Thursday, March 28, AD 2024 8:12am

PopeWatch: Apologies-R-Us

VATICAN-POPE-AUDIENCE

Pope Francis yesterday apologized for persecutions suffered by Pentecostals under Fascist Italy.

 

 

The pope made his second visit in as many days to the Mafia stronghold near Naples, this time to meet evangelical pastor Giovanni Traettino, whom he befriended while he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

During the visit, Francis apologized for the persecution suffered by Pentecostals under Italy’s fascist regime in the 1920s and 1930s and urged Christians to celebrate their diversity and unity.

“Catholics were among those who persecuted and denounced the Pentecostals, almost as if they were crazy,” Francis said.

“I am the shepherd of the Catholics and I ask you to forgive my Catholic brothers and sisters who did not understand and were tempted by the devil.”

Go here to read the rest.  Popes are going to be busy indeed if they are now going to be apologizing for evil done by any Catholics anytime, anywhere.   This is particularly so if Popes are going to apologize for actions done by a dictatorial regime like Fascist Italy, run by an agnostic Mussolini, that had a fairly combatative relationship with the Church, both before and after the Lateran Treaty of 1929.  Where perhaps popes had in the past presented too proud and combative a mien to the World on occasion, it sometimes seems that contemporary Popes are spending a fair amount of time apologizing to the World.  Perhaps we can just have one general apology for everything done bad by any Catholic, now, in the past and in the future, and with that over perhaps we can be about the business of converting as much of mankind as possible to the True Faith?

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Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 6:20am

If we could only combine Pope Francis and President Osama (misspelled on purpose) with apologies for all Catholic actions and all perceived American wrongs, we might truly usher in the Millenial Reign where the lion lays down with the lamb and mankinds’ weapons are turned into farming tools. Of course, liberals would be incredibly upset when they figure out that Jesus is the Messiah rather than Obama. 😉

Stephen E Dalton
Stephen E Dalton
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 8:33am

I’m sick and tired of these ridiculous apologies that this Pope and others before him are giving to every group that supposedly suffered ill-treatment at the hands of the Church. Nearly all of these groups were dangerous heretical groups that seeked to undermine the Christian faith over the centuries. A look at any good history, such as Belloc’s “The Great Heresies” should convince any honest person that the “ill-treatment” these folks are whining about was the natural reaction of Christians seeing their faith violated. Instead of apologizing to these sectarians, the Pope should start telling them their heresies will not lead them to heaven, and that any genuine “ill-treatment” that they might receive from Catholics will be repented of, but their ill-treatment of the true faith won’t be thought well of either.

Brian English
Brian English
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 11:41am

“agnostic Mussolini,”

Atheist actually. He wrote and published a book titled “God Does Not Exist.”

Tamsin
Tamsin
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 4:56pm

So glad the Pope is stepping up to take our collective sins upon himself and obtain forgiveness for us all. We’ve never had a point person like that. 😉

Phillip
Phillip
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 5:07pm

He’s taking this Promethean task upon himself. He is absorbed with atoning for our collective sins. He can do this without any external help. What term can we apply to this? 😉

Anzlyne
Anzlyne
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 6:44pm

good one Tamsin 🙂
.

I read the Washington Post article and wonder how the reference to racism is explained? “…remember the racial laws through which the Pentecostals were victims under fascism”

the Old Adam
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 6:54pm

I’m sorry for not being sorry.

exNOAAman
exNOAAman
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 8:52pm

Guess I’m just plain not sorry…..(Hey, sorry; what can I say?)

exNOAAman
exNOAAman
Tuesday, July 29, AD 2014 8:55pm

More seriously….these stunts lose meaning, (if there ever was any), the more they pop up.
.
PS; I’m also not sorry for the slaves I never owned or benefitted from; that the Maryland legislature has apologized for, on my apparent behalf.

Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon
Wednesday, July 30, AD 2014 1:58am

“During the visit, Francis apologized for the persecution suffered by Pentecostals under Italy’s fascist regime in the 1920s and 1930s and urged Christians to celebrate their diversity and unity.”

Uhhhh….haven’t Fascist regimes ALWAYS persecuted people of faith who acknowledg pretty much any religion that the Fascist regimes do not strictly control??? Who is going to apologize for the actions of the Fascist regimes?

Franco
Franco
Wednesday, July 30, AD 2014 2:38am

I’m unfamiliar with that historical period in Italy when members of
the Pentecostal church were persecuted by pre-Vatican II Catholics.
Were the pre-Vatican II or traditional Catholics beheading Pentecostal
infidels? Were the traditional Catholics of that period fire bombing
Pentecostal churches? Were those intolerant pre-Vatican II Catholics
forcing Pentecostal women to convert to Catholicism by marrying
traditional Catholic men through threats of death or rape?

Meanwhile, Christians and Catholics are being annihilated throughout
the Middle East. Their churches bombed. Their women raped.
Their families beheaded by followers of a mad heresy called Islam.

Our Holy Father needs to reevalute his priorities and to end his
persecution of the pre-Vatican II Church and traditional Catholics.

Steve Phoenix
Steve Phoenix
Thursday, July 31, AD 2014 5:52pm

Is it just a coincidence or perhaps has it occurred to other TAC readers that most leaders who do not love their country very much (umm, like Barry O., Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry) oh so very easily apologize for its many “sins”?

And then we have Pope Bergoglio.. umm..

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