After our last Remnant Underground, a number of viewers expressed interest in Michael Matt’s take on the Vatican’s World Meeting of Human Fraternity – an embarrassingly underattended major event that took place on June 10.  Apart from featuring prominent gay dancers, this meeting was geared for what they call the ‘children of the hug” who sang Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World.”  (Michael Jackson songs at the VATICAN? Really?!)

“In condemning us you condemn all your own ancestors — all the ancient priests, bishops and kings — all that was once the glory of England, the isle of saints, and the most devoted child of the See of Peter.” — St. Edmund Campion

Since Francis’s introduction of his Pachamama idol and the subsequent beginning of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, we have witnessed some of the most profoundly bizarre and disturbing events in history. The nauseating succession of perversities has left many people despondent, but we know that God permits these evils for a reason. While it might be presumptuous to pretend to know God’s precise reasons, it would be foolhardy to imagine that He wants us to refrain from trying to draw lessons.

June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart is more than an image; it is an existing organ of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Who became man by assuming a body that He will possess for all eternity.

I took a walk in Stillwater, Minnesota. Stillwater is a picturesque town, a gentle descent of roads running parallel to the St. Croix River. A main street of colorful cafes and quaint bookstores sparkles warmly like the set of a Frank Capra comedy. Here there is no industrial grime or greed, no unpleasantness and—most importantly—no Hate. In fact, Hate is so unpopular that many shops inform newcomers containing trace amounts of Hate that they are unwelcome on the premises. Those unwelcome souls with troubled psyches may well peer, enviously, through the window dressings, at the serene, unwrinkled countenances of the blessedly Hate–free. Such is the price for hating Pride Month, and it’s a price I’ll pay. 

“Behold this Heart, which, notwithstanding the burning love for man with which it is consumed and exhausted, meets with no other return from the generality of Christians than sacrilege, contempt, indifference, and ingratitude.” (Our Lord’s words to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque)

“Rome will lose the Faith, and become the seat of the Antichrist,” she warned. “But I will fight for the Children of Light.”

On June 1, 2023 some fifty American traditional Catholics made a pilgrimage to La Salette, France, to publicly stand with the Mother of God against those who are trying to uncrown Christ the King and abolish the faith of our fathers.

Reuters, the news agency, informs us that the Vatican's communications department released on Monday, May 29, 2023, a 20-page document dated 28 May 2023, Solemnity of Pentecost, entitled, "Towards Full Presence. A Pastoral Reflection on Engagement with Social Media." In it the Vatican urged bishops and high-profile lay Catholic leaders to tone down their comments on social media, saying some were causing division and stoking polemics that harmed the entire Church. It warns of the dangers of fake news on social media and other forms of abuse. It condemned polarization and extremism that had led to "digital tribalism" on social media, saying individuals were often locking themselves in silos of opinion that hindered dialogue and often led to violence, abuse, and misinformation.  It insists that "The Christian style should be reflective, not reactive, on social media. Therefore, we should all be careful not to fall into the digital traps hidden in content that is intentionally designed to sow conflict among users by causing outrage or emotional reactions."  It states that "The problem of polemical and superficial, and thus divisive, communication is particularly worrying when it comes from Church leadership: bishops, pastors, and prominent lay leaders."

Hmm... might this tweet have had something to do with it?

Despite the guidance being directed at all Church leaders, the same Reuters report suggested that the Vatican was likely responding to "fierce" attacks on the Pope from "far-right" commentators and "conservative Catholic bishops." Nevertheless, the statement that only appears in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4, verse 23: “Physician, heal yourself!” aptly applies here. For the one in need of reflection and not reaction is Francis, the 266th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, who has a penchant for careless remarks since his election in 2013, as he has made several statements that have startled and created controversy, if not scandal, within the Catholic community and beyond. Let us review the most notable and controversial statements made by Pope Francis during his papacy, as follows below.

"Who am I to judge?" (2013):

One of the earliest and most lamentable statements by Pope Francis that came during an interview in 2013, speaking to reporters on a flight back from Brazil when he responded to questions about homosexuality, saying, "If someone is gay and seeks the Lord with goodwill, who am I to judge?" This statement was a departure from the Church's traditional stance on homosexuality and made him a darling of the mass media who praised him for his “inclusivity and compassion.” This statement, however, alerted many as to his sympathies to everything homosexual, causing great discomfort among many members of the Church since it undermined traditional Catholic teaching.

Editor's Note: The following is an open letter to Archbishop Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and to Minnesota’s 13 “Catholic” lawmakers who reside under his jurisdiction. These lawmakers helped enact a law, signed by Gov. Tim Walz on April 27, 2023, which made Minnesota a state of legal refuge for abortions and transgender mutilations.  

Obviously, we have come to a point when “they will not endure sound doctrine…” But, since “the Science” is king, it’s time we remind them what “the Science” truly says. MJM