If I Were Francis

The first can be declared spurious since not even St. Bernard, the biographer of St. Malachi does not mention it in any way. And it’s coming out way late could actually create some doubts as there are contentions that it was only used to influence papal elections at the time it came out and supposedly have been said to have been presented by the Irish archbishop to the Pope only at that time; too late an attribution.

With regards Conchita Gonzales’ count which was based on Our Lady’s instructions, there seems to be a problem since she mentioned only three popes after John XXIII but there were actually four. And yet she explained this difficulty away by the fact that John Paul I did not count because he only reigned for 33 days. The Garabandal apparitions do not have the full recognition of the Church yet. But then again, why would the church authorities recognize claims that are actually against them. The Fatima apparitions were fully recognized but the Third Secret which hints on the apostasy in the Church remains a secret to this very day, according to some of the brothers.

The prophecy (St. Malachi) on what is coded as Petrus Romanus states that this pope “will feed his flock in many tribulations (or persecutions) after which, the seven-hilled city will be destroyed, and the dreadful judge will judge the people.” Our study however does not paint yet to the end of the world as some would surmise but only the end of a certain time. There were even interpretations in the past wherein Peter, the Roman, will in fact, use the Papal name of Peter II which accordingly will depart from the very tradition of the Church which began with St. Peter, the very first pope.

The above prophecy which began with “In persecutione extrema” (amidst extreme persecution) points to a time in the Church where there is great trouble and yet I don’t find anything negative against the pope in this short account. In fact, the Pope, who must be Petrus Romanus is found to be still feeding the flock “in multis tribulationis” (amidst the tribulations). I found this phrase very encouraging for it positively states what a pope should be doing, which is “feeding the flock”. It is therefore pointing to a great possibility that yes, there may really be apostasy in the church as my brothers are quick to point out but we find the pope still doing his job, the divine task given to St. Peter, “Feed my flock” by Jesus Christ Himself.

May I remind my brothers as well as every Catholic militant that the Secret of La Salette which came from Our Lady through the visionary Melanie Calvat (1879) speaks of a time where (813) “The Vicar of my Son will suffer a great deal, because for a while the Church will yield to a large persecution, a time of darkness and the Church will witness a frightful crisis.” And this is preparatory only for a yet graver crisis (Q28) “Rome will lose the faith and became the seat of the Antichrist.”

It is not the Irish in me which makes me believe that the Church can still make it against all odds. Remember that St. Malachi was the Archbishop of Armagh and that makes him very Irish but even the La Salette prophecy speaks on how the Militant Church can overcome what is seemingly overwhelming. We must not forget the great promise of the Blessed Virgin Mother when she said, “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”

I think my brothers that Rico del Sol’s elder brother is right. We should not jump into conclusions right away and furthermore, it is best that we can offer solutions for this impending crisis. I therefore urge that we don’t just have a militant praxis to stand our ground in this problem. Rather, let us have the vigilant praxis of considering things very well before we act as haste makes waste.

If I were Pope Francis, I would have no other recourse but to call on Our Blessed Mother, for she is the Mother of the Church as she had been known since time immemorial even before Vatican II pronouncement of Pope Paul VI. As people may have noticed, this pronouncement that she indeed is the Mother of the Church created no ripples, not even violent reactions because it was already a given. Like the apostle, St. James, therefore, Pope Francis, confronted with so many challenges wherein any real change for the good of the Church is hampered anywhere, should ask her intercession. Our Lady who was still living in Palestine at that time was instructed by His Son to come to the apostle’s aid. In what is now Zaragoza, Spain the Virgin Mary practiced bilocation and appeared to St. James as Our Lady of the Pillar. Therefore, she was able to help St. James overcome the seemingly impossible odds that the Visigoths have given him.

With the impending destruction of Rome, Pope Francis should implore the aid of Salus Populi Romani (The Salvation of the Roman People) which is housed on the Esquiline Hill. The Church itself, the Santa Maria Maggiore came to be in 354 AD with the parallel dreams of John, a wealthy aristocrat and Pope Liberius who was then the Roman Pontiff. They dreamt that Our Lady would like a church built on a place where snowfall will indicate the site. When the Holy Father and his retinue came to the place indicated on Esquiline Hill, John and his wife, childless as they are and seeking an heir were already there praying for the Virgin. The patrician John and his wife were asking Our Lady what they were going to do with their wealth as they were childless. John told his wife, “Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to nominate an heir” and then the dream came. Miraculously, snow fell only on a certain spot. John was convinced along with the Pope that its shape and size indicated that a church should be built there. Pope Liberius had the place blessed and as soon as the site was staked out, the snow melted. Thus the church of the Lady of the Snow was built. But the Salus Populi Roma housed therein is the Portrait of the Madonna and Child brought by St. Helena and attributed as a painting of St. Luke on a cedar slab. This miraculous painting is used in processions especially when there are plagues. In fact, Gregory I carried it himself in a procession against the plague ravaging Rome. When the procession arrived an invisible heavenly choir was singing Regina Caeli (Queen of Heaven) and the plague stopped. Pope Gregory XVI crowned the Madonna and Child as a thanksgiving after Rome was delivered from a cholera epidemic.

Or perhaps Pope Francis can imitate the pilgrims and perform “The Way” which begins in Puy, France and ends in the shrine of St. James of Compostela. This was how Charlemagne and the others came to be blessed at the forgotten place of Our Lady. In fact, they didn’t have to perform the long pilgrimage and still for humbling themselves, they were blessed by Our Lady, by just going to Puy and acknowledging their mistakes. It is best to sing the anthem of the Cisterian Order, Salve Regina there according to St. Bernard of Clairvoux. The Salve Regina is the hymn of Le Puy-en-Velay in France. With such a gesture of penance for the whole church, how can the Virgin say no to a Vicar of Christ seeking protection for the Church. Surely she will ask her Son for this petition.

But at the moment, the Pope may be in a state of confusion. His predecessor in fact, resigned, overwhelmed by scandals involving the use of Church money intended for charity but was just used for the vices of some homosexual cardinals. Such is the state of our church today and yet, we should not lose hope for we are children of Hope.

The reason for this crisis is also revealed in La Salette. The explanation is that (Q 14) “The true faith to the Lord having been forgotten, each individual will want to be his own and be superior to people of the same identity. They will abolish civil rights as well as ecclesiastical; all order and justice will be trampled underfoot and only homicide, hate, jealousy, lies and dissension will be seen without love for country and family.”

Would I say more? So then, my brothers let us stand side by side and be vigilant in being militant for our Church, Jesus Christ’s established church.

– Dale O. St. Oz