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nunquam alieno. never foget.
Apr. 5th, 2005 12:24 pm
I prayed for the pope, just like lots of other Christians. And I prayed for my Catholic brethren. But I have never submitted to papal authority and I certainly won't now. In this time sede vacante, let's all visit Project Wittenberg's 95 Theses for a review.Choice passages:
1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said 'Poenitentiam agite', willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
contra mere holiness which I say is no substitute.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"
88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?"
89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
Why did we go backwards in 2000? or 2004 and so on?
90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.
92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!
Why do we constantly simplify simplify (it's more like turning our culture into simps; we simp-i-fy!) and toss around this culture of life stuff that looks at biology, only at conception and disposition (i.e., the making of babies, the execution of bodies), not at the fullness or social dimensions? (an interesting example) Our temporal leaders (with whom I include the popes) talk peace, talk freedom when there is no peace! there is no freedom! Talk democracy when there is no democracy!
Yeeearggh!
If we must have popes, let's pray the cardinals somehow recognize the times, in which we live. This is a very complicated matter. In the 1500's they felt they needed another Leo and they got Adrian and Clement.
Those two guys ... sheesh. Adrian died so soon, he never had a chance. Do you realize he was the last pope from outside Italy until our JP2? The cardinals, in their wisdom, thought his sudden death signaled they needed to wrest leadership from the hands of the "barbarians". So they began 450 years of Italian-centric tradition with the elevation of Clement 7. In some ways, thank God. Clement was so appallingly bad that I believe it really helped the Reformation.
But if they'd gotten a powerful pope, what might have happened? Well, after the relative failures of Adrian and Clement, they gave us a real man's man in Paul III.
If John Paul 2 had been around? instead of the weak-chinned Medici, Clement? We might still be building the throne at St. Peter's, and the cathedral's architecture might have completely covered Europe in a lavish dome, where, although the poor would be sheltered from the elements and all would have jobs to do, we could hear the repeated, direct orders to breed. breed! breeeeed!! reproduce unceasingly! let nothing die!
If we must have popes, let's have someone with brains and less brawn, maybe with a little less obsession over authority, or, you know, the bedroom. Probably they DO recognize the times and will settle on someone who will "reform" the church with some kind of grand gesture. Mark my words. After John Paul II, we'll get our new Leo X, our Paul III. Since we tend to repeat history, I expect we'll get our modern Paul 3 (aka Ratzinger) and then watch humanity be as thoroughly beaten down as possible.
Good luck Catholics, I'm praying for ya! Hey, you're always welcome in the ELCA. We even ordain women.