Pope Francis and tarot

oh but there IS a Jesus card...but only in the Connolly deck, that I know of! lol!

(my husband penned the note when he saw my deck in the kitchen, and this card (9 Cups) happened to be on the bottom.)

And I have been saved by Tarot - well, my sanity and intellect has...never have I met a thing that so makes me study, learn, question and grow!

Hi, nicky. No, you're a bit confused in your post. The Pope is only supposed to be infallible when he utters a proclamation on matters of faith & morals "ex cathedra" - in his official capacity. This is so rare that in the history of the Catholic Church it has only ever happened TWICE EVER: stating the doctrines of the immacultate conception of Mary herself (i.e. was conceived in her own mother's womb "without taint of original sin") and of Mary's "assumption, body & soul, into heaven."
Apart from these 2 statements of doctrine, the popes have never claimed to be God's mouthpiece etc & are human like everyone else, & need confession & absolution, etc.

I agree with ravenest that technically, the pope didn't say that people turn to divination & tarot for salvation or that tarot is wrong or sinful. He just subtly implied it. Clever!

eta Oh yes, Lotus Padma - I see what you mean now! And indeed so much overt & esoteric Christian symbolism abounds in early tarot decks, which appeared & developed in Catholic Italy after all ...

seven stars said:

Ya I dunno anyone who was ever "saved" by Tarot.

I do find it (only slightly) interesting that there is a Pope card, and an Adam & Eve...a hermit usually portrayed as a monk, Judgment usually portrayed with trumpeting angels, the Devil, heck even the 7 of cups straight out of Revelations 16 & lots of other religious symbolism....and no Jesus card.

Click to expand...

Some researchers have identified the World card as Christ, in some early decks. The iconography is that of Christ in Majesty. The Wikipedia entry for the World card mentions this too.

momentarylight said:

I also know Catholics who use tarot

Click to expand...

I happen to be one. My mother is another one, and her mother, sisters and aunts were a few more. Even my ancestors back in "the old country" (Ireland, in the late 1800s and perhaps before that too) were card readers--I'm not sure if that means playing cards or tarot though, and they were also psychic-mediums and crystal ball readers. ) so far, none of us have been 'found out' or excommunicated--yet. but, I did come close.

I worked for the church--and one day the Priest came to my home and I had forgotten to put all my cards away and left one out-under the coffee table. He saw it. freaked. told me to get rid of it, or he'd excommunicate me. I lied to him and told him I did get rid of it. A while later, he was defrocked due to having had many years of affairs molesting young boys.

had I only known THAT the same day he threatened ME!

seven stars said:

Ya I dunno anyone who was ever "saved" by Tarot.

I do find it (only slightly) interesting that there is a Pope card, and an Adam & Eve...a hermit usually portrayed as a monk, Judgment usually portrayed with trumpeting angels, the Devil, heck even the 7 of cups straight out of Revelations 16 & lots of other religious symbolism....and no Jesus card.

Click to expand...

there is another with a Jesus card in it, but try as I might, I just cannot remember which deck! If my terrible memory serves somewhat well, he is the magician in this deck. anyone know of which deck I'm thinking of???

eta: as soon as I posted this, I recalled. It IS the magician card in the Golden Tarot by Kat Black. beautifully done too.

I have this deck, and had to grab it to find the artist, as I did know it was copied from a piece of art done of Jesus. The artist was Master Bertram and was part of his Grabow Altarpiece. Many other cards in this deck is also of Bible people--including the Blessed Mother too.

Lotus Padma said:

oh but there IS a Jesus card...but only in the Connolly deck, that I know of! lol!

Click to expand...

Doesn't one of the Connolly {cannoli?} cards (mine are in storage) have the image of Christ from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - and he has the symbols of the four suits chained to him ... or something?

tarotbear said:

Doesn't one of the Connolly {canoli?} cards (mine are in storage) have the image of Christ from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - and he has the symbols of the four suits chained to him ... or something?

Click to expand...

Not seen! I just looked through mine, and that image is not there - might you be thinking of another deck, TB?

CN - yes, well, I do believe Catholics are an inch short of being Pagans... (being a lapsed one, myself.)

Laura, that was very interesting about the historical images of the World!

Okay, among other religious people, the Empress card in Kat Blacks Golden Tarot is the Blessed Mother and infant Jesus, the Lovers card depicts Adam & Eve; Strength is St. George and St. Catherine;The Wheel of Fortune depicts the Blessed Nativity;Justice - one of the Archangels;The Hanged Man-St. Sebastian;Death-The Blessed Mother again; Temperance= St. Clare and St. Elizabeth;the wine jars in the Devil card are the ones from the Wedding at Cana; and so it goes on, and on.

tarotbear said:

Doesn't one of the Connolly {canoli?} cards (mine are in storage) have the image of Christ from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - and he has the symbols of the four suits chained to him ... or something?

Click to expand...

found it - it is the Devil card renamed Materialism...(it was stuck to the inside of the box, lol!)

I'm Catholic and I use tarot. The majority of my clients are Catholic or Episcopalian. Each person thinks for themselves, on this subject and any else, so long as they choose to use their brains. I honestly do not expect the pope or any other religious leader of any faith to suddenly go pro-tarot cards. Each has their own teaching and their own methods, own tools to use. Be it Bible, Koran, books or beads, etc. And it doesn't bother me a bit. I think all the faiths out there need to learn to respect and honour their faith best as they can, as well as each others before they get into all the details of what "tools" can be used or considered forbidden fruit. With paper products like books and snail mail, magazines and newspapers, being transformed into e-text and computerized, who knows what the future of tarot will be. And for that matter, what the future of religion will be! There may be no Catholic Church or at least nothing like what we see now, and no tarot decks. But for the present I choose to use tarot/oracles and other forms of divination for problem solving, ideas, creativity and intellectual/spiritual growth! I am so very grateful for them!

well said, HC.