Michael Matt: So that brings up a question, Excellency, that I don’t want to embroil you in controversy. I only have two questions left, but I do think that we need your guidance, your wisdom, your prudence, and your prayers when it comes to this idea that sometimes frustration gets too much, and there is a temptation to conclude that Francis can’t be the Pope. And there’s this idea that the most powerful thing one can say is he’s not the Pope. I have argued, and I think you’ve argued, that to do that will only divide the most principled and organized opposition to the Synod, for example, to the Vatican. In the world today, there is great unity in standing together, and if we go down the road of declaring Francis not the Pope, we divide that opposition and also leave ourselves in no man’s land. But we need guidance because many good people say, “Well, he just can’t be the Pope.” I wonder if, in a nutshell, you could give us some advice on how to avoid that pitfall.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, we have to regain the supernatural view. This reaction is too human, too much like a reaction in a party or a human organization. These people are reacting, and the second the Pope is not identical to the entire Church, they lose faith. No, we have to believe the Church is greater than a single Pope. The Church is stronger than a single Pope. The faith of the Catholic Church is the faith of all the saints, of all the Popes. It is still valid, still powerful, and a single Pope can only obscure or darken it for a short time, because a single Pope is not eternal. He is temporary.
The Church is not in our hands. The Church is always in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ. We must always remember this. When Peter, the apostle, denied Jesus three times, this was even an act of apostasy in some way. But our Lord publicly appointed Peter in front of the apostles, saying, “You are Peter, and upon you I will build my Church.” Even when he denied Christ, he did not lose his appointment. He repented, and when he was in prison, all the Church prayed for him, and God sent an angel who freed Peter from the chains.
We can see this also spiritually. Now the Pope is in a spiritual prison. He is blinded, becoming a supporter of this worldly globalist agenda and doctrinal and moral relativism. This is a great blindness. He is in chains, and we have to do as the early Church did: pray to free the Pope from these chains. May God send an angel to Pope Francis to free him from these spiritual chains. Let us do this.
Michael Matt: This brings me to my last question. I know it’s late over there, almost the middle of the night, and it has to do with the crucifixion of the Mystical Body of Christ that we are all witnessing at this tragic moment in history. Could you share some ideas about how scandalized the early Christians must have been when they saw our Lord, who said he was God, die on the cross, seemingly vanquished by his enemies, yet they kept the faith? Can you give us some spiritual advice on how we must emulate that, and how now, as the Mystical Body of Christ is crucified, we can go forth into the world, not be scandalized, and live on to the third day, keeping the faith?
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: Yes, the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ and is now enduring its crucifixion at Golgotha. We must have the unshakable faith of Our Lady. Let us look to Our Lady. She was under the cross, faithful. She feared no one because of her faith and immense love for her divine Son. Our Lady believed in Christ’s victory. When she looked upon Him on the cross, she believed.
We have to ask Our Lady for this strong faith, that God will triumph through the suffering of His Church. He permitted this unprecedented crisis at the top of the Church to bring a greater good. Only God can do this, and after this crisis, the Church will flourish. Then will come a time of spiritual springtime, as always, after a crisis. Perhaps not on a large scale, but smaller, pure, and purified.
There was an apparition in Quito in the 17th century, Our Lady of Good Success. She spoke to Sister Mariana, the abbess, about the power of the enemies in the Church. She said that after the suffering of the Church, it would again have the shape of a young, beautiful girl. We must hope and remember that we have the privilege of being placed by God in this difficult time to contribute, even in small ways, with our sufferings and observations. Let us offer this to the Lord as a small contribution for the purification and true renewal of the Church, and not lose our deep joy in the Catholic faith. No one can take away our joy in the Catholic faith.
Michael Matt: On that note, Your Excellency, thank you so much for those inspiring words. Thank you for being with us, for all you are doing, and please count us at the Catholic Identity Conference among your most loyal defenders. God bless you and thank you for being with us today.
Bishop Athanasius Schneider: I will give your blessing to all the participants now: Dominus vobiscum et benedictio omnipotentis Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti descendat super vos et maneat semper. Amen. Praise be Jesus.
Michael Matt: Christ, now and forever. Thank you, Your Excellency. Thank you.