As he tours the United States, Pope Francis has drawn largely rave reviews from observers including politicians, American Roman Catholic leaders and atheist comedian Bill Maher. But the pastor of an Elgin-based congregation of breakaway Catholics that still celebrates the Mass in Latin is less than happy with the pontiff.
“He seems, from all appearances and his many mistaken comments, that he is going to continue the agenda of liberalism and modernism in the Catholic Church,” said The Rev. Ronald Brown of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chapel. “This is unfortunate for several reasons, the primary reason being that the ideas of liberalism, socialism, and modernism have been condemned by successive popes.”
The 9-year-old Elgin church proclaims on its doorway that it is dedicated to “preserving Catholic faith and tradition.” Led by Brown, of South Elgin, it is not connected with the mainstream Catholic organization and its Rockford Diocese.
Brown makes his living as a hospice chaplain and says he was ordained via an authentic string of ordination authority that led outside the mainstream church when it started diverging from what he considers its traditional values. In rented space along Fulton Street, Brown officiates a Mass each week in the traditional Latin language.
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Brown said he applauds the pope’s interest in helping the poor, noting the church has established schools, soup kitchens, medical facilities and other institutions that care for the less fortunate.
But, as the Argentine pope draws adoring crowds in Washington, New York and Philadelphia, Brown said he thinks Francis is “saying all the things the world wants him to say” rather than what Jesus would want him to say.
“We have 2,000 years of holy popes, councils, saints behind us,” Brown said. “The post-Vatican II church has a program of liberalism which only brings decay and leads away from Christ and his church.”