Eccles is saved

CLAIM: Snopes.com, the left-wing fact-checking site, motto: “Don’t believe what they say about Obama, but do believe what they say about Trump,” recently investigated the truth of a piece on the sometimes spiritually-nourishing satirical site “The Babylon Bee” (which is basically like the “Onion” but occasionally quite clever).RATING:
  TRUE

Snopes decided that the BB piece was Fake News, and, as a result, Facebook decided to threaten Mr Bee with sanctions. Apparently, some morons actually believed that a certain BB article was factual.

We have now received the Snopes verdict on various other claims put forward on this blog, and the news is grim.

---

CLAIM: 2+2=5.

RATING:
  FALSE

ORIGIN: Fr Antonio Spadaro, a bosom pal of Pope Francis, tweeted the following: “Theology is not #Mathematics. 2+2 in #Theology can make 5. Because it has to do with #God and real #life of #people…”

So far this teaching has not been confirmed to be infallible, magisterial, and part of the Catholic Deposit of Faith. Snopes consulted several well-known brilliant people, including Stephen Hawking, Mary Beard, Stephen Fry, and Richard Dawkins, and – although most of them admitted that they didn’t know much about real life – they agreed unanimously that 2+2=4. Indeed, this fact was apparently known to the ancient Greeks (“Pythagoras’s Theorem”), although some claim that the discovery was first made by the Babylonians or even the ancients in India.

Anyway, although Snopes wouldn’t approve of him, G.K. Chesterton made a similar pentaphobic comment:

Snopes also wouldn’t approve of the self-evident observation that a person born male remains male for the rest of his life, whatever drugs and surgery he uses to support his delusion that he is really female. Let’s move on.

---

CLAIM: The Pope is Catholic.

RATING:

MOSTLY TRUE

ORIGIN: On the one hand, some people would say that by definition Pope Francis, personally appointed by the Holy Spirit (with a little help from the St Gallen Mafia), cannot be other than Catholic. On the other hand, the old chap is not known for asserting Catholic teaching, preferring to make muddled statements that can be intepreted in several ways, and usually are. Still, any definition of “Catholic” that includes Fr James Martin, Nancy Pelosi, Austen Ivereigh, and Tina Beattie must definitely include Jorge Bergoglio.

To please Archbishop Mark Coleridge, Cardinal Zen forgets the problems of China, and reacts to the Snopes verdict with joy.

---

CLAIM: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes he is a teapot.

RATING:
  UNPROVEN

ORIGIN: This claim appeared on the Eccles blog as part of a totally serious article on the problems faced by people who self-identify as teapots and wish to transition to a full teapotic lifestyle. Justin Trudeau is well known to be totally insane (this is a charitable way of saying that he is the second most evil world leader around at the moment, and is challenging Kim Jong-un strongly for first place), and thus anything is possible. However, although little Justin pushes abortion and same-sex marriage for all he’s worth, his aim is to be a DESPOT not a TEAPOT.

“I’m a little despot, short and stout…”

There have been snowfalls in Rome this week, a direct result of a billion faithful Catholics taking the papal advice in Laudato Si’seriously, and thus saving the planet. Accordingly, St Peter’s Square has been transformed into a venue for winter sports, which are so much more popular than papal audiences these days, and it has now been agreed that the Vatican will host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Cardinal Nanook of the North stands by the dome.

The Catholic Church is very strong in certain events, such as snowball fights – it will have a natural advantage when the referee shouts “Let him who is without sin cast the first snowball” – and building snowmen, especially ones that look like saints.

Graven images are OK, but don’t worship them!

These traditional sports are likely to replace some of the sillier Olympic sports such as Curling (feel free to disagree). We are happy to give our readers a preview of what we may expect at VAT2022.

Traditionalists in a snowball fight with the Modernists, but versus populum not ad orientem.

Archbishop Arthur Roche was a renowned ice-skater in his youth (yes, I now know this is a lie invented by his admirer, Damian Thompson), and he is anxious to shine as well. However, things have not gone well so far.

Archbishop Roche wonders what went wrong.

When it comes to the more “artistic” sport of ice-dancing, there are some strong contenders, and here we see four eminent Catholics waiting to be measured for their tutus.

“I’m used to skating on thin ice,” comments Fr Martin.

Finally, the Holy Father himself will be only 85 at the time of the Vatican Olympics, and he is also planning to take part in his Popesleigh^TM.

Going downhill very quickly… is this a metaphor for something?

It is worrying to read that the charity “Teasmades” has called the police after a teacher refused to acknowledge one of his pupils as “transpotted”.

The Director of Teasmades.

The Catholic (and indeed medical) position is clear. Many children go through a phase of singing the immortal hymn “I’m a little teapot, Short and stout. Here’s my handle, Here’s my spout” (arr. Dan Schutte), and this leads some of them to believe for a while that they are in fact teapots. But transpotterism is a psychological condition, and there is no way that such kids can really be teapots.

Should these kids be given surgery to fit handles and spouts?

The Catholic Catechism (based on quotations from the book of He-brews) is clear. Transpotted children and adults should be treated sympathetically: for example it is not permissible to describe them as “potty”. Teasmades, however, is going too far in saying that they should be encouraged in their fantasies, and describing it as a “hate crime” when someone refuses to buy into such delusions.

“I’d rather have a cuppa!” Fr James Martin SJ wants to put the “tea” in LGBT.

Under the Equality Act, schools have a duty to accommodate transpotted children, for example by providing them with cosies, and places where they can pour out their troubles. This does not include medication, such as injections of tannin, as it would clearly be wrong to mess around with young children’s biological make-up. As for surgically fitting them with handles and spouts – an operation available on the National Health Service – this should clearly be forbidden to children, and discouraged in general.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a famous “transpot”. It may explain a lot.

Some people – priests, doctors, teachers, composers, poets, engineers, maybe even some journalists – have real jobs.Others, such as Anthony Annett, Assistant to the Director at the International Monetary Fund’s Communications Department, don’t. Imagine being on your deathbed and saying “I wish I had worked harder at my life’s vocation of assisting the director – if I had made tea for him more often, he could have done more directing, and the IMF could have made more communications. I would have been remembered with gratitude by future generations.”

Tony’s also into “sustainable development”. Note the sustainable triffid grown from seed.

So, feeling at a loose end, Annett called for an interdict to be imposed on EWTN until they get rid of Raymond Arroyo. This is because of certain criticisms made of “Paradigm” Cupich and “2+2=5” Spadaro – fairly mild criticisms, really. No accusations that they are directly in the pay of Satan, no claims stronger than the obvious ones that they talk total garbage much of the time.

Spadaro has also joined in the witch-hunt.

But that’s the way things are these days for a certain breed of bullies. I don’t like what they say, so get them sacked! Admittedly, when it comes to clergy the situation is a little different – James Martin SJ manages to pour out his heresies and blasphemy unhindered (apart from being uninvited by organizations that booked him thinking he was a celebrity chef), because neither Cardinal Dolan nor General Sosa is prepared to take action, in case it actually turns out to be the other one’s duty.

James Martin (chef), author of “Building a fridge”.

Now there are rumours going round that all blogs written by Catholic clergy will need to be approved by the Vatican. It’s not clear whether this blog will be affected, although I may be asked to return the red biretta I stole from the Vatican locker-room. But some of the less hagiographic clerical bloggers may get horses heads’ in their beds, and little notes in green ink saying “Annett doesn’t like you.”

Anyway, Arroyo – author of “The Mother Angelica I knew”, “Mother Angelica and the Chamber of Secrets”, “What ho, Mother!” and “Mother on the Orient Express” (that’s enough Arroyo books), is one of the good guys. So lay off him, Annett!

“How about a Mother Angelica keep-fit book? No? Shame.”

Remember, if it’s a matter of asking people’s bosses to sack them, when you don’t like what they say, it would be very wrongto pray to the Almighty, asking Him to deliver a new Pope.

It was time that someone set the Pope Francis book of insults to music, and it will now form part of Gilbert and Sullivan‘s latest opera, The Dictator, subtitled The Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

Take it away, Holy Father!

As some day it may happen that a victim must be found,
I've got a little list – I've got a little list
Of the Catholics that we are trying to drive underground,
And who never would be missed – who never would be missed!

There's the creed-reciting parrot-Christians meaning what they say –
The fomenter of coprophagia - he has had his day –
The self-absorbed Promethean neo-Pelagian -
And airport bishops, who are quite authoritarian,
Museum mummies, and of course the fundamentalist –
They'd none of 'em be missed – they'd none of 'em be missed!

CHORUS (Spadaro, Martin and Rosica): 
He’s got 'em on the list – he’s got 'em on the list;
And they'll none of 'em be missed – they'll none of 'em be missed.

“I’m sure they’ll not be missed.”

Mr and Mrs Whiner, and the others of their race -
And the old triumphalist - I’ve got him on the list!
And the existential tourist with a pickled-pepper face -
He never would be missed – he never would be missed!
Then the sloth-diseased acedic Christian - he'll be going soon,
The slaves of superficiality, the sourpuss priest-tycoon;
And the modern gnostics, rigid Christians, who are too polite -
The Christian bats who still prefer the shadows to the light!
And then the querulous and disillusioned pessimist –
I don’t think he'd be missed – I’m sure he'd not be missed!

CHORUS. He’s got him on the list – he’s got him on the list;
And I don’t think he'll be missed – I’m sure he'll not be missed!

“Buddy, can you spare a paradigm?”

And that type of leprous courtier, who just now is rather rife,
The restorationist – I’ve got him on the list!
Promoters of the poison of immanence, causing strife –
They'd none of 'em be missed – they'd none of 'em be missed.
And those cardinals who know their faith, 
                                 but will not change their mind,
Such as – What d'ye call him – Raymond Thingy,
                                     and Walter -  Never-mind,
And then there's Gerhard What's-his-name, and Robert You-know-who –
The task of filling up the blanks I'd rather leave to you.
But it really doesn't matter whom you put upon the list,
For they'd none of 'em be missed – they'd none of 'em be missed!

CHORUS. You may put 'em on the list – you may put 'em on the list;
And they'll none of 'em be missed – they'll none of 'em be missed!

“Let’s go for a drink – I don’t think we’ll be missed.”

In some conversations in Chile, faithfully transcribed by Fr Antonio Spadaro, Pope Francis has lavished praise on this, the Eccles blog.”So many Catholic blogs faithfully record everything I say or do,” explained the Holy Father, “and this leads readers to conclude that I am a heretic. On the other hand, there isn’t a word of truth in Eccles’s lovely blog, from beginning to end. Therefore readers of it do not question my orthodoxy, my sanity, or my fitness for the role of Deputy God and Corrector of Catholic Teaching.”

Fr Spadaro catches up on “Eccles”.

“As for the other blogs,” continued the Pope, “I don’t even read them. I’m too busy not reading letters from Cardinal Burke, and from people in Chile. It takes me several hours every day to not read anything that comes my way. My loyal sidekick Spadaro, the Jeeves to my Wooster, the Robin to my Batman, and the Fool to my King Lear, does all my reading for me, don’t you, Boy Wonder?”

“As for that book by Marcantonio Colonna – and we know who you are, it didn’t take us long to spot someone riding round Rome in a 16th century costume – well, I haven’t read that at all. But I can assure you that it is false from beginning to end, especially the bit about my being caught in General Galtieri’s wardrobe dressed as a nun. Or was it my being caught in a nun’s wardrobe dressed as General Galtieri? Anyway it never happened.”

Not the best way to be inconspicuous in Rome.

“Reading Eccles’s blog, on the other hand, has kept me sane. It is full of spiritually nourishing advice, and many of the ideas he comes up with provide inspiration for my own policies. I ask myself ‘WWED’ – ‘What Would Eccles Do?’ and then try to take it even further.”

“Well, that’s all I’ve got time for now, I need to go out and insult a few more Catholics. Luckily Eccles has drawn my attention to a fine 19th century list, which includes terms such as ‘goldfish-catcher’, ‘turnip shepherd’ and ‘proprietor of midgets’. I must try and work these into my next homily.”

The Amoris Cube – an Eccles invention – is harder to solve than the Rubik cube.

Catholics have the difficult task of reconciling the following two propositions:1. The Pope is the Vicar of Christ, the successor of St Peter, the big cheese of the Universal Church, and an all-round infallible bloke.

2. Pope Francis spends all his time making a fool of himself, his knowledge of Catholic doctrine is at best hazy, and he has the mindset of a South American dictator.

As a result of the GLORIOUS REVOLUTION OF 2018, the Pope is henceforth a constitutional monarch, whose duties are limited to opening supermarkets, having tea with visiting dignitaries, and carefully avoiding the expression of an opinion on any subject whatsoever.

“And what do YOU do?”

In the end, a Pope limited to purely ceremonial activities (for example, he may offer Mass, but is forbidden to preach a homily) is a lot less trouble all round. “But won’t we miss the encyclicals and apostolic exhortations?” you ask. Well, actually, no we won’t. We are already bombarded with far too much stuff from popes. Given that Catholic teaching does not and *cannot* change, why do we need more verbose stuff with Latin titles to tell us this?

Ah, you may say, some issues never arose in previous centuries. Do transgender men cause climate change? Is it sinful to eat crocodiles on a Friday? How about crocodile-skin handbags? Should we destroy the Daleks, or would they be saved if they switched to wind power?

A Doctor of the church discusses theology with a leading Jesuit.

Well, there’s no point asking the Pope to rule on these issues. Synods don’t seem to be the answer, as Cardinal Baldisseri will only rig them. Ho hum, it may be all down to Ignatian discernment (= guesswork) after all.

Anyway, these are minor issues, and can be sorted out, provided that the general policy is conservative, i.e., change nothing.

“Have you come far?”

The Pope will of course be allowed to make a Christmas broadcast, just as his opposite number Queen Elizabeth, the Supreme Governor of the Anglican Church does.

“In January we visited Chile, and I had great pleasure addressing cheering crowds, which in some cases ran into double figures. I had such a good time that I have persuaded my friend Archbishop Scicluna to go there for a little winter break. We have also been making friends with the Chinese, and they tell us that from now on they will save us the trouble of appointing bishops, but simply pick them from the Central Committee of the Communist Party! Why didn’t we think of that before? Also I opened a new abortion clinic on the invitation of my good friend Mrs Bonino…”

Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Yes, from now on Catholicism makes a lot more sense. And when we get a new Pope, we can go back to the old system.

In Chicago, Cardin Al Capone has confirmed that, even though it is Ash Wednesday, the traditional Valentine’s Day massacre will go ahead.

Cardin Al Capone – and isn’t that the biggest crook you ever saw?

As we’ve been told ad nauseam today is both Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, and St Valentine’s Day, the day for buying chocolates, flowers, gin, scrubbing brushes, copies of Building a Bridge, etc. for your loved one, depending on their inclinations and how much you love them. But can we celebrate both at once?

Following his sensational lecture at the Von Heretic institute in Cambridge, at which he told the world that, although “strictly speaking” chastity is required (don’t you love that phrase?), it must sometimes be abandoned, Capone is now preparing to massacre the Catholic faith in other ways.

“Did I appoint Cupich as a cardinal? Silly me, I mean Chaput!”

In particular the great man – the cardinal who put the “bile” in “papabile” – is launching a series of Amoris Laetitia seminars, to tell the US Bishops how to interpret it. A cheaper option would be to pulp all copies of AL and admit that it is a turkey, but… well, it’s too late now. Or is it?

Catholics are looking forward to seeing how the Vatican will celebrate Easter on April 1st (All Fools’ Day). It’s possible that an all-star line-up of celebrity fools will be present in Rome – Cupich, Marx, Kasper, oh the list is too long to give in detail. Then perhaps Pope Francis will surprise us by admitting “You’ve all been fooled! Amoris Laetitia was just a joke designed to test you! Now I know which of my cardinals to put up against the wall.” And out will come the papal machine-gun.

Out of respect for his office, Capone will be offered a blindfold.

No, I think not.

Following recently-reported events, Pope Francis’s popularity rating, which had dropped to 2% as a result of events in Chile and China (etc.) has now shot back up to 98%.This was largely caused by his unprecedented step in holding hands with a little girl with Down’s syndrome, when she interrupted his papal audience.

“It’s just adults I can’t stand.”

The range of comments we have received includes the following:

“Isn’t Pope Francis wonderful? Any previous pope would have told the kid to push off. I’m not a Catholic, but I can see that he is my kind of pope. Of course I am also pro-choice, and would have seen no problem with aborting this kid!”

“Yes, the Spirit of Vatican II has entered the Church and changed all the paradigms! Before the 1960s, it was an excommunicable offence to interrupt a papal audience, and the child would have been locked up in a dungeon. Now, however, we are opening gates, building bridges, and knocking down walls.”

“That’s one in the eye for all the pope-bashers! Francis may not have a clue about doctrine or civilised behaviour towards his colleagues, but he’s a darned fine babysitter!”

A traddy pastor, who doesn’t want to be interrupted by children.

Rumours that the whole event was staged by Fr Spadaro as a way of reviving the Pope’s flagging popularity are of course exaggerated. However, there is a plan afoot to invite the world’s most glamorous mass-murderer, Kim Yo Jong, to a papl audience, in the hope that some of her charisma can rub off on Francis. Moreover, she may be able to give him some useful tips for dealing with Marcantonio Colonna, the Dubia cardinals, the filial correctors, Cardinal Zen, …

A meeting of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

There are numerous pictures, models, effigies, etc. of Pope Francis in circulation, most of which look nothing like the Holy Father. As Pope Francis prepares to pack his bags and flee to Argentina, we present some of the worst, with thanks to various contributors.

A new “Looks nothing like Pope Pius XIII” line will be on sale soon.

Shine, Jesus, Shine!

A “gay” couple celebrate their (undersized) designer baby.

“But I prefer a good fudge.”

Look more like a space alien than a pope.

Change the name on the base, and it can be anyone you like.

---

Whereas, we all know that Pope Francis is really the actor Jonathan Pryce.

Jonathan Pryce.

Except that Pryce (or possibly Francis) was once a James Bond villain.

Pryce (or Francis) in “Tomorrow never dies”.

“I say, Jeeves,” I asked my faithful valet one morning, “what do you make of this Moggmania that everyone’s talking about?””A perfectly normal reaction, sir,” replied the f.v. “Mr Rees-Mogg has announced that he is an orthodox Catholic, and so he is pro-life and believes in traditional marriage. This seems to have struck a chord with many people.”

Thugg versus Mogg.

“But dash it, I say, Jeeves, aren’t there any clerics to do that sort of thing? Why should it be left to old Moggers?”

I should explain at this point that Moggers and I go back a long way. We were both inmates at Aubrey Upjohn’s prep school at Bramley-on-Sea. I once won a prize for Scripture Knowledge, but only because Moggers was ill on the day of the test. Of course, he won the prize easily in all the other years.

After being released from Upjohn’s asylum, Moggers and I toddled off to Eton together, and the old bean is now one of my best friends. We meet regularly at the Drones Club to throw buns at “cloudy” Welby and the other heretics.

Professor O’Regan (Divinity) compliments Moggers on his scriptural knowledge.

Still, I didn’t expect him to end up as a great spiritual leader, like that boy Dolly Lama, or the Argentine exchange student “Chop Suey” Bergles.

“I’m afraid, sir, that clerics no longer promote Catholic values,” explained Jeeves. “Cardinal Nichols, for example…”

“Never mind my Uncle Vincent,” I snapped at Jeeves. “He’s very much the black sheep of the family. We don’t mention him in polite company.”

“Very good, sir. By the way, I really would not advise those ‘gay Muslim’ socks. We do not wish to be mistaken for the Prime Minister of Canada, do we, sir?”

A male model shows off his ‘gay Muslim’ socks.

“Good Lord, Jeeves, I thought they were rather natty! But I dare say you’re right. I don’t want strange people following me in the street. Take the socks and give them to Uncle Vincent.”

“Thank you, sir. By the way, there is a telegram for you.”

I read the missal.

BERTIE YOU OLD NEO-PELAGIAN STOP I NEED TO BORROW JEEVES STOP GOT MYSELF INTO A FIX WITH THE CHILEANS STOP EVEN BEANS FAGGIOLI CAN’T SPIN THIS ONE STOP SEND JEEVES TO ROME AT ONCE STOP BE A GOOD EGG STOP BERGLES

“I haven’t heard from ‘Chop Suey’ Bergles for years, Jeeves. What has become of him, I wonder?”

“I understand that he has become Pope, sir,” replied my manservant. “There is some dispute about whether he received a certain letter.”

“Now remember, Bergles, the letter is in your case.”

“Oh, what a tangled something-or-other we weave, when first we tumty-tumty something, eh, Jeeves?”

“Indeed, sir. If you will permit me, I shall suggest to Pope Francis that he employ the tactics of Mr Rees-Mogg.”

“Take up Catholicism, you mean?”

“Precisely, sir.”