So I visit the site often but I don't post because I don't feel as if I have anything to contribute to the conversations. I'm a new Catholic and I am not on the Catholic knowledge level that all of you are.

However, I've been reading all of the posts regarding the Pope's statements in the newly released book and now I'm really confused.

Condoms: It sounds like the Pope is saying that condoms can somehow help someone to be a morally responsible person.

Bishop Williamson: I find it difficult to believe that with all of the people around the Pope, and the accessibility of the internet, that the Pope could get those comments so wrong. It's almost as if they were blatant.

Jєωs: We're not supposed to pray for the conversion of Jєωs? Since when?

These are my observations as a new Catholic and so I can see how the media could interpret these different comments the way they did. I'm not totally naive; I know that the media has it out for the Church, but the comments were vague and confusing.

My question is this: I've been reading the Bible from the beginning and it seems to me that God always punished the person in charge instead of the followers. When all the kings of the Old Testament lead their people to worship false idols, for example, it was the king that was punished.

So while I want to throw my hands up and acknowledge that the Chair of Peter may actually be vacant, I'm reminded that it is our leaders that will have to answer for leading the flock astray. Or, am I getting it totally wrong and do I have an obligation to seek the truth?

I ask as a confused person, not as someone trying to start a debate.

That's Belloc's opinion.

You have to make up your own mind.  Many have been in your shoes.  Pray to the Holy Ghost and to Our Lady of Good Counsel to show you the path you must take during these horrendous days in Holy Mother Church.

Knowing only too well what you are going through, I will say a prayer to Our Lady for you.

Don't blame it on the media.   The church gives them more than enough ammunition.

Alexandria is right.You must pray to the Holy Ghost. Then, you must also have Him help with fear too.

You do have an obligation to find the truth.  If you follow a false prophet then you end up in the same place they do.  

Oremus, read the totality of the Pope's comments in context. He said condoms are not a real an moral solution to HIV. The comment about not trying to convert the Jєωs in a "missionary sense" bothered me most of all the things he said in the book. We are called to make disciples of all nations. Nevertheless, the Pope making questionable private comments is a LONG way from privately judging him and declaring him an anti-pope which none of us have the power to do.

Doesn't Canon Law give the lay Catholic the right to judge someone as a heretic ?

I'm not sure. But I'm pretty certain it doesn't give lay catholics the right to judge the Pope.

Alexandria said:

Quote

"The events of the past few days have left even me devastated. I feel like someone has punched me in the gut. I have given the Vatican II "popes" every benefit of the doubt...I can no longer do that.

Something is horribly wrong with Holy Mother Church. Take it from me, the faith that resides within the conciliar church is not the Faith that I was taught as a child.

These men who are occupying the Chair of Peter are destroying the Church. This one has gone places JPII never touched, and JPII (of very unhappy memory) was bad enough. There is not much left to dispose of. Of course, to keep the conciliar folks deluded, they will never touch those essential dogmas, i.e. they will never say that there are actually two persons in the Blessed Trinity and oops!, many pardons, but hereinafter we will call it the Blessed Duo."

I agree with these sentiments.

I have been absent from this forum for months because I was upset with the sede's on this forum.  Also I had a lot of praying and thinking to do, I asked God to make it clear which way I should go.  Mostly I attended the TLM diocesan Mass, but even went back to my old NO parish where we have a lot of friends and it feels like home.  But there are so many problems there!  Constant talk about our Islamic and Jєωιѕн brothers and sisters, huh?  The Mafia like CSA collections, and finally this condom fiasco was the last straw.  I will only attend a traditional Chapel (SSPX) from now on and will cut ties with the NO church.

Good move. I remember you from a while back.. thats a step in the right direction.

Rome has officially given up on blanket contraception.

Really? Where did they say that?