The following is a July 29 blog entry by Father Angelo Mary Geiger:
It was reported in the Catholic online press today that our religious
community, the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, has been assigned an
Apostolic Commissioner by the Sacred Congregation for Institutes of
Consecrated life. Pope Francis has ordered the decree which goes into
effect on August 12.
Pope Francis has also severely restricted our use of the extraordinary
form of the Mass, and this has been reported by a major Italian
journalist as a 'contradiction' of Pope Benedict's permission granted in
the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. This is an unfortunate instance of an overeager journalist sensationalizing something he can only speculate about.
The restrictions on our community are specific to us and have been put
in place for reasons specific to us. Pope Francis has not contradicted
Pope Benedict. The visitation of our community began under Pope Benedict
and the Commission was recommended by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz who
was appointed to the Congregation by Pope Benedict.
What is being reported in the press and what has actually transpired
within our community over the course of a number of years are two
different things.
Many of us – I would hope most of us – Franciscan Friars of the
Immaculate, welcome the Holy Father's intervention into our life and
trust fully that Holy Mother Church knows exactly what she is doing,
even when the journalists do not. We entrust ourselves to her care, just
as we do to the Immaculate.
Please pray for our Institute.
Many of the comments in the blogosphere about Pope Francis concerning
his decision in regard to our Institute are simply disgraceful, and
'justified' by the most tenuous rationalizations. He is the Vicar of
Christ. It is less than twenty-four hours since this hit the Internet
and so many think they have got it all figured out. I have also seen
sheer fabrications about the situation in our Institute within some of
these comments. May God have mercy on us. Thank God for all the holy
popes we have had for the past fifty years, who all have had much to
suffer.
I am closing down the comments now on these posts concerning the
situation in the Institute. I left comments open to make a point, which
the some of the commenters have made for me. Either you get the point or
you don't. There is no point in trying to explain it.
The contempt, disrespect and spirit of disobedience shown toward the Vicar of Christ, I repudiate. May God have mercy on us.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.