This letter was originally posted on 07th of April 2024
(Reference my original letter dated 01 March 2024) Subject: Pope Francis, Fiducia Supplicans, & the sermon at Saint Mary’s Parish (Dubai), on the 10th February 2024
(If you have not read the preface to this letter, I would request you to click here)
Your Eminence Bishop Martinelli,
Greetings.
Introduction
I trust that this letter finds you in the peace of Christ. I am a parishioner from Saint Mary’s Catholic Church (SMCC) Dubai, & this is with reference to a sermon on 10th Feb 2024 (video of sermon currently not available on the SMCC YouTube channel) which touched upon the controversial document by Cardinal Victor M. Fernandez, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF), which was also endorsed & defended by the Vicar of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, titled ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ (henceforward also referred to in this letter as ‘the document’).
Background
A brief background on the aforementioned sermon for the benefit of readers, parishioners, etc. (Please note that the name of the priest is being withheld out of respect for the priests at SMCC Dubai):
- On the 10th of Feb 2024, Saturday (in lieu of Sunday’s obligatory mass), the liturgical readings were from Mark 1:40 to 45 and Leviticus Chapter 13:1 to 2 & 44 to 46. & the sermon or homily preached during this service was therefore a reflection of these passages.
- The priest during the sermon drew attention to a comparison of the lepers in the chapters mentioned above, their treatment, ostracization, & undignified separation in the Old Testament. He contrasted this with Jesus’s acceptance & compassion for the Lepers, in the New Testament.
- Our priest then, rather eisegetically, went on to point out the apparent similarities between the treatment of lepers in the Old Testament, to the attitude of ‘some’ people who ‘dislike’ or ‘challenged’ the aforementioned document Fiducia Supplicans, and have requested, implored, and demanded Pope Francis to withdraw ‘the document’ in question, and also advised their very strong rejection of ‘the document’
- Our priest went on to read some of the relevant content of ‘the document’ and equated it’s rejection to those in the Old and New Testament, who rejected and had separate ‘rules’ for lepers, apparently similar to the treatment and rejection of same sex couples/LGBTQ community today (without him mentioning the community in question).
I have to stress at the outset, that I have the highest regard, respect, & love for the priests in our Parish at SMCC Dubai, and I find myself in the rather awkward and distressing situation of the need to correct a beloved priest; However, I need to do so in the interest of upholding Catholic teaching, and hence seek your assistance in remedying this regretful situation. I would also request your response to the objections I have documented herein below which I see as pertinent, timely, and necessary,
Objections & Apologia
(1) Fiducia Supplicans as a Modernist novelty
Since the time of the resignation of the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, in February of 2013, I have been following Pope Francis’s papacy keenly. In the past 11 years, from 2013 to 2024, I can only say that the situation has worsened in regard to upholding authentic Catholic Church teaching & values – those that are expected to be in line with prior Magisterial & Apostolic authority and the timeless and unchanging Deposit of Faith, and not a departure from such teachings. However, From Amoris Laetitia to Pachamama, and now Fiducia Supplicans (and more-or-less everything else said and done in between), it has been one ‘controversy’ after another; a marked departure from authentic Catholic teachings & values.
The predecessors of the Post-Conciliar generation, Pope Gregory XVI (in the Encyclical: Mirari Vos – On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism), Pope Pius IX (in The Syllabus of Errors), Pope Pius X (in the Encyclical: Pascendi Dominici Gregis – On the Doctrine of the Modernists) & Pope Pius XII (in the Encyclical: Humani Generis), most notably, had extensively warned us of the heresy of Liberalism & Modernism. Pope Pius X had in fact classified modernism as “the synthesis of all heresies” & had issued an oath that prelates had to take against modernism. I wonder if these great Popes could see the state of the Catholic Church the way it stands today, and what would they think of it?.
It is amply evident that there is a strong political rift and divide among the Modernists-Liberals of Pope Francis (such as Cardinal Fernandez of the DDF, as made clear by his erotic-theological works – see here, here & here), versus a very distinct Traditionally oriented Conservative ‘minority’, who love and won’t leave Mother Church, who are also seemingly bent on ‘resisting’ Pope Francis. I have begun to view this latter group of Catholics with a great amount of sympathy, who in my humble opinion, are on the right side of the fence, Pope Francis’s criticism towards them notwithstanding.
Our Blessed Immaculate Mother Mary, appeared to Sister Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan in 1973 and seemed to have foretold this situation, when she seems to have informed Blessed Sister:
“The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”
https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/message-from-our-lady–akita-japan-5167
This is what is being played out before us. In fact, from consecutive Popes disobeying the instructions of Our Lady of Fatima given to Venerable Sister Lucia, to the Akita prophecy mentioned above, we are seeing a strong divide between those who want to take the Church in a hyper-modern direction, and those who want to be obedient and hold on to the Traditions & Deposit of Faith. On the back of this clearly apparent feud within the Vatican, we are witnessing novelties being introduced in the form of Fiducia Supplicans, that are attacking, and even deviating from established Church doctrines, notably the Catechism of the Catholic Church or CCC (Most notably. Section 2357, 2358 & 2359 of the CCC)
(2) The need for blessings, or rather the unnecessary-ness of such blessings of irregular unions
This brings me to the crux of the issue. The priest at SMCC Dubai, made it clear during his sermon that Fiduccia Supplicans has not changed the teachings of the Church. He also quoted ‘the document’ during his sermon, & I agree with him – there are no doctrinal changes introduced in ‘the document’ by the DDF; Which brings me to a pivotal question: If Church teaching had not changed, then what was the need to issue ‘the document’ by the DDF & Pope Francis? Why this double-speak or speaking in ‘forked tongues’? One could have simply directed questions to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Section 2357, 2358 & 2359 of the CCC, mentioned above) However, there were great pains taken by the DDF, seemingly on the behest of Pope Francis, to draft ‘the document’, which therefore sufficiently makes it evident that something in Church praxis (practice) ‘had evidently changed’. The priest at SMCC Dubai underscored this in his sermon. “What is wrong in blessing people?!!” he indignantly lamented from the lectern. I object to this view & the ‘blessings of couples’ espoused in ‘the document’, because of the following reasons:
2.1 Creating a false sense of acceptance.
The DDF, Pope, et all, are creating a rather unnecessary and false sense of acceptance of ‘irregular unions’ by requiring to ‘bless’ them – while cleverly leaving doctrines unchanged; It is clear that this is the very intention of those who have drafted the document. The motives behind such steps being taken are also obvious; These are baby steps, hiding behind ambiguous and innocuous words such as ‘blessings’, so that somewhere in the near or distant future, Pope Francis’s successor (probably someone as liberal minded as him, from the ‘Sankt Gallen Mafia’, considering that Pope Francis has stacked the Conclave that will elect the next Pope, with Cardinals who are modernists, as compared to conservatives and traditionalists) will build on this move and continue in the endeavour toward an agenda of ‘reforming’ and normalizing such ‘irregular union’ towards a day where changes in Church teaching can be more acceptable by both clergy and laity, towards liturgical marriage of those within such ‘irregular union’, which is what the end-game here is. Please do not pass this off as a conspiracy theory. It is very clear from the behaviour and demands of the German bishops (which was probably the reason for the release of ‘the document’) and many priests and prelates in the western world, that the chant for Church teaching on homosexuality to be changed, had already long begun within the Church of Christ. Anyone in denial of these facts, is simply either unaware of the political happenings within the Vatican or, I must sadly admit, is not speaking the truth.
2.2 Hypocrisy & a False Dilemma
There is a false dilemma being created by those who endorse Fiducia Supplicans, including Pope Francis and those who support it. Nobody objects to ‘blessings’ of individuals who are repentant and sorry for their sinful state, whatsoever may be their sexual inclinations. Our priest at SMCC Dubai quoted Pope Francis citing:
“Nobody gets scandalized if I give my blessings to a businessman who perhaps exploits people, and this is a very grave sin. But they get scandalized if I give them to a homosexual,”
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/02/08/hypocrisy-and-same-sex-blessings/
But the above statement by Pope Francis is a fallacious ‘apple-to-orange’ comparison, or a fallacy of false equivalence, one which is altogether flimsy and emotionally charged, simply because we are not talking about ‘irregular unions’ in the case of a businessman who exploits people (there is no copulation involved here). If Pope Francis or any clergy in the Catholic Church is aware of and is blessing a businessman (unrepentant) who exploits people, I amongst others will obviously object to such blessings as well. I don’t understand how Pope Francis can accuse people of a double standard here. This is a very desperate rhetoric aimed at placating and calming the faithful in the face of a backlash over ‘the document’ that was not expected on the release of it.
In fact, one can immediately spot the double standards being applied by Pope Francis himself; for example:
(i) Pope Francis has been known to allow communion (see here) to his American ‘friends’ (in worldly high places), such as Nancy Pelosi, and the now President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, of the American Democratic party. These exalted ‘leaders’ call themselves Catholic. But they stand for and espouse views and morals that are polar contradictions, and which undermine the very basic tenets of the Catholic & Christian beliefs – abortion, contraception, irregular unions, etc. Your eminence, isn’t this evident hypocrisy? Isn’t this also partiality, favoritism, and bias? Why isn’t anyone talking about such hypocrisy? Or is hypocrisy only limited to what the Pope defines or opines as hypocrisy?
(ii) There is also an element of bias here. Allow me to explain. Pope Francis and his Post-Conciliar predecessors (St. Pope John Paul II & Pope Benedict XVI) have followed the ecumenical path laid out by Vatican II, which calls for ‘dialogue’, among other controversial initiatives, (a topic by itself) with different religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. (see here, here, here & here) Even among the disparate Christian Fraternity (Protestants), there have been various initiatives for increased ‘dialogue’ and opening of the doors to the ‘Universal people of God’ (the more recent of them being an Anglican Bishop (female) addressing the Pope & Cardinals “on the role of women in the Church.”); However the irony lies in the fact that Pope Francis went to great lengths (in the 2021 document ‘Traditionis Custodes’) to repeal the allowance permitted by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI (in Summorum Pontificum) towards Traditional Catholics who prefer the ‘1962 Mass’ or the Extraordinary form of the mass or Tridentine Latin Mass as it is popularly known, and that was finding great spiritual enthusiasm, devotion and fervor in USA particularly, and also among many other parts of the developed world among the ordained Catholic and lay Catholics (see here, here and here) Why are these ‘Catholics’ being ‘marginalized’, ‘ostracized’, ‘rejected’ and ‘offended’ by their very own Shepherd? Isn’t this rather obvious hypocrisy and double standards on the part of Pope Francis, your eminence? All that devout Catholics were doing was offering the mass in the Tradition, form and manner offered by their worthy predecessors, such as by St. Pope Pius V who codified it in 1570 and which has never been officially stopped or abrogated after Vatican II. I am unable to see what was so insufferable about this.
(iii) In context with double-standards, would Pope Francis, for example, care to ask his Imam friends in Abu Dhabi, to use a more ‘modern’ version of the Quran & other prayers offered to Allah, other than the one that was instituted by the prophet Mohammed? – perhaps Pope Francis and other post-conciliar modernism-seeking ‘envoys’ should convey to their Islamic ‘brethren’ that it is time for the Muslims to preach and proclaim in English or in the vernacular language of the region, rather than the established language, from the speakers atop the Mosques. Wouldn’t this be the more ‘modern’ thing to do? This is a rhetorical and hypothetical question to which we both know the distasteful & bitter answer. Are devout Traditional Catholics who love the older Latin rite, therefore, a kind of low-hanging pinata for Pope Francis? One who are easy to pick on & who can be conveniently ‘persecuted’ in a tide of Neo & Hyper-Modernism without complaining & throwing a fit (unlike the evidently homosexually-deviant German Bishops)? Your eminence, isn’t this also hypocrisy? Is this, seemingly tyrannical behaviour towards his own flock, befitting a Vicar of Christ? Please note that I ask this question with the greatest respect for your eminence and the office of the Pope, and out of great love & concern for the moral and theological direction of the church.
2.3 Disregard of Scripture and of the Catechism, while playing the populist vote
Pope Francis has been quoted as saying of the African Bishops who have rejected ‘the document’:
“…because the culture does not accept it,”
Why is Pope Francis NOT pointing to Authentic Church Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Catechism here (The Catechism of the Catholic Church)? To put it in another way, why is Pope Francis defending disagreements to this document based on ‘culture’. Why is there a need to take shelter in an argument based on ‘culture’, and not the Catechism, which rather explicitly conveys the Catholic stance on homosexuality & irregular unions? (refer paragraph ‘Chastity and homosexuality‘ under 2357 & 2358 again)
Furthermore, are the Bishops of Africa factually rejecting ‘the document’ on the grounds of their culture? Or are they rejecting it, as one of the Reverend Bishop’s from Malawi pointed out:
“…We are not idiots. We know your ultimate goal…”
This implies that they, the African Bishops, are very clearly able to see the very things that I am recording in this letter, and they are perhaps, in that sense separated from the venom of the heresy of modernism. In contrast, if one studies recent surveys conducted (as late as 2020), it is distressingly notable that a startling 80% of so-called ‘Catholics’ in the Philippines, 80% of so-called ‘Catholics’ in Argentina (the home country of Pope Francis), and 76% of so-called ‘Catholics’ in Italy, (country to the ‘Holy See’ & home country to your eminence), think & feel that homosexuality should be accepted by society! Have people lost their minds? Are moral laws, teaching & values today based on the relativistic demands & feelings of the people, and on the democratic ‘votes’ of people & prelates? Those especially from developed countries seem only too inclined to bring the curse of Sodom and Gomorrah upon us, openly espousing a change in Church doctrine in context with homosexuality (examples: Cardinal Marx, Father James Martin, and many more) – with developing countries such as the Philippines playing catch-up with them!
It is therefore clear that the rejection of ‘the document’ by the African Bishops is not based on ‘culture’ or any other ‘category’ that Pope Francis is so desperately trying to trivialize & sweep under the carpet, rather than having them addressed them as valid objections. Pope Francis is obviously driving an agenda based on the dreams of his ideological father (the late Cardinal Maria Martini), which is further supported from the push from the never ending alphabet additions of the LGBT club, global elites and like minded Politicians (the Bidens, Trudeaus & Varadkar’s among others), and not to mention an indoctrinated majority of populations in western countries clamouring or foolishly believing that homosexuality should be accepted – talk about the blind leading the blind!
2.4 Fiducia Supplicans does not preach the complete message of the Gospel of Christ
The Church & The Bishop of Rome’s duty is to preach the complete message of Jesus Christ, not cherry-picked parts of it. Where in ‘the document’ can one find the call to repentance, such as that preached by St. John the Baptist & Jesus? Why is Pope Francis & Cardinal Fernandez or even our priest at SMCC Dubai, omitting to preach the message of “Go and Sin no more” to people of ‘irregular unions’, as Christ did? What is so offensive by this part of Christ’s message, that so many today are unwilling to ‘offend’ people in ‘irregular unions’? Why is there a heavy emphasis on the mercy & love of God and not His righteous justice, statutes, commandments, teachings and laws? These aspects need to be weighed in and thought about by Pope Francis, the prefect of the DDF, et all.
3) The impact on children and families
This brings me to the next logical point. St. Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic exhortation ‘Familiaris Consortio – On The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World’. In this document, our predecessor St. Pope John Paul II had outlined the model of a family in the changing world. Paragraph 9 of the afore-mentioned document thus mentions:
“To the injustice originating from sin-which has profoundly penetrated the structures of today’s world-and often hindering the family’s full realization of itself and of its fundamental rights, we must all set ourselves in opposition through a conversion of mind and heart, following Christ Crucified by denying our own selfishness: such a conversion cannot fail to have a beneficial and renewing influence even on the structures of society. What is needed is a continuous, permanent conversion which, while requiring an interior detachment from every evil and an adherence to good in its fullness…”
Familiaris Consortio (Paragraph 9)
Paragraph 10 concludes with:
“So that the goal of this journey might be clear and consequently the way plainly indicated, the Synod was right to begin by considering in depth the original design of God for marriage and the family: it ‘went back to the beginning,’ in deference to the teaching of Christ.”
Familiaris Consortio (Paragraph 10)
Why is there a clear deviation in Fiducia Supplicans, as compared to the above document by St. John Paul II, in allowing to bless people (in irregular unions) who are not in deference to the teaching of Christ, & who are not, ‘going back to the beginning’? Why is there no emphasis on ‘conversion’ in Fiducia Supplicans as compared to Familiaris Consortio? Which ‘beginning’ is Cardinal Fernandez & Pope Francis leading the Catholic Church to? It is my sincere hope and prayer that we are not being led to the ‘beginning’ of Sodom and Gomorrah! The youth & children, that will be the adults of tomorrow, are already being fed the lies of the enemy in the globalist classrooms (or indoctrination camps). Constant LGBT bullying, indoctrination, harassment, and demands of apparent ‘rights’ have become the golden idol (refer Daniel 3: 1 to 4), that people in every walk of life, be it corporations, the education system, mainstream media, politicians, Christian denominations, families, and even the beloved Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ is bowing down to. The youth & children are already being taught in schools and universities, much to the confusion & dismay of their parents, that irregular unions and sexual freedom is a ‘right’. Priests and Prelates are now re-enforcing this view & further solidifying in the minds of the children & youth by preaching from the pulpit, that which is already being taught to them by the ‘modern’ world under the guidance of the ‘spirit of this age’. Your eminence, I wish to remind you, that the Catholic Church is not expected to ‘accompany‘ people, but lead them out of darkness to the truth, & is therefore expected to be a beacon of light & truth to those in darkness. In this, the Catholic Church is expected to stand tall like a lighthouse against the stormy ‘modern’ tides, and guide souls towards the ultimate goal of their salvation, by teaching them the truth, as articulated by St. Pope John Paul II, that of the original design of God for marriage and the family. ‘Blessings’ to people in irregular unions are sadly not within this framework of ‘Marriage’, and may I add that they constitute a threat to the institution of the ‘Family’ – modern or ancient. Moreover, the Catholic Church since the ascent of Pope Francis, has notably stopped preaching and teaching the truth to appease people and not ‘hurt’ them or ‘offend’ them. In fact, one gets to hear prayers made for such intentions, during the prayer of the faithful, all the time at Mass in SMCC, Dubai. Your eminence, I humbly request you and priests at SMCC Dubai, and among other priests in the Vicariate, that the Church does not listen to the world. The Church tells the world what is true; The Church does not preach what is comfortable and convenient to the ears (that is, an unbalanced & distorted view of God’s mercy and love) but only what has been handed down as Apostolic Teaching. Hence, the sermon by our priest at SMCC Dubai should be admonished & corrected, although it may have been presented in sincerity by the priest.
4) A departure from matters of faith and morals
The LGBT have become a curse of this generation, one which a great many people, as mentioned above, both individual and corporate, have capsized to. History will mock this generation for not standing up against perversion, unholiness, and such ‘blessings’, which will only test Almighty God’s mercy and patience. I remind you, your Eminence, of the scripture that says ‘…for God is not mocked’ (Galatians 6: 7 to 10). Please do not mock and test God’s goodness and patience by departing from matters of faith and morals & the Tradition of the Apostles, especially Saint Paul, who reiterated the Levitical teachings of the Old Testament in his letters and epistles against such irregular unions (as outlined especially in the 1st chapter of the letter to the Romans 1: 18 to 32). I say this, as the need to ‘bless such couples’ only indicates such a departure from matters of faith and morals. This is underscored also by an unnecessary zeal and increased fervour towards other topics such as ‘Climate Change’. This has been radically & unprecedentedly championed by Pope Francis for some time now, especially in his encyclical (Laudato Si). This is a firm request to refrain from preaching climate change or global warming from the lectrine. It has absolutely nothing to do with the salvation of souls, and is quite frankly, not an area of expertise of the Church (This gent seems to agree with me on this). The conspiracy theories of ‘Climate Change Alarmism’ are best left to the likes of coached liberals, like Greta Thurnberg. Please do not politicize your sermons with novelties of the day. Please preach ‘Christ Crucified’ as exhorted by Saint Paul. These ‘fads’ will come and go; Christ’s message is here to stay until the end of time.
As I conclude, I look forward to your reply to this letter. While I have been drafting this letter (since the 10th of Feb 2024), there have been other developments and ‘questionable’ steps taken in churches or by priests (related or unrelated to ‘the document’) which only serve to underscore and highlight the (1) moral deficiency of ‘the document’, and the changes in praxis that it will bring about in the days to come – leading to more confusion and deviation from the true teaching of the Catholic Church & (2) highlight the other aspects or concerns I have already documented herein in this letter above:
- Mass for Transgender at St. Patrick’s Cathedral – (Link: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/st-patricks-cathedral-funeral-cecilia-gentili-transgender-advocate/5155958/)
- Vatican permits First Blessing at ‘homosexual Wedding’ thanks to Fiducia Supplicans (Link: https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/vatican-permits-first-homosexual-wedding-blessing)
- Dialogue and Meeting with ‘enemies of the Church’ Freemasons (Link: https://onepeterfive.com/dialogue-with-the-devil-freemasons-the-vatican/)
Ave Maria,
A Concerned Catholic
