War Council Against Pope Francis Held In Rome

Audience in Rome To discuss how to do battle with Pope Francis

Definition of War Council:  A council of war is a term in military science that describes a meeting held to decide on a course of action, usually in the midst of a battle.

Michael Matt, far right-wing radical traditionalist from Remnant Newspaper, excitedly and breathlessly released a video on Youtube on October 14 of a talk given that night by Bishop Athanasius Schneider in Rome to commemorate his new book.  Schneider's new book is actually just a very long interview he did with a radical right-wing Lifesitenews reporter.

It should be noted that there is no imprimatur on Bishop Schneider's book.  Read at your own risk.

Matt says in the video that it is the first time Schneider's book has been made available. Not exactly true.  The book was released on Amazon on September 26, about 3 weeks ago.

However, the meeting was not really about Bishop Schneider's book.  It was a planning session on how to defeat Pope Francis.  We can be sure there have been many such meetings held in private.  But this one was right out in the open, and very little was held back.

Matt entitled the video, "HUGE SIGN OF HOPE: Schneider, Burke Speak in Rome."

EWTN Officially Jumps the Shark: No Longer Catholic

Raymond Arroyo, EWTN's own beloved Pee Wee Herman, announced The World Over's Best and Worst Persons of 2018 on its last show of 2018.  And sadly, it was no shocker.

As I have discussed many, many times on this blog, Raymond Arroyo and his buddies have consistently and repeatedly criticized and denounced Pope Francis and everything he does and says.  They have done so through half truths and outright lies.

Arroyo and his buddies have also exalted and praised anyone who has stood in defiance against Pope Francis.

And of course, no one has taken a bigger stand against Pope Francis than Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who broke every promise and vow of loyalty he made as priest and bishop when he called for the resignation of Pope Francis, an action which no human being on earth has the right or authority to do.

Why Pope Francis Does Not Answer His Enemies

With people lacking good will, with people who only seek scandal, who seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family: [the answer is] silence, prayer.  
Pope Francis, Homily, September 3, 2018

Father Dwight Longenecker, a bomb throwing traditionalist, wrote a column in which he said that Pope Francis' refusal to answer Vigano's accusations will most likely lead to a "lame duck papacy":

Pope Francis’ response to Archbishop Vigano’s testimony has, so far, been a sad silence which echoes his silence over the questions about marriage formally presented by some of his cardinals.

If this lack of leadership continues we may see the development of a lame duck papacy.

A "lame duck papacy " would, of course, mean that Pope Francis would be a completely powerless pope with no authority.  In effect, even though he would still physically occupy the office, Pope Francis would no longer, for all intents and purposes, be pope.

To believe this is even possible, Fr. Longenecker must believe the office of the papacy is comparable to that of an elected official. The huge problem with this is that an elected official, at least in a democracy, gets his power from the people who elected him.

But the Vicar of Christ is not elected by the people, nor does he derive his power from the people and how much they like or support him. The Vicar of Christ receives all of his power and authority from the Holy Spirit. The only One who can "depose" a Pope, or make him a "lame duck pope" (as if that is possible) is the One who made him Pope in the first place:  the Holy Spirit.

Fr. Longenecker has either forgotten this or never knew it.

And then there is this problem.  If you believe that the Pope has no power, that is the same as believing that no one occupies the Chair of Peter.  And what do we call those people? 

Sedevacantists. 

Oops.   

Archbishop Vigano's Credibility Under Severe Scrutiny

The anti-Pope Francis brigade in the Catholic Church has been foaming at the mouth almost from the time the Holy Father first stepped onto the papal balcony in 2013, looking for ways to discredit him and push him out.  They are now ecstatic because they believe they have finally found that silver bullet to take down Pope Francis.  That silver bullet is Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano.  Vigano has charged Pope Francis with being complicit with the now disgraced former Cardinal McCarrick and has demanded his resignation.  Michael Voris called it a "day of victory."  Truly, that is how many felt when the Vigano memo was released on Saturday night.

The foes of Pope Francis feel they gained a further victory Sunday when the Pope refused to answer any questions in regard to the allegations made against him.  I guess these same people would have felt that the Pharisees gained a victory when Jesus Christ refused to answer their accusations against Him.

It should be noted that Vigano is also refusing to comment, but somehow that doesn't seem to be a problem with the anti Francis forces.

Cardinal Vigano Memo: Something Is Definitely Off

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former apostolic nuncio to the United States, just released an 11-page memo accusing Pope Francis of deliberately covering up for Cardinal McCarrick and demanding the Holy Father's immediate resignation. You can read the memo HERE.

As the New York Times reports:

In a detailed, 7,000-word letter published Sunday morning by several conservative Catholic outlets antagonistic to Francis, including The National Catholic Register and Lifesite News, Archbishop Viganò alleges that much of the Vatican hierarchy was complicit in covering up accusations that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had sexually abused seminarians.

Alarm bells start going off right here. Why did Vigano give his story to "conservative Catholic outlets antagonistic to Francis"? Hmmm.