Even before the elevation of CardinalRatzinger to the Papacy, the world have been polarized into two camps; those for Christ and those against Christ. During apostolic times, those against Christ( satan and his cohorts) were outside the Church and attacked those within. But Satan saw that in this way he was just sending hordes of souls to heaven through martyrdom. No, he wanted them in hell. So he changed his tactic. He placed his cockles within the Church and attacked her from within. St. Paul would, eventually, describe this as the “Great Apostasy” that would follow the smaller apostasies and herald the end times. Pope Paul VI would comment that the “smoke of Satan” had entered the sanctuary of the Church. Satan had entered the Church since the beginning of Christianity as the parable of the wheat and the cockle illustrates. Should we be surprised that he is all around?
It is a visible sign of the true Church that we have cockles within the wheatfield of the Lord rather than the “we are all saved” declarations of other sects. Ronald Knox noted that in England everyone was saved except the Catholics.
Did you notice that this polarization became more pronounced with Pope Benedict XVI? The historian Hilaire Belloc stated that when Martin Luther left the Catholic Church he, himself, was amazed at his following. He was not a charismatic leader nor a brilliant preacher. So why did half of Europe follow him. Because half of Europe was already Protestant at heart. They were just waiting for an excuse to apostatize. And the Luther was their excuse.
The world of Pope Benedict XVI is already pagan at heart. He was the excuse the apostates and schismatics were waiting for.
St. Paul gave the “great apostasy” as a sign of the end times. Are we in the end times? Does this explain the great apostasy happening today. Is this why Pope Benedict looks forward to a small Church? Is this why the Pope is hesitant in exerting efforts arresting the great apostasy? Prophesies are always fulfilled.
During this polarization, there is nothing we can do about the other side. All our efforts must be in keeping ourselves and our love ones in the RIGHT side,(literally the side of those who will be saved) on the side of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ.