Here’s the 2 cents of an adult convert from atheism who has been Catholic for 2 and a half decades and who has watched quite a few Marshall videos in the last year:
I gotta admit, I squirmed and couldn’t watch more than a minute or so.
Part of me squirmed because I remember when Gerry Mattitix (spelling?) went from Protestant to Catholic to SSPX.
But part of me really admires what Marshall has had the guts to do. He is only asking questions. He is asking the questions this V2-loving Catholic also has. He is opening the windows and giving us fresh air. Very V2.
Pope Francis is not JP2. I honestly don’t know what he is. Early in his pontificate, I started wearing a T-shirt with his picture because I LOVED all the things he said about the voiceless (I have felt voiceless in the Church for quite some time).
I remember being in a convenience store some 3-5 years ago, wearing the Francis T-shirt, and suddenly being yelled at by a Jewish woman who went on a tirade about Francis being anti-Jewish. She gave recent news examples.
I wasn’t following the news and didn’t know what she was talking about. I simply replied, “Believe me - I love Israel. I want the best for my Jewish brothers. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I do know that it’s not the pope’s job to be political. It’s the pope’s job to save souls.”
Everyone in the store was tense during the exchange, and I think my words calmed things down. The woman became silent.
But I then started to pay attention to the news.
The first thing I heard was that Pope Francis was appointing a Chilean bishop whom, it seemed, everyone in Chile wanted prosecuted. Eventually, it turned out that there was good reason the Chileans felt that way. It became so clear that even Pope Francis recognized it and demanded the resignations of every Chilean bishop (every???).
Then the Summer of Shame, then Vigano, then the pontiff’s tirades about hating walls when he lives in a walled city - etc. The more words that come out of Pope Francis’ mouth, the more I want to vomit.
I mean that seriously: I have mental health issues (anxiety, depression, PTSD from being kidnapped and raped) which make me physically ill when in the presence of what I perceive as falsehoods and BS. Obviously, my emotions are in no way (not even in the least) infallible, but they’re not insane. I’m sorry, but anyone who thinks Pope Francis doesn’t have a lot of ‘xplainin’ to do is not paying attention. At best, he is a pope who so-far has no interest in making himself clear to thinking people who want to love both him and the Church.
I will never leave the Catholic Church (where else would I go?); I will never say Pope Francis isn’t the pope. But decades of apologetics have taught me that there have been many awful popes - and no pope is beyond criticism (Peter/Paul biblical kosher argument is the prime example - Medicis and Borgias also factor in).
So here I am: someone who has argued in person with SSPX members as much as she’s argued with JWs (i.e., A LOT).
And now, every time my Holy Father speaks, I feel ill. Please pray for me. Please pray for him. Please pray for Taylor. Please pray for the Church.