Yeah, you read that right, it’s not fiction set in the Middle Ages: there are still hermits in the Catholic Church, and the Church on Christmas Day excommunicated the Westray Hermits–for branding the current pope a heretic (https://www.complicitclergy.com/2019/12/25/catholic-hermits-excommunicated-on-christmas-day/).
They didn’t mince words. In an article called The Declaration (see news link above), the hermits said Pope Francis I “has thrown the whole Church into confusion” and “by his utterances, his behaviour, his teachings and his actions, has shown himself to be indeed a great heretic.” They excoriated the pope for teaching that there is no Hell, for vacillating on sexual morality, and for suggesting that all religions are equally fine with God.
(Do you know any Catholics who are happy with this pope? I don’t.)
The hermits also denounced Catholic bishops collectively for their silence and inaction.
The bishop in whose jurisdiction the Westray hermits are based has declined to comment on the matter.
Excommunicating truth must be a new religion. It’s becoming common in the Catholic, well, religion.
It’s about time some faction of the Roman Catholic Church called this heretical Pope to account for his words and actions. Why do the Catholics tolerate this? In the Protestant church if the leadership goes into heresy or sin the members hold on to their tithes until the situation is rectified – that gets their attention.
What Protestant church are you thinking of? In a vast number of Protestant churches, the most blatant heresies are celebrated and promoted. See my articles on paganism in the church.
I am thinking of the Bible-believing churches like LCMS, PCA, So. Baptists, etc. I consider liberal churches the synagogues of Satan like Jesus said in Revelation.
It’s not easy to deal with a heretical pope in the Catholic Church. All we can really do is speak out and pray.
I admire their willingness to take a stand. Let the Pope excommunicate them; his judgment does not outweigh God’s.
If you clicked onto the link, you’ll see how firm a stand they’ve taken.
They really laid it all out.
I actually do know Catholics who like Pope Francis. Some people are still defending him as being “misinterpreted”. I honestly think that if Pope Francis is misinterpreted that much, he should re-think his way of speaking.
He keeps the Vatican busy explaining how he didn’t mean what people thought he meant.