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A Spanish archbishop has called the large influx of migrants currently travelling through Europe an "invasion" that could turn into a "Trojan horse" in European societies. Cardinal Antonio Canizares, Archbishop of Valencia, told a meeting of the New Economic Forum that many so-called refugees are in fact not fleeing persecution and may not be "totally trustworthy" in their intentions in settling in Europe. The cardinal asked the audience: "This invasion of migrants: is it totally trustworthy? What will Europe be like in a few years, given when is happening now? "You cannot play with history, nor with people's identity," he...

Vatican City (AFP) - Bishops launched a global appeal Monday for a breakthrough at upcoming Paris climate talks, including a "complete decarbonisation" of the world's economy and more help for poor countries battling the effects of climate change. The bishops said any agreement "should limit global temperature increases to avoid catastrophic climatic impacts, especially on the most vulnerable communities". From across five continents they called "not only for 'drastic reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide and other toxic gasses', but also for ending the fossil fuel era". The goal should be "complete decarbonisation by mid-century, in order to protect...

Stanisław Gądecki, Archbishop of Posen and President of the Polish Bishops' Conference has spoken of an attack against Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality on October 17, 2015 in the Synod Hall. Some said that they do not wish to change doctrine, but that is indeed exactly what they are trying to do. The proposal for a change in the order of the sacraments is in reality an attempt to change the doctrine by the back door. The intervention of the Archbishop is of great significance, because these attacks had been carefully planned afore time. Additionally the polish delegates can...

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is appealing to the U.S. government to take in 100,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year, along with an additional 100,000 from other countries. The population of Syrian refugees is overwhelmingly Muslim. In a message distributed via email, the USCCB is encouraging Catholics to submit a letter to their congressional representatives as well as to President Obama urging the government to "protect the lives and dignity of people in Syria, Iraq and in other countries suffering war, persecution and poverty." According to the pre-transcribed letter this is to be accomplished by...

Opening Mass for the synod of bishops on the family, Oct. 8, 2015. Credit: Mazue/catholicnews.org.uk. Vatican City, Oct 8, 2015 / 10:38 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Heavy criticism of the West imposing secular values on Africa in exchange for aid emerged as a theme from the continent's bishops, as the Vatican's synod on the family kicks off its first week. From press conferences to individual interviews, multiple prelates voiced concern over what Pope Francis has termed “ideological colonization,” in which Western nations have made the acceptance of legislature favoring gay rights and “marriage” contingent on receiving financial aid. “It's one thing...

The German bishops continue their march towards schism. Today, on their own website, they published an apologia for same-sex “marriage,” crossing a whole new line in their battle to reform the Church’s basic moral teachings. In an essay titled “Love Counts” on Katholisch.de, theology student Simon Linder argues that since the “societal climate” in Germany has changed, one does not have to justify oneself anymore when defending the idea of “marriage for all.” Rather, says Linder, those opposed to same-sex “marriages” have to defend themselves. And he asks: “Where does the Church have the idea … that homosexuality is a...

While the Swiss Bishop Vitus Huonder of the Diocese of Chur is still under public criticism for upholding the traditional teaching of the Catholic Church on homosexuality, the Swiss Bishops' Conference is coming under pressure because of its alliance with a man who has been himself promoting the homosexual and gender agenda for many years. Dr. Arnd Bünker is the head of the Swiss Institute for Pastoral Sociology, which wrote the Swiss Bishops' Conference much-criticized report in preparation for the upcoming 2015 Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome. The report explicitly and insistently requests that the Church cease...

On August 25, Katholisch.de, the official website of the German Bishops' Conference, published an interview with the German moral theologian Stephan Goertz concerning his new book, Who Am I to Judge? Homosexuality and the Catholic Church. In the interview, Goertz makes the claim that homosexuality should no longer be condemned because the times have changed. In biblical times, says the theologian, "procreation was the first God-given purpose of sexuality." At that time, "sexuality had as its first purpose to secure the survival of the people"; however, "that is obviously not any more our situation, and that is since the [Second...

FRONT ROYAL, VA — Millions of Americans, including many Catholics, were stunned when Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Catholic Archbishop of New York, attacked opponents of illegal immigration as “nativists” in a recent and widely-circulated column in a liberal New York tabloid. Unfortunately, Cardinal Dolan’s outburst represents a long line of liberalism on the part of America’s bishops — a position based not only on their “Social Justice” leftism, but because the welfare state which they celebrate doles out over a billion dollars a year to their Non-Government Organizations (Catholic Charities, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Migration and Refugee Services, and so on)....

The U.S. Catholic bishops have let this charade go on long enough. It's time for them to step up and perform their duty to protect the sheep and get rid of the wolves among us. Justice Anthony Kennedy needs to be excommunicated. In truth, he already should have been after upholding Roe v. Wade in the 1992 Casey v. Planned Parenthood decision. But this same-sex unmarriage ruling is beyond excommunicable. And please, smarmy Church of Nice theologians out there — none of that stupid, insufficient, "Well, by his actions he has already excommunicated himself." That's not enough. The bishops, collectively...

The new Vatican Has support of only 20% of bishops. Enthusiasts, enemies and silent dissenters colour Francis’s fraught relationship with Curia. Bond with ordinary people and harshness with Church hierarchy criticised “There’s depression. Heads are cowed. When he speaks about bishops, this Pope who shows great compassion to everyone else is inclined to use a stick”. On rereading it the following day, the Pope’s address to the opening of the Italian bishops’ conference (CEI) left a deep impression, provoking some bitter reflections. The address was received as confirmation of severity that has been perceived with pained surprise over the past...

The Bishops of Poland concluded their plenary meeting a week ago, and the central paragraph of their final communiqué was a strong reaffirmation of the doctrine of the Church on the indissolubility of marriage and its consequences for the sacramental life of the Church faithful: Statement of the plenary meeting of the Polish Bishops' Conference Warsaw, March 12, 2015. On March 11-12, 2015, the Bishops gathered at the headquarters of the Secretariat of the Polish Bishops' Conference in Warsaw at their 368th plenary meeting. It was also attended by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, and thirteen invited guests...

Emergency Contraception at Catholic Institutions: Bishops Can No Longer Claim Ignorance by Dr. Brian KoppFebruary 24, 2015Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart. The February 2015 Linacre Quarterly (the official journal of the Catholic Medical Association) features a groundbreaking study by Chris Kahlenborn, MD of The Polycarp Research Institute titled Mechanism of action of levonorgestrel emergency contraception. The study, contrasting the theoretical basis on which emergency contraception (otherwise known as “Plan B”) is claimed to function with the facts and statistics of the most recent research outlining the mechanism by which they cause early abortions, is sure to cause heartburn among...

On January 19, Pope Benedict addressed bishops from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, and the Virgin Islands. These U.S. bishops were in Rome for their periodic “ad limina” visits, which included meetings with the pope and Vatican officials, covering a wide range of pastoral matters.His words provide some sober reflection for us. As is usually the case, I would like to provide excerpts of the Pope’s remarks from a CNS News Article and then present my own comments in red.Pope Benedict XVI warned visiting U.S. bishops that “radical secularism”...

Catholic World Report has an unfortunate piece which tries to make Faithful sensible Catholics feel guilty for honest direct criticism of bishops. Right out of the box we’re all disgruntled, full of pride and ‘cheap chatter.’ Oh, and if we knew anything of Church teaching, we’d be very careful with our ‘murmuring.’ While disgruntled criticisms of Catholic bishops are nothing new, there seems to be an increase of late, especially since the start of Pope Francis’s pontificate. There is clearly no denying that there are problems within the Church, but Catholic moral teaching makes it clear that murmuring against our...

Must Bishops Be the Husband of One Wife? Tim Staples May 5, 2013 | 0 comments Share on twitter Share on facebook Share on email Share on print Share on gmail More Sharing Services As both a guest and, at times, a host on our radio broadcast, Catholic Answers Live, I have spoken on many different topics over the years. Mostly, I do the “Open Forum Q&A” on Tuesdays, but my favorite hours have been our “Open Forum for Non-Catholics,” when we take calls only from non-Catholics or from people who are in the process of coming into full communion...

By Jeff Waltonhttp://juicyecumenism.com/ January 23, 2015A delegation of one dozen bishops from the Anglican Church in North America joined in the annual March for Life on Thursday, January 22 in Washington, D.C.Led by Archbishop Foley Beach, the Anglican group was organized for the third year by Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic Bishop John Guernsey and Georgette Forney of Anglicans for Life.The March for Life is the largest annual protest in the United States, regularly drawing tens of thousands of people to mark the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that struck down state restrictions on abortions in 1973....

Wow! Venezuela bishops tell Pope Francis the downside of socialism and communism Pope Francis, a native of Argentina, has established himself as a critic of capitalism, but now he has received a statement from the bishops of Venezuela offering some insight on that Latin American nation’s experience with socialism and Marxism. I am not an expert on the internal workings of the Catholic Church, but this strikes me as an extraordinary move. Writing in Investor’s Business Daily, Monica Showalter lays out the message the bishops delivered:  Venezuela's bishops Monday blamed "Marxist socialism" and "communism" by name for the horrors...

Funeral services for former Gov. Mario Cuomo are being planned for Tuesday at the Saint Ignatius Loyola Church on Park Avenue in Manhattan, a church official told the Daily News.

What is a Catholic to think?We are called to welcome the stranger, but also to respect the law. We are morally bound to respect the dignity of every human person, but cannot create civil disorder.Reports suggest that President Obama may soon act by Executive Order to expand ‘deferred action’ for parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. By doing so, the Obama administration would no longer enforce our immigration laws as applied to an estimated 4-5 million people living illegally in the United States.A good idea? Necessary? Legal?Unfortunately this constitutionally suspect move has the apparent support of Bishop Eusebio...