(LifeSiteNews) — Austrian priest Fr. Joachim Heimerl rebuked Pope Francis for allowing “open heresy” to flourish within the Church and warned that Francis will “go down in history as a heretic pope” if he approves “women deacons.”
In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews, Fr. Heimerl talked about the possibility of introducing some form of “women deacons,” the fallout of approving “blessings” for homosexual “couples,” and the “failed” pontificate of Pope Francis.
“Clearly, Francis has largely abandoned his task of protecting the faith of the Church and defending the unity of the Church,” the outspoken priest told LifeSiteNews. Rather, the pope is “caving” to the LGBT movement “just as he is likely to cave to feminist demands for the ‘ordination of women,’” he said.
Fr. Heimerl has written multiple articles criticizing Francis, accusing the pontiff of leading “a fight against the Church” and for causing widespread “dismay, heresy, and division,” especially through his suppression of the Traditional Latin Mass and endorsement of homosexual “blessings.”
The interview was conducted in written form by Maike Hickson in German and translated into English by LifeSite journalist Andreas Wailzer. The full transcript of the interview can be found below.
In a recent interview, Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary general of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, stated that “the female diaconate and a different space for women in the Church are a natural deepening of the Lord’s will.” How is this comment to be interpreted, and would you agree with him?
Nobody in their right mind can agree with such a statement, for who could claim to know the will of the Lord? Of course, Cardinal Grech knows that, too.
READ: Top Synod cardinal says ‘females deacons’ are a ‘natural deepening of the Lord’s will’
This statement is, therefore, not so much religious as political. And it shows what the World Synod is about: it is about church politics and the implementation of certain reforms by political means. These means are merely dressed up in a religious veneer: they are given the appearance of being theologically justified, but this is nothing more than a sleight of hand that is not even particularly clever. On the contrary, it is very easy to see through this game: everyone knows that this is not about the “will of the Lord” but the intentions of a Vatican reform clique. In addition to Grech, this also includes Cardinal Hollerich and many other members of the Curia – as well as the pope.
The fact that Francis appointed Grech and Hollerich to key roles at the World Synod speaks volumes: both cardinals have been advocating heretical positions for years. If Cardinal Grech, of all people, now claims to know the “will of the Lord,” this fits into the overall picture: these people want to impose their heretical ideas on the Church and do not even shy away from passing it off as the “will of the Lord.”
Basically, this is a form of spiritual abuse aimed at deceiving the faithful and obscuring the truth of God. The theological error in their thinking is that the will of the Lord is never contrary to the truths of the revealed faith. In the case of “deaconesses,” this includes the fact that the apostles, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, ordained only men as deacons and that the Church has always adhered to this. In other words, the so-called “ordination of women” is alien to the nature of the Church. The revealed will of the Lord is, therefore, not that women should become “deaconesses” but, on the contrary, that only men should validly receive Holy Orders.
Incidentally, this applies to the ordination of deacons as well as priests and bishops, as there is only one sacrament of Holy Orders in three stages. No one can avoid this dogma, and if Cardinal Grech claims the opposite, he is a heretic and a schismatic, and it makes no difference at all whether he is a cardinal and secretary general of the Synod of Bishops or not.
I want to make it very clear: it is an impertinence for the whole Church that the pope appoints people like Grech and Hollerich to high ecclesiastical offices. Conversely, these questionable personnel decisions make the problematic attitude of this pope abundantly clear.
The damage to the Church is immense: under Francis, open heresy has become acceptable in the Church, while the traditional faith of the Church is coming under increasing pressure. There is no doubt that this is a special kind of perversion – and it is unique in the history of the Church.
What is your expectation with regard to one of the ten study groups established by Pope Francis, which is to study the “female diaconate”?
These study groups are just as much a bluff as Grech’s claim that “deaconesses” are the “will of the Lord.” Both show the dubious methods being used here.
READ: Female Synod adviser appointed by Pope Francis says ‘women deacons’ are a ‘possibility’
The study groups merely have the transparent task of inventing a theological and historical justification for a female “diaconate” because there is no real justification for it, neither in the Holy Scriptures nor in the history of the Church. The fact is: there has never been a “female diaconate”!
Only in late antique Syria were women called “deaconesses” for a short time. However, this designation does not come from the fact that they were real “deaconesses”; on the contrary: in Greek, a “deacon” is generally a “servant”, and it is only in this literal meaning that the Syrian “deaconesses” are to be understood: They were active as helpers in the congregation; you could also say they were “congregational sisters.”
They received a blessing for this but never an ordination. And above all, they were never seen as “clerics” or ministers. In contrast to deacons, they had no liturgical function at all: they neither served at the Eucharistic liturgy nor did they preach or bury the dead. On the contrary, they did not even have access to the altar.
Presumably, they assisted in the baptism of women, who were anointed with holy oil all over their upper bodies back then. It would not have been proper for a priest or deacon to do this. So, these women were asked to do it. However, they never administered the sacrament of Baptism themselves. That would have been unthinkable, and this is historically well documented.
You don’t need study groups to establish all this. The bluff is simple: in the end, the study groups will endorse “deaconesses” and thus provide the pope with a more or less perfect alibi. It has long been an open secret that Francis wants to introduce “women deacons.” The only thing left to do is to somehow justify this introduction – even if it means falsifying history.
Stefano Fontana of Nuova Bussola Quotidiana expects a sort of “non-sacramental female diaconate.” In July 2019, Cardinal Walter Kasper told LifeSite that the pope could introduce a non-sacramental “liturgical blessing” of women. He stated, “The Church is free to carry out the vocation of women to these offices with the help of a non-sacramental, liturgical blessing; and in the presence of the whole congregation and within the celebration of the Holy Eucharist (for example, in the context of the Prayers of the Faithful).” Do you see here a parallel to Cardinal Fernández’ “non-liturgical blessing” of homosexual “couples”?
First of all: no priest or deacon can give a “non-liturgical” or “pastoral” blessing. This is an invention of the current pope and his prefect of the Doctrine of the Faith, Fernández, to justify the “blessing” of homosexual and other “irregular” so-called “couples.”
Moreover, such a “blessing” is not even possible because God Almighty, according to the testimony of Holy Scripture, has clearly and once and for all rejected homosexuality and adultery.
READ: Cardinal Hollerich says he thinks Pope Francis’ text on homosexual ‘blessings’ is ‘very beautiful’
Therefore, no one, not even the pope, has the authority to grant permission for such a “blessing.”
On the contrary: Francis has clearly overstepped his authority here by allowing the “blessing” of these “couples.” This makes him the first pope in Church history to clearly deviate from the faith of the Church and attempt to impose a blasphemous act on the clergy that is openly against God’s commandments. That is what we are dealing with in the case of these so-called “blessings.”
Francis has created confusion throughout the Church and caused an apparent division. – This is the exact opposite of the purpose of the papal office. The pope is supposed to be the guarantor of unity and not the cause of division.
As far as the “deaconesses” are concerned, it is quite possible that Francis will introduce a “blessing” in order to circumvent the definitely impossible “ordination” of women. After the supposedly “pastoral” blessings, however, this would be just another easy-to-see-through trick.
The consequences of this would be disastrous, however: in this case – as before – there would be validly ordained male deacons and, alongside them, blessed “female deacons.” In practice, however, no one would distinguish between the two: The “deaconesses” would act like ordained deacons and assume their functions.
Incidentally, this is already the case in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland today: pastoral “employees” appear everywhere in Holy Masses wearing pseudo-priestly vestments, standing next to the priest at the altar, baptizing and burying and thus acting as if they were actually deacons or even priests. The ordinary faithful have long been unable or unwilling to distinguish between the two.
If the pope were to actually introduce the “blessing” of “female deacons,” he would throw the Church into even more confusion than he has already done.
Personally, however, I think it is quite possible that Francis could even fight for the sacramental “ordination” of “female deacons.” This would divide the Church even more than he has already done. – And he would be putting his role as the legitimate successor of St. Peter at risk once and for all.
Don’t forget: at least since the introduction of the “blessing” of homosexual and other “irregular” so-called “couples,” he has had a problem being accepted by many of the faithful anyway. For quite a few, Francis is considered a “usurper,” others claim that he has lost his legitimacy through heresy. Whether all this is really the case or not is irrelevant! The mere fact that Francis is controversial damages his office immensely! Unfortunately, however, he and those around him do not seem to recognize this.
If Francis were now to introduce the “ordination” of “female deacons,” he would finally go down in history as a heretic pope: Francis “the first” would then also be “the last” – and the majority of Catholics already hope this today anyway.
It is regrettable, but no pope in recent history has had a comparable problem of acceptance [among the faithful] as Francis. And none has ever been openly suspected of heresy.
To put it very clearly: Francis can no longer afford “deaconesses” in this situation. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this does not mean that he does not risk [introducing] them.
What is the proper space for women in the Church? Should they be present on the altar, included as eucharistic ministers, and at the pulpit for readings of prayers?
Counterquestion: What is the altar about? Is it about the presence of the laity or the realization of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross?
According to the declared will of Christ as the only head of his Church, it is the sole task of the priest to offer the Holy Mass as a sacrifice of praise and atonement to the Most Holy Trinity. And it is up to the entire holy people of God to join in this sacrifice in prayer.
The idea that lay people – be they men or women – have any tasks to perform at the altar is purely Protestant and not Catholic. After all, the Holy Mass is not a stage for anyone and everyone. It is the rock of Golgotha, and unfortunately, most Catholics today no longer realize this.
Of course, lay people – both men and women – have an important place in the Church. They support the Church as a whole, and each individual parish, and this is very, very important. But they must fulfill their role within the people of God and must not “clericalize” themselves by striving for offices at the altar. The altar is solely the table of the Lord, who acts exclusively through his priests and no one else.
It is of fundamental importance for the renewal of the Church to rediscover the dignity and holiness of Christ’s sacrifice. However, this is only possible if the Holy Mass is not Protestantized and profaned and if we finally stop making it a playground for all kinds of functionaries and pompous people who want to show off in front of the congregation. Remember: the Holy Mass has never even known “lectors” or “extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion” because these are all inventions of the last 60 years. They have contributed significantly to the profanation of the Holy Mass. In contrast, today, we must concentrate on the essential and the sacred – and on the fact that Christ did not establish a lay-people-driven, Protestant church. Martin Luther did that, but not our Lord and Savior, JESUS CHRIST!
Could you describe what you see happening here in the Catholic Church? What is the larger picture of the introduction of “female deacons” in the Catholic Church? What is its purpose?
Under Francis, the Church has entered a phase of self-demolition. The constant invocation of “synodality” ultimately means precisely that. Obviously, the Church is to be “irreversibly” changed, but in concrete terms, this means that it should no longer be Catholic. Everything else is window dressing.
The admission of adulterers to Holy Communion and the persecution of the Latin Mass were already drastic cuts, as was the “blessing” of homosexual and other “irregular” pairs. “Female deacons” would now undoubtedly complete this “program.”
Clearly, Francis has largely abandoned his task of protecting the faith of the Church and defending the unity of the Church. Instead, he is caving to the LGBTQ movement just as he is likely to cave to feminist demands for the “ordination of women.”
But this is playing with fire. I can only repeat myself: with “female deacons” – “ordained” or “blessed” – Francis would put his fragile pontificate at risk once and for all. Ultimately, he is already a pope without supporters: modernists reject him as conservative, and devout Catholics see him more or less as a heretic. Basically, his pontificate has already failed, just as “female deacons” are a done deal. Let us ask God to help HIS Church, enlighten Francis, and deliver us from this disaster!