Bishops Who Disclose the Fruit of "Culture Warriors" Under Siege with Swords Bearing the Coat of Arms of Pope Francis

God's blessings upon you and your home in 2014!

I came across this funny article yesterday wherein the Holy See had to respond to another Scalfari newspaper article claiming Pope Francis has abolished sin.

Don't shot the messenger. Scalfari's conclusion is accurate and the precise reason why the Pope is winning high honors among culture warriors selling immorality and murder in the public square.

The founder of the daily newspaper La Repubblica refers back not to the direct contact with the Pope, but to his recently published Apostolic Letter. The "abolition of sin," says Scalfari, was included in Evangelii Gaudium. An "abolition", which was done by means of two instruments: on the one hand by equating the revealed Christ, the Christian God, with love, mercy and forgiveness. And then by granting people complete freedom of conscience.

Put into the context of the daily doses of drivel and rebukes directed towards faithful Catholics coming by our dear and loving Holy Father, the above is a very reasonable conclusion for those deprived of right judgment (for whatever reason).

Pope Francis has laid out his smorgasboard and Scalfari has accurately described the menu.

I don't think the Pope intended to convey this message, but he has very clearly stated his trajectory is rope-the-dopes. The theological game Rope-a-Dope is executed by silencing Church teaching and in the stead of arming souls with the tools for salvation, operating the Catholic Church as a social service agency.

Rope-a-dope can be recognized through the simultaneous advocacy of Robin Hood while silencing, ridiculing and oppressing Church teaching and those who desire to teach and preach it in our parishes, homes and community.

That is his gig. It is undeniable.

The Pope is now seeing what we all know to be the fruit from Rope-a-Dope.

Here's the trilogy:

1. The theological Robin Hood becomes the hero.
2. The people are robbed of right judgement in the public square.
3. The culture uses Robin Hood's image to discredit legislators, teachers, priests, bishops, parents and grandparents who try to give those they love and care about the tools for right judgment necessary for salvation.

This is why Christ did not play Robin Hood and Rope-the-Dope.

The culture is now experiencing the effects of two generations of priests robbing the people of right judgment.

It's a serious situation. Serious enough to require a radical change. Much good has come from the Pope's approach but we are now off of the reservation.

Fr. Z has a post up that discloses how #3 from the trilogy plays out when the impression left is the disordering the mission of the Church from the Chair of Peter.

Michael Sean Winters fished out his contact lens from the toilet.

Michael Sean Winters has a piece at Fishwrap (aka National Schismatic Reporter) in which he attacks both Bp. Robert Morlino of Madison (and the undersigned). MSW doesn’t like clerics who are “culture warriors”, you see. The Fishwrappers claim that “culture warriors” are no longer flavor of the month. Ptui! The fact they are trying to distract you from is that they are fully engaged in the culture wars, but for the Enemy. By railing against conservative culture warriors, they are indulging in bullying.

In any event, NSR thinks that Pope Francis doesn’t want bishops (or priests) to be culture warriors. They are therefore emboldened to declare war.

That is exactly right.

Fr. Z surely isn't surprised by the manifestation of a Pope Robin Hood's trilogy?

He has too much class and grace to speak as plainly as I do about the Roman circus.

The honors he is winning come with a price. The Pope has armed them with swords bearing a papal coat of arms and they will use them in the culture, in our schools, our parishes and in our homes.

Let us not foolishly pretend otherwise.

That would be a disservice to those we love, to Christ and His Church and to our beloved Pope Francis, whose heart is faithful and intentions pure.

Hopefully these articles will demonstrate where it's going.

I love and pray for our Holy Father and I know he is praying for us. I still am confident that he's going to temper his statements in the public square to avoid confusing the lambs.

This is not the time to withhold the fruit of his trajectory from him. This is the time we can make a difference.