Why I Think the Pope is Worth Defending

Yesterday, LifeSiteNews had published an article on me with the misleading title “Catholic Answers, Word on Fire author spills the beans on why he stopped defending Pope Francis,” which begins by saying that I “recently explained the moment when [I] realized that [I] could no longer defend the Francis pontificate.” I didn’t have a chance to correct this misunderstanding before the piece was published (the reporter e-mailed me in the morning, but published the piece 3 hours later, before I had the chance to reply to his questions). Hopefully, anyone familiar with my writing and speaking hopefully knows that this isn’t an accurate view of what I believe. After all, this blog is called “Shameless Popery,” and the book I wrote on the papacy is called Pope Peter: Defending the Church’s Most Distinctive Doctrine in a Time of Crisis. Because I don’t want to lead anyone astray, I think it’s important to clarify what I am, and what I’m not, saying about Pope Francis.

The analogy that I keep coming back to is that of the family. In a healthy family, there are still going to be problems, but they’re problems that you can acknowledge, talk about, and hopefully tackle. In contrast, the three unhealthy ways of approaching marriage would be to (a) pretend that the problems don’t exist, (b) fixate on the problems (while ignoring all that’s good in your marriage), or (c) wave the white flag and give up on your marriage (either through divorce, or running away, or just emotionally and mentally “checking out”).

Something similar is true with regards to our relationship with the Church in general, and the pope in particular. Are there problems? You bet there are, and the people who pretend that there aren’t are doing a grave disservice to their brothers and sisters. But are there also good things? Absolutely, and we shouldn’t focus on the problem in such a way that we miss all the things for which we ought to be thankful. (To take an obvious example, the March prayer service in which Pope Francis blessed the world and preached on holding onto Christ in the midst of the storm was one of the finest responses to coronavirus that I’ve seen anywhere). And we certainly shouldn’t fall into despair, or schism, or even that sort of “mental schism” through which we remain bodily within the Church, but cut ourselves off from communion with the successor to St. Peter through a lack of charity.

In the interview that LifeSiteNews is reporting on (and in the introduction to Pope Peter), I talked about the moment in 2016 in which I stopped knee-jerk defending everything that Pope Francis said, and realized that I had to take a new approach to how I was approaching the pope. In other words, I had fallen into (a), a sort of whitewashing of papal misstatements and errors, and I realized that I needed to correct that. But that doesn’t mean that I’m encouraging either (b) or (c). When St. Peter errs, St. Paul corrects him (Gal. 2:11-21), but he doesn’t give up on the pontificate of Peter. Pope Francis needs our prayers, and the admonition of Hebrews 10:7 and 17 remain as true as ever: “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life, and imitate their faith. […] Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they are keeping watch over your souls, as men who will have to give account. Let them do this joyfully, and not sadly, for that would be of no advantage to you.”

St. Peter, pray for us!

18 comments

  1. I am attending RCIA classes for the second time. I dropped out the first time and started looking into Eastern Orthodoxy because of what I believed to be the Church’s mishandling of the sex abuse scandals. I returned to RCIA because I began to understand the importance of authority, as well as my newly discovered lack of unity within the various branches of the Eastern Church. The thing that most compels me is that which also gives me reason for hesitation: authority. I am reading ‘Pope Peter’ and am grateful for your work. Please pray for me.

    1. Welcome to the Catholic family.

      Read the bible and Catechism of the Catholic church and pray especially the Rosary.

      No one love God the most than His Mother.

      The more I study Catholic Theology and Philosophy with the Bible, the more I appreciate the sacraments thus love God more and more

      Trust the Magesterial Doctrine of our Church Fathers.

      May the Grace of God be with you.

  2. ‘Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God; consider the outcome of their life.’ (Hebrews 10)

    The first outcome of life is death. Judgment follows, and only mine is my business.
    The sad fact is that this pope does not often speak the word of God. He speaks his understanding of it. That he actually gets it right in a homily or two proves the adage of the clock.

    ‘….they are [the pope is] keeping watch over your souls…’ (Hebrews 10) Surely this pope cannot be blind to the flock who hunger and thirst for justice and righteousness. He notices material suffering and poverty. He attends to the climate, the environment, and material creation. Yet he seems clearly and perfectly blind to the spiritual poverty and suffering of Christ’s most faithful flock.

    The worst of post-modern worldly philosophy has been full-force, front-center stage in the Catholic hierarchy under this man’s leadership.

    I stay in the church of my birth. I stay in spite of the pope. I stay for his office but not his person. I stay because the Body of Christ suffers in its members under this pope. The most glorious miracle? The skilled healers, teachers, and prophet-members of the Body of Christ shine forth most brightly in the darkness this pontificate has shown us. If tough love offends, the field hospital is open and free.

  3. I think the opinions on Pope Francis run the gamut. I do believe that a lot of what he does is good, especially when I see those in power (from leaders to celebrities) get upset, but sometimes I feel he goes ‘off script’, however that is just my opinion and I am fine if people disagree. I think what’s most important is that as always we pray for him, and that we pray for all leaders and people of power in this world, I think they need our prayers more than we think and they know.

  4. Understandable that they used that title given that Matt Fradd had already done the same in titling your interview.

  5. Aloha,

    I believe in my heart that you cannot be lukewarm when making a decisive decision based on moral values instituted by the Holy Catholic Church. You have to stand firm with God the Father, in his Laws of the Land. Even though one can do a righteous act, let’s say 1 out 3 times, does not give him the right to cause schism and/ or apostasy within the Catholic Faith. Do not twist His words. Being labeled a Catholic and Acting like a Catholic are entwined by the promises given to us from God himself. Jesus said to beware of False Prophets and those who are Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, they will lead the faithful into doom. In the Book of Daniel and in the Book of Revelation it speaks about the abomination of desolation, one who has wisdom take heed of the prophecy. Make known that “The Lukewarm”, God will spit them out of His mouth.

    ❤️ F. Kia

  6. I still wonder why Benedict stepped down. The Catholic Church has a great number of Masons in the hierarchy. This “Pope” has blessed pagan idols in the Vatican. He is calling for support of climate change and Mother Earth but says not to evangelize. He supported the pro-abortion candidate. In the USA. So he is our leader and we should support him? Tell that to those who lived under Hitler the Leader. He might be running the Catholic Church on Earth but he is not upholding the Faith. He should stop ecumenizing without evangelizing. Remember Christ said to go out and teach all nations.

    1. “… but says not to evangelize”

      Are you serious? There is certainly a lot to complain about Francis’ pontificate. However, such an assertion is disingenuous, an outward lie.

    2. I wouldn’t put “”s around the word Pope, as he is the legitimate Pope. We have had bad popes before, such as Benedict IX, a sodomite, and Alexander VI, who fathered illegitimate sons. I’ll bet my money they probably didn’t interiorly uphold the Faith. We should support Pope Francis with prayers, and as St. Catherine of Siena says, with our tears of sorrow. It is a sorrowful thing when the Pope preaches either ambiguous or contrary doctrines to the Faith.

  7. Thank you for sharing and stepping up to speak the truth in an awkward situation! I empathize with you in this, and I appreciate you. For anyone who has read this blog, your books, or your various other articles, we know your devout heart dedicated to the church and the Pope. Grace and Peace to you all during this season of Advent!

  8. Your response was a non response. That’s because the Lifesite article did not impugn to you that which you are trying to clarify. You just didn’t like the title and perhaps upset that someone accurately reported what you said.

  9. I hate to say I have to pretend the guy doesn’t exist for the sake of my own Catholicism. After the “Great Reset” and anti-lockdown remarks I’m just heartbroken and I’m fighting the urge to go back to some of my old protestant family members ramblings on the Book of Revelation and Kirk Cameron style apocalypse scenarios. I’m still working through your book when I have time.

  10. I am reminded of the scene in “Band of Brothers” where Capt. Sobel, walking past Major Winters and averting his gaze to avoid rendering the hand salute to someone he deeply hated, is stopped and forcefully reminded by the Major that “you salute the rank, not the man…”

    As both a Catholic from age 9 and with +40 years past and current association with the US military, that scene resonated on many levels. So I salute the office, not necessarily the man – no matter who he is – and let God be the judge.

  11. So Francis has earned the disrespect rendered in LSN? Disrespect is a weak word for what is happening to him. I remember what a liberal newspaper did to John Paul II’s reputation among their readers. What conservatives are doing to Francis is much worse, in part because it comes from hundreds of social media venue owners and then from millions of outraged readers and commenters. It is character martyrdom. Honoring the chair and deriding the man is not faithfulness.

    1. Why make it between liberal and conservative? The Church is not a political system. The question is: Is there papal error and bad guidance? Is it bad guidance to change the Catechism on the death penalty? Is it an error to change the teaching on marriage? Is it an error to change the ‘Our Father’?

      There are quite a few more I could quote but in the development of doctrine the teachings don’t change but, rather, are understood more clearly. But, what the Pope is teaching is not a development of doctrine but a new doctrine in contradiction to the old. Both can’t be right. Either the teaching is wrong (which would make the Church wrong and therefore bring everything into question) or the Pope is wrong.

  12. Hello Joe,

    With the motu proprio of last week, do you think this post has aged well?

    It’s hard for me to see the benefit of what was done, but I acknowledge I don’t have the station as a lay catholic to pass judgment.

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