Antonio Socci: La Profezia Finale

This is something of a bombshell, just as when the late Mario Palmaro co-authored a searing critique of the Franciscan pontificate bluntly entitled "We Do Not Like This Pope." And just as Palmaro received a phone call from Pope Francis thanking him for his criticism, so the Pope sent a handwritten letter to Socci, after his publication of this critical book, telling him he appreciated his criticism.

So what is Socci's criticism of Francis? That he is promoting the error of a 'pure' Christianity (quoting Andreas Hoffer), "a sort of 'superchristianity'" that purports to be "more good than even Jesus Christ himself" because "it is no longer enough to love the sinner... It is necessary even to love the sin." Christopher A. Ferrara, in "A Historic Indictment" (Catholic Family News, March 21, 2016), offers a substantial review of Socci's book for non-readers of Italian. The subheadings of his review signal the outlines of the argument:

• Bergoglian Confusion [on the assumptions underlying the "Jubilee of Mercy"]
• Synod of Subversion [on the promotion of communion for those in irregular marriages and homosexuals at the October Synod]
• A Meteorological Pope? [on the Pope wading into the debated issues of climate science]
• Lions and Tigers and Bears [on the disturbing ecological light show projected onto St. Peter's on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception]
• A Pope Who Doesn't Like Catholics? [on the Pope's denouncement of those concerned with doctrinal clarity as "rigid," "rigorists," "fundamentalists," "doctors of the law," "Scribes and Pharisees]
• Catholic Divorce? [on the effects Francis' 'streamlining' of the annulment process]
• Consequences of Liberalization [on the 'Francis effect' of accommodating the Gospel to worldly concerns]
• The Franciscan Friars Affair [on Francis' approval of the destruction of a once-thriving religious order]
• A Love Affair with Lutherans [on the Pope's solicitude towards a tradition stemming from Luther's venomous hatred of the Mass]
• An Unconscious Joachimist? [on parallels to Joachim of Fiore, the deluded 12th century 'visionary' who imagined a coming new age of the Holy spirit that would supersede even the New Testament]
• Another Honorius? [on parallels to Pope Honorius' neglect to extinguish the flame of heresy in his day]
• Paying Homage to Dictators [on Francis' uncritical visit with the tyrannical regime of Cuba
• The Folly of "Open Borders" [on Francis' idea of removing 'walls', despite the threat of Islam and cautions of Catholic tradition]
• The Summation [on Francis concept of 'the Poor' tending toward a politicized ideological concept]
• Francis Applies the Butter [on the Pope's moves to overcome critics by friendliness]

[Hat tip to L.S.]