Updated Note: I too am in anguish over the scandals Mr. Damian Thompson(1) cites in his above-referenced jeremiad. Terribly so. It is a crushing weight all traditional Catholics must feel. But after linking to his article and after prayer I have either fallen prey to some fearful scruples which I cannot ignore, or to some deeper Catholic impulse to heed the words of St. Catherine of Siena, mystic and Doctor of the Church:

“Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom. He who rebels against our father is condemned to death, for that which we do to him we do to Christ: we honor Christ if we honor the Pope; we dishonor Christ if we dishonor the Pope. I know very well that many defend themselves by boasting: “They are so corrupt, and work all manner of evil!” But God has commanded that, even if the priests, the pastors, and Christ-on-earth were incarnate devils, we be obedient and subject to them, not for their sakes, but for the sake of God, and out of obedience to Him. — Saint Catherine of Siena in St. Catherine of Siena, SCS, p. 201-202, p. 222. (2)*

So in true anguish for our terrible times I put Pope Francis and our crucified Church into the hands of God and those those above our station who have the true competence and calling to act on our behalf in the Name of Our Father in heaven who knows how to bring order out of disorder. Do we believe that or not? –  SH. 4/27/24. 2:00 PM EST. Updated.

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(1) SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, Johannes Jorgensen, London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1938.

* Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church,  letter to Pope Gregory XI in 1376 where she expressed her thoughts about the papacy. In this letter, she wrote, “Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom.” This quote is often paraphrased as “Even if the Pope were the devil incarnate, we are bound to obey him.” It reflects her perspective on the importance of obedience to the Pope, regardless of personal opinions or shortcomings perceived in the papacy.

Damian Thompson

(1) In my opinion Mr. Thompson’s essay has many of the awful facts correct, albeit mixed with imaginative unsourced hearsay and rumor. He has however, especially on X / Twitter, written in an emotional and clearly vengeful style (doubtless due to understandable pain over the crisis), gleefully writing about a possibly dying pope, and using imaginatively framed gossip which is not to be commended:

“Scheming cardinals are sharpening their knives….Perhaps you can see the flash of a bishop’s ring as he taps a piece of gossip into WhatsApp; the Holy See employs world-class electronic spies, so everyone uses a private phone rather than the Vatican-issued ones. Even the phone-tappers are busy exchanging information, because like everybody in Rome they suspect that the painfully fragile Francis — who is often too short of breath to read out his own sermons — hasn’t got long to go.” Etc.

Do we pray for the Pope? The facts are tragic enough, and I believe Thompson should stick to those bare facts in a sober way, clearly distinguishing it from a vengeful intent which sullies the Catholic spirit. If some of us have succumbed to any of this in the past I think we need to repent of it, without denying or quashing the seriousness of the matters involved. St. Catherine shows us the Catholic way.

Cf. Pray for the Pope, Michael Davis Warren, First Things Magazine

Quoted also in Apostolic Digest, by Michael Malone, Book 5: “The Book of Obedience”.

Updated

+ 8 Things to Know and Share About St. Catherine of Siena by Jimmy Akin