Pope Francis’ Christmas Address to the Roman Curia

16_12_22_Francis_Xmas_CuriaHis Holiness Pope Francis today gave his annual Christmas “greetings” address to members of the Roman Curia.  HERE  With his extemporaneous words at the end, it amounts to some 43oo words and covered 8 single-spaced pages of Times 12 point type.

His theme was “reform of the Roman Curia”.  Alluding to and building on the speech two years ago in which he blasted the members of the Curia for their 15 illnesses, this time the Pope listed – at great length – various cures for those illnesses.  Then he listed – at great length – the acts already undertaken, listing each and every Motu Proprio he has issued regarding the Curia.

One negative image he used involved cosmetics, plastic surgery, face lifts, wrinkles, blemishes.

Pope Francis sometimes speaks in code.

He sent a couple not very subtle shots over bows during the speech.  One cannonball launched was an implicit threat that anyone could be fired.  And indeed, people are being fired these days, from what I understand.  The other cannonball was aimed at anyone who opposes him (emphases mine):

In this process, it is normal, and indeed healthy, to encounter difficulties, which in the case of the reform, might present themselves as different types of resistance. There can be cases of open resistance, often born of goodwill and sincere dialogue, and cases of hidden resistance, born of fearful or hardened hearts content with the empty rhetoric of ‘spiritual window-dressing’ typical of those who say they are ready for change, yet want everything to remain as it was before. There are also cases of malicious resistance, which spring up in misguided minds and come to the fore when the devil inspires ill intentions (often cloaked in sheep’s clothing). This last kind of resistance hides behind words of self-justification and often accusation; it takes refuge in traditions, appearances, formalities, in the familiar, or else in a desire to make everything personal, failing to distinguish between the act, the actor, and the action.

We have seen this kind of rhetoric from His Holiness before. It could be that it no longer surprises or has the impact that it once may have had.

The reason why I featured the paragraph above is because this is the paragraph everyone else will lead with.  For example, John Allen at Crux in the churchy media and ABC in the secular MSM.  Just watch.

If you have a lot of time, you might read his address for yourself.

There is an interesting reference to four Latin phrases which each encapsulate the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises.  I’d like to know who originally made this distillation: deformata reformare, reformata conformare, conformata confirmare et confirmata transformare.  There are so many smart readers here.  Perhaps someone knows.

Also, pay attention to his phrase: “positive silence”.  Again, His Holiness often speaks in code.

Interesting were the references Francis made at the very end in his extemporaneous remarks:

“When, two years ago, I spoke about the illnesses, one of you came to say to me: ‘Where must I go, to the pharmacy or to confession?’ ‘Well… both!” I replied. And when I greeted Cardinal Brandmüller, [One of the Four Cardinals of the Five Dubia.] he looked me in the eye and said: ‘Acquaviva!’  I, at the time, did not understand, but later, thinking about it, I remembered that Acquaviva, the third general of the Society of Jesus, had written a book which we students read in Latin; the spiritual fathers made us read it, and it was entitled: Industriae pro Superioribus ejusdem Societatis ad curandos animae morbos, that is, the illnesses of the soul. Three months ago, a very good edition came out in Italian, done by Father Giuliano Raffo, who died recently, with a good prologue which indicates how to read the book, and also with a good introduction.  It is not a critical edition, but it is a really beautiful translation, very well done, and I believe it could be useful. As a Christmas gift, I would like to offer it to each one of you. Thank you”.

I’d like to get that book.

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59 Comments

  1. Benedict Joseph says:

    My comment might be found unsuitable, but most often I find the genre of rebuke offered by the Holy Father to be rather more reflective of the comportment of his own circle, rather than those he perceives to be antagonists.
    Despite the fact that Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI are most often regarded by those who dissented from their perspective as reactionary and oppressive, I cannot recall any of these popes offering statements similar in tone to such as that offered today.
    But perhaps the disorientation I experience reading this address reflects the disorientation of the content itself.

  2. Robbie says:

    I suppose if the shoe was on the other foot and Pope Pius XIII was firing liberal dissenters, [No… the analogy is not good. Liberals are dissenters and faithful Catholics who uphold doctrine are not dissenters. Were a Pope to clear out dissenters, he would be doing the right thing. If a Pope clears out faithful Catholics who uphold doctrine he is not doing the right thing. And then there are those who simply have questions who should not be labeled.] I would have a different view of the situation than I do of the current one. That said, I find the hostility towards tradition in this speech to be unnerving. I speak only for myself, but I find refuge in tradition because tradition is the foundation of the Catholic faith. What was handed down at the start is what has been handed down ever since. Its unchanging nature makes it durable and unique.

    If tradition is no longer a refuge but rather a roadblock, then what does it mean to be Catholic? Does it mean what Christ said stands the test of time? Does it mean in certain areas Christ was incorrect? Does it mean the Catholic faith is whatever a pope believes it to be? If the last suggestion is the case, then is the Catholic faith is really nothing more than spiritual political party that adapts to please the masses and the Republican and Democrat parties is America do?

    I don’t know where this is headed, but it feels like tough times are destined to continue.

  3. Andrew says:

    I’d like to get that book

    It is readily available in Latin on the internet by searching for “Industriae pro Superioribus ejusdem Societatis”.

  4. Thomistica says:

    Hard to know what to make of this statement:

    “At the same time, this means con-forming the Curia ever more fully to its purpose, which is that of cooperating in the ministry of the Successor of Peter (cum ipso consociatam operam prosequuntur, as the Motu Proprio Humanam Progressionem puts it), and supporting the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his singular, ordinary, full, supreme, immediate and universal power.”
    From http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-lays-out-guiding-principles-of-roman-curia-re

    One wonders how the Holy Father interprets that last turn of phrase.

  5. Father Bartoloma says:

    I think the translation is: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!”

  6. Chris Garton-Zavesky says:

    If that’s Francis-ese for “Merry Christmas and Thank You”, may I be forgiven for asking the question, “Why does anyone wish to work in the Curia”?

  7. Aquinas Gal says:

    In the book Linee teologiche strutturali di Esercizi ignaziani, Fr. Ruiz Jurado, SJ, has a note on p. 2 that says the four themes for the weeks of the Exercises (deformata etc.) were enunciated by PB Lanteri.
    That’s all I know.

  8. Atra Dicenda, Rubra Agenda says:

    It is still amazing to me to hear a Pope speaking with such contempt for tradition, even of the small t variety…

    And while I understand the difference between the act and the actor, what precisely is the difference between the act and the action?

  9. Thomistica says:

    Actus vs actio?

  10. Andrew says:

    This entire address is much more lively when watching it live on youtube:

    https://youtu.be/O76W-VBq0ro

    I like especially, in the end, how the Pope mentions his encounter with the Cardinal who “looked me in the eye, and said Aquaviva”.

  11. Grabski says:

    Isn’t a leader supposed to lift up his team?

  12. dan331 says:

    Does anyone know what Acquaviva means? I did google search and couldn’t find much. I am lost to that sort of greeting.

    Thanks

    [Literally it is “living water”, but in this case it is a family name.]

  13. Polycarpio says:

    I have always maintained and am not dissuaded from this view, that a lot of people read too much into these curia Christmas greetings. I don’t think Francis sees the curia as his enemies, but as his allies, and rather than lecturing them, he sees himself as preaching to the choir. Thus, the “illnesses” speech was not “the illnesses you all have,” but the illnesses out there that you must avoid and immunize yourselves against. Additionally, when he is talking about “resistance”, etc., everyone will assume that he is talking about Burke and the dubial four, but I don’t. He is talking about resistance to curial reform, and on curial reform, he does not see himself as at loggerheads with these folks (which is why I knew that he was NOT going to mention the dubia in this speech). On curial reform, he feels he has a mandate, that the cardinals want him to do this, and these curial folks are there to assist him on this mission. I think that if you misunderstand that, you are likely to misread the entire pontificate.

  14. Venerator Sti Lot says:

    Presumably one of the places of which Andrew was thinking:

    https://archive.org/details/corpusinstitutor02aqua

  15. Kathleen10 says:

    Maybe he said AquaVELVA. Sorry, I actually remember that stuff.
    My money was on Andrew knowing the translation of that Latin phrase.
    I’m running out of adjectives to describe this papacy, but I don’t believe I’ve used depressing.
    Depressing, yes, that’s it.
    May the New Year bring a formal correction.

  16. Benedict Joseph says:

    Polycarpio, for decades the vast number of Roman Catholics have been engaged in the art form you appear to have brought to perfection in an effort to avoid what is plainly apparent.
    The morning we are greeted with a grossly unvarnished headline from the “Wall Street Journal” – “How Pope Francis Became the Leader of the Global Left.”
    If it walks like a duck, and swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck…

  17. FrAnt says:

    Oh, nevermind.

  18. Polycarpio says:

    @ Benedict Joseph

    I am very seldom credited with bringing anything to “perfection,” much less any “artform,” but in all seriousness, look, we all have to sort through this and we are not all going to adapt the same analytical approaches, nor arrive at the same conclusion. And you, me, the Wall Street Journal and the next guy will all look at the same duck and describe it differently. My limited point here is don’t paint with too broad a brush because you may miss something about the nature of the duck.

    Pace.

  19. wolfeken says:

    ” The other cannonball was aimed at anyone who opposes him.”

    Rather than Saint Francis, this pope is starting to sound more and more like Michael Corleone with each day.

  20. Windswept House says:

    I have a few opinions on his cannonball, but……..who am I to judge?

  21. benedetta says:

    It sounds to me like some people need to get with the program.

  22. Benedict Joseph says:

    Denial ain’t only a river in Egypt.

  23. Andrew says:

    Venerator Sti Lot:

    I was referring to this link:

    https://books.google.com/books?id=Hw1cAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1#v=onepage&q&f=false

    The text is easy on the eyes.

  24. donato2 says:

    Michael Corleone? I don’t really think so. Michael was a calm man of few words and offed his enemies by surprise. Insofar as his managerial style is concerned, Pope Francis reminds me more of an old Soviet leader, like Leonid Brezhnev. I remember the days when the Kremlinologists would decipher long speeches of Soviet leaders and explain the specific, actual meaning of vague references that only specialists versed in the inside baseball politics of the Kremlin could really understand. It’s the same way with Pope Francis. Your average person may not understand the reference to those who take “refuge in traditions, appearances, and formalities.” We all of course know that he is talking about Cardinal Burke and the other signers of the dubia.

  25. Thomas S says:

    Words quoted to me last night from a fellow priest in reference to the many, many, many words of His Holiness:

    “I’m so sick of being told that everyone is good except those who are actually good.”

  26. gracie says:

    “Pope Francis sometimes speaks in code.”

    I think that code’s been broken.

  27. Huber says:

    He is accusing the cardinals of the dubium to be “inspired by the devil”!

    “Pope Francis told the Roman Curia that malevolent resistance came from distorted minds which occurs when the devil inspires “cattive” intentions”

    I wonder in what language Pope Francis read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals. “RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions.”

  28. Plebs Sancta Dei says:

    Is there anything in Canon Law that allows for the laity to be doing the good Cardinals’ work, so they are not fired? Can a group of lay faithful require the Pope to answer our own Dubia (which would be the same as the Cardinals’, of course). If so, what’s the first step?

  29. JARay says:

    I have always thought that aquaviva is a code name for whisky!

  30. excalibur says:

    The Climate of Fear in the Vatican is Very Real

    Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

    JMJ

  31. Benedict Joseph says:

    Reform denotes a change in order to improve.
    There are more than a few operatives on the contemporary scene, let alone through history, who commandeer this term for their agenda. Shouldn’t we reserve “reform” to after the proposed change has proved beneficial? Its use before the proposed change has even been accepted, let alone enacted, has something of hype about it. Something that you would expect from a used car salesman.
    An accomplished restructuring will prove to be either a reform or an abysmal failure.
    Haven’t we learned that lesson yet?
    It appears that at least one very powerful individual has not.

  32. mburn16 says:

    One could argue that if he finds resistance put out in the open to be of such goodwill, he could do it the service of offering a reply. *nudge*

    But it rather sounds to me like the Holy Father is complaining. I was struck the other day by his birthday talk of a “quiet/prayerful” old age. Combine it with this speech, which sounds rather frustrated, and I can’t help but suspect that Francis might be rushing to meet a self-imposed deadline.

  33. thomas tucker says:

    Wow, this Pope not only knows how to take a punch, but how to punch back even harder. He is tough.

  34. Dcrowmik says:

    This is what stuck out for me:

    Pope Francis said the reform must first of all “conform to the Good News which must be joyfully and courageously proclaimed to all, especially to the poor, the least and the discarded.” It must also “conform to the signs of our times” in order to better meet the needs of the men and women of today.

    The first part was good but I’m kind of wondering if what he means by “conforming to the signs of our times” is that he is saying, “come on people, we’ve got to become more ‘modern’ and not be so ‘rigid’ in our tradition and doctrine.”

    Or maybe it is just an innocuous phrase. I don’t know.

  35. Geoffrey says:

    “Isn’t a leader supposed to lift up his team?”

    We Catholics refer to that as “confirming the brethren”!

  36. TNCath says:

    I feel a huge storm a-brewing. Ultimately, Truth will win, but how long will it take?
    Who’d have thought things could get this bad.

  37. TimG says:

    I see this as “Get with the program people!”

  38. Curley says:

    Resistance to the popes’s reforms are 1. upholding the indissolubility of marriage and 2. proper reception of holy communion…… This is “from the devil”??!!!! How is that not sinning against the Holy Spirit? Calling truth from the evil one, essentially.

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  41. Fr. Pius, OP says:

    Fr. Z,

    Here is the translation of the book the Pope mentioned: https://www.amazon.it/Accorgimenti-malattie-dellanima-Claudio-Acquaviva-ebook/dp/B01FUVMP8S

    The book in Italian is Accorgimenti per curare le malattie dell’anima by Fr. Claudio Acquaviva, SJ, and translated by Fr. Giuliano Raffo, SJ.

  42. Warren says:

    Given the wonky goings on at/with the Roman Circus, I’m probably not alone in the desire to tip back a medicating shot (or two or more, no ice please) of acquaviva of the Scots Gaelic variety. I.e., uisge-beatha, water of life. Abbreviated to uisge; more recognizable to Anglophones as whiskey. Slàinte mhath!

  43. Grumpy Beggar says:

    Father Bartoloma says:
    I think the translation is: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals!

    LOL

    . . . So reassuring, so comforting to know that someone is thinking of you at Christmas .

    :)

  44. Kerry says:

    At Gettysburg, President Lincoln spoke for two minutes. Preceding him Edward Everett, (if I remember correctly) spoke for two hours.
    Whom do we remember?

  45. Grumpy Beggar says:

    @ Kerry : Your post reminded me of an anecdotal incident recounted to me by a deacon ; something which had happened during his diaconal formation. He said that one day in class their homiletics professor stressed to them :

    “If you haven’t struck oil within 8 minutes, quit boring!”

  46. bsjy says:

    I think whisky is acquaignis.

  47. Deacon Ed Peitler says:

    On whose radar screen these days does Francis’ rantings register? The unfaithful faithful don’t bother to read papal pronouncements because for them personal conscience trumps all else. As for the faithful faithful, well they’ve been put out to pasture a long time ago. Or, should I say, sent to the stockyard.

  48. Fr. W says:

    A phrase comes to mind. “Pretentious humility. Ostentatious simplicity.” While pointing out the sins of others we need to acknowledge our own. This applies to all of us. Wishing all a blessed Christmas.

  49. WVC says:

    This “lovey” and “huggy-feely” stop being “mean” Pope Francis – he’s the same guy that dresses down his staff every Christmas, mocks young seminarians that love the traditions of the Church, and he even fired the chief of the Swiss Guard right before Christmas. He really likes to make his people miserable around Christmas time. So, I couldn’t help but think of this:

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    It’s shocking but it’s true.
    You mock the young and faithful.
    You make your Cardinals blue.
    Mr. Pope.
    You’re worse than a really bad case of Spanish Flu.

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    You fired your own chief guard.
    You did it right before Christmas.
    Now there’s a heart that’s hard.
    Mr. Pope.
    At this point, I’m won’t be sending you a Christmas card.

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    The faithful don’t trust your smile.
    You love atheists and muslims.
    And communists by the pile.
    Mr. Pope.
    If you were a piece of paper I’d put you under “grinch-y” when it came time for me to file.

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    Although you claim to be sweet.
    But when the faithful ask you a question,
    You grind them under your feet.
    Mr. Pope.
    How is it you can’t answer five “yes or no” dubia, but you can still find time to Tweet?

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    Of marriage you’re no friend.
    You make excuses for adultery.
    But you know that’s not where it ends.
    Mr. Pope.
    I think you should be very worried that people think Cardinal Kasper is your very best friend.

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    I’d be careful if I were you.
    Trying to change Church teaching
    Is not something you really should do.
    Mr. Pope.
    You really should take some time and go back and read the writings of JP2!

  50. The Masked Chicken says:

    I don’t have the heart to enter into arguments this close to Christmas, so, instead, I present a hypothetical lost vignette between Groucho Marx and his Italian cousin, Chico:

    Groucho: So, Chico, what are you having for Christmas dinner? Do they eat ham in Rome?
    Chico: Noah. In Roma theya Curia the Hama witha salta.
    Groucho: Ah, salta, I mean, salt of the earth. What happens if the salt of the earth goes flat, eh?
    Chico: The earth, she no flat, she’sa round.
    Groucho: Around what?
    Chico: Arounda the sun.
    Groucho: Let me get this straight. This is a lot to take in.
    Chico: Lot was taken in by Abraham when his wife wasa turneda to salt.
    Groucho: Abraham’s wife was turned to salt?
    Chico: No. Abraham’s wife was Sarah. She wasa turned to the west. She no celebrate facing east, as the bird flies, because, youa knowa, Sodama was toa the easta.
    Groucho: So, the cardinals and Sarah couldn’t face east to celebrate?
    Chico: Righta.
    Groucho: What do they eat for bread in Rome? Flat bread?
    Chico: No, the breada, she is a papa up.
    Grouch: The Curia and the Papa go together at Christmas?
    Chico: Well, there is a lota asalt between them. It is the Roman way. Arrivederci.

    The Chicken

  51. EMF says:

    Thomistica offered this quotation: “and supporting the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his singular, ordinary, full, supreme, immediate and universal power.”
    I wonder what has happened to the person who referred to himself as the bishop of Rome (one among many)?

    Recalling:
    https://cruxnow.com/church/2015/07/13/under-francis-theres-a-new-dogma-papal-fallibility/
    “I don’t have the right to state an opinion isolated from dialogue.”

    The pope’s words are now closely watched on my radar screen, whereas in the past I was willing to give them a pass. I’ve also taken to copying articles from the Vatican website, since many of them seem to change in content and vary by language.

    Sad. I used to read the words and writings of previous popes in order to grow in the faith and in knowledge of this faith. Now I read the pope’s words to test my understanding of the faith and to challenge my ability to live the faith in the face of bullying and persecution.

    In a way, I am glad for this. I now am becoming familiar with the teachings of those in the Church who hold faithfully to Truth, I am going back in time to learn more about the Church, and I am being confronted with my reactions to the words and deeds of the pope.
    (I note that L’Engle, Lewis, and Chesterton have migrated to near the wood stove.)

  52. paladin says:

    WVC,

    That. Was. BRILLIANT! :)

  53. un-ionized says:

    If the Pope came over for supper I can’t imagine what we would talk about that wouldn’t result in somebody locking themselves in the bathroom crying. And it probably wouldn’t be me.

    I hope God doesn’t mind that I just am trying to poke along as usual and not worry too much. It’s bad enough having a baptism problem. Maybe I am not even Christian and don’t have to worry about all this? Nah.

  54. WVC says:

    Bravo, Chicken.

    Heaven knows, what we need right now is a lot more Marx Brothers. We may just watch one of their films this Christmas season. Everyone, from the 2 year old on up, loves their movies.

    Merry Christmas!

  55. WYMiriam says:

    The comment about “conforming to the signs of our times” made me think of St. Paul’s admonition NOT to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds.

    I found this quote — “At the same time, this means con-forming the Curia ever more fully to its purpose, which is that of cooperating in the ministry of the Successor of Peter (cum ipso consociatam operam prosequuntur, as the Motu Proprio Humanam Progressionem puts it), and supporting the Roman Pontiff in the exercise of his singular, ordinary, full, supreme, immediate and universal power.” — to be very interesting indeed, especially the final clause. For some reason, it struck me as being mighty close to umm . . . legalism . . . and rigidity . . .

  56. Thomistica says:

    Re. the statement I mentioned, namely “the exercise of his singular, ordinary, full, supreme, immediate and universal power”, something is very, very off-base here. It is very surprising that this comment above has not elicited more commentary. After all: on the one hand the Pope is obviously very much in the conciliarist camp, i.e., wanting to put power in the hands of national bishops’ conferences, decentralize things. On the other hand, he uses the stunning language above, reminiscent of the ornate language of the 1950’s magisterium. Where did the latter suddenly come from? How does this cohere? Answer: it doesn’t. Res ipsa loquitur. With all due respect to the office of the papacy, and without intending malice, suffice it say there’s a lot of psychological dissonance here. That’s all I say about that.

    Now, to return to an earlier meme…Re. the invocations of Ed Peters’s blog posting about the internal forum, which perhaps has become a sort of “locus classicus” I would like to see how it coheres with Magdalen Ross’s interpretation (in her response to my comments, see earlier combox postings) and establish that it does not cohere with Kainz’s interpretation, the latter at The Catholic Thing (the latter as yet unremarked.) Will do this as an amateur hour exercise for myself.

    But far better than amateur commentary, to repeat again, *we need a joint public statement by orthodox RC canon lawyers, right now, about the internal forum. One simple and easily digestible for media use, but accurate.* Scholarly apparatus, of course eminently necessary, relegated to an appendix.

    For, all the talking points necessary to rebut the Spadaroists and Kasperites need to be at the ready for dissemination 15 minutes after the fraternal correction is issued. I’m talking easily digestible talking points for the world media. Are these talking points ready? They better be, or the correction will fall flat, at least in the short term.

    15 minutes is how long it’s going to take the Kasperitist/Spadaroist crowd to attack and vilify the drafters of the fraternal correction over world media and social media and with all manner of agitprop.

    Most lay people in the Church have no idea about the civil war that is now erupting. But the Sitzkrieg is soon going to be over. Soon everyone will know there’s a big problem on deck as the action really heats up. But since layperson perceptions will be formed very quickly (that’s how the news cycle works), all the talking points have to be at the ready. And since the secular media relishes divisions in the Church, think of how this is all going to be exploited by them. A further argument for lots of easily digestible points at the ready so that the laity does not go far astray.

    Ideally what we need right now is a tract like the one Ed Peters wrote about Excommunication. Q and A format, for the laity. It needn’t be long, and it needs to represent the collective view of canon lawyers. It has to anticipate counterarguments, answer them. It has to show the internal cohesiveness and rationality of the canon law critique of Amoris Laetitia. (Arguments from authority are the worst form of argument.)

    Most canon lawyers are not activists, presumably. That’s not what they do. The Spadaro crowd are primarily activists and media manipulators, not scholars, even if some think they are. (Latter is not an ad hominem; willing to be disabused, but I can’t think of anything emanating from the this crowd that consists of careful scholarship. All we get are Hegelian word salads.)

    There are a variety of modes of analysis of Amoris Laetitia available: moral theology; philosophical ethics; sacramental theology. But the most important source of analysis right now is canon law.

  57. The Drifter says:

    WVC,

    Compliments for the first-class satirical piece. I hope you do not mind if I divulge it, authorship included. By the way, I have a bottle of wine for you, should you ever be in this part of town.

  58. WVC says:

    Drifter,

    Thanks! I thought it was missing something, though, so I came up with a final verse:

    You’re a mean one, Mr. Pope.
    You’re like tonic without any gin.
    There’s more that I’d like to say,
    But to do so would be a great sin.
    Mr. Pope.
    If I had to choose between you and a Self-Absorbed Promethean Neopelagian, I’d choose the Self-Absorbed Promethean Neopelagian!

    Please share if you like – jokes are meant to be spread. I figure if Fr. Z hasn’t deleted it yet it must be okay. And have a Merry Christmas!

    [You made an assumption about my being “okay” with it. Please know that I think it is clever. You should also know that when people post things like this here, I am the one who blamed.]

  59. WVC says:

    Sorry, Fr. Z. No intention to get you in trouble. And I promise I will never complain if you remove any of my comments. I know there are boundaries on good taste and decency – I just don’t always know exactly where those boundaries are located.

    Hope you enjoy a blessed and merry Christmas!

Comments are closed.