Last month, in a development that received relatively little coverage beyond Radio Vatican (and completely escaped my notice until today), the situation reached a new extreme of deterioration: Francis became the first Pope to receive at the Apostolic Palace in a private audience a lady “Archbishop” who heads the so-called Lutheran Church of Sweden. Francis addressed this absurd female pretender to the episcopacy, one Antje Jackelén, as “esteemed Mrs. Jackelén, esteemed sister…”

The positively satanic “Church of Sweden” performs same-sex “marriages” between sodomites, condones abortion, contraception and divorce, and routinely purports to ordain women as “priests,” so that in the “Church of Sweden” today “45 per cent of priests are women, and women make up the majority of those studying to become priests.”

During his friendly meeting with the fake lady bishop, Francis pretended not to notice that that she is a fake lady bishop presiding over a pro-abortion pseudo-Church that diabolically mocks the Sacraments of Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony. Instead, he shared with his “esteemed sister” fond expectations for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of “the start of the Reformation,” meaning the start of Luther’s rebellion in 1517—in which commemoration the Vatican, quite insanely, will participate. Francis declared his hope that the “commemoration” of the Protestant Revolt “may encourage Lutherans and Catholics to take further steps towards full unity of sacramental life and ecclesial ministry.”

Further steps toward unity? Is this a joke? The followers of Luther have been moving ever further from any possibility of unity with Catholics precisely in proportion to the length of time the disastrous “ecumenical venture” continues to confirm them in their multiplying errors.

What is it but sheer madness that confronts us now? Where are the cardinals and bishops with the courage to stand up in open opposition to this Pope and defend the Church against his almost daily abuses and scandals? Merely for delivering a series of sermons that argued against the immediacy of beatitude for the blessed departed even after Purgatory, John XXII was publicly denounced by prelates and theologians, and there were calls for a council to condemn him on account of heresy.

As members of the laity, we can do nothing but protest the words and deeds of Francis, which we certainly must do in keeping with our Confirmation vow to be soldiers of Christ. But only concerted, direct opposition by members of the upper hierarchy has any chance of reining in this clearly out-of-control pontificate and limiting further damage to the commonwealth of the Church.   To the prelates who know the gravity of our situation and are admitting it privately, I must ask: What are you waiting for?