1. Newsweek dared asked the question.
But could not give the answer because they stayed in the level of pure journalism. Greater depth is needed to answer that question. Even most Catholic priests, bishops and even theologians cannot answer that question. Much more so the laymen.
But it is a question that can be answered because God, Himself, enabled all men to answer it because that is the only way all men can know which is the true Church, which he is obliged to enter under pain of condemnation.
2. Is Pope Francis a Catholic?
All men can know if Pope Francis is a Catholic. But first they should know if they, themselves, are Catholics. They must have a basis for analyzing themselves and others.
When God established His religion and His Church, He knew that in the future the devil will make thousands of his own sects to confuse men and cause their damnation. It was imperative then that God placed visible signs by which His religion and Church can be recognized by all men since salvation will depend on one’s being inside that Church.
Since the Church of God is essentially spiritual in nature, the visible signs are essentially spiritual in nature but God made it visible for man’s sake. So all men can see these signs with their intellects. And they can, also, see if others have these signs or not. Thus mankind can enter the true Church and avoid the false church.
With the same knowledge man can see if other people, like their loved ones, have the signs or not…..so that seeing that they do not have the signs they can be evangelized to possess the signs. And if others have the signs we can ask for their help to teach us how to acquire those signs.
Not only can we know if we have the visible signs, we can, also, know if our parish priests, bishops and Pope have them. And Charity obliges us to find this out for reasons just mentioned. Because anyone who does not have these signs will be damned.
3. Who is a Catholic?
In the Catholic Church, there is one and only one way by which a Catholic can be recognized. By the four visible signs mentioned in the Nicene Creed which we recite every Sunday Mass. ‘I believe in One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. There is no other way by which a Catholic can be recognized.
Accusations on who is Catholic and who is not is ripe all over. But the basis for the accusation is mostly erroneous which shows many people are ignorant on ‘who is a Catholic.’ The Lefebrevs and Oriental Orthodox are often described as non-Catholic or schismatic but further analysis shows that they have more visible signs of the true Church than the Vatican. So what do we make out of that? Who should transfer? Should the Oriental Orthodox enter the Roman Church or vice versa? See, the importance of resolving this question!
4. The four visible signs made easy.
The only way to know if someone is a Catholic is through the four visible signs mentioned in the Nicene Creed. But these signs are partly spiritual in nature and, therefore, quite difficult to understand and apply on oneself or on others. That is why, though these signs are found in Divine Revelation, i.e. the Bible, hardly any bible reading Christian can apply them on himself or on others. Even Catholics are ignorant of them.
So, many Fathers and Doctors of the Church explained and expanded the original four visible signs in a way easier to understand. St. Augustine and St. Vincent of Lerins tried. But St. Robert Bellarmine seems to have done the best job of simplifying the original four visible signs. He expanded them into fifteen ‘notes’ found in his work ‘In controversiis.’
5. The great panic.
Of course, there are many ways of knowing who is a true Catholic. The other ways are too spiritual or supernatural and beyond everybody’s ability to know. Like the criteria for canonization. The four visible signs were precisely made by God for general consumption and the only signs everybody is capable of knowing. If a person has them this is more than enough to make him a candidate for canonization. So individuals, like you and me, can know for certain if Pope John Paul II is a saint simply by knowing if he has the four visible signs in their perfection.
St. Robert Bellarmine’s work was so simple and clear that it was easy for everybody to find out if they or others were Catholic. Translated into English only recently, about 3 or 4 months ago only, the Catholic world went into a panic to realize that almost everyone, layman, priests, bishops, cardinals, etc…. were not Catholics. The mentioned work did not say how to become a Catholic. Bellarmine discussed it in his other ascetical works like ‘The Art of Dying Well.’
6. The gradual appearances of the visible signs.
The visible signs will not appear all at the same time in one sitting. Each sign develops overlapping one other. The Church begins by learning all apostolic doctrine (the 4th sign). When all have learned the apostolic doctrine they become One (1st sign). When they have put into practice all the apostolic doctrine in unity they grow in Holiness (2nd sign). And when all kinds of peoples around the world are able to become holy in exactly the same way they become Catholic (the 3rd sign).
The signs are more evident if they are found in a community, thus the Catholic Church is supposed to be a community. The last two Bishop’s Synod in the Vatican, as a community, did not show one single sign of Catholicity. And it is the same in the ongoing Synod.
Though the community does not show the four visible signs like the recent Synod, which is a community made of Bishops and Cardinals who are expected to have all the four signs, individual bishops and cardinals can show a few of the visible signs. Like one or two visible signs which shows that they should be having the other signs soon.
When an individual has the signs, the probability is great that the community where he from has all the four visible signs. When a parish priest or diocesan bishop does not have any of the signs, it is certain that the whole parish or diocese does not have the four visible signs. In short, it is not Catholic.
7. St. Robert Bellarmine’s era.
St. Robert Bellarmine lived during bad times. His era and place was filled with Protestants aside from ancient pagans. This placed him in a situation where he knew both signs; the signs of the true Church and the signs of a false church.
The Catholics of his time were so confused because of the many heresies. St. Bellarmine wrote his treatise to rectify the confusion of the Catholics by clearly describing what are the signs of the true Church. Side by side with the true signs he enumerated the signs of the heretical church specially the Protestant churches. So in Bellarmine’s work one can clearly see if he is Catholic or Protestant.
Since St. Bellarmine enumerated 15 signs the reader can be more certain if he is Catholic or Protestant.
8. So, is Pope Francis Catholic?
Pope Francis does not have a single sign among the 15 signs described by St. Robert Bellarmine. And he has most of the signs of being a Protestant as described by the same saint.
He is not alone. Many of the laymen, priests, bishops and cardinals, also, do not have all the 15 signs. Some may have 3 or 4 signs but it is rare to see a Catholic with all the 15 signs. Those with 3 or 4 signs will surely eventually have the rest of the signs. But a Catholic with all the 15 signs or the four visible signs mentioned in the Nicene Creed is a rarity.
The most important thing is: do I have all the signs of true Catholicity? That is more important than asking if Pope Francis is Catholic. Don’t you think so? Then shout abroad; ‘All yea, all yea. Check if you are Catholic or not. St. Robert Bellarmine’s ‘In controversiis’ is already translated in English and available in bookstores ,,,,,,abroad??