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FR ROBERT ALTIER’S TRUTHFUL HOMILY ABOUT THE CURRENT CRISIS IN THE CHURCH The following is the transcription of the August 19, 2018 homily given at the Church of St. Raphael in Crystal, Minnesota by Fr. Robert Altier. In the second reading today St. Paul tells us that we have to make the most of our opportunity because the days are evil. We aren’t just simply living in days that are evil, we are living in the days that Isaiah spoke about, the days when they will call evil good and good evil. And we have been brainwashed into thinking that...

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia has published a wide-ranging criticism of the Instrumentum Laboris (a kind of introduction or preamble) for the upcoming Synod on the Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment. In an introductory paragraph, Chaput explains that the analysis was “received from a respected North American theologian”. The article, which appears in First Things, warns that the Instrumentum veers dangerously close to heresy – specifically the heresies of naturalism, Lutheranism, and relativism. It begins by criticizing its “naturalist” understanding of modern sexual dysfunction: widespread promiscuity, online pornography, and the like. “The document laments only its ‘disfiguring the...

New York City, N.Y., Sep 1, 2017 / 01:07 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Catholic outreach to LGBT individuals must always include the truth about Catholic teaching and chastity, Cardinal Robert Sarah said in an article responding to Jesuit priest Fr. James Martin. “The Catholic Church has been criticized by many, including some of its own followers, for its pastoral response to the LGBT community,” Cardinal Sarah wrote in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal Sept. 1. “This criticism deserves a reply, not so much to defend the Church’s practices reflexively, but to determine whether we, as the Lord’s disciples, are...

Some Vatican staff shared the public's dismay at the image - but by then it was too lateA pair of photographs released by the Vatican – one in particular – caused quite a stir on Thursday. The offending image showed members of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Executive Committee sharing a jocular moment during a meeting with Pope Francis. That in itself is nothing too terribly newsworthy. But the meeting was to discuss the ongoing crisis in the US Church, precipitated by the spectacular fall from grace of one of the hierarchy’s best-known and most influential members: the disgraced...

A cathedral is pressing ahead with plans to show two “not for the faint-hearted” horror films and Monty Python’s Life of Brian on an inflatable big screen – despite opposition from some church wardens. The Dean of Derby, The Very Reverend Dr Stephen Hance, said the decision to host the city’s QUAD cinema’s Fright Club and other films in the nave would not compromise the cathedral’s holiness. Critics of the plans have claimed 1970s classics The Wicker Man and Don’t Look Now are inappropriate for a place-of-worship because of a graphic nude sex scene and themes of paganism. Other films...

Over the next decade, the entire archdiocese of Utrecht is estimated to be reduced from 280 to less than 15 churches that still hold Eucharistic celebrations, according to Archbishop Wim Eijk. In an interview with local newspaper the Gelderlander, the Archbishop disclosed that 1 in 10 parishes in his diocese are bankrupt, with only 1 in 10 able to be considered ‘rich’, with the other 8 in 10 being somewhere in between. The problem lies in the fact that there is an ageing population coupled with a rapid decline in church attendance. Catholic Churches are currently seeing an annual decrease...

Some amazing news came out of Australia today with a famous atheist politician receiving baptism. Bill Hayden had been the leader of a major Australian political party, then was the Governor General of Australia for 7 years. (The Governor General is the one who signs bills into law in the Queen’s name in 15 Commonwealth countries.) Recently, at 85, he renounced his atheism and joined the Catholic Church. Getting Close to DeathThe Australian reports his motivation to take this step. Bill Hayden, at age 85, has ­renounced his atheism and been baptised into the Catholic Church. The former Labor leader...

While the rumor mill is churning over an imminent agreement between Beijing and the Holy See, doubts about the effective freedom that the Party could guarantee to Chinese Catholics remain strong. We must pray for them, for the unity of the Church and for the discernment of local pastors. China "continues to consider itself the absolute center of the world". The opinion of a missionary, a great expert in the Middle Empire.Rome (AsiaNews) - The possible agreement between China and the Vatican "does not change the concrete reality of the facts. The Chinese government wants absolute control over the Catholic...

The ceremony takes place three times a year, and failure to liquefy is seen as a portent of disasterThe blood of St Januarius has liquefied at the thrice-yearly ceremony – but the officiating cardinal fell ill. Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, the Archbishop of Naples, “blanched and had to sit down”, according to the news agency ANSA. The blood of the saint had reportedly liquefied, but the cardinal was unable to take the reliquary outside. The liquefaction of St Januarius’s blood is said to take place three times a year: once in May, once in December, and once on September 19 –...

The former Pope apparently wrote the letters in response to criticism from Cardinal BrandmüllerBenedict XVI rebuked a cardinal who criticised his decision to resign and take the title Pope Emeritus, leaked letters reveal. In the letters – which were leaked to the German newspaper Bild, who then passed them to the New York Times – Benedict says he can understand the “deep-seated pain” his resignation caused. However, people’s anger at his decision is devaluing his entire pontificate, leading to it being “conflated with the sadness about the situation of the Church today.” The New York Times says that the letters...

Developments & Reactions This post continues our coverage of the ongoing ecclesiastical Chernobyl unleashed by the accusations of the former Vatican nuncio to the United States, “Abp.” Carlo Viganò, which were first published on Aug. 25 and have the potential not only to bring an end to the Francis “pontificate” but even to throw the entire Vatican II Sect into unprecedented chaos: Friday, Sep. 14, 2018 Developments In his homily for the day, Francis delivered Part 3 of his “Great Accuser” theme — video report here “Cardinal” Donald Wuerl’s homily for the opening of his “season of healing” in Washington,...

Amir had a partly erroneous video up earlier on Wednesday, which he has now taken down. The knowledge that he had at that time was partly wrong. This video is the situation according to more recent knowledge. The situation is quite serious in the Middle East right now. Everyone is trying hard to stay polite and calm, including Russia, but the situation has changed somewhat in the past few days. It's probably a good time to pray for Israel and for the Middle East in general and for the world. God is in charge, so never fear. Thank you for...

Anna Kolesárová was beatified in Lokomotiva soccer stadium in Kosice, Slovakia, on Saturday, by the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints with 30,000 people in attendance. Slovakia has a new blessed: Anna Kolesárová. She was beatified on Saturday before 30 of thousand people gathered in the soccer stadium in Košice, Slovakia, by the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Cardinal Angelo Becciu. Cardinal Becciu put her life and death into context, past and present, during his homily. God above all Cardinal Becciu began his homily saying that hearing the biography of Bl...

Moscow, September 14, Interfax - Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople will no longer be mentioned in prayers after the Divine Liturgy, the Russian Synod has decided at an emergency meeting. "In the critical situation where Constantinople practically refuses to resolve the issue through dialogue, Moscow Patriarchate is forced to suspend prayer mentioning of Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople after religious service and with deep regret suspends joint service with Patriarchate of Constantinople hierarchs," the Synod, which met in Moscow on Friday, said in a statement. In addition, the Russian Church suspends its participation in episcopal assemblies and theological dialogues, multilateral commissions and...

September 14, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – Pope Francis’ sexual abuse prevention summit planned for winter’s end in Rome with the world’s bishops will apparently not address protections for the demographic found in recent months to be at significant risk from sexual predators in the Church: seminarians. After meeting with his Council of Cardinals this week, Francis summoned all the presidents of the national bishops’ conferences to Rome next February 21-24 to discuss the sex abuse crisis. The memorials of St. Peter Damian, who strongly addressed a similar problem of priestly homosexuality over 900 years ago, in both the old and new...

In a controversial move, China and the Vatican are preparing to sign a landmark deal this month allowing each side a voice in choosing the church's bishops in China, reports the Wall Street Journal. The details: Pope Francis will recognize excommunicated Chinese bishops that were approved without the Vatican's green light, and China will acknowledge the Pope as leader of the nation's Catholics and allow the Vatican a voice in bishop selection moving forward. The deal comes with controversy as China's current regime is largely atheist and authoritarian. The agreement is also seen as China recognizing religious autonomy — something...

ATLANTA (ChurchMilitant.com) - Celebrity Jesuit Fr. James Martin is heading to Georgia, courtesy of pro-gay Abp. Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia. On Friday, Martin announced on Twitter that Abp. Gregory has invited him to speak in October at two Atlanta-area locations. "Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta has graciously invited me to his archdiocese to speak," Martin tweeted, "so I will be speaking at St. Thomas More Parish (the Jesuit parish) on Sat. Oct 20 and at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the morning of Sun. Oct 21." Gregory's personal invitation comes as no surprise to faithful Catholics, as...

The Hague (AFP) - More than half of the Netherlands' senior clerics were involved in covering up sexual assault of children between 1945 and 2010, a press report claimed Saturday, further engulfing the Catholic Church in a global abuse scandal. Over the course of 65 years, 20 of 39 Dutch cardinals, bishops and their auxiliaries "covered up sexual abuse, allowing the perpetrators to cause many more victims", the daily NRC reported. "Four abused children and 16 others allowed the transfer of paedophile priests who could have caused new victims in other parishes," the Dutch newspaper added. Church spokeswoman Daphne van...

Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore was named apostolic administrator of the diocese.VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis Thursday accepted the resignation of Bishop Michael Bransfield from the pastoral government of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and asked the archbishop of Baltimore to launch an investigation into allegations of abuse. Archbishop William Lori was named apostolic administrator of the diocese. He was instructed by the Vatican to investigate allegations of “sexual harassment of adults” against Bishop Bransfield, according to a Sept. 13 statement from the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. Accusations of abuse against Bransfield arose in 2012 during the criminal trial of...

Please join with others to pray for PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP/VICE PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE and AMERICA: Family, Government, Military, Business, Education, Churches, and the Media. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. I John 5:14 Religion Forum threads labeled Prayer are closed to debate of any kind.