I just heard today that Michelle had a heart attack last night. She is in the hospital. She is only 53 years old and a widow. I heard from my brother that she has lost her faith and is out of the Sacraments. Please pray for her, dear friends.

His Eminence’s solution: Raise the retirement age for priests from 70 to 75 – and also possibly changing the maximum age or other requirements for residency at (or rather, eviction from) the archdiocesan Regina Cleri House for retired and infirm priests (as TTC has previously reported: Archdiocese Evicts Six Priests from Regina Cleri throwthebumsoutin2010.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_11.html ) Larceny of [Boston Archdiocesan] Priest Pension Fund TTC (The Tenth Crusade0 3/30/15 throwthebumsoutin2010.blogspot.com/2015/03/larceny-of-priest-pension-fund.html The Archdiocese has finally admitted what most of us have known for a long time, they are ‘underfunding’ the employee pension fund: Priest pension crisis: $74M gap in retirement fund Friday, March 20, 2015 By: Erin Smith AGING CLERGY, ‘PAY-AS-YOU-GO’ BUSINESS PLAN: Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, above, has raised the priest retirement age from 70 to 75 and taken other steps to turn around Archdiocese finances that largely rely on donations. More at www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/03/priest_pension_crisis_74m_gap_in_retirement_fund This is kind of spooky: “The numbers jump out at you in Boston because they’re so large, but most dioceses are struggling with this,” Zech said. “Priests are living longer than anticipated.” Are you kidding me? There have anticipations on when priests will croak. I wonder if they have a spreadsheet Given this revelation and the Vatican now supporting euthanasia, I wouldn’t go to a meeting at the Chancery without a can of mace.

Blurring news and views: RNS dissects cardinal’s quotes on gay marriage by Jim Davis 3/30/15 www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2015/3/30/blurring-news-and-views-rns-dissects-cardinals-quotes-on-gay-marriage A week after praising Presbyterians for endorsing same-sex marriage – and scolding United Methodists for not doing the same ( www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2015/3/19/rns-calls-out-united-methodists-as-same-sex-marriage-holdouts ) – the Religion News Service caricatures the views of a Catholic cardinal about gays ( www.religionnews.com/2015/03/27/cardinal-raymond-burke-gay-remarried-couples-like-murderers/ ). This week, the target is Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was moved from a powerful Vatican post to patron of the Knights of Malta. When LifeSite News sought him out, he agreed to an interview ( www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-interview-cardinal-burke-says-confusion-spreading-among-catholics ). An interview that displeased RNS, which summarized Burke’s views in a startling headline: “Cardinal Raymond Burke: Gays, remarried Catholics, murderers are all the same.” Whoa. Keep that guy away from electric chairs, right? What Burke told LifeSite, of course – again, after he was asked – was that the Catholic Church still considers some deeds to be grave sins. He continues: And to give the impression that somehow there’s something good about living in a state of grave sin is simply contrary to what the Church has always and everywhere taught. LSN: So when the man in the street says, yes, it’s true these people are kind, they are dedicated, they are generous, that is not enough? CB: Of course it’s not. It’s like the person who murders someone and yet is kind to other people… RNS writer David Gibson acknowledges that the comments “break little theological ground; the church has always taught that sin is sin, and some sins are especially serious.” But he presses his case: But comparing those situations in any context is unusual, and certainly out of step with the pastoral tone that Francis has set in his papacy. Moreover, reformers argue that a murderer — or almost any other sinner — can go to confession, receive absolution, and take Communion in a state of grace. But there is no such option for a gay person or those who are divorced and remarried, except permanent celibacy. The cardinal’s comments take on added weight in the context of the increasingly heated debate that Francis opened over how the church should respond to rapid changes in family life in the modern world. Why is this story holding a microscope to a largely ceremonial leader? Because, according to RNS – right in the lede sentence – Burke was “demoted” in a way that was “viewed as a way to sideline one of the pontiff’s most outspoken critics on the right.” Mind you, this story lacks a label like “opinion” or “analysis” or “commentary” or “editorial,” which would have freed the writer to stack cards and give his viewpoint. No, this is all set forth as factual coverage. I’m not the only one who noticed. “What is this?” one of our faithful readers wrote us. “I looked and couldn’t tell if I was supposed to be reading a news story, analysis or opinion. But this is David Gibson, so maybe he gets a pass?” In places, the RNS Continue Reading

[Hat-tip to New Oxford Review] It all started with dropping the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. US military leaders quietly concerned about proposal to lift ban on transgender troops: AP report Kirsten Andersen www.lifesitenews.com/news/us-military-leaders-quietly-concerned-about-proposal-to-lift-ban-on-transge March 27, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) — They may not be saying so publicly, but behind the scenes, U.S. military officials are highly critical of the Obama administration’s push to allow people who identify as “transgender” to join the service, reports the Associated Press. Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources close to Defense Secretary Ash Carter told the AP his most senior advisers had expressed “serious reservations” about making accommodations for self-identified “transgender” individuals who claim their mental and emotional gender does not match their physical sex. Currently, transgender individuals are banned from serving in any branch of the U.S. military on the grounds that gender dysphoria (the medical term for transgenderism) is a serious psychological condition considered incompatible with military service. As a result, coming out as “transgender” is grounds for an immediate medical discharge. Until recently, any senior officer could expel a service member under his or her command upon discovering the service member suffers from gender dysphoria. But last month, the Army issued a memo indicating that such expulsions may soon require approval by a civilian administrator chosen by the president. Additionally, multiple Pentagon officials have stated that the ban on transgender troops is likely to come under review soon, with an eye toward discarding the ban completely. Secretary Carter has said he is “very open-minded” about allowing transgender individuals to serve, and told reporters and troops in Afghanistan, “I don’t think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them.” Meanwhile, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James has summed up her position in favor of abandoning the ban on transgender troops with just two words: “Times change.” But according to the AP, top military leaders are deeply worried about the long-term ramifications of reversing the ban on transgender troops, especially questions of appropriate housing, bathroom, and shower arrangements. As the military struggles to deal with the already alarmingly high rate of sexual assault among troops, allowing biological males to share sex-segregated private spaces with females and vice-versa is seen as potentially throwing unnecessary fuel on the fire. The AP’s sources also said Pentagon officials are concerned that allowing transgender troops to serve openly could have a negative impact on unit cohesion and readiness. In particular, Pentagon brass are concerned about whether accepting transgender troops will mean the military – and by extension, the taxpayers – will be forced to pay for elective sex change surgeries and hormone treatments for these individuals, which can cost upwards of $60,000. The surgeries carry serious risks and require significant recovery time, and in the case of male-to-female sex change procedures, the treatments by design leave recipients physically weaker and more vulnerable than before. They often include silicon breast and/or buttock implants, which carry additional long-term risks. All of these factors have the potential to significantly impact troop readiness. Continue Reading

The following is taken from the website: www.eclipseofthechurch.com/Warnings.htm (I have no way of confirming the truth of what is said. Nevertheless, it is a reasonable and plausible explanation for what state the Church is in today.) If John XXIII did indeed say of the Third Secret of Fatima: “It is not meant for my time” then it exposes the hypocrisy that exists in the highest echelons of the Church. When 1960 finally arrived, Pius XII’s legitimate successor had been swept aside, and in his place intruded the accused Rosicrucian, Angelo Roncalli (John XXIII), who had the effrontery to quash the message from the Mother of God with the deceitful excuse: “It is not meant for my time.” According to one account, damaging clues concerning Roncalli’s true motive for smothering the Third Secret of Fatima surfaced in newspapers from a country far removed from Rome: ” . . . The first and principal part of that secret is still being suppressed by the people who would be exposed and incriminated by its publication, those Modernists who have finally succeeded in “infiltrating into the highest places in the Church,” including the papal throne itself. On Monday, September 11, 1972, THE INDIAN EXPRESS, largest daily newspaper in India, carried an article about the Fatima Secret. On Sunday, September 10, the UNI (United News of India) hurriedly dispatched the following news to all Indian papers and called special attention of the Associated Press and ANSA (Italian News Service). The action was prompted by the tremendous impact which leaflets on the Fatima Secret, distributed by Roman Catholics in Cochin, had made upon Indian Catholics that Sunday. “‘The leaflet said that the Virgin Mary appeared to three children at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917. She had left one of them with a secret message with instructions that it be sent to the Pope in a sealed envelope that should be opened and made public in 1960. “‘This was the FATIMA SECRET which the Vatican has failed to publish, the leaflet asserted. “‘It alleged that the Vatican had not revealed the contents of the message so far, as ordained by the Virgin. This, the leaflet contended, was because the message was self-damaging to the Vatican. “. . . the Secret Message of Fatima was to be opened in 1960, by the Pontiff then reigning, or on the occasion of Sister Lucia’s death, whichever occurred first, and then immediately published to the world. Sister Lucia is still living. The Pontiff reigning in 1960 was Pope John XXIII. “‘ . . . The secret contained important information about the Conclave and, as Sister Lucia has since stated to several priest interviewers, about the Papacy. ‘Rest assured, if the Secret dealt with no information other than the end of the world, a third world war, a great chastisement, or warnings and threats no matter how dire, the Modernists certainly never would have suppressed it. Why should they? But if it were to expose them? . . . ; if it were to break their power . . . then, of course, they would stop Continue Reading

[Nonetheless, the Bishop of Portsmouth has "wined and dined" with them (see comment below)] Bishop of Lancaster, England, rebukes A Call to Action (ACTA) Bishop Michael Campbell said that reform group lacks transparency and openness and is not recognised in his diocese by Madeleine Teahan posted Monday, 30 Mar 2015 www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/30/bishop-of-lancaster-rebukes-acta/ The Bishop of Lancaster has said that the lobby group, A Call to Action (ACTA), is not recognised by the Catholic Church in his diocese. In a blog post entitled “A Call To Communion in the Diocese of Lancaster” Bishop Michael Campbell of Lancaster said that it was his duty to clarify that “this particular pressure group has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lancaster”. “As Bishop of Lancaster and thus as a Successor of the Apostles, I am charged, in accord with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, with a special care in my ministry as ‘overseer’ to uphold the unity of the Church in this Diocese of Lancaster and so to guard against any attempt to confuse the faithful regarding authentic Catholic teaching and ministry in this Diocese,” he wrote. “In this light there appears at times a momentum for certain pressure groups in the life of the Church Universal. Amongst these at the present moment is a small but vocal interest or lobby group self-styled A Call to Action (ACTA) which happens to meet within the Diocese of Lancaster and other dioceses and appears to espouse positions – at times and among others – in opposition to the defined teaching of the Catholic Church on faith and morals. The bishop continued: “I need to make it clear here that in my judgement, as Diocesan Bishop, ACTA moves well beyond its self-described aim of ‘dialogue’ on controversial issues on its agenda and so does not provide an assured authentic forum or interpretation of sound Catholic teaching and sound pastoral practice in this diocese. Accordingly great care is required here from priests and people. “Furthermore, although individual Catholics are quite entitled to meet and express themselves and certainly discussion within perimeters can be important and valuable, I have a duty at the same time to clarify for the faithful the status of such groups: This particular pressure group has no approval or recognition from the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Lancaster nor has it ever requested, as other groups do, as a matter of courtesy, formal ecclesial recognition from me.”

[Another liberation theology favorite's cause on track] Petition to open Cause of Dom Helder Camara reaches Rome Dom Camara was an advocate of Liberation Theology and renowned for his work with the poor by Madeleine Teahan posted Monday, 30 Mar 2015 www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/30/petition-to-open-cause-of-dom-helder-camara-reaches-rome/ The Vatican has acknowledged a request for opening the Cause of beatification of Brazil’s Dom Helder Camara, who was known for his work with the poor. Dom Camara served as Archbishop of Olinda and Recife from 1964 to 1985 under Brazil’s military government. He was an advocate of Liberation Theology and famously said: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a Communist.” The Congregation of the Causes of Saints has officially acknowledged a letter requesting the opening of Dom Helder’s Cause, from Archbishop Fernando Saburido of Olinda and Recife Diocese. In response to the letter dated June 2014, Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints has said: “This congregation is awaiting the opinion of the various departments in order to proceed to the beatification process.” If the Vatican issue a nihil obstat then the Diocese of Olinda and Recife will be allowed to begin the process at the diocesan level. Dom Camara died at the age of 90 on August 27, 1999.

Writer Garry Wills: Right-Wing, Anti-Francis Catholics ‘Are Not Used to Having a Pope Who Is a Christian’ By Tom Johnson | March 29, 2015 | newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-johnson/2015/03/29/writer-garry-wills-right-wing-anti-francis-catholics-are-not-used In a Sunday blog post on the New York Review of Books site ( www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/mar/29/pope-francis-against-rome/ ), historian Garry Wills, who’s written extensively about both the United States and Catholicism, rebuked conservative Catholics who’ve “suggested that [Pope Francis] is not truly Catholic,” asserting that such critics of the pope “are right to be in a panic. They are not used to having a pope who is a Christian. They call Francis a radical because he deplores the sequestration of great wealth for a rich few and deprivation of the many poor. But Francis is a moderate. Jesus was the radical.” Wills, who is Catholic, noted that Francis is hugely popular among rank-and-file Catholics and commented that any “perception of great resistance to the pope in his own church” is “largely the product of noise. Extremists get more press coverage than blander types.” From Wills’s post: A Pew poll two months ago found that 90 percent of Catholics like what the pope is doing—and the number is even higher (95 percent) among the most observant, Mass attending Catholics… Yet…[t]here is a perception of great resistance to the pope in his own church. This is largely the product of noise. Extremists get more press coverage than blander types, and some Catholic bloggers have suggested that the pope is not truly Catholic. They are right to be in a panic. They are not used to having a pope who is a Christian. They call Francis a radical because he deplores the sequestration of great wealth for a rich few and deprivation of the many poor. But Francis is a moderate. Jesus was the radical: “How hard it will be for the wealthy man to enter the kingdom of God….It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23,26). In the Gospel of Luke (16:19-31), when the rich man (Dives) calls for succor from hell, Abraham, holding the poor man (Lazarus) in his bosom, answers: “All the good things fell to you while you were alive, and all the bad to Lazarus; now he has his consolation here, and it is you who are in agony.” Some right wing Catholics would haul Dives up and enshrine him in the one percent of rich men who trickle wealth down on the rest of us. They are also descendants of those Pharisees who tried to keep people away from Jesus because “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them”… Some “traditional” Catholics also see the church as a battlefield; but they go out after battle to shoot the wounded…Cardinal Salvatore Cordileone [of San Francisco] installed a water system in the overhang at Saint Mary’s Cathedral to soak homeless people who were trying to sleep there. Every hour or half hour, for 75 seconds, the Continue Reading

[There's more than "theology on tap"; it's NOT in a former church] Catholic Church Opens Bar to Reach Masses The Catholic Church tries a new way to get people closer to God – they’ve opened a bar. By Don Kavanagh with AFP | Posted Saturday, 28-Mar-2015 www.wine-searcher.com/m/2015/03/catholic-church-opens-bar-to-reach-masses A Pope Francis bobblehead takes up residence on the beer taps at Bar Cana A bar being run by the Catholic Church might sound like the setting for a lame Irish joke, but it’s not Irish and it’s no joke. AFP reports that a bar recently opened in northern France with the backing of the Catholic Church. Bar Cana in Lille launched this month as part of an effort to reach out to younger people, who might be more willing to interact in a bar on a Saturday night than in church on Sunday morning. “It is, at heart, an effort to reach young people and those who have never had the idea of entering a church. And perhaps it is easier to go into a bar,” said Benjamin Florin a 29-year-old Lille diocesan worker who was one of the initiators of the project. Although we can’t help thinking that the type of interaction likely among young people in a bar on a Saturday night is not quite what would be acceptable during Mass the next morning. The bar’s name is significant, referring to the wedding feast at Cana, where Jesus is said to have performed his first miracle – turning water into wine, rather than the infinitely easier and much more common practice of turning wine into water. Bar Cana was inspired by the Pope, who has told the church to think outside the square when it comes to going about its pastoral business and this is certainly a left-field idea. It took two years of planning applications and a financial kick-start from the church to get started, but customers have seen it as a blessing. Aurélien, Constance and Sylvain were sipping Trappist beer at the bar when AFP spoke to them. “The concept of a Catholic bar intrigued us,” said practicing Catholic Sylvain. “They want to break the traditional image; you can feel a new way to live the Gospel, even if this time they change water into beer.” The bar has one full-time employee and a dozen volunteers who will be serving food, slinging drinks and performing the traditionally sacred bartender service of offering a friendly ear, presumably in lieu of an official confession session. “They will be there mainly for talking to people, if they wish, and for listening,” explained Régis Héaulme, a deacon and president of the Bar Cana Association. There are nods to traditional Catholicism throughout the bar: the wifi password is Deo Gratias (God be thanked), and a carafe of house wine is referred to as a Madonna. Above the beer pumps (all the beers come from abbeys and monasteries, naturally) is a figurine of Pope Francis, and Biblical verses adorn the walls. Sadly, AFP doesn’t Continue Reading

If you’re looking for schism, look at the modernists, not Trads March 30, 2015 Posted by Tantumblogo veneremurcernui.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/if-youre-looking-for-schism-look-at-the-modernists-not-trads/ That’s the argument Patrick Archbold lays out below, and I he’s got more than a slight point. While some people forecast that faithful Catholics might freak out or even “schism” over some outlandish pronouncement by the Synod, the progressive faction, including the German episcopate, sure seems schismatic by their novel, even heretical, beliefs and actions ( www.ncregister.com/blog/pat-archbold/the-schism-nobody-sees-coming ): Ever since the announcement of the Synod on the Family and Cardinal Kasper’s infamous kickoff speech, people have been predicting that traditionalists might schism because, like Inspector Javert, they just can’t handle all that awesome mercy…….. ……In all the speculation, whether you think it is a disaster or the awesomest thing since communion in the hand, there is one common thread. Everyone expects that the progressives will get what they want. The deck is stacked after all. But what if that single presumption is wrong? What happens if, by the protection of the Holy Spirit, the Pope does what Popes are supposed to do and he says, “No!” What happens if the Pope says, “Sorry, Jesus was pretty unequivocal about this and you can’t separate the pastoral from the doctrinal, you can’t separate truth and mercy?” What happens then? Well, to find that answer, we don’t have to look very far. We just need to look at the words of Cardinal Marx, the president of the German bishops’ conference, and a leading proponent of mercy-palooza: ……..“the synod cannot prescribe in detail what we have to do in Germany.”The German bishops want to publish their own pastoral letter on marriage and family after the synod, the article said.“We are not just a subsidiary of Rome,” Cardinal Marx said. “Each episcopal conference is responsible for the pastoral care in their culture and has to proclaim the Gospel in its own unique way. We cannot wait until a synod states something, as we have to carry out marriage and family ministry here.” I can’t translate German, but I am pretty good at translating Progressive. The closest translation is “You better do it, Rome, or we will.” Remember, one of the reasons that Pope Francis even called a Synod on this topic was because the German Episcopate was threatening unilateral action on this front. Smells like schism to me. Well that’s pretty much the argument I’ve been making on this blog for at least a year and a half. While schism as a state does have a precise theological meaning, in practical terms those who reject Dogma are placing themselves outside the Church. The German bishops threatening to publicly and formally deviate from the Doctrine of the Faith and establish their own micro-Magisterium in competition with that established by Jesus Christ are plainly threatening a schismatic act, and to even make the threat is to reveal a seriously schismatic attitude. That is to say, we already have a schism in practical terms, in being, if you will, if Continue Reading

Tradition-supporting Italian Bishop stripped of power? March 30, 2015 Posted by Tantumblogo veneremurcernui.wordpress.com/2015/03/30/tradition-supporting-italian-bishop-stripped-of-power/ Rorate has a post regarding Bishop Oliveri of Albenga-Imperia in Italy, a bishop known for his strong support for the Traditional Latin Mass and the traditional practice of the Faith. There have been some (relatively speaking) minor allegations regarding problems handling abuse and some other matters in the Diocese, so last year a coadjutor bishop was appointed. At the time, it was not clear what role the coadjutor would have. Rorate is reporting, based on recent revelations in the Italian press, that Bishop Oliveri will be replaced in all but name as the functional head of the Diocese, with Coadjutor Borghetti taking over all administrative and disciplinary functions ( rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2015/03/albenga-imperia-update-bishop-oliveri.html ): What was predicted by Italian media in October last year, as reported by Rorate at the time, has taken place exactly as foretold: Msgr. Mario Oliveri, 71, the exceptionally Traditionalist-friendly Bishop of Albenga-Imperia, has been stripped of all powers and is now Ordinary of the diocese in name only. The appointment of his Coadjutor Bishop, Guglielmo Borghetti, was announced on January 10, but the full extent of the powers given to him was not reported at that time. This has now been publicized thanks to a series of articles in the Italian media and blogosphere in the last few days. The full text of the bull appointing Msgr. Borghetti was read out to the Consultors of the Diocese on March 25, and published on the diocesan website (h/t Messa in Latino). The bull specifies that he is nominated Coadjutor Bishop “with special faculties” consisting of no less than the same jurisdiction that a diocesan bishop has according to Canon 381 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The new Coadjutor Bishop himself confirmed to the Italian news agency ANSA that he now has full powers. ANSA also mentions that “the priests who attended his first celebration in the seminary have expressly said that for the Diocese of Albenga ‘begins a Copernican revolution.’” It must be kept in mind that even when a Bishop receives a Coadjutor, the former does not necessarily lose his normal powers as ruling bishop until he steps down. The current situation in Albenga-Imperia is therefore exceptional, and can only be the result of the express will of Pope Francis. As our readers will certainly realize, this humiliation of yet another Traditional-friendly Bishop stands in dramatic contrast to the Pope’s inaction over the crisis enveloping his scandalous appointment of Juan Barros as Bishop of Osorno in Chile, despite credible and multiple allegations linking him to the sexual abuse of minors. All the supporting links are in Italian, so it is difficult to understand, specifically, how this assigning of roles to the coadjutor is more expansive and different qualitatively than such appointments normally are. This matter may bring back unhappy memories for Dallas Catholics, who recall that in 2000, Joseph Galante was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Dallas in the wake of Bishop Grahman’s disastrous Continue Reading

My Ways or Your Ways? March 30, 2015 By Fr. David Vincent Meconi, SJ www.hprweb.com/2015/03/my-ways-or-your-ways/ What do ISIS, the Chinese government, and many Catholics have in common? It begins like a bad joke, I know, but none of them allows Christ’s Church to carry out her mission fully. Reading the papers these past few weeks only confirms a convergence between the Church’s enemies: ISIS takes 300 of our faithful as hostages and threatens their martyrdom unless they recant the Faith, Beijing rebels against Vatican-appointed bishops, and so many of our so-called Catholic institutions are fighting the removal of abortion coverage from their insurance policies. In talking about these instances with a dear friend, I learned that all of this reminded her of the line from Ezekiel when the chosen people are grumbling against God: “But the house of Israel says, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’ Is it my way that is not fair, house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not fair?” (Ezekiel 18:29). Who is not being fair? By definition, two contrarily-opposed parties cannot both be right. The bishop who teaches one thing, and the people who demand another cannot both be correct. Who, then, is being fair? While the popular media are loathe to report it through this particular religious lens, a large part of ISIS’s pattern of violence is unarguably against Christians and particularly Catholics. Most recently, over 300 members of ancient Christian families in Assyria were taken hostage in Northeastern Syria. Extremist groups are slowly, systematically aiming to eradicate all who disagree with their interpretation of the Quran (including other Muslims), and the Church’s faithful are the most obvious targets. God is in no way done in these lands that deny him, and one day, these terrorists will come to see what Tertullian (Apology §50, around AD 197) meant, when he said “the blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” These otherwise unknown men, women, and children will hereafter be prayed for and remembered at every Christian liturgy throughout the world as, “blessed Apostles, martyrs, and all the saints …”. Some 3,500 miles farther to the East, the Chinese government is also helping the Church mystically grow. Out of its fear of Rome, Beijing fines and often imprisons those whose fidelity to the one, true Church is known. Chinese officials continuously seek to control the appointments of all religious leaders, including even the Tibetan Buddhist monks who control those communities. Yet the Catholic Church appears to be the most hated. Take, for example, Bishop Cosma Shi Enxiang who was imprisoned for over 60 years, and even spent the last 14 of those years in an undisclosed, secret place. Bishop Shi refused to let his tongue renounce Rome, and for this, he is kept silent. Now we know that Bishop Shi died sometime this past winter, but out of fear of making him a martyr and saint, the Chinese government refuses to release any details of where or when the Bishop Continue Reading

Stand up for Indiana! Pat Buchanan: ‘How are we supposed to punish Christians for sinning against liberalism?’ Published: 3/30/15 In what has been called the “Catholic moment” in America, in the late 1940s and 1950s, Catholics were admonished from pulpits to “live the faith” and “set an example” for others. Public lives were to reflect moral beliefs. Christians were to avoid those “living in sin.” Christians who operated motels and hotels did not rent rooms to unmarried couples. Indiana just enacted a law, as have 19 other states, to protect the rights of religious people to practice their beliefs in how they live their lives and conduct their businesses. And the reaction? Nearly hysterical. The head of the NCAA, the founder of Apple, chief executives of SalesForce and Yelp, Martina Navratilova, Larry King, Miley Cyrus and other celebrities are rushing to express their shock. Boycotts of Indiana are being demanded. Tweeted Hillary on her now-empty server: “Sad this new Indiana law can happen in America today. We shouldn’t discriminate against [people because] of who they love.” The culture war has come to Indiana, and all these folks are eager to be seen as standing tall with the LGBT revolution. But what are they actually saying? Are they saying that Christian bakers, photographers and florists may not refuse to provide their services at same-sex weddings? Are they saying that hotel owners who deny rooms to unmarried couples or for homosexual liaisons should be prosecuted for being faithful to their moral code? How are we supposed to punish Christians for sinning against liberalism? Will jailing be necessary, or caning, or just depriving them of their livelihood? The Hillarys of our world have a right to call such folks bigots and homophobes. But should they have the power to punish people for acting on their religious beliefs? Isn’t the First Amendment supposed to protect this right? Whatever became of the conservatives’ Free Society? Initially, under Obamacare, Christian colleges and businesses were forced to provide employees with birth control and abortion-inducing, morning-after pills. The regime was ordering religious people to behave in ways that were abhorrent to them and contravened the teachings of their faith. Like Shariah law, liberalism imposes its values upon nonbelievers and punishes noncompliance. Says Mayor Edwin Lee, who has banned city-funded trips to Indiana, “We stand united as San Franciscans to condemn Indiana’s new discriminatory law, and will work together to protect the civil rights of all Americans.” But the “discriminatory law” that has the mayor upset does not discriminate against anyone. It merely guarantees the freedom of religious people who believe homosexuality is wrong to not have to be associated with individuals or events that celebrate it. The mayor may not like how people exercise their freedom. Does his dislike justify depriving them of that freedom? The gay rights community seems to have advanced from asking for tolerance of their lifestyles to demanding punishment for those who refuse to accept its moral equality. Why do they care that a Continue Reading

On Destroying “Graven Images” By James V. Schall, S.J. Tuesday, March 31 2015 www.thecatholicthing.org/2015/03/31/on-destroying-graven-images/ I recently came across a series of photos of Islamic “workers,” if that is what they were, systematically destroying crosses, statues, or other signs on newly captured Christian churches and buildings in Iraq and Syria. The principle is, I suppose, that one is only allowed to see what the theology allows to be seen. My eyes are not to see reality unless that reality is already fashioned in the image of what I think is worthy to exist and be seen. On coming down from the mountain, Moses saw the Israelites reveling before golden calves that they had just fashioned from their ladies’ jewelry. He was so annoyed and angered that he ordered the idols chipped down, ground into fine pieces, and tossed in the river. Then, he made the people drink of the water. No one chastised him for destroying priceless cultural artifacts, not controlling his temper, or polluting the water. In Chapter 5 of John, we find the account of the crippled man who could not get to the pool when the waters stirred. Christ bypasses this need by curing him on the spot. He tells him to pick up his mat and go home. Unfortunately, this healing was on the Sabbath. The local authorities wanted to know why the man was breaking the Sabbath rest. At first, he did not know who cured him, but later Jesus Himself explained it to him. The man then told the Jewish authorities that it was Jesus. Hearing this, they began to persecute Him. Jesus next explains that He does this deed in the name of the Father. The authorities rightly understood this statement as a divine claim. Hence, they sought to destroy Him for making Himself God, that is, in their eyes, an idol. These three accounts have something in common. Buildings ought not to exist if they display blasphemous insignia. Idols should be destroyed. Men who claim that they are gods should be eliminated. The continued existence of things depends on what we think they are. Some things ought not to be made; others ought not to be seen. As Plato knew, sight and sound have enormous effects on our souls both for good and for evil. In many societies, moreover, we find laws designed to preserve the past. No one is allowed to destroy or even alter the exterior of famous historic buildings, be they churches, buildings, houses, or gardens. In order that we do not simply constrain ourselves to live in the current “now,” we need to see and hear of ways people live in different climes and places, in different times and eras. Muslims have recently destroyed Buddhist, Assyrian, and Christian shrines and monuments. During World War II, art treasures were hidden or taken out of fighting range so that they would not be destroyed. Some suggest that we begin to bring European Christian art treasures to the New World before the Continue Reading

[A new Vatican mantra "No objective reasons" (to cover gay-enabler Juan Barros' appointment a bishop in Chile) joins the other mantra "Who am I to judge?" (to cover gay-tryster Msgr. Battista Ricca's appointment as a director of the Vatican bank and also of the Vatican Motel-6)] Vatican: Decision to appoint Bishop Juan Barros was correct The Congregation for Bishops did not find ‘objective reasons to preclude the appointment’, according to statement posted Tuesday, 31 Mar 2015 www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/03/31/vatican-decision-to-appoint-bishop-juan-barros-was-correct/ The Vatican has said that it is confident the correct decision has been made in appointing Juan Barros Bishop of Osorno, in Chile. A statement on the controversial Chilean bishop was released by the Vatican earlier today. “The Congregation for Bishops carefully examined the prelate’s candidature and did not find objective reasons to preclude the appointment,” it said. The statement comes after Bishop Barros was barracked by hundreds of black-clad protesters during his installation at Osorno’s Cathedral of St Matthew last week. He has been accused of protecting Fr Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty of child abuse in 2011, and a number of victims have also alleged that he even witnessed some of the crimes as they happened, charges that the bishop has denied. Television footage showed clashes between the bishop’s supporters, who carried white balloons, and demonstrators, carrying black ones. There were 3,000 protesters in total. Members of Francis’s child protection commission expressed concerns that Bishop Barros had been appointed “despite allegations that he covered up for the South American nation’s most notorious paedophile”. Commission member and abuse survivor Marie Collins said she could not understand how Pope Francis could have appointed Bishop Barros given the concerns about his connection to Fr Karadima. “It goes completely against what [Francis] has said in the past about those who protect abusers. The voice of the survivors is being ignored,” she said. Victims of Fr Karadima claimed the bishop knew of the abuse but failed to act.

Will the real Catholic Church please stand up? Will Pope Francis propose any kind of substantive or radical change? Or is it all just a pipe dream? Tom Deignan March 31, 2015 www.irishcentral.com/news/irishvoice/Will-the-real-Catholic-Church-please-stand-up.html# Earlier this month, Edward Cardinal Egan died at the age of 82, and it was important to remember what a difficult task Egan was charged with. By that, I don’t mean that he was charged with the necessary but unpleasant task of getting the archdiocese’s fiscal house in order. The even more difficult task Egan faced was replacing John Cardinal O’Connor, who – though Philadelphia-born – became part of the New York City fabric in a way Egan never really did or possibly could. A few days after Egan’s death, a number of prominent New York Catholics gathered at the Madison Room in Midtown Manhattan to announce a bold new religious initiative. “With Timothy Cardinal Dolan in attendance, more than 100 of these lay Catholic leaders — including Alfred Kelly Jr., former president of American Express and president/CEO of the 2014 NY/NJ Super Bowl; Samuel Di Piazza Jr., chairman of the Mayo Clinic and former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Al Smith IV, CEO of A.E. Smith Associates and great-grandson of the first Catholic to run for president on a major-party ticket — announced a new political action committee. “It’s called Catholics Count, and it aims to support a Catholic school system that, despite the heroic work it does, is too often dissed by the state’s political class,” William McGurn reported afterwards in the New York Post. Without question, New York’s Catholic schools indeed do “heroic” work. The same can be said for countless priests, nuns and faithful volunteers, who – amidst the horror of sexual abuse revelations and declining school and church attendance – have quietly gone about the task of serving the poor and needy. It is also important, I think, for groups like Catholics Count to stand up and remind political leaders that Catholics remain a sizable and influential voting bloc, especially in certain pockets of large cities (where Irish- and Italian-Americans remain in substantial numbers) and their surrounding suburbs. But a big question remains: What exactly does it mean to be Catholic? Consider this compliment McGurn paid to the church in the Post: “In New York’s inner-city Catholic schools, 65 percent of students are below the poverty rate. Many aren’t even Catholic.” That phrase reveals a whole lot more than it intends to. It leads us to a much larger question about Catholicism in America in the 21st century. Because the fact of the matter remains that many Catholics are not even Catholic, at least as far as following some of the rules church leaders have chosen to emphasize. Pope Francis – a “revolutionary” in the eyes of at least some of his admirers (and for that matter critics) – has been leading the church for two years now. It is fair to start asking some hard questions about what has substantively changed in Continue Reading

“Practicing Catholic” governor equivocating; he’s also pro-abortion, pro-sodomite, and pro-Obamandate (see Gov. Malloy, Abortion Rights Proponent, Honored at [Jesuit] Fairfield Univ. – www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/2878/Gov-Malloy-Abortion-Rights-Proponent-Honored-at-Fairfield-Univ.aspx or angelqueen.org/2014/01/15/maryland-catholic-gov-malloy-abortion-rights-proponent-honored-at-jesuit-fairfield-univ/ ) Catholic Church in Connecticut pushing hard against ‘Aid in Dying’ bill By Mark Davis Published: March 30, 2015, wtnh.com/2015/03/30/catholic-church-pushing-hard-against-aid-in-dying-bill/ Hartford, Conn. (WTNH)– The Catholic Church is pushing hard to defeat a so-called ‘Aid in Dying’ bill before state lawmakers. They’ve gathered thousands of signatures on petitions opposing the bill that’s expected to come up for an important vote within the next two weeks. This is the proposal that would allow physicians to prescribe a lethal dose to someone who has less than six months to live and is certified as competent to make the decision. After just two weeks of circulating petitions at weekend masses around the state and at an on-line website the Catholic Conference of Connecticut today delivered petitions with over 21,000 signatures of people opposed to the ‘Aid in Dying’ bill to the offices of the legislature’s Judiciary Committee. Before the ‘Aid in Dying’ bill can come before the full legislature it must pass through the Judiciary Committee within the next fourteen days. Sources say the vote in the committee is expected to be close. The Church, which refers to the bill as ‘assisted suicide’ believes this is an affront to its teachings and that current end of life care is adequately addressing the pain and suffering of terminally ill patients. “We believe that palliative care is a very, very new medical concentration and could play a very integral part in dealing with end of life issues,” said Michael Culhane, Executive Director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference. But advocates say it doesn’t matter how many petitions are brought in because public opinion is in favor of this. A group pushing this bill called ‘Compassion & Choices’ is headed by Tim Appleton who noted, “63 percent of Connecticut residents support this choice. This has been born out in two separate Quinnipiac Polls. In fact, our numbers are increasing year over year.” Governor Malloy, who is a practicing Catholic, is not taking a position saying today, “I’m troubled, I understand and believe that people should engage in appropriate…take the preparatory steps to making sure that they’re treated at end of life in the way they want to be treated.” The deadline for that important Judiciary Committee vote on this bill is April 13,

Small Number of Strong Catholic Colleges ‘Heartbreaking,’ Says Conservative Leader March 31, 2015 | By Justin Petrisek | www.cardinalnewmansociety.org/CatholicEducationDaily/DetailsPage/tabid/102/ArticleID/4105/Small-Number-of-Strong-Catholic-Colleges-%E2%80%98Heartbreaking-%E2%80%99-Says-Conservative-Leader.aspx graduationThe fact that most Catholic colleges today still do not fully embrace their Catholic identity is “heartbreaking,” conservative leader L. Brent Bozell III observed in a recent interview with The Cardinal Newman Society. The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College recommends just 20 U.S. colleges and another seven online and international programs that have a strong Catholic mission and adhere to Ex corde Ecclesiae, the Vatican constitution on Catholic higher education. “When you’ve got a nation of 60 million Catholics and less than two dozen true Catholic colleges and universities—I mean, the math doesn’t add up,” said Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center and a member of the Newman Society’s board of directors. “It just doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. So many are going in the wrong direction, but only a few are heading in the right direction.” The 1998 University of Dallas alumnus of the year was recently announced as the keynote speaker for the University’s commencement ceremony in May. Bozell took the time to speak with the Society on the importance of Catholic higher education and his own experience at the University of Dallas. In an age where it has become increasingly difficult to freely live one’s Catholic faith, good Catholic higher education is helping restore and instill Catholic values in society, Bozell attested. “A true Catholic identity goes beyond the intellectual and addresses the cultural. You don’t think like a Catholic, you live like a Catholic,” he said. “If you live like a Catholic you’ll be more discerning, you’ll be more demanding, you’ll be more careful. But it’s so difficult in today’s day and age.” Bozell continued: I think there is a real question as to the overall value of a college education today, because all one needs to do is examine universities closely to see that what is being taught goes contrary to a moral grounding and that the academics have been dumbed down so dramatically that they’re rather useless. That is, I think, the growing concern. With many [colleges], if they struggle financially, their kneejerk reaction is to become more secular so as to broaden the attraction and bring in a greater number of students. In fact, they should go in the opposite direction,” he said. “If they want to attract Catholics, they should be more Catholic! That’s not a problem for Bozell’s alma mater, though. “The University of Dallas has always been in the right direction,” he said, noting that it is one of the most faithful Catholic institutions. “The University of Dallas has never succumbed to any kind of temptation to secularize—which is, I guess, in its DNA.” The founder and former president of the Parents Television Council continued: Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut once made a great observation. He said children sit at the dinner table hopefully receiving instruction from their parents, but for Continue Reading

[Once again LaVoris overlooks the elephant in the room] Cardinal Sins – And Their Papal Enabler 3/31/15 restore-dc-catholicism.blogspot.com/2015/03/cardinal-sins-and-their-papal-enabler.html In today’s Vortex, Michael Voris clearly lays out the case that many cardinals are deliberately flouting the Church’s authority to coddle those in sexual sin or those who profit from sexual sin. Missing from his analysis, though, is a forthright admission of why they are allowed to retain their red hats. More to the point, there is someone who is allowing them to continue their chicanery and perhaps is orchestrating it. I speak, of course, of Pope Francis. To be fair, many of these cardinals started carrying on when the Pope’s predecessors occupied his chair. After last October’s sin-nod, though, it became quite clear that this current pontiff at least approves of their dissenting behavior – if he’s not outright ordering it. I realize it is the policy of Church Militant TV not to criticize the pope’s actions. That’s their decision. I and many others hold a different opinion. We will call the spade a spade. I’ll now analyze some statements of Voris’ and point out some obvious papal connections. I’ll go in order as they occur in the video. •At the 0:42 mark, he says “look at what princes of the Church are saying or doing quite publicly these days”. Ok! I agree that their misbehaviors are quite blatant these days. So what is it about these days that are emboldening them to publicly act out now whereas before they had shown just the slightest amount of restraint and decorum? •At the 0:48 mark, he says “it almost always has to do with sex in one way or another”. That’s quite true. The burgeoning numbers of episodes often are glorifying sins against chastity. Now what just ended last October? The Extraordinary Synod of the Family, right? Crucial to the proper understanding and defense of family is a proper understanding and defense of chastity. Sins against chastity are direct attacks on the family – just as the interim report was. Might this be part of the “maturation” that the Pope wants us to endure embrace? •At 1:20 Voris starts to excoriate Cardinal Kasper, as well he should. In addition to what Voris says, he showed himself to be quite the heretic. My blogging colleague Vox Cantoris recalled to our memory some particularly putrid poison that spewed from his brain in 1967, to wit: “the God who is enthroned over the world and history as a changeless being is an offense to man”. Yes, ladies and gentlemen! These words were uttered by a Cardinal, and the same Cardinal whom Pope Francis praised for his “serene theology”. Cardinal Marx is one of Pope Francis’ “gang of nine” closest advisors. If Vox Cantoris knew of Marx’s 1967 heresies, surely the Pope (or those who should be his friends) would have known that too. Such is the caliber of the pope’s council. •At 1:30 he elaborates on Cardinal Marx, president of the German Bishops’ Conference. The Continue Reading

Hat-tip to PewSitter: “New Ex-Catholic Charities-USA Francis[-Wuerl] Bishop in DC: Understand illegals, be with illegals, embrace illegals! It’s the Gospel! ['It’s a humanitarian act. That’s what Pope Francis is saying: ... we just can’t close the doors to anyone']“ Pope Francis Gives D.C. Archdiocese Another Shepherd for Latino Catholic Souls A Register interview with Father Mario Dorsonville, vice president for Catholic Charities D.C., who was appointed March 20 as an auxiliary bishop in the nation’s capital. by PETER JESSERER SMITH 03/30/2015 WASHINGTON — Service to the poor, the marginalized and the immigrants who suffer from a culture of indifference are qualities Pope Francis has wanted in the Church’s shepherds. The Pope has given the Archdiocese of Washington a new Spanish-speaking auxiliary bishop who has that experience in spades. Colombian-born Father Mario Dorsonville, Catholic Charities D.C.’s vice president for missions and director of the archdiocese’s Spanish Catholic Center, was appointed March 20 by the Holy Father to be consecrated a bishop to help Cardinal Donald Wuerl carry out his ministry to the archdiocese’s Latino Catholic population, Fluent in both English and Spanish, Father Dorsonville has more than 20 years of pastoral ministry in bilingual parish settings within the northern Virginia/Washington metropolitan area. He will be the archdiocese’s only active Spanish-speaking auxiliary bishop when Pope Francis arrives in the nation’s capital this September. Father Dorsonville spoke with the Register about the evangelization challenges in the Latino community, catechizing the faithful about the Church’s immigration teaching and drawing strength from embracing the cross. What is your primary task going to be as an auxiliary bishop for the archdiocese? The cardinal has indicated that, because I’m perfectly bilingual, he would like me to have an accent on the Hispanic community and the immigrant community in our different parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington. What are some of the challenges you will be taking up? Most of the time, the challenge is the lack of vocations and priests who are bilingual to minister to them [the Latino community]. So I guess that we are short most of the time for bilingual priests. That’s one. The other would be trying to assimilate cultures in one parish setting. That is possible, to make it happen, but we are not there yet. It’s a process of understanding cultures and trying to reach each other from different perspectives of seeing life and seeing the way that we develop our faith and our relationship with Jesus Christ. The Church has a very large and growing Hispanic community, but why have the numbers of Spanish-speaking priests and seminarians not kept pace? I think among the most important points is the lack of education and opportunities to go to school and get prepared. There are so many good men who came to the United States, but just to work. They work and work and work and never even learn the language they need to go to high school and college. That creates a real barrier for them to apply to seminary. They Continue Reading

Please pray for my sister, Michelle.

Larceny of Boston Archdiocesan Priest Pension Fund

Blurring news and views: RNS dissects cardinal’s quotes on gay marriage

US military leaders quietly concerned about proposal to lift ban on transgender troops: AP report

“It is not meant for my time.” Oh Really?

Bishop of Lancaster, England, rebukes A Call to Action (ACTA)

Petition to open Cause of Dom Helder Camara reaches Rome

Writer Garry Wills: Right-Wing, Anti-Francis Catholics ‘Are Not Used to Having a Pope Who Is a Christian’

Catholic Church Opens Bar to Reach Masses

If you’re looking for schism, look at the modernists, not Trads

Tradition-supporting Italian Bishop stripped of power?

My Ways or Your Ways?

Stand up for Indiana!

On Destroying “Graven Images”

Vatican: Decision to appoint Bishop Juan Barros was correct

Will the real Catholic Church please stand up?

Catholic Church in Connecticut pushing hard against ‘Aid in Dying’ bill

Small Number of Strong Catholic Colleges ‘Heartbreaking,’ Says Conservative Leader

Cardinal Sins – And Their Papal Enabler

Pope Francis Gives D.C. Archdiocese Another Shepherd for Latino Catholic Souls