I read a lovely story yesterday about Saint Martin De Porres. Martin was mixed race and because of this , like many saints got jobs like cleaning the toilets and opening the front door. THey wouldn't even let him become a lay brother; wearing a habit was about as much as they'd let him do. Anyway as he lay dying the priest in attendance warning him that the devil would try to trip him up with theological arguments and subtleties as a last tactic. St Marint De Porrres simply smiled at this and replied that since he had never studied theology and was very simple the devil could never do such a thing. In other words since he had never had any great theological learning he had no intellectual pride. Something folks in the Vatican and elsewhere could learn from...all the best saints seem to work cleaning toilets.
djm, Thank you, I continue to glance at Edward Pentin's twitter page to see what he has posted - like the following... Cardinal Marx Meets With Pope Francis and Cardinal Ouellet About German Synodal Plans http://www.ncregister.com/daily-new...francis-and-cardinal-ouellet-about-german-syn 9/20/2019 Cardinal O'Malley, Bishop McElroy named participants in Amazon synod https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...ishop-mcelroy-nominated-to-amazon-synod-66743 9/21/2019 And Mr. Pentin just reposted a link to these two older articles because they are related to the Amazon synod attendee list. Imo, this synod is beginning to feel more like Vatican III - I mean that it seems bigger than other recent synods. German Climatologist Refutes Claims He Promotes Population Control http://www.ncregister.com/daily-new...refutes-claims-he-promotes-population-control 6/19/2015 [The German climatologist spoke of above, Hans Schellnhuber, is also on the Pan-Amazonian synod attendee list.] German Catholic Relief Agencies Fuel Synod’s Push for Change http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/german-catholic-relief-agencies-fuel-synods-push-for-change 7/19/2019 Edited to add: I noticed that Jeffrey D. Sachs is on the Pan-Amazonian synod attendee list also... Sep. 21, 2019 Pan-Amazonian Synod Participants Include Former UN Head, Liberation Theologians The appointments appear to align with the synod’s expected emphases on environmental concerns, and on indigenous spirituality. Edward Pentin | http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edwa...ts-include-former-un-head-liberation-theologi VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has personally invited Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston and Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego as well as ex-United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to take part in the Amazon Synod next month, according to a full list of participants published Sept. 21 by the Vatican. The two U.S. prelates are among 185 members to be invited to the Oct. 6-27 event, whose other participants include every bishop of the region, religious superiors, experts, fraternal delegates, and the heads of Vatican departments. Cardinal O’Malley, a trusted member of the Pope’s Council of Cardinals as well as head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, has a strong interest in Latin America and is a fluent Spanish speaker. Bishop McElroy has been a vocal proponent of combatting climate change, saying in July this year it should be a “central priority” for the U.S. Church. The synod, whose theme is “New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology,” is expected to focus on environmental concerns. A third U.S. bishop, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, will also be taking part, as will all the heads of Vatican departments, including Cardinal Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship. Ban Ki-moon is a controversial addition to the list of participants. The South Korean diplomat struck up an alliance with the Vatican in 2015 when, as U.N. Secretary General, he took part in a conference on climate change and sustainable humanity at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Despite the U.N.’s often radical pro-abortion and secularist agenda, Ban’s appointment as a “special invitee” spotlights the strong orientation by the Holy See towards to the U.N. and its goals, particularly on the environment, that has grown under this pontificate. A current U.N. official, René Castro Salazar, an American citizen who serves as assistant director general of the climate and biodiversity department in the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization, will also be taking part. Earlier this month, Pope Francis said in the context of a non-binding U.N. resolution related to a Mauritian territorial dispute, that the faithful should be obedient to international institutions such as the U.N. “If we are a humanity we should obey,” he said. And synod organizers have said the Church aims to “accompany” the Amazonian peoples “in various international and regional spheres of the United Nations system so that they may present their concerns about particular situations.” Other synod participants announced Saturday include Jeffrey Sachs, an American non-Catholic economist. Although Sachs claims to “love the Church’s social teaching,” he is a known advocate of population control and abortion. A participant in Vatican conferences since 1999, Sachs is believed to have been a contributor to Pope Francis’ 2015 environment encyclical Laudato Si— a document that forms the backdrop of this synod. Also a participant is German climatologist Professor Hans Schellnhuber, an atheist who was also involved in Laudato Si. continued...
continued from above... German Participants The list of synod participants also reveals the significant influence the German Church is thought to hold over the meeting. As well as the Pope personally choosing Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the German bishops’ conference, to take part, he has also invited the heads of two large German Church aid agencies, Misereor and Adveniat. A Register investigation over the summer revealed the two relief organizations had made significant financial and other contributions in preparation for the synod, in particular the Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network (REPAM). They also have ambitious plans for the meeting, hoping its outcome will extend beyond the Amazon region. In a joint foreword to the German translation of the synod’s working document in July, Msgr. Permin Spiegel, director general of Misereor, and Father Miguel Heinz, president of Adveniat, said the synod would be an “unmistakable signal of departure” for the Church and have "significance for the Church worldwide.” The synod's working document, they added, called for “a profound change in the Church.” In a July 25 interview with Dom Radio, Msgr. Spiegel said “it will be exciting to observe” whether the Pope will be “willing to go along” with synod proposals for viri probati (ordination of married men to bring the Eucharist to remote areas) and women deacons, and whether such changes will “have repercussions for us here in Germany.” Also listed as a special expert at the synod is Father Eleazar López Hernández, a Mexican liberation theologian regarded as the “midwife” of Indian theology. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has frequently warned him about his writings, and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented in 1996 — reportedly with Father López in mind — that such theology was regressive and wished to “cast Christianity aside …as if the Gospel had been oppressive.” In 2012, Father López wrote that such indigenous theologies “do not employ discursive or philosophical language, but a mythical-symbolic one” and that “all Church theology should be like that because God cannot be objectified like the other objects of knowledge and science.” Another controversial appointment, although not unexpected as he has been a key figure behind the synod and its preparation, is Father Paulo Suess. In a 2014 interview, the 81-year-old German-born expert in the theology of inculturation of the Amazon’s indigenous peoples said that “we can discover God's Revelation among these indigenous peoples” — a position that also appeared in the working document, and that was heavily criticized. A member of the Amerindia group that defends and promotes liberation theology, Father Suess has worked for many years in Brazil with Bishop Erwin Kräutler, emeritus of Xingu, Brazil — also a key figure behind the synod and a participant. Despite the Amazon synod being ostensibly about evangelization, the conversion of indigenous people to the faith does not appear to be high on the agenda of either Churchman. In 2014, Father Suess said rather than evangelization, the “principle of life was the most important” to the indigenous people and for that “they need land and have to be strengthened in their identity.” Bishop Kräutler, a member of the pre-synodal council and a leading author of the synod’s much-criticized working document, once boasted of never having “baptized an indigenous” person and that he did not “have the intention of ever doing so.” As well as Cardinal Marx, the Pope has personally chosen to participate Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, archbishop of Vienna, as well as two prelates embroiled in controversy: Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who is dealing with widespread criticism of his controversial reforms of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute, and Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, coordinator of the Pope’s Council of Cardinals, who has come under fire over his handling of financial and abuse scandals in Honduras. Also among the 33 papal invitees are Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Council of European bishops’ conferences; Cardinal-elect Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, and Cardinal-elect Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Congo. The Pope has also invited Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay, a member of the Council of Cardinals, and Jesuit Fathers Antonio Spadaro, papal adviser and editor of La Civilta Cattolica, and Giacomo Costa, vice president of the Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini Foundation.
Having just watched Patrick Coffin interview John Gravino, I'm not at all confident that our hierarchy have either the will or ability to get the Church back on the narrow road. In fact, considering how the attitudes of so many of them reflect the influences cited by Gravino, it looks like things will get a whole lot worse to the stage where only direct intervention from Heaven can fix the rot. Here's the blurb about the interview: "Many people, especially Catholics, are vexed and confused about how the once admirable Catholic Church suddenly became identified with pedophilia, leadership corruption, duplicity, and worldly ideals having little to do with the gospel. Author John Gravino has outlined two forces—one intellectual, one moral—working in tandem (although not always intentionally as allies) to create the present crisis. So the John Jay Report found that 81% of sexual abuse victims were teen boys (not “children”). But which moral theologians taught these predators in Roman collars? Who were the highly esteemed dissenters that shaped priestly formation? And what about humanistic psychology? Ever hear of Carl Rogers and William Coulson—or Richard McCormick, SJ, or Andre Guindon, or Charles Curran? If the answer is no, this interview with the author of Confronting the Pope of Suspicion: The Key to Church Reform is the place to start understanding how the bleep we got here as a Church that claims to have been founded and sustained by Jesus Christ." And here's the interview: I watched a discussion recently between Fr. James Martin, SJ and Ross Douthat hosted by some New York society or named for Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The discussion was monitored by the Jesuit Head of America Magazine whose opening remarks included a quote from Charles Curran. The entire programme was like a whitewash of Fr. Martin, presumably because there were rumblings in the Church about his so-called apostolate. Archbishop Sheen must be turning in his grave. Thank God New York lost the case to retain custody of his body. The Patrick Coffin interview throws a whole lot of light into these demons who have seized the helm of Christ's Church. We all need to pray like we've never prayed before and resign ourselves to the real possibility that the Barque of Peter will be almost fully submerged in filthy water before God calls a halt to what's going on. Our trust in Jesus is going to be severely tested.
I wonder if any of the editors of NCR are aware of the prophecies of Our Lady of Garabandal... Cardinal Reinhard Marx speaks at the Vatican Press Office on Oct. 17, 2014. (Daniel Ibáñez/CNA) Sep. 22, 2019 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/marxism-pervades-catholic-church-in-germany ‘Marxism’ Pervades Catholic Church in Germany EDITORIAL: A primary reason for the synodal push is that, for decades, many Church leaders in Germany have been convinced that only novel and radical change can stave off the impending collapse of Christianity in their country. The Editors Thanks to the efforts of the German bishops under the leadership of Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich-Freising, the Church in Germany is poised to pursue a radical “binding synodal path” that seeks to dislodge settled Church teaching in the name of “synodality.” In so doing, these German Catholic “Marxists” appear bent on emulating the disastrous ideological mistake so often made by the followers of Karl Marx, of insisting on the implementation of a flawed revolutionary “solution” despite an abundance of evidence that their radical measures are making the problem far worse, not better. The German Church’s controversial plan includes the creation of an unprecedented “Synodal Assembly” in close partnership with the Central Committee of German Catholics, a lay group that has demanded the ordination of women, an end to clerical celibacy, the blessing of same-sex unions by the Church and rethinking of all Catholic teachings on sexuality. This proposed Synodal Assembly will have “deliberative power” to force these changes upon Catholics in Germany, and its proponents openly intend to offer the largely preordained fruits of this synodal process to Catholics worldwide as a blueprint for the future. “We hope that the results of forming an opinion [on these matters] in our country will also be helpful for the guidance of the universal Church and for other episcopal conferences on a case-by-case basis,” Cardinal Marx wrote in a Sept. 12 letter to Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. But why have Cardinal Marx, most of the German bishops and their lay and religious collaborators embarked upon such a radical rejection of Church authority in their embrace of the “synodal way”? The ostensible motive, according to the German organizers, is to respond to the clerical sexual-abuse crisis. But it’s debatable, to put it mildly, that this was the main reason for initiating such a radical initiative, given that the initiatives it is seeking to advance — an end to clerical celibacy, new ministerial roles for women, and fundamental changes to what the Church teaches about sexual morality — have been atop the wish list of German Church leaders for many years, completely independent of the abuse crisis. In fact, a primary reason for the synodal push is that, for decades, many Church leaders in Germany have been convinced that only novel and radical change can stave off the impending collapse of Christianity in their country. According to a recent study commissioned by the Catholic German Bishops’ Conference and the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and conducted by researchers at the University of Freiburg, membership in both churches — already in free fall — will drop from about 45 million in 2019 to 34.8 million by 2035 and 22.7 million by 2060. In the last year alone, the Catholic Church lost almost 220,000 members in Germany. The primary causes are adults leaving the churches, dwindling baptism rates and an aging population. As bad as these numbers are, the actual attendance rates are even worse. In the last four decades — even as Church leaders in Germany have continued to soften, not strengthen, long-standing Church teaching — Mass attendance has plummeted. Of the nearly 24 million registered German Catholics, who make up the largest religious denomination in the country at 30%, only one in 10 now attends Mass on any given Sunday. However, Cardinal Marx and the majority of other German bishops don’t see these grim numbers as any reason to reconsider their steadfast commitment to promoting “progressive” Church agendas. In their view, the answer to this crisis is to double down on their surrender to culture and to swallow the same secular prescriptions for liberalization that have laid even greater waste to the mainline Protestant communities in Germany. They aren’t swayed by the opposition of Pope Francis and of senior Vatican officials either. The Holy Father has certainly tried publicly to correct Cardinal Marx and the German bishops. In June, he issued a letter to the Church in Germany in which he warned German Catholics to respect the universal communion of the Church. “Every time the ecclesial community has tried to resolve its problems alone,” Francis wrote, “trusting and focusing exclusively on its forces or its methods, its intelligence, its will or prestige, it ended up increasing and perpetuating the evils it tried to solve.” The Pope took specific issue with the Germans’ understanding of synodality, as well, warning against a “bottom up” conception that lacks a complementary “synodality from top to bottom that allows, in a specific and singular way, for the collegial dimension of the episcopal ministry.” And in September, after the German’s intentions became clearer, other Vatican officials, including Cardinal Ouellet, declared that the proposals for the upcoming synodal process are contrary to the Pope’s letter and “not ecclesiologically valid.” But in his Sept. 12 letter to Cardinal Ouellet, Cardinal Marx peremptorily dismissed the Vatican’s concerns. “… I cannot see why questions about which the magisterium has made determinations should be withdrawn from any debate, as your writings suggest,” he wrote. “Countless believers in Germany consider [these issues] to be in need of discussion.” It remains to be seen what the final document created by the German Church’s synodal process will look like. Given the apparent determination of Cardinal Marx and many of the German bishops to defy both the Pope and the Church’s magisterium, however, the “synodal way” being put forth by these “Catholic Marxists” seems a short road to chaos and division in the Church. And it’s ironic in the extreme that accusations of schismatic intentions have been directed recently against U.S. Church leaders, as Father Raymond de Souza notes. The threat of schism lies in Germany, not along American shores. Pray for the Church in Germany, and pray that we might avoid all schism and division in the Church. *** Theologian withdraws from German synodal path https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/theologian-withdraws-from-german-synodal-path-29511 Vatican City, Sep 21, 2019 / 03:08 pm (CNA).- A member of the International Theological Commission has announced that she is no longer available to participate in the “binding synodal path” undertaken by the bishops’ conference of Germany. Marianne Schlosser, a member of the International Theological Commission, cited concerns over both the approach and methodology of the “synodal path” when she announced that she could no longer participate. Schlosser, a professor of theology at the University of Vienna and the recipient of the 2018 Ratzinger Prize, was invited to take part in the Synodal Way’s forum “on women in ecclesial roles and offices” as an expert. Saying she could not identify with the intermediate report of the preparatory group, Schlosser raised a number of issues, in particular identifying a “fixation on ordination” of women. This “fixation” was neither theologically and historically nor pastorally and spiritually justified, she told news agency KNA. The Catholic Church teaches that it has no authority to admit women to priestly ordination. Schlosser said the discussion about ordination had "been conducted for so long," all arguments had been exchanged and were on the table. Since it was "not a disciplinary question," the topic "could not be negotiated in a synodal forum with mixed members", i.e. between bishops and laity, she said. Schlosser had not been present for the two preparatory meetings held sofar. The theologian also expressed the fear of a progressive polarization of the church in Germany. On Sep 23, 2014, Pope Francis appointed Schlosser as a member of the International Theological Commission. She was also appointed a member of the study commission investigating the female diaconate in 2016. The Bavarian is also an advisor to the Faith Commission of the German bishops’ conference and since January 2018 a member of the Theological Commission of the Austrian bishops’ conference. A version of this story was first published by CNA Deutsch.
Msgr. Rossi Takes Leave of Absence From Catholic University of America Board The priest is the subject of a canonical investigation for unspecified allegations of misconduct. JD Flynn/CNA WASHINGTON — Msgr. Walter Rossi has taken a leave of absence from the board of trustees at The Catholic University of America while he is the subject of a canonical investigation for unspecified allegations of misconduct. “Last month the chairman of the board of trustees approved Msgr. Rossi’s request to take a voluntary leave of absence pending the resolution of the investigation launched jointly by the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Scranton. During the leave of absence Msgr. Rossi will not participate in any board activities,” Karna Lozoya, representative for the university, told CUA Sept. 20. Lozoya told CNA that the university is “in contact with the Diocese of Scranton and the Archdiocese of Washington, who have jointly launched an investigation. We will cooperate with them as needed. We don’t have any information at this point to warrant our own investigation.” In August, the Diocese of Scranton told CNA that it had commenced “the process of launching a full forensic investigation into the concerns that have been raised” about Msgr. Rossi, who is rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is adjacent to the campus of The Catholic University of America. Msgr. Rossi is a priest of the Diocese of Scranton. “The Diocese of Scranton and Archdiocese of Washington will work jointly and cooperatively on undertaking a comprehensive investigation,” the diocese told CNA. Concerns were raised about Msgr. Rossi to Archbishop Wilton Gregory Aug. 13, during a question-and-answer session at a Theology on Tap event held at the Public Bar Live in the Dupont area of Washington. The event was broadcast live on Facebook. During that session, Archbishop Gregory called for an independent, forensic investigation of some allegations against Msgr. Rossi. Msgr. Rossi has been accused of directing young men to Father Matthew Reidlinger, a priest friend of Msgr. Rossi’s who is alleged to have sexually harassed them in phone calls and text messages. That accusation was made in 2013. Read complete article at: Msgr. Rossi Takes Leave of Absence From Catholic University of America Board
Thanks Carol for keeping us up to speed. I appreciate it be cause I wouldnt always be able to find this myself.
Cardinal Robert Sarah attends the synod in Rome on Oct. 16, 2018. (Edward Pentin photo) In Person | Sep. 23, 2019 | http://www.ncregister.com/daily-new...the-catholic-church-has-lost-its-sense-of-the Cardinal Sarah’s Cri de Coeur: The Catholic Church Has Lost Its Sense of the Sacred Exclusive interview with the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Edward Pentin Cardinal Robert Sarah has said the Synod of Bishops on the Pan-Amazon Region, being a regional assembly of bishops, is not the forum to discuss priestly celibacy — a subject that is “unbearable” for the modern world because “some Westerners can no longer tolerate this scandal of the cross.” The subject is one of many the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments discusses in this exclusive Sept. 13 interview with Register Rome correspondent Edward Pentin, including the reasons why he decided to write his latest book, The Day Is Now Far Spent (Ignatius Press). He addresses the current crisis in the Church and society and believes it is driven primarily by atheism, not placing God at the center of our lives, as well as a prevailing wish to impose “personal opinion as truth.” Those who announce “revolutions and radical changes,” he warns, “are false prophets” not “looking out for the good of the flock.” The Guinean cardinal also explains why Africa’s grace is to remain “a child of God,” discusses the positive and negative effects of liturgical reform, and says a “demon” wanting our “spiritual death” is what makes some prohibit Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite. “How can we not be surprised and deeply shocked that what was the rule yesterday is prohibited today?” he asks, and he urges a “move away from dialectical oppositions.” [Please click on the link above for the full interview.] *** Cardinal Sarah: “I believe that we are at a turning point in the history of the Church” The outspoken cardinal from Guinea speaks at length about faith, atheism, secularism, hope, liturgy, prayer, and much more in a new National Catholic Register interview. September 23, 2019 Carl E. Olson The Dispatch | https://www.catholicworldreport.com...a-turning-point-in-the-history-of-the-church/ Robert Cardinal Sarah’s new book The Day Is Now Far Spent: In conversation with Nicolas Diat is now available in English from Ignatius Press and the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments was recently interviewed by Edward Pentin of National Catholic Register about the book. Here are some brief excerpts from that interview. On the purpose and scope of the book: “I don’t develop personal theses or academic research. This book is the cry from my heart as a priest and a pastor.” On the crisis of faith: “The decline of faith in the Real Presence of Jesus the Eucharist is at the heart of the current crisis of the Church and its decline, especially in the West. We bishops, priests and lay faithful are all responsible for the crisis of faith, the crisis of the Church, the priestly crisis and the de-Christianization of the West. … The profound crisis that the Church is experiencing in the world and especially in the West is the fruit of the forgetting of God. If our first concern is not God, then everything else collapses. At the root of all crises, anthropological, political, social, cultural, geopolitical, there is the forgetting of the primacy of God.” On the priesthood and secularism: “The forgetting of God finds its first and most serious manifestation in the secularized way of life of priests. They are the first to have to carry the Good News. If their personal lives do not reflect this, then practical atheism will spread throughout the Church and society.” On authentic freedom and civilization: “We convinced our contemporaries that in order to be free, we must not depend on anyone. This is a tragic mistake. Westerners are convinced that receiving is contrary to the dignity of the person. However, civilized man is fundamentally an heir; he receives a history, a religion, a language, a culture, a name, a family.” On hope: “Our first reason for hope is therefore God himself. He will never abandon us! We firmly believe in his promise. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the Holy Catholic Church. She will always be the Ark of Salvation. There will always be enough light for the one who seeks the truth with a pure heart.” On the unchanging nature of truth and Church teaching: “We are facing a real cacophony from bishops and priests. Everyone wants to impose their personal opinion as a truth. But there is only one truth: Christ and his teaching. How could the doctrine of the Church change? The Gospel does not change. It is still the same. Our unity cannot be built around fashionable opinions.” On the hermeneutic of continuity “We must hold firmly to what Benedict XVI called the hermeneutic of continuity. The unity of faith implies the unity of the magisterium in space and time. When a new teaching is given to us, it must always be interpreted in coherence with the preceding teaching.” On liturgy and sacredness: ” If the altar is no longer the sacred threshold beyond which God resides, how would we find the joy of approaching it? A world that ignores the sacred is a uniform, flat and sad world. By ransacking our liturgy we have disenchanted the world and reduced souls to a dull sadness.” On modern errors regarding the liturgy: “The contemporary technical mentality would like to reduce the liturgy to an effective work of pedagogy. To this end, we seek to make the ceremonies convivial, attractive and friendly. But the liturgy has no pedagogical value except to the extent that it is entirely ordained to the glorification of God and to the divine worship and sanctification of men. … Nothing profane has its place in liturgical actions. It would be a serious mistake to believe that worldly, spectacular elements would encourage the participation of the faithful. These elements can only promote human participation and not participation in Christ’s religious and salvific action.” On traditional liturgy and young people: “When the extraordinary form is celebrated in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, it reveals its full fruitfulness: How can we be surprised that a liturgy that has carried so many saints continues to smile at young souls thirsty for God?” On gender ideology: “Gender ideology is a Luciferic refusal to receive a sexual nature from God. The West refuses to receive; it only accepts what it builds itself. Transhumanism is the ultimate avatar of this movement. Even human nature, because it is a gift from God, becomes unbearable to the Western man.” On the upcoming Pan-Amazon Synod: “I have heard that some people wanted to make this synod a laboratory for the universal Church, that others said that, after this synod, nothing would be the same as before. If that is true, this approach is dishonest and misleading. This synod has a specific and local goal: the evangelization of the Amazon. … I am shocked and outraged that the spiritual distress of the poor in the Amazon is being used as a pretext to support projects that are typical of bourgeois and worldly Christianity.” On the power of prayer: “A man on his knees is more powerful than the world. It is an impregnable bulwark against atheism and the madness of men. A man on his knees makes Satan’s pride tremble. All of you who, in the eyes of men, are without power and influence, but who know how to remain on your knees before God, do not be afraid of those who want to intimidate you.” Read the entire interview. And if you’ve not read it, also see Cardinal Sarah’s May 25, 2019, address in Paris, which touches on many of the themes found in The Day Is Not Far Spent.
Oh dear.....and we have been one of the "lucky" dioceses. Pray that we get a replacement as equal to the one who is leaving. One of the mentioned possible replacements in this article I've read or heard the nickname being "Bambi"!! As Chaput turns 75, the countdown to Philadelphia’s next Catholic archbishop begins https://www.inquirer.com/news/archb...nt-philly-catholic-pope-francis-20190921.html
More idiocy from the usual suspects: Catholic Missionaries Compare Greta Thunberg to Virgin Mary The Maryknoll missionaries have thrown their support behind 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, comparing her to the Virgin Mary. “Christians getting their knickers all in a twist over the passionate, articulate & knowledgeable witness of Greta Thunberg because of her age seem to overlook the age of the Virgin Mary at the time of the Annunciation,” the group wrote on Twitter. “Young women can & have changed the world,” they concluded. The tweet was sent Tuesday from the official Twitter account of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, whose registered name is the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, founded in 1911. “We follow Jesus in serving the poor and others in need in 22 countries, including the U.S.” states the group, which emphasizes its work in promoting social justice. In her address to the United Nations Monday, Ms. Thunberg said that that world leaders “have stolen my dreams, my childhood, with your empty words and yet I’m one of the lucky ones.” “People are suffering, people are dying, entire ecosystems are collapsing,” she declared. “We are in the beginning of the mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you!” https://www.breitbart.com/faith/201...naries-compare-greta-thunberg-to-virgin-mary/
HH and Dolours, Yes and thanks be to God Cardinal Sarah will be an attendee at the upcoming Pan_Amazonian synod. Here are two more witnesses that I also thank God for. Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider (Edward Pentin) Sep. 24, 2019 Cardinal Burke, Bishop Schneider: Criticism of Errors is Fidelity to the Pope In a new statement, they say a ‘disregard for reason’ has meant their expressions of concern are met with ‘sentimental arguments’ and ‘defamatory approaches.’ Edward Pentin | http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edwa...er-criticism-of-errors-is-fidelity-to-the-pop Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider have issued a statement asserting why they believe they have a duty in conscience to speak out against an “almost general doctrinal confusion” in the Church today, and why such criticism is made out of “great love for souls” and for Pope Francis. In the three-page Sept. 24 statement entitled A clarification about the meaning of fidelity to the Supreme Pontiff (see full text below), the patron of the Sovereign Order of Malta and the auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, say their consciences do “not allow us to be silent” in the face of ambiguities and doctrinal errors of this pontificate. They refer in particular to the indissolubility of marriage and admittance to Holy Communion of those “cohabiting in irregular unions,” the “increasing approval of homosexual acts,” and what they say are doctrinal errors in both the recent Human Fraternity document signed by the Pope, and the instrumentum laboris, or working document, of the upcoming Amazon Synod. Out of “respect and love,” they say they are calling on the Holy Father to “unequivocally reject” such errors, and “not consent to the practical abolition of priestly celibacy” in the Latin Church (the Amazon synod will discuss allowing the ordination of married men in order to bring the Eucharist to remote areas of that region). They note that in “recent times” a prevailing “almost total infallibilization” of papal statements has emerged, leading to “no more possibility of an honest intellectual and theological debate,” and a “disregard for reason and, therefore, for the truth.” Sentiment Over Reason Instead, they say their “sincere and respectful” expressions of concern are met with “only sentimental arguments or arguments from power,” and reason is “simply ignored and reasoning suppressed.” They are also met with “defamatory reproaches,” of being ‘against the Pope,’ or even of being ‘schismatic.’” The cardinal and bishop, recalling how St. Paul admonished the first Pope “because of his hypocritical behaviour,” speculate how St. Paul would have reacted to the Human Fraternity document, signed by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar university in Abu Dhabi in February, which states that all religions are willed by God, or the doctrinal errors said to be within the Amazon synod’s working document (the cardinal and bishop listed these recently in a call to pray and fast to prevent them being approved). Both contribute to a “betrayal” of the “incomparable uniqueness” of Christ and the and the integrity of the Catholic Faith, something that is happening “before the eyes” of the Church and the world. It is “impossible,” they say, to think that St. Paul or St. Athanasius “would remain silent” in such circumstances, and let themselves be “intimidated” by accusations of “speaking against the Pope.” They also recall that it was Pope Francis who called for parrhesia — to speak boldly and frankly. Affirming that it is God “who will judge us,” they say they are “true friends of Pope Francis” who have a “supernatural esteem of his person” and the office of Peter, and “pray very much” for Francis and encourage the faithful to do the same. Recalling the examples of fidelity shown by Sts. John Fisher, Thomas More and other saints, they say the more bishops, priests and lay faithful “defend the integrity of the deposit of faith,” the more they “support the Pope in his Petrine ministry.” continued...
continued from above... *** A clarification about the meaning of fidelity to the Supreme Pontiff No honest person can anymore deny the almost general doctrinal confusion which is reigning in the life of the Church in our days. This is particularly due to ambiguities regarding the indissolubility of marriage, which is being relativized through the practice of the admittance of persons cohabitating in irregular unions to Holy Communion, due to the increasing approval of homosexual acts, which are intrinsically contrary to nature and contrary to the revealed will of God, due to errors regarding the uniqueness of the Our Lord Jesus Christ and His redemptive work, which is being relativized through erroneous affirmations on the diversity of religions, and especially due to the recognition of diverse forms of paganism and their ritual practices through the Instrumentum Laboris for the coming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon. In view of this reality, our conscience does not allow us to be silent. We, as brothers in the College of Bishops, speak with respect and love, so that the Holy Father may unequivocally reject the evident doctrinal errors of the Instrumentum Laboris for the coming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon and not consent to the practical abolition of priestly celibacy in the Latin Church through the approval of the ordination of so-called “viri probati”. With our intervention, we, as shepherds of the flock, express our great love for souls, for the person of Pope Francis himself and for the divine gift of the Petrine Office. If we would not do this, we would commit a great sin of omission and of selfishness. For if we were silent, we would have a quieter life, and perhaps we would even receive honors and acknowledgments. However, if we would be silent, we would violate our conscience. In this context we think of the well-known words of the future Saint Cardinal John Henry Newman (who will be canonized on October 13, 2019): “I shall drink — to the Pope, if you please, — still, to Conscience first, and to the Pope afterwards” (A Letter Addressed to the Duke of Norfolk on Occasion of Mr. Gladstone’s Recent Expostulation). We think of these memorable and germane words of Melchior Cano, one of the most learned bishops during the Council of Trent: "Peter does not need our adulation. Those who blindly and indiscriminately defend every decision of the Supreme Pontiff are those who most undermine the authority of the Holy See: they destroy, instead of strengthening its foundations”. In recent times, there has been created an atmosphere of an almost total infallibilization of the statements of the Roman Pontiff, that is to say, of every word of the Pope, of every pronouncement, and of merely pastoral documents of the Holy See. There is, in practice, no more the observance of the traditional rule of distinguishing the different levels of the pronouncements of the Pope and of his offices with their theological notes and with the corresponding obligation of adherence on the part of the faithful. In spite of the fact that dialogue and theological debates were encouraged and promoted in the life of the Church during the past decades after the Second Vatican Council, in our days, there seems to be no more possibility of an honest intellectual and theological debate and of the expression of doubts regarding affirmations and practices which seriously obfuscate and harm the integrity of the Deposit of the Faith and of the Apostolic Tradition. Such a situation leads to the disregard for reason and, therefore, for the truth. Those who criticize our expressions of concern employ substantially only sentimental arguments or arguments from power. They seemingly do not want to engage in a serious theological discussion of the subject. In this respect, it seems that oftentimes reason is simply ignored and reasoning suppressed. A sincere and respectful expression of concern regarding matters of great theological and pastoral importance in the life of the Church today, addressed also to the Supreme Pontiff, is immediately squelched and cast in a negative light with defamatory reproaches of "sowing doubts", of being "against the Pope", or even of being “schismatic”. The Word of God teaches us, through the Apostles, to be certain, firm, and uncompromising regarding the universal and unchanging truths of our Faith and to keep and protect the Faith in the face of errors, as St. Peter, the first Pope, wrote: “Take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the iniquitous, you fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Pt. 3:17). St. Paul also wrote: “We may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:14-15). One must keep in mind the fact that the Apostle Paul publicly reproached the first Pope at Antioch in a matter of a lesser gravity, compared to the errors which in our days are spread in the life of the Church. St. Paul publicly admonished the first Pope because of his hypocritical behavior and of the consequent danger of questioning the truth that says that the prescriptions of the Mosaic law are no longer binding for Christians. How would the Apostle Paul react today, if he would read the sentence of the Abu Dhabi document which says that God wants in his wisdom equally the diversity of sexes, nations and religions (among which there are religions which practice idolatry and blaspheme Jesus Christ)! Such an affirmation effects, indeed, a relativization of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and of his redemptive work! What would St. Paul, St. Athanasius and the other great figures of Christianity say, when reading such a phrase and the errors expressed in the Instrumentum Laboris for the coming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon? It is impossible to think that these figures would remain silent, or would let themselves be intimidated with reproaches and accusations of speaking "against the Pope". When Pope Honorius I in the seventh century showed an ambiguous and dangerous attitude regarding the spread of the heresy of monothelitism, which denied that Christ had a human will, St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, sent a bishop from Palestine to Rome, asking him to speak, pray and not remain silent until the Pope condemned heresy. If St. Sophronius lived today, he certainly would be accused of speaking "against the Pope". The affirmation on the diversity of religions in the Abu Dhabi document and especially the errors in the Instrumentum Laboris for the coming Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon contribute to a betrayal of the incomparable uniqueness of the Person of Jesus Christ and of the integrity of the Catholic Faith. And this occurs before the eyes of the whole Church and of the world. A similar situation existed in the fourth century, when with the silence of almost the entire episcopate, the consubstantiality of the Son of God was betrayed in favor of ambiguous doctrinal affirmations of semi-Arianism, a betrayal in which even Pope Liberius participated for a short time. St. Athanasius never tired of publicly denouncing such ambiguity. Pope Liberius excommunicated him in the year 357 "pro bono pacis", i.e. “for the sake of peace”, to have peace with Emperor Constantius and the semi-Arian bishops of the East. St. Hilary of Poitiers reported this fact and rebuked Pope Liberius for his ambiguous attitude. It is significant that Pope Liberius, unlike all his predecessors, was the first pope whose name was not included in the Roman Martyrology. Our public statement corresponds with the following words of Our Holy Father Pope Francis: “One general and basic condition is this: speaking honestly. Let no one say: ‘I cannot say this, they will think this or this of me...’. It is necessary to say with parrhesia all that one feels. … A Cardinal wrote to me, saying: what a shame that several Cardinals did not have the courage to say certain things out of respect for the Pope, perhaps believing that the Pope might think something else. This is not good, this is not synodality, because it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation.” (Greeting to the Synod Fathers during the First General Congregation of the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, October 6, 2014). We affirm in the presence of God who will judge us: we are true friends of Pope Francis. We have a supernatural esteem of his person and of the supreme pastoral office of the Successor of Peter. We pray very much for Pope Francis and encourage the faithful to do the same. With the grace of God, we are ready to give our lives for the truth of the Catholic faith about the Primacy of Saint Peter and his successors, should persecutors of the Church ask us to deny this truth. We look to the great examples of fidelity to the Catholic truth of Petrine Primacy, such as it St. John Fisher, a bishop and cardinal of the Church, and St. Thomas More, a layman, and many other Saints and Confessors, and we invoke their intercession. The more lay faithful, priests and bishops hold to and defend the integrity of the deposit of faith, the more they, in fact, support the Pope in his Petrine ministry. For the Pope is the first in the Church to whom applies this admonition of the Holy Scripture: “Hold the form of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you” (2 Tim. 1:13-14). Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke Bishop Athanasius Schneider September 24, 2019 Feast of Our Lady of Ransom
