I think people have the totally wrong idea about Pope Francis and his “poor church of the poor” thing.
Because of the no-red-shoes bit, at least for now, and the lack of mozzetta, at least for now, and the simpler Mass vestments, many think it all has to do with some liberal agenda to destroy the liturgy. I don’t think so.
Pope Francis is utterly taken with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, Divine Son of the Immaculate Conception. Saint Francis was too. Pope Francis’ question to us is about whether or not we are willing to know the poverty of the crucifixion.
Obama’s anti-life ideology of persecution of the Catholic Church in any way he can is catching on right around the world. Pope Francis is not unaware of this. There are many Catholics who will comply with this. This is why they voted for Obama in the first place. But, some will not comply.
So, just in the USA…
- We are already losing adoption centers, etc., and we will be losing much more.
- Businesses of those insisting on non-compliance will shut down.
- Individuals who will not pay any penalty will suffer a great deal.
- Muslims are exempt. This is about attacking Catholics.
Are we willing to witness to Christ? Or do we so love our lives in this world that we will throw eternity in heaven away just to get along for an ever so brief time here upon this earth?
Welcome to the poverty of dhimmitude. But I think Pope Francis will try to meet with Obama like Saint Francis met with the Sultan in Constantinople. Poor analogy there, I understand, but you know what I mean. I believe the Sultan to have been much more open to reason than Obama. The American President has the blood of millions of babies on his hands. That entrenches him. Of course, there have been spectacular conversions.
We follow Pope Francis in his lead. We hope. We pray. We stay close to Christ Jesus. We live the beatitudes.
Did I say that there was a ferocious series on the beatitudes on the sidebar of http://holysoulshermitage.com ?
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
“Muslims are exempt.”
Really? Do you have any details as to how this is so?
I often wondered how it could be that the concern for “conscience protection” does not appear to extend to Muslims. If this is true, that they are somehow exempt, then it would explain why the issue has no Muslim counterparts.
Surely the issue of sodo-marriage would have an impact on Muslims in these United States but I haven’t seen any descriptions of the interplay between Islamic institutions and the homosexualist lobby.
Excellent assessment, Pater.
And you know what, Father? Poverty, or at least not being concerned with clothes, expensive hairstyles, etc., has really brought me closer to Christ. As soon as my divorce is over, I plan to transfer all of my property in an irrevocable trust to my children.
Also, I read a book by Fr. Thomas Dubay about gospel poverty. I was sold! I suppose the new pope understands gospel poverty, and he, too, is sold.
Jen
I really hope you are right about Pope Francis. Also, why are Muslims exempt? What do Muslims believe concerning birth control and abortion? I don’t think I have read anything about that in all the press about Obamacare.
Choirmaster: Not at hand right now. I remember this discussion quite a while back however. The idea is that decisions are being made on case by case basis. I would like to see the exact language of the decisions, however. Right now, I’m in town to get the truck back in order…
jennifer: I wonder if this irrevocable trust would be a way to skirt around not having to pay penalties if individuals don’t want to pay for the Obama mandated insurance !?! !?
No, Father, I’m not asking you to do research for me!
But, still, I see what you are saying, on a case-by-case basis. Not just in the courts, I would like to know whether the enforcement itself will be conducted case-by-case, where a politically-accepted religious institution (Muslim Association, Dharma Center, etc.) may not even be targeted, investigated, or enforced by HHS agents.
It is also good to remember that the Christian (especially Catholic) idea of charity does not discriminate based upon religious confession, which is a violation of the HHS definition of a religious association. I am not aware of Islamic charitable philosophy, and cannot say that their version of a religious institution would also violate the HHS definition. So they may be exempt on those grounds.
@ Choirmaster- hey! I never noticed that before. How come the Muslim leaders are not speaking out against same sex marriage?
This is a little off topic but what do you make of the fact that pro-abortion Biden and Sebelius received Holy Communion at the inauguration Mass? I think it is so very sad. It seems that either their is a lack of backbone or they have no idea what these two stand for. My hope is that our Lord will raise up Holy Saintly priests, religious, bishops, and cardinals to combat these errors head on and speak and act with clarity. It seems we say one thing and do another. Could you please weigh in on this? Thanky ou and God Bless you!
For what it’s worth here’s my two cents (or maybe four– my secondary calling is law and we lawyer-types love words and lots of them!)… I haven’t seen a specific exemption for Muslims or any particular faith/religion. My understanding is that it is generally the Muslims and the Catholics standing together against any abortion related UN measures. I also believe their religious tenets forbid artificial contraception. It would seem then, that Muslims in this country would be very much against the HHS mandate.
Logically, this means that Muslims in this country who own and operate a business (at least one that serves more than Muslims and has something other than proselytizing as the main function) would also be similarly persecuted by the HHS mandate. This said, make no mistake about it, the HHS mandate (and I believe this administration as a whole) is targeting the Catholic Church. You would be hard pressed to find a Muslim-run hospital, university, pregnancy resource center, or even shelter I think.
And there endth my “cents!” : )
It is such a wonderful time, waiting for Francis to emerge from his vibrantly poor beginning. I trust he’s no US liberal
Still, I have no feel for singling out Obama (I’m still trying to get my head around the recent news of 330 million abortions in China since the 1960s!) in a style that is reminiscent of the Jewish blood libel, rather than aiming at the system and culture that Obama is part of as well as pushes, or without also citing all previous presidents since Nixon and Roe v Wade. If nothing else, such singling out is reminiscent of the liberals’ leap from the sins of some priests to heaping all responsibility on Benedict. If we’re to win, we need at least to be above the methods of the liberals. Perhaps the poverty of Francis will show us a way.
There’s an alliance between socialism and islam; socialism is using the sword of islam to attack the Jewish People and the Church; whilst islamists dream of reactualizing the Caliphate, gone in the 1920s by instrumentalizing those socialist fools — before beheading ‘em on the altar of allah AKA satan.
All people of good faith are actually in a war of survival against satanic evil, manifested by islam and socialism: we’re fighting for the Church, and we are in solidarity with the Jewish People.
Socialists are trying to undermine the Church by forcing her to stop caring for the poor, the elderly and the sick; they’re trying to bring about a system whereby the state government could take over all of the charitable services which Christ commanded the Church to perform.
Both socialism and islam are satanic systems, extremely hostile to the Chosen People and to the Mass, to the Old Alliance and the New Alliance, and entirely devoid of charity (of grace).
Salvation History is still unfolding, in the time of now, and the Enemy is swinging hard against the Chosen People and the Catholic Church via class warfare, jihad and the suppression of the Mass. Both islam and socialism use the Jewish People and the Church as their primary scapegoats, blaming every problem on them.
But we know that the Church is invincible, and we know that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will fulfill His Promise to Israel.
With the cost of medical care being what it is today, I understand that insurance is important to the individual. What I do not understand, is why insurance, medicaid and medicare are important to Catholic Hospitals. Just thinking out loud here, but if the poor are the sick, and we are here for the poor, but we accept to do unto the poor in accordance to what the insurance companies, medicaid and medicare will pay for, then are the poor not in an odd way an income for us? Do we find the absolute charitable case, one who has no means of payment, a reward or a burden because they take up a space which another could take that would help a great deal financially? In the U.S., were we once a poor Church for the poor? If we were, what are we now?
Father Byers, my understanding of the exemption for Muslims, is that in accordance to their faith they do not believe in insurance. But, I have to ask, if this is the reason, are they not still required to pay insurance on their homes or their cars?
Cathy L.: Lots of great points here. Excellent comment. It’s been much worse than people know for decades. Federal monies are channeled through states, which can make pro-abortion conditions for letting the money through, such as demanding at least that an abortion referral is made. The problem lies in rewarding those administrators with promotions who can save and make the most money, have the least problems with secular requirements, etc., far from the cross being a sign of contradiction. We have the abortion pill in the emergency rooms of a great percentage of our Catholic hospitals, etc.
And yes, that is what I remember now. Muslims get a break because they don’t like “betting”, for which they include insurance.
Interesting question about the home/car insurance.
This is one reason I love this blog (and its comments): I learn new things! It appears there IS an exception (though not specifically for Muslims) described as a “religious conscience exemption.” This exemption, for which the individual would need to apply, could exempt that person from the requirement of HAVING health insurance or the penalty of paying the tax if they certify that they are a member of a “recognized religious sect or division thereof … and an adherent of established tenets or teachings of such sect or division … [which conscientiously opposes the acceptance of the benefits of any private or public insurance...]. (The second part is an IRS definition: IRC 1402 (g)(1).) So there is an exemption available for Muslims (as well as Amish, Scientologists, etc.) from the requirement of HAVING insurance but not one from having to PROVIDE insurance (the HHS mandate problem).
In the end the current administration (and Congressmen who voted for it) respected those people conscientiously opposed to health care benefits by giving them a religious exemption but not those who consciously oppose the taking of human life.
Oh, and car and home insurance are state issues. Some states do not require them at all and some do. I know my current state does not require even minimum car insurance (though you have to pay an “uninsured motorist’ fee”) so I checked the state where I was born (CT) because I knew they did require car insurance. CT’s insurance requirements have no exemptions/exceptions.