THE KNIVES OF THE MODERNISTS ARE BEING UNSHEATHED

Recently we posted on The Eye Witness the open letter to the Pope by authoress Silvana de Mari.  To say that we were unprepared  for the visceral response is something of an understatement.  The open letter had been known since at least late August and was in the news, though apparently it went largely unnoticed at the time.  We  published it after being told of its existence by a good friend.  Since our posting of her heartfelt, yearning letter, written with great respect towards the person of Pope Francis, the comments received from those who were upset by it startled even this writer, who is used to seeing anger in the comments sections of blogs.  (I wonder how the present Pope would view these comments by people who are obviously strong supporters of his.)

One or two comments had to be deleted due to the obscenities therein.  Miss de Mari's thoughts were not discussed by such people; they were attacked.  Our blog offers the opportunity for anyone to discuss any and all posts here and we always welcome a lively discussion.  Indeed, some who responded with their disagreements did so with courtesy and kindliness, and with careful thought.  But crude attacks offering no sensible counter-arguments but instead four-letter words were coming in faster than we could edit them.

De Salvani's open letter appeared before the two now-famous interviews of the Pope.  All this is merely a prelude to what is becoming more obvious as each day goes by: the more troublesome the Pope's remarks, the more daft become the defenses of them, and the more revealing of the thoughts of those who revel in the ambiguity of his statements.  If the Pope has done nothing else by his recent statements he has smoked out the Modernists who have always been lurking around in the Church, either openly or, as they say, under the radar.  For this we must be grateful to him.

It is unnecessary to say that a canonized Pope, one Pope Saint Pius X, (one who was canonized, by the way, with the old rigor and all the safeguards in place which were, most interestingly, thrown out recently by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI), called Modernism "the synthesis of all heresies."  These are words that the current crop of sycophants and papolaters might wish to ponder carefully.

Some have taken umbrage with those who accuse the Holy Father of being a Modernist.  There is an old, time-honored adage that answers this very simply:  "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck."

Many blogs have been writing in horror of each and every papal statement that deviates from authentic Church teaching.  Many have written well, with extreme patience and respect for the person of the Pope while not flinching from saying what has to be said.  This writer, too, has written a few such items about the man.

While not understanding why our Father in heaven is allowing this to happen I accept the fact that for whatever reason an apparently genuine Modernist is currently at the helm.  I say "apparently" because far more knowledgeable people than myself - particularly those in Europe - believe him to be so.  God knows why; I don't.  Let me amend that: I don't know precisely why God is allowing this but I suspect very strongly that we are being punished with great severity, and when I look back upon my own life I can well understand why this would be so.  Be that as it may  this writer leaves it to better people to catalogue the various papal missteps.

In any case it is extremely trying to attempt to read the words of Francis, since many of his statements are mere sentimental musings that carry very little weight.

Nor do I have the time or the interest to read the writings of the Modernist Lite crowd who labor to defend anything and everything emanating from Rome.  Serious people don't waste precious time reading them when there is so much other thoughtful commentary from solid Catholic minds available.  (I am told by those in the know that these benighted souls are out to "get" anyone who fails to toe their idea of what the current papal line is.  I can think of nothing less interesting to worry about than that.  If some of the reactions I read after I posted Silvana de Mari's letter are anything to go by, which show people using their emotions instead of their heads, their knives are not the only things that aren't very sharp.)

But if and when the Pope shows that he will speak and act like most of his predecessors this writer will be pleased to point this out "from the housetops".  When he does what is noble and good, like the September 7th day of prayer and fasting for Syria, he will find support in these pages.  But at no time will we here sit idle while the Faith is belittled, no matter who does it, high or low  When a Churchman makes a mockery of the Faith, like Cardinals Abbot and Costello for example, we will do our best to expose their treason and stupidity even while honoring the cloth that they wear.

This writer is not one of those who believes that the Holy Ghost comes down upon the Cardinals in Conclave and personally selects the next Pope.  We have too many examples from history showing us the intrigues that have guided several notable papal elections.  But it is clearly obvious that God allows His children to make their own mistakes.  Right now we are living through a period of weak papacies, a period that did not begin in 1958, if I may point out.  There were too many pre-Conciliar Popes who clearly neglected their duties and who all contributed to the mess the Church presently finds itself in.  Pius XI could make some brilliant, Apostolic statements, and then go ahead and commit some truly ill-advised acts which were disastrous for the Church, and the same can be said of numerous Popes throughout history including, I hasten to add, most of the 20th century Popes.  But that is the power of God clearly at play.  He can allow these weaklings to become Popes yet still upholds His Church throughout it all.

Even St Pius X, great as he was, did admittedly make a few important blunders (thankfully, only a very few). And he did try to root out the Modernists but, alas, such a project was probably doomed.  They are still very much with us, emboldened by the papacies which followed his, and have now been taking their knives from their sheaths and beginning anew their murder rampage.  The Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are only the most recent victims of their sharpened blades.

As I said, the cut-rate Modernists I am not in the slightest worried about.  They will write their boot-licking blog posts for the delectation of their acolytes and groupies but no one else.  Again, serious Catholics don't worry about those I have called the Modernist Lite faction.  The real, deadly Modernists that we should be worrying about, and exposing, and fighting, and praying for are the ones who occupy positions of power and influence in the Catholic Church.  The crushing damage to the Faith is their work and it is that damage that must be undone.

And it has to be undone soon.  Because, if we are to try to bring people into the only Church that will save them these prospective converts have to see a Church that is healed.  No, I am not saying that we have to wait for the Church to become whole again before we try to bring our families and our friends to the Faith. But let's be honest: our job at convincing them becomes harder every day with each note of awful music they hear in the pew, every architecturally hideous Church building they see, every scandalous word and deed that they read about, every arrogant buffoon in a Roman collar they come into contact with.  Bringing lost souls to the Faith is our job, the job of every Catholic, despite the decided lack of support of the ecumaniacs around us.

So let the Modernists relish their moment of triumph.  Let them enjoy watching their enemies twist in the wind after they have done their knife work on them.  Their pride will sustain them, until such time as that fall which must inevitably come after.

And when that happens the Catholics will pick up the pieces, in God's good time.