Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Q&A: On Cardinal Siri (Pope Gregory XVII and The Siri Thesis), The Three Days of Darkness and The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics

I have been asked a few times recently about Cardinal Siri and The Siri Thesis and the Three Days of darkness, so I thought it proper to post some of my answers on this topic in case someone else is wondering about my opinion.

For example, someone just wrote to me: "We believe that Cardinal Siri (Pope Gregory the XVII) was elected at the 1958 conclave but because of how traditional he was - he was forced out by the Masons who were taking over the church during that time and that he not only remained the canonically elected Pope until his death - but that he formed a 'cohort' of trusted priests, bishops and cardinals who held a conclave after his death to elect his successor (Pope Gregory XVIII) who is now in exile and will make his appearance after the 3 days of darkness. Are we way off base or is this a possibility?"

And earlier, someone else wrote:

“Good night, Jerome.
I was searching the internet for the 3 days of darkness, some saints and blessed had visions of this prophecy, will those 3 days of darkness really happen?
I came across some sites that claim that the papal succession exists, through Cardinal Siri who was elected, according to these sites, it is alleged that Pope Gregory VII (Siri) was exiled until his death with few appearances. but that after his death in 1989, Siri met with some cardinals who supported him and elected a successor, who would now be Pope Gregory VIII, who has been reigning since 1991.
The sites are:
http://www.thepopeinred.com/
http://www.papalrestoration.com/
Is it true what's on these sites?
Viva Cristo Rei
Viva Maria Santíssima”

To this I answered (with some modifications and clarifications and additions for my online post):

Regarding the three days of darkness: if we are to trust many saints and blesseds, then yes, those three days of darkness will happen. However, all prophecy is conditional and might change; as in the case of the old testament prophet Jonas and the city of Nineveh that God said He would destroy but later changed His mind since they repented and did penance.

However, no one is bound under pain of sin to believe in those prophecies, but it is always good to consider if they are true and if it will happen. Also not all private revelations/prophecies agree with each other and some differ in the details given, so one cannot always be sure what exactly true or what exactly will happen based on them. I have read so many different things on what will supposedly happen in the World and to the Church while reading Catholic prophecy that it seems impossible to believe it all can be accurate - considering the state of the world and Church at present.

With the three days of darkness, most agree at least that it will be three days of darkness and that one will need blessed candles and stay inside. I am am not sure if the various accounts disagree on anything, except that one have said four days of darkness instead of three - but I am no expert on the Three Days of Darkness and there might be details that are different in one saint or blessed from another.

Private revelations also differ sometimes in the details given. For example, some private revelations claim the Virgin Mary had full reason and could speak immediately after Her birth or conception (as we can read in the book The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics), while others (such as St. Bridget's Revelations) say She could reason and speak first after some time from Her birth, although much earlier than what is common.

Related:
The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics
https://isidore.co/calibre/get/epub/The%20Life%20of%20Mary%20As%20Seen%20by%20the%20Mystics%20-%20Brown%2C%20Raphael_6524.epub

About the book (below) and it is great and it can be found in an excellently made audiobook on youtube as well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boZ4Eyq9WeM - NOTE: I DO NOT APPROVE OF WATCHING VIDEOS AND I ASSUME THE WATCHER HAS THE SCREEN BLOCKED WITH EXTENSIONS LIKE MYSELF SO THAT ONLY THE AUDIO CAN BE HEARD!


"A masterpiece that combines the visions of four great Catholic mystics into one coherent story on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Based primarily on the famous revelations of Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich and Ven. Mary of Agreda, it also includes many episodes described in the writings of St. Bridget of Sweden and St. Elizabeth of Schenau. To read this book, therefore, is to share in the magnificent visions granted to four of the most priviledged souls in the history of the Church. In complete harmony with the Gospel story, this book reads like a masterfully written novel. It includes such fascinating details as the birth and infancy of Mary, her espousal to St. Joseph and her Assumption into Heaven where she was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth.For young and old alike, The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics will forever impress the reader with an inspiring and truly unforgettable understanding of the otherwise unknown facts concerning Mary and the Holy Family. Imprimatur. 280 pgs."

If someone have a good theory of why private revelations sometimes differ from each other in the details given, please give me your ideas of what you think!

Concerning the Cardial Siri and the Siri Thesis and your question: "Is it true what's on these sites?": the answer is no! For example, this email shown below is a response which I wrote to another person a while ago who, I believe, is a member of both of those sites you mentioned (he never responded):

1. You claim one must be in submission to the secret pope that no one knows about - and that cannot be proven actually is the valid and true pope to begin with - in order to be saved, which is absurd to the highest. No one is forced to believe such absurd claims under pain of damnation as you indicate. (He wrote: “Important Note: The Catholic to be such and therefore to save his soul must acknowledge and be true to the true, just, legitimate Pope, for he is the Vicar of Christ, wanted by God: Gregory XVIII legitimate successor of Gregory XVII legitimately elected in 1958.”) When extraordinary claims are made, extraordinary evidence must be presented. This case is not only doubtful (the Siri Thesis), but is so weak that no court or really honest person would ever judge in its favor - even if they perhaps personally thought it could be true - due to the fact that there is no evidence to prove anything. And even if you believe this is true yourself (i.e., submission to Gregory XVIII, a "pope" that no one knows about or has even seen!, is necessary for salvation) does not change the fact that this claim is utterly absurd and laughable (ridiculous) in the eyes of others.

2. Even if Cardinal Siri was elected (which is not certain and without absolute proof mere speculation proves nothing in reality) he did later embrace Vatican II, its heresies and antipopes and he did not denounce the antipopes or the heresies of the Vatican II sect, but even signed (or if he did sot sign, accepted them) the Vatican II documents. Hence he became an automatically excommunicated heretic at that point, and even if he had the papacy (that he was elected, but which cannot be proven) he later lost it due to the fact that he fell into heresy and embraced heretics and was one of them (i.e., he operated as a Vatican II bishop in good communion with them). A manifest and public heretic cannot retain the papacy, as all the theologians and saints teaches, hence that he cannot have remained pope or have elected a new pontiff (successor to himself), or a new pontiff been raised up from his heretical line elected by similarly heretical clergy, as you claim. (He wrote: “Perhaps Siri himself was not fully aware of Calvary that God would ask him and he actually lived for 31 years [in good communion with Vatican II!], until his death, probably poisoning, in May 1989. One year before, in June 1988, Providence sent him an American priest of Vietnamese origin (since the American media have been discussing this topic for some time), to which he trusted to be the legitimate Pope. This meeting gave him the opportunity to form a cardinal college with the few bishops faithful to him who, in the secret conclave of 1991, elected his legitimate successor Gregory XVIII, still in exile.”)

Note: it is claimed by these people that “Pope” Cardinal Siri either chose a new pontiff as his successor before his death; or that a few of his secret “faithful” collage (chosen ecclesiastical adherents) secretly elected a new pontiff after his death – and whom they now claim is the secret and hidden “Pope” Gregory XVIII, still in exile and unknown to the world.

3. Here follows some more information refuting your claims from: http://www.catholic-saints.net/siri-thesis/

>> Siri (a.k.a. "Pope Gregory XVII") expired on May 2, 1989 A.D., and is said, according to those who hold the Siri Thesis, to have passed on the true pontificate to an as yet unknown successor, who will emerge in due time after the eclipse of the Church predicted at La Salette has come to an end. However, since Siri not only continued in communion with the Vatican II antipopes and called these antipopes "Popes", but also consented to the heretical decrees of the Second Vatican Council, we can only judge him to be a heretic by his external works and condemn him as a heretic. It is absurd to say that a man who calls other people the "Pope" should be called or deemed by us as the "true Pope". If Siri ever was the Pope is not clear, but he certainly became a manifest heretic the moment he consented to the heresies of Vatican II or obstinately continued in communion with the Antipopes after seeing their outrageous, manifest heresies. 

...As noted already, some say that Siri's life and the lives of his family members were threatened, and that there was also a threat to drop an Atomic Bomb on the Vatican if he accepted the office and did not succumb and allow John XXIII to be elected.

A historian after the 1958 Conclave writes: "Should all the Cardinals be killed, as is possible now in the face of the atom bomb, the right to elect the Bishops of Rome will revert to the body which originally enjoyed it and of which the Cardinals are representatives, namely, the clergy of the Eternal City." (Paul Perrota, Pope John XXIII; His Life And Character, Thomas Nelson and Sons, New York, 1959, p. 68.)
A Catholic's duty is to profess the Catholic faith to his dying breath, even under the most extreme torture, never to love his own life or that of others, more than God and the Catholic faith. In the Second Book of Machabees chapter seven we read of a woman who encouraged her seven sons to die manfully for the laws of God, and she witnesses each of their martyrdoms followed by her own.

If Catholics have the right to cow down to death threats then the Catholic faith would have died long ago. It would have died right after the very birth of the Church on Pentecost. To teach that Catholics are allowed to deny the faith under threat of death and torture is to make a mockery of the blood of the martyrs. A Catholic who denies the faith, even under the most extreme torture, is known as a lapsi, a lapsed Catholic, meaning he is automatically excommunicated and thus cast outside of the Church and is a non-Catholic. The lapsi in the early centuries had to do severe penance before being allowed back into the Catholic Church (See: St. Cyprian's treatise on "The Lapsed"). A Catholic may be physically prevented from professing the faith by banishment or imprisonment, etc., but he must never deny the faith or join the enemy camp by supporting or patronizing them in anyway, as Siri did. >>

Note: The issues, statements and objections this person brought up (that I responded too) was issues similar already addressed in this article: http://www.catholic-saints.net/siri-thesis/. So if you want to stay informed, read the article.


I hope this answers your questions,
Many God's blessing on you!

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