Thursday 15 March 2018

Has Pope Benedict XVI been a victim of calumny and detraction?



Calumny, detraction and rash judgment can be very grave mortal sins. Several days ago, a supposed letter was released purporting to be from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis. 

Like clockwork, with 24 hours or so, the actual letter became public. It became known that one paragraph had been blurred by individuals in the  Vatican Communications Office. However, during the preceding period severe harm was done to the reputation of Pope Benedict, where the Pope Emeritus was attacked, vilified, mocked, degraded, accused of heresy, modernism, etc. 

This is the poison that has spread to the Catholic (so-called) internet world. 

The men who created and doctored that letter, knew full well that within a day or so the real letter would be discovered. So why did they do it knowing it would be discovered? They are either highly incompetent, or were engaging in  a deliberate provocation. Incompetents or provocateurs, you decide. However, there is no doubt that they were dishonest. Very dishonest. The result was further confusion, dissent, anger, hatred, distrust, antagonism towards the Holy See and the Office of the Papacy in general. The devil never rests, and he exploits every situation. 

All of this confusion is leading many Catholics to "...fight one against the other, to the detriment of the true renewal and to the joy of the enemies outside and inside the Church" (Bishop Schneider, Letter to Michael Voris).

In the meantime, to the continued rejoicing of the enemies of the Church, - especially the Freemasons and their allies - is that the hated Pope Benedict was and continues to be a victim of rash judgment, calumny, detraction.  

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. 
          He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;

- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:
Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.

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