Bergoglio's Empty Promises

"Pope Francis has promised that 'concrete action' will be taken against child sexual abuse by Catholic priests during an extraordinary summit of bishops in Rome." [1]

"'Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you [but in reality do nothing at all],' Pope Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders." [2] [annotated]

Bergoglio also offered reflection points entitled Meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” – Reflection points, 21.02.2019. [3]  His 21 points are not quoted here because it would be a waste of time to read and reflect on them.  The time has come to act, not to reflect.

But the Catholic Church did act on sexual abuses [4]:

"Files that could have documented the terrible deeds and named those responsible were destroyed, or not even created," [Cardinal Reinhard] Marx said. "Instead of the perpetrators, the victims were regulated and silence imposed on them. The stipulated procedures and processes for the prosecution of offences were deliberately not complied with, but instead cancelled or overridden. The rights of victims were effectively trampled underfoot, and left to the whims of individuals."

[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-child-sex-abuse-summit-priests-bishops-rome-vatican-a8791731.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/02/21/190221f.html
[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cardinal-says-catholic-church-destroyed-documentation-sex-abuse-n974941

Limits Of The Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has its limits not only because some of its clerics are less than holy, even hypocritical, but also because its rules are impractical.  Below is just one example of the latter.

Quoted below is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church without the footnote [1]:

1438 The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday  in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works). [Emphasis  added.]

Quoted below without footnotes from the same source cited above are definitions of terms used by the Catholic Church [2]:

ARTICLE 4
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION

1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."

I. WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED?

1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.

It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.

1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.

It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."

It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the live of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother."

It is interesting to note that Section 1438 quoted above does not mention confessions explicitly as part of one's spiritual exercises, but it could be implied by these words "penitential liturgies" that were obviously written not for the not-so-educated Catholic such as this blogger to understand.  Yet, the Catholic Church can be clear if when it wants to be, such as defining "fraternal sharing" in parenthesis "(charitable and missionary works)".  Can the Catholic Church be more crafty?  Perhaps the Catholic Church needs to be crafty since it is fully aware of its limitations.

According to catholic-hierarchy.org, the number of Catholics and the total number of priests in the United States number 64,621,000 and 44,906 respectively.  When priests are limited to diocesan priests, the number falls to 30,207.  [3]  Using the larger number of priests, the ratio of Catholics to priests in the United States is about 1,400 to 1.  How many parishes can accommodate 1,400 confessions every Friday according to Section 1438 above?  The ratio of Catholics to priests is even more dramatic in Brazil, 8,630 to 1, arrived by dividing 145,446,000 Catholics by 16,853, the total number of priests. [4]

The Catholic Church is not stupid and compromised between the need for confessions and the impracticalities of confessions before receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass with the following section in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoted without footnotes [5]:

1457 According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year." Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time. [Emphasis  added.]

This blogger wonders whether every single Catholic who lines up to receive Holy Communion after Mass has had his or her sins absolved, or whether those who line up are simply unaware of having committed any mortal sin and consider themselves sinless since their last ("at least" yearly) confession as per Section 1457 above and therefore finds himself or herself to be in the good grace of God to receive the Body of Christ.

The Catholic Church is right about one thing: that after consecration of the bread and wine, they are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear on this, quoted without footnotes below:

1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."

1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.

This change, called transubstantiation, that takes place at the Altar of Sacrifice at every Catholic Mass is not to any degree subject to any sort of limitation [6]; it is only the delivery of the consecrated bread and wine to those Catholics between confessions who remain in the good grace of God or who think that they are in the good grace of God that the Catholic Church could run into practical limitations.


[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sc1.html
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[6] In a previous post, this blogger questioned the ability of a priest who has betrayed Christ to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  In the extreme case where a priest had become Satanic, is he able consecrate during Mass and desecrate the uneaten Holy Communion when he participates in a Satanic ritual?

Christians Under Attack

In France and India, Christians have been under attack.  Catholic churches in France were specifically targeted.  Attacks in India were not specifically identified as Catholic.

In France, "[a]t least 10 incidents of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches have been reported in France since the beginning of February[, 2019]. [1]

In India, "[i]In January 2019 there were 29 incidents of violence against Indian Christians in 13 Indian states." [2]  "'The data do not differ much from the trend of 2018, which saw an average of 20 incidents a month, almost a case of violence a day...'" [3]

Apparently all the politicking Bergoglio is doing around the world is not quite making a positive impact.  Perhaps the title of this hymn "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" written by Peter Scholtes [4] ought to be Bergoglio's inspiration, not his unstated motto which could very well be "they will know we are Catholics by our politics."

In Madagascar, "[a]ccording to Fr. Ludovic Rabenatoandro, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Antananarivo, who reported the testimony given by Fr. Nicolas a few days before his death, on 9 February, around 6.30pm, while he was riding his motorcycle, he was stopped by some bandits on the road to Mahitsy, a rural town located only 30 km from the capital. Fr. Nicolas was returning to the Soanavela center, after bringing the Eucharist to a sick man.

"The criminals shot the priest behind his back. Once on the ground, they walked over him and kicked him. Before leaving, the bandits shot him for the second time...." [5]

Unlike Russia and China, France, India and Madagascar all have freedom of religion based on a quick check online.  This freedom does not guarantee safety, however.  In the United States, religious freedom is not unlimited based on the idea of separation of church and state [6], even though there is no separation between God and man everywhere.  The only true separations are between good and evil and between Heaven and Hell.

People are not separated by their religions; they are separated by what they choose, either good or evil.  Even Christians, Catholics included, make such a choice.  Those who attack Christians or anyone else have chosen to do evil.  Evil does not discriminate; it permeates all religious beliefs and all places.

[1] https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/eucharist-desecrated-statues-smashed-in-series-of-french-church-attacks-94505

[2] http://www.fides.org/en/news/65592-ASIA_INDIA_India_s_rising_violence_against_Christians

[3] Ibid.

[4] https://hymnary.org/text/we_are_one_in_the_spirit
[5] http://www.fides.org/en/news/65593-AFRICA_MADAGASCAR_Church_s_strong_position_for_the_death_of_Fr_Nicolas_victim_of_a_road_ambush_after_bringing_the_Eucharist_to_a_sick_person
[6] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_church_and_state

Which Hurts More: Total Rejection Or Pure Love?

It depends, is an answer to the question posed above.  From God's point of view, this blogger imagines, the answer is total rejection but from man's it is pure love.

The reason that one's total rejection of God, including disbelief in and indifference toward God, hurts God tremendously is because God's love for every person is unconditional, undiluted and unlimited.  When such great a love is taken for granted, when one thinks that one is entitled to it, that it is well-deserved, how painful it must be for God Whose only Son suffered under the hands of man, in order that man can be saved from his own self.  For those who cannot imagine God’s pain most likely have either never experienced betrayal of the purest of intentions that were borne out of goodness and innocence emanating from deep within the heart that were free from any ulterior motive, or are too cynical to believe that such pure intentions can be possible because they are impossible for them.

As a result of Original Sin, pure love, the love that God gives to man continuously and unfailingly, cannot be possible for man.  God knows this and does not expect pure love from man.  This does not mean that man, because of his imperfect nature, has an excuse to ignore God, leaving God outside of his daily consciousness.

Despite man's refusal to acknowledge God and God's love, God nonetheless waits patiently, compassionately and lovingly for each person to love God in return.  To return God's love is to live with a clean conscience, to be genuinely good, to be humble and to accept both moments of joy and periods of suffering equally.  Loving God is neither easy nor was it ever intended to be easy.  Christ demonstrated this on His way to Calvary and by His crucifixion.  Of course, there are easy ways to live, the ways of the world, ways that belong to Satan, such as living in envy, with greed, pride and without a conscience, in wickedness, with vengeance and without forgiveness, in a self-centered world without consideration for others, and with cruelty in thoughts, words and deeds, the list goes on and on.

And on the last day of life, that day is certain to arrive, sooner or later, when one stands before Christ, when one will for the first time realize the full extent and magnitude of God's all-encompassing love and justice through Christ.  If the soul is not already dammed, then it will likely have the mercy of Christ Whose Sacred Heart is united to His Mother's Immaculate Heart.  It is at this moment when the soul faces the inescapable Truth and sees all the stains of sins it had accumulated throughout life, when it would be too late for repentance.  But God is forgiving.  When a soul is being given a chance to enter Heaven through Purgatory, imagine the amount of relief and gratitude from being spared an eternity in Hell, as well as the pain the shameful and regretful soul must feel for having received such pure love that is so undeserved yet unconditionally given.  This pain has to be greater than any rejection because rejection is external and can be retaliated by a similar rejection or can be ignored, whereas God’s love and pardon are one-sided and non-reciprocal and they overwhelm the interior with gratitude and awaken the ineffable pain of shame and regret.

One might contend that God's total rejection hurts more than God's pure love when a soul realizes that it is to spend an eternity in Hell.  Those who are to spend an eternity in Hell is not to be viewed as either a rejection or a punishment by God but rather as the fulfillment of their own individual Free Will in the disbelief in and rejection of God, finding God unnecessary and irrelevant time and time again during their sinful earthly lives when they had been given limitless chances to repent and love God in return while God waited patiently and never giving up.  It is always the person by his or her Free Will who gives up on God, not the other way around.  For these people, their freely chosen destination for their forever living souls is everlasting Hell.

Divine Mercy - A Follow-up (Updated February 6, 2019)

The author whom this blogger thinks is a Satan surrogate had this to say in another post on Divine Mercy, quoted in part [1] [Emphasis original]:

First of all, we need to remember that St. Faustina's Diary, beautiful and profound as it is, is not the equivalent of the inspired and inerrant Holy Scriptures. When our holy Mother the Church gives its nihil obstat to the writings of a saint, therefore, she does not thereby proclaim that every word the saint wrote is the pure, infallible Word of God — only that there is nothing in the saint's writing in question that clearly contradicts the definitive teachings of the Church on faith and morals.

The reflections and opinions of a saint — even their visions and meditations — can sometimes be colored by their own cultural background and blind spots, and their own psychological make-up (on this, see Fr. Benedict Groeschel's book, A Still Small Voice).

In general, of course, we should give the benefit of the doubt to a saint, because he or she is filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. But sometimes a saint can form opinions or make speculations that go beyond what the Church has been willing to define about one or more of the mysteries of the Faith.

To some extent, that is the case here. Saint Faustina claims she had a vision of hell — and no doubt she did. But whether she understood that vision entirely clearly, or whether it was colored, to some extent, by her own expectations or speculations or cultural assumptions, is hard to say.

The Church has not defined that the souls in hell suffer torments of the flesh directly corresponding to the manner in which the soul sinned in the flesh, nor has the Church defined that there is a spiritual "fire" that penetrates the soul that is "lit by God's anger." Nor for that matter has the Church defined that the torments of hell include a literal, physical fire (which, in fact, St. Faustina does not mention). These things are matters for theological speculation, and the content of St. Faustina's vision is not decisive evidence on these matters for the Church.

Secondly, we need to interpret St. Faustina's frightening vision of hell in the context of the rest of her Diary. In entry 1588, for example, our Lord told her that He is reluctant to mete out retributive justice to sinners. "I do not want to punish aching mankind but to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart," He says. "I use punishment when they force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice." 

First, the author discredited Sister Faustina's vision of Hell by saying that "[t]he reflections and opinions of a saint — even their visions and meditations — can sometimes be colored by their own cultural background and blind spots, and their own psychological make-up." [3]  His support for his comment was from a book written by a priest.  He apparently considered his source to be irrefutable truth, unaffected by the source's own blind spots and perhaps even envy of those blessed to see Heavenly visions.

Secondly, the author, after discrediting Sister Faustina, relied on this statement, also by Sister Faustina, a statement that apparently was not deemed by the author as part of the saint's "reflections and opinions" "colored by...cultural background and blind spots..." [3] when such a statement seemed to bolster his position:  "'I do not want to punish aching mankind but to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart,' He says. 'I use punishment when they force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice.'"  [4] [Emphasis original].

The author contradicted himself by finding Sister Faustina both to be disbelieved on the one hand and to be believed on the other.  This is an example of Satan's failures.  Satan can never be consistent because it lies.  Only God's Truth is unchanging and eternal.  Satan's lies keep changing to fit within a circumstance, to give it a specious appearance, in order to mislead souls and send them to eternal damnation.

Is Sister Faustina's vision of Hell in conflict with what God said?  No.  What God said reinforces Sister's Faustina's vision of Hell.  The tortured souls in Hell had forced God to punish them even though God is very much reluctant to do so.  At the point where God had to "take hold of the sword of justice" [5] is where Divine Mercy is maximized and where it is subjected to the reluctant force of Divine Justice.

Thirdly, the author also included this: "'I received a deeper understanding of divine mercy,' she writes. 'Only the soul that wants it will be damned, for God condemns no one' (Diary, 1452). This fits very well with the Catechism's definition of hell as "a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God" (Catechism, 1033)." [6]

The above does not mean that God will not exercise Divine Justice, for it has always been man's Free Will to reject God and those souls that reject God do not care whether or not they are dammed--it is not that God wanted them dammed.  God wants them saved but those souls in Hell had chosen otherwise.

In the end, the author found himself nowhere to hide from God's Truth and relented.  This is one of his concluding thoughts: "The doctrine of Hell, therefore, though it is disconcerting and sad to us, does not contradict the merciful love of God." [7]

Additional thought added February 6, 2019:  This Satan surrogate in the sentence quoted above spoke of Hell being a "doctrine" when Hell is not a "doctrine" but a very real place.  Again, Satan cannot hide its appearance for long; it cannot, because God will not permit it.  Even if Hell were a "doctrine," how can it be "disconcerting" since it is part of God's creation?  And who is "us" that the author indicated were "sad"?  Could "us" refer the author himself and Satan? [8]  Were they upset and unhappy because Hell had be exposed and they could no longer cover it up with omissions and deceits?



[1] https://www.thedivinemercy.org/library/article.php?NID=2690
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid, everything in quotation marks refers back to the article cited under note [1].

Divine Mercy

This blogger thinks that many people are in error in believing that Divine Mercy is something that one in entitled to regardless of how one sins.  This is not the case.  Those who spread this error needs to answer to God one day.

The paragraphs quoted below are from divinemercy.org [1]:

The message of The Divine Mercy is simple. It is that God loves us – all of us. And, he wants us to recognize that His mercy is greater than our sins, so that we will call upon Him with trust, receive His mercy, and let it flow through us to others. Thus, all will come to share His joy.

The Divine Mercy message is one we can call to mind simply by remembering ABC:

A - Ask for His Mercy. God wants us to approach Him in prayer constantly, repenting of our sins and asking Him to pour His mercy out upon us and upon the whole world.

B - Be merciful. God wants us to receive His mercy and let it flow through us to others. He wants us to extend love and forgiveness to others just as He does to us.

C - Completely trust in Jesus. God wants us to know that the graces of His mercy are dependent upon our trust. The more we trust in Jesus, the more we will receive. 

If one believes that one will enter the gates of Heaven by following A, B & C above, then one ought to be prepared for a rude awakening.  The message above omits to mention Hell.  This is what Satan does, it tells the truth, but omits that critical part that seems small but is significant in actuality.  It is always by means of those Satanically influenced omissions that Satan is able to lead one away from Heaven and toward Hell.

If, according to divinemercy.org, God's mercy is "greater than our sins" then it would be logical to conclude that there is no sin that can be greater than God's mercy, which is false.  If this were not false, then one can also conclude that there is no Hell and that there is no need to believe in Hell since mercy will always triumph over man's sins, and man will enter Heaven no matter how great his sins are and how often and repetitive their commissions.  The rude awakening is knowing for certain that Hell is real and that one had been walking along Hell's welcome mat paved with deceits and temptations without even bothering to acknowledge the existence of Hell.  By then, it would be too late to turn back.

Quoted below is from divinemercysunday.com [2] [Emphasis original]:

Sister Faustina's Vision of Hell

"I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its existence...the devils were full of hatred for me, but they had to obey me at the command of God, What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those who disbelieved that there is a hell." (Diary 741)

"Today, I was led by an angel to the Chasms of Hell. It is a place of great torture; how awesomely large and extensive it is! The kinds of tortures I saw:

The First Torture that constitutes hell is:
     The loss of God.
The Second is:
     Perpetual remorse of conscience.
The Third is
     That one's condition will never change.
The Fourth is:
     The fire that will penetrate the soul without destroying it. A terrible suffering since it is a purely spiritual fire, lit by God's anger.
The Fifth Torture is:
     Continual darkness and a terrible suffocating smell, and despite the darkness, the devils and the souls of the damned see each other and all the evil, both of others and their own.
The Sixth Torture is:
The constant company of Satan.
The Seventh Torture is:
Horrible despair, hatred of God, vile words, curses and blasphemies.
These are the Tortures suffered by all the damned together, but that is not the end of the sufferings. 

Indescribable Sufferings 

There are special Tortures destined for particular souls. These are the torments of the senses. Each soul undergoes terrible and indescribable sufferings related to the manner in which it has sinned. 

I would have died 

There are caverns and pits of torture where one form of agony differs from another. I would have died at the very sight of these tortures if the omnipotence of God had not supported me. 

No One Can Say There is No Hell 

Let the sinner know that he will be tortured throughout all eternity, in those senses which he made use of to sin. I am writing this at the command of God, so that no soul may find an excuse by saying there is no hell, or that nobody has ever been there, and so no one can say what it is like...how terribly souls suffer there! Consequently, I pray even more fervently for the conversion of sinners. I incessantly plead God's mercy upon them. O My Jesus, I would rather be in agony until the end of the world, amidst the greatest sufferings, than offend you by the least sin." (Diary 741)

[1] https://www.thedivinemercy.org/message/
[2] http://www.divinemercysunday.com/vision.htm

Is Love Blind?

"Modern-day research supports the view that the blindness of love is not just a figurative matter. A research study in 2004 by University College London found that feelings of love suppressed the activity of the areas of the brain that control critical thought." [1]

As usual, this disagreeable blogger disagrees.  When critical thought is suppressed, it is not love.  It is denial.

Love cannot be blind and is not blind.  For one to love another truly and unconditionally, one has to see and accept all the faults in the other person and still be able to love without reservation.

Love is constant.  It does not fluctuate.  It is not like that one moment when that critical thought area of one's brain is no longer being suppressed that the love from the evening before is no longer the same love as the day after, if there is even any love left.

Man's love is limited to blind love because man cannot love what bothers him non-stop but Christ can because Christ's love is an all-seeing, unchanging love.  Christ loves despite all the things that one does against His Will, not once but again and again.

Christ's love waits for everyone to see in oneself what He sees and to go to Him and ask for forgiveness with utmost humility. 


[1] https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/love-is-blind.html

Sins Of Clerics In The Catholic Church - Will They Ever End?

Below are three articles with headings that speak for themselves:

1.  Vatican magazine denounces sexual abuse of nuns by priests [1]

2.  Texas Dioceses Release Names of Almost 300 Clergy Members Accused of Abuse [2]

3.  Top US cardinal let priest accused of sexual abuse lead Mass [3]

Why is this blogger still going to Church?  Today is the first Friday of the month and there was Eucharistic Adoration.  When he arrived at the cathedral, the parking lot was full, with cars double parked.  He thought to himself -- there are a lot of very devoted Catholics attending the noon Mass and spending time before the Blessed Sacrament -- and was heartened by it.  He left and returned later in the afternoon.  There were still quite a lot of cars but also some empty spaces.  He parked and entered the cathedral.  The pews were empty.  There were two (2) people sitting in chairs before the Blessed Sacrament located on the left side of the altar.

After saying the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament, he walked into the gift shop downstairs and asked about the cars in the parking lot.  The lady said there was some kind of fair the floor below.  He went there, walked around and saw tables that were empty and not many people.  It was probably some kind of commercial fair that has ended that had nothing to do with recruiting men and women to become monks and nuns.  He also noticed some tables that were set up for coffee and refreshments, including large plates with signs that indicated there was food there.  One of the signs read "turkey."  Today is Friday, and this blogger had made it his practice not eat meat on Fridays, to remind him of Good Friday.  Yet, this Catholic Church, a cathedral no less, was having a commercial fair on the first Friday of the month reserved for Eucharistic Adoration and was serving meat.  There are only 12 first Fridays in the year and the church had to pick a first Friday for this function.

This same cathedral also wanted to have a second collection for new vestments.  Do vestments become worn or become fashionably outdated that new ones had to be purchased?  Is it a sin to dry clean them?  Is the need for new vestments a exercise in vanity, or a rejection of the vow of poverty?  

This blogger is a sinner and he sins.  He goes to Church to seek forgiveness and what he is now realizing is that he is walking into a building run by clerics that are not all that holy.

Where is a church that is in the middle of nowhere that needs repair?  That is the church this blogger wants to go to, especially if it is abandoned, because Christ will be there.

This idea is not original.  It came from Saint Francis of Assisi.  Quoted below is a brief introduction [4]:

The San Damiano Cross is known as the “Crucifix that spoke to St. Francis” in 1205 CE in Assisi, Italy.

The Cross was hung in the little church of San Damiano that was outside the walls of Assisi. When Francis stopped by the church to pray, he found the church to be “collapsing from old age…No one went down the worn staircase into the church: But Francis did, and with that act, the Franciscan Order was born.”

As Francis knelt in prayer before the painted Byzantine Cross, “Suddenly it seemed to him that Jesus’ gaze was fixed upon him…They were speaking and expressing a burning passion…Francis distinctly heard his name being called…‘Francis, go repair my house, which, as you see, is falling into ruin.'”

[1] https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article225390430.html

[2] https://www.thedailybeast.com/texas-dioceses-release-names-of-almost-300-clergy-members-accused-of-abuse

[3] https://www.ktbs.com/news/texas/top-us-cardinal-let-priest-accused-of-sexual-abuse-lead/article_f1c5929e-e56d-5862-8771-6bc59985e177.html
[4] https://www.stfrancis.edu/san-damiano-cross/