Quotations from Chairman Francis

A Clouded Mind

The slogan — for that is the greatest intellectual charity we can ascribe it — is, in two words, intellectual nonsense. It does not even attain to being called spurious, for spurious statements can still be logical — albeit untrue — statements: however shabby their integrity they are comprehensible: they can be understood — and because they can be understood they can be logically examined — and discredited. Nevertheless, they are, at the very least, plausible statements.

I wish to be unsparingly clear: the mantra, “Time is greater than space,” or “Time is always much greater than space” (you choose the magnitude) is a conjunction of profoundly arranged words that possess what can be called merely the impression of meaning — without possessing any substance. That is to say, it “sounds nice” and appears “profound” — but only for a millisecond and beyond that only to minds incapable of parsing words into something logically consistent. It would appear that Francis is convinced that the more he utters it, the more credibility it will somehow acquire; that if he says it often enough it will become logical. It certainly appears to be the case for at least one deacon who, through profusion of words, adds not a whit of clarity to the argument. “our Holy Father is a process-starter and not a space-dominator.” Indeed. It is not helpful to the assessment of the mentality of Catholics to have official nonsense carefully explained by reiterating the nonsense verbatim — to clarify what cannot attain to clarity.
 

This is not to say that it is without merit: it “sounds cool” and, as I had said, “very profound”. In fact you can utter it, too! That is essential to the Slogan:  anyone can utter it — and sound “cool and profound” … until the deeply embarrassing moment when he is asked to explain it.  What results is evidence of a clouded mind radicated in ideology — not theology. If you nevertheless subscribe to slogans as principles to live by, then Chairman Francis is your man. Do you wish to add to your repertoire? Here are others, courtesy of Francis:

• “Space hardens processes”

• “a first principle for progress in building a people: time is greater than space.”

• “spaces and power are preferred to time and processes”

• “Time governs spaces ...

• “Since time is greater than space …

 Such utterances are troubling because they are indicative of a deeply troubled mind; a mind that can no longer differentiate between the logical and the absurd.
 

The Sovereign

At last we arrive at Francis’s ultimate goal; a goal he strives for through sloganeering because it is not attainable through reason and not subject to logic. It is an open effort, not just to mitigate, but to abolish doctrine as fixed and immutable — in other words as intractable to Francis’s will. Francis increasingly appears to want sovereign, absolute, and discretionary control over doctrine, dogma, and ultimately, Sacred Scripture itself. This is delusional.

It cannot happen because God will not let it happen — and somehow Francis fails to recognize this. Every reign ends. Every Roman sovereign who has descended into dictator has succumbed; Commodus, Nero, Domitian — the lesser who make themselves greater.

Now, if you say the sort of things that Francis does, you will definitely cause some people to deem you quite bright — and others to question your sanity. The point is this: you have caused them to try to sort out what cannot possibly be logically indexed. You have presented them with, what in philosophy, is called a “surd”: something not susceptible to reason, logic, and understanding. You have given them a bone to chew on. Nothing more.

The marrow of the bone? There is none. It is empty.

In fact, as utterly vacant as the consistent absence of reason and logic in the chaotic verbal episodes of Francis — especially at an altitude of 35,000 feet.

Doctrine and Dogma will not change because they cannot change — despite the desperate efforts of Francis to subvert them.

It is of the scope and competence of a Catholic pope to address things of far greater — and lasting —significance than space and time — such as eternity.

Good heavens, man, read your job description!

Geoffrey K. Mondello
Editor
Boston Catholic Journal

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 For Space and Time in rational discourse see:

  https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-spacetime/

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