Prayers for Pope Francis as Apostasy rages

A huge storm rages over the Vatican, one never before seen in Church history. The core issue is Pope Francis approving the blessing of same-sex marriage. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, warns same-sex couples that papal blessings will not save them from God's judgment (Newsmax, 21 December 2023). In reply, Francis accused protesters of "rigid ideologies."

Overview — Vatican Politics

Pope Francis is the first liberal in a Vatican dominated by conservatives for centuries. He is the first Jesuit Pope, which essentially leads the liberals today.

The ultra-conservative Pope Benedict endorsed the ultra-liberal Pope Francis to become the next Pope in frustration over Vatican corruption. Liberals, the minority, and conservatives, the majority, have always been like oil and water since the birth of the Church in a never-ending irreconcilable "war," essentially over dogma, liturgy and, of course, politics.

Upon ascending the throne, Pope Francis cleansed the all-powerful Curia of conservatives in a sweeping lightning move, a first-ever in Vatican history. Since then, the conservatives have launched the anti-Pope movement. This was regarded as a Fatima prophesy as the "apostasy" or the Vatican civil war today.

The U.S.-led Anti-Pope Protests

Foreseeing his eventual exit, Pope Francis has lately conducted a flurry of appointments of bishops and cardinals with key roles in Vatican affairs. For example, in a 2017 consistory, he elevated five prelates to cardinal at Saint Peter's Basilica (Reuters). This was an ingenious strategy to neutralize the dominance of the "depose" conservatives, who still remain the majority.

Leading the anti-Pope movement are the US-led triumvirate — Bishop Carlo Vigano, Bishop Joseph Strickland, and Raymond Cardinal Burke.

Ultra-conservative Vigano is noted for exposing Vatican financial corruption and for accusing Pope Francis of a cover-up of "sexual abuse allegations" against Theodore Cardinal McCarick. Vigano branded Francis "a false prophet" and "an apostate Pope." Francis took it in silence, showing no vindictiveness. In truth, many accused Vigano of being the cause of the apostasy, not Francis.

Cardinal Burke, another ultra-conservative, is a legal luminary whose style and approach date back to the Church of the old days. True, Francis "upholds the Church's doctrine and principles," but views some provisions "as hampering its mission." Conservatives like Burke prefer to adhere strictly to law and doctrine "in black and white terms." (CNN 15 December 2023).

Austen Ivereigh, a papal biographer, said, "For so long, Cardinal Burke has been calling into question Francis's authority and his teaching." Francis pointed out that cardinals have to follow the oath of obedience to the Pope and his successors. The protests by conservatives are in truth eroding the loyalty of the faithful to the Pope.

Burke lost his "apartment privilege" of up to $5,900 a month when he lost his job in the Church's central administration.

The issue with Strickland is similar — defiance of the papacy. He clashed with Francis on unknown "social and theological issues," but when he dared to question "the legitimacy" of Francis as Pope and accused him of "undermining the Catholic faith on social media," it was the last straw. He was removed as bishop of the Diocese of Tyler in Texas after a formal investigation of his leadership deemed him "not feasible to continue" (archgh-org, texas-standard-org 14 November 2023).

In truth, Strickland violated the age-old "communion bishops must keep with popes." Questioning papal legitimacy is a serious accusation from both Burke and Strickland.

In general, except for Burke and Strickland, Francis has developed an ingenious strategy of not opposing criticism frontally, and employing silence as a tool against accusations.

Other Issues

Other issues against Francis include 1) his openness to giving communion to divorced and remarried Catholics; 2) his pastoral welcome of LGBTQ people; 3) his support for the millions of migrants spreading across Europe and America, a ticking time bomb which may explode in the long term; 4) his campaign against "climate change skeptics" and "irresponsible" Western lifestyles, and 5) finally, the mother of all issues, the Synod. It will take a Bible-thick book perhaps to cover these complex issues in detail, which may rage long after Francis has gone.

Prayers needed

We need to pray for Pope Francis, the Vicar of Christ on earth, to weather the ongoing storm raging in the Church. We also need to pray for the Church in crisis, and the cardinals, bishops and the faithful as stakeholders in this apostasy. Finally, we need to pray for ourselves on the threshold of the looming era of tribulation prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

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