Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Did Pope Francis Rebuke the German Synodal Way? German Catholic ResponseThe reader may have already heard of the events that have been prominent news in German Catholic media lately. Apparently the main takeaway in the Anglophone world was: “Pope Francis Rebukes the Synodal Way!” However, that news is more ambivalent than suggested at first sight.German Catholics have been suffering under the so-called synodal way for a while. Officially the project was meant to deal with the sexual abuse scandal, which it did only ever so sparsely. Mostly, the fora dealt with the common topics of “reform debates.” We...

Heterodox Amazon Synod bishop claims Church ‘cannot return’ to time before Pope Francis‘Married priests will come first, then the diaconate for women. Women priests will be the next stage,’ Bishop Erwin Kräutler said, contradicting the infallible teaching of the Catholic faith.Bishop Erwin Kräutler, a key architect of the Amazon Synod and a proponent of “women priests,” has said that the Church “cannot return” to the time before the “change” that Pope Francis has initiated.In an interview with the Swiss outlet kath.ch, Kräutler, 84, addressed the possibility of the Catholic Church officially allowing female ordinations and consecrating “proven” married men as...

The Bishops’ Jolly Road to HellThe admonition to bishops that they are in serious danger of meriting hell as their eternal reward is attributed to a multitude of well-known saints. Saints John Eudes, John Chrysostom and Athanasius were at pains to remind both prelates and faithful that more is expected of one to whom more is given, and the Church teaches that bishops, specifically, have an enormous responsibility for the souls entrusted to their care. Thus it is always disappointing to see the lack of seriousness shown by the majority of bishops about their role and in some cases, deliberate...

The Last Persecution: Some Insights on Antichrist from Saint John Henry NewmanThe tweet of Father Thomas Crean O.P.In a tweet written on October 8, one day before the feast of Saint John Henry Newman (1801–1890), the Dominican Father Thomas Crean drew attention to one of the most interesting comments made by the Oxford scholar about the last times.[i] It’s about an excerpt from the conclusion of Newman’s fourth and final lecture in the series entitled The Patristical Idea of Antichrist in Four Lectures.[ii] An interesting fact is that, although written during his Calvinist period, the lectures on Antichrist were republished...

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop authorizes same-sex blessingsBishop Karl-Heinz Wiesemann wrote to diocesan priests, deacons and lay pastoral workers saying that the blessings – which he also extended to remarried couples – could take place in churches in the Diocese of Speyer. “The ceremony must differ from a church wedding ceremony in terms of words and signs and should explicitly reinforce the love, commitment, and mutual responsibility in the couple’s relationship as an act of blessing.”

Bishop: Homosex "Blessing" Signifies "God’s Approval" [of Sin]Homosex activist John Stowe, "bishop" of Lexington, Kentucky, is applauding Francis' statement that priests can "bless" homosex concubinages at their whim.Speaking to Time.com (October 4), he said that homosex "blessings" can be of "great significance" to those who practise homosexuality because such "blessings" are like prayers for God's presence and help and "almost signify God's approval."Stowe openly rejects the biblical condemnation of homosexual sins and regards "sexual orientation [such as paedophilia or necrophilia?]" as "not being something that one freely chooses."The Catholic understanding of free will and responsibility has been rejected by many...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop supports ordination of women priests. He claims, "No women, no future, no progress"Archbishop Schick supports ordination of women priestsNo women, no future, no progressThe Archbishop Emeritus of Bamberg, Ludwig Schick, would like to see women allowed to become priests in the Catholic Church. Schick says it is God's will that women and men work together cooperatively.When asked by an interviewer what he thought the world would look like with women priests, Schick replied: "At least more feminine, and that would be very good." Without women, "the world doesn't exist and there's no future and no progress.""Gott.Welt.Menschen." to...

[Catholic Caucus] “Thou Shalt Not Kneel”: Guest Article by Leo DarrochBackground to this guest article: As LifeSiteNews reported on October 7, 2023: “A Catholic family of eight was recently denied Holy Communion while kneeling while attending Mass at a church in the Diocese of Boise. Both the local priest and bishop refused to acknowledge that the denial of the sacrament was a grave violation of canon law. Scott Smith, a Catholic attorney, author, theologian, and father of six, was on vacation with his family in Idaho in August and went to Sunday Mass at St. Charles Borromeo in Hailey. ‘After...

[Catholic Caucus] Archbishop of Milan promotes homosexuality in new pastoral letter days before Synod begins‘The hasty label of ‘homosexual’, ‘heterosexual’ deadens the relational dynamic and tends to reduce it to a ‘sexual practice’,’ Mario Delpini said in heavily criticized guidelines.MILAN, Italy (LifeSiteNews) — The Archbishop of Milan, Mario Delpini, has issued a pastoral letter in which he appears to endorse homosexuality. Homosexuality couched as a variant of ‘attraction’“Particularly delicate attention given modern-day sensibilities must be devoted to accompanying and understanding the experience of love and the different nuances of attraction, both to people of different genders and to people of...

[Catholic Caucus] Synodal Secrecy: Is a Tightly-Controlled Information Flow the Best Way to Go?The Vatican spokesman has said media will have limited access to Synod on Synodality's sessions in keeping with past synods, and information reports on discussions will keep participants comments anonymous.One day 30 years ago, a priest engaged in media work for the Church and I stood chatting outside the Vatican’s massive, modernistic audience hall, the place where synods are held, when I had what I thought was a good idea: Why not a synod on communication?“Bad idea,” my companion corrected. “The media would tear us to pieces...

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic priest rebukes bishops endorsing ‘blessings’ of sinful relationships: ‘You need to repent’‘You’re causing schism in the Church,’ Father Mark Goring told heterodox bishops in a recent viral video.Canadian priest Father Mark Goring delivered a warning to Catholic bishops promoting “blessings” for “sinful partnership situations,” urging them to repent so they do not “perish eternally.”“There’s a handful of bishops out there, and you guys seem to be authorizing or allowing the blessing of sinful partnership situations,” Father Goring noted in a September 10 video that has gone viral.Warning to Bishops - Fr. Mark Goring“You need to repent. You...

[Catholic Caucus] Diocese of Great Falls-Billings Bans Ad Orientem Liturgy; Boasts That the TLM Will Soon Be Cancelled CompletelyAs predicted, Traditionis Custodes has led to bishops cracking down on Latin and ad orientem generally. The most aggressive example is a "pastoral letter" from the Diocese of Great Falls-Billings, MT, dated April 2023. It boasts that the TLM has been cordoned off, like someone with a contagious disease. Traditionis is enforced "strictly" and will soon go away entirely, as permissions are time-limited. "There is to be no convergence or commingling of elements of either ritual with the other." That is, the...

Brazilian bishop downplays giving Holy Communion to Muslim sheik: Was it ‘so scandalous?’Bishop Adriano Ciocca Vasino defended the actions of a fellow Brazilian bishop who recently gave Communion to a Muslim leader.Bishop Adriano Ciocca VasinoA Brazilian bishop has lent his support to the Archbishop of Londrina, who gave Holy Communion to a Muslim sheik, questioning if the “‘sin’ is so big or scandalous.”At the end of August, the Catholic Archbishop of Londrina in Brazil instigated outrage among Catholics when he handed Holy Communion to a Muslim cleric during a funeral Mass. The funeral was for the recently deceased Cardinal Geraldo...

[Catholic Caucus] Liturgy Being Used to Pound Climate Madness'Green Mass' used to propagandize the faithfulBEVERLY SHORES, Ind. (ChurchMilitant.com) - An Indiana bishop is using the liturgy to push environmental politics on Catholics.Wednesday, Gary's bishop, Robert McClory, will celebrate a so-called Green Mass at St. Ann of the Dunes in Beverly Shores in honor of the so-called Season of Creation."Within the Catholic Church, a Green Mass is appropriately celebrated during the Season of Creation, which begins on Sept. 1 (the World Day for Prayer for the Care of Creation) and continues to Oct. 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi),"...

[Catholic Caucus] Diocese of Orange: TLM cancelledRemember, that the attacks on the Traditional Latin Mass are really attacks on the PEOPLE who desire it.I received this from a reader…How might one respond to this letter? How about something like this.Dear Father Quang,Thank you so much for your letter of August 25, 2023. I am saddened by your decision and that of Bishop Vann, and will regrettably be forced to have the spiritual and liturgical needs of my family met elsewhere. Considering the added distance to St. Michael’s Abbey and the cost of fuel, I’m sure you will understand that my...

[Catholic Caucus] Abp. Viganò: “New Piece of Evidence” Proves Innocence of Carmelite Mother PrioressEditor’s Note: In this new text, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò presents “a new piece of evidence” regarding accusations against Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach (see this archive of articles for extensive background), evidence which he says “totally defeats [Bishop Michael] Olson’s version of the story.” His Grace also outlines “a series of unprecedented crimes perpetrated by Bishop Olson against Mother Teresa Agnes and the Carmel of Arlington.”Catholic Family News presents Archbishop Viganò’s statement as a means of informing our readers about his position regarding this ongoing controversy. Since...

To Protect God’s Creation, Seek Personal and Policy Change, U.S. Bishops SayPope Francis established the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation in 2015.Just as Christians have been restored to God’s kingdom through baptism, they must seek to rightly order their relationships and society to God’s creation, the U.S. bishops said in an environmental reflection ahead of the Sept. 1 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.“We must change! Pope Francis invites us to ‘transform our hearts, our lifestyles, and the public policies [to] contribute to the mighty river of justice and peace in this...

[Catholic Caucus] Berlin archbishop permits same-sex blessings with impunityA German archbishop has told priests they can confer blessings on same-sex couples without fear of punishment.The move by Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin opens the gates to church services for the blessings of couples who “cannot or do not want to marry sacramentally”.In a five-page, 2,000-word letter, the archbishop told the priest of his archdiocese that “it is no longer possible to say that all who are in any so-called irregular situation are in a state of mortal sin and have lost sanctifying grace”.“Acknowledging the goodness of a relationship is a...

[Catholic Caucus] ARCHBISHOP CARLO MARIA VIGANÒ in support of the Declaration of the Discalced Caremlite Nuns of the Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity of Arlington, Texas The repeated abuses of power by those who hold ecclesiastical Authority over religious Communities – especially communities of contemplative women – are part of a subversive plan carried out by corrupt and heretical Prelates whose purpose is to deprive the Church of the Graces which such Consecrated souls cause to descend upon Her. Beyond the specious excuses that characterize individual cases, the common thread that unites the expulsion of the Benedictine Sisters from...

[Catholic Caucus] Statement by the Reverend Mother Prioress and Chapter - Monastery of the Most Holy TrinityStatement by the Reverend Mother Prioress and Chapter Monastery of the Most Holy Trinity Discalced Carmelite Nuns 5801 Mt. Carmel Drive Arlington, Texas 76017 August 18, 2023 +Praised be Jesus Christ: now and forever! In recent months our Monastery in general and our Mother Prioress in particular have been subjected to unprecedented interference, intimidation, aggression, private and public humiliation and spiritual manipulation as the direct result of the attitudes and ambitions of the current Bishop of Fort Worth in respect of our Reverend Mother...