Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Four Heroes of Hypocrisy: How the President of the German Bishops Will Present HimselfThe Diocese of Limburg, Germany, headed by Georg Bätzing, the President of the German Bishops, has invented four figures for its presence at the 'Katholikentag' in Erfurt from 29 May to 2 June.The 'Katholikentag' is a festival-like national gathering of 'Catholics' in Germany that takes place about every 2-4 years.Bätzing's four heroes are: Fantastic Rainbow, Dr Future, Captain Liberty and PaxMan (all names originally in English). Participants in the Katholikentag can have their picture taken with them.The characters are drawn by an illustrator who trained...

[Catholic Caucus] Francis' Darling in La Plata Resigns after less than a Year (Update)Francis has accepted the resignation of Gabriel Antonio Mestre, 55, who was appointed Archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, less than a year ago.In La Plata, an important archdiocese only 60 km from Buenos Aires, Mgr Mestre succeeded Tucho Fernández, whom Francis appointed Prefect of the Dicastery for the Destruction of the Faith.No further details were given by the Vatican, but a scandal is looming in the background.In 2017, Francis made Gabriel Mestre, then 48, a bishop and appointed him to Mar de Plata, a city in Argentina...

[Catholic Caucus] Three Broken Canons in the New CodeJust as in the days of Christ, it was the scribes and Pharisees (obsessed with the law instead of the Gospel) who crucified Christ. So also today, canon lawyers now crucify the Catholic Church by legalism. It’s not that Canon Law is the problem. Canon Law was originally set up to be at the service of the Gospel, not a replacement of it. But it is being manipulated by corrupt bishops to promote an anti-Gospel in many American dioceses. We will look at three of the worst abuses of the new Code...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop attacks Church teaching for upholding ‘only man and woman,’ demands changes to CatechismPro-LGBT Auxiliary Bishop Ludger Schepers of Essen insisted that ‘something has to change’ in the Church regarding sexuality and that the ‘Catechism must say different things than it does now,’ in the latest heterodox remarks from the German hierarchy.A German bishop criticized Catholic teaching for “assuming there is only man and only woman” and demanded that the Church change its infallible doctrine on sexuality in the latest heterodox comments from the German hierarchy.Bishop Ludger Schepers, an auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Essen, who...

Bishops, borders, and the (bully) pulpitI have several objections to Bishop Mark Seitz’s recent claim that Texas officials’ efforts to secure the border are “transparently political”.“Texas Bishop Taking on Greg Abbott Gets Pope Francis’ Protection” is the curious title of an April 30th article in Newsweek. Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso needs “protection” from Greg Abbott? Are there Texas state troopers surrounding his house? Is he in imminent danger of arrest?There are bishops in the world in imminent danger of those things and worse. A retired bishop in Mexico was just released by his kidnappers. Bishops in Africa face...

[Catholic Caucus] ‘Servant of Freemasonry’: Viganò rebukes bishop who approved pagan ritual before Mass at cathedralThe archbishop said a ''shamanic ceremony' 'desecrate(d) the Cathedral of the Diocese of Superior (WI) on the very day on which the Holy Chrism is consecrated.'(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò issued a stinging rebuke of an American bishop who allowed a pagan ritual to be performed inside his cathedral earlier this month. In a X post published last Friday, Viganò condemned the ceremony as a “sacrilegious act.” He referred to the prelate who permitted it as a “squalid official of the ecumenical religion.”“The shamanic...

[Catholic Caucus] Austria: Bishop Promotes a "God of Diversities"Homosexual activist Wilhelm Krautwaschl, 61, aka Bishop of Graz-Seckau, Austria, is promoting a prayer to a hitherto unknown idol which he calls "god of diversity" and who created "not only man or woman - no", reports Kath.net.During Lent, his diocesan bureaucrats sent propaganda texts by email or WhatsApp.On 7 March, the text was entitled "Under the Rainbow", written by a certain Marlies Prettenthaler-Heckel, a "theologian" paid as a "consultant" for the diocesan pastoral office. Her text is as follows:"God of diversity / You make everything so beautifulThere is not only blue or...

[Catholic Caucus] A German Bishop: Words and Deeds Can Contradict Each OtherHomosexual [pseudo] blessings are the beginning of a further "development of doctrine", Monsignor Helmut Dieser, the Bishop of Aachen, Germany, told Katholisch.de (19 March).The term "development of doctrine" is often used by heretics to mean "betrayal of the faith."Monsignor Dieser says that with the text 'Fiducia Supplicans', Francis has made it clear "that action does not have to reflect doctrine one-to-one". He overlooks the fact that this is the definition of hypocrisy.For him, 'Fiducia Supplicans' indicates "indirectly" that the doctrine has a potential for "further development" [he means: disintegration]....

German Bishops Wade into Party PoliticsNot content to only promote heresy, now German bishops are bringing their non-Catholic sensibility to the realm of politics.American English speakers are familiar with the axiomatic question Is the pope Catholic? Applied instead to the bishops of Germany, the answer isn’t obvious. The recent announcement of a commission for “queer” pastoral care is the latest in a long line of heretical ventures from Luther’s homeland. From a theological perspective, there is little to add to assessments like Dr. Regis Martin’s here. However, when these heterodox bishops venture into the realm of secular party politics, they...

[Catholic Caucus] US bishops attend secretive pro-transgender conference organized by heretical New Ways MinistryMore than a dozen prelates, including heterodox Kentucky Bishop John Stowe, joined the New Ways Ministry event, though the bishop who oversaw the USCCB’s condemnation of transgender surgeries wasn’t invited.More than a dozen Catholic bishops met recently for a closed door pro-transgender conference at Jesuit-run St. Louis University, organized by the heretical, pro-LGBT New Ways Ministry.The move comes as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is working on formalizing a universal policy in line with the doctrinal note published by the doctrinal committee of the bishops’...

PETITION: US bishops must excommunicate Biden after his shameful pro-abortion State of the Union addressJoe Biden scandalizes the faithful and the world by using his so-called ‘Catholic faith’ as a cloak for his murderous abortion activism. Why won’t the US bishops do something?The American bishops need to show us that the U.S. Catholic Church is not an arm of the Democratic Party. Last night, Joe Biden, who has disgraced the Holy Rosary by waving his own around as if it were proof of his orthodoxy and humble devotion, gave the most pro-abortion State of the Union address in the history...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland pens open letter to Pope Francis pleading for him to ‘return to Christ’'Let us resist the voices that too often come even from within the Church herself, calling us to abandon the truth that Jesus Christ proclaimed.'The following is the full text of a February 29 priestly letter written by Bishop Emeritus of Tyler, Texas, Joseph Strickland.My Dear Brother Bishops, I am compelled to speak to all of my brother bishops around the world, including Pope Francis, Bishop of Rome. In many ways, I am the least among you, but I share with you the anointing...

Texas sues to shut down ‘Catholic’ organization accused of facilitating illegal immigration'The chaos at the southern border has created an environment where NGOs, funded with taxpayer money from the Biden Administration, facilitate astonishing horrors including human smuggling,' state Attorney General Ken Paxton said.AUSTIN, Texas (LifeSiteNews) — Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that he is suing to force the closure of a “Catholic” non-governmental organization (NGO) it contends is helping facilitate illegal immigration.In a press release, Paxton said he is seeking to end Annunciation House’s Texas operations based on a review of “significant public record information strongly suggesting”...

[Catholic Caucus] German Bishops Introduce a Chief-Ideologue for Homosexual Sins and "Easier" Liturgical LanguageThe German bishops have appointed a representative for "homosexual pastoral care", an office nobody needs.At the same time, normal believers are running away in droves and nobody cares.Presiding Bishop Georg Bätzing announced on 22 February that Ludger Schepers, a homosex-activist and auxiliary bishop of Essen, will take on the role, whose main task is to please the powerful bosses of the homosexual propaganda regime.Propagandists of homosexual sins ("Queer Pastoral Care") already exist in individual dioceses. Now this circus is being raised to the level of the Bishops'...

[Catholic Caucus] Faithful Catholics are suffering. Meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary can helpAs we continue to endure such persecutions, we should never be scandalized, but rather put our hope in the Most Holy Rosary. The Rosary has sustained other generations in times of persecution.Despite constant pressure to adopt the opinion that an ever-growing number of Catholics attend the Latin Mass out of preference, one must acknowledge that the sacrifice these Catholics make to attend these parishes proves that the attachment is more than preferential. The traditional Mass is an expression of traditional morals and beliefs. It is...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Müller says ‘some bishops’ behave childishly by canceling Latin Mass priestsIn regard to a Kentucky bishop's removal of the priests, the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said some bishops 'look to Rome and then say to the Holy Father, ‘I suppressed these people, and therefore I look for the reward of being promoted, being named archbishop, or cardinal.’ This [is the] childish behavior of some bishops.'Cardinal Gerhard Müller lamented the “childish behavior” of “some bishops” who are attacking the Latin Mass in an effort to curry favor with the Vatican during...

[Catholic Caucus] Statement From Suspended Kentucky TLM Priests As some readers may be aware, two Missionaries of Saint John the Baptist priests who celebrate (exclusively) the TLM at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Park Hills, Kentucky, had their faculties removed by the bishop of Covington.I met both of them a few years ago, impressed these former Fathers of Mercy were able to start a new religious community that -- unlike the Fathers of Mercy -- uses the traditional Latin books, while preserving the parish mission and homiletics apostolate their former community is known for within the conservative novus ordo...

[Catholic Caucus] UPDATE: Kentucky bishop removes two Latin Mass priests from public ministryFr. Shannon Collins and Fr. Sean Kopczynski are members of the Missionaries of St. John the Baptist, a 'public association of the faithful' established in the Diocese of Covington in 2019 before the arrival of current Bishop John Iffert.Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Park Hill, KentuckyThe bishop of Covington, Kentucky removed from public ministry two beloved priests who offer the Traditional Latin Mass. Parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes in Park Hill were recently informed by Father Shannon Collins that he and Father Sean Kopczynski, who served...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop: Francis Should Have Declared Homosexual Sin as Something GoodThe new Archbishop of Bamberg, Herwig Gössl, 56, told Sueddeutsche.de (5 January) that he had hoped for "clearer" statements from Francis/Fernández on homosexual sins.At least he sees the logical flaw in the pamphlet 'Sodoma supplicans': "I thought that if we were to bless such unions, the doctrine would have to evolve in such a way that homosexual acts would no longer be considered a grave sin."But he is confident that Francis' pamphlet will change "practice" and will not be "the end of the debate".An archbishop who doesn't know that...

[Catholic Caucus] Christmas of wars: War on earth, War against the liturgy, War of shepherds in the church who defend evil: But there are still some who are faithfulA message from the Fraternity of Saint Vincent FerrerChéméré-le-Roi, France"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Is. 9:1)Dear friends,As is the custom, I would like to bring you a message of peace, the message that the angels sang above the manger in Bethlehem: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good will" (Lk 2:14). But the celestial symphony is overshadowed by the...