.

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Habemus Papam: Pope Francis



Everyone is talking about the new Pope Francis, former Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, and there’s indeed lots of reasons to be excited about it.

This is a man that just a few days ago, would take a bus and then walk into some of the worst shanty towns in South America, on his own. Even cops have to organize so as to enter by the dozens in these places, even hundreds when trying to arrest someone hiding there. He would visit them, baptize children there, help organize soup kitchens and spend time with some of the poorest, most needy people in the country while at the same time speak against the government handouts and state sponsored poverty.

A lot has been said about him in these last couple days. A Jesuit, humble man that refused to live in luxury when his position would have allowed him to do so. He lived  in a small two room apartment in Buenos Aires and traveled in bus and train. While of course strongly opposed to gay marriage and abortion, he’s not beyond helping those that society sometimes chooses to ignore.

He visited people infected with HIV, washed their feet as a sign of humility and servitude, he visited the victims of the Republica Cromagnon fire that claimed the lives of 194 people and those of the Once train station crash where 51 people died. Pope Francis, then just known as Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio (he didn’t like being called Cardenal) criticized the government. In the first incident, fire exits had been bricked shut or chained closed, clearly someone had bribed the fire inspector. Regarding the train accident its well known that the train failed to stop at the station due to breaks malfunction after decades of neglect by the train company that is subsidized (and supposedly supervised) by the government. The relationship between Cristina Kirchner, her late husband Nestor Kirchner and Pope Francis was “tense” to say the least.

Pope Francis didn’t beat around the bush when it came to calling out the visible corruption problems in the government and the crime Argentines have been suffering for years yet the government refuses still to acknowledge. Many times the then Cardenal Begoglio requested to meet with Cristina and Nestor Kirchner but was ignored. When he opposed the gay marriage law, one of Kirchner’s favorite liberal laws, he was mocked by president Cristina Kirchner, saying he belonged to “medieval times of the Inquisition” .
Typical of the Kirchner regime, Cristina sent her lap dogs so-called journalists and politicians against him. They accused him of collaborating with the military dictatorship that ruled from 1976 to 1983. This was proven to be a false accusation without merit and there’s actual witnesses, even victims saying he helped them during the dictatorship . What was Nestor and Cristina Kirchner doing at that same time? Working for banks, friends of the Junta, kicking people out of their homes and flipping them for profit. Nestor Kirchner’s sister, Alicia, actually worked for the Junta during the dictatorship, and now holds the position of Minister of Development.

Pope Francis held no special animosity against the Kirchners. He just called it as he saw it, just like he did when criticizing previous presidents to their faces during mass, Carlos Menem, Fernando DelaRua and Eduardo Duhalde. The problem is , authoritarian people like Cristina Kirchner and her late husband believe that anyone that dares question them is a mortal enemy.

What this got to do with survival and preparedness?

1) I for one, I am happy about Pope Francis. Not because he’s from Argentina like I am but because he will no doubt do at least some much needed cleaning in the Vatican, but also because a lot of people already see him for the honest man he is. During times like these we all need all the faith we can get, and the more people there are out there with strong moral values the better for all of us.
And there’s also a lesson to be learned:

2) No matter how much power you have, don’t make fun of others you consider beneath you, even if you are the president of a country and the other guy is an old priest that spends his time helping drug addicts and people sleeping on the streets.  You just never know, maybe one day that guy with well-worn shoes will become Pope and you’ll have to drag your sorry %$” over to the Vatican looking for his approval.










FerFAL

22 comments:

Antiacus said...

Very interesting. Sounds like a good selection. Thanks so much for posting.

Anonymous said...

Of course, in the prepper world it all comes down to where Pope Francis stands on the 2nd amendment.

Jose Garcia

Anonymous said...

Interesting to see some leftist news agencies trying to characterize his association with the kirchners as genial. Same with chavez supporters pretending chavez influenced Christ in the selection of a South American as Pope. I hope the new Pope puts them all to shame.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't acquainted with his ministry as the bishop of Buenos Aires, but the more I know the more I'm impressed with him. He seems to be a bit like St. Athanasius, calling down on the powerful of this world, while at the same time calling all to the ideals of the next world to come. Not only does the Church need a pope like this, so does the world.

Congratulations to all Argentinians for gifting the universal Church with one of their sons for pope.

May Our Lady of Luján pray for pope Francis.

Anonymous said...

Thank you. It's good to hear an opinion from someone who knows Argentina and the new pope.

Anonymous said...

Awesome Ferfal! I was waiting for your take on our new Pope! Best, --Nick-Dog

Athanasius said...

Thank you for your excellent article. I am so fed-up with the anti-catholic hit pieces that have been floating around for the last few days. I have this article on my Facebook timeline. I have also used this article to rebut the Pope bashing that is all over the internet.

Athanasius said...

Thank you, once again, for an excellent article. I am fed up with the anti-Catholic and anti Holy Father hit pieces that are floating around the various media. I have this article on my Facebook timeline, and have used it to rebut Catholic bashing websites such as InfoWars.com.

Athanasius said...

Thank you for an excellent article. I am SO FED UP with the Catholic-bashing media. Your article is on my Facebook timeline. I have also used your article to refute an anti-Pope Francis hit piece on Alex Jones Infowars.

Greek Caste System said...

No Greek would admit any Pope. The left because he is a Pope, the pro-orthodox right for the very same reason haha!
Anyway, good article.

Anonymous said...

We love the Pope! Long Live Pope Francis I

Don Williams said...

I think Pope Francis will be a force for great evil. Not because of the "dirty war" accusations --several victims groups have spoke up in his defense.

Rather I think he will cause great harm by continuing the Vatican's ban on contraception.

The human population on Earth has soared from 2.5 billion in 1945 to 7 billion today. If China had not enforced its one-child policy, it would be closer to 7.5 billion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:World-Population-1800-2100.svg

The Earth is a fragile lifeboat --
go up a mere 4 miles from its sea level and you die. And that holds true for 10 light years in any direction.

Humanity has NO WHERE else to go and will not have for hundreds of years.

Yet we are destroying the Earth -- look down on it from space and we are like an out-of-control cancer consuming the host.

God appointed us stewards of the Earth -- and yet species after species of life is disappearing due to its habitat being destroyed. So much for "loving life".

The USA is the worst offender on a per person basis -- a US citizen consumes enormous amounts of resources to support his unsustainable lifestyle. The state of West Virginia looks like the lunar landscape from stripmining for coal.

We glut on meat --animals raised in such horrible conditions in factory farms that our corrupt legislatures have had to pass laws making it illegal to film conditions there.

Now China and the USA are competing for the same declining resources -- which may in time lead to a massive nuclear war from which mankind may never recover.

Because we no longer have the easily obtainable coal, oil and iron ore with which to reconstitute civilization.

Which means humans will die back to the levels that can be supported by more primitive technology and more limited resources. We will never reach the stars --we will die here.

Nature's way to restore the balance. Look at how
wildlife is thriving in the radioactive "dead zone" downwind from Chernobyl after humans were evacuated.

Anonymous said...

I've been checking your blog for a couple of days for your reaction. The people back home must be thrilled!

Athanasius said...

Thank you, so much, for this wonderful post. I have this article on my timeline, and I have used it to refute anti-Catholic hit pieces.

Anonymous said...

Welcome Pope Francis! I thought of you, Ferfal, and your blog when I heard the news. Sending prayers for the Pope and for meaningful, responsible, faithful leadership in the Catholic church. Blessings to you Ferfal, and prayers for all the poor in the world under served, forgotten or used. All are God's people, deserving freedom and opportunity.

Don Williams said...

1) Africa depends upon US grain exports -- drought in the US Midwest drove up grain prices and provoked the overthrow of several governments in North Africa in recent years.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-18/record-food-prices-causing-africa-riots-stoke-u-s-farmers-export-gains.html

2) But US grain production on the Great Plains depends upon thousands of wells pumping up the fossil (i.e, irreplaceable) water of the shrinking Ogallala Aquifer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogallala_Aquifer

http://farmfutures.com/story-usgs-releases-water-level-update-ogallala-aquifer-17-95394

3) When that aquifer shrinks over the next 50 years, US grain production will collapse, the Great Plains will return to the Dust Bowl of the 1920s, and the US will keep the reduced grain supplies to feed US citizens. Russia is already curtailing food exports due to global warming

4) The ensuing famine in Africa will be enormous. It is cruel to encourage the people of that overpopulated continent to have excessive numbers of children if there is no way to feed them.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this informative post!

I live in Rome and Kirchner is supposed to come tomorrow (Monday). Your final sentence left me ROFL, it's so true!!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the article. I too was wondering what your opinion was of your fellow countryman.

While not very religious myself it's good to see a humble man ascend to a position of power.

Congratulations Argentina. May the new Pope bring light to these dark times

Anonymous said...

Petro Romanas

Anonymous said...

Hi Ferfal, glad to see you have nice things to say about Pope Francis. Are you familiar with Ann Barnhardt? She is a conservative Catholic and general rabble-rouser and she is not very happy with the new Pope. You might want to check out her views at http://barnhardt.biz

Curious to know what you think about what she thinks.

FerFAL said...

Hi Anon, yes, I've read about her, she's not right in the head, please, lets not promote here. Gary North says to avoid her like the plague, I agree.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for your informed view on the new Pope. Here in Philadelphia, his Argentine roots are explained on the TV news by showing two poor people from BA saying he's a good man- and that he took the bus to work. Very happy you provided more details. I'm Jewish, my wife is Catholic & we're both praying for Pope Francis.