The Pope and the Church

With the election of Pope Francis I thought I'd take a look through the Volumes and see what was said about Popes in them.  I found that the topic can't be separated from the Church, which makes sense since the Pope is the head of the Church.



Men do not want Jesus Christ as their head. The Church will always be Church.

As I was in my usual state, I found myself near a garden which seemed to be the Church. Near it there seemed to be people plotting an attack against the Church and the Pope, and in their midst there was Our Lord, crucified, but without a head. Who can say how painful, how horrifying it was to see His Most Holy Body in that state! I comprehended how men do not want Jesus Christ as their head, and since the Church represents Him on this earth, they try to destroy what stands in His place.

Then I found myself in another place in which I found other people who were asking me: “What do you say about the Church?” And I, feeling a light within my mind, said: ‘The Church will always be Church. At the most, She might be washed in Her own blood, but this bath will render Her more beautiful and glorious.’ On hearing this, they said: “This is false – let us call our god and let us see what he says.” So a man came out who surpassed everyone in height, with a crown on his head, and he said: “The Church will be destroyed, there will be no more public services - at the most, some hidden ones; and the Madonna will no longer be recognized.” On hearing this, I said: ‘And who are you to dare to say this? Aren’t you perhaps that serpent condemned by God to crawl on the earth? And now you are so daring as to make yourself believed a king, deceiving people? I command you to let yourself be known for what you are.’ While I was saying this, from tall he became very, very short; he assumed the shape of a serpent, and making a flash, he plunged himself down deep. Then I found myself inside myself.

Vol. 4, Feb. 23, 1903

How all Heaven is veiled in the Church.

This morning, Jesus aroused much compassion; He was so afflicted and in suffering that I would not dare to ask Him any question.  We would look at each other in silence; every now and then He would give me a kiss, and I would kiss Him; and He continued to make Himself seen in this way several times.  On the last time He made me see the Church, telling me these exact words:  “All Heaven is veiled in my Church.  Just as in Heaven one is the head, which is God, and many are the saints, of different conditions, orders and merits, so in my Church, in which all Heaven is veiled, one is the head, which is the Pope, and the Sacrosanct Trinity is veiled even in the triple tiara that covers his head; and many are the members that depend on this head – that is, different dignities, various orders, superior and inferior, from the littlest to the greatest, they all serve to embellish my Church.  Each one, according to its degree, has the office entrusted to it, and by the exact fulfillment of the virtues it comes to give from itself a splendor so very fragrant to my Church, that the earth and Heaven are perfumed and illuminated, and the people are so drawn by this light and by this fragrance, that it is almost impossible for them not to surrender to the truth.  I leave it to you, then, to consider those infected members which, instead of shedding light, cast darkness.  How much torment they cause in my Church.”

Vol. 2, May 2, 1899



Jesus shows the Holy Father wanting to gather all his children in the Church together but people reject leadership in their lives on all levels.

Sorrow of the Pope.  Humility.

This morning blessed Jesus made me see the Holy Father with open wings, going in search of his children in order to gather them under his wings; and I could hear his laments, saying:  “My children, my children, how many times have I tried to gather you under my wings - and you escape me!  O please!  Listen to my moans, and have compassion for my sorrow!”  And while saying this, he cried bitterly.  It seemed that it was not only the secular that were moving away from the Pope, but also priests, and these gave greater sorrow to the Holy Father.  How pitiful it was to see the Pope in this position!  After this, I saw Jesus who echoed the laments of the Holy Father, and added:  “Few are those who have remained faithful, and these few live like foxes withdrawn inside their dens.  They are afraid to expose themselves in order to pull their children away from the mouths of the wolves.  They speak, they propose, but those are all words thrown to the wind – they never come to deeds.”  Having said this, He disappeared.

After a little while He came back.  I felt all annihilated within myself in the presence of Jesus, and He, seeing me annihilated, told me:  “My daughter, the more you lower yourself within yourself, the more I feel drawn to lower Myself toward you, and to fill you with my grace.  Here is how humility is bearer of light.”

Vol. 3, March 17, 1900




The world has reduced itself to such a sad state because it has lost subordination to leaders, God being the first.

This morning, Jesus transported me outside of myself and showed me many people, all in discord. Oh, how much this grieved Jesus! In seeing Him suffer very much I prayed Him to pour it into me. But since He still continues in wanting to chastise the world, Jesus did not want to pour it into me. However, after I prayed Him and prayed Him, to make me content He poured a little bit. Then, being a little relieved, He told me: “The reason why the world has reduced itself to such a sad state is that it has lost subordination to leaders; and since the first leader is God against whom they have rebelled, it happened as a consequence that they have lost any subjection to and dependence on the Church, the laws and all the others who are said to be leaders. Ah! my daughter, what will happen to so many members infected by this bad example of the very ones who are said to be leaders – that is, superiors, parents, and many others? Ah! They will reach such a point that neither parents, nor brothers, nor kings, nor princes will be recognized any more. These members will be like many vipers that will poison one another. Therefore, see how necessary chastisements are in these times, and how necessary it is for death to almost destroy this sort of people, so that the few who will be left may learn at the expense of others to be humble and obedient. So, let Me do; do not want to oppose my chastising the people.”

Vol. 2, March 20, 1899

 

Because of this there are many plots against the Pope and the Church.

Then I said: ‘Lord, how is it that You are not coming?’ And He added: “Do you want to hear something? Hear it.” And at that moment many cries of voices from all over the world could be heard saying: “Death to the Pope… destruction of religion…churches torn down… destruction of every dominion… No one must exist above us!” And many other satanic voices, which it seems useless to me to repeat. Then our Lord added: “My daughter, when man disposes himself to good, he receives good; and if he disposes himself to evil, he receives evil. All these voices you hear reach my throne - and not once, but repeated times; and when my Justice sees that man not only wants evil, but he asks for it with repeated petitions, with justice is It forced to concede it, to make them know the evil they wanted. In fact, one can truly know evil only when he finds himself in it. This is the reason why my Justice keeps looking for voids in order to punish man. However, the time of your suspension has not yet come; at the most, a few days for now, so that Justice may press Its hand down on man a little bit, for It can no longer bear the weight of such enormities; and at the same time, so as to make man’s forehead, raised too high, lower down.

Vol. 5, May 8, 1903
 

 

True victims must expose themselves to the pains of Jesus.  Machinations against the Church and against the Pope.

As I was in my usual state, I found myself outside of myself, kneeling on an altar together with two more people.  In the meantime Jesus Christ appeared over this altar, and He said:  “True victims must have communication with my very life; they must avail themselves of my very self, and expose themselves to my very pains.”  While saying this, He took a pyx in His hand and gave Communion to all three of us.  After this, behind that altar there seemed to be a door which led into a street filled with people and jam-packed with demons, in such a way that one could not walk without being squeezed by them; and since it was full of thorns, extremely sharp, one could not make a movement without feeling one’s flesh being pricked deep inside.  At any cost I would have wanted to escape those diabolical furies, and I almost tried to do it, but someone, I don’t know who, prevented me by saying to me:  “Everything you see are machinations against the Church and against the Pope.  They would want the Pope to get out of Rome by invading the Vatican and seizing it, and if you want to avoid these bothers, men and demons will acquire strength and will make these thorns come out which will prick the Church bitterly.  But if you content yourself with suffering them, both the one and the other will be weakened.”  On hearing this I stopped, but who can say what I went through and suffered.  I thought I would never again get out from the midst of those diabolical spirits; however, after staying there almost one whole night, divine protection freed me.

Vol. 4, July 1, 1902

This topic continues with bloody chastisements brought down on people by their own hands and most especially it seems that the attacks against the Church come from within her.   I'll continue this in another post so it won't be too long but I've come away impressed with just how needed it is for us to pray for our Pope and priests.