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In a candid interview Monday, Cardinal Raymond Burke voiced the concerns of many of his brothers in the Synod hall and lay Catholic activists throughout the world that the public presentation of the Synod has been manipulated by the organizers in the General Secretariat. He strongly criticized yesterday’s Relatio post disceptationem, or “report after the debate,” which the Catholic lay group Voice of the Family had called a “betrayal,” saying it proposes views that "faithful shepherds ... cannot accept," and betrays an approach that is "not of the Church." He called on Pope Francis to issue a statement defending Catholic...

ROME (CNN) - Under furious assault from conservative Catholics, the Vatican backtracked Tuesday on its surprisingly positive assessment of gays and same-sex relationships. In a report Monday, the Vatican had said that gays and lesbians have "gifts to offer" the Christian community and acknowledged that same-sex couples can give "precious support" to one other. The statement, an interim report from a closely watched meeting of Catholic clergy here, was widely praised by liberals. It is believed be the first time the Vatican has said anything positive about gay relationships. One longtime Vatican journalist called the statement a "pastoral earthquake." But...

A chaotic synod? Reason one: The nature of synods By Dr. Jeff Mirus | Oct 10, 2014 It is very difficult to assess what is in the minds of most bishops as they work behind the scenes at the current Synod on the Family. The reports of the proceedings are very scanty, and often couched in terms that can be interpreted in multiple ways. A perceived lack of direction may be more apparent than real, of course, but there are three very good reasons why it is likely to be more real than apparent: (1) The nature of large...

Featured Term (selected at random:REFORMATION A religous, social, and polititcal upheaval (1517-1648) that divided Western Christendom and created world Protestantism. Its causes were manifold: weakening of papal authority through long residence in France and the worldliness of some popes; disloyalty to Rome of many bishops who were really temporal rulers; excessive reservation of ecclesiastical appointments to the Roman Curia; intellectual and moral unfitness of many priests; wealth of some of the monasteries and dissension in their ranks; superstition and ignorance among the laity; social unrest brought on by the disentegration of the fuedal system; support given by political power to...

I have been in Rome, by my rough count, 100 times during my adult life. Some visits had to do with secular matters of culture or politics, most with questions related to the Catholic Church. But I think I can say without the slightest doubt that yesterday was the strangest day I’ve ever passed in the Eternal City. By now, almost everyone interested in Catholic matters knows about what can only be called the truly bizarre document that the Vatican released Monday: the relatio summing up the first week of work by the Extraordinary Synod on the Family. I was...

The Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura says that a statement from Pope Francis "is long overdue"Yesterday's presentation of the mid-term report (Relatio post disceptationem) of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family was met with a remarkable level of interest among both Catholic and non-Catholic media outlets. The Vatican Radio site, in its introduction to the document, stated in part: In the mid-term report the Synod Fathers speak of how it's the task of the Church to recognize those seeds of the Word that have spread beyond its visible and sacramental boundaries. They appeal to...

The upheaval in the manipulated and censored secret Synod Assembly is so great not even the rapporteur, Cardinal Peter Erdo, is able to vouch for what he signed and had published under his own name! When presenting the "Relatio post disceptationem" this Monday, Cardinal Erdo was asked by reporters about the scandalous paragraphs on homosexuality, homosexual unions, and the raising of children by homosexual "couples", that are in most aspects a 180-turn away from the 2,000-year-old permanent doctrine and practice of the Church, as taught even more strongly in the last two pontificates. Instead of explaining them, he refused to...

The Tyndale New Testament of 1525 was the first English translation based on the Greek and the first English Bible to be printed. (The Wycliffe Bible was based on Latin and published only in hand-written manuscripts.) The King James Bible is an edition of Tyndale’s masterly translation. William Tyndale is therefore the most important one name in the history of the English Bible and one of most important names in history of the English people. TYNDALE’S TIMES Tyndale was born to a time of great change and turmoil. It was a time of international travel and discovery. When he was...

Set the Tone Today's Scripture “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises.” (Psalm 34:1, NLT) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria When you wake up in the morning, what’s the first thing you think about? What’s the first thing you say? Do you set the tone for success, favor and blessing? Yesterday may have had some hardships or some difficulties, but it’s a new day. We should be on the lookout for God’s blessings. The scripture tells us that the darker it gets in the world, the brighter it’s going to be...

Individual Discouragement and Personal Growth " . . . when Moses was grown . . . he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens —Exodus 2:11 " Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end...

ROME, 13 October 2014: An international coalition of pro-family groups has rejected the mid-way report of the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, calling it “a betrayal”. Voice of the Family responded to the report (relatio post disceptationem), published this morning and presented by Cardinal Péter Erdő (See “Synod on Family: Midterm report presented, 2015 Synod announced“, Vatican Radio, 13 October) The report has been welcomed ecstatically by liberal Catholic commentators. John Smeaton, co-founder of Voice of the Family, said: “Those who are controlling the Synod have betrayed Catholic parents worldwide. We believe that the Synod’s mid-way report is one of...

Archbishop GÄ…decki: Document of the Synod of Bishops Unacceptable For ManyThe document summarizing the first week of the synod is not acceptable to many bishops - so says Archbishop Stanislaw GÄ…decki.Vatican Radio, October 13, 2014 In an interview with Vatican Radio, the President of the Polish Episcopal Conference did not hesitate to say that this document departs from the teaching of John Paul II, and even that in it can be noticed traces of the anti-marriage ideology. According to Archbishop GÄ…decki, this text also highlights the lack of a clear vision for the synodal assembly. "Is the purpose of this...

First, I have been quietly trying to brace people that this Synod would go well beyond mere “pastoral” approaches and into redefinitions of Doctrine. I felt that clearly the case because, for starters, it is impossible to separate Doctrine – law – from practice. Saying otherwise is like saying we can continue to hold the common definition of murder in criminal courts while excusing all those who commit murder out of a false sense of charity. And what we have going on right now is attempted soul-murder in the first degree. In addition, in reading the tea leaves with the...

Why Columbus Sailed   5/24/2014   An interview about Christopher Columbus and the religious motivations for his journeyby Alton Pelowski   When the Knights of Columbus was founded 130 years ago, their namesake, Christopher Columbus, was a symbol of the idea that there is no contradiction in being a Catholic and an American. In recent decades, however, Columbus has become a figure of controversy, leaving conflicting opinions about his legacy.In recent decades, however, Columbus has become a figure of controversy, leaving conflicting opinions about his legacy.Carol Delaney, a cultural anthropologist and long-time professor at Stanford University, had little knowledge...

originally posted in Oct 2010Should we or shouldn’t we celebrate Columbus day? Every year the debate rages around this time whether the expansion of European civilization into the western hemisphere was a positive or negative development in human history. Of course Columbus himself was a complex figure, and there is much to love or hate about him depending on one’s point of view. The leftward side of the debate points out Columbus’s greed, ambition, pride and at times cruelty. And yet on the other side , one must admire the bravery, tenacity, and Columbus’ willingness to venture at great risk....

Featured Term (selected at random:UNJUST AGGRESSOR An assailant who attacks an innocent person actually and unjustly. Actual aggression is an imminent or practically present assault that cannot be evaded. Unjust aggression is experienced when the assault is at least materially unwarranted, i.e., when the assailant is not morally responsible for the attack. In all cases of unjust aggression it is permitted to use such force as may be necessary to insure self-protection. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Temptation as a Form of Martyrdom – A Meditation on a Writing of St. Ambrose By: Msgr. Charles PopeTemptation is a universal human experience. And because it’s so directly associated with sin, many too easily equate being tempted with sinning. But temptation is not the same as sin. If it were, how could the Scriptures say to us that Jesus was tempted in every way we are and yet was without sin? (Heb 4:15) Hence, the simple experience of temptation is not sin. It is true, however, that our past indulgence in sin can make us more susceptible to temptation.However, properly understood,...

A document summing up the synod so far has been described as a “pastoral earthquake” by a leading Vatican commentator. The document, called the relatio post disceptationem, was read aloud in the synod hall this morning. It has been drafted by synod fathers selected by Pope Francis and can be read in full here. The document calls on the Church to build on the “positive aspects” of relationships that are deemed irregular – such as between remarried couples or same-sex partners – and keep the “doors always wide open” to people in those relationships. The relatio says that the Church...

Getting into God’s Stride " Enoch walked with God . . . —Genesis 5:24 " The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (seeJohn 1:35-37 and John 3:30). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second...

Party or Perish! A Homily for the 28th Sunday of the Year By: Msgr. Charles PopeThe past three Sundays have featured intense and shocking parables about our readiness, our fruitfulness, and our decision to accept and enter the Kingdom of God or not. The Lord has used the image of a vineyard into which workers are dispatched at different times of the day but who have different attitudes about what is due to them at the end of the day; or a vineyard into which two sons are sent, one going and the other not; or a vineyard in which are...