A German Attack on Christ’s Lordship by Raymond L. Burke 9 . 27 . 19 https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/09/a-german-attack-on-christs-lordship Half a millennium after the Reformation, Germans are making trouble again for the Roman Church. This time, Germany’s Catholic bishops have set out to remake the Church in their own liberal image. The German episcopate this week adopted a statutory framework to govern its upcoming “Synodal Assembly.” The agenda will include reviewing “Church teaching on sexual morality, the role of women in Church offices and ministries, priestly life and discipline, and the separation of powers in Church governance.” And lest there be any doubt about the direction the majority aims to take in these areas, the bishops drafted the statutes with the Central Committee of German Catholics, a lay outfit that advocates women’s ordination, an end to priestly celibacy, and various other concessions to the sexual revolution. These moves have met with severe disapproval from a broad spectrum of ecclesial opinion in Rome. Pope Francis has asked the Germans to focus on evangelization in their synod. The Congregation for Bishops has described Germany’s “binding synodal path” as “invalid.” And the Church’s traditionalist prelates, most notably Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, are up in arms—in response to the German process as well as to the upcoming Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon region, also heavily driven by the Germans. What are the stakes, for the Church and the gospel? Can the German and Amazonian processes be stopped? To find out, I sat down last week with Cardinal Burke at his apartment just off St. Peter’s Square. The resulting interview has been edited for length and clarity. —Sohrab Ahmari Sohrab Ahmari: Your Eminence, is the German bishops’ “binding synodal path” connected to the upcoming Pan-Amazon Synod? Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke: They are very much connected. In fact, a number of the great proponents of the thrust of the Amazon Synod working document are German bishops and priests. And certain bishops in Germany have taken an unusual interest in this Amazon synod. For instance, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen has said that “nothing will be the same” after the Amazonian Synod process, the Church will be so completely changed, in his view. SA: Is Germany’s “synodal path” ecclesially valid? CB: It’s not valid at all. This has been made very clear. . . . In the letter to German bishops, Cardinal Marc Ouellet of the Congregation for Bishops [told the Germans] that they are undertaking a process that is basically outside the Church—in other words, attempting to create a church according to their own image and likeness. As far as I’m concerned, this synodal way in Germany needs to be stopped before greater harm is done to the faithful. They have already begun this, and they insist that it can’t be stopped. But we’re talking about the salvation of souls, which means we need to take whatever measure is necessary. SA: What is motivating the German bishops’ push, both in their own country and in the Amazon? CB: The German bishops believe that they can now define doctrine, which is false. Otherwise, we would end up with a whole group of national churches, each with their own preferences regarding doctrine and discipline. The catholicity of the Catholic Church is exactly what’s at risk. The Catholic Church is a church that has one faith, one sacramental system, and one discipline throughout the whole world, and therefore we’ve never thought that each part of the world would define the Church according to particular cultures. That’s what’s being suggested in this working document of the Amazon and in Germany. They say that the Amazon region is a fount of divine revelation, and therefore when the Church goes there in her missionary capacity, she should learn from the culture. This denies the fact that the Church brings the message of Christ, who alone is our salvation, and addresses that message to the culture—not the other way around! So yes, there will be objectively good elements in the culture, inasmuch as conscience and nature point to revelation; there are things in the culture that will respond immediately to the Church’s teaching. But there will be other elements that must be purified and elevated. Why? Because Christ alone is our salvation. We don’t save ourselves, either individually or as a society. SA: But the proponents of the Amazonian process say there are too few priests in the Amazon region. CB: So we need to cultivate priests for the missions, and secondly, we need to cultivate vocations among the native peoples themselves. I visited Brazil in June of 2017, and I was visiting with an archbishop who had been bishop in the Pan-Amazon for more than a decade. I asked him directly this question, because there was talk already then about relativizing the Church’s teaching on celibacy to recruit more priests. And he told me that while he was bishop, he devoted himself especially to the development of vocations, and there were a good number of vocations. Very clearly he said, “It’s not true, this notion that the people in this region don’t understand perfect continence required of priests or don’t respond to it. That’s not true at all.” He said, “If you teach them about the celibacy of Christ himself and therefore the fittingness that his priests should also be celibate, they can certainly understand that.” Amazonians are human beings like you and me, and they can order their lives with the help of God’s grace. SA: A larger point made by proponents of both the German and Amazonian processes is that conditions in modernity are simply too difficult to sustain the Church’s moral teaching and her discipline, whether involving priestly celibacy or divorce and remarriage for lay people. CB: I took part in the 2014 session of the Synod of Bishops on the family, and that argument was specifically used with respect to those who are divorced and their being able to enter into a so-called second marriage. It was a German cardinal who said the Church’s teaching on marriage is an “ideal,” that not all people are able to realize it, and therefore we need to give those who fail in marriage the possibility of entering into a second marriage. But the fundamental error is that marriage isn’t an ideal! It’s a grace. Marriage is a sacrament, and those who marry, even the weakest human beings, receive the grace to live according to the truth of marriage. Christ by his coming has overcome sin and its fruit, which is eternal death. He gives us, from his own being, from his own glorious body, the grace of the Holy Spirit to live in matrimony. God gives grace to us whether we’re married or celibate. Christ himself is the example. He did not marry. He chose perfect continence in order to be for everyone, to be the savior of all. So he shows the cooperation with grace as it relates to the sexual aspect of our being. So the celibate clergy are also a tremendous encouragement to the married. Because it isn’t easy to be married, either. It’s not easy to be faithful. It’s not easy also to give one’s whole life, to be married until death do us part. And likewise, it isn’t easy to embrace the grace of procreation. So there’s this great mystery of divine grace in our lives, and that’s what’s being missed here. There’s a very strong influence here of German idealism, of Hegelian historicist notions. SA: But doesn’t our hyper-sexualized culture make it so much harder to adhere to the Church’s moral teachings? I sometimes think that the great saints had it so much easier, either because they were cloistered, or because when they stepped out into the world, they weren’t confronted with such a thoroughly “pornographized” atmosphere. CB: But even Saint Anthony of the Desert suffered these tremendous temptations. He saw images of naked women in his hermitage. One of our difficulties in life is that sometimes we permit ourselves to see sinful things: This is the great evil of pornography. We see images that stay with us and remain sources of temptation later. But in all of that, God gives us the grace to combat these temptations. Saint Paul says in the beginning of the letter to the Colossians, “I rejoiced to complete in my body what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” It isn’t that there is anything lacking in Christ’s sufferings, except that we have to unite ourselves to them. This is the mystery. Many today, because of the advances in science and technology, think that life should always be easier and more convenient, and they bring that mentality into the Church. So if there is any teaching that is hard, they simply say, “Well, that can’t be right. It must be all right to fornicate or whatever else.” continued...
continued from above... SA: Eminence, let’s turn to the legal structures involved: What is a synod? What is its legal or canonical status within the Church’s structures? CB: The concept has always been there. The fundamental concept of a synod was to call together representatives of the clergy and the lay people to see how the Church could more effectively teach and more effectively apply her discipline. Synods never had anything to do with changing doctrine or with changing discipline. It was all meant to be a way of furthering the mission of the Church. The definition of a synod is based upon the truth that every Catholic as a true soldier of Christ is called to safeguard and promote the truths of the faith and the discipline by which those truths are practiced. Otherwise, the solemn assembly of bishops in synod would betray the mission. A synod, according to the Code of Canon Law, is supposed to assist the Roman pontiff with counsel in the preservation and growth of faith and morals, and the observance and strengthening of ecclesiastical discipline. There’s nothing there about altering the doctrine or the discipline! The working document of the Pan-Amazonian synod is a direct attack on the Lordship of Christ. It says to people, “You already have the answers, and Christ is just one among many sources of answers.” This is apostasy! Christ is Lord, and in every time and place—this is the genius of the Church. When missionaries have preached Christ, they have also recognized the gifts and talents of the people to whom they were preaching. The people then expressed in their own art and architecture the truths of the Church. They added their own flavor to the expression of the underlying Truth. You’ve probably seen the Japanese Madonnas. They’re done in the Japanese style—but the mystery of Divine Maternity is expressed! SA: Against this backdrop, Eminence, what gives you hope today in the Church? CB: Liturgical renewal among the young is everywhere, and it gives me great hope. There are many young priests and seminarians who don’t buy this revolution one iota. And it’s the liturgy that often attracts them so much, because that is the most perfect and immediate encounter we have with Christ. They’re attracted to the ancient usage, the Extraordinary Form, because it has so many more symbols and is so much more expressive of the transcendent aspect of our life of faith: Our Lord descends to the altar to make himself sacramentally present. Many people come to me very discouraged, some people wanting to leave the Church. But it isn’t all darkness. Look at these young people. Look at these vocations, not just in the United States, but even in Germany. You know they talk about the secularization of Germany, but there are still good Catholic young people and Catholic families. . . . I believe that Christ said that he would never abandon us, that he would be with us until the consummation of the age. I believe him. I trust him. Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. Sohrab Ahmari is the op-ed editor of the New York Post. *** Sep. 27, 2019 Lay Faithful to Gather in Rome to Pray for the Church on Eve of Amazon Synod The group, concerned about evils and the current situation within the Church, will meet for a prayer vigil near the tomb of St. Peter on Oct. 5 Edward Pentin | http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edwa...to-pray-for-the-church-on-eve-of-amazon-synod Lay faithful from across Italy are expected to gather in a piazza near St. Peter’s basilica next week to pray for the Church as she faces a catalogue of challenges, ones which the event organizers have included in a prayer list. Recalling Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s words in 2005 excoriating the “filth” in the Church, and his later words on the “terrifying” sin and persecution from enemies within the Church, the organizers wish to draw attention to the extent of the current evils ranged within the body of the Church and to urge the faithful to pray for her. “The Church is living through her Passion,” one of the vigil’s organizers called Father Giuseppe wrote in a letter to Vaticanist Marco Tosatti that was later reported in the Italian daily Il Tempo. Titled ‘Let’s Pray for the Church!’, the prayer vigil is scheduled to take place at 2.30pm on Oct. 5, in Largo Giovanni XXIII — an open space, usually the location for media on special occasions, at the far end of Via della Conciliazione, the central boulevard leading to St. Peter’s Square (the event has a Facebook page here). The Pan-Amazon Synod runs Oct. 6-27 at the Vatican. The organizers point out that Benedict wished to remind the faithful that there are men in the Church “who are not ‘of the Church,’ do not belong to her, and who indeed work more than anyone else for her destruction.” And they warn that such people will “one day become the majority,” according to St. Paul’s prophecy in his Second Letter to the Thessalonians. “We, a group of Catholic friends, both lay and consecrated, therefore want to pray — together with all those who wish to join us — as close as possible to the tomb of St. Peter, where the popes, with few exceptions, have always desired to reside,” they explain in their publicity. Referring to Benedict’s comments above, they also stress the initiative is not an anti-Pope Francis event because the origins of the current challenges long pre-date his election. “Even the last two years of [Benedict’s] pontificate were, for believers, ones of intense suffering,” wrote Father Giuseppe, “and the obstacles placed in his path by declared or hidden enemies were evident to all.” The organizers and participants will be asking for 10 graces during the prayer vigil. These include praying that those involved clerical abuse scandals not be promoted but removed from leadership positions; that the deposit of faith “not be adulterated;” that the Church be courageous in preaching the Gospel; and that she avoid “acting like sociologists, political scientists, climatologists and ‘logists’ of every kind.” They will also call on the Lord for the grace so that the “non-negotiable principles” are taught and the inviolability of life upheld, that love for Creation not be confused with paganism or pantheism, and that people are reminded that one’s country is a mother for each person but defense of identity has “nothing to do with nationalism or other aberrations.” The organizers will also pray to listen to the cry from the church in Africa and Eastern Europe, for Chinese Catholics, and the persecuted throughout the world. The public prayer vigil is meant as “a sign of hope,” says Francesco Agnoli, one of the event’s participants. “In the midst of so much confusion, there is a small flock in addition to some cardinals that is calling for an end to the storm.” October 5, 2019 in Rome, largo Giovanni XXIII, 2:30pm Let’s Pray for the Church! It was Good Friday 2005, and then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would soon become Pope, declared these unmistakable words: “How much filth there is in the Church, and even among those who, in the priesthood, ought to belong entirely to him!...” (Stations of the Cross, IX station). Once he became Pope, Benedict XVI travelled to Fatima. During an inflight press conference, on May 11, 2010, he told journalists who had asked about the Virgin’s message: “The sufferings of the Church come precisely from within the Church, from the sin that exists in the Church… today we are seeing it in a truly terrifying way: that the greatest persecution of the Church comes not from her enemies outside, but arises from sin within the Church…”. As cardinal and as Pope, Benedict wanted to remind us that there are men in the Church who are not “of the Church,” who do not really belong to her, and who indeed work more than anyone else for her destruction; “the villains and hypocrites who are in the Church,” St. Augustine said in De Civitate Dei [The City of God], will one day become the majority, according to the prophecy of St. Paul in the Second Letter to the Thessalonians. We, a group of Catholic friends, both lay and consecrated, therefore want to pray — together with all those who wish to join us — as close as possible to the tomb of St. Peter, where the popes, with few exceptions, have always desired to reside. We are asking God for these graces: [Please click on the link above to view the list of graces.]
It seems that the only force they are binding themselves to is Lucifer....and it appears to be a done deal. German synod plans to be vetted by controversial lay group, not Vatican CNA).- The plan for a “binding synodal process” recently approved by the German bishops will be sent to a controversial lay group for amendment and approval, CNA has learned. On Sept. 25, the German bishops’ conference concluded a three-day plenary session at which bishops debated and voted to adopt statutes for the creation of a Synodal Assembly in partnership with the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). According to senior sources in the German bishops’ conference, those statutes, the text of which has not yet been released, will now be passed to the ZdK for review and approval. The group’s consideration of the plans includes the opportunity for the committee’s membership to amend the text before voting to adopt the statutes. Earlier this year, ZdK leaders assured their members that the groups’ participation in the synodal process was predicated on a guarantee from the German bishops that its resolutions would be “binding.” The role of the ZdK as co-equal participants with the German bishops was identified as a point of special concern in a Vatican assessment of the German synodal plans. A review of a draft of the synodal statutes was produced by the Pontifical Commission for Legislative Texts in August and sent to the German bishops by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. The PCLT concluded that the German plans would essentially form a particular council – a canonical body which can, though only with explicit Roman approval, legislate and teach authoritatively – instead of a synod, which is a purely consultative body. The commission also concluded that the German synodal plans created a “parliamentary” forum for treating universal Church teaching which was “ecclesiologically invalid” and sought to address topics which “cannot be the object of the deliberations or decisions of a particular Church without contravening what is expressed by the Holy Father.” After meeting with Pope Francis and Cardinal Ouellet last week, Cardinal Reinhard Marx insisted that the German “binding synodal process” could not be properly classified as either a council or a synod, but should be understood as something unique. Matthias Kopp, spokesman for the German bishops’ conference, later insisted that while the synodal process is said to be “binding,” this is not meant to imply any Church figure would be bound by the synodal conclusions. “Binding means it is a vote,” not simply a discussion, said Kopp. After approving their own version of the statues, the ZdK president and vice president will meet with the head of the German bishops’ conference, Cardinal Marx, and Bishop Franz-Joseph Bode, vice chair of the conference. This group of four will consider and reconcile any changes between the statutes for the Synodal Assembly as approved by the two groups, and agree upon a final version before the Assembly is due to convene on at the beginning of Advent. Senior Churchmen in Germany also confirmed to CNA that, regardless of any changes proposed by the Central Committee and agreed by Marx and Bode, there is no intention to seek Vatican approval for the final version. A senior source in the German bishops’ conference confirmed to CNA that the ZdK is expected to make changes “only on a very minor scale,” but confirmed that it will be up to Cardinal Marx to determine whether the rest of the German bishops will be involved in approving the final version agreed upon with the ZdK leadership. Although passed by the bishops by a margin of 51-12 in Wednesday’s vote, the German synodal plans have attracted open expressions of concern that have become more frequent in recent days. Both Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne and Bishop Rudolph Voderholzer of Regensburg issued statements explaining that they had voted against the statutes. Voderholzer said there is a “a dishonesty at the beginning of the Synodal Process” and “a lack of a theological hermeneutics and an affirmation of the principles of the Catholic foundation of faith recognized by all those involved.” The German bishops have already announced that the synodal process will consider proposals from four working groups on the issues of power sharing in the Church, the role of women in offices and ministry, sexual morality, and clerical discipline. ZdK leaders have taken consistent positions in opposition to settled universal Church teaching and discipline including calling for the ordination of women, the blessing of same-sex unions in churches, the abdication of Church teaching on homosexuality, and the ending of clerical celibacy. The working groups, constituted in partnership with the ZdK have already begun their deliberations. On Saturday, Marianne Schlosser, a theologian appointed by Pope Francis to the International Theological Commission and the committee assigned to study the historical role of female deacons, said she was ending her participation in the synodal forum on the role of women in Church ministries and offices, calling the process “fixated” on the ordination of women to the priesthood. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...-by-controversial-lay-group-not-vatican-72631
This should probably go under the "Signs" thread but since I'm here..... Australian states to have priests report abuse disclosed in confession SYDNEY - The Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania have become the latest in the country to pass legislation criminalizing priests who fail to report the abuse of children disclosed during confession. The country’s six states and two territories are all expected to have such laws in place in coming months. But some clerics, including Melbourne Archbishop Peter Comensoli, one of Australia’s most senior and vocal bishops, have vowed to ignore the laws in an effort to uphold the seal of the confessional. Comensoli told Australian public radio that he would urge anyone who confessed to child sexual abuse to tell police. But he added that he, personally, would not break the seal, preferring to go to jail. The laws broadly make it a crime if members of the clergy do not report abuse or suspected abuse to police. Penalties for breaching the new laws range from fines to decades in prison, and the laws underscore the rollback of special concessions for the Church in Australia following the country’s landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The laws have flowed from recommendations made by the Royal Commission, which ran from 2013 to 2017, when its findings were handed down along with 52 recommendations, many covering activities of the Church. Victoria and Tasmania join Queensland and Western Australia as having passed or introduced such laws to parliament. New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory governments have signaled they will introduce legislation. The new laws in Australia stand in contradiction to the Code of Canon Law, which states: “The sacramental seal is inviolable; therefore it is absolutely forbidden for a confessor to betray in any way a penitent in words or in any manner and for any reason.” At present, a priest who breaks the seal of confession would be subject to automatic excommunication, unless otherwise decided by the pope. Along with Comensoli, other bishops also have vowed to ignore the new laws. These include Bishop Greg O’Kelly, apostolic administrator of Adelaide, and Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher. As well, all three bishops and other senior clerics have effectively described the new confessional laws as a distraction that would do nothing to halt child sexual abuse. O’Kelly told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that, in 28 years as a priest, he had never had anyone confess to child sexual abuse, either anonymously or in person. “If you’ve ever had anything to do with a pedophile, they think they’re innocent and so won’t line up at a confessional,” one veteran Australian priest who asked not to be named told CNS. “Common practice (for confession of any serious crime) is for a confessor to say ‘we need to talk about this outside the confessional’ and certainly to withhold absolution till the penitent has gone to the police.” The emergence of the issue comes at a delicate time for the Australian Catholic Church, which is undertaking two major processes that would result in a root and branch reform of the institution. The Plenary Council, Australia’s first in 80 years and a rarity anywhere in the Catholic world, will be held over two sessions, in 2020 and 2021. A review of church governance at parish and diocesan levels began in May 2019 and is being undertaken by a six-person panel of lay Catholics, under the chairmanship of retired Western Australia Supreme Court Justice Neville Owen. He was also the head of the Truth, Justice and Healing Council formed to coordinate the Church’s response to the Royal Commission. https://cruxnow.com/church-in-ocean...priests-report-abuse-disclosed-in-confession/
Hong Kong Cardinal says Vatican has ‘sold off the Chinese Church’ Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has denounced the Vatican for not speaking out on behalf of the persecuted Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China. In an interview with the French Roman Catholic magazine La Vie earlier this month, Zen lamented the Vatican's silence on the protests in Hong Kong. “Not a word has come out of the Holy See since the beginning of this mobilization,” Zen said, according to a translation by Church Militant. “Rome no longer dares to criticize the Chinese government, to which it has sold off the Chinese Church.” In contrast to the global denomination, Zen said the Hong Kong diocese has been active in supporting the large protests in the region. Zen cited the efforts of the diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission as well as the work of Hong Kong Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha. “Joseph Ha participates in the marches [and] calls [people] to pray for peace against injustice and corruption,” Zen said. “Many people hope that he will become the next bishop, but it will not be him because he is too critical. … As for me, I am very old, but I continue to express myself because there are not enough voices.” Last year, the Vatican and the Chinese government signed a “Provisional Agreement” in which the Vatican would recognize as legitimate bishops appointed by the regime. Previously, the Vatican excommunicated bishops appointed by the Chinese government, which did not recognize the authority of the pope. The Catholic Church hopes the agreement will help it to gain influence in the country. As a result of the agreement, last month two Chinese Catholic bishops were ordained with the blessing of both Pope Francis and the Chinese government. Our American culture prides itself on independence. If we’re not careful, our self-determination can impede our experiences with God. Sometimes, unaware of what we have chosen, we take control of the small things. The agreement is not without controversy, as many have expressed concern over, among other things, a reported lack of transparency. Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a persecution watchdog organization, was among the human rights groups that expressed concern about the agreement. "CSW is deeply concerned about the timing of this provisional agreement between the Chinese government and the Vatican," said CSW East Asia Team Leader Benedict Rogers in a statement last year. "While we understand some of the motivations behind the Vatican's effort toward an agreement, there are significant concerns about the implications for freedom of religion or belief in China." For the past few months, protests have mounted in Hong Kong over concerns of increased interference from the Chinese government, which has given the region semi-autonomy since 1997. Reuters reported Thursday that a major demonstration is expected on Saturday at Tamar Park, which is next to the Hong Kong Legislative Council’s headquarters. Other demonstrations are expected to take place on Sunday as part of “Global Anti-Totalitarianism Day” and Oct. 1, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, according to Reuters. The protests in Hong Kong were precipitated by the murder of a pregnant teenager by her boyfriend during a vacation to Taiwan. Because the Hong Kong government does not have an extradition treaty with Taiwan, legislation was proposed that would have allowed the extradition of suspects from the city to other countries, including mainland China. https://www.christianpost.com/news/...-vatican-has-sold-off-the-chinese-church.html
Oh bosh! This is what I've predicted was in the plan. There have been events created (this coming Synod being one of them) that will force the "solid ones" to be identified by their reaction to and defense of the Truth. This is being done in order to target them as the enemy so that they can be eliminated and all can continue as planned. It has been similar, as an example for what is to occur within the universal Church, in the political scene by the NWO/globalists who have gained power and thus via the Alinsky method the Patriots, individually and certain groups, are targeted and then lied about over and over, repeated mostly by the propagandist arm of the left, until the uninformed and cowardly begin adopting the same mind set....also in order to hold on to their comfortable lives/fiefdoms/conveniences....not to rock the boat and have the same threats aimed at them. Author of book pope called a ‘bomb’ describes ‘powerful’ anti-Francis campaign NEW YORK - Pope Francis has jokingly referred to a newly released book chronicling the American-led resistance to the papacy as a “bomb.” Now, in a new interview with Crux, Nicolas Senèze, author of said book and Rome correspondent for the French Catholic newspaper La Croix, unpacks why he believes a small minority of American Catholics have been influential in trying to shape the narrative around Francis’s reforms. RELATED: Pope Francis says ‘it’s an honor that Americans are attacking me’ In How America Wanted to Change the Pope, released earlier this month - though yet to be translated into English - Senèze examines the whirlwind events of the last year following former papal representative to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s, public calls for Francis to resign over his handling of the abuse crisis. While Francis initially chose silence in the face of those charges - telling journalists to do their homework to examine Viganò’s claims - in an informal conversation with Senèze while traveling to Africa this month, he said that he considers it “an honor that Americans are attacking me.” Senèze tells Cruxthat he believes the pope is speaking out now to resist the “powerful minority” that could lead the Church into schism. Crux: Do you believe the resistance to Francis in the United States is stronger than in any other country? Senèze: I am not sure that the opposition to Francis is stronger in the United States than elsewhere. Pope Francis still retains the confidence of a majority of U.S. Catholics, even if it is in decline, mainly because of a powerful campaign to tarnish his image. The minority opposed to Francis in U.S. Catholicism has a large power: They have a lot of money and powerful media, they control part of the episcopate and, until Francis, were able to dictate the conduct at the Vatican. How would you characterize the situation in your home country of France? In France, too, the influence of American Catholic media that is hostile to the pope can be felt, but I must recognize that it remains limited to restricted circles. French Catholicism is very different, first because it has never known the minority situation of the United States. If today, Catholic practitioners are a minority in France, a majority of French people still define themselves as Catholics. The issue today is the question of identity in a context where the French themselves are wondering what the French identity is. For Catholics, this corresponds with the arrival of a pope who, unlike his predecessors, is not steeped in French culture. With Francis, France - like Europe - is learning that it is no longer at the center of the Church, and this presupposes certain challenges. In addition, there are a number of more cultural than practicing Catholics that are sensitive to an identitarian discourse on Christianity and may, on the contrary, be struck by the demanding words of Pope Francis who calls for going beyond a simple Catholic identity to act in coherence with the Gospel. How, in your view, has the sex abuse crisis changed or contributed to the resistance to Francis in the U.S.? It’s hard not to see how the sex abuse crisis deeply changed American Catholicism! It changed the way in which clerics are perceived and questioned the way in which they managed the Church, allowed the emergence of the laity. The problem is that the laity who took power in some U.S. dioceses only perpetuated the clerical model and imposed a very moralistic vision of the Church. In a purely moral approach to sex abuse, these American Catholics found themselves very well in the “zero tolerance” advocated by Benedict XVI. But Francis understood that zero tolerance, if it is indispensable, is not enough: It is not enough to punish the abusers when they have committed their crime. The Church has to act to avoid abuses and to eradicate its causes. It is the fight that leads Francis against the culture of abuse and the system of cover-up that allows it to continue. Francis’s struggle against clericalism fundamentally questions the whole vision of the Church defended by these laypeople. Among them, things could only end badly, especially since Francis also hurts them by his denunciation of the excesses of capitalism, his condemnation of the death penalty, or talking with Cuba or China. Some critics have faulted you for not coming to the U.S. to interview U.S. Catholic leaders here firsthand. What’s your response to that? I did not want to do either a sociological inquiry or a report on American Catholicism. My book focuses on how some American Catholics in opposition to Pope Francis tried to force him to resign and are now working to prepare the next conclave, trying to have a pope favorable to their views. My crime scene is therefore Rome and I assume a mainly Roman point of view. This external view helps me to stand back and look at American Catholicism, to identify more easily some of its weaknesses that we do not necessarily see when we are immersed in it. It also allows me to get out of a narrative imposed by the media that is most opposed to Francis. After the Viganò letter, Pope Francis initially remained silent in the face of criticism. As we’ve seen more recently, including on commenting on your book, he’s beginning to talk about the resistance to him. Why do you think he’s now willing to do so? A year ago, Francis could hardly speak. He would have fallen into the trap set by Archbishop Viganò. He is the pope and could not enter the controversy without demeaning a former employee. But, in remaining silent, he also opened the door to the work of the journalists. While working on this book, I was very impressed by the quality of the work of my American colleagues - including Crux! - to dissect the affirmations of Archbishop Viganò and show, finally, how his affirmations were very fragile. Francis’s way of doing is deeply Jesuit, deeply rooted in Ignatian spirituality, which is normal for a man shaped by many years of the Spiritual Exercises. By leaving journalists to do their job, he made it possible for them to unmask the forces that were at work against him and the Church. I believe that when he speaks today - for example when journalists ask him about schism (he only repeated the word that appeared in the question put to him) - it is also to provoke the silent majority that supports him and to help emancipate it from this powerful minority and to give them voice. https://cruxnow.com/interviews/2019...omb-describes-powerful-anti-francis-campaign/
A hahahaha hahahaha! Is this guy for real?? There is no point critiquing this rubbish because life is too short, and EVERY line would have to be challenged. He didn't want to "demean a former employee"? Well, I suppose there's always a first! Quick, while I hide my 'Pope Francis little book of insults.' How brazen can you be as to actually say these things with a straight face!
I believe the rebel bishops will want to implement an independent local Church model in each location after the Amazon Synod, which in some ways seems analogous to the time of the gospel that after the crucifixion, the soldiers divided Jesus' garments among themselves. I believe this symbolizes the divisions caused by the enemies of the Church for centuries.
I might take this girl seriously if she volunteered to turn off the heating, go to bed early to cut down on electricity usage, turn off the TV and her mobile phone and encourage all her followers to do likewise. I would say great and give her a pat on the back. Unfortunately her campaign is farce. She expects governments to impose Draconian economic policies to fix a problem that nobody has yet figured how to fix.
And the cooperation with the big plan continues: Pope Francis: God Has a ‘Particular Concern for Foreigners’ .........“Today’s world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel towards the excluded,” he said. “This is a painful truth; our world is daily more and more elitist, more cruel towards the excluded.” “Overly concerned with preserving our own well-being, we too risk being blind to our brothers and sisters in difficulty,” he said. Earlier this month, Pope Francis expressed his conviction that immigration is not only a reality that must be tolerated, but an effective means of mixing races and cultures that should be positively encouraged. Xenophobia is “part of a populist mentality that leaves no sovereignty to the people. Xenophobia destroys the unity of a people, even that of the people of God,” Francis told a gathering of Jesuits during his visit to Mozambique on September 5. “There are those who want to stop this very important process of mingling cultures, which gives life to people. Mixing makes you grow, it gives you new life. It develops racial mixing, change and gives originality,” he said. “The mixing of identities is what we have experienced, for example, in Latin America. There we have everything: Spanish and Indian, the missionary and the conqueror, the Spanish lineage, people’s mixed heritage,” he added. “Building walls means condemning yourself to death,” he said. “We can’t live asphyxiated by a culture as clean and pure as an operating theater, aseptic and not microbial.” https://www.breitbart.com/politics/...-god-has-a-particular-concern-for-foreigners/
Latin America! What a place! The mingling doesn't seem to have produced societies where people want to live but ones they want to flee from. So now they are destroying the ancient, civilised Gaelic culture of Ireland and replacing it with Nigerian/Somali/Pakistani/Islamic hellish bedlam. This 'pope' is a nwo plant and a stooge.
The problem is that the laity who took power in some U.S. dioceses only perpetuated the clerical model and imposed a very moralistic vision of the Church. In a purely moral approach to sex abuse, these American Catholics found themselves very well in the “zero tolerance” advocated by Benedict XVI. But Francis understood that zero tolerance, if it is indispensable, is not enough: It is not enough to punish the abusers when they have committed their crime. The Church has to act to avoid abuses and to eradicate its causes. It is the fight that leads Francis against the culture of abuse and the system of cover-up that allows it to continue. (see post 13887) I have to laugh at the accusation of the laity taking over American dioceses. If Mr. Seneze believes the claim he makes, he fails to realize that defense of traditional Catholic morality is being waged primarily through the internet and the TLM communities. I know of no dioceses in the USA where faithful Catholic laypersons have assumed control. It is established Catholic teaching we are defending, not any form of clericalism. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Angels and Demons? Steps from St. Peter’s 200 Catholics implore the angels to exorcise the Vatican ahead of Amazon Synod Diane Montagna | https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/acies-ordinata ROME, September 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) —Flanked by banners of the four evangelists, and gathered under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, an international coalition of 200 Catholic laity on Saturday assembled in silence near St. Peter’s Square, to pray “as a united army against the enemies of God and the Church.” Standing at the foot of Castel Sant’Angelo on the eve of the liturgical feast of St. Michael the Archangel, the international lay coalition launched an “appeal to the angels against the evil spirits,” ahead of the Amazonian Synod being held at the Vatican Oct. 6-27. LifeSite has learned that another act of spiritual warfare was taking place in Rome contemporaneously with the Acies Ordinata. At 3:30 pm, priests privately prayed Pope Leo XIII’s Prayer of Exorcism (the longer prayer to St. Michael) in a church near Castel Sant’Angelo, with the intention of expelling the “diabolical influence from the Vatican, especially in view of the Amazon Synod.” Acies Ordinata The international coalition is called Acies ordinata. Its name, which Catholic tradition reserves for Mary Most Holy who assembles an army of the faithful to defeat her enemies — terribilis ut castrorum acies ordinate— is taken from the Old Testament canticle, the Song of Songs (6:3, 6:10). “You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners” (vs.3), the Canticle says of the bride, in whom the Church has always seen a figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?” (vs. 10). The coalition, organized by the Rome-based Lepanto Foundation and comprised of some of the most influential movements and Catholic sites, included men and women, young and old, quietly deployed in St. John XXIII Square, ordered in rows of 20 x 10. Roberto de Mattei, historian and founder of the Rome-based Lepanto Foundation; organizer of the Acies Ordinata For one hour they stood in silence, reciting the Rosary and reading classic texts from the Catholic tradition, such as the Gospels, the Catechism and the writings of the saints. At the conclusion of the Acies ordinata event, participants chanted the Credo, as sunshine broke through a cloudy Roman sky. The event was held one week before the Oct. 6-27 Synod on the Amazon opens at the Vatican. The preparatory documents for the Synod have drawn both controversy and criticism from cardinals and bishops of the Catholic Church. German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller openly saying it contains “heresy” and approaches “apostasy.” The Sept. 28 Acies Ordinata is the second gathering to be held in Rome. The first was held ahead of the Vatican clerical sex abuse summit in February, to “oppose the Vatican’s policy of silence about homosexuality.” Participants with historic ties to the papacy The symbolic value of today’s Acies Ordinata was increased by the presence of participants whose families have deep historic and religious ties to the Holy See and to the papacy. One of the participants was Count Giovanni Piccolomini. In comments to LifeSite, he said that his ancestors include two popes, Pius II and Pius III, one General of the Jesuit Order, several bishops and cardinals, military leaders and scientists. Count Piccolomini said what motivated him to participate in the Acies Ordinata event was his “wish to reiterate my and our fidelity to the Pope, the Catholic Apostolic Roman Church and its eternal teaching.” Asked about the symbolic significance of praying at the foot of Castel Sant’Angelo, he said “this castle saved the lives of more than one pope in the past, and its name indicates our wish to invoke the whole celestial militia to defend the Catholic Church.” “Our and my personal hope,” he said, “is that our prayers may be heard in heaven and that many around the world will show their firm belief and love for the Catholic Church.” Another participant whose presence leant great symbolic weight to today’s event was Rodolphe Pfyffer von Altishofen from Luzern, Switzerland. His family provided eleven commanders for the Pontifical Swiss Guard, the armed force charged with protecting the pope. “During the seventeeth through nineteenth centuries, only Pfyffers were commanders of the Swiss Guard,” he told LifeSite. But, he added, “independently from this, we have always been taught by our parents to have great respect for our holy religion. I can therefore assure you that my family history is not essential to the commitment we have to the Church.” Asked what motivated him to participate in the Acies Ordinata, Pfyffer said “the Church has long been threatened on every side and we, as simple lay people, have to react.” “The Acies Ordinata event is excellent,” he said. “We are unarmed and yet we feel that it is extremely important to respond. Otherwise, the enemies of the Church will believe that they can do anything.” “There spiritual means of engaging in the battle. St. Michael is in charge of protecting the holy Church and will help, if he is asked,” he added. “When the apostles were in the boat being tossed by the waves, they cried out to the Lord, ‘Lord, we are perishing.’ Jesus Christ will help us, there is no doubt. But we have to do our part, even if it is not easy,” he said. continued...
continued from above... Importance of Castel Sant’Angelo Castel Sant’Angelo, which sits just opposite of the Via della Conciliazione leading to the Vatican, also has deep historic significance, making it a fitting place for the Acies Ordinata event. Castel Sant’Angelo was the pagan mausoleum of the pagan Emperor Hadrian who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 135 A.D. and replaced it with the pagan city of Aelia Capitolina. In 590 A.D., according to tradition, Gregory the Great carried the icon of the Salus Populi Romani in procession on Easter Sunday morning implored the mercy of God upon Rome which was being devastated by a massive plague. As he approached the mausoleum of Hadrian, setting foot about upon the Pons Aelius, the bridge which still stands to this day joining the mausoleum to the city of Rome, he saw in a vision the Archangel Michael standing upon the edifice with drawn sword of vengeance. The Archangel looked at the icon of our lady and exclaimed: “Regina caeli, Laetare, alleluia; Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia; Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia.” And Gregory the Great shouted out: “Ora pro nobis, Deum, alleluia.” The angel sheathed his sword of vengeance, and the plague ended. In the Middle Ages, the mausoleum, renamed the Castel Sant’Angelo, became a favored place of refuge for the Roman pontiffs in the face of frequent riots and German invasions that vexed the medieval popes. The Acies Ordinata event, held on the vigil of the Sept. 29 liturgical feast of St. Michael the Archangel, combines all these elements: a penitential procession, a demonstration by outraged Romans (and other Catholics from across the world), and opposition to a German invasion at the upcoming Amazonian Synod. In a statement issued today, organizers of the Acies Ordinata event said: “Our rally is made up of lay Catholics coming from many different nations, who are above all asking the Lord to gather together all those who are fighting for a good cause, with the purpose of forming a united army against the enemies of God and of the Church.” “Here at the foot of Castel Sant’Angelo, the fortress which so often has defended the papacy throughout its history, we call upon the help of the angels, and above all Saint Michael, the prince of the heavenly host, asking them to protect the defenders of the Church and Christian civilization and to scatter their enemies.” “Confusion, which is the smoke of Satan, is enveloping the battlefield. In order to defeat the forces of chaos what is necessary is purity of doctrine, clarity of words, firmness of example, accord of soul and of works,” the statement continued. “In order for this to happen, let us call upon the Blessed Mother, Queen of the Angels, asking her to make us in her image, today and always, into an Acies Ordinata (Song of Songs 6:3,9), an army ready to fight, with that tranquility which is born from the peace of Christ which is in our hearts and which we wish to extend to the whole world.” Read the full Acies Ordinata statement here. **************************************************************************************************************** Meanwhile... Pope Francis unveils sculpture dedicated to migrants and refugees in St. Peter's Square (Vatican Media) September 29, 2019 | https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/...is-world-day-migrants-refugees-sculpture.html Pope unveils sculpture commemorating migrants and refugees Following the celebration of Mass and the recitation of the Angelus, Pope Francis unveils a sculpture entitled “Angels Unawares” by Canadian artist, Timothy Schmaltz, in St Peter’s Square. By Vatican News “Angels Unawares” is a life-size sculpture in bronze and clay, that depicts a group of migrants and refugees from different cultural and racial backgrounds and from diverse historic periods in time. The sculpture The figures stand together, shoulder to shoulder, huddled on a raft. Within this diverse crowd of people, angel wings emerge from the centre, suggesting the presence of something sacred among them. In fact, the sculptural work interprets the belief that the sacred is to be found in the stranger, in this case, in refugees and migrants. The inspiration The inspiration behind the work is taken from a biblical passage, St Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”. (Hebrews 13:2) The presence of the sculpture in St Peter’s Square is meant to commemorate the 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The artist Canadian artist, Timothy Schmaltz, has spent 25 years sculpting large-scale works in bronze. They are installed all over the world, including Rome and the Vatican. The artist describes his creations as visual translations of the Bible. He says he tries to create epic artwork that connects with viewers through design and details that are not only touching on an emotional level, but also allow people to somehow feel “part” of the piece.
