Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Liberation Theologian: Pope Francis Under Attack from ‘White Supremacists’Left-wing Brazilian liberation theologian Leonardo Boff said Wednesday that for the past nine years Pope Francis “has been receiving furious attacks from traditionalist Christians and white supremacists, almost all from the North of the world, the U.S. and Europe.” Mr. Boff, known for his impassioned indigenism and disdain for European Christianity, also claimed that an unidentified shadowy group of financiers invested millions of dollars to “depose” Francis from the papacy, “as if the church were a company and the pope was its CEO.” Pope Francis has been “persecuted,” Boff insists,...

[Catholic Caucus] Tradition or AnnihilationIf we want to avoid the Church's effective annihilation, we must return to Tradition, in everything from liturgy to catechesis to public morals and even modesty in dress.Recently, Crisis Magazine Editor in Chief Eric Sammons published an article outlining the dire state of the Catholic Church in America. He showed that for every 100 new Catholics, more than 800 people leave the Church. In addition, he proved that it is even worse than the numbers suggest when we do a deep dive into sacramental participation and the like. Simply put, the Church in America—and abroad because...

[Catholic Caucus] Pius X’s 1903 call to ‘restore all things in Christ’ is even more relevant todaySt. Pius X knew there would come a time when God’s enemies would believe they had triumphed. Paradoxically, it is at that moment that God’s victory is near: 'the victory will ever be with God — nay, defeat is at hand at the moment when man, under the delusion of his triumph, rises up with most audacity.'In the first encyclical of his papacy, E Supreme Apostolatus, St. Pius X emphasized the pressing need to restore all things in Christ. As he saw it in...

Sacrificing Catholics for EcumenismIt’s no secret that the Catholic Church is bleeding members. According to Pew Research, those who have left Catholicism outnumber those who have joined the Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one margin. As such statistics continue to worsen, the emphasis on evangelization grows. Yet, few can state what that ought to look like. So much of the focus has been upon reaching “across the aisle” and attempting to assimilate with Protestants. A recent case of a Catholic young adult group chat that was admonished by clergy for sharing memes with a jocular approach to Protestant themes serves...

<p>One of the most devastating casualties in the period after Vatican II has been the practical elimination of the distinction between objective redemption and subjective redemption. This has contributed to various evils, ranging from mass apostasy to the Vatican’s persecution of those Catholics who believe what the Church has always taught. Indeed, in one way or another, almost every aspect of the ongoing crisis in the Church relates to the effective elimination of the concept of subjective redemption.</p>

[Catholic Caucus] Chapter 6: ModernismEditor’s note: we continue our weekly serialisation of Dr. Edward Schaefer’s new book A Simple Man’s Case for Tradition. This book is an excellent introduction to Traditionalism and provides an easy way for Trads to introduce the movement to fellow Catholics who are seeking deeper answers to today’s questions. Proceeds from the book sale also help promote the Collegium Sanctorum Angelorum, one of only two traditional Catholic colleges in the United States. Read the IntroductionRead chapter 1: Equally Valid and HolyRead chapter 2: the New MassRead chapter 3: LatinRead chapter 4: Practice & BeliefRead chapter 5:...

[Catholic Caucus] Here’s how the faithful should respond to the evil of Liberal CatholicismThe formula to address the evil of Liberal Catholicism is surely the same as the formula for addressing almost every evil that has plagued the Mystical Body of Christ through the centuries: we should unwaveringly defend the unadulterated Catholic religion and try to become saints.Two recent statements from Bishop Joseph Strickland highlight the opportunities and challenges facing serious Catholics today. In his reflections on the 2024 elections, Bishop Strickland encouraged Catholics to take advantage of the opportunity to “bring the light of Christ more powerfully to the...

[Catholic Caucus] Defense by Word Twisting: Mayan Rite Not a Mayan Rite, the Liturgical Dance not a Liturgical DanceThe Mexican Bishops’ Conference felt the need to justify its "Mayan Rite" in a statement last Friday. They responded to "different interpretations" which were in fact persuasive criticisms.The bishops claim that there is no Mayan rite, no ritual dances and no Mayan altars.According to them, the new Eucharist "does not constitute a new rite or a substantial change in the structure of the Roman Missal".The Mayan rite is an "optional adaptation" to the Novus Ordo.The Bishops do not want to speak of...

[Catholic Caucus] From Doomsday 1959 to Dire Straits 2024When most Catholics hear of revelations, they are understandably skeptical. After all, they say, do we not already have the teaching of Christ, the inspired word of God in the Scriptures, and the dogmatic teaching of the Church? What need do we have of revelations? They are, of course, right. But what happens when the teaching of Christ that may still be alive in the mind goes dead in the heart, as did the love of God when Jansenism was rife in the Church? Christ Himself appeared to St. Margaret Mary—not to...

[Catholic Caucus] A Time of Trial and SiftingPublished in our May 2015 issue, these extracts from "The Present Crisis of the Holy See Tested By Prophecy: Four Lectures" (1861) are more timely, helpful, and sobering by the month and year. A Time of Trial and SiftingCARDINAL MANNINGWe have here (in St. Paul's forewarning in II Thess. 2: 1-4) a prophecy of four great facts: first, of a revolt, which shall precede the second coming of our Lord; secondly, of the manifestation of one who is called “the wicked one;” thirdly, of a hindrance, which restrains his manifestation; and lastly, of...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland warns of apostasy ‘at the top’ of the ChurchBishop Joseph Strickland warns in his latest letter about ‘corruption and the powerful evil forces’ in the Church and society and calls on the faithful to ‘cling fiercely’ to Our Lady and the Eucharist in response to Our Lady’s messages at Fatima and Akita.The following is the full text of a new letter by Bishop Joseph Strickland, the bishop emeritus of Tyler, Texas, warning the faithful about the “evil that grips our world and the Church” and urging them to “be spiritually prepared for whatever may come,” especially...

What Can We Learn from Hugo Klapproth: the Sola Scriptura Doctrine is Wrong The publication of Hugo Klapproth’s work, Letters to a Protestant Friend (The Remnant Press, 2022), represents an editorial event that can help us acquire a deep understanding of the mentality and constellation of values of a pre-conciliar Catholic. And not just any Catholic, but a convert from Lutheranism who dedicated his life to defending and transmitting the truths of Christian Revelation. Klapproth’s book is not only a highly useful read but also a source of inspiration that urges us to follow in the author’s footsteps to rediscover...

Bishop Schneider: Modernism condemned by Pius X ‘has been realized in all its devastating consequences’'To fight against heresy is a truly noble and selfless act, an expression of an authentic love for one’s neighbor,' Bishop Schneider told LifeSiteNews.Bishop Athanasius Schneider, the auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan, kindly granted LifeSite an interview about his new book, Flee from Heresy: A Catholic Guide to Ancient and Modern Errors (Sophia Institute Press), whose publication date is today.In this new interview (please see full text below), the prelate discusses the atmosphere of heresy and relativism in our Church today. “There reigns a ruthless relativism,”...

[Catholic Caucus] Sacrilege in Bogata. Woman gives Communion to her dog.Woman feeds her pet with Eucharist during MassIn Bogotá, Colombia, an event during a Mass has shocked the local religious community, after a woman shared a fragment of the Eucharist with her pet, according to Father Laureano Barón, parish priest of Santo Domingo Savio.In Bogotá, Colombia, Father Laureano Barón, in charge of the Santo Domingo Savio parish, expressed his dismay over an incident that he described as sacrilege during a recent Mass. He reported that a woman, after receiving the Eucharist, returned to her place and shared a fragment with...

Leftists love to believe that churches should be run like clubs -- the majority rules. So they'll make a big deal out of polls, like the Pew Research Center finding six of ten Catholics disagree with the church's opposition to abortion. They do not ask self-identified Catholics whether they actually go to church on Sundays, or if they stopped the minute they became an adult. You would get a more conservative result. On Tuesday, NPR's newscast All Things Considered brought on reporter Katia Riddle to channel the views of pro-abortion Catholics, but what made it more shocking is touting a...

[Catholic Caucus] The Associated Press on the future of the ChurchThere have been numerous mainstream media articles on how traditional Catholics (and conservative Catholics favoring tradition) are the future of the Church, particularly in the U.S. Many such articles, however, were during the Benedict XVI papacy and following his 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum. A handful of positive articles since Pope Francis' TLM suppressions have been published in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.So, it is very encouraging to see a new Associated Press article today entitled "'A step back in time': America's Catholic Church sees an immense...

"Vatican II and the new liturgy have invented a new magisterial mode: dogmatic regression": Interview with Claude BartheOn the occasion of the revised and expanded reissue of his book "Trouver-t-il encore la foi sur terre [Will He still find faith on earth?]," we interviewed Abbé Claude Barthe.Michel Janva: The title of your book is a quotation from the Gospel. In view of the current evolution of the Catholic religion (growth in Africa and Asia, decline in Europe...), is it possible that it could disappear in Western Europe, and therefore in Rome, just as it was practically eliminated from North Africa...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Francis institutes female ‘lectors’ again at Vatican continuing ‘rupture from Catholic tradition’Liturgist Dr. Kwasniewski wrote that Pope Francis' altering of Canon Law to allow female lectors 'commits a double categorical error by conflating the dignity of the baptized with the dignity of active liturgical ministry.'Pope Francis instituted men and women in the ministries of lector and catechist in the Vatican Sunday, continuing the practice he began following his 2021 changes to Canon Law which has been described as continuing “the pattern of rupture from Catholic tradition.”On January 21, Pope Francis instituted two women as lectors, along with...

[Catholic Caucus] Panama Bleeds: A Story of Tradition Persecuted and RestoredA traditional Catholic activist in Panama sent me the following report on what is happening in his country. It was first published at my Substack, Tradition & Sanity, on December 11, 2023. It’s important for those of us who live in countries where the Latin Mass is more plentifully available to learn about the hardships of our brethren who are suffering under bishops even more cruel and heterodox than our own, and to pray for them.—PAKDecember 13, 2020: First Holy Mass with the SSPX, in an apartment into which more...

The Growing Need to Condemn Vatican II’s Errors So We Can Combat Francis’s Heresies“To promote ecumenism means signing a treaty of non-aggression, granting all religions citizenship in the great pantheon of creeds. The only commandment is the exclusion of exclusivity: freedom for all in all things, except for those who believe in the truth.” (Fr. Dominique Bourmaud, One Hundred Years of Modernism Francis is obviously a non-Catholic man who seeks to do as much damage as possible to the Catholic Church. Understandably, this reality leads many sincere Catholics to insist that he cannot possibly be a true pope. As Archbishop...