Before you start accusing Our Lady’s Apostolate of being against the Pope, let me make clear that The Dictator Pope: the Inside Story of the Francis Papacy is the title of a new book by Henry Sire, originally self-published in 2017, and republished by Regnery Publishing this April.
Henry Sire is a British Catholic author and historian. He was a member of the Order of Malta until March, when he was suspended for allegedly breaching its constitution. He wrote The Dictator Pope under the pen-name “Marcantonio Colonna”, but his true identity was revealed by Regnery only a few days before his suspension. Just a coincidence, I suppose.
That The Dictator Pope caused a huge stir is unsurprising since the book argues that Pope Francis could well be the most tyrannical and unprincipled pontiff in modern times.
Drawing on a wide range of material, including sources inside the Vatican, the book tells the story of Jorge Bergoglio’s life before his election, and of his pontificate thus far. He is characterized as a particularly Argentine figure, with a style of governance not unlike that of the dictator Juan Perón.
The Dictator Pope portrays Francis as an authoritarian leader who does not brook opposition or criticism. Behind the mask of a genial man of the people, Mr. Sire sees a pope who cares shockingly little about theology or the liturgy but is obsessed with his own power. Allying himself with the most corrupt elements in the Vatican, Francis rules by fear.
Mr. Sire says that Francis has turned out to be “a papal tyrant the like of whom has not been seen for many centuries”. The author argues that he has obstructed or reversed the very reforms that were expected of him, and is attempting to alter Catholic teaching by subterfuge.
The Dictator Pope reveals that:
- The head of Francis’ own religious order thought he should not be made a bishop
- Vatican clerics have gone from dismissing Francis as a “clown” to fearing him as a dictator
- Francis may have diverted Church funds to support Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential campaign
- The Pope and his allies embarked on the punishment of those dedicated to the reformation of the True Church, and
- Francis himself has mused that he might be the cause of a schism in the Church.
Does it sound like a “hatchet job” by some “rad trad” who rejects Pope Francis and all his works? Could it be that the truth hurts? You would certainly think the latter is true based on the Vatican’s reaction to the publication of The Dictator Pope.
When it suspended Henry Sire, the Order of Malta described The Dictator Pope as a “vile attack” on Pope Francis. According to the Order’s statement, an investigation has been launched. Investigating who? Investigating what? Since the Order doesn’t say, we may conclude that they’re trying to find out who talked!
The Order of Malta itself was taken over by the Vatican in January 2017, when its Grand Master was asked by Pope Francis to resign for his “defiance of papal authority.” He was then replaced by Archbishop Angelo Becciu, a papal delegate who could be relied on to do as he is told.
In a related move, the Vatican has hired Baker McKenzie, an international law firm, to force the closure of a small Spanish website called InfoVaticana.com, for its sometimes critical tone toward aspects of the Bergoglio papacy. The firm threatened a lawsuit if Infovaticana isn’t shut down and “its internet domain transferred to the Vatican”, but so far the site is still alive. If you read Spanish, I recommend it!
The hounding of InfoVaticana.com and similar websites is just part of the Vatican’s campaign to silence critics of the Pope. According to AP, some people within the Church have been angered by “content opposing abortion, same-sex marriages and adoptions by gays and lesbians,” all of which are condemned by official Catholic teaching.
Here’s what Francis himself says about dealing with opposition and criticism. “I cannot deny that these resistances exist. I see them and I know them…. There are doctrinal resistances. For my mental health I do not read the websites of this so-called ‘resistance.’ I know who they are, I know the groups, but I do not read them, simply for my mental health.”
The suspension of Mr. Sire from the Order of Malta can only be seen as confirmation of his allegations that under Francis, the Holy See deals swiftly and ruthlessly to suppress not just freedom of speech, but freedom of thought, and eliminate those it views as enemies. The Dictator Pope is essential reading to understand one of the most enigmatic, and dangerous, figures to occupy the See of St. Peter.
Further reading: “Robert Royal on The Dictator Pope”, by Christopher Ferrara, Fatima Perspectives No. 1121.
WORTH VIEWING: “This Time It’s Different: Cardinals and Bishops Must Resist the Pope” (scroll down to the video section) – Christopher Ferrara speaks at the Dallas conference of Our Lady’s Army of Advocates, March 2018.