Just as the Magi were late to the game, so too am I.
Fr. Z’s Predictions for 2016
1. Francis will still be Pope.
2. Pres. Obama will continue to trample on the US Constitution.
3. The Holy Year of Mercy will be under-observed.
4. Applications to seminaries will drop.
5. Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee.
6. Controversy will continue to surround the Synod of Bishops when priesthood is discussed.
7. Curial reform will not make significant progress.
8. The number of places in which Extraordinary Form (TLM) Masses are offered will continue to grow.
9. Former-Father Greg Reynolds will still be excommunicated.
10. Fr. Z will still not be a Monsignor.
How did I do last year?
1. The Synod of Bishops on the Family will be rigged and explosive. [+1]
2. The “AFFORDABLE” Care Act will continue to flop and to be unpopular. [+1]
3. The number of places in which Extraordinary Form (TLM) Masses are offered will continue to grow. [+1]
4. Pope Francis will be welcomed in these USA with hysterical enthusiasm. [+1]
5. Curial Reform will continue to meet significant resistance. [+1]
6. Pope Francis will release his next encyclical at the United Nations. [-1]
7. There will be more cyber-attacks on corporations and government entities. [+1]
8. Mass attendance will continue to decline. [+1]
9. Former-Father Greg Reynolds will still be excommunicated. [+1]
10. Fr. Z will still not be a Monsignor. [+1]
Pretty well!
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Regarding Prediction number six — doesn’t the Synod only meet every three years?
I sincerely hope that #5 does not come to pass. Talk about the Stupid Party snatching defeat from the jaws of victory (again!).
#3 already seems to be panning out, and unfortunately #4 will probably continue with the exception of institutes like the FSSP or ICKSP.
#10 only because there’s no justice in the world.
There’s going to be a synod on the priesthood? Oh, my. Can you imagine the Fr. Rosica press conferences?
Any predictions about ISIS, Father?
If Trump is the nominee….well…*shakes head*
I’ll just be disgusted, to put it mildly.
Good Morning.
I don’t know about #5.
I’ve been telling family and friends for several months now that it will be a Cruz/Kasich ticket.
Though I think Kasich’s handlers have to get him to stop slouching; he would look ten years younger if he stood up straight.
Why Cruz? Because he would be the strongest opponent of HRC. He’s the only one who has a chance. Why Kasich? Because Ohio. But stand up and put your shoulders back.
If it’s Cruz/Kasich you heard it here first.
I was waiting for this! Thanks Father.
Also, what interesting books have you read/are reading?
1. Francis will still be Pope. (Yes, but, as Dorothy Parker remarked upon the death of Calvin Coolidge, “How can they tell?”)
2. Pres. Obama will continue to trample on the US Constitution. (Yes, and the damage he has done and will do will be irreparable.)
3. The Holy Year of Mercy will be under-observed. (This is because no one seems to understand or care exactly what it means.)
4. Applications to seminaries will drop. (The St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI era seminarians are either already ordained or became disenchanted with the “new sheriff in town.”)
5. Donald Trump will be the GOP nominee. (He’s the only one that stands a chance of beating Hilary “Rod-dam” Clinton. If they don’t nominate him, the GOP is doomed, and we will have Monica Lewinsky’s ex-boyfriend’s wife as leader of the free world.)
6. Controversy will continue to surround the Synod of Bishops when priesthood is discussed. (Yes, because lack of clarity seems to rule the day.)
7. Curial reform will not make significant progress. (The “good ole boy” network is still alive and well, and, while it may be corrupt here and there and in need of housecleaning, Maradiaga and friends won’t be able to control it.)
8. The number of places in which Extraordinary Form (TLM) Masses are offered will continue to grow. (It’s the only part of the Church that is growing, other than CMSWR religious communities.)
9. Former-Father Greg Reynolds will still be excommunicated. (Could Father Richard Rohr be next?)
10. Fr. Z will still not be a Monsignor. (Under the present circumstances, wearing a house cassock with piping as choir dress is a downer. Wait it out until the rules change back after the next pope is elected.)
A couple of mine:
-Father Z will pass his Extra Class exam and finally get a decent operating location.
-Father Z won’t be made a Monsignor, but realizing his special gifts, Pope Francis will elevate him to Cardinal Priest and place him in charge of the CDF with the portfolio to reform the Latin Rite in line with what the last council ACTUALLY said.
#5 better be wrong, and I agree with the commenter above that Fr. Rohr should be next.
#5 I’d take a step further and say Donald Trump will not only be the Republican nominee but will be elected President of these USA.
#6 do we really need a synod on the priesthood? Given the chaos surrounding this past synod, imagine the nonsense that will come of one on the priesthood. It will be a disaster.
TNCath
What, Catholics don’t understand or care about mercy? I happen to know that in my diocese and in this country it is being very well observed.
I predict for 2016:
1. I still won’t win a Fr. Z “gold star of the day”.
2. Z-chat will make a comeback.
#3 Sadly I agree with you, if for no other reason than the number of Catholics who understand what the significance is of a Jubilee Year and/or a plenary indulgence seems to be in a rather rapid decline. Geesh people: a thousand years ago the only way to get a plenary indulgence was to go on Crusade to fight the Saracens, now all ya gotta do is to walk through the door of one of your local parishes (all other conditions having been met of course)! For some reason the Holy Spirit is being awfully generous with us and we really ought to take advantage of it.
#5 Sadly once again I agree with you. And it is sad if for no other reason than that I lived in Minnesota while Jesse Ventura was governor. That was a gigantic embarrassment, and I see a lot of potential similarities.
#10 I am going to take the long shot and disagree and say that this will be Monsignor Z’s blog next New Year’s Eve.
Father K.,
It’s not that Catholics don’t understand or care about mercy; rather, the “Year of Mercy” proclaimed by Pope Francis is ambiguous at best and confusing at most. It also gives the false impression that this year is “the best year ever” because “this is the year Pope Francis is going to extend mercy to us, which has never ever been given to us in the whole history of the Church.” What seems to be somehow missing from of the “Year of Mercy” hype is that, in order to be granted mercy, one must express true sorrow for one’s sins in the Sacrament of Penance with a firm resolve to amend one’s life. It’s not a “Get Out of Hell Free” card. Those who call themselves Catholic yet do not agree with the Church’s teachings and continue to live in sin won’t give a hoot about the Year of Mercy. Those who are already practicing Catholics, receive the sacraments regularly, and try to live their lives in accordance with the Church’s teachings, won’t need to give a hoot about the Year of Mercy, either, because, quite frankly, they are already doing what they are supposed to be doing.
9. Former-Father Greg Reynolds will still be excommunicated. (Could Father Richard Rohr be next?) Honest question here – if a priest gets excomunicated, recants and reconciles, is he then restored to the priesthood, also?
Second- I’ve been reading some of Fr Rohr’s stuff, online, he seems like a heretic. (One of his thoughts is that the Crucifixion was not necessary for redemption, just the Incarnation.) Why has he been allowed to continue, has his order or bishop no control over him?
Is there really a chance that Donald Trump might be elected President? On the eastern side of the Atlantic (England in my case) the prospect of a Trump presidency fills most of us with dread – and incomprehension that the USA could choose such a buffoon to be the leader of the free world. If the Republicans nominate him I will despair of the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan – but the GOP has previous “form” – giving American voters the chance to elect Dan Quayle and Sarah Palin as Vice President for example.
A few of mine: Fr.. Z will get his extra class ticket. Fr.. Z will not be made monsignor as PF has done away with making monsignors unless you are over 60 or 65 years of age. Mass atendance will continue he to drop. Many Catholics will unfortunately migrate toward non-denominational mega-churches due to poor catechesis and a lack of Catholic identity which has caused many to see these ecclesial communities as equivalent to Catholicism. By the end of 2016 I fear we will have a president-elect who is no friend of the Church or the Faith. By the end of 2016 the EF will grow and more young people will seek it out. Will see how those pan out.
Good question re ISIS and 2016. No predictions from me, just a few observations.
For starters, Sky News is airing today a video they acquired showing the ISIS weapons-development “university” in Raqqa. Jihadis there, among other things, are modifying heat-seeking warheads and developing remote-controlled vehicles. Of course, we have to balance that with recent ISIS setbacks re Ramadi and fuel distribution. And then there is their co-belligerent the Khorasan Group, and various ISIS and al-Qaeda splinter groups and sympathizers who often disagree on methods and eschatology.
While we’re at it, here’s a couple of books on Islamism:
Christopher Caldwell’s Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West. A favorable reference to Benedict XVI here.
Walter Laqueur’s The Last Days of Europe: Epitaph for an Old Continent. His sequel to this book is full of silliness and best ignored.
For an interesting ISIS article there is Graeme Wood’s What Does ISIS Really Want? in The Atlantic March 2015. Wood also discusses the ISIS apocalypse and the importance to them of the Syrian town of Dabiq.
For the connections between Islamists and Leftists see Daniel Pipes The Islamist-Leftist Allied Menace at National Review dated July 14, 2008 and updated.
Back on Nov. 26, 2001 there is a Weekly Standard article by Waller Newell entitled Postmodern Jihad: What UBL learned from the Left.
Another from the Weekly Standard: Carlos the Jackal pledges allegiance to UBL by Amir Taheri Nov. 24, 2003.
Now here’s a curious article from Ebony dated January 9, 2015: Dream Defenders, Black Lives Matter, and Ferguson Reps Historic Trip to Palestine. Also curious in news from the Americas are the reports of the narco gang-cult Santa Muerte and its practice of decapitation.
Back to books. Bernard Lewis’ book The Political Language of Islam makes many good points. Lewis is one of the best out there, but there are several flaws to his works. One is his constant marginalization of the Church. When reading this book or his classic 1990s essay The Roots of Muslim Rage it is best to have nearby Rodney Stark’s Victory of Reason and Thomas Woods’ How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization.
There is of course plenty of good reporting on Iran and their Caspian Sea missile test, Saudi Wahabbism and their imams, fatwas, etc.
Two more items though, first the concept of “taqqiya.” This translates basically as: “Lying to the infidel(s) to advance Islam.” Certainly this happens daily on TV, radio, etc. Face-to-face it is rather remarkable the first time. Don’t be surprised if they press a Koran into your hands.
Then there is the Muslim Brotherhood’s ongoing “Project.” Patrick Poole of FrontPage has an insightful Jan. 15, 2007 article on the MB’s multi-point plan to culturally conquer the West. The actual MB document is available in English and Arabic online.
No predictions here, just observations. Hope this helps.
Simon_GNR: A chance? Sure. But a lot of things would have to fall into to place for that to happen.
Nominee? Yeah, more likely. The few people I know who support him, like that he “Doesn’t talk like a politician” “Tells it like it is” and “a breath of fresh air.”
My issue is, like Sanders, he feeds into his audience and what he says may not even be able to come to pass. A lot of candidates speak a good game, but when they get elected, they realize that they can’t do half of what the promised.
Given that the synod on the family was run by heterodox priests, in order to be fair the synod on the priesthood would have to be run by orthodox families.