I agree, Beth! And though it may get me in hot water with some real life friends here, I feel in conscience I MUST post a warning regarding Fr. Michel, the self proclaimed “prophet” of Canada. Dr. Mark Miravalle, whose intuition and wisdom I do trust immensely, wrote his own evaluation of Fr. Michel, and @padraig posted it in this thread about 16 months ago: Grave Concerns: Fr Michel Rodrique Factual Assertion: Surprise Meeting with Pope St. John Paul II at his Desk in St. Peter’s Basilica Fr. Rodrigue asserts that while in St. Peter’s Basilica searching for St. Peter’s tomb, he climbed a staircase and surprisingly discovered Pope John Paul II in his undershirt at his desk. The text is quoted here to provide a fuller context of the assertion (as summarized in his Virtual Retreat 15): Fr. Michel made a trip to Rome and one day there, began looking for St. Peter’s tomb in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. He found himself at the foot of a staircase and decided to climb it. At the top of a staircase was an open door. He stepped through it to see Pope John Paul II sitting at his desk in an undershirt and his papal garments, clearly not expecting company. The pope turned to face Fr. Michel and smiled. “Can I help you?” He asked in French, though he had no way of knowing what language Fr. Michel spoke. “Oh, Holy Father!” gasped Fr. Michel, who dropped to his knees. “No! No. I’m fine!” “Is there anything you need?” “No, nothing!” “Feel free to stand up. Who sent you here?” “The Blessed Mother.” “Yes, she sometimes does that. Read 1st and 2nd Peter, and the 1st letter of John. They speak of these times.” “Yes, Holy Father.” And then the pope gave Fr. Michel his blessing. Fr. Michel then asked timidly, “How do I leave?” “The same way you came,” he said with smiling eyes. “If you wouldn’t mind, please shut the door after you.”16 15 Fr. Michel Rodrigue, “Fr. Michel Rodrigue vs. The Devil,” Countdown to the Kingdom, Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.countdowntothekingdom.com/fr-michel-rodrigue-vs-the-devil/. Those familiar with the daily Vatican protocol of Pope St. John Paul II during his papacy can easily attest to the concrete errors proposed in this event, and likewise confirm the follow true historical facts during the papacy of Pope St. John Paul II: 1) Pope St. John Paul never had an office in St. Peter’s Basilica; 2) Pope St. John Paul II was constantly attended throughout the day by his private secretary, Monsignor (now Cardinal) Stanislaw Dziwisz, or one of his two substitute private secretaries; 3) St. John Pope John II experienced the perpetual surveillance and protection of the Swiss guards, which would make the surprise visit of Fr. Rodrigue to any office in which Pope St. John Paul II was occupying absolutely impossible. Thereby, Fr. Rodrigue’s alleged event with Pope St. John Paul, which could not have been based inreality, points either to A) issues of integrity andveracity; or B) issues of emotional/psychologicalstability. Factual Assertion: Pope John Paul II used a “Fake Pope” to enable him to leave the Vatican Fr. Rodrigue asserts that Pope John Paul II used a “fake pope” to allow Pope John Paul II to “sneak in through the back” of the Vatican. Once again, the text is provided for context: Fr. Michel was in St. Peter’s Square, too small to see the pope give his papal address, with the crowds towering above him. Feeling like Zacchaeus, he decided to walk to the outskirts of the square, instead of climbing a tree, just before the pope was to arrive. He was standing beside the road praying the Rosary when a black car pulled up alongside him. The backseat passenger window rolled down, and Pope John Paul II who had caught sight of FR. Michel said, “Hello!” in French. “I see you are praying your Rosary!” “Yes, I am here because I’m too short to get close to see you. But how is it you’re here when you pope vehicle is pulling up right now where all the crowds are?” “Oh, that’s the fake pope,” he said. “No one knows that the real pope sneaks in through the back.” Fr. Michel let out his hearty contagious laugh and the pope joined him with a chuckle.17 The irrationality of this claim, i.e., that Pope St. John Paul II used another person as an imposter to impersonate him during public audiences, whereby the papal imposter went undiscovered or unrecognized by all Vatican observers so as to enable the real Pope St. John Paul II to leave to and from the Vatican, requires no commentary. Once again, this false historical claim logically points to legitimate concerns of either moral integrity or emotional-psychological balance.
And yes, I am aware that Daniel O'Connor attempted to “refute” Dr. Mark Miravalle, but I’m underwhelmed by his efforts.
Brian, I too hesitant to offer my opinion on FR because I know how deeply controversial this topic is. I’m certainly no expert on these kind of things, so my opinion is just that, a opinion. I absolutely respect anyone who does not share my opinion and I’d never want to offend one person here with mine. I’m not interested in my being “right”….but rather just trying to be objective in my own observations…thats all…. In the past, on other individuals who proclaimed to be “ prophets”, I initially read their prophecies and were drawn to them. Much of what they said resonated deeply in me because for many years our rosary group had been part of the worldwide rosary cenacle and followed the readings of Fr. Gobbi. Over those many years we discussed at length the possibility of a world wide chastisement/ warning etc. in the years to come. We all recognized the moral decay of the world and the continual progression of it. So fast forward to many years later. Many of us would come across certain individuals who’s “ messages “ sounded quite authentic. No, we didn’t know the background of these “ prophets “, but they were saying much of what we had expected someday would occur. Any and all of it was plausible. How many of us are like that still? Waiting for that “one” who will be hearing from the Blessed Mother herself and help us prepare for the “ warning “( I can’t wait for that…seriously), the chastisement , the Antichrist, etc. Well, long story short( er), we’ve watched these extremely popular “seers” come and go and their credibility collapse. No point in naming names, but anyone who follows these things knows who they are. So here we are, witnessing a current worldwide destabilization, demonic governments, lockdowns, mandates, etc. Most of us alive today have never witnessed our lives or our world in such chaos and immortality. We hear the scripture “ when right is wrong and wrong is right” and yes, we know what time it is! So just at the right opportunity, I see FR come onto the scene. I watch and listen to him with great interest. The messages he proclaimed were not all unbelievable, some very believable, although many were…in my opinion, the tickling of the ear and just too over the top for me. His overall jovial presentation was very off putting to me, especially since the topics were as serious and horrific as they were. I won’t belabor this…I just dismissed him based on my initial impression. For me, it was a gut reaction. I know others here feel very differently and all of us are entitled to our feeling and opinions… To me, FR, felt like one of the many other “prophets “ in recent years that you wanted to believe, but they were eventually proved false. My feelings were later reinforced by the comments of his own bishop….not a good sign in and of itself. My final and third issue was a prediction that something huge was going to occur last October and nothing happened. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he made some ominous prediction of some kind…? I could be wrong here, but that is my memory….. So, I’m not tying to convince anyone here to accept my discernment of FR… I’ll readily concede that I could be wrong….it’s just that we all have to use our own discernment about these things. We don’t have a crystal ball, but we’re all pretty much looking for that “one” who does have the inside track to future events . We have a entire thread devoted to Garabandal because probably the majority here believe Conchita and the messages of our Lady. Conchita to me is very credible, but even with her, there exist the possibility that she is not. Not everyone on MOG subscribes to the authenticity of Garabandal. So we just sometimes have to agree to disagree without anger. Wouldn’t the devil just love to see us faithful Catholics fighting about this! Let’s not give Satan any joy about any of this. He’s having his way pretty much now about everything else. It’s likely, that sooner rather than later, we’ll all know the truth…it looks more and more like the evil one isn’t lurking in the shadows any longer…he’s right out front and having his way….until he doesn’t ! just a quick edit here…. Not long ago, FR and the controversy surrounding his authenticity was a big thing here. l feel absolutely horrible that one of the long standing faithful members is now gone because of that controversy. That’s really awful. When I think of that still, I feel really bad about her. If you’re reading this, please know that I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way. God bless you….
Yes, these facts play a large role in my own discernment. He has had failed “prophecies” and his “tall tales” about his sharing everything with and being approved by his bishop, not to mention his frankly wholly unbelievable tales about interacting with St. JPII, twice no less, and his preternatural childhood events like laying on a hot wood stove and burning down his family home have lead me to believe he is simply unstable and must be avoided. And I’m among a minority here who do not believe Medjugorje to be credible. It’s similar to trying to rationally discuss the problems with that apparition site when trying to rationally discuss FR. The same refusal to look at facts emerges, the same problem with disobedience to the hierarchy, etc. So I no longer even try.
The one thing I believe to be true Brian is that almost everyone here at MOG is trying hard to navigate the very broad spiritual realm that basically relies on faith as best we all can . Obviously, as we’re all independent individuals, we are not all going to view the supernatural the same way. It’s way too broad a topic with a whole lot of undefined boundaries . We do have certain criteria laid out by the church for our discernment process and if these guidelines are followed then we can either elimination or embrace seers, apparitions, etc. I guess it’s hard for a lot of folks who are very drawn to a particular subject to ignore the cautions of the accepted standards for authenticity. I too have strong feelings both pro and con on a few of them. I think if they haven’t been censored by the church, then we just need to wait and see. Those that are either caught lying, caused scandal or were found not in conformity with the church should be dismissed. We’ve had enough recently to keep vigilant regardless of how attractive their messages are. But I’m sure I could get sucked in myself again…I pray not.
Maybe that is why they broke him out, so he could be killed and silenced? It reminds me of Jeffrey Epstein. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/did-jeffrey-epstein-kill-himself-60-minutes-investigates-2020-01-05/
I believe Fr Michel is false. Very entertaining, very lively Prophecy, his fans adore him, but false.
I believe this too Brian. Jesus warned us of running here and there to find Him. How does the evil one side track slow down or neutralize the Remnant? By introducing many seers and prophets. And I believe there is a sort of power of seduction in such things because those who fasten to them cannot and will not hear any cautionary word. I see it around me here--adherents to Maureen Sweeney in the face of outright condemnation by her bishop. These are devout Catholics who give of their time and their treasure for thd prolife cause but they depend on the "messages" and enter their weekly prayer meetings around them. This is disobedience. Plain and simple. You can dress if up. You can say "he is a bad bishop" you can give any reason you like but it is still disobedience. There is a lot of hell sent spiritual treachery out there. I am well aware if my own weakness to signs and wonders. But I have learned prudence over these years. We must stay very little and very simple and live the day we are in without undue curiosity about what lies ahead in the spiritual realm. Just my 2 cents.
Brian I agree with you 100 percent. Scripture says that in the latter days false prophets will spring up like flies. I’m interested in prophecy like most here but I’m very very careful now in what I believe. I do think Akita is genuine (it was never formally approved but Pope Benedict believes it to be true) and I’m inclined to think of the more recent reported apparitions that Civittavecchia is true. In any case the ‘big one’ is Fatima.
Clare, I agree with you on Akita being authentic, and I might be wrong , but I believe that the bishop of Akita approved it. He personally witnessed some of the miracles. Anyone here, please feel free to correct me…. I too believe that Fatima is it!
These two are so pathetically evil, I can barely stand to look at this. It’s all fun and games until Satan is your overlord ….forever.
The sad thing with a lot of Modern Apparitions is that the local Bishop at the time,as at Akita in Japan and Lipa in the Phillipines can approve an apparition but then subsequent Bishops (ill disposed) move in to crush them. It is very confusing.
