Things the Saints, Mary, or the Church didn’t say…
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“Know that at the very hour I passed, 33,000 people also died. Out of this number, Saint Bernard and myself went up to Heaven without delay, 3 went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell.” – Saint Vincent Ferrer / Saint Leonard of Port Maurice
This quote is almost certainly, thankfully, fake (or at least, not what is implied) for a few reasons. The first issue is authenticity – did the saint actually say it? Internet sleuths have found that the quote comes from a book called Prediche quaresmali, Volume III, pages 146-182, published in 1806. This would seem at…
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“Even if the Pope were Satan incarnate, we ought not to raise up our heads against him, but calmly lie down to rest on his bosom.” – St. Catherine of Siena
This quote comes from a book about Saint Catherine of Siena called the “Apostolic Digest” that was written by Michael Malone. However, as one of the few actually smart people on that cesspool called Reddit discovered, it’s a mistranslation of another translation, of another translation. Let’s examine the actual quote she said: “If God has…
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“There is a light in this world, a healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometimes lose sight of this force when there is suffering, too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.” – Saint Mother Teresa
This was actually said by Richard Attenborough. You know him as Dr. John Hammond in Jurassic Park. He was also an agnostic, so this was not an intended reference to the Holy Spirit. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/362111-there-is-a-light-in-this-world-a-healing-spirit
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“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace…” – Saint Francis Assisi
The famous prayer is not in any of Saint Francis Assisi’s writings, and has not been traced further than 1912. The first appearance of the Peace Prayer occurred in France in 1912 in a small spiritual magazine called La Clochette (The Little Bell). It was published in Paris by a Catholic association known as La Ligue de la…
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“For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe in God, no explanation is possible.” – Saint Thomas Aquinas
The most famous use of this actually came from “The Song of Bernadette,” a 1943 film. The earliest known occurrence is a newspaper from 1882. Further reading / sources
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“A man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.” – Saint Francis of Assisi
The following prophecy is often used by sedevacantist websites (“no true Popes since Pius XII”) to help justify their position: Act bravely, my Brethren; take courage, and trust in the Lord. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity…
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“Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” – Saint Francis of Assisi
This quote never appears in Francis’s writings. Also, he probably wouldn’t have said it, because it contradicts the Bible: How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? Or how shall they believe him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher? And how shall…
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“One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.” – Pope Francis
This was widely reported in news media, but then almost every media outlet that covered it retracted the story. It originated from a mistranslation of an Italian newspaper that was then reported, and retracted, by the New York Times. The original story was trying to quote a much earlier pope: One day, we will see…
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“Lord, grant me the strength to change the things I can, the serenity to deal with the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Saint Francis of Assisi (or Augustine, or Thomas Aquinas, etc.)
This is actually known, in its various forms, as the Serenity Prayer and was made famous by the Alcoholics Anonymous in 1941. It is also generally believed to have been written by Reinhold Niebuhr, a Reformed (Calvinist) theologian. Others attribute it to his colleague, Winnifred Wygal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serenity_Prayer
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“The priests, ministers of my Son, […] have become cesspools of impurity.” – Our Lady of La Salette
This comes from the updated 1879 version of the La Salette prophecy. This version (due to many other issues) was later placed on the Index of Forbidden Books, its defenders received censure, and was described as being “merely a work of the imagination” by “wise and prudent persons” in the Catholic Encyclopedia from 1910. See…