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[Catholic Caucus] The Woke Pope Epitomizes Liberal Illiberalism The woke Pope epitomises liberal illiberalism The ‘merciful’ leader of the Catholic Church is persecuting a harmless minority: traditionalists Tim Stanley The Daily Telegraph February 7, 2022 The Pope, you have probably read, is ever-smiling, merciful and tolerant. Towards some, that might be true; for others, it’s a cruel joke. His treatment of traditional Catholics, to give just one example, is a case study in liberal hypocrisy.Many trads are affiliated with an ancient liturgy we will call the Latin Mass, practised by most Catholics until the 1960s. Then the Church decided...

[Catholic Caucus] The strategy of slow strangulation: Will the new Mass be required of old-rite priests and communities? “Hit It, Hit It Dead!”Michael CharlierMeanwhile, observers of the Roman scene are seeing a bit more clearly how the imposition of Pope Paul VI’s missal as the “sole lex orandi” of the Roman Rite is to be accomplished.The promulgation phase of TC in 2021 was very much characterized by the grobian nature of the Pope and his advisors from Sant’Anselmo, who would have preferred to complete the transition to the Novus Ordo by yesterday and then to have excluded the (according...

[Catholic Caucus] “The Carnage Has Begun”: British Priest Rebukes Pope, Calls on Bishops to Openly Resist Suppression of Latin Mass “Sit back and consider it: the highest power on earth is attacking the greatest good on earth, precisely when it’s his job to defend and preserve tradition and to pass it on to the next generation.” - Fr. James MawdsleyA British traditional Catholic priest who was once imprisoned and tortured in a Burmese jail is openly challenging Pope Francis’ efforts to suppress the Church’s ancient Roman liturgy.In a 9-minute video titled “Why withstand Pope Francis publicly?” [watch it below]...

Preserve the Latin MassWe are a growing movement of Catholics and non-Catholics alike who recognize that the Traditional Latin Mass, which has nurtured countless souls and enriched the Catholic Church and the world for centuries, must surely be preserved. About Preserve the Latin MassWe wish to share our experience of the traditional liturgy, which has nourished many saints throughout the centuries and continues to edify a growing number of souls throughout the Catholic Church today. We will share why Catholics of all backgrounds value and treasure this Mass and why so many non-Catholics are inspired by its beauty and majesty....

[Catholic Caucus] “Authority cannot change the essential patrimony and purpose” of religious institutes: Fr de Blignières’ incisive canonical demonstration Visit of Cardinal Sarah to the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer (the founder is second from the left)Father Louis-Marie de Blignières, founder and Prior of the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer in Chémeré-le-Roi, France, offers here a reflection on the “Proper Law of Religious,” in the context of the publication of Traditionis Custodes and of the CDW’s Responsa, which render almost impossible the celebration of all the sacraments according to the preconciliar liturgical books (except Mass, with certain limits).The Pope...

[Catholic Caucus] The ‘buck’ starts hereConsider a few points, in no particular order.Traditionis custodes and the Dubious Dubia (TC&DD) are an incoherent mess.TC&DD are founded on faulty theological grounds: that Vatican II is the lens through which all doctrine and discipline of the past must be reinterpreted.TC&DD are excused with a lie: that the bishops of the world thought that Summorum Pontificum had created problems of unity.A law that cannot be enforced in no law at all.This is not 1982, when there was no alternatives in Catholic media. Now we have the internet, etc.Even though conservative priests have a strong...

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity… but Not with Catholics Attached to the Tradition?For this letter, we’re reusing verbatim the title we gave to our letter #729 (January 15, 2020); it is perfectly topical today, as an opinion piece in La Croix reminds us. We’ll get back to that.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowThe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was created in January 1933 on the initiative of Father Paul Couturier (1881-1953), a priest from Lyon, for the unity of all baptized Christians, especially Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and the Reformed. After the Council, this Week involved the organization of common...

[Catholic Caucus] The Joy of the Traditional Roman Mass: They can't take that away from us. Last week at Mass we heard the gospel from St. John that recounts Jesus’ first miracle, the changing of water into wine. Today on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany we hear of two more miracles performed by our Lord: the healing of the lepers and the healing of the centurion’s servant. The gospels in the season of the Sundays after Epiphany concentrate on the miracles of Jesus as the answer to the seminal, the basic question asked and answered in the gospels:...

[Catholic Caucus] We Are Approaching Our Lefebvre Moment— But Not the One You ThinkIn 1988, despite having failed to secure papal authorization to consecrate new bishops for his priestly society, an aged Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre defied the the threat of excommunication and consecrated 5 bishops— 4 for the SSPX, and 1 for the Diocese of Campos, Brazil. As a result he and the other bishops were all excommunicated. Or not. The SSPX argued against the validity of the excommunication decree until Pope Benedict XVI declared them void (possibly ab initio) prior to issuing Summorum Pontificum. [As an aside, please note...

"The Battle for the Mass is Won" - Interview with Fr. Philippe Laguérie THE BATTLE FOR THE MASS IS WONFr. Philippe LaguérieInterview granted to Anne Le Pape for the daily Présent, on January 18, 2022. [Translation by Jerome Stridon.]Father Philippe Laguérie needs no introduction. He was ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre, named pastor of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet (the SPPX’s flagship church in Paris) in 1984, where he served until 1998. He left the SSPX in 2004 and was one of the cofounders of the Institute of the Good Shepherd (Institut du Bon Pasteur, “IBP”) in 2006. He was its...

[Catholic Caucus] The Outrageous Propaganda of Archbishop Roche “Where do you get your stuff?” “Oh, in the wild blue yonder.”As I was reading the other day the page proofs of Fr. Bryan Houghton’s autobiography Unwanted Priest—long believed lost but recently rediscovered and forthcoming from Angelico Press—I was struck by the following passage (among many others). He is talking about anti-religious posters he came by on a trip to Russia:I had picked up the first group [of posters] in 1931 from an upper school in Moscow. They are forcefully designed but the content is rather naive. They are anti-clerical rather...

[Catholic Caucus] Back to the 70’s: What if All Traditional Priests are Suspended? (Part I) Bad news is brewing as to the future of Ecclesia Dei communities in light of Pope Francis’ promulgation of Traditionis Custodes, which attempts to severely restrict the celebration of the Traditional Mass in dioceses as well as eliminates the use of all other Traditional sacraments with the goal of the eventual abolition of all 1962 Rites. On December 3, 2021, Lifesite News reported the following:A German Catholic website reported that, according to its sources, the Vatican is planning a crackdown soon on the traditional...

[Catholic Caucus] “He is damaging the entire series of his predecessors…and thus himself and the papacy”: The insoluble contradiction between Francis and Paul VI The following analysis was written by Michael Charlier, moderator of the German blog Summorum-Pontificum.de. Part of the brilliance of the piece is that it shows how massive a problem there is whether Paul VI or Francis is correct: “damned if you do, damned if you don’t...” Translated for Rorate Caeli.—PAKFrancis Against PaulMichael Charlier, Summorum-Pontificum.deJanuary 20, 2022At the center of the efforts pursued by Pope Francis and his supporters to expel the traditional liturgy from the Roman...

Francis, the Dictator, Feels “Under Siege”Everything is up in the air, as it has been throughout Francis' pontificate, Specola (InfoVaticana.com, January 18) writes.According to Specola, this shows that Francis feels “under siege” – he doesn’t want anyone to know what he is doing, so, in the “Synodal Church” all decisions are taken by Francis alone while Francis is pretending the contrary.To hide his decisions, Francis appoints commissions with no intention to respect the outcome, so Specola. When the controversies centred around finances, he created two commission (Vatican Bank and the Vatican’s economic-administrative system). Their secret results which were partially leaked...

[Catholic Caucus] An edifying message in the aftermath of Traditionis Custodes and the other orders from Rome on December 18th 2021: I received the following reflection from a religious who wishes to remain anonymous. It was penned after scripture reading, prayer and meditation – it is meant to lift up our hearts during this period of great adversity when Holy Mother Church is being beaten on all sides – both externally and internally. F.R.Viriliter agite‘Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous, be strong(1 Corinthians : 16:13)With regard to the December 18th document from Rome clamping...

[Catholic Caucus] Msgr. Stefan Heid: “A sacred rite, in a sacred space, on a sacred table, and facing east: This is how the early Christians celebrated Mass” Translated from the blog Messeinlatino, which in turn credits Il Timone for excerpts from a recent and very interesting interview with Msgr. Stefan Heid, Rector of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology, on how the early Christians celebrated. Note that all of our information now definitively undermines the assumptions of the liturgical reformers.—PAKHow the First Christians Celebrated the MassLuisella ScrosatiIl Timone, January 2022There are those who try to deny it, but the...

[Catholic Caucus] Crackdown On Old-Rite-Institutes Continues In MarchFrancis and his hardliners are preparing two more liturgical documents, reports La-Croix.com (January 17).In March, one decree will be fired at those Old Rite Institutes which have sold themselves to the Vatican. Another will replace the document Liturgiam authenticam (2001) which controls the quality of Novus Ordo liturgical translations.La-Croix.com further knows that Francis' suppression of the Ecclesia Dei Commission which was responsible for the Roman Rite, was an act of vengeance because Ecclesia Dei had authorised the Holy Week celebration according to the 1954 Roman Missal which Pius XII in 1955 replaced with...

[Catholic Caucus] Update on Traditionis Custodes at St. John CantiusIn accordance with the policy of His Eminence Cardinal Blase Cupich and the implementation of the motu proprio of His Holiness Pope Francis Traditionis Custodes within the Archdiocese of Chicago, there will be changes to the schedule of Masses at St John Cantius Church.Beginning on January 25, 2022, on the first Sunday of each month, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass will be celebrated in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Missal, both in Latin and English.The Archdiocese also prescribes for us liturgical unity of prayer for Holy Mother Church’s major...

[Catholic Caucus] RORATE EXCLUSIVE — Leaked Document of Slovenian Bishops’ Conference Attacking Traditionalists: A Window into the Bergoglian Hive-Mind Rorate has received this information from Slovenia. We extend our commiserations to the ill-treated traditional faithful there and hope and pray for a resolution of their long-standing difficulties.[INTRODUCTION]The following letter was sent to the main representative of the Group of St. Joseph for the promotion of Catholic Tradition, located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the feast day of Pope St. Hygnius. It is a response from the Slovenian Conference of Catholic Bishops to multiple letters, which were sent to them last...

[Catholic Caucus] The Pope and “Cancel Culture” The following article appeared at the German website Motu-proprio: Summorum-Pontificum and has been translated for Rorate Caeli. Its publication here does not necessarily signify agreement with all of its points.—PAKThe Pope and “Cancel Culture”Michael CharlierJanuary 13, 2022(original publication link)The Tablet—one of the great platforms of the self-understanding of ecclesiastical modernism—deals in its latest issue with the continuing swelling movement of opposition to Traditionis Custodes, taking particular aim at the view expressed by Joseph Shaw that the Responsa issued by Archbishop Roche are irrelevant if only because the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine...