(LifeSiteNews) –– The following is an open letter by Father Jesusmary Missigbètò, an Opus Dei priest suspended in March of 2021 after criticizing Pope Francis’s support of civil unions of homosexual couples the previous November and asking him to correct his position or resign. His previous writings can be viewed here.
To the Reigning Pontiff
Pope Francis
Feast of St. Catherine of Siena
Virgin, Dominican tertiary, Doctor of the Church, Patroness of Europe
Dearest father,
May Jesus, Mary and Joseph bless you and be with you always! It is with humility and joy that I write this letter of apology. I ask you to receive it through the Prelate of Opus Dei. After having apologized to you several times and publicly in social networks and interviews since July 2022, it was necessary to do so finally in an official letter. I thank from the bottom of my heart the media that will be kind enough to publish this letter of apology and defense of the truth in the Catholic Church.
O my father, “errare humanum est.” To err is human. I acknowledge that I have made mistakes. I therefore sincerely apologize to you (and to all the Cardinals and Bishops of our Church) for all the inconveniences I have caused you since 21 November 2020, for the harsh words I have had to use and for all the times you have noted a lack of respect on my part. When I began to publicly defend the truth in our Catholic Church, in the face of the many and varied errors coming from the high officials of this Church, I was sometimes carried away by passion. But, as you are the Pope of mercy, I count on your understanding for me.
O my father, remember that your children (among whom I would like to be the first) have forgiven you your faults. For example, on 31 December 2019, when, in anger, you publicly slapped the hand of a Chinese woman in St. Peter’s Square. The next day at the Angelus, you apologized. This episode with the Chinese woman did not diminish the love of those who truly love you. On the contrary, we understood that you needed our prayers more and we quickly forgave you this human weakness. So I too ask you to forgive my human weaknesses.
O my father, allow me to take advantage of this letter to remind you that since 2016 you have still not rectified several errors with serious consequences for the Catholic Church, the Sacraments, the family and the world. Please forgive my frankness. It is necessary because what is at stake is very important: the eternal salvation of your soul. This is the main reason why I fight for the truth in our Church. Thank you very much for accepting that your son once again insists on the importance and urgency of rectifying the moral and doctrinal errors of your magisterium.
O my father, allow me to briefly recall 4 major errors that you still have not rectified.
The first error
On 5 September 2016, together with the bishops of the Pastoral Region of Buenos Aires, you stated that “the commitment to live in continence can be proposed. Amoris laetitia does not ignore the difficulties of this option… the mentioned option may not, in fact, be feasible.”
Furthermore, on 5 June 2017, you ordered that these three sentences be published as “Magisterium authenticum” (Acta Apostolicae Sedis 108; pp. 1071-1074; Unfortunately, you have thus opened the door to moral relativism (cf. my 2nd open letter).
When was the last time a pope affirmed that the virtue of chastity is an option? Never! Of the 266 popes of the Catholic Church, you are the only one to have said so. What biblical reference can you cite to support your assertion? None! Indeed, the Bible has always considered chastity as a serious obligation applicable to all human beings, without exception (cf. Exodus 20:14). Moreover, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have recalled that all Christians (including the remarried-divorced) are called to live the virtue of chastity, whatever their difficulties (cf. Document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; 14 September 1994).
The second error
On 10 December 2018, together with Cardinal Luis Francisco Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., (Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith) and Archbishop Giacomo Morandi (Secretary), you accepted the practice of hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) with the agreement of medical experts but without any medical urgency for the mother’s health.
Unfortunately, you have thus opened the door to direct sterilization, to the first anti-natalist measure of the Catholic Church and to the first error of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (cf. my 3rd open letter).
When was the last time a pope accepted such a practice? Never! Of the 266 popes of the Catholic Church, you are the only one to have done so. What biblical reference can you cite to support your acceptance? None! Indeed, the Bible has always considered contraception to be a grave sin (cf. Genesis 1:28; 38:9-10). Furthermore, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have recalled that such a hysterectomy should be avoided (cf. Document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; 31 July 1993).
The third error
On 21 October 2020, in the documentary “Francesco,” you publicly called for the adoption of homosexual civil cohabitation laws saying: “What we have to do is a civil coexistence law; they have the right to be covered legally. I defended this.”
In fact, you agreed that this documentary would be made by your friend Evgeny Afineevsky, a militant homosexual and director in 2009 of a film promoting homosexuality (“Oy Vey! My son is gay!”). Since 28 March 2021, the documentary is available worldwide through Discovery+ Channel.
Let’s add your press conferences (September 15, 2021, February 5, 2023) and interviews (March 10-11, 2023) where you again urged the adoption of these laws. Unfortunately, you have thus opened the door to the most publicised papal error (cf. my 1st open letter).
When was the last time a pope asked humanity to adopt homosexual cohabitation laws? Never! Of the 266 popes of the Catholic Church, you are the only one to have done so. What biblical reference can you cite to support your request? None! Indeed, the Bible has always considered homosexuality to be a very serious sin (cf. Genesis 18:20). Moreover, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have reminded that every Christian has a “duty to witness to the truth” and to show “absolute personal opposition to such laws”, otherwise he commits “a gravely immoral” act (Document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; 3 June 2003).
The fourth error
On 15 September 2021, you agreed that all publicly pro-abortion politicians should receive the Holy Eucharist without the need for them to reject their attachment to abortion.
Unfortunately, you have thus denied the necessity of penance for access to the Eucharist and diminished the moral gravity of abortion (cf. my 4th open letter).
When was the last time a pope gave such an agreement? Never! Of the 266 popes of the Catholic Church, you are the only one to have done so. What biblical reference can you cite to support your agreement? None! Indeed, the Bible has always considered abortion to be a grave sin (cf. Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 19:10). Moreover, the Code of Canon Law forbids the giving of the Holy Eucharist to publicly pro-abortion politicians (cf. Canons 915, 916, 1347§2).
O my father, to the 4 previous errors, we should add the three pagan ceremonies in which you participated. First the one with the Pachamama in the Vatican, on 4 October 2019 (cf. my 5th open letter), then the ones with the autochtones of Canada, on 25 and 27 July 2022. This is an insult to us Christian converts from paganism. For we have left our idols and turned to Jesus Christ to worship him as the one true God and the one Savior of mankind.
O my father, this is not all, for we should also add your heavy silence in the face of the disastrous conclusions of the German Synodal Way which rejects the traditional teachings of the Catholic Church. No word of condemnation from the Roman Pontiff! Is this really normal from one whose mission is to confirm the Christian people in the faith (cf. Luke 22:32)? On the other hand, if in 2018 you succeeded in getting all the bishops in Chile to resign, why did you not do so in Germany in order to keep out the unfaithful and retain the faithful?
On this day, we cannot forget the advice that St. Catherine of Siena gave to a relative of Pope Gregory X: “And when the time comes to appoint pastors and cardinals… pray to him as much as you can, so that he may wait and see if he finds in the man virtue and good and holy fame… for virtue is that thing which makes a man kind and pleasing to God” (Le Lettere di S. Caterina da Siena, Barbera Editore, 1860, Libro Secondo, Lettera CIX).
O my father, in reality, all your silences and inactions in the face of the abuses of several cardinals and bishops (who teach moral errors publicly and with impunity) pose serious credibility problems: Hollerich, Marx, McElroy, Zuppi, Paglia, Bonnemain, etc.
For example, Jean-Claude Hollerich, one of your Jesuit brothers, whom you created a cardinal and who has made several heretical statements. He stated that “the Church’s teaching that homosexuality is sin is false” (2 February 2022, 27 March 2023) and said he was open to the ordination of women to the priesthood, thus scandalously contradicting a teaching of Pope St. John Paul II marked with the seal of pontifical infallibility (cf. Ordinatio sacerdotalis 4). All this did not prevent you from appointing him General Relator of the next Synod of Bishops and member of the C9, the restricted group of 9 Cardinals who are your special advisors. But thinking of the advice of St Catherine of Siena, is it really normal to keep such a cardinal in office?
O my father, in defending the truth in our Church, I wanted to follow the advice given by St. Francis of Assisi, that saint you love so much: “That where there is error, I may bring truth.” Since 2016, the official teaching of the Catholic Church contains important errors. You have preached a lot about other people’s errors and today you need to have the courage to face your own errors. I pray to God that you will not be like the scribes and Pharisees. Because of pride, they never wanted to acknowledge their obvious errors. And finally, they mistreated and killed the Truth of God (Jesus Christ).
O my father, remember also the following words of Our Lord and Master: “For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God” (John 3:20-21). I pray to God that you will have the strength to rectify your errors as this will enable you to come to the light of truth. Your children around the world (1.3 billion) are praying for this. May God grant you the grace of rectification! We ask Him sometimes with tears but always with Masses, rosaries, fasts, mortifications, etc.
O my father, your mission is essential for the Church but also for the world.
Today, the United Nations, through UNESCO and Agenda 2030, has decided to teach all children worldwide, from the age of 9, that “masturbation does not cause physical or emotional harm but should be done in private” (International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, p.71, January 2018).
Furthermore, the United Nations, through UNAIDS, states that pedophilia is acceptable once the child consents (cf. The 8 March Principles for a human rights-based approach to criminal law proscribing conduct associated with sex, reproduction, drug use, HIV, homelessness and poverty, pp. 22-23, Principle 16, March 2023).
This is a sign that immorality is making progress and becoming more and more entrenched in people’s minds and mores, and that even international organizations dare to contradict scientific evidence and traditional wisdom. If you refuse to correct your own errors, what credibility will you have when it comes to correcting those of humanity?
O my father, it is time to finish this letter and I thank you for your understanding of me. I love you with all my heart, hence my lack of hypocrisy and adulation. I would like to recommend myself especially to your fatherly prayers.
Indeed, since the beginning of my struggle for the truth, I have received five death threats and suffered an attack. May the Lord preserve my life in the service of truth, love and peace for a long time!
Your son who loves you,
Father Jesusmary Missigbètò