“Pope” Francis and the Rosary

From our “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up” Department…

Francis Concerned:

‘They’re Counting Rosaries!’

Poor Jorge Bergoglio. Poor “Pope” Francis. Most of the world believes him to be the Pope of the Catholic Church, including the majority of those who consider themselves Catholic Traditionalists or Traditional Catholics. So some of these latter wanted to give their “Pope” a nice spiritual bouquet to show their love and loyalty, but they forgot that the recipient of this bouquet isn’t a Catholic and so he doesn’t know what to do with it. In an anecdote the “Holy Father” himself related, upon his election as Francis, he got a letter from one of those (his words) “restorationist groups” in Buenos Aires, telling him: “Your Holiness, we offer you this spiritual treasure: 3,525 rosaries.”

For a Catholic, that is wonderful news. How many graces must have been unlocked through so many Rosaries prayed by faithful souls! What a blessing!

That’s how a Catholic reacts. Mr. Bergoglio reacted differently. Instead of being humbled at this kindness, gratefully receiving the bouquet, and perhaps offering some prayers in return, knowing what a wonderful gift it is to receive over 3,500 Rosaries, Francis says that this bouquet is evidence of a “Pelagian current” and it “concerned” him because “one feels as if one goes back 60 years! Before the Council… One feels in 1940…. Why don’t they say, ‘we pray for you, we ask…’, but this thing of counting…” (Address to CLAR on June 6, 2013).

Yes, “this thing of counting”…. It’s actually how a Catholic spiritual bouquet works. In case you think Francis is sounding like a Protestant here, it’s because he is one. In fact, this is the same Bergoglio who used to send people to a Lutheran layman to get an “exorcism”. So what do you expect? (What? Michael Voris didn’t cover this on The Vortex??)

It is candid moments like this one that reveal who a person really is or what he really thinks. No one thought this would be reported in the press, and CLAR (Confederación Latinoamericana y Caribeña de Religiosos y Religiosas) expressed its regret that it was published (see apology under “2nd Update” here). So this is an insightful glimpse into the real Francis, about whom we’ve been reporting since Day 1 – see our Francis page here. (In the meantime, we’re still waiting for “Father Z” [Mr. John Zuhlsdorf] to provide some damage control he usually issues on his blog at this point in time.)

This embarrassing remark on the part of Mr. Bergoglio is yet another piece of evidence that the usual suspects in the semi-traditionalist enterprise (Ferrara, Vennari [in part], Salza, Gruner, Matt, Zuhlsdorf, Voris, etc.) are misleading their readers by their constant coloring and spinning of reality in these most serious matters. They do not go by principles and facts to arrive at a sound conclusion, but rather have a prepared, pre-held conclusion to which they then seek to make the evidence fit.

So, for example, on March 14, 2013, in a snippet titled “Pope Francis: The Marian Dimension”, U.S.-based attorney and semi-traditionalist kingpin Christopher Ferrara attempted to persuade his readers that “Pope” Francis held a “Marian piety of the most traditional sort”. What did Ferrara base this laughable claim on? The mere fact that Francis’ first act the day after his election was to visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, to pray there and to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother. This act alone made Ferrara pen the following lines:

“That the new Pope’s first devotional act was to visit the world’s oldest Marian church in order to venerate a Marian icon of such august provenance evidences a Marian piety of the most traditional sort. In these early stages of the new pontificate, we cannot overlook the Marian dimension of the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires.”

Ah, yes, you see, this act “evidences” not just a devotion to the Blessed Mother (which would be the most one could objectively conclude from it, but even that only by ignoring other evidence), but, even more so, “a Marian piety of the most traditional sort“. This simply has nothing to do with reality. It is spin, nothing but spin, by a lawyer whose job it is to get people excited about the new “Pope” and “Fr.” Gruner’s Fatima apostolate. That’s all. It is not based on a calm and objective examination of the relevant facts. (For a prior example of how Chris Ferrara spun reality on Ratzinger, only to be refuted afterwards by Ratzinger himself, see our essay No Friend of Fatima.)

Now, of course, Ferrara and his fellow-spinmeisters have egg on their face. The “Pope” with the “Marian piety of the most traditional sort” has revealed himself to be clueless about traditional Catholic devotions and customs (the counting of prayers for a spiritual bouquet) which to him are signs of a “Pelagian current” by people stuck in the 1940s who – horror of horrors! – “count” the Rosaries they pray for someone so they can tell him how many Rosaries are being offered for him. And this is the man “Fr.” Gruner hopes is the “Pope who will consecrate Russia” (see this video beginning at the 10:53 mark). You just can’t make this stuff up!

Of course, all of this embarrassment for the semi-traditionalists could have been avoided, had they only reported on the real Bergoglio right from the start and allowed the evidence to rule their conclusions instead of the other way around. But Our Blessed Lord counseled us: “Let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the pit” (Matthew 15:14). And this is exactly what is going on here. Compare the stories, links, and commentaries you get here at Novus Ordo Watch with the information you get from sites like the Fatima Center, The Remnant, ChurchMilitant.TV, etc., and ask yourself who is giving you the real scoop on what is going on with the Novus Ordo Church and its leaders.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam — all for the greater glory of God!

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4 Responses to ““Pope” Francis and the Rosary”

  1. Daniel

    Francis Bergolio said he prays the Rosary every day, how does that square with one the promises of the Rosary that those who recite the Rosary will be aided by the Blessed Mother at the time of death. I know people who support public adultery pray the Rosary.

    • Eric H

      Clearly one can pray the rosary and wear the brown scapular without being a good Catholic. These devotions are powerful means of grace even in the hands of obstinate sinners, but it would be presumptuous to lead a bad life and expect to be saved. From St. Louis de Montfort (link):

      Presumptuous devotees are sinners abandoned to their passions, or lovers of the world, who, under the fair name of Christians and clients of our Blessed Lady, conceal pride, avarice, impurity, drunkenness, anger, swearing, detraction, injustice, or some other sin. They sleep in peace in the midst of their bad habits, without doing any violence to themselves to correct their faults, under the pretext that they are devout to the Blessed Virgin. They promise themselves that God will pardon them; that they will not be allowed to die without confession; and that they will not be lost eternally, because they say the Rosary, because they fast on Saturdays, because they belong to the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, or wear the scapular, or are enrolled in other congregations, or wear the little habit or little chain of our Lady. They will not believe us when we tell them that their devotion is only an illusion of the devil, and a pernicious presumption likely to destroy their souls. They say that God is good and merciful; that He has not made us to condemn us everlastingly; that no man is without sin; that they shall not die without confession; that one good Peccavi at the hour of death is enough; that they are devout to our Lady; that they wear the scapular; and that they say daily, without reproach or vanity, seven Paters and Aves in her honour; and that they sometimes say the Rosary and the Office of our Lady, besides fasting, and other things. To give authority to all this, and to blind themselves still further, they quote certain stories, which they have heard or read, — it does not matter to them whether they be true or false, — relating how people have died in mortal sin without confession; and then, because in their lifetime they sometimes said some prayers, or went through some practices of devotion to our Lady, how they have been raised to life again, in order to go to confession, or their soul been miraculously retained in their bodies till confession; or how they have obtained from God at the moment of death contrition and pardon of their sins, and so have been saved; and that they themselves expect similar favours. Nothing in Christianity is more detestable than this diabolical presumption. For how can we say truly that we love and honour our Blessed Lady, when by our sins we are pitilessly piercing, wounding, crucifying, and outraging Jesus Christ her Son? If Mary laid down a law to herself, to save by her mercy this sort of people, she would be authorising crime, and assisting to crucify and outrage her Son. Who would dare to think such a thought
      as that?

      True Devotion to Mary, pp. 66-68

      • Eric H

        From St. Alphonsus Liguori (link):

        No, he surely will not be lost, says St. Ignatius, the martyr, who is constant in his devotion to this virgin mother. And this is confirmed by St. Bonaventure, who says: Oh Lady, those who love thee enjoy great peace in this life, and in the other they shall not see eternal death. No, for it never did, and never will happen, as the devout Blosius assures us, that an humble and constant servant of Mary will be lost.

        Oh, how many would have been eternally condemned, or remained in obstinacy, if Mary had not interceded with her Son to exercise mercy! Thus says Thomas a Kempis. And it is the opinion of many doctors, especially of St. Thomas, that the divine mother has obtained from God a reprieve for many persons who had even died in mortal sin, and their return to life to do penance. … These and similar examples must not serve as encouragement for some rash person who would live in sin, in the hope that Mary would free him from hell, even if he should die in sin; for as it would be a great folly to throw one’s self into a well, in the hope that Mary would save us from death, because the Virgin has rescued some persons under similar circumstances; thus a greater folly would it be for one to run the risk of dying in sin, on the presumption that the holy Virgin would rescue him from hell. But these examples should serve to strengthen our confidence by the consideration, that if the intercession of this divine mother could deliver those from hell even those who have died in sin how much more will it prevent those from falling into hell who in life have recourse to her with the intention to amend and serve her faithfully?

        The Glories of Mary, pp. 261-63

        • Daniel

          Thanks a lot. I sure will go back and read these books again. Also on the 41st Rose of The Secret of Rosary St. Louis De Montfort said that one who is mortal sin and desires not come out of it should not pray the Rosary because the Rosary would become the weapon of destruction instead of help from Mary for that sinner. But the bottom line is the promise is to those who simply recite the Rosary every day to obtain grace at the time of death. Another thing is I know people who pray the Rosary with the intention of exclusive temporal needs not spiritual desire such as salvation. There is similar issue with the Brown Scapular. Thanks and God Bless!

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