The Committee To Re-Elect The Pope was formed on the day Pope Benedict announced his resignation.
We all, I think, want a man who stands in continuity with Benedict and understands and share his vision about a range of things, including the dire threats to our Catholic identity.
So, there are available not only car magnets and stickers to thank Pope Benedict (a lot of you have gotten those – they turned out really well) but also re-election things (HERE and HERE)… to make a point about the man we hope will be chosen.
One of the readers sent a great shot of the yard sign!
Get out there and campaign, everyone! Buttons coming soon.
UPDATE:
Buttons are here!
There are buttons and round magnets.
You can get them individually or in pack to hand out to friends.
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I’d be wary of re-electing a pope. Not that I don’t want Pope Benedict to stay. But there is a significant (at least in my corner of apologetics) paranoid fanatical anti-Catholic bunch out there who expect Pope John Paul II to be resurrected from the dead (actually his body inhabited by a demon) to be the pope after Benedict XVI. Re-elect Pope Benedict and they just re-write their prophecies to fit him. When Pope John Paul II isn’t resurrected they will expect Pope Benedict to return after his successor. That Pope Benedict will survive to potentially be re-elected after his successor is going to be bad enough in terms of these loonies. Any miracle healing Pope Benedict will rapidly be taken by these people as a fulfillment of their prophecies. They specifically target Catholics, and will do so with much more zeal if given the chance.
In reality, they are probably small and insignificant. I just don’t like feeding them.
I interpreted this to mean “elect someone like Pope Benedict” rather than a literal re-election of the current Pope. [Thanks for getting the point.]
Given: Reports from previous conclaves suggest that the first round of balloting is sometimes used to “honor” fellow cardinals, especially if they have no chance of being elected.
Given: Pope Benedict XVI has had (although you may not necessarily know it, alas, thanks to hostile secular media), by most any measure, a successful pontificate.
Question: How many votes will Benedict / Ratzinger receive on the first ballot?
I got the point: “elect someone like Pope Benedict.” Many other Catholics will, too.
But even more Catholics won’t, and almost all non-Catholics won’t, and I don’t really see how it would improve matters much. Americans, especially, are so used to having EVERYTHING voted on, that something like this, so easily misunderstood, stands to sow more confusion than support.
I’d be more in favor if the sign came right out and said what we mean: Elect someone like Pope Benedict XVI.
:-) Sorry … I’m glad it’s not a literal statement then.
I just read something very disturbing in The Guardian online about the Vatican.
I truly wish Pope Benidict could change his mind.
Sorry–Benedict. Did not preview before posting.
SKAY, after seeing your post I looked up the Guardian and read what I presume is the article you were referring to. Of course whether the situation as described in the article actually exists, and whether it is the reason for the Holy Father’s abdication is all speculation at this point. Not sure if we will ever know.
However this reinforces my hope the next Pope will follow in Benedict XVI’s footsteps but also be someone who can get the Curia in line and weed out the “progressives” and those not following Catholic teaching. A truly Herculean effort.
@Jon Patrick…that is a noble endeavor to pray for ( *weeding out the progressives in the Curia who are not following Catholic teaching* ) but I am reminded that Holy Scripture tells us that the weeks continue to grow within the wheat until He comes again and separates them Himself at
the Last Judgment. Sigh! I know…it is hard to bear but what we can do is search out and remove
the *weeds* or planks in our own eye in preparation for our own Paricular Judgment. That too
can be Herculean in terms of effort but with God’s grace is possible.
SKAY –
I imagine the Pope could change his mind as long as he is still Pope.
I am deeply troubled by the Holy Father’s abdication of the highest and most powerful office and blessing known to living men. Troubled to the point of questioning whether the sacraments I hope in are efficacious – valid. Troubled to the point of feeling abandoned by my shepherd amongst the wolves. So I have no humor for this re-elect “campaign”. I feel like the Pope has said “non Servium”. I tremble in my soul. I feel my spiritual home has had the foundation ripped from beneath it. Troubled. I can’t express how very and sincerely troubled me riddled with doubts I am.
I am deeply troubled by the Holy Father’s abdication of the highest and most powerful office and blessing known to living men. Troubled to the point of questioning whether the sacraments I hope in are efficacious – valid. [HUH?] Troubled to the point of feeling abandoned by my shepherd amongst the wolves. So I have no humor for this re-elect “campaign”. I feel like the Pope has said “non Servium”. I tremble in my soul. I feel my spiritual home has had the foundation ripped from beneath it. Troubled. I can’t express how very and sincerely troubled and riddled with doubts I am. [Calm down. Popes come and go. This is just method by which the way is cleared for another Pope.]
AnnAsher: I think the first thing we must fully appreciate is that this decision was not made suddenly, or without prayerful consideration.
I believe that Pope Benedict has no, in fact, said “non serviam”, but that he has taken the measure of the forces arrayed against Holy Mother Church, outside and in, and has determined that his strength and vigor are insufficient to combat and defeat these forces. Moreover, it is in this belief that I hope that the college of cardinals will be led by the Holy Spirit to give us a new pope whose internal strength and character are a match to those of Benedict, but whose age and physical condition make him better fitted to the battles, present and future.
No foundation has been destroyed; the Church remains our home, holy and secure. It is human and natural to have concerns, but if we believe in the Holy Spirit, we must believe that the new pope will lead us through these dark times. Finally, remember that to give yourself to despair is sinful. Speak to your confessor, gain his support and advice.
Please excuse the typo in my above comment…*weeks* should have read *weeds*….sorry!
@ Ann Asher…The Holy Father gave his very credible reasons for his resignation: simply no longer physically up to the tasks of being the leader of the Church of over a billion and spiritual
leader to the world. He never said he *would not* serve but rather he *could not* serve in all
justice during these troubled times. He witnessed how the Church fared during the long suffering
years of Blessed John Paul II and while aware John Paul felt his resignation would
adversely affect the Church ( even though he had made arrangments for that) he has not chosen
for very good reasons to follow that route. You have not been abandoned by his decision to resign
but overly influenced by the secular media. We will shortly have a successor to the chair of Peter who is able and willing to continue steering the Ark of Peter. There is no reason to doubt the efficacious-ness or validity of the sacraments you receive from validly ordained priests. We all feel troubled by what has been happening over the decades since Vatican II by the treachery present in our Church but we also have reason to hope always that those powers of evil will not ultimately prevail. Have faith and pray the St Michael chaplet to restore peace to your soul. Recall the words of Julian of Norwich: ” All is well, all is well” and know it to be the ultimate good news!
Ann: what wmeyer said.
In the battle to come, we need a general with full faculties leading the charge. Benedict has done the honorable thing here…admitting frailty and lack of strength to lift the sword is not a sign of weakness, but submission to God’s will. The Holy Spirit is in charge. Benedict will still be there, in prayer, contemplation, in isolation offering his suffering for our success.
While sad that we won’t have Benedict steering the barque…have no doubt that the hand that will take the tiller is who we will need to finish the great work he’s started cleaning out the augean stables of the depravities that have crept into His sanctuary. The gates of Hell will NOT prevail, and the Archangel Michael is, I’m certain, gathering the angels of Heaven to deploy to support the Vicar of Christ that is chosen. Our job is to redouble our prayers and mortifications offered for their success.
Getting back to the actual point of the entry… which I invite you all to review right after voting for this blog for the award thing… I am pretty sure we all want a Pope who stands in continuity with Pope Benedict. That’s the point.
I just don’t get why everyone doesn’t get it immediately :-) Even my pentecostal friends, who interpret the Bible very literally, instantly understood what Fr. Z meant. Maybe it’s an American thing not getting hyperboles. Exaggerations and irony, like in certain hilarious news stories from The Eye of the Tiber also seem to be misunderstood by quite a lot of people on here. Indeed an interesting cultural phenomenon. This is just an observation, please don’t take offense dear Americans!
Sorry for the derailing, back on track!
I’d like a coffee mug version. One of the best ways I know of shaking up the weekly company meeting is with my collection of Catholic Cups. The Pagans predictably avert their eyes and complain about “People who want Good Friday off”.
Dear @Shamrock, as the (Fathers and?) scholastics have pointed out, the phrase of Our Lord about letting the weed grow means such weed as cannot be ripped out without alongside ripping out the wheat. Such as darnel, which looks very much like weed and which the Bible litterally says.
Seems that was amateurish try of figuring out What the Scripture really says.
which looks very much like wheat. Seems in English the very words are similar.
On the other hand, such weed as can safely be distinguished and safely be ripped out, is to be ripped out. You need this or excommunications would not be justified, after all.
A preacher once draw our attention to the phrase “while the servants were asleep, the enemy came and sew weed”. They should be awake and prevent that.
@Imrahil….Have you noticed any public excommunications of the *weeds* lately? No? My point exactly! We must not try to be holier than the Church…and we must allow the Church to interpret the Scriptures for us otherwise we end up with all the relativists who want their own form(s) of the truth. The Church interprets that we must *put up* with the weeds amongst us, even loving them, until Christ makes the distinction at the Last Judgment just who ARE the weeds…personally , I think there may be afew surprises awaiting us! Of course, in the meanwhile, we are to proclaim the truth loudly and courageously because of all those weeds amongst us.
Dear @Shamrock,
the present (and past) CIC contains the measure of excommunication, which is the point of interest here. Whether or not and in which intensity it is used, is of peripheral importance to the essentials. It does exist.
How is it to be justified? “Videtur the Church must not excommunicate any man; for to excommunicate means ‘to throw out of communion'” (which strictly speaking is incorrect, but that is peripheral for the issue at stake) ” and the Church must not throw bad men out of herself, according to the words of Our Lord who said, ‘let them both grow until the harvest’ (quote)”, as it might have been formulated in the Summa theologica style. But this is an objection, and it would be followed by “Sed contra the Church does allow for excommunications”.
We are not arguing about intensities. We are arguing about whether at all.
On the interpretation of the parable in question, I think I substantially said (in much lower quality) what St. Thomas says in S. th. Supp. 21 II… nor do I think that this has found incorrect in later times.
I also think that on the Judgment Day, there may be a few surprises. In my better moments I think the majority of them might be joyful surprises. But anyway: Once the position has been rejected that we should not think at all (which would be worthy of at least forming an “objection” of the scholastic method, given that God cares for all things anyway, etc.), then I see no reason to stop just for the fact that a discussion partner has, without necessity thrown in the Judgment and reminded all those present of their sinfulness.
I agree (as a Catholic must) that we must, in a sense, let the Church interpret the Scriptures for us. But, first, the Church acts here through her Magisterium. If the Magisterium has nothing binding or even nothing explicit, a good Catholic will take all sorts of things into his account he happens to know about. Among these are Church policy, the usual habits of thinking of great theologians, and a couple of other things. I do not give a ranking here, both because that does not belong here and because it would be difficult. A Catholic has much freedom in this.
Then second – but now we’re going a little bit from the topic – (rev’d dear @Fr Z, feel free to delete), while “the Church interprets the Scriptures” is true, it is – if we take “Church” to mean her official capacities – not the whole of the truth. So does the reader; so does the theologian. Tradition and Magisterium may help to easier avoid falling into a trap, and the may contain other things that the Bible does not contain. Then, of course, they are valuable of their own right: we have three pillars, Bible, Tradition and Magisterium. (Not only the Magisterium.) But (theoretically; but not hence unimportantly), a man who properly follows the Scripture will not fall into relativism (or Protestantism).
Imrahil…You are correct…we digress!
Back to the *buttons*…ReElect Benedict! Still think , even thought I know what is meant by those
promoting these signs, very confusing to the average mind which usually does not think figuratively but literally, these could be sending the wrong message to the casual passer-by seeing
for the first time, without the benefit of Father Z’s blog here. Good heaven, might well be the reaction, whatever are they thinking? A political campaign amongst the faithful? Too much credit for thinking at all given the average pew-sitter! Next question? Who is he running against? See where all this leads with just a wee bit of imagination?