Habemus papam? Guess again
(Note: although some of its content has been somewhat superseded by today's events, those of you who haven't already listened to it might still be interested to hear an 80-minute interview I did on March 2 entitled "The Next 'Pope': New Springtime for the Vatican II Church, or Nuclear Winter?" The audio recording of the interview can be heard at www.isoc.ws through the end of March; it will be replaced by a new recording in April discussing in detail the past and future career of the man elected today.)
Shortly before 8:30 pm (Rome time) this evening, a man dressed in white robes emerged onto the famous balcony of St. Peter's Basilica and was hailed by the vast and eager throng filling the square as the newly-elected successor to Benedict XVI.
The man was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now calling himself Francis I -- a brilliant move, as I'll explain in a greatly expanded version of this essay I hope to post tomorrow, or the next day -- he stood forth to introduce himself to the world as the ecclesial result of the white smoke that had emanated from the Sistine chapel a little over an hour earlier; that smoke had signaled that the afternoon's conclave had chosen the new head of the Vatican II church. As is customary, he now addressed the crowd from the balcony and then (after democratically asking for their blessing) gave them his first public "papal" benediction.
(For any newcomers to this website, the reason the word "papal," and the word "pope" in the next paragraph, are in inverted commas will become apparent in the remarks that follow.)
That Bergoglio is the first Latin American "pope" (in fact, the first "pope" from anywhere in the entire western hemisphere) and the first Jesuit "pope" pales into insignificance compared to two highly stunning details of his curriculum vitae that I guarantee you won't learn from the media coverage of this history-making event; I'll share those two details, along with many others, in the aforementioned expanded version of this post in the next day or two.
I will never forget my amazement in April 2005 when two of my traditionalist friends (and former colleagues) reported that they wept tears of joy in St. Peter's Square when Joseph Ratzinger's election as Benedict XVI was announced.
And I am even more amazed that many self-styled traditionalists think that the replacement of Benedict XVI with Francis I will make any helpful difference in the current crisis.
Regardless of whatever doctrinal or liturgical differences between himself and Benedict XVI this man may manifest in the coming days (and Francis I has one more strike against him than even Benedict XVI had, as I'll explain in my expanded essay here tomorrow or Friday), this simple fact remains: the deep-seated and destructive cancer growing at the heart of the Vatican II church cannot be addressed, let alone resolved, simply by changing the man at the top of this pernicious pyramid.
The deception of the end times (predicted in Sacred Scripture and other Catholic prophecies) only deepens, as we move into what could quite possibly be its final phase. I hope to prove this in a public talk I'll be giving, at least in New Jersey and New York City (and possibly elsewhere in the US, funds permitting) right after Easter. (Check back here next week for dates and locations.)
If you -- or anyone you love -- are still unsure why this is so, I respectfully and humbly urge you to obtain a copy (if you don't already own it) of our "flagship" product, my 6-CD set entitled "Counterfeit Catholicism: Why Vatican II, the New Mass, and Benedict XVI" -- and now Francis I -- "are not what they claim to be."
To sweeten the deal, and to commemorate today's historic event (which I do believe to be -- along with Ratzinger's astounding renunciation of his office which made today's election possible and necessary -- perhaps the most momentous event since the Second Vatican Council), i am making, not one but two extremely limited-time offers:
Offer #1: Be one of the next 25 people to order a copy of the "Counterfeit Catholicism" 6-CD set (only $39.95, plus shipping), and I'll include, absolutely free, a copy of our 3-CD set entitled "Bonding with Benedict: The Catastrophic Consequences of Attending Masses said Una Cum ("in ecclesial union with") Benedict XVI" (and now Francis I).
If you haven't already heard it, I should warn you that "Bonding with Benedict" is one of our most controversial titles, if not the most controversial. I cannot tell you how many customers and supporters I've lost since we released it some months ago.
And don't let the title fool you: the focus of this 3-CD set is NOT on anything specific to Benedict XVI's history or heresies. He simply happened to be the man seated in the Vatican at the time, but everything said is as fully applicable to Francis I as it was to his predecessor -- or to any of his post-Vatican II predecessors. Instead, this 3-CD set explains one of the most fatally ignored (or never learned) facts of the Catholic Faith.
In a frank, four-hour, detailed discussion, I lay out the incontrovertible evidence from the Church's own official teaching that anyone who attends a Mass which names any of these post-Vatican II antipopes (up to and including the newly-minted Francis I) in the canon, thereby publicly proclaims herself or himself to be a worshiping member of the church of which the named person is the visible head.
The tragedy is that said church is not the real Catholic Church, but the counterfeit church brought into existence by the tragic subscription of the vast majority of the Catholic hierarchy of the world to its heretical decrees -- the counterfeit church which now inhabits, possesses, and controls the infrastructure formerly owned and operated by the real Catholic Church, which is now in institutional exile (all in fulfillment of Biblical type and prophecy of the great apostasy of the last days).
Offer #2: Already have or don't need the "Counterfeit Catholicism" 6-CD set, but want to hear what I have to say on the "Bonding with Benedict" 3-CD set? Be one of the next 25 people to order "Bonding with Benedict" (only $19.95, plus shipping), and I'll include, absolutely free, a copy of Fr. Denis Fahey's masterpiece, The Kingship of Christ and Organized Naturalism, which normally sells for $10.95.
This clear, courageous, and controversial book describes how the orchestrated distortion and denial of the Church's classic teaching got us into the mess we're now in.
Here's how to take advantage of either (or both!) of these two generous offers, which are limited to only the first 25 who respond in each of the two above categories:
A) The fastest, simplest way to make your qualifying purchase and receive your free 3-CD set or book is to go to our online store, www.gerrymatatics.org/shop. You can use PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover to pay. No need to append a note requesting the free 3-CD set or book (though you're welcome to): I'll automatically include it.
B) A second option is to call me at (570) 969-1724 and leave on my voicemail: which offer you're taking advantage of; your MasterCard, Visa, or Discover Card's 16-digit number, expiration date, 3-digit security code from the back of the card; your name exactly as it appears on the card (including any middle initial); your credit card's billing address, and your shipping address if different from your billing address. Please leave a phone number where I can reach you if any part of your message is unclear or unintentionally incomplete.
C) A third option is to mail a check or money order to: Gerry Matatics, PO Box 569, Dunmore PA 18512. The check should be for $45.95 if ordering the "Counterfeit Catholicism" 6-CD set ($39.95 + $6 Priority Mail shipping and handling), or $25.95 if ordering the 3-CD "Bonding with Benedict" set ($19.95 plus $6 Priority Mail shipping and handling). Please make the check payable to either "Gerry Matatics" or "Biblical Foundations International."
Please tune in here during the next day or two for a much expanded version of this brief essay.
All you sainted popes of the past, pray for us!
Yours in the classic Catholic Faith,
Gerry Matatics