings have marked your path in the service to the Holy See, but you should not finish your priestly life involved in an open and scandalous rebellion that inflicts a very painful wound to the Bride of Christ, whom you pretend to serve better, while causing further division and confusion among the People of God. How could I answer your call except by saying: stop living clandestinely, repent of your rebelliousness, and come back to better feelings towards the Holy Father, instead of fostering hostility against him. How can you celebrate Mass and mention his name in the Eucharistic Prayer? How can you pray the Holy Rosary, or pray to Saint Michael the Archangel, or to the Mother of God, while condemning the one Our Lady protects and accompanies every day in his burdensome and courageous mission?

I am convinced that those who believe that Pope Francis is an evil man out to destroy the church can never be dissuaded from their beliefs.  They cling to this belief as if it was life itself.  It truly would not matter if Jesus Christ appeared and told them they were wrong.  They consider everyone who disagrees with him as an agent of the devil, and I am certain they would see Jesus Christ in that same light.

But if they continue trying to literally destroy Pope Francis, Biblical and historical precedence tells us that it will end very badly for them.

We live in very evil times.  Satan is extremely active, pointing his guns directly at the Vicar of Christ, knowing that if he can destroy the Papacy, he can destroy the Church and bring many souls to hell.

Don't be among them.  Stay with Peter.  Where Peter is, there is the Church.