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In 1967 the Beatles wrote and performed a song for one of the first world-wide TV broadcasts called, “All You Need is Love.” It became a classic and as late as the 1980’s I can remember working on the trombone line of an adaptation of it for my high school band. It’s one of a number of Beatles songs where they stumbled on something true out of their Christian heritage, without understanding the full implications. In fact, they actively distorted the real implications of love by overly-eroticizing the concept. Be that as it may, “All You Need is Love” could...

Priest Celebrates Lesbian [Pseudo] Marriage - One "Bride" Is Protestant PreacherRev. Joseph Williams, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul in Chicago, Illinois, officiated at a pseudo-marriage for two women in his church. They posted video footage on social media on 22 April and Rev. Williams confirmed that the video is real (OsvNews.com, 1 May).One of the women, Kelli Beard, is a United Methodist minister. She will become an associate pastor at an Arizona church starting in July. The other, Myah Knight, is a mental health therapist who runs a 'religious trauma support group'.Beard wore an off-the-shoulder champagne-coloured sequined dress, Knight...

[Catholic Caucus] Bishop Strickland: A ‘confused understanding of authority’ has invaded the ChurchSt. Robert Bellarmine wrote: 'Just as it is licit to resist a Pontiff who attacks the body, so it is licit to resist him who attacks souls, or who disturbs the civil order, or, even more, who tries to destroy the Church.'The following is a May 3, 2024, letter from Bishop Joseph Strickland, the bishop emeritus of Tyler, Texas. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,“Roma locuta; causa finita est!” “Rome has spoken; the matter is finished!” In these pastoral letters that I have been publishing, I have been...

[Catholic Caucus] Pope Gregory XVI’s Mirari Vos Condemns the Cardinal Sin of the Vatican II RevolutionAs profitable and enlightening as it is to reflect on how Mirari Vos condemns the specific novelties of Vatican II, though, we might draw greatest value from the encyclical if we can truly appreciate what it said about the permissibility of novelties in general.Like many other papal encyclicals prior to Vatican II, several aspects of Pope Gregory XVI’s 1832 encyclical on “Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism,” Mirari Vos, directly contradict ideas that were explicitly promoted at the Council. For instance, whereas Vatican II’s “Declaration on Religious...

4 May 2024 Saturday of the 5th week of Eastertide San Ciriaco – Ancona's Cathedral Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).First readingActs 16:1-10 ©'Come across to Macedonia and help us'From Cilicia Paul went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra. Here there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was a Jewess who had become a believer; but his father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy, and Paul, who wanted to have him as a travelling companion, had him circumcised. This was on account of the Jews in the locality where...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” John 15:18–19This is a sobering thought: “the world hates you.” That is, if you are among those who have been taken by our Lord out of the world. In that case, Jesus says that the world will hate you. No one wants to be hated. No...

Priest: Hatred of the Latin Mass is inspired by ‘hatred of everything that is Catholic’‘Hatred of the traditional Mass is not only hatred of Catholicism, it is above all the precondition for synodal ‘church reform,’’ warns Father Joachim Heimerl, criticizing ‘demonic self-hatred’ within the Church.Latin MassThis essay by Fr. Joachim Heimerl was originally written in German. It has been translated and published with the permission of Fr. Heimerl.(LifeSiteNews) — “Dell’ odio i tristi frutti.” Anyone who loves opera knows these words. They are taken from the prologue of Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci,” in which flaming jealousy first leads to fiery hatred...

Pope Francis hints at new ‘understanding’ of papacy during meeting with Anglican leadersThe Pontiff’s speech to the Anglicans held a revolutionary possibility: namely, a decision by Francis to use the papacy itself as an ecumenical bargaining tool, in a manner which could appear to undermine the authority wielded by the Pope.Pope Francis greets Canterbury's Justin Welby, May 2, 2024.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis hosted leaders from the Anglican Communion at the Vatican Thursday, and while speaking about the “controversial” role of the papacy, the Pontiff raised the possibility of a new “understanding” that could result from ecumenical relations and...

Daily Readings from the USCCBPhilip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” John 14:8–9Today’s liturgical feast is in honor of two of the Apostles, Philip and James the Lesser. Little is known about James other than that he was chosen by our Lord for the apostolic ministry and that we have one of his...

MAJOR STATEMENT: The Crimes and Heresies of Pope Francis, Their Causes and Effects, and the Action to Be TakenCall for the Resignation of Pope FrancisMay 2, 2024St. Athanasius of Alexandria(downloadable PDF here)Since 2013, the words and actions of Pope Francis have caused an unprecedented crisis in the Catholic Church, and have done great harm to the Church and the whole world. The members of the hierarchy of the Church have a duty to act in order to prevent Francis from causing further harm.We therefore call for Pope Francis to resign the papal office, and to repent and do penance for...

Friday 3 May 2024 Saints Philip and James, Apostles Feast St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, Flower Mound, Texas Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: B(II).First reading1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ©The Lord appeared to James, and then to all the apostlesBrothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything. Well then, in the first place, I taught you...

Heretical German bishop says abortion is a ‘sensitive’ issue, will not participate in March for LifeBishop Stephan Ackermann defended Germany’s abortion regime as leading to ‘societal peace’ despite around 100,000 children killed in abortion every year and criticized strong pro-life advocacy, citing ‘a woman’s right to self determination.’The bishop of Trier has said that he would not participate in the March for Life because abortion is a “sensitive” and complex matter, citing “a woman’s right to self-determination.”In an interview with the German radio station Deutschlandfunk on April 29, Bishop Stephan Ackermann was asked about the recent March for Life in...

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...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” John 15:10When Jesus spoke the line above, He followed it by saying, “I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete.” These two lines, taken side by side, provide a helpful unity of Jesus’ teaching regarding holy obedience to Him. First, Jesus speaks of the necessity of keeping His commandments. To some, such a statement, when taken by itself, can seem burdensome,...

Connecticut archbishop who supports ‘female deacons’ defends transgender pronoun useArchbishop Christopher Coyne said he would ‘accept’ so-called ‘transgender’ people ‘as they’re presenting themselves,’ claiming it ‘doesn’t cost me anything’ to refer to someone as the wrong sex in contradiction to Catholic teaching and biological reality.A new Connecticut archbishop who supports “female deacons” has endorsed using a gender-confused person’s chosen name and pronouns that contradict their sex.Archbishop Christopher Coyne of Hartford, who assumed leadership of the archdiocese on Wednesday after the resignation of Archbishop Leonard Blair, told Catholic News Agency (CNA) last week that he would use a “transgender” person’s non-biological...

[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...

2 May 2024 Saint Athanasius, Bishop, Doctor on Thursday of the 5th week of Eastertide St Athanasius R.C. Church - Carluke, ScotlandReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II).Readings for the feriaReadings for the memorialThese are the readings for the feriaFirst readingActs 15:7-21 ©I rule that we do not make things more difficult for the pagans who turn to GodAfter the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were...

[Catholic Caucus] Towards a Female Pontiff of an Emasculated ChurchOf course, women priests and popes are part of a bigger package containing all sorts of theological surprises...To make the Church less masculine: this is the task that Pope Francis has given the International Theological Commission. Or at least, that is the official translation of the Italian word Francis used, smaschilizzare, which the English-language media rightly translated as "demasculinize", i.e. "emasculate, castrate". "Rendere meno maschile," which Francis did not say, would translate literally as "to make less masculine."But how can anyone, much less a pope, contemplate demasculinizing a Church that was...

Cardinal Parolin on Pope Francis’ pontificate: No reversals on reformsCardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin discusses key issues roiling the Church during the presentation of the new book, “Five questions agitating the Church”, by noted Vaticanist Ignazio Ingrao.Answering the question, “What will happen with the reforms undertaken by Pope Francis?” Cardinal Pietro Parolin insisted on the need for prayer and patience, and said that discernment will indicate, at its own pace, “how to continue and what to make institutional.” Although some people might worry – or hope for – reversals, the Holy See’s Secretary of State said, “Precisely because it...

Pro-LGBT Jesuit parish in California shows where Pope Francis’ synodal agenda is headingSt. Ignatius, a Jesuit parish in Sacramento, promoted calls for ‘ordination’ of women and LGBT ‘inclusion’ and condemned ‘patriarchy’ in its report on the synodal process, which pastor Father Tom Lucas celebrated in a recent column.SACRAMENTO, California (LifeSiteNews) — My family recently attended Mass at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Sacramento, California. While it fulfilled our Sunday obligation, St. Ignatius is a Jesuit parish, and we are living under the Francis pontificate.Father Tom Lucas’ “Pastoral Perambulations” column of the church bulletin for the Fourth Sunday of Easter should...