The Vatican office charged with issuing stamps, known as the Philatelic and Numismatic Office, confirmed Tuesday to LifeSiteNews that Luther, who broke away from the Catholic Church in a schism 500 years ago, will be celebrated with a postage stamp in 2017.
The Vatican regularly issues such memorabilia for special events, including papal trips and holy years. Honoring Luther and the Protestant Reformation is an unlikely choice, trumping other significant events in the Catholic Church such as the 100-year anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima and the 300-year anniversary of our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil.
...
In 1517, Martin Luther published his 95 theses against the Catholic Church and began what thereafter has been known as the Reformation, leading to a schism in the Church. This was followed by the formation of Protestant denominations that later spilled into other countries, fueled by others such as John Calvin and Jan Hus. The confessional war that followed, the “Thirty Years’ War,” with its 10 million deaths was known to be the bloodiest war in Europe until World War I.
Luther, an Augustinian monk, was excommunicated in 1521 by Pope Leo X with the papal bull, Decet Romanum Pontificem. At age 41, he married Katharina von Bora, a run-away Cistercian nun of 26 years.
This defiant pope had apparently given permission, or probably asked, to have a former Catholic monk, Martin Luther, excommunicated by his predecessor, Pope Leo X, be commemorated by a Vatican stamp. This is not just any Vatican postage stamp: it signifies a stamp of approval of the Lutheran Church which is decidedly not Catholic; it implicitly reverses Pope Leo X's excommunication of Martin Luther; it is also Bergolio's small but undeniable imprint on the Catholic Church (without legitimacy), signaling the end of an era, transforming the Vatican into a secular institution and state, should Bergolio and his supporters not be kicked out of the Catholic Church for heresy before that happens.
Perhaps Bergolio and his people ought to step away now and start their own religion based on secular ideology rather than defile the Church Christ built upon the rock of Peter, the Apostle. [2] That, of course, would not happen because the end has only just begun. Bergolio has much more to do to fulfill the prophesy that he would be Peter, the Roman [3], the last pope. After Bergolio, which leader of the Vatican will Catholics follow, the conservative one or the liberal one, or no one?
[1] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/vatican-gives-stamp-of-approval-to-martin-luther
[2] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16%3A18
[3] Bergolio, having Italian ancestry and therefore ancient Roman roots, named himself after "St. Francis of Assisi, San Francesco d'Assisi, born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, but nicknamed Francesco ('the Frenchman') by his father, 1181/1182 – October 3, 1226)[ [sic] was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher and is one of the most venerated religious figures in history." [Emphasis added.] See https://www.geni.com/people/Saint-Francis-of-Assisi/6000000020340400849
No comments:
Post a Comment