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Boston's Cardinal O'Malley defends Francis against attacks from EWTN critics ROME — Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley on Dec. 17 defended Pope Francis against criticisms from the U.S.-based Eternal Word Television Network, known as EWTN, saying the Catholic media empire's attacks on Francis are not representative of how most Catholics view the pope. "The Holy Father himself has commented on the situation of the EWTN television (large American Catholic network), where many times the commentators are very critical of the Holy Father, at least of his ideas," said O'Malley in an interview with Argentine daily newspaper La Nación.O'Malley's remarks come after...

Pope Francis’ new foundation appears to have more in common with French Revolution than with CatholicismReferences to God, the Holy Trinity, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and His Beloved Mother are totally absent from this catalogue of the new foundation's politically correct 'values,' among which environmentalist concerns and 'fraternity between believers and non-believers are, of course, paramount. VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — A “Fratelli tutti Foundation” attached to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome was launched on Wednesday by Pope Francis who signed a decree that officially established the new entity. It aims at encouraging “fraternity and dialogue” among pilgrims and tourists visiting...

Amoris Laetitia: the Church accompanies fragile familiesIn 10 episodes — one each month — we bring you a video with the Pope’s reflections and first-hand testimonies of families from across the world on the theme of the family. The initiative, a joint collaboration between the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, and Vatican News, and aims to ‘re-read’ Amoris laetitia, with the aid of downloadable material prepared for personal and community reflection. Because, as Pope Francis reminds us: being a family is always “primarily an opportunity.”AMORIS LAETITIA(n. 291-312)ACCOMPANYING, DISCERNING AND INTEGRATING WEAKNESS291. The Synod Fathers stated that, although the...

Catholic Priests Survey Finds Lower Morale, ‘Conservative Shift’ Among U.S. Clergy“After the permissive cohorts, there is a steady move toward more conservative views with each successive cohort. Catholic priests ordained since the year 2000 tend to be the most conservative,” Vermurlen wrote.A new survey released this month suggests a more “pessimistic” view of the Catholic Church among U.S. priests today as compared to 2002, as well as an increasing perception of “more theologically conservative or orthodox” young priests as compared to their older counterparts. “If the major story of the SACP had to be summarized briefly it would be...

Shepherding the Flock Out of the 1962 MissalThe time has come, says God to Moses. You must lead my people out of Egypt, out of captivity, toward the Promised Land.1 Unfortunately for the eager travelers, the journey lasts 40 years,2 and along the way the people murmur; they look back in nostalgia at the good things they once had.3 And they doubt that they will ever make it to the Promised Land. Many of them, in fact, die along the way.4 It is not easy to shepherd a people from one place to another physically; it is much harder to...

Pope ensures application of marriage annulment reforms in ItalyPope Francis issues Motu Proprio, setting up a new commission to verify and implement new rules for marriage annulment cases in Italian dioceses. Vatican News Six years ago in September 2015, Pope Francis issued the Motu proprio Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (The Gentle Judge, our Lord Jesus), introducing new rules to streamline the process for obtaining marriage annulments, addressing complaints that the proceedings in marriage tribunals were too cumbersome, complicated, and expensive. Motu Proprio On Friday, the Pontiff made a further move in this area, issuing a motu proprio to establish a...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican liturgy chief hails Traditionis Custodes’ crackdown on Latin Mass ‘experiment’VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) – The head of the Vatican’s liturgical department, Archbishop Arthur Roche, has described the provision of the Latin Mass in the past 30 years as an “experiment” which “has not entirely been successful,” in words which appear to directly contradict those of Pope Benedict XVI.Speaking to an Italian-speaking Swiss news channel, Roche commented on the recent severe restrictions imposed on the Latin Mass by Pope Francis in Traditionis Custodes. Issued July 16, the motu proprio made the striking statement that “[t]he liturgical books promulgated by...

Pope Francis shares 8 Beatitudes for Bishops, giving a model for the 21st-century pastorPope Francis has given a text called “The Beatitudes of the Bishop” to all the Italian bishops meeting in plenary assembly in Rome. The text offers encouragement and pastoral guidance not only to the Italian bishops but to the more than 5,000 Catholic bishops in the world todayThe Vatican released the text after Pope Francis had given a card with an image of the Good Shepherd and the text of “The Beatitudes of the Bishop” to each of the more than 200 bishops present at the opening...

[Catholic Caucus] Some lies to entertain you "The New Mass is what Vatican II ordered."Vatican II, in its Sacrosanctum Concilium, gave sensible guidelines for the reform of the Liturgy. Unfortunately, these guidelines were largely ignored in the decade that followed. RUPTURE!"All but four of the Council Fathers voted for the New Rite."No; what all but four of the Fathers voted for was Sacrosanctum Concilium. But this actual Conciliar Decree was largely ignored once 'the Experts' got their hands on the levers of power. RUPTURE!"Modern Catholic Worship is what the Council wanted."Even the New Rite as actually drafted after the...

New Zealand: Bishops Accept Euthanasia Suicide, Call It "Good Faith"New Zealand's bishops de facto accept a new “End-of-Life Choice Act” euthanasia law that comes into effect November 7.Five pages of verbose guidelines for priests call it a “sign of good intent” when persons planning to kill themselves request spiritual accompaniment. Speaking about "assisted dying," the bishops expect that the wanna-be suicides' request will be granted.They call it "proper" to give the sacraments to suicides who requests them, and claim that priests ("ministers") are entitled to presume that a suicide who conscientiously transgresses the fifth commandment ("thou shalt not kill") and...

Influential German Lay Catholic Reveals Radical Goals, Methods of Synodal WayThomas Sternberg said it is ‘unfortunate’ that the Synodal Way has received ‘such disruptive criticism’ by Catholics opposed to women’s ordination, same-sex unions and fundamental reform of the Church’s sacramental and hierarchical nature.The outgoing head of the most influential Catholic lay group in Germany has detailed how he believes the German Synodal Way is geared toward influencing radical changes in the Church and that a well-prepared process is all-important in securing such reform.In a revealing Nov. 3 interview with a German podcaster peppered with strident statements challenging the Church’s...

[Catholic Caucus] Why the Pope Won't Resign Now “Will Pope Francis resign?” This is the very direct question posed by Le Figaro’s Vaticanist, Jean-Marie Guénois, on his blog “God only knows” of September 19, 2021.Among the elements that allow us to legitimately wonder about Francis’s possible resignation, the French journalist notes the facts observed during the Pope's trip to Hungary and Slovakia, from September 12-15, 2021:“The ‘outing’ this summer by Pope Francis, who had colon surgery on July 4, seems a closed episode. While he traveled to Hungary and Slovakia from September 12 to 15 with his personal doctor,...

VATICAN PRO-ABORTS: Francis Owned by New World OrderIn this first episode of the new show, The Remnant Underground, Michael Matt discusses the ramifications of Pope Francis promoting population control guru, Jeffrey Sachs, as a permanent member of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Aside from being militantly pro-contraception, Sachs is also co-author of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which promote abortion worldwide. So, here’s the question: How pro-life can Francis possibly be, when he has no problem partnering with pro-abort population controllers? Next up, Francis says the whole world must get vaccinated and the “peaceful protesters” who burned down...

LifeSiteNews: "Viganò to world’s bishops: Question the moral and mental suitability of Bergoglio as Pope" Today, LifeSiteNews reported that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò said to the "world’s bishops: Question the moral and mental suitability of Bergoglio as Pope" in the following statement:On the occasion of the October 29 visit to the Vatican, the press agencies have spread the news that Joe Biden reported the content of the meeting and said that Francis called him “a good Catholic,” inviting him to “continue to receive Communion.” It is disconcerting that, to date, no clarifying comment has come from the Vatican Press...

Holy See’s Uncritical Support for COP26 Causes ConcernCatastrophic crisis or a Trojan horse to push a secular agenda?VATICAN CITY — As the Holy See gives unreserved public backing to a major United Nations conference on climate change, concerns are growing that it is lending its weight to “climate alarmism” that is being used to usher in policies and ideologies antithetical to Church teaching.Otherwise known as COP26, the intergovernmental summit taking place in the Scottish city of Glasgow Oct. 31-Nov. 12 is being billed as the most pivotal series of climate talks since 2015, when nations signed the so-called Paris...

Statue of Martin Luther displayed at Vatican for second time as pope addresses German protestants'It is important to listen to others,' the Pope said, adding that he hoped for the same readiness to hear one another in the church by means of the synodal process.VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Francis met with a group of some five hundred Lutherans from Germany on Monday morning as part of an ecumenical pilgrimage called “better together.” The statue of Luther erected for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation appeared once again on the stage of the Vatican’s Paul VI hall.The 500 pilgrims,...

[Catholic Caucus] Priest Pressured Seminarians Into Swimming NakedThree former seminarians claim that Cleveland Diocese failed to respond, after Father James Cosgrove, a parish priest, allegedly pressured them to take naked swims, reports PillarCatholic.com (October 22).The three reported in December 2019 to the diocese but Cosgrove kept having access to seminarians including a key to the seminary until recently. Last November, Cosgrove took a paid medical leave of absence because of depression and anxiety. This October, he resigned from ministry.One seminarian, Nick Grismer, claims that he pressured him in June/July 2019 into skinny-dipping at the seminary’s swimming pool and at a...

Francis, Congar, and The Case of Archbishop LefebvreIn his October 9, 2021 address to open the Synod, Francis put the Church and world on notice that he intended to change the Church, invoking the pseudo-Catholic inspiration of Yves Congar: “Father Congar, of blessed memory, once said: ‘There is no need to create another Church, but to create a different Church.’ That is the challenge. For a ‘different Church,’ a Church open to the newness that God wants to suggest, let us with greater fervour and frequency invoke the Holy Spirit and humbly listen to him, journeying together as he, the...

[Catholic Caucus] On this Sunday morning in the Diocese of Grand Falls, in Newfoundland, there is No Mass for You - unless of course you're jabbed! Bishop Anthony Daniels, Bishop of Grand Falls in the long-suffering Church in Newfoundland has barred anyone from attending the Mass or sacraments unless they are "fully vaccinated." Daniels, former Auxiliary of the Diocese of London is another gift that keeps on giving from Pope Benedict XVI, clearly duped or oblivious to the faithless hirelings he was appointing. On September 18, we wrote of the situation in Moncton where the bishop attempted the same...

Priest Presides Over Novus Ordo Rubber Boat EucharistFather Josef Reisenhofer of Hartberg parish, Graz Diocese, Austria, presided a July 11 Eucharist at the shore of lake Greinbach. For the sermon, he rowed onto the lake in a bright yellow rubber boat.The songs played were banal and profane, and the liturgical texts free-style. At the alleged consecration, Reisenhofer said “Take and drink from it, all of you, this is the cup of love, my blood poured out for you, for all, for reconciliation and peace. Celebrate again and again, so that you do not forget my love.”The Eucharist was broadcast by...