The Catholic Church Appears to Be Divided

Grew up in Oklahoma going to Benedictine schools. Cool nuns and priests. Smart, made us work hard on the basics. In high school had to attend the 6:30 am masses (knees still hurt) and whacked on the butt with paddles when I screwed up but managed it. Yet we were always told the Jesuits were the Catholic superstar priests. Lots of high schools I competed against in debate tournaments were their schools. Now with this Pope not so sure. At least the Dominicans are only two blocks away.

This current "schism" such as it is actually mirrors the changes that came about from pre-Vatican II to post-Vatican II where the priests lurched far to the left due to the explosion of "liberation theology", especially in Latin America. When I was a child, the Priests were tending towards becoming more and more socially and economically liberal and many were espousing what we would call Marxist beliefs. This was strongly countered by JPII who was an ardent anti-communist and he attempted to stamp out the liberation theology priests and sideline them from promotion. It worked, sort of, but, as with all things, it also had some unintended consequences. Similar to the drive in the '60s and later to quietly push men who expressed homosexual desires into the priesthood. Seemed like a good idea, but it ended up leading to the child abuse cover-ups, and the "pink mafia" that has managed to reach high levels of influence and power in the Church. Similar things happened with JPII's drive to stamp out Marxism...it sort of drove it underground where priests, bishops, and cardinals all hid their views as Marxists using more "traditional" working, but Francis sure seems like a socialist more than a capitalist. JPII hated communism in part because it was evangelically atheistic, but socialism doesn't have to be atheistic, and often clothes itself in pseudo-religious words that imply that a person who gets the gov't to solve a social problem is doing what Jesus wanted and thus attaining grace. It's a truly messed up appeal to religion to stop people from doing good works themselves and voting to take money from someone else to do good works in the name of the State. One would almost say it was the Devil itself undermining the teachings of Christ. Prominent Clergy (in many denominations) espouse this belief which surprises me.

I see a split coming that starts in Germany. History would repeat itself it seems.

David C. Broussard (View Comment):

This current “schism” such as it is actually mirrors the changes that came about from pre-Vatican II to post-Vatican II where the priests lurched far to the left due to the explosion of “liberation theology”, especially in Latin America. When I was a child, the Priests were tending towards becoming more and more socially and economically liberal and many were espousing what we would call Marxist beliefs. This was strongly countered by JPII who was an ardent anti-communist and he attempted to stamp out the liberation theology priests and sideline them from promotion. It worked, sort of, but, as with all things, it also had some unintended consequences. Similar to the drive in the ’60s and later to quietly push men who expressed homosexual desires into the priesthood. Seemed like a good idea, but it ended up leading to the child abuse cover-ups, and the “pink mafia” that has managed to reach high levels of influence and power in the Church. Similar things happened with JPII’s drive to stamp out Marxism…it sort of drove it underground where priests, bishops, and cardinals all hid their views as Marxists using more “traditional” working, but Francis sure seems like a socialist more than a capitalist. JPII hated communism in part because it was evangelically atheistic, but socialism doesn’t have to be atheistic, and often clothes itself in pseudo-religious words that imply that a person who gets the gov’t to solve a social problem is doing what Jesus wanted and thus attaining grace. It’s a truly messed up appeal to religion to stop people from doing good works themselves and voting to take money from someone else to do good works in the name of the State. One would almost say it was the Devil itself undermining the teachings of Christ. Prominent Clergy (in many denominations) espouse this belief which surprises me.

Francis was raised up in radical liberation theology in South America and the Curia (the political bureaucracy to end bureaucracies) and the cardinals who elected him knew it. I’ve long believed him to be a Marxist first and therefore not actually Christian, regardless of his position. I do expect Francis and those supporting him in the Curia to cause schism. I miss Benedict and his loving pastoral intellect.

The US has been very good for Catholics. There about 51 million Catholics in the US. Catholics are not monolithic in their political outlook. Traditional Catholics tend to be conservative at the ballot box.

Regardless of this Catholics are the target of the ACLU involving health care to involve abortion, euthanasia, and transgender so called health care.

Established in 1861, the Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded to four Protestant chaplains during the Civil War. In the wars following, five chaplains received the honor, all Catholic priests, two having open causes for canonization.

Simply said Pope Francis does not understand American Catholics. Unfortunately, there may be those that do understand Catholics, which does not bode well for Protestant denominations that believe they will escape the scrutiny of the secular Left.