Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 5/22/22

Posted on by Tom

In 2018, Pope Francis co-orchestrated the Vatican-Beijing accord, which granted the Chinese communist government partial control of the Chinese Catholic church. Francis saw the accord as a pragmatic compromise to ensure the church’s survival and growth in China, however, conservative Chinese Catholics view the accord as a betrayal. Six-million Chinese Catholics are registered with the communist government while another six-million are defiantly unregistered. Cardinal Joseph Zen, a leader of the conservative Catholics and the biggest critic of the accord, was recently arrested by the communist regime on charges of “collusion with foreign forces.” The Vatican had no comment.

Pope Francis will be visiting Canada in July to apologize for the abuse of indigenous children in Catholic-run residential schools. Papal apologies for past historical atrocities, persecutions, and abuses linked to the Roman Catholic church began with John Paul II and Benedict XVI and now continue with Francis. If RCC popes and prelates of the past were led by the Holy Spirit as Catholicism claims, why do contemporary popes spend so much time apologizing on their behalf?

Last Sunday, a shooter killed 10 shoppers at a Tops grocery store in nearby Buffalo. On the same day on the opposite coast, a gunman opened fire on members of the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) in Laguna Woods, California. The culture is becoming increasingly violent.

It’s hard to believe that some American Christian nationalists venerate mass murderer, Vladimir Putin.

I’m seeing more and more manifestations of this traditionalist-Catholic radicalism.

This article is a good example of how Catholics are totally focused on Mary.

Tom’s retirement countdown – 23 more weekends to go!

19 thoughts on “Welcome to the Weekend Roundup! – News & Views – 5/22/22”

      2. I think after I retire I’ll be a bit more positive about the leaves. I’m counting on yardwork and outside painting keeping me (a little) busy after retirement.

        Like

  3. Good Roubd Up brother. I do hope that folks start seeing shootings as prevalence of violence, not simply guns.
    Ten ways to Mary? I read them, they are nothing short of necromancy and witchcraft maneuvers which, if answered, are the response of demons. I am really sorry to say that. Queen of Heaven? What a gross deception, there’s only One Throne in Heaven!
    May the Lord lift the veil from their eyes and draw them to the true living word.
    Have a good weekend Tom, stay cool 😎.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Lisa Beth. Violence will increase as society continues to break down. No solution. Schools Town meetings. Airplanes. Dwindling patience and forbearance. What a contrast compared to when we were children. No moral standards.
      Thanks for reading the Mary article. Many evangelicals overlook Catholicism’s infatuation with Mary (as well as overlook its false gospel of salvation by sacramental grace and merit).

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  4. The Mary article is tragic. I think if Mary knew anyone was saying prayers like this she would have been very upset:

    “Dearest Holy Mother, Most Holy Mary, you undo the knots that suffocate your children, extend your merciful hands to me. I entrust to You today this knot….and all the negative consequences that it provokes in my life. I give you this knot that torments me and makes me unhappy and so impedes me from uniting myself to You and Your Son Jesus, my Savior.
    I run to You, Mary, Undoer of Knots because I trust you and I know that you never despise a sinning child who comes to ask you for help. I believe that you can undo this knot because Jesus grants you everything. I believe that you want to undo this knot because you are my Mother. I believe that You will do this because you love me with eternal love.”

    It is a knotty theological nightmare.

    Thanks again for informing me of the latest in the Catholic world, Tom. I don’t think this pope can get anything right.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Yup, Mary would be sorely grieved if she knew hundreds of millions of Catholics were according her the worship that belongs to God alone.

      Conservative Catholics rue the day that Francis was elected pope, but most keep silent because absolute fealty to the papacy is one of their most cherished beliefs.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  5. 1. Catholics compromise with Chi** is crazy. Its one more sign of hardcore Conservative Catholics betrayed by the Pope, all the result of their doctrine of popery. So much for Popery…
    2. Russian FSB interefering with Church messages…sometimes it seems the world isn’t making progress but regress to old ways. Cold War days.
    3. On Saturday I met with a married couple. It turned out the wife’s relative did business with the person that died (this is the one who was attacking the gunman). What they told me is the guy doesn’t go to that church but was visiting since he took his mom to church; the mom wasn’t going to church for some time since she lost her husband and so that Sunday he took her to church. Now the mom lost her son and her husband in a short time span. Overall sad…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the comments!

      RE: pope Francis and China
      Yeah, Francis has pulled the rug out from under the cherished notion of Catholic exceptionalism due to the Holy Spirit-led pope.

      RE: Cold War days
      I had thought the days of U.S.-Russia brinkmanship was gone never to return.

      RE: Church shooting
      Thanks for the info. Yes, that is very sad. I wasn’t aware of the details of the church shooting so I googled the story this morning. We’re now seeing China-Taiwan tensions increase, with some thinking the Russian invasion of Ukraine might motivate China to invade Taiwan.

      Like

      Reply

      1. “Yeah, Francis has pulled the rug out from under the cherished notion of Catholic exceptionalism due to the Holy Spirit-led pope.” Its God’s doing. If only Protestants would boldly tell Catholics that. I mean more Protestants would do that…

        The rising China-Taiwan tension is sad to see. One thing I am thankful for our church is how well both communities have kept it Gospel centered and have unity. I can say our church has many things to work on but this is one I’m actually grateful for. I think the Gospel is something we must never compromise on and that produce unity like nothing else can

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yup, Francis’ destabilization of the vaunted papacy is part of God’s plan.

        The thought of political and regional rivalries within the Chinese-American community didn’t occur to me until I read your comments. Of course similar rivalries existed among immigrant Poles in the U.S. There were actually quite a few divisions within the old Polish Town neighborhoods and a lot of tensions. I’m glad your church members have risen above the differences, focusing on the Gospel.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment