I was researching implicit faith and came across a Catholic blog. I noticed that in the latest post on the blog the Catholic owner of the blog describes how he has lost the faith and is now, in his own words, "an apostate atheist". At the bottom of each of his blogposts is the name, Jehanne. I remember coming across this name on Cathinfo. I did a search and, sure enough, this blog belongs to the same Jehanne who was once an active poster on this site. The blogpost in which he renounces the faith is very recent. It mentions the recent Synod. Jehanne seems to have been extremely scandalised by the Synod and by the papacy of Francis in general:
Vatican II, Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all wrote with grey pens, embracing the Leftist agenda while keeping the Ball "on the court," so to speak. But, with Francis, now there are "certain cases" (read: everyone, eventually), who can receive the so-called Holy Eucharist, and then later that day (or, especially, the night before), go home and have sex with someone, whom they and everyone else agrees, is NOT their sacramental spouse.
...
Take these essays for what they were, one man who got duped, and who tried to make sense of a World religion who, with yet one more contradiction, has had enough. Sorry, but I have much better things to do with my remaining time and life.
...
As for Catholicism, it claims nothing; there is no "dogma" that cannot, at some future time, be reinterpreted, and after that, (re)reinterpreted by some "Pope". It's all politics, positioning and maneuvering, which is why this Synod and its previous one took so long. As one person wrote to me, "Today's dissent is tomorrow's dogma." For what the present Church hierarchy has done with public adulterers, it (not she) can do with anything! Just give it time; eventually, Catholicism will be devoid of claiming any existential truths whatsoever. Folks, you might as well become "agnostic atheists," which is what I am going to call myself from now on. Most scientists are that already:
http://www.stephenjaygould.org/ctrl/news/file002.html
Eventually, most churchmen will be firmly in that camp, also! If you're a Catholic who embraces atheism, consider yourself to be "ahead of the curve"! For, that's the direction that the Catholic Church is headed, one of pure naturalism. All that modern churchmen want is money and power, and for some, a nearly endless supply of little boys.
I won't post anymore from the blogpost or link to the blog, as it is full of the worst blasphemy. I don't advise anyone to look for it. There is nothing really there that I haven't told you about.
The man is clearly very distressed. He has allowed himself to be scandalised to the highest degree by the crisis in the Church.
Here is a sermon by an FSSP priest on scandal, where he talks about how it is a sin for us to allow ourselves to be scandalised, because the actions of others should not disturb our faith:
http://www.sensustraditionis.org/webaudio/Sermons/Disk1/Scandal.mp3Here is a letter from a French Catholic in response to another French Catholic in the early 1970s who was thinking of abandoning the faith due to scandal. It's a very powerful letter urging us not to despair. He makes the salient point that the man thinking of abandoning the faith is not so much sinning against faith, as against hope, because he is allowing himself to despair due to scandal. I think Jehanne may have suffered the same. No doubt, he has now certainly sinned grievously against faith, but it seems as though he had been struggling with hope for a while first. The letter also points out that the Church has suffered through many a crisis and that it's part of the mystery of the cross that we have to remain faithful to Our Lord even when we are most confused, scandalised, and abandoned.
http://www.remnantnewspaper.com/Archives/2009-0930-ousset-cross.htmI cannot find anything on Jehanne's blog that would allow me to contact him. I can't leave any reply to his blogpost. So I have just made this message in the hope that you will pray for him, and perhaps that he might come across this post and be comforted if possible. If anyone can contact him perhaps you ought.
We must pray in general for people who are losing the faith due to the scandal caused by heretics in the Church.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in our hour of conflict; Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God restrain Him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast Satan into Hell, and with him all the other evil spirits, who wander through the world, for the ruin of souls. Amen.