Today, the Wall Street Journal released an article titled, “Ailing Pope Francis Hurries to Bolster His Progressive Legacy.” Lighthouse Trails has addressed several issues regarding the Catholic Church’s current pope since his inception in 2013. Pope Francis (aka: Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina) is a Jesuit, and as we wrote about in March of 2013, is spiritually “founded” on a contemplative tradition. For those who understood the “fruit” of contemplative prayer, it came as no surprise when very shortly into his reign, his interspiritual and universalistic beliefs surfaced. A March 2013 by USA Today was titled “Pope Francis Calls for Intensified Dialogue With Muslims” which reported on his belief that everyone is “a brother or sister.”
Within a month of Pope Francis’ election, the United Nations was hailing him as a spiritual leader of the world, and by June of that year, his sympathies and defense toward homosexuals and gay marriage began to surface. 1, 2, 3 By Fall of that first year, his goal to “win back the lost brethren” (the Protestants) under the guise of “unity” also came to light. In November, we posted an article titled “The Catholic Church Continues Drawing In the ‘Lost Brethren’ Through Eucharistic Adoration.”
Pope Francis’ efforts to bring the Protestants under the fold of the Catholic Church were zealous. And as we have documented, he had the help of famous and highly popular evangelicals such as Rick Warren, Beth Moore, Franklin Graham, James Robison, and Kenneth Copeland. Ray Yungen wrote about this in his article “Christian Leaders – A New Openness . . . to the Catholic Church.” Francis turned to an Anglican priest, Tony Palmer, who became the Pope’s right-hand man in bringing in the “lost” fold. At one point, Palmer stood at the podium in Kenneth Copeland’s church and told the excited and welcoming congregation that the “protest” was no longer needed and we, as evangelicals and Protestants, could reunite with the Catholic Church. It looked like Palmer would be able to make great inroads in aiding the Pope and the Catholic Church when he was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2014 bringing his ecumenical work for the Vatican to an end, although the “new evangelization” has continued in his absence.
Francis’ progressive agenda has included environmentalism as Roger Oakland documents in his 2016 report/booklet: “A Christian Perspective on the Environment: How the Catholic Pope and Other Leaders Are Uniting the World’s Religions Through Environmentalism.” That same year, Pope Francis proclaimed a “new beatitude” – to see God in every person. And, of course, he would express such a belief. He was an admirer of the contemplative Catholic mystic Thomas Merton, who adamantly believed that God was in all. Ray Yungen’s article “Pope Francis and the Thomas Merton Connection” explains:
Just as Merton saw “fana” (Islamic mystical state) as one of the paths to spiritual unity, Pope Francis sees the various religions as one family. He is bringing Thomas Merton’s ideas of unity to the table of global unity among all humanity. Thomas Merton’s “contemplative style” (that Pope Francis referenced to Congress) saw no contradiction between Christianity and Buddhism; and Merton said he wanted to be the best Buddhist he could possibly be. When Pope Francis praised Thomas Merton (knowing full well the implications of this), he gave a green light for everyone to embrace interspirituality. And where there is interspirituality, there is no place for the Cross of Jesus Christ.
While the Roman Catholic Church is filled with false teachings and anti-biblical doctrines, Pope Francis has taken it to a whole new level. And as the article below explains, he is determined to do what he can to solidify his progressive legacy so that it continues even after he is gone.
“Ailing Pope Francis Hurries to Bolster His Progressive Legacy”
By Frances X. Rocca
The Wall Street Journal
ROME—Pope Francis is moving to shore up his progressive legacy as his health problems increase, making key appointments that could shape the Catholic Church well past the end of his pontificate.
Following hospitalizations in March and June, the pope named a new Vatican doctrinal chief, members of a Vatican synod that could consider major changes to church governance and teaching, and additional members of the body that will elect his successor, all in a little more than a week.
The 86-year-old, who has had two operations for intestinal surgery in the past two years and now often uses a wheelchair, is planning trips to Portugal and Mongolia next month.
“He’s a man in a hurry right now and he’s putting the final touches on this very long and gradual process of changing the church,” said Robert Mickens, English editor of La Croix International, a Catholic publication. Click here to continue reading.
(photo: Pope Francis with evangelical leaders including Tony Palmer, Kenneth Copeland, and James Robison)
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As younger people express less interest in spirituality and get more lost in a haze of digital worlds I suspect the Catholic church is wanting to appear more progressive in the hopes of replenishing its aging flock.
I had no idea that this pope was so methodically dragging down the little spirituality left in the Catholic Church. I was raised Catholic but God rescued me from the false doctrine of works and introduced me to the true Savior, His Son, Jesus Christ, the only way to heaven, without whom we could never come to God. As I recall worshipping Mary as a child, and trying to follow the many useless rules of that dead faith, I am overcome with gratitude for finding Christ and being raised from death to eternal life in Him. The fear of death no longer has dominion over me; I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him against that day. Trusting in Him alone is my salvation defined. I need not worry or wonder if I will be rescued from sin after death, as so many Roman Catholics fear, thinking they can only find out after they die. I pray that the rest of my family will discover His magnanimous salvation, and I marvel that I have been gifted to know my Lord, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Christ, the atonement for our sins, who ever lives to make intercession for us, who willingly gave Himself for us and was raised in victory over death to give us hope. May His name be praised forever.
Thank you for these timely reports. As things progress, your holy boldness will open eyes ,and sadly for others , harden hearts. Prayers to you.