Pope Francis Passes

 

 Pope Francis died at the Age of Eighty Eight on Easter Monday. The Pontiff had been in hospital for Bronchitis and health issues, and it seems that his recovery was a false one before the final curtain drew. Pope Francis will go down as a Reformer Catholicos, he made sweeping reforms, allowing same sex partners to join the Church, extending olive branches to Protestants in formalizing celebrating The Reformation and saying Protestants are also Christians, and taking the most liberal interpretations of Scripture, to the point that the smoke from St. Peter's proclaimed him Vicar of Christ, he said everyone would be saved, even Athiests, making it suspicious that he favored the non canon and rejected African Version of The Apocalypse of Peter. In all these things he set himself apart from prior popes, and yet how are we Protestants to look upon his legacy, the fruit of this Jesuit? 

The tearing down of the wall between Catholics and Protestants can be seen as great feat in Ecumenism. The aim to unite the churches has been on the heart of many pontiffs, usually just gestures are made, when Francis recognized The Reformation, heralded Martin Luther as a hero, and made it Catholic to celebrate the Reformation, that was quite a gesture, and then to admonish Romanites to learn the Bible as well as Protestants seemed a door to finally allow Rome to be exposed to the passages in Scripture that lit the fire of Luther's fervor, and the other Reformers. One has to understand that hierarchy and specifically authority matters greatly to our Catholic Cousins, and so having the Pontiff urge this, gave great impetus for Roman Catholics to study Scripture, and in so doing find the verses that will set them free from the yoke of Babelyon so to speak. I personally witnessed a friend in a Catholic Parish, who considered me a Heretic change radically as they read the Scriptures at the behest of their Holy Father. The chilled response I use to get at churches of Rome when I said I was Protestant changed to warm welcomes. It certainly seemed a good thing. On the other hand I have suggested it could be a Counter Reformation in disguise, the aim to make Protestants feel safe, and want to gather with Romanites, and in so doing being exposed to Roman yokes and be seduced by the dark side of its spirituality that enslaves. 

The Pope's leniency on Same Sex unions was a political move to be sure. Roman Catholic Canon Law and The Roman Catholic Catechism only recognizes the Union of Man and Woman in Holy Matrimony, which is one of their Seven Sacraments. The tendency to bend on this front has not been an exclusively Roman One, Protestant Denominations have been riven in two over it from Lutherans to Presbyterians to even now The Methodists. Most who refuse to alter the dictates of Scripture and Conscience have either had to break off into a sect of the denomination, or join an Evangelical oversight. While Pope Francis' friendly hand to the LGBTQ+ Community seemed to be part of his nature, the truth is it was a politically safe move in the aftermath of the Sexual Scandals that rocked the Church, and will ensure revenues from some of most wealthy people in this world after shortfall, as people have left the church. 

Which brings me to The Pontiff's greatest failure in his tenure as Head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Sexual Scandals caste doubt on the entire institution, as it was massive the scale of abuses, and how the church covered it up and even moved the the abusers around to more parishes to inflict more harm. How the Roman Church survived this is a testament to how shrewd and cleaver it can be, this massive moral failing is not their first, for the church nearly tore itself apart before with the Antipopes and moral bankruptcy of Renaissance Popes like The Borgia, which popes having many mistresses and dozens of children. Francis I failed to reassure The Abused, he should have defrocked the abusers, and handed them over to secular authorities to be prosecuted, setting precedent that if such behavior occurs you are not only excommunicated, you no longer have the protection of Ecclesiastical Courts and the matters being settled by the Holy See, but are given over to the Sword of Justice. Instead, this will be blight on his legacy that he did not do more to assuage the doubts people have that Papacy will continue to cover up the failings of their clergy at the expense of the victims. 

The Late Pontiff was a very liberal man, in every sense of the word. He was so even in theology and spirituality to the point that he took Jesus' dying for all men to mean security for all sinners, that Atheists shall be saved, when Scripture is very clear on this matter, "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God," (John 3:18), "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.," (John 14:6), "f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved," (Romans 10:9-10), and "Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:10,12). The Gospels are clear that there is One Door to Heaven, One Savior and One Faith in which One is Saved and that is in Christ Alone (Solus Christus). The fact the Vicar of Rome went against the Gospels proves the Sedevacantilist Catholics are right, that there has not been a True Pope on the Seat of Peter for some time. It is equally alarming that Pope Francis is the number of the last pope on Nostradamus' list of Popes Prophecy that heralds the end of days and thus the Antichrist And indeed Pope Francis does fit the role of an antichrist just being a Pope, but also in his doctrines (see my first post New Pope: New Hope? Nope) which fits Jesus' "There will be many false christs and false prophets who will deceive if possible The Elect." (Matthew 24:24). 

Pope Francis will be lauded as one of great popes like John Paul II. They certainly reformed doxology in their Roman Spheres and thawed relations with us Protestants. However, his liberal views on spirituality will have eternal consequences, and his influence will be judged now by Christ Himself. In my estimation he like most men was a mix, he compelling his flocks to read Scripture and "know it as well as Protestants," has been useful in reaching Romanites with the True Gospel. On the other hand, his compromises to unbelievers and immortality opened the door to the ultimate death of his church, why should anyone join The Roman Church if Atheists can be saved just because Jesus died? 

And so another Conclave will assemble and the voting of a new pontiff will begin. Will the Antichrist rise as Nostradamus predicted? Will the New Pope be as Francis, Liberal or will it be hardliner who dreams of Vatican I, when the Popes could declare themselves Infallible? We will soon know who will sit on the Papal Throne. For us Protestants not much has changed, we do not recognize popes or Councils, our hearts are as Luther said, "captive to the Word of God." Our Authority is the Apostles and Jesus Christ himself in the Scriptures! And those Scriptures are divinely inspired, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit," (2 Peter 1:20-21), and "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). While councils, canon laws, and conclaves can be full of errors. Amen.