The Catholic Defender Analyzing An Epic Conspiracy Theory Against the Church

In 1993 while serving with the 3/187 Infantry Division (Rakassans), I had been tasked to conduct Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) presentations for different Units in the Battalion. HIV/AIDS was a major issue at the time. Through these events I met some resistance, some people will always challenge you.

On one particular evening, after completing the presentation, a Soldier came up to me wanting to tell me that the Death of Pope John Paul I was due to the theory that he was going to reverse the 2,000 year teaching of the Church on Artificial Birth Control. The Challenger was not a Catholic but referred of himself being an Agnostic. He thought there might be a god, but what has he/she done for me lately?

Judging from his approach I didn't see much use in dealing with his challenge, but because there was about 3 or 4 others watching and listening, I felt it important to respond.

The Pope has no authority to change the Natural Law of God, what I called the "BIG T's" the Church has no power to change. The "little t's" can be but not the major doctrines.

Jesus established the Catholic Faith with three basic promises:

1. Jesus promised the gates of Hell will not prevail or overcome the Church. Matthew 16:18

2. Jesus promised that He would remain with His Church until the End of the Age. Matthew 18:20

3. And Jesus promised the Gift of the Holy Spirit to guide the Church for all time. John 14:26

The moral teaching on Artificial Birth Control goes all the way back to the Apostolic Age. Pope John Paul I had not the power to make such a change. I've heard this "Conspiracy Theory" before but I find it interesting is those promoting such things have no evidence.

Pope John Paul I died on 29 September 1978 just 33 days after becoming Pope. The Vatican pronounced that the Pope's death was due to a Heart Attack. But there are a number of those who made Conspiracy Theories due to problems with the Vatican Bank.

Writer David Yallop in his book, "In God's Name" alleges that Pope John Paul I was in danger due to the corruption of the Vatican Bank.

As I was addressing this question by the challenging Soldier, another Soldier stepped up asking if there were more information on this. She was interesting in the discussion.

I continued my discussion sharing the theory put forth by Abbe Georges de Nantes who thought that Pope John Paul I made some discoveries of priests who were actually infiltrated Freemasons.

Lucien Gregoire was claiming that the CIA resolved to destroy Pope John Paul I because of the potential threat of the Marxist Sandinista's creating more Communists in Latin America, especially Nicaragua.

These Conspiracy Theories were given some help in that the Vatican bungled up some of the information like the time the Pope had been found? Was the Pope found by a nun or a priest? Maybe there were things not handled well, maybe there were mistakes, but none of these Conspiracy Theories have much basis without making assumptions without evidence.

Also, there were works of fiction that played into more Conspiracy Theories, Fr. Malachi Martin in his book, "Vatican: A Novel", makes the case the Pope was murdered by the Soviet Union. Robert Littell also wrote a book, "The Company: A Novel of the CIA", creates the story the Pope was murdered by a KGB hired killer. Notice that Littell ties in with Lucien Gregoire's claim of the CIA involvement?

On the issue of Artificial Birth Control, Pope Paul VI in his Encyclical HUMANAE VITAE, he makes some very prophetic warnings (1968) should Artificial Birth Control take hold:

"Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards."

"Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires,..."

"careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law."

The attacks on marriage, the advent of abortion, the practice of Homosexuality, the loss of family values.

The Artificial Birth Control Pill was first accepted by the Anglican church in 1932 and from there all basic Protestantism caved in to this acceptance so by the 1960's the advent of the Sexual Revolution emerged. As a result the progression is obvious.

Without maintaining a firm foundation, the societal conditions emerge resulting in a growth of premarital sexual encounters.

As I will show, this has tremendous impact on society with great social consequences. I want to stress on the report that those who cohabit rarely practice their faith! Again, that plays an important role in the lives of the contemporary American.

Let’s take a good look at some of the results to this new found freedom. In 1964, when the Beatles hit America by storm with the Ed Sullivan show, their song, “I want to hold your hand” at that time was revolutionary.

1 out of every 32 graduating Seniors that year was diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). 1964 was close to the beginning of the Sexual Revolutions beginnings. The next few years saw radical changes and Woodstock would be a voice of a generation.

In 1982, Olivia Newton John had one of her greatest hits “Physical” which says, “I took you to an intimate restaurant, then to a suggestive movie, there’s nothing left to talking about it, except horizontally,I want to get physical, I want to get animal, I want to hear your body talk”. This is a bit more explicit from “I want to hold your hand”. That year 1 in 18 graduating Seniors had been diagnosed with a STD.

You push into the 1990′s and things really began to heat up. Music really began to become far more raunchy with the creation of “Hip-Hop” along with MTV’s popularity.

The University of Michigan conducted a study several years ago finding that the average listener was hooked into the music 8 hours per day. By 1996, Hip-Hop was gaining popularity through their artists such as Ludacris. By this time, 1 out of every 4 graduating Seniors were diagnosed with a STD and sadly, this includes girls down to the age of 12.

I have shared this before, but it is as true today as it was yesterday. Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) now are the most common diseases in America next to the common cold and flu. Each year nearly 20 million new STD cases are reported.

That equates to something like 55,000 people per day being diagnosed with an STD. Tragically, this includes more than 10,000,000 teenagers (and growing), per year. Recently, the hard cold reality, 1 in 4 Americans have been statistically been diagnosed with an STD, including young girls down to the age of 12.

It is important to note that today, there are more than 110,000,000 total infections of Americans with an STD. Approximately 60,000,000 have incurable STD's.

For many, young people may not know they have such a disease as 60-80% are infected with STD’s that do not develop initial symptoms.

Because of the alarming rates today, female Soldiers are required to undergo annual Pap Smears because STD’s such as gonorrhea can hide behind mild cases of bladder infection or a vaginal infection. Nearly 50% of Female Soldiers had been diagnosed with gonorrhea.

New strains of gonorrhea are resistant to penicillin so treatments vary, but this has become far to routine across America today.

We are certainly living in a very confusing time. American Family values have been totally ignored and rejected. Children are learning how to have sex thanks to our government run public school system.

By this point, I hung around with this group following my original presentation so I did not get home until about 22:30 but I really enjoyed the opportunity to defend the truth of the Catholic Faith. I did want to make it clear that just because someone claims to be Catholic, that does not mean that is so? If they are not following the teaching of the Church, especially on serious matters, they are living in sin. I left the group saying, "Do not forsake Peter because of Judas!"

Many today are "walking wounded", we must have compassion for those who have lost their way. The problem is that many powerful politicians seek to legitimize Sin as a personal "right". Love and compassion does not equal toleration and acceptance.

Young people will imitate those whom they admire and grow into those they imitate.

I shared the following scripture:

Matthew 13:24-30 states, "He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds* all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest;* then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Matthew 13:36-43, "Then, dismissing the crowds,* he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field. He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world,* the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom* all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."