Retired Argentine Archbishop of La Plata, Hector Ruben Aguer. Below is a new essay Aguer has written about what he sees as the attitude of his fellow Argentine, Pope Francis, regarding, and canceling, priests…
Letter #168, 2023, Wednesday, November 29: Aguer
And now (rather late in Rome — middle of the night) a piece that some here are already talking about: an essay by Pope Francis‘s fellow Argentine archbishop Hector Ruben Aguer, 80 (link), published yesterday….
Aguer is known as a quite conservative Argentine Catholic bishop.
Living in Argentina, he has known Pope Francis for decades.
Pope Francis accepted Aguer’s resignation for reason of old age in 2018, when Aguer was 75.
Here is what Aguer wrote yesterday about the Bishop Strickland and other cases… —RM
P.S. Special Note! Since things in Rome seem to be heating up, I need support for this letter to prepare for the upcoming winter. Any donation would be appreciated: here.
This article appeared yesterday on the LifeSiteNews website, here and LifeSiteNews:
Archbishop Aguer: Pope Francis’ poor treatment of clergy reveals a ‘lack of justice and charity’
In his latest essay, Archbishop Héctor Aguer writes that Pope Francis‘ frequent disparagement of priests departs from Church teaching on the ministry and life of priests and targets those more loyal to Tradition.
By Archbishop Héctor Aguer
November 28, 2023
Several priests who attentively keep up on what Pope Francis teaches have expressed to me their dismay and sorrow because they have noticed the frequency with which His Holiness denigrates priests.
He has called them “bitter (‘cod-faced’),” “old bachelors,” “sacramental clerks,” “ambitious,” “gossipers,” “climbers,” and other disparaging adjectives, revealing a lack of justice and charity.
There are thousands of priests in the world; some of Francis’ epithets do apply to certain ones.
But the generalizations in his sermons, catecheses, and messages contradict the truth, and what is scandalous is that they radically depart from the affirmations of the Second Vatican Council, which dedicated Presbyterorum Ordinis to speak about the ministry and life of priests.
I quote some passages from that text:
Priests are made in the likeness of Christ the Priest by the Sacrament of Orders, so that they may, in collaboration with their bishops, work for the building up and care of the Church which is the whole Body of Christ, acting as ministers of him who is the Head. Like all other Christians they have received in the sacrament of Baptism the symbol and gift of such a calling and such grace that even in human weakness they can and must seek for perfection, according to the exhortation of Christ: ‘Be you therefore perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect’ (Mt 5:48). They have been consecrated by God in a new manner at their ordination and made living instruments of Christ the Eternal Priest that they may be able to carry on in time his marvelous work whereby the entire family of man is again made whole by power from above. … By the sacred actions which are theirs daily as well as by their entire ministry which they share with the bishop and their fellow priests, they are directed to perfection in their lives. (Presbyterorum ordinis, 12)
In the following section the Council proclaims that “priests who perform their duties sincerely and indefatigably in the Spirit of Christ arrive at holiness by this very fact” (P.O. 13). The ideal the Council recalls is unity and harmony of life, which proceeds from the imitation of Christ in the exercise of ministry, as well as pastoral charity, a trait that distinguishes the diocesan priest from the religious (the Council dedicates Perfectae Caritatis to the latter).
Presbyterorum Ordinis also affirms that “great satisfaction and a full measure of happiness” emerge from this unity of life (P.O. 14).
It is striking how different this theological and spiritual perspective is from Francis’ small-minded sociological perspective that denigrates priests. The latter is not perceived in the teachings of John Paul II and Benedict XVI, which have honored priests.
Another aspect to point out is that the Pope’s calumnies are frequently directed at priests who adhere more to Tradition.
He has called them “indietrists” because they “look backwards,” that is, do not follow the “new” proposed by the successor of Peter. This is how “canceled priests” abound.
They are simply swept away from the exercise of ministry like scum.
The authoritarian progressivism of Rome is imitated all over the world, as it is here in Argentina, where the cancellation of priests faithful to Tradition takes place in several dioceses.
The Pope does not cease to inflict harm. His Jesuit and Argentine duplicity inspires his worst decisions. Now he is also going after bishops, dismissing Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, trying to neutralize the best among the successors of the apostles by imposing a coadjutor or sending an apostolic visitation.
Here in Argentina he took out the excellent bishop of San Luis (see here and here) and replaced him with a progressive who blesses “in the name of the Father and the Holy Spirit,” bypassing the eternal Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, so as not to annoy the non-Christians who attend his “ecumenical” events.
The number of canceled priests is growing in Argentina due to an insignificant episcopate’s submissiveness to Francis while it impassively watches the de-Christianization of society unfold.
This distancing from our Christian origins, inherited from Spain, began at the end of the 19th century.
In more recent times its social and cultural operation is indicated by the impotence of Catholicism, to which the spread of progressivism has given the coup de grâce.
I must recognize a paradoxical fact that shows its mysterious character: the growth of some parishes faithful to Tradition, where Catholics, especially young people, enjoy a normal liturgy and are open to a devout participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
By “normal” I mean without strange features, as it should be and not how it usually is amid the opaque mediocrity of the progressivism imposed by the postconciliar fantasy. The existence of this fact strengthens our hope in ecclesial recovery.
The intercession of the Mother of the Church, whom we confidently invoke, will protect Her.
+ Héctor Aguer
Archbishop Emeritus of La Plata, Argentina
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