The Francis Pontificate: Finding the Good

Amid all the chaos of Francis's Pontificate, there are bright spots. Despite his best efforts to destroy it, the TLM actually grew, thanks in large part to the ChiCom virus lockdowns, which he and his minions embraced wholeheartedly.

From One Peter Five

By Danielle Heckenkamp

Historically speaking, the Catholic Church has never been immune to hardships, suffering, and scandal. It’s easy to assume a diminutive approach that the events of the last twelve years, even more so the past sixty years, are unique to Church history. If we suppress our emotional attachment to the events of the past century, and examine the persecutions inflicted on the Church over the past 2000 years, it’s clear that our modern errors are not unique, but a predictable component of our fallen human nature. Rather than solely taking a cynical approach to our modern circumstances, it is important for the salvation of souls to first acknowledge the truth, but to find grace even among the confusion.  

Due to Original Sin, it’s easy to overemphasize one another’s faults, but this practice will eventually drag us down into a stench-ridden hole of pride and deceit. It is prudent to remember history as it occurred, and to acknowledge the Truth and admonish error, when necessary, but to dwell upon confusion more than goodness will not rectify sins.

I will openly say that I am not a theologian, nor have any desire to argue the obvious errors and confusing language that haunted the Catholic Church over the past twelve years. I leave those discussions for more qualified souls than myself. However, as we leave the clergy and theologians to dismantle the errors and bring the truth to light, I prefer to dwell on the growth of sanctity, goodness, tradition, and the desire for Truth multiplying two-fold in Holy Mother Church today.

It was a shock to Catholics, and even the secular world, when Pope Benedict resigned. The news was heart-wrenching and left many Catholics confused after fruitful years of stability and an increase in Catholic tradition. Then the election of Pope Francis, with his desire for simplicity and attention to those less fortunate, appeared promising but quickly inflicted a state of confusion upon the faithful. I will not delve into those specifics, they are well-known, and more learned individuals have dissected them across varying media channels. Rather, I think it is more important to note that as the Vatican continued to release either vague statements, or purgatorial directives, faithful souls quietly and organically drifted towards tradition, goodness, and Truth.

As I have described in previous articles, my family always attended the Latin Mass, even when it was forced underground by ill-informed Bishops and was considered archaic to the modernists. But among the confusion, goodness and truth continued to thrive. I have seen the armor of Truth overcome the errors of this world countless times throughout my life. There were times when many feared the Latin Mass would suffer extinction, and the loss of sacred traditions and devotions preserved by Holy Mother Church for over 2,000 years would be lost. Yet, through the persecution, the dismantling, and the confusion, the Church organically began to grow again. The growth was subtle and slow, until about ten years ago, when a sudden shift rippled through the faithful. Only by contemplating the goodness, can we look back and acknowledge that this shift towards traditional liturgy, preservation of the sacred, and acceptance of orthodox Catholic teaching has exploded under the pontificate of Pope Francis. Such a dramatic shift has not occurred in half a century, and there are several reasons, both holy and unholy why the apparent change occurred. During a decade that embodied confusion and murky waters of persecution, God’s merciful providence overcame the darkness. As the hierarchy chose to engage in political and secular battles, a growing number of faithful souls embraced God’s love beyond the puzzling statements. It wasn’t through the emotion-driven songs, or the “all is welcome” narrative that they found reprieve. Instead, it was in the quietude of traditions, devotions, and the sacred liturgy that encouraged a slow and steady reunification of Catholics to find God even among the chaos of the world.

If we continue to view the Pontificate of Pope Francis in a negative light, then we are far from unifying the Catholic Church. There is no need to sugar coat his Pontificate, or any Pontificate for that matter, but to solely focus on the ills is only a victory for the enemy. If we do this, then we fail to give God what is owed to Him, and to thank Him for the graces and gifts bestowed on us even through our unworthy and prideful nature.

How can we ignore that thousands of newly baptized Catholics who entered the Church only a few days ago? And that Catholics are seeking theological arguments, rather than emotional ones to defend their Faith? Can we fail to see the increase in Sunday Mass attendance, specifically when offered in the ancient Roman Rite? Or the resurgence of young men who seek to die to the world for love of their Savior by entering theologically sound seminaries? An increase in First Holy Communion classes and Confirmation classes have risen drastically as Catholics learn the importance of the Sacraments. The restoration of churches to their original design prior to the white-wash mediocracy of Vatican II are nothing short of a miracle. Among all of these, and many more instances that I have not mentioned, are proof of God’s love for souls and His Church. If we fail to find His goodness, even among the confusion, then we are no different than those who are truly blame-worthy.

We are not only picking up the pieces from a mess made within the last twelve, or even sixty years. As faithful Catholics, we must be prepared to find hope even among the human messes that have been promulgated inside and outside the Church for centuries. For if we truly believe that Christ founded the Catholic Church, even among the confusion, disbelief, and persecution of that time, then how can we expect human nature to change in the modern world? It is times like these that God gives us ample opportunities to focus on His merciful love, because our path to sanctity can only be achieved by complete dependence on His Divine Will. During confusion and chaos, it might seem easier to choose despair over faith. Let’s not allow the world to deceive us during this short time before the election of a new pope. If we focus on the confusion and the errors of the past twelve years, then we will fail to perform our duty of prayer and sacrifice for Holy Mother Church. The preservation of Christ’s Church and the salvation of souls must be our objective, and it is more than obvious that God is working in miraculous ways to reform the error and expose the Truth. His ways are not our ways, and His timing is rarely our timing. But His ways and His time is always more perfect than anything we could ever imagine.