Author Archives: TheLayPope

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About TheLayPope

'Thy Kingdom Come , Thy Will be Done'

A man in a brown robe hugging and comforting a distressed man in torn clothing on a dirt path in a rural area

Jesus Wept

I am 64 years of age and a cradle Catholic.  These days  I attend mass at least 3 times a week. Only once in my life have I walked out of Church in silent protest during a sermon because of how far the priest had abused his position at the lectern. On Sunday Sept 5th 2026  I did so again. This walk out was not physical like the slow dejected steps I took out of my beloved Church  the first time. It was metaphorical when I was forced to cut the sermon short by switching  my computer off during Bishop Robert Barron’s Sunday you tube sermon entitled ‘ Will the Good of the Other ’.

Bishop Barron had   recently read a book called ‘ Suicidal Empathy ’ and could not contain his evangelical zeal for its essential proclamation to his 3.64 million you tube followers that ‘Empathy is not always and everywhere the right thing to do’, and ‘that it threatens truth, reality, justice ’ and love. Listening to Bishop Barron was like watching the Good Samaritan look, shrug his shoulders and walk by.

I  had  enough justification for  ‘walking out’  of Bishop Barron’s sermon  on the basis that  it violently contradicted Pope Leo’s recent assertion that empathy is ‘a call from God’ but had I not done so for that reason alone Bishop Barron provided an unholy host of further justifications why I should escape his misleading words, disingenuous anecdotes and perhaps worst of all his duplicitous manipulation of the teachings of St. Augustine,  St. Paul , St. John , Chesterton, Dostoevsky and most shamefully Jesus himself.

Pope Leo tells us ‘Empathy is a call from God ‘

Throughout his sermon The Bishop, conducts his show like an accomplished conjurer.  He repeatedly replaces priceless diamonds with pieces of cut glass and then bases his whole thesis on why empathy will propel us into the apocalypse because empathy is the piece of cut glass he holds triumphantly in his hand and not the priceless ‘gift from God’ that Pope Leo tells us it is.  He starts these conjuring tricks by casually , almost imperceptibly , expecting us to believe his woefully inaccurate definition of what empathy is by saying  that empathy is a desire ‘not to hurt or wound’ the feelings of others’ .  This is absolutely not what empathy is. The fact that Bishop Barron  then insists on trying to convince us that empathy is an existential threat to humanity based on his woefully inaccurate definition of what empathy is simply invalidates almost every word that subsequently escapes his mouth.

Bishop Barron desperately needs us to believe that empathy is a desire ‘not to hurt or wound’ the feelings of others because if we don’t then his misleading anecdotes  ‘woking out’ minorities, parents , the trans community, even penitents in the confessional would be seen for what they are ,  extreme examples of  the growing hatred, intolerance and marginalization of an increasing number of our Sisters and Brothers rejected by adherents of the de humanizing cultural parameters  of Right wing ideology.

As Bishop Barron’s  gets even more confused  he admonishes those who say Empathy is a supreme value saying  ‘ Empathy is not the centre around which all of our value system revolves ……… and if you put empathy, so defined , in the centre of your preoccupation,  truth , reality , justice and Love are going to be threatened’  .  Well of course empathy is not a supreme value . We know it isn’t and it appears that Bishop Barron is the only one saying it is. Then after conjuring up yet another misleading basis for the falsehoods that  follow he tells us that Empathy is standing against Love in an epic battle for supremacy which could lead to the end of times. The real problem here is not that we could be looking the end times straight in the eye but that the only one who has said that Empathy is putting itself forward as a supreme value is Bishop Barron. Once again because his thesis is based on a falsehood everything Bishop Barron subsequently says about Empathy challenging Love is quite simply indefensible.

As a Brother in Christ I will try to help Bishop Barron understand what empathy is , why it will not result in ‘societal suicide, why he should disregard Gad Saad’s book on the subject and why Pope Leo calls it a ‘gift from God’.

Lets us say that Love is a wedding cake. A wedding cake baked to celebrate the Divine union between the Holy Trinity and humanity. It is made up of many ingredients amongst which are Mercy, Justice, Truth, Forgiveness and wait for it , Empathy.  Love only becomes authentic with these ingredients present. Love is the supreme value. None of the ingredients are supreme values but they are irreplaceable to ensure that the cake is baked to The Almighties recipe. The ingredients are not in competition with the cake but rather they are an essential factor in ensuring that the cake becomes the perfection that the Holy Trinity willed for humanity. Like all good recipes the final product is lacking if any of the essential ingredients are missing. If Empathy is not present the cake will simply not rise to its full glory.

Without empathy the cake tastes bitter and unpalatable and has no substance, rather like a Bishop who without empathy has no legitimacy within the confessional or at the altar.

Bishop Barron owes his 3.64 million followers an apology for misleading them regarding the ‘ Gift from God’  that is empathy. He should take his ‘Will the Good of the Other’ sermon off his you tube channel at the earliest opportunity to prevent any further damage to the faithful and perhaps it would be worth sharing the recipe above with his friends. I think Gad Saad might find it pretty tasty.

God Bless you and yours

Peace and Love

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“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

thelaypope@yahoo.com

Christians in Clacton on Sea cannot vote for Nigel Farage

If you are a baptised Christian the words Love, Peace, Truth and Justice have been written on your heart , mind , body and soul by the hand of the Almighty. Your sacramental baptism compels you to resonate these words in your everyday lives. You are chosen to be a beacon for the Divine Love and Light of the Father , Son and Holy Spirit shining upon an all too often dark world.

Nigel Farage forced the by election in Clacton on Sea because he did not want to face the scrutiny of the Parliamentary standards commissioner over a £5 million ‘gift’ he pocketed from a Thai based crypto billionaire.

He has acted like a man hurrying out of a Clacton supermarket as the alarm goes off and who refuses to open his bag when the security guard requests to look inside . Why not simply open the bag if he has nothing to hide. Why not simply face the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner if he has nothing to hide.

Mr Farage has lied to the good people of Clacton. He wants you to believe that the establishment is out to get him. The Truth is he, the privately educated former stockbroker and multi millionaire friend of President Trump, is the establishment.

Under parliamentary rules, an MP’s resignation suspends any ongoing standards investigations but these investigations could restart immediately should Mr Farage be re-elected. He cannot escape Justice and he will be compelled to open his suspiciously bulky shopping bag.

I ask my Baptised Sisters and Brothers of Clacton one simple question. If a crypto Billionaire gives someone £5million would we be surprised if they want something in return. If the answer is no then this is not a question of whether Nigel Farage is being pursued by the establishment. Rather it is a question of whether your priceless vote in the Mother of all Parliaments is on sale to the highest bidder.

Your Baptism compels you to be champions of Justice and Truth. As Christians you know what Nigel Farage is hiding in his shopping bag and why he has scurried off across the supermarket car park to prevent scrutiny of his actions. You are compelled by your baptism to be a beacon of Truth and Justice. Do not let him get away with this. You deserve an MP who serves the interests of you and your family not one who serves the interests of himself and Crypto billionaires. Show Nigel Farage that your vote is not for sale .

God Bless you and yours

Peace and Love

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“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

Almighty God, Windmills and Donald Trump

Photo by John Lines on pixells.com

Donald Trump has called any country with a windmill a loser.

”Wind is the breath of God, The sun is His Gaze and the tide is His Divine touch. The Almighty has gifted this abundance to provide all the energy we need for humanity to thrive . There are over a billion Christians on Earth. Every Christian must embrace the Divine power of Wind, Sun and Tide and reject the use of fossil fuels to protect Creation.”

While Spain and France are tackling devastating wild fires engulfing their countries the climate change denying President of the United States demands that the newly elected Prime Minister of Britain, Andy Burnham, does his bidding and plunders North Sea oil reserves. More drilling, more fires, more devastation , more droughts, more money for the Presidents big oil donors, more destruction of this Eden, our beautiful planet.

Mr Trump’s timing could not be any worse. This week Britain has warned its national security is under threat as the UK is facing one of its worst ever harvests on record due to nationwide drought. The brutal harvest has devastated critical crops such as barley, oats, and oilseed rape which are key ingredients used in bread, beer, breakfast cereals, and livestock feed . Mr Trumps answer to climate change is to pour petrol on wildfires by drilling for oil in the North Sea despite science proving that every new fossil fuel ripped from the Earth worsens Global warming and threatens the future of humanity.

Photo by Eclipse Chasers on Pexels.com

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

thelaypope@yahoo.com

Who will MAGA

Only One of these Americans can make America great again.

One of these Americans speaks and the world listens to a call for Peace, Forgiveness and Mercy.

One speaks and people die. Innocent children die in schools, American citizens die in the street and on Capitol Hill, the lives of brave American patriots ( Mothers and Fathers whose children await to greet them when they return home) are lost fighting a war condemned by International law.

One advocates for the purity of Truth and Justice.

One says that Truth is only what he says it is and vilifies those who defend the absolute independence of what is Just.

One of these Americans implores us to Love our enemies .

One calls us to hate the friends and allys we have cherished for generations if they do not agree with him.

One of these Americans has earned the respect of the nations of the world through his unrelenting calls to end wars.

One threatens to annihilate civilisations.

One of these Americans is at Peace with himself.

One is in mental turmoil.

One leads a compassionate simple and humble life filled with gratitude and spiritual wealth.

One is being eaten alive from within by his desire for ever more and cannot be satisfied regardless of how much power and material wealth he acquires.

One of these Americans inspires by example through humility and unrelenting service to others.

One is consumed by the agony of his insatiable ego and self interest and demands others serve him, unconditionally.

One is calm, patient, confident, resilient, steadfast and joy filled.

The other is increasingly infirm, erratic, deeply mentally troubled, prone to angry outbursts and is now an existential threat to himself and humanity.

One of these Americans personifies the Love of Our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

One does not.

One is a Beacon of God’s Light in an all too often dark and troubled world.

One creates Darkness

One of these Americans is the revelation of the Will of God that our lives will be fulfilled and overflowing with Love, Peace and Wellbeing if we Love our neighbour and we place spiritual wealth above material goods

One is physically, emotionally and mentally corrupted and decaying , weighed down by the unbearable agony of realising he is close to Death and that the personal empire he has addicted himself to throughout his life is ashes to him.

One of these Americans has earned the prayers of the Saints.

One needs us all to pray earnestly for the salvation of his soul.

Which of these men are you

God Bless you

Peace and Love

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

” It takes money to kill bad guys” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

Above : One of the ‘bad guys’ that US Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth needs money to kill

On Weds March 18th 2026 The Washington Post reported that the ​Pentagon has ‌asked the White House ​to ​approve a more ⁠than $200 ​billion request ​to the U.S. Congress to ​fund ​the war in ‌Iran.

This is an example of what Mr.Hegseth wants to buy.

Tomahawk subsonic land cruise missile ……. $ 3.5 000 000

The image above shows the aftermath of the US Tomahawk cruise missile which destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeth girls elementary school in Minab, Iran on the first day of the 2026 Iran war killing between 175 and 180 people , most of whom were schoolchildren between 7 and 12 years of age. ” It takes money to kill bad guys ”

Imagine what the $200 billion ( thats $200 000 000 000 ) that Mr Hegseth is hoping to spend on weapons that butcher women and children could be spent on .  The national average full-time teacher salary in the US stands at $74,200……….. Do the maths !

But Mr Hegseth needs the money to, in his words, ”kill the bad guys”

Above : One of the ‘bad guys’ that US Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth needs money to kill

And what about nurses ….. Imagine how many additional nurses could be recruited if $200, 000 000 000 were spent on saving lives rather than annihilating them. The national average full time nurse salary in the US stands at $91000 ………. Do the maths !

But Mr Hegseth needs the money to, in his words, ”kill the bad guys”

Above : One of the ‘bad guys’ that US Secretary of State for War Pete Hegseth needs money to kill

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ( USCCB ) have strongly criticised the US/Israel war in Iran  urging an immediate de-escalation, diplomacy, and prayer to avoid a “tragedy of immense proportions”.

Pope Leo has urged all Catholics to pray that “the roar of bombs might cease, that weapons might fall silent, and that a space for dialogue might open, in which the voice of the peoples may be heard.”

”Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions, I make a heartfelt appeal to all the parties involved to assume the moral responsibility of halting the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm. May diplomacy regain its proper role, and may the well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice, be upheld. And let us continue to pray for peace.”

On March 6th 2026, Kevin Clarke of America magazine reminded us of the Catholic concept of a just war …. He wrote ”War-making must be a last resort, all peaceful avenues of resolution having been exhausted. The use of force must be proportional, that is, the suffering it prevents must be greater than the misery it is likely to create. The conflict cannot be the cause of more disorder and evil than those it seeks to address. In conflict, belligerents must discriminate between combatant and noncombatant, taking all measures to protect the latter.”

The US/Israeli war in Iran, unsanctioned by the UN or Congress, meets none of the criteria above. All Christians must unite to condemn this affront to humanity.

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

All Catholics must divest themselves of any shares in Companies which manufacture weapons of war under threat of ex communication if they do not.

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

my e mail is : the laypope@yahoo.com

The cock has crowed three times for Bishop Barron

Bishop Robert Barron you are a member of Donald Trumps  presidential committee on Religious freedom . What do you say to him when he withdrew USAID resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent men women and children. Your silence is deafening ! Did you not hear the cock crow for the first time.

What do you say to him when innocent American citizens were murdered by Trump’s ICE assassins. Your silence is deafening ! Did you not hear the cock crow for the second time

What do you say to him as his stomach churning support for Netanyahu’s savage genocide in Gaza sees children blown to pieces by American military hardware. Your silence is deafening ! Do you not hear the cock crowing for the third time.

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

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Catholics to Boycott Israeli goods and services

Following the bombing of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Aug. 25, 2025 which took the lives of at least 20 people including 5 journalists Caritas Internationalis condemned “the man-made famine and assault on Gaza City”

“This is not war. It is the systematic destruction of civilian life,” the Catholic aid organization declared adding that Caritas Internationalis bears witness to this horror. “The siege of Gaza has become a machinery of annihilation, sustained by impunity and the silence, or complicity, of powerful nations.”

“Famine here is not a natural disaster but the outcome of a deliberate strategy: blocking aid, bombing food convoys, destroying infrastructure, and denying basic needs,”

Condemning the : “hollow declarations and empty platitudes” of the international community the Catholic Charity stated that “Civilians, mostly children and women, are being starved, bombed, and erased. Influential governments, corporations, and multinationals have enabled this catastrophe through military support, financial aid, and diplomatic cover.”

The Catholic Church must stop praying about the genocide in Gaza and start to do something to stop the slaughter. There are over a billion Catholics on this Earth. Pope Leo must sanction the savage Netanyahu by immediately decreeing that every Catholic on the planet must boycott Israeli goods and services. Innocents are being slaughtered as you read this . Prayers are not enough. In the name of God Act now Pope Leo !

Stop the slaughter – boycott Israeli goods and services now

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

thelaypope@yahoo.com

Is Donald Trump planning to sell signed copies of the Holy Eucharist

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

contact details: thelaypope@yahoo.com

Can a Lay person be elected Pope ?

Speaking to the Pontifical Council for the Laity on June 17th, 2016 the Holy Father said :“We need lay people who take risks, who get their hands dirty, who are not afraid of making mistakes, who go forward. We need lay people with a vision of the future, not confined to the little things of life.”

Be honest ! Did you know that Catholic Canon Law states that any Catholic baptised male who has reached the age of Reason may be considered for election to the Papacy. I wrote a letter to Pope Francis, which I share with you below, asking for his advice on how I may be included on the list of those being considered to succeed him. I forwarded it by e mail to Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. I did this some months ago now and to date have not received a reply. This is hardly surprising ….. I would love to have been a fly on the wall of the offices that received this correspondence. After the laughter had died down it would have been interesting to see which bin it ended up in. After all when the hope of the majority of Catholics world wide for Married priests and women Deacons is laughed away by a small Clericalist elite within our Church it is ludicrous to imagine that a lay Catholic committed to continuing the reforms of Pope Francis could be elected to succeed him. So why don’t I just give up ? I will tell you why.

It is critical that the successor to Pope Francis is committed to continuing the reforms he has implemented and those in the planning stage particularly in relation to his efforts to extinguish clericalism and promote a more inclusive outward looking Church. Those who have actively and vehemently opposed Francis’ Pontificate ( those who the Pope himself said ”want me dead ” ) are vigorously and relentlessly engaged in working to ensure that whoever takes over from him will be a figurehead for dismantling Francis’ reforms and returning Mother Church to the clutches of a clericalist hierarchy that facilitated a culture of world wide sexual abuse the scale of which should have consigned the Catholic Church to the darkest pages of history.

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, professor of theology at Manhattan College said: “There is no doubt that clericalism is at the root of the abuse crisis. Clericalism is isolating and insular — it cuts off the ‘oxygen’ of genuine solidarity and sharing-of-life with laypeople by creating a separate class, even a separate caste, within the church.”

Pope Francis has made his views on clericalism painfully clear. “Clericalism” he said ” is a perversion of the priesthood: it is a perversion. ”  

“Clericalism, far from giving impetus to various contributions and proposals, gradually extinguishes the prophetic flame to which the entire Church is called to bear witness. Clericalism forgets that the visibility and the sacramentality of the Church belong to all the faithful people of God (cf. Lumen Gentium, 9-14), not only to the few chosen and enlightened.”

The People of God are crying out for the hierarchy to be dismantled and for clerics to become what Jesus ordained them to be , servants of the people and not the powerful unaccountable overlords that they have become. Appointing a Lay Catholic to the Papacy is a significant step in the right direction

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has targeted clericalism as an illness in the church, an ailment that pretends “the church” means “priests and bishops,” that ignores or minimizes the God-given grace and talents of laypeople and that emphasizes the authority of clerics over their obligation of service. (Cindy Wooden, America Magazine, Aug 22, 2018 )

Australia’s Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse concluded that “clericalism is at the center of a tightly interconnected cluster of contributing factors” to the worldwide Catholic Church abuse scandal and added that “Clericalism is linked to a sense of entitlement, superiority and exclusion, and abuse of power,”

Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, Germany once said :

“Sexual abuse has only one origin, [and it is] in the wrong use of power in our church,”

That power has been abused for too long. Giving the People of God an active participation in the life of the Church means nothing unless it results in the detraction from its current hierarchy. The synod on synodality means nothing unless it results in the absolute destruction of corrupt privileged elitist clericalism.

So I am sending my letter one more time , in the hope that the Holy Spirit guides it to some soul who won’t propel it into the nearest bin, in the hope that my Sisters and Brothers in our beloved Church will awaken to the grave threat of a forthcoming Clericalist Pope and in the hope that our Church will be Graced with a successor to my beloved Francis who will continue his Christ centred reforms.

Letter to Pope Francis

‘‘ Dear Papa Francesco , my Brother in Christ!

When you were asked about your vocation recently you said:

“ I heard just like a voice, a call ……..”

You said it was like a voice …. but not a voice.

During the pandemic lockdown I was awakened at 3am by a call. It too was like a voice… but not a voice. It was as if I was feeling it rather than hearing it …. I felt the words “Who can be Pope?

” I truly believe it was the Holy Spirit !

My previous understanding was that only privileged, elitist Cardinals could become the Pope but prompted by the Holy Spirit I did some research and to my surprise I learned that any Catholic male who has reached the age of Reason can become so.

The “Calling ” awoke me around 3am over a number of weeks and each time I wrote about what I “ Felt ”.

As I have said I truly believe that what was happening was the actual guidance of the Holy Spirit urging me to mission, to vocation. Prompted by this I began to write a blog which I entitled ‘Manifesto for a Lay Pope’ . Please read a little if you have time. It can be found at ‘thelaypope.com’

The Truthful conclusion of the grave concerns you have raised about clericalism is to open up all positions within Mother Church to the Laity. This includes the Papacy. The Holy Spirit advises me that I have a right, in Catholic Canon Law, as a baptized male who has reached the age of Reason to put myself forward to be considered as Head of the Catholic Church after you my beloved Brother. I therefore ask for your advice and guidance about what I have to do to progress my candidacy.

I suggest that including a lay person on the list alongside Cardinals is very much in accord with your Christ centred reforms of the Church. As Cindy Wooden in America magazine wrote ;

Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has targeted clericalism as an illness in the church, an ailment that pretends “the church” means “priests and bishops,” that ignores or minimizes the God-given grace and talents of laypeople and that emphasizes the authority of clerics over their obligation of service.

Of course I do not expect to be the only Lay Catholic to be included ( as I am far from the best lay person for this role) Some process would need to be arrived at to choose the most appropriate Lay candidate to join the list of Cardinals.

It would be good to speak with you about what I have written .

You are often in my prayers.

Peace and Love

God Bless you Brother, ”

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

contact details: thelaypope@yahoo.com


Time to ordain Women in the Catholic Church

“The hour comes, the hour has come, in which the vocation of the woman is completed in fullness, the hour in which the woman acquires in society an influence, an irradiation, a power never before reached. It is for this reason, at this moment in which humanity is experiencing such a profound transformation, that women imbued with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to help humanity not to decay” Saint Paul VI

Speaking at the assembly of the Synod of Bishops on Oct 25th 2023 Pope Francis said:

“Here I would like to emphasize that, among God’s holy and faithful people, faith is transmitted in dialect, and generally in a feminine dialect….. This is not only because the Church is mother and it is precisely women who best reflect her,” , but also because “it is women who know how to hope, know how to discover the resources of the church and of the faithful people, who take risks beyond the limit, perhaps with fear but courageously.”

The Ordination of Women in the Catholic Church

Its time to ordain women in the Catholic Church

Peace and Love

thelaypope.com

“I may speak in tongues of men or of angels but if I am without Love I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophesy and know every hidden truth; I may have Faith strong enough to move mountains but if I have no Love I am nothing. I may dole out all I possess or even give my body to be burnt but if I have no Love I am none the better. Love is patient; Love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful nor conceited nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence. Love takes no score of wrongs; does not gloat over others men’s sins but delights in the Truth. There is nothing Love cannot face; there is no limit to its Faith, its Hope and its Endurance.”
1 Corinthians 13: 1-7

contact details: thelaypope@yahoo.com

Manifesto for a Lay Pope. My promise to you; If I am elected Pope I will decree that:

The ordination of women will be enshrined within Catholic Canon Law