Pope Francis as “vulgar little man” teaching a 9-year-old about the Tridentine mass

In a children’s book in 2016, he gives a flippant version of how to look at the old mass:

Francis’ Vulgar Comments on the Latin Mass

It appears that a children’s book titled Dear Pope Francis is to be released on March 1.

[The blog] “Rorate Caeli” obtained and posted a section of the book that is not only disturbing, but provides a snapshot into the mind of Francis concerning the ancient Mass of the Church.

The excerpt:

“Dear Pope Francis, Were you ever [an] altar boy? Greetings from Alessio (Italy, age 9)”

His response:

“Dear Alessio, yes, I was an altar boy. And you? What part among the altar boys do you have? It’s easier to do now, you know: You might know that, when I was a kid, Mass was celebrated different than today. Back then, the priest faced the altar, which was next to the wall, and not the people. Then the book with which he said the Mass, the missal, was placed on the right side of the altar. But before reading of the Gospel it always had to be moved to the left side. That was my job: to carry it from right to left. It was exhausting! The book was heavy! I picked it up with all my energy but I wasn’t so strong; I picked it up once and fell down, so the priest had to help me. Some job I did!

The Mass wasn’t in Italian then. The priest spoke but I didn’t understand anything. and neither did my friends. So for fun we’d do imitations of the priest, messing up the words a bit to make up weird sayings in Spanish. We had fun, and we really enjoyed serving Mass.”

The blog’s commentary:

What, then, has Francis effectively taught this nine-year-old altar boy, and any youngster who reads the book?

1) The protestantized Novus Ordo [new
mass] is superior to the old, stodgy,”other-worldly” Tridentine [16th-century Council of Trent] Mass, where the priest faced the altar and not the people, and where the faithful allegedly could not understand what the priest said.

2) The Mass and things pertaining to the Mass can be the object of cheap amusement even by altar boys while they are serving. How contrary this is to the spirit of Catholicism.

Explaining the latter, i.e. old-time religion, using terms and expressions seldom heard in 2018:

The Gifts of Piety and Fear of the Lord, two of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost, instill in us a reverential fear of God, which recognizes God’s greatness and our littleness, and a deep respect for those things that pertain to God, which must be treated in a reverential manner. These Gifts do not appear to be manifest in Francis. There is also no sense of the supernatural when Francis speaks of the Mass.

There is little or no such sense in the whole world, in which the supernatural gets little respect, other than when applied to goblins and witches. Otherwise, doesn’t sell.

Francis, the modernist Jesuit [the worst
kind {heh}], boasts to a nine-year-old youngster, and thousands of other youngsters who will be given a copy of this book, that, “messing up the words a bit to make up weird sayings” is an acceptable practice for an altar server. What really matters, “We had fun…”.

The excerpt from the book reminds us of the episode – captured on video – where Francis poked fun at the little altar boy properly folding his hands in prayer. “Are your hands stuck together?” asked Francis, grabbing the boys hands and moving apart and back.

Case for prosecution:

For Francis, some of the most sacred aspects of Catholic practice can be the object of sport: “We messed up the words” of the Mass, “We had fun,” “Are your hands stuck together?”

Who is this vulgar little man that our contemporary Cardinals elected in 2013?

He’s our churchly constitutional monarch, not always in sync with that role — crucial, unique, and limited, though it be.

2 thoughts on “Pope Francis as “vulgar little man” teaching a 9-year-old about the Tridentine mass

  1. “Who is this vulgar little man that our contemporary Cardinals elected in 2013?”

    Perfect question. Terrifying answer.

    Like

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