RENZI AND POPE BERGOGLIO (along with others) TAKEN ABACK BY THE PEOPLE OF FAMILY DAY
“The Surprises From The Holy Spirit”
Antonio Socci
“Libero”
January 31, 2016
There are those who are green with envy at yesterday’s immense and momentous Family Day, which, for the first time in Italian history filled up Rome’s Circo Massimo with no union, political or industrial organizational backing and no paid travel expenses. These were people who went to the Circo Massimo at their own expense, with enormous sacrifices, for an ideal, for their children, faced with a political class that has thrown ideals under the bus, seeing as it is only motivated by power. A political class that is quite incapable of representing these people and in reality, was never given any power by the electorate.
There are “ envious individuals” in the “Palaces of Power” (political, ideological and journalistic), but even in the palaces of ecclesiastical power, who did all they possibly could to defuse Family Day.
SHEEP AND PARLOURS
Suffice to say that in yesterday’s Osservatore Romano, there wasn’t even a line on the first page dedicated to this extraordinary event (the same in “La Repubblica,” Bergoglio’s other newspaper).
What were they observing at the Osservatore Romano not to have even noticed the mass of Christian people arriving in Rome? Evidently not reality - but the Bergoglian Palace, eating its heart out with envy.
The Argentine Pope made his debut in 2013 by saying that a shepherd has to take on the odour of his sheep, but yesterday’s event showed [clearly]that Bergoglio loves the perfume of the Scalfarian “parlours”* not the odour of the Christian flock. The Bishop of Rome seems to detest this mass of people who gathered together in defense of the family, in memory of John Paul II and recalling the teachings of Benedict XVI.
Anyway, Bergoglio, who for two years has destabilized the Church with two Synods against the family, is perceived as part of the opposing party (i.e. opposed to the family and Catholic people) and is seen as the idol of the [Church’s] usual enemies. But we’ll look at this late, as the first to get the “no confidence vote” from the ‘people’ is Matteo Renzi, the never elected Prime Minister.
THE TURNCOAT
The banner “Renzi we will remember” aptly pointed out by Mario Adinolfi*, says it all, because in that enormous piazza there were also people who voted for the Democratic Party (including non-Catholics) and from now on they “will remember”. Adinolfi himself, was among the founders of the Democratic Party and as of today, he hasn’t renewed his membership card.
Adinolfi also reminded us that Renzi had joined Family Day in 2007 as President of the Province of Florence and as a “Catholic” politician. We remember at that time, Renzi stated that the question of “civil unions” was not “a priority to discuss for months and months. It seems to me an absurdity with respect to the real urgencies of the country”. He added that they were “ideological measures” and that “they touch a minority of people. Suffice to think of the utter uselessness of registry offices that approved the institution in the Town Hall.” Furthermore, he said: “the family is the cell of society not because Catholics say so, but because it is the foundation of a way of being together. And if marriage is a sacrament for those who believe, for the community, nonetheless, it is an institution of law and as such, imposes the assumption of responsibilities in society.”
He was referring to art. 29 of the Constitution. On Family Day 2007, he declared: “It is difficult to understand why there is this view on the family encumbered by ideology. You don’t need to be Catholic to defend the family. When the historical actuality of a million people in “piazza” is not understood, a very grave error is committed.”
Let’s see now if Prime Minster Renzi will commit the “very grave error” of not understanding “the historical actuality” of two million people in the piazza. This time though, not only is he on the other side, but he is actually the promoter of a worse law than the one in 2007. How such a metamorphosis came about, nobody knows, but it appears obvious that Renzi is ready to do anything for power.
Yesterday at Circo Massimo the three loudest applauses were heard when a Slovenian lady recounted how they won the referendum on the family in that country. The first applause exploded when she said that the President who was opposed to the referendum, afterwards lost the elections; the second, when she said that the Prime Minister had lost his position too, and a great roar arose when she concluded: “Renzi, remember this.”
Renzi has betrayed expectations, especially those of the Catholic populace, to appease an international “single mindset” which Benedict XVI defined as “the dictatorship of relativism” .
ITALY AVANT-GARDE
Yesterday a banner specifically referred to this expression: from today, Italy could be the avant-garde of political novelty for the West. It is not a coincidence, in fact, that against the “single mindset” imposed on the people in spite of the convictions of the majority, the peoples of Eastern Europe who have already experienced totalitarian Communism, are clearly marshalling, and have no intention of submitting to such “ideological colonization”.
THE BERGOGLIO CASE
Unfortunately yesterday, Pope Francis’ absence was very evident and his aloofness palpable. He was remembered [at the event] and most certainly a sign from him would have been welcomed with immense joy, but he didn’t even send a greeting to Family Day. And at his general audience that morning, not a word was mentioned about the Christian populace gathered together on the other side of the City. He didn’t even find time for one of those telephone calls he reserves, in abundance, for his fraternal friend Scalfari, not to mention Panella.
It is embarrassing that such a loquacious Pope, who speaks to everyone, is obstinately silent on an issue that his predecessors defined as crucial; an issue that has Parliament fired up and stirs the Catholic populace so much. He even addressed the Social Centre, Leoncavallo, but to the Family Day families – nothing at all. At any rate, yesterday’s natural points of reference at the Circo Massimo, were John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
Bergoglio’s Vatican did all it could to deflate Family Day, but they only succeeded in “muzzling” Kiko Arguello. Why such an absurd boycott? Not only to protect the Renzi government, but also because this event shows where the heart of Catholic people really beats; it shows their “sensus fidei” something the Vatican churchmen have lost. And this is the real “surprise of the Holy Spirit”, not the heterodox theses that Kasper and Bergoglio tried to pass at the Synod. The event is also the umpteenth failure for Bergoglio’s right-hand man, Monsignor Galantino.
Over the past few months, many militant Catholics in the piazzas, were subjected to insults, spitting and repeated mockery by the media. Where were the shepherds? And the Catholic politicians?
ALFANO AND CARRON**
The Minister for Internal Affairs, Alfano, is the politician who would have the power to sink the Cirinnà bill: all he would need to do is to threaten a government crisis(and ultimately activate it). But can Alfano leave his position (and the other positions Renzi has just consigned to the “Nuova Centro Destra” (NCD - the new Centre right) ) for an ideal? Is there anything that is worth more than power to these politicians? It would seem not. Even if positions in government are but transitory, however, if Alfano doesn’t respond to yesterday’s “piazza”, he is decreeing the end of the NCD.
With an extraordinary stroke of luck, the NCD, which has no identity, nor political line, neither a programme, nor a people, would immediately be able to find an enormous political patrimony in its hands. Yet, if it is impossible that it privileges ideals over positions [of power] it is also improbable that Alfano will seriously start being a politician. We’ll see, but everything makes you think that he is happy with the positions of the moment.
Yesterday’s oceanic Family Day will also cause an earthquake in the Catholic world, where “el pueblo” with its civic and religious passion, has dragged its leadership in and “given them a no confidence vote”.
The most conspicuous example is Communion and Liberation which had a large presence at the Circo Massimo (there was even a banner), while Don Carron remained isolated in his equidistance between Family Day and Panella.
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Notes:
*Mario Adinolfi, Catholic journalist and writer
**Angelino Alfano, Minster of Internal Affairs, Father Juliàn Carron, present leader of Communion and Liberation
[Translation: Contributor Francesca Romana]
