3 Popes: JP2, Benedict, Francis

Author's Note. My perspective in this article is as a Catholic. Readers are warned that the Catholic Church is as human as it is divine. The human frailty and errors among Popes and Cardinals should not scandalize the faithful into leaving the Church, join the growing non-Catholic sects, led by the Born Again movement, and deepen the crisis. Rather, we should pray for the human Church to have the grace to reform itself.

Note also that the term "Conservative" and "Liberal" are used as generic terms and do not necessarily apply to certain individuals. There is a vast rainbow of theological positions among Popes and Cardinals.

St. Pope John Paul II or "JP2"  (1978-2005) was a staunch Liberal. When Vatican journalists exposed the "Vatican mafia," dominated by Conservatives, who embezzled Vatican Bank funds on a massive scale, JP2 shrewdly chose Conservative Cardinal Ratzinger (future Pope Benedict XVI) to contain his fellow Conservatives. Ratzinger partly succeeded, for which he was labeled the "German Shepherd," but the Conservatives had been too big and powerful in the last few centuries to be easily extinguished totally.

When JP2's Parkinson's disease worsened, Ratzinger advised him to resign. Instead, JP2 formed a commission to handle the Vatican mafia problem. The commission also gave him the same advice — resign. So it was a dead-end in the effort to weed out the mafia.

When Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013), he still could not control his fellow Conservatives, especially the powerful Roman Curia, the central government of the Catholic Church.

The corrupt Cardinals were the modern-day Pharisees who were causing a Church crisis, which was prophesied by Our Lady of Fatima. Benedict was forced to resign because he was helpless in handling the Vatican Bank scandals and the growing pedophile epidemic, two raging Church issues.

In the latter, there were growing cases of pedophile prelates, from priests to cardinals, who were simply transferred to other dioceses to cover up their crimes, where they continued their evil ways.

Thus, the pedophile epidemic spread even more. The cases were swept under the rug, until a massive avalanche of court cases, especially in Europe and America, was bleeding the Vatican coffers dry.

Pope Benedict, before resigning, wanted the next Pope to solve the problems that he failed to solve. He chose Cardinal Bergoglio (future Pope Francis). But Bergoglio was a staunch Liberal and Benedict a staunch Conservative. Their theological perspectives were like oil and water. In spite of this, in despair, Benedict campaigned for Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis (2013-present). Benedict knew Bergoglio would easily win because he was a close runner-up in the last Papal conclave (election) where he was elected Pope.

In spite of their differences, Benedict and the future Francis became intimate friends as they forged a strategy to contain the growing Church crisis. The movie "Two Popes" accurately featured the drama of their violent debates and gentle friendship.

When the Liberal Bergoglio became Pope Francis, he was the first Jesuit Pope of history. The Jesuits have been the epitome of radical reforms ever since the days of the Counter Reformation (1517), a response to Luther's Reformation, the largest splinter of the Church ever. The Jesuits led the era of counter-reforms to restore the Church.

Upon ascending to St. Peter's chair, the Liberal Pope Francis quickly suppressed the Conservatives in a deadly Blitzkrieg, especially in the Roman Curia, within six short months, shocking the Vatican media.

Francis did it quickly but not totally, and he paid a dear price for it. The Conservatives exacted deep vengeance that led to the accusations of Papal "heresy" and "blasphemy'." An eye for an eye. This was the "apostasy" (civil war) that Our Lady of Fatima also prophesied.

That Satan works within the Vatican to cause havoc is a theological fact and a matter of history. Some Church historians point out that the Inquisition was the prime example of the work of the devil, where thousands were randomly beheaded without trial.

Do not fret about the Church crisis. God is on top of that situation. We need only to pray for everyone, on both sides of the civil war, and God will take care of everything in His time in His way.

Avoid joining the theological debates which tend to confuse. It is better to remain neutral in such complex theological issues. Let the Conservatives and Liberals fight it out. Faith has two aspects — the intellectual and the spiritual, the mind and the heart. On the mind level, it is easy to be confused (dogma, canon law, etc.). You have to prove or disprove. But on the heart level, everything becomes crystal clear, because it is simply a matter of faith.

"Praise to you, Oh Father, for what you have hidden from the wise, you have revealed to little children" Luke 10:21.