Humility on Display – The Francis Show

So humble, he’s proud of it…

“Humility” on Display:
The Francis Show

It is amazing to see how many people are falling for the show of the “humble” Francis, Jorge Bergoglio. People should know that there is nothing humble about a man who, in the presence of countless cameras and journalists, constantly tries to show off how wonderful of a person he is (one is reminded of the words of the proud Pharisee, “I am not as the rest of men” [Lk 18:11]). Besides, you definitely know something is wrong when the liberal-secular media veritably swoons over “the Pope” as he gets approval ratings as high as 88% and receives one “Person of the Year” award after another.

The following is an analysis of the facts regarding “Pope Francis” in light of Catholic teaching.

The “Experts” Speak

Shortly after Bergoglio’s election in 2013, two Semi-Traditionalist big shots insisted that those who were already calling Francis’ bluff didn’t have a leg to stand on:

But no, those pronouncements were not wrong; instead, the “wise words” from Rev. Gruner and Mr. Ferrara were; which Ferrara essentially had to admit in the recently-produced Remnant video “Tradition Under Fire”. In addition, Ferrara himself has since written about just how much of a disaster area Bergoglio’s archdiocese is: “Apparently, we are not supposed to notice that during Cardinal Bergoglio’s tenure as Archbishop of Buenos Aires … there was no Catholic renewal but rather a drastic decline in every index of ecclesial well-being, especially the number of priests and religious” (Ferrara, “Quo Vadis, Francisce?”, The Remnant, Dec. 15, 2013). And apparently, we are not supposed to notice that Ferrara cleverly changed his tune!

Yet, in the Fatima Crusader article cited above, Ferrara and Gruner claim that the objections against Francis some traditionalists had from the beginning, were based on “rash judgment.” Instead, they say, “The interior motive is what matters, and we are hardly in a position to judge that after only six days…” (p. 2). But is that really so? Let’s have a brief look at what Pope St. Pius X said about the Modernists:

Notice that Pius X here identifies the Modernists as “the most pernicious of all the adversaries of the Church”, all the while “leaving out of account the internal disposition of the soul, of which God alone is the Judge.” He simply judged by the objective external evidence that certain individuals were Modernists and therefore enemies of Christ, yet at the same time he also made clear that such did not constitute a usurpation of God’s judgment of their souls.

To Catholic eyes and sober minds, it was apparent from the beginning that in his role as “Pope” Francis, the long-time Modernist Jorge Bergoglio tried everything in the book to make himself look humble, in such a way as to make the true Popes — and even, to a lesser degree, his own five anti-papal predecessors! — look pompous and vain. The result has been a further erosion of the dignity of the papacy in the eyes of the world, something Tradition In Action has aptly dubbed Bergoglio’s “Miserablist Revolution”.

So, we beg to differ with “Fr.” Gruner and Mr. Ferrara: The interior motive is irrelevant to “pronouncing the new ‘Pope’ anathema”. Francis is a most pernicious enemy of the Catholic Faith and the Church and not a humble man. A humble man does not constantly seek to greatly distinguish himself from his predecessors and then eat up the incessant adulation of the world. A humble man does not spend hours after the weekly Wednesday audience soaking himself in the hero worship offered by the crowd. And a humble Pope does not want to be addressed by his baptismal first name!

The objective evidence about Francis speaks volumes. Gruner and Ferrara’s laughable contention that he “is … a pious man with a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin” is amply refuted in our Reality Check on Francis at the end of this post. Granted, the two agree that “[t]ime will reveal any serious problems with the Pope’s intentions”, and that they could be “forced to a different conclusion” (p. 2). But the bottom line is that the initial criticism of Bergoglio wasn’t rash but founded on objective evidence, an assessment that has since been amply confirmed by more evidence of the same kind.

In their article, Ferrara and Gruner then continue with the old, already-refuted claim that Benedict XVI believes that the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart has not yet occurred and is anticipating it in the future. We roundly refuted this idea simply by quoting Benedict XVI himself, in the essay “No Friend of Fatima: Unspinning Christopher Ferrara’s Defense of Benedict XVI.”

So you see what the opinions of these self-appointed “experts” is really worth. They didn’t go by the evidence at hand but rather by what they wanted the truth to be, based on an agenda to which they have committed themselves. Why is anyone listening to these people? Why does anyone care what they have to say?

Beyond the Wheelchairs

A good contribution exposing the fake “humility” of the narcissist Francis has been provided by the traditionalist blogger Mundabor, who, however, is unfortunately still refusing to see that Bergoglio is a non-Catholic Antipope. Mundabor writes:

Clearly, Francis is receiving the applause of the world and eating it up. On November 9, the Associated Press released a news snippet entitled: “One by One, Pope Greets Hundreds in Wheelchairs.” Francis is seeking to be loved and admired by the world, while at the same time he stabs people trying to be good Catholics in the back. He has nothing but contempt for the latter and misses no opportunity to denounce them as Pharisees, Triumphalists, Rosary-counting Restorationists, “self-absorbed Promethean Neopelagians” (Evangelii Gaudium no. 94), etc. Translating his words into action, Bergoglio’s treatment of the traditionalist-leaning Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate has been nothing short of tyrannical. This is not exactly what one would expect from a humble soul.

Let’s also not forget the amusing episode of Francis himself pointing out his supposed humility. In his third interview, the one conducted by the apostate Eugenio Scalfari, Francis reportedly said: “The Council Fathers knew that being open to modern culture meant religious ecumenism and dialogue with non-believers. But afterwards very little was done in that direction. I have the humility and ambition to want to do something” (source). Ah, yes; surely no one can argue with that kind of humility. No wonder he’s proud of it!

But joking aside. Jorge Bergoglio simply isn’t humble; he’s full of pride. And he loves being admired and cheered by the crowds. On September 23, 2013, Mexican laywoman Lucrecia Rego de Planas wrote an Open Letter to Francis in which she scolds him for apparently ‘loving to be loved by all.’ Clearly, this is contrary to the Gospel. Being hated and persecuted by the world is one of the hallmarks of a faithful Christian, as Our Blessed Lord taught:

To be despised by the world on account of faithfulness to the Gospel is a great thing, because the world despises Christ. On the other hand, to be loved by the world is… well, draw your own conclusions.

True and False Humility

By contrast to the Bergoglian circus, let us consider an example of true humility in a true Pope: Benedict XV. This Pope reigned from 1914-1922 and sought in numerous ways to ease the sufferings of the people affected by World War I. He proved himself an extremely generous giver of alms. If you’ve never heard of this before, it’s probably because he wasn’t interested in broadcasting it to the world:

True virtue seeks to remain hidden. Our Blessed Lord taught: “Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father who is in heaven. Therefore when thou dost an almsdeed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But when thou dost alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. That thy alms may be in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee” (Mt 6:1-4).

Another truly humble Pope was Benedict XV’s immediate predecessor, whose heroic humility comes with official ecclesiastical recognition inasmuch as he is a canonized saint: Pope Pius X. It bears repeating that this saint-Pope is also the greatest Anti-Modernist of the twentieth century, for which he has been loathed by many. See our blog post with some interesting tidbits and links about the great St. Pius X.

What a contrast there is between real Popes and real virtue and the undignified circus of Jorge Bergoglio!

More of Francis’ “piety,” “humility,” and “deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary” could be witnessed at this year’s Novus Ordo extravaganza known as “World Youth Day.” It took place in Rio de Janeiro and left the Brazilian Archdiocese $39 million in debt. To help pay for it, the Novus Ordo authorities had to sell a hospital (!) for $20 million, and now the Vatican has offered to help as well. World Youth Day ’13 was a gigantic promo for the Francis Show, and featured such “humble” things as lewd dancing, fun Pagan head gear, a Sodomite porn model as lead choreographer, “Holy Communion” from disposable plastic cups, and much more, and it ended with Jorge the Humble putting a beach ball and a jersey on the altar of St. Mary Major.

The True Faith was ridiculed, God was mocked, and the youth were misled — but Francis sure had fun!

“If I shall touch only his garment….” (Mt 9:21)

There is another strange phenomenon that seems to be an integral part of the Francis Show, and that is the incessant physical contact Francis seeks to have with his followers, be it hugging, kissing, or laying hands on people. The latter in particular is a very Protestant thing to do.

What’s going on with all the touching? The Pope has no special healing powers, after all. Why, then, are people flocking to Francis to be touched by him? The Pope is not Christ Himself. The Pope is not a Wonder Worker. The Pope is not (per se) a Saint. The Pope is not an Apostle (except for St. Peter, of course). There is simply nothing in Catholic doctrine that connects the papacy itself with physical healing or miraculous powers.

So what is going on here? Francis either believes himself to have special healing powers, or else he does it for popularity’s sake, confirming people in their apparent erroneous conviction that it is important to be physically touchedby the “Pope” as such, or, worse yet, by Francis in particular. (Please don’t say he’s just being compassionate: Compassion does not exist in a man who denies people the most salutary — and therefore most compassionate — thing of all: the True Faith, the True Sacraments, good morals, and genuine piety.)

This is quite troubling. There must be a certain distance between the Pope and the people so it doesn’t descend into hero worship, which is exactly what we saw with Karol Wojtyla, John Paul II. It is he who started this “Superstar” quasi-idolatry, where youngsters would practically swoon at seeing him or break out in tears over shaking his hand, reminiscent of girls fainting at rock concerts. It seems that Francis is intent on picking up precisely where John Paul II left off, and kicking the whole thing up a few gears.

What one should seek from the Pope is a blessing, that is, the papal blessing, for the Pope certainly has a special benediction to give. But such a blessing does not involve touching and is to be sought from a Pope who is a scandalous sinner as much as from a holy Pope, because this blessing pertains to the Pope as such and originates with Christ; it has nothing per se to do with the individual who happens to be Pope.

Not so with Francis, the Pretender Pope. He thinks it’s all about him, and acts accordingly. It is no surprise that a world that no longer knows genuine Catholicism is falling for him like a set of dominoes.

We will end by providing several insightful Reality Checks and this beautiful quote from Thomas a Kempis’ timeless classic, The Imitation of Christ, regarding the difference between nature and grace, the earthly man vs. the supernatural man:

May we all learn to be humble, for without this humility, there will be no room for us in the Kingdom of Heaven (cf. Ecclus 3:20; Mt 5:20, 18:3; Mk 10:14; 1 Pet 5:5-6).

Reality Check on Humility:

• Sermon on Humility, Foundation of the Spiritual Life (Fr. Bernard Uttley, OSB)
• Pope St. Pius X on Priestly Propriety and Dignity
• What Is True Humility? (Fr. Alonso Rodriguez, SJ)
• Litany of Humility (Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val)
• Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo

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