Well, do you remember the whole ‘hermeneutic of continuity’ bit? Were you around when the ‘Reform of the Reform’ movement was all the rage? If you’re out there right now saying Pope Benedict (God rest his soul) was a traditionalist, you probably don’t remember any of that. Similarly, if you think Pope Francis was the worst Modernist revolutionary of the post-conciliar epoch, well, this is obviously your first rodeo.
So, screaming “FRANCIS 2.0” at Leo might seem all cutting edge to the new recruits, but it rather misses the mark where we’re concerned. Truth is, Francis was easy, obvious, and clumsy. He fooled very few people and single-handedly slayed the biggest dragon facing the Catholic counterrevolution since Vatican II — i.e., papolatry. He ripped the mask off the Modernist revolution. He made Latin Mass Catholics out of influential figures in politics and culture such as Raymond Arroyo, Michael Knowles, Harrison Butker, even JD Vance publicly called Francis out on the Latin Mass issue. He removed from the neo-Catholic column powerful members of the hierarchy including Vigano, Muller, Sarah, and many others. Thanks to him, even Vatican Cardinals threw in with the Latin Mass movement, and we now have more bishops on our side than ever before.
Simply put, in God’s providence Francis proved to be the greatest recruiter traditional Catholicism ever had. Does God write straight with crooked lines? You bet! So, for a bit more nuanced prediction on want to expect out of the Vatican in the New Year, you might want to watch this little video from a guy who remembers it all and who’s been there, done that.
