Not long after December 17th 2023 (the 80th birthday of our late Pope Francis), and the release of Fiducia Supplicans on December 18th 2023 (the following day), it was reported that lightening struck a statue of St. Peter (at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in San Nicolas, in the Pope's native Argentina, on his 80th birthday.) And that this happened on the day before the release of Fiducia Supplicans (the Papal document which authorized the non liturgical blessing of same sex couples.) It was said that the lightening obliterated the statue's halo, and the right hand of blessing (containing the key of binding and loosing promised Saint Peter), but photographic evidence later proved that the halo had been removed years before. So the part about the halo being struck by lightning (and obliterated by an act of God) is untrue. It's also actually unclear when and how the statue lost it's right hand. I sent inquires to the monks who maintain the sanctuary, and received this reply.
"...while there is a statue of Saint Peter that is missing its key, we have no certainty that a lightning strike on that date caused the damage. The Sanctuary is equipped with lightning rods...It is more likely an act of vandalism, as we have experienced similar incidents in the past; in the early 2000s, pilgrims driving to the Sanctuary and parking in the area would have their car stereos stolen."
There were certainly some who were quick to take this as a sign of God’s displeasure with Pope Francis. And sedevacantists (somewhat inconsistently in my view) took is as a sign that God was rejecting the Papacy (even though they believe He rejected it decades ago.)
But if the damage to the statue was caused by lightning on the 80th birthday of Pope Francis (and the eve of the publication of Fiducia Supplicans), what could it mean?
Was it a prophecy?
Was it a sign of God's displeasure?
Was it a warning from God?
Or was it the accuser of the brethren attacking the Pope (and/or the Church), and being allowed to try our faith (and/or that of Pope Francis)?
Short answer--I don't know (and I don't believe the monks at the shrine, or the defenders and detractors of Pope Francis) know either.
But lets look at each of these possibilities?
1.) Could it have been prophetic?
Yes.
It was a statue of St. Peter, not Pope Francis.
And removal of the right hand of the statue (with the key) could easily be taken to symbolize the death of the reigning Pope--St. Peter's right hand, so to speak (who, at the time, was Pope Francis.) And Pope Francis was in fact taken from us within two years.
So whether it was a sign of God's displeasure or not, it could easily have been a prophetic sign to Pope Francis himself. And the meaning could have been that he was being called home soon.
2.) Could it have been a sign of God's displeasure (and disapproval of Feducia Supplicans)?
Yes.
As Pope Leo has said (and as Pope Francis himself said), marriage can only be between a man and a woman. Homosexual activity is still sinful. And the Church has no authority to bless sin (in the sense of giving it it's approval.)
This is why the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith almost immediately came out with a separate document saying that Fiducia Supplicans was not authorizing the liturgical blessing of same sex unions, signifying church approval of homosexual relationships, or signaling any change in Church doctrine.
So what was the point of Fiducia Supplicans?
It appears to have been an attempt to placate some German bishops who actually wanted (and still want) to bless same sex marriages?
https://youtube.com/shorts/Hr8NbrA5aXA?is=-bZq40XdLFGg2BQt
https://youtu.be/Iwub_sMl0G0?is=8bEnRkeY9n2Dvcoq
And was it damaging to the Church?
It would appear so.
https://youtu.be/pdBaVNeKJT8?is=5jK9htuLCvRNoQRx
https://youtu.be/f9feCGYz7Ts?is=u5WmJlwYXwa8I9Jx
So could it have been a sign of God’s displeasure?
Yes.
Even if you're a hopeful universalist (as I am), you should realize that no one will be saved in their sins. We are saved from our sins. And the gospel of cheep grace is a false gospel.
3.) Could it have been a warning?
Yes.
And given Pope Francis's later statements (reining in the German bishops), and his response to the concerns of Cardinal Ambongo (of Africa), Pope Francis may well have heeded that warning.
After all, whatever damage or confusion Fiducia Supplicans caused the Church, it could have been much worse if Pope Francis had gone as far as some wanted him to.
4.) Could it have been the devil (and the powers of darkness) attacking the Pope (and the Church), and being allowed by God to try our faith?
Yes.
There is evidence from the Bible, and the history of the Church, that this is possible.
"Then the LORD said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.' Satan answered the LORD, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face.' 'Very well,' said the LORD to Satan. 'Everything he has is in your hands, but you must not lay a hand on the man himself...Now upon a certain day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their eldest brother, There came a messenger to Job, and said: The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them, And the Sabeans rushed in, and took all away, and slew the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell thee. And while he was yet speaking, another came, and said: The fire of God fell from heaven, and striking the sheep and the servants, hath consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell thee. And while he also was yet speaking, there came another, and said: The Chaldeans made three troops, and have fallen upon the camels, and taken them, moreover they have slain the servants with the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell thee. He was yet speaking, and behold another came in, and said: Thy sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their elder brother: A violent wind came on a sudden from the side of the desert, and shook the four corners of the house, and it fell upon thy children and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to fell thee." (Job 1: 8-19.)
"And the Lord said: “Simon, Simon! Behold, Satan has asked for you, so that he may sift you like wheat." (Luke 22:31.)
And from the history of the Church:
"In that same year (1091 A.D.), on the 17th day of October, there arose so great a wind that it seemed as if the whole framework of the world were being dissolved. The violence of the storm tore off the lead from the roofs of churches, uprooted great trees, and threw down houses. Many churches were thrown down, and the roofs of others were carried away. It was understood by many that this was the malice of the Devil, raging because the Church was being brought back to the discipline of the Fathers."
--Geoffrey Bosanquet, trans., Eadmer’s History of Recent Events in England (London: Cresset Press, 1964), pp. 97-98.
So which is it? In my opinion it could have been any of these things. Or an act of human vandalism (as my contact in San Nicolas suggested.)
These are just my thoughts concerning something that has troubled me, and I've tried to be balanced.
I hope these thoughts might be helpful to anyone else troubled by the alleged lightening strike.
And I think these YouTube videos are relevant here.
https://youtu.be/-Fo6hWCmszE?is=08Us0mhUoKtbrzNs
https://youtu.be/Ss3hsKAF7dI?is=JiVgpRWPoLh61hbE
https://youtu.be/l_OfAX5LLOI?is=F4IAVshvXqd8y3yT
https://youtu.be/FueD8uzIoy0?is=pOTKD9P-T7MeD0bw