"Ratzingerian" Myth

Today, the day after the anniversary of Pope Emeritus Benedict's renunciation of the Papal Office, Vatican expert Andrea Tornielli publishes an article reporting that there are a group of conservative Catholics who claim that Benedict is still Pope and that do not accept Pope Francis as Pope. As far as I can tell this "Ratzingerian" movement is entirely a journalist fiction. I move very broadly in traditionalist Catholic circles and have not yet met one person who holds that position.

Sorry Mr. Tornielli, but your story today is just that, a story. And thank God! But, please, if you make such a large scandalous claim you should at least back it up with some citation or blog link, rather than your facile hearsay.

There are myriads of Ratzinger supporters and some of them are not happy with Pope Francis' courtly manner, etc. And they may even express their papal preferences. But I know of no Ratzinger blogs that actually claim that Ratzinger is the real pope. (Cf. my post from the day of the announcement February 11 2013, which continues to be my attitude.) Please!

Ecce...prophetas somniantes mandacium (There are prophets [e.g. journalists] who dream up lies, says the Lord). Jeremiah 23:32

As a matter of fact, those who fully accept the authority of the Roman Pontificate and have been most critical of Pope Francis were also quite critical of Pope Benedict, mainly for the same dubious Vatican II doctrinal issues; and their lack of enthusiastic allegiance to either Pontiff, or to their recent predecessors continues to be very consistent. In their defense I would say that, though I think it at least largely in bad taste to be hypercritical of one's family (he is our greatest father on earth), there is no law obliging one to be euphoric about the reigning Pope. I, for one, am quite content that Pope Francis is God's perfect man for this time.

Why? Well, imagine how the Church would look today, in the eyes of a despising world, if their hated Pope Benedict continued on today, a year older under continual attack. God has given us a man that has not only fended off the attackers, but has gathered a veritable world army of every persuasion in support of the Pontificate. That alone is nothing short of a miraculous change from a year ago! The Sunday Angelus' alone draw more people (largely Italians!) than the Wednesday Audiences ever did! And the Wednesday audiences are off the charts, often upwards of 100,000 people!  Whoever denies the remarkable nature of this has his head in the sand. It is clearly the work of God.

Furthermore, the Pope is clearly not preaching heresy! His language may be ambiguous at times, poetic, hyperbolic, rhetorical,...but not heretical! He's preaching conversion, especially for those in house, and that hurts, as it should, and we should listen, and change, and become evangelical missionaries to the world, as God is telling us to do, through his sweet Vicar on earth. And the world finds him to be oh so sweet,...as is fitting! So he has the gift of attraction! Why should it be wrong that the Gospel should be attractive? King Herod himself liked to hear Saint John the Baptist. Crowds followed Jesus himself to listen to him and to eat their fill of the food he provided! And so it is today. Thanks be to God!