The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail: Time to Defend the Pope

14-04-2010

The papacy of Benedict XVI is of extraordinary and historic importance. That is one of the reasons why it is under such a furious assault.We invite our readers around the world to join with us in praying and doing spiritual warfare as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Church through these challenging days.

CHESAPEAKE, VA. (Catholic Online) - Among the Biblical texts most often used to defend the selection of Peter, and His successors, to lead the Church which Jesus founded is this passage from St. Matthews Gospel:

"When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood 12 has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt. 16:13 - 19)

Other translations of the text speak more graphically, using the phrase, the "gates of hell".

Recent attempts to attack Pope Benedict XVI by trying to connect him to the past sinful and criminal actions of a minority of clerics - or to intimate that he knowingly failed to act - have all been rebutted. Yet, they persist. In fact, they grow ever more hostile. I believe there are many reasons for this. However, some of the attacks are grandstanding by enemies of the Church. Make no mistake, like the Lord whose mission she continues, the Church has enemies.

One example of such grandstanding occurred this past week when the self proclaimed author and atheist Richard Dawkins used the British Press to call attention to his scurrilous effort to have the Pope arrested when he visits Britain from September 16 - 19. Dawkins is the author of a book titled "The God Delusion"

He is joined by fellow self professed atheist Christopher Hitchens, the author of "God is Not Great". This publicity seeking tag team has used the global Press to accuse Pope Benedict XVI of "crimes against humanity." As a lawyer, I was not surprised they were able to secure the services of barrister Geoffrey Robertson and solicitor Mark Stephens. Publicity is one of the most coveted goals of some in a profession which has lost its moral compass.

This is a clear attempt to attack Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church. The goal is to undermine the mission which has been entrusted to the Church by the Lord Himself. The only proper response to this effort by Christians is fervent prayer and an open, vocal and persistent defense of the Pope and the Church against the gates of hell.

I remember this Pope´s first homily. His request now seems prophetic: "My dear friends - at this moment I can only say: pray for me, that I may learn to love the Lord more and more. Pray for me, that I may learn to love his flock more and more - in other words, you, the holy Church, each one of you and all of you together. Pray for me, that I may not flee for fear of the wolves. Let us pray for one another, that the Lord will carry us and that we will learn to carry one another. [Pope Benedict XVI, 24 April, 2005] "

In his homily prior to the convening of the conclave where he was selected to fill the Chair of Peter, then Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger gave this prophetic insight into the struggle of our age:

"How many winds of doctrine we have known in recent decades, how many ideological currents, how many ways of thinking... The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves - thrown from one extreme to the other: from Marxism to liberalism, even to libertinism; from collectivism to radical individualism; from atheism to a vague religious mysticism; from agnosticism to syncretism, and so forth. Every day new sects are created and what Saint Paul says about human trickery comes true, with cunning which tries to draw those into error (cf Eph 4, 14).

"Having a clear faith, based on the Creed of the Church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. Whereas, relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and "swept along by every wind of teaching," looks like the only attitude (acceptable) to today´s standards. We are moving towards a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one´s own ego and one´s own desires."

Many attempted to misuse this insight to attack Pope Benedict XVI by claiming that he rejects the modern world. That is nonsense. What he rejects is the emptiness of modernity and post modernity. What he proposes is a different path, not to the past, but to a future of hope, authentic freedom and true humanism. That true humanism is revealed in the fullness of the revelation of God´s plan for the whole human race in His Son Jesus Christ.

Benedict XVI is a deliberate and methodical thinker and a gifted leader. I recently reflected once again on his choice of the name Benedict. One of the young priests whose commentary filled the airwaves after he was selected noted that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger visited Subiaco before all the events in Rome began. He prayed and rededicated himself to the work of the Church for the future. Interestingly, a short while later he was called to occupy the chair of Peter and he took the name Benedict.

Saint Benedict was born around the year 480 in Umbria, Italy. He is the father of Western Monasticism and co-patron of Europe (along with Saints Cyril and Methodius). As a young man Benedict fled a decadent and declining Rome for studies in order to give his life entirely to God. He went to Subiaco. The cave that became his dwelling is now a shrine called "Sacro Speco" (The Holy Cave), which is a beautiful sanctuary for pilgrims.

Benedict lived a life of prayer and solitude and prayer for three years and studied under a monk named Romanus. His holiness drew other men and, soon, twelve small monasteries were founded. He later traveled to Monte Cassino, where he completed his "Rule for Monks." From those Benedictine monasteries, an entire monastic movement was birthed which led to the evangelization of Europe, the birth and flourishing of the academy, the arts and what later came to be called Christendom.

A review of this pontificate demonstrates this Pope´s effort to lead Europe to a future which embraces its Christian roots in order to flourish. The trip which Hitchins and Dawkins want to use in their grandstanding effort to attack the Pope is one more example of his important missionary effort. Among his undertakings is the canonization of John Henry Cardinal Newman. This comes as the historic Apostolic Constitution clearing the way for groups of Anglicans to find a home in the full communion of the Catholic Church is being implemented.

In his first papal homily he spoke of his commitment to advancing the full communion of the Church: "Thus, in full awareness and at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome that Peter bathed with his blood, the current Successor assumes as his primary commitment that of working tirelessly towards the reconstitution of the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, this is his compelling duty".

The papacy of Benedict XVI is of extraordinary and historic importance. That is one of the reasons why it is under such a furious assault.

After his selection I wrote these words: "Pope Benedict XVI is a gift from heaven. I believe that he will be a builder, through whom the great treasure left by his predecessor will become reality. I also believe he will surprise many, particularly in the area of ecumenism. He will dynamically lead the Church into a Catholic Millennium and we will see the springtime that his predecessor, our beloved Pope John Paul, prophetically anticipated.

"We will witness the beginnings of the coming full communion of the Church. We will witness the recovery of the Catholic academy through the rebuilding of some institutions almost lost to the Church and the building of new ones. We will see the flourishing of good, solid theological and philosophical work along with a flourishing of the arts and human culture, led by the Church, as it has been in ages past. He will be like his namesake and help to bring the Christian influence back to Europe and beyond.

"This will not be easy. Those who want to try to change the teaching and doctrine of the Church are understandably disappointed. However, for all of us who hunger for a vibrant, faithful, dynamically orthodox Catholic Church, the source of all truth, the God who is Truth, has once again been true to his promise to Peter, ´upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against her´."

I am more convinced than ever of the importance of this pontificate. We invite our readers around the world to join with us in praying and doing spiritual warfare as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Church through these challenging days. Remember the promise, "The Gates of Hell Will Not Prevail." It is Time to Defend the Pope.

Deacon Keith Fournier 

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