continued from above... So how did much of the Church end up sinking into a morass of sentimentalism? Here’s three primary causes. First, the Western world is drowning in sentimentalism. Like everyone else, Catholics are susceptible to the culture in which we live. If you want proof of Western Affectus per solam, just turn on your web-browser. You’ll soon notice the sheer emotivism pervading popular culture, media, politics, and universities. In this world, morality is about your commitment to particular causes. What matters is how “passionate” (note the language) you are about your commitment, and the cause’s degree of political correctness—not whether the cause itself is reasonable to support. Second, let’s consider how faith is understood by many Catholics today. For many, it appears to be a “feeling faith.” By that, I mean that Christian faith’s significance is judged primarily in terms of feeling what it does for me, my well-being, and my concerns. But guess what? Me, myself, and I aren’t the focus of Catholic faith. Catholicism is, after all, a historical faith. It involves us deciding that we trust those who witnessed to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who transmitted what they saw via written texts and unwritten traditions, and who, we’ve concluded, told the truth about what they saw. That includes the miracles and Resurrection attesting to Christ’s Divinity. Catholicism doesn’t view these as “stories.” To be a Catholic is to affirm that they really happened and that Christ instituted a Church whose responsibility is to preach this to the ends of the earth. Catholic faith can’t therefore be about me and my feelings. It’s about capital-T Truth. Human fulfilment and salvation consequently involves freely and constantly choosing to conform myself to that Truth. It’s not about subordinating the Truth to my emotions. In fact, if Catholicism isn’t about the Truth, what’s the point? Third, sentimentalism’s pervasiveness in the Church owes something to efforts to downgrade and distort natural law since Vatican II. Natural law reflection was in mixed shape throughout the Catholic world in the decades leading up to the 1960s. But it suffered an eclipse in much of the Church afterwards. That’s partly because natural law was integral to Humanae Vitae’s teaching. Many theologians subsequently decided that anything underpinning Humanae Vitae had to be emptied of substantive content. While natural law reasoning recovered in parts of the Church from the 1980s onwards, we’re paid a price for natural law’s marginalization. And the price is this: once you relegate reason to the periphery of religious faith, you start imagining that faith is somehow independent of reason; or that faith is somehow inherently hostile to reason; or that your religious convictions don’t require explanation to others. The end-result is decreasing concern for the reasonableness of faith. That’s a sure way to end up in the swamp of sentimentalism. Other reasons for sentimentalism’s traction in today’s Church could be mentioned: the disappearance of logic from educational curricula, excessive deference to (bad) psychology and (bad) sociology by some clerics formed in the 1970s, inclinations to view the Holy Spirit’s workings as something that could contradict Christ’s teachings, syrupy self-referential Disney-like liturgies, etc. It’s a long list. The solution isn’t to downgrade the importance of emotions like love and joy or anger and fear for people. We aren’t robots. Feelings are central aspects of our nature. Instead, human emotions need to be integrated into a coherent account of Christian faith, human reason, human action, and human flourishing—something undertaken with great skill by past figures like Aquinas and contemporary thinkers such as the late Servais Pinckaers. Then we need to live our lives accordingly. Escaping Affectus per solam won’t be easy. It’s simply part of the air we breathe in the West. Moreover, some of those most responsible today for forming people in the Catholic faith seem highly susceptible to sentimentalist ways. But unless we name and contest the unbridled emotivism presently compromising the Church’s witness to the Truth, we risk resigning ourselves to mere NGO-ism for the near future. That is to say, to true irrelevance. *** The next article provides some proof that some people are looking for a revolution to occur in the Church. Imho it also provides proof that the Church Militant, LifeSiteNews and the Lepanto Institute may be targeted to be unjustly shutdown in the future. I also believe that there is a lot of incorrect statements made in this article, https://www.ncronline.org/news/just...gainst-lgbt-catholics-create-toxic-atmosphere *** I posted the following on another thread yesterday but since I think it is so well done I am reposting the link to it here, Letters from the Synod-2018: The final letter by Xavier Rynne II | Monday, 29 Oct 2018 | http://catholicherald.co.uk/comment...d-2018-the-final-letter/#.W9ysIWn3wLA.twitter *** Edited to add: DeGaulle, I thought the same thing that you have stated above. I happen to watch the movie 55 Days at Peking with my husband yesterday and I recalled the story of Little Li which occurred during the Boxer Rebellion in China. I searched for her story to share it with my husband and I came across the following article https://zenit.org/articles/eucharistic-adoration-transforming-a-city/ which discusses the relationship between great graces being bestowed on the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska and the communities' long-standing custom of their practice of regular Eucharistic adoration. This reminded about something else Father Sullins stated in that article, "The John Jay Report let us know what diocese each offender was in, but did not let us know what seminary each offender had attended. Now, if we need just that piece of information, we could correlate abuse in the seminaries and find out which seminaries graduated priests that were engaged in less abuse; it seems to me that would be an important piece of information to know. And then we can begin to look at what the characteristics of those seminaries were; we might find that it’s related to particular professors and particular groups of persons, many of whom are still in the priesthood and still with us. It’d be great to know what the continuing effects of that activity are, but also to be able to identify places where it may still be going on." and the likelihood that an extended study of the clerical sexual abuse in the Church in the USA might show that there is a much lower percentage of seminarians from the seminary in Lincoln, Nebraska involved in this abuse. I also wondered if other similar seminaries across the country may also show similar results. I just found the following about the Diocese of Linclon which is also very interesting, https://liturgyguy.com/2016/04/30/why-arent-other-dioceses-looking-to-lincoln/ .
Padraig, I'm so glad that you came across Father Mark Goring's videos and that you have shared them with us. I find his sincerity to be refreshing, thank you. *** FrancisChurch Goes From Scandal to Scandal George Neumayr | November 4, 2018, 12:01 am | https://spectator.org/francischurch-goes-from-scandal-to-scandal/ An NYC auxiliary bishop is credibly accused of abuse while the Vatican mulls Tobin and Gregory for DC. Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory was a protégé of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who played a leading role in the Gaying of the Catholic Church in America. In a nod to that legacy, Bernardin requested the Windy City Gay Men’s Chorus perform at his funeral. As an auxiliary bishop under Bernardin in Chicago, Gregory witnessed the spread of homosexuality within the priesthood and hierarchy up close. Bernardin’s seminary was known as the “pink palace.” As archbishop of Atlanta, Gregory has maintained Bernardin’s program of gay promotion and propaganda in the Church. Gregory, for example, has defended the writings and speeches of Fr. James Martin, a Jesuit who openly calls for the Church to adjust herself to the demands of the “LGBT community.” In 2010, Fr. Juan Areiza, one of Gregory’s priests, got entangled in a gay scandal exposed by CBS Atlanta. Areiza and another priest had fastened their lustful affections upon a gay bar patron named Dale Chappell, who complained to CBS Atlanta that the two priests “conspired together to just to use me for sex.” “Text messages and pictures Chappell provided to CBS Atlanta News confirm his allegations of these homosexual relationships, including dozens of texts with Areiza,” reported the station. “‘Here’s one that says, ‘Miss you and love you,’ Chappell showed us.” Where is Areiza today? He is the pastor at St. Pius X parish in Conyers, Georgia, appointed to that position by Wilton Gregory in June of this year. All of this makes Gregory’s famous comment, made as the 2002 abuse scandal erupted, that “It’s an ongoing struggle to make sure the Catholic priesthood is not dominated by homosexual men” all the stranger. Why he made that comment, given his complicity in the Gaying of the Church, remains a mystery. He was and is a member of a powerful liberal ideological faction that normalized homosexuals in the priesthood and hierarchy. Not that Gregory is much of an improvement. If a Tobin candidacy represents a raised middle finger to the laity from FrancisChurch, its look at Gregory signifies at least a flick of the chin. Neither prelate belongs on a short list for Washington. Tobin is the more overtly outrageous of the two choices — his erstwhile rectorymate Francesco Castiglione, is still lurking (I received a credible report that the Italian actor is now hanging out in Summit, New Jersey, perhaps waiting to see what happens with Tobin) — but both are bad. Were the Church under Francis committed to real reform, Tobin and Gregory would have been erased from the list immediately. A Gregory appointment would signal business as usual, all the way down to Gregory’s Wuerlian taste for opulent living. While Wuerl more or less got away with his furtive renovations to his Embassy Row penthouse, Gregory was upended in 2014 by his plan to live in a Tudor-style Atlanta mansion. He had to unload the $2.2 million property in the swanky neighborhood of Buckhead after building it, saying that in the age of Francis living there would undermine his own “integrity and pastoral credibility.” He wrote to Atlanta Catholics: “I failed to consider the impact on the families throughout the archdiocese who, though struggling to pay their mortgages, utilities, tuition, and other bills, faithfully respond year after year to my pleas to assist with funding our ministries and services.” It would be grimly comic if Gregory inherited Wuerl’s posh pad, which I am told Wuerl has left (only to turn up, I’m told, at the $2 million house at 4110 Warren Street, where McCarrick was hidden until Wuerl whisked him off to a friary in Kansas). Given the continuing crisis — earlier this week it was reported that Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City has suspended Auxiliary Bishop John Jenik over a “credible” accusation of abuse — one would have thought Francis might look outside the corrupt alumni circles of Joseph Bernardin and Theodore McCarrick for the supposed “fresh start” DC needs. But Pope Francis is nothing if not committed to the “Seamless Garment” of Bernardin, who, along with Rembert Weakland (the Milwaukee archbishop who spearheaded a letter against the “greed” of Reaganomics while simultaneously paying off a disgruntled gay lover with a self-authorized “loan” from the faithful’s donations) was one of the chief forerunners of this “social justice” pontificate. Bernardin’s garment covered not only the clericalism of an aggressively dilettantish leftism (which the agenda of Pope Francis perfectly represents) but also a pervasive homosexual subculture within the Church. Many of the clerics caught up in the abuse scandal combined homosexual decadence with labor politics, amnesty activism, environmentalist hijinks, and the like. Jenik appears to be cut from the cloth of Bernardin’s garment, making a lot of noise about “justice” by day while treating a young man unjustly by night. Jenik’s alleged victim says he was forced into the Bronx labor priest’s bed repeatedly. After hearing the Jenik news, I wondered which prelates presided at his 2014 installation Mass as auxiliary bishop. One of the co-presiders at the Jenik’s installation Mass was Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, a credibly accused member of the Church’s Gay Mafia. But guess who else was there, presiding prominently at the altar and conferring his sinister blessing upon Jenik? Theodore McCarrick. Pope Francis during his visit to U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2015 (Wikimedia Commons) *** The following story bothers me far more than the story about the party held at the end of the Youth Synod. If that party was held inside a Church I would have thought that it was inappropriate but I don't have a problem with clergy socializing with the laity assuming that it is not at all scandalous. Some remarked that a prayer session would have been more appropriate but I read that the laity present at the synod did pray with the clergy on several occasions. On the other hand, I simply find the following story inappropriate because I don't see any value in it whatsoever and it appears to denigrate places of worship imho. Edward Pentin | Oct. 31, 2018 | http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edwa...ial-light-show-projected-onto-famous-rome-bas Demonic or Just Art? Controversial Light Show Projected onto Famous Rome Basilica Collapsing churches, pulsating spheres, and psychedelic tunnels were part of what its creators called a “fascinating” use of digital mapping technology. A lightshow projected onto a number of church facades in Rome at the end of October was “extremely disturbing” and even “sacrilegious” for some observers while its creators defended it as a “transformation” of Rome's historic center (see clip below). The “Solid Light Festival” used the facades of the Pantheon, the basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (resting place of the bodily remains of St. Catherine of Siena), and the basilica of Sant’Agostino to “explore the new frontiers” of “digital arts” and “mapping” technology, according to its creators, a Spanish company called ‘Onionlab.’ Other sites included the Temple of Hadrian and the modern Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana. [Please continue reading at the link above.]
Bishops gather in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 18, 2015. (Martha Calderon/CNA) Msgr. Charles Pope | Nov. 5, 2018 | http://www.ncregister.com/blog/msgr-pope/a-cry-of-the-heart-to-our-bishops A Cry of the Heart to Our Bishops: Please Restore Order to the Church! Our collective cowardice must be transformed into a clear, loving witness that is willing to endure the scorn of the world to reassert the truth of the Gospel. As the annual Fall General Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approaches (Nov. 12-14 in Baltimore), we do well to ponder a critical work of bishops (along with priests and deacons) — that of governance. Governance is suggested in the very title of the sacrament received in its fullness: the Sacrament of Holy Orders (Sacramentum Ordinis). The word “order” suggests, well, order! Maintaining order is generally understood to mean keeping things in good condition, directing things or people to their proper purpose and end. To be fair, the Catechism of the Catholic Church points to a richer meaning etymologically: The word order in Roman antiquity designated an established civil body, especially a governing body. Ordinatio means incorporation into an ordo. In the Church there are established bodies which Tradition, not without a basis in Sacred Scripture, has since ancient times called … ordines. And so the liturgy speaks of the ordo episcoporum, the ordo presbyterorum, the ordo diaconorum. Other groups also receive this name of ordo: catechumens, virgins, spouses, widows, … (CCC 1537) So, the primary meaning of Holy Orders does not pertain simply to keeping things in good order but to ranks or distinctions within a larger group. However, key to the ancient Latin term was the idea of governance. Hence, while we sometimes use it in its wider sense (e.g., Order of Catechumens) the term is usually restricted in the more formal sense to the ordained clergy. The Catechism states: Integration into one of these bodies in the Church was accomplished by a rite called ordinatio, a religious and liturgical act which was a consecration, a blessing or a sacrament. Today the word “ordination” is reserved for the sacramental act which integrates a man into the order of bishops, presbyters, or deacons, and goes beyond a simple election, designation, delegation, or institution by the community, for it confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a “sacred power” ... The laying on of hands by the bishop, with the consecratory prayer, constitutes the visible sign of this ordination (CCC 1538). Thus, the Sacrament of Holy Orders does speak clearly to the maintaining of order, to governance. The very word “bishop” in its Greek roots also indicates this: ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos) comes from epi (upon or over) + skopos (to see or look). Therefore, a bishop is one designated to oversee a local area or diocese. Of a bishop, St. Paul writes that he must be able both to encourage with sound docrine and to convict those contradicting it. For there are also many insubordinate, empty talkers, and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision. It is necessary to silence them, as they overthrow whole households, teaching things that they ought not for the sake of base gain (Titus 1:9-11). To Titus, whom Paul ordained bishop in Crete, Paul wrote: The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and ordain priests in every town, as I directed you… (Titus 1:5). Hence, at the heart of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the keeping of order through the munus regendi (the office of governance). Indeed, this office is part of the tightly woven triple office of Christ conferred upon bishops and priests: teaching, governing, and sanctifying. The very word “hierarchy” most literally means rule by priests — hiereus (priest) + archon (rule). There’s no getting around it: One of the essential functions of the Sacrament of Holy Orders is the keeping of order in the Church through governing, teaching, and sanctifying. So, how are we in Holy Orders doing? By any reasonable measure, terribly. Indeed, some of the gravest disorder is to be found within the very ranks of Holy Orders. There is a shocking yet persistent picture of disorder, confusion, and denial up to the highest ranks, both nationally and internationally. There are, to be sure, notable exceptions in which holy and courageous bishops, priests, and deacons have sought to stand in the gap and heal the breach, often at great personal cost. The overall atmosphere, however, is one of unholy disorder, brought about by the very ones ordained to bring Holy Order: The faith is openly betrayed and denied by renegade bishops—even whole conferences of bishops—and heads of religious orders. Synods sow confusion and division rather than clarity or unity. Teaching is on holiday, silence in the face of error is rampant, and listening without limit is called “magisterial.” Ambiguous euphemisms that violate Catholic anthropology, doctrine, and sacred tradition are adopted uncritically. There are wandering “celebrity priests” who promote the LBGT agenda without any reference to repentance or chastity. Policies that deny the Lord’s clear words on divorce/remarriage and ignore St. Paul’s admonitions about Holy Communion are proposed and adopted. Legitimate questions and requests for needed clarifications are met with silence. Catholic colleges openly teach dissent without any correction from the bishops and there is a tolerance of a moral life among their students that would shock even the most pagan of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Liturgical abuses have abounded and remained uncorrected for decades. In the seminaries and within the priesthood, homosexual predation by an apparent network of priests has gone on for years along with coverups, denials, and secret payouts. The number of states initiating grand jury investigations is increasing daily. The federal investigation into abuse by Catholic priests now includes every diocese in the country. Mass attendance has been declining for years, leading to the closing of numerous parishes and schools. There has been an almost complete loss of Christendom in the past 60 years. Scandals continue to arise. The Vatican Bank has been plagued by scandal for years. A drug-fueled homosexual orgy reportedly took place in the summer of 2017 in the apartment of a high-ranking Vatican prelate. There have been seemingly arbitrary dismissals of bishops and priests both within the Vatican and elsewhere. The Holy Father himself is surrounded by questionable figures who are at the very heart of the current crises. He has received credible, largely corroborated allegations by a former nuncio that he and others knew of the illicit activities of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In response to the crises, from Rome there has been silence, name-calling of those requesting investigations, and only occasionally promises to look into the matters. The faithful are dismayed by the chaos. Even prior to the current sexual and financial scandals, the general stance of this pontificate has been artfully described as “weaponized ambiguity.” Some of the most confusing and strange things have been said and done by the Pope and then left unexplained. Many of the faithful, who love the Church and the Holy Father, have been placed in the highly awkward position of having to openly express their dismay, sadness, and confusion. If my picture of disorder is too extreme, I beg your mercy. If some of the facts I have presented are erroneous, if my conclusion is too strong in some area or regarding some particular person, I repent. Along with many Catholics, I am dumbfounded and feel most uncomfortable speaking in this way. With so many of the faithful I am grieved that I even have to mention these things publicly. My preference has always been to remain discreet. I also repent because I am a member of the very hierarchy and cadre of those in Holy Orders I describe. I have been a priest for nearly thirty years now and this disorder has only increased on my watch. I cannot exempt myself from all blame. While I have not committed any moral crimes, I have at times in the past been impatient with some of the faithful who raised concerns such as the ones I have written about today. I would often scold them for speaking against Church leaders and remind them that dissenters spoke in such a way. It goes against my training and my nature as a Catholic and a priest to recite this litany of disorder. I even admit to the fear of retribution for my words. I would like to mention again that while the big picture is bleak, there are many bishops who have spoken courageously and taught well during these dark days. May they be confirmed by the Lord and preserved in their ministry. As our bishops prepare to meet I beg them to hear a cry of the heart, not just from me, one of their priests, but from so many of the faithful who must live with the disorder in the Church that we who are in Holy Orders have every obligation to correct. Our credibility is nearly nonexistent. The only path forward I can reasonably see is a repentance not only of sorrow but of strong amendment. continued...
continued from above... We clergy must amend our lives by recommitting to the Lord’s doctrinal and moral teaching; we must strive to live it ourselves and be serious about reproving dissenters and serial violators and removing them from our ranks. We must honestly call out sin and refer to it by its proper name. We must speak no less plainly than did our Lord and His apostles, who used words like sodomy, fornication, adultery, greed, hatred, divorce and heresy. Resorting to vague terms like woundedness, clericalism, and abuse of power only diminishes our credibility. People can see right through such obfuscation. It is not my place, nor is it my goal, to set forth an agenda for the upcoming gathering of bishops. However, we who share in the Sacrament of Holy Orders are currently presiding over a landscape of terrible disorder and have no one to blame but ourselves. Even if we have not personally committed moral offenses, too many of us have remained fearfully silent and/or indecisive. We have not courageously witnessed to the truth. The heroic example of the martyrs is almost unknown among us. We must change. Indeed, we must seek a remarkable transformation wherein our collective cowardice is converted, as if by miracle, into a clear, loving witness that is willing to endure the scorn of the world to reassert the truth of the Gospel. May our love for God’s people be so great that we refuse to lie to them or water down the truth that alone can set each one of us free. May we who share in the exalted Sacrament of Holy Orders, by God’s grace, restore order to the Lord’s Church, an order that both he and his good people deserve and require, and may God’s good people pray and fast for our bishops as they prepare for their upcoming meeting. *** Gomorrah in the 21st Century. The Appeal of a Cardinal and Church Historian di Sandro Magister | 05 nov 2018 | http://magister.blogautore.espresso...f-a-cardinal-and-church-historian/?refresh_ce “The situation is comparable to that of the Church in the 11th and 12th century.” As an authoritative Church historian and as president of the pontifical committee of historical sciences from 1998 to 2009, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, 89, has no doubt when he sees the present-day Church “shaken to its foundations” on account of the spread of sexual abuse and homosexuality “in an almost epidemic manner among the clergy and even in the hierarchy.” “How could it have come to this point?” the cardinal wonders. And his answer is found in an extensive and detailed article published in recent days in the German monthly “Vatican Magazin” directed by Guido Horst: [Please click on the above link for this link.] In its complete Italian version: [Please click on the above link for this link.] Brandmüller refers to the centuries in which the bishoprics and the papacy itself had become such a source of wealth that there was “fighting and haggling over them,” with temporal rulers claiming that they themselves could apportion these offices in the Church. The effect was that the place of pastors was taken by morally dissolute persons who were attached to the endowment rather than to the care of souls, by no means inclined to lead a chaste and virtuous life. Not only concubinage, but homosexuality too was increasingly widespread among the clergy, to such an extent that Saint Peter Damian in 1049 delivered to the newly elected pope Leo IX, known as a zealous reformer, his “Liber Antigomorrhianus,” composed in the form of a letter, which in essence was an appeal to save the Church from the “sodomitic filth that insinuates itself like a cancer in the ecclesiastical order, or rather like a bloodthirsty beast rampaging through the flock of Christ.” Sodom and Gomorrah, in the book of Genesis, are the two cities that God destroyed with fire on account of their sins. But the thing more worthy of note, Brandmüller writes, was that “almost simultaneously a lay movement arose that was aimed not only against the immorality of the clergy but also against the appropriation of ecclesiastical offices by secular powers.” “What rose up was the vast popular movement called ‘pataria,’ led by members of the Milanese nobility and by some members of the clergy, but supported by the people. In close collaboration with the reformers associated with Saint Peter Damian, and then with Gregory VII, with the bishop Anselm of Lucca, an important canonist who later became Pope Alexander II, and with others still, the ‘patarini’ demanded, even resorting to violence, the implementation of the reform that after Gregory VII took the name ‘Gregorian’: for a celibacy of the clergy lived out faithfully and against the occupation of dioceses by secular powers.” Subsequently, of course, it disperesed into pauperist and anti-hierarchical movements, on the verge of heresy, and was only partially reintegrated with the Church “thanks to the farseeing pastoral action of Innocence III.” But the “interesting aspect” on which Brandmüller insists is that “that reforming movement broke out almost simultaneously in the uppermost hierarchical circles in Rome and among the vast lay population of Lombardy, in response to a situation considered unbearable.” So then, what is similar and different in the Church today, with respect to back then? What is similar, Brandmüller notes, is that then as now the ones expressing the protest and demanding a purification of the Church are above all segments of the Catholic laity, especially in North America, in the footsteps of the “marvelous homage to the important role of the witness of the faithful in matters of doctrine” brought to light in the 19th century by Blessed John Henry Newman. As then, so now these faithful find beside them a few zealous pastors. But it must be recognized - Brandmüller writes - that the impassioned appeal to the upper hierarchy of the Church and ultimately to the pope to join them in combating the scourge of homosexuality among the clergy and the bishops is not meeting with correspondingly adequate responses, unlike in the 11th and 12th centuries. Also in the Christological battles of the 4th century - Brandmüller points out - “the episcopacy remained inactive for long stretches.” And if it remains so today, with respect to the spread of homosexuality among sacred ministers, “this could be based on the fact that personal initiative and the awareness of their responsibility as pastors on the part of the individual bishops are made more difficult by the structures and apparatus of the episcopal conferences, with the pretext of collegiality or synodality.” As for the pope, Brandmüller attributes not only to the current one but also to his predecessors the weakness of not opposing the currents of moral theology according to which “what was forbidden yesterday can be allowed today,” homosexual acts included. It is true - Brandmüller acknowledges - that the 1993 encyclical “Veritatis Splendor” of John Paul II - “in which the contribution of Joseph Ratzinger has not yet been duly recognized” - reconfirmed “with great clarity the foundations of the Church’s moral teaching.” But this “ran up against widespread rejection from theologians, perhaps because it had been published only when the theological-moral decay was already too far advanced.” It is also true that “some books on sexual morality were condemned” and “two professors had their teaching licenses revoked, in 1972 and 1986.” “But,” Brandmüller continues, “the truly important heretics, like the Jesuit Josef Fuchs, who from 1954 to 1982 was a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Bernhard Häring, who taught at the Redemptorist Institute in Rome, as well as the highly influential moral theologian from Bonn, Franz Böckle, or from Tübingen, Alfons Auer, were able to spread without interference, right in front of Rome and the bishops, the seed of error. The attitude of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith in these cases is, in retrospect, simply incomprehensible. It saw the wolf come and stood looking on while it ravaged the fold.” The risk is that on account of this lack of initiative on the part of the upper hierarchy even the most committed Catholic laity, left on its own, might “no longer recognize the nature of the Church founded on the sacred order and slip, in protesting against the ineptitude of the hierarchy, into an Evangelical-style communitarian Christianity.” And instead, the more the hierarchy, from the pope down, feel supported by the effective resolve of tthe faithful to renew and revive the Church, the more a true housecleaning can be performed. Brandmüller concludes: “It is in the collaboration of the bishops, priests, and faithful, in the power of the Holy Spirit, that the current crisis can and must become the point of departure for the spiritual renewal - and therefore also for the new evangelization - of a post-Christian society.” Brandmüller is one of the four cardinals who in 2016 submitted to Pope Francis their “dubia” on the changes being made in the doctrine of the Church, without ever receiving a response. This time will the pope listen and take him seriously into consideration, as Leo IX did with Saint Peter Damian? (English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.)
From today, From yesterday, *** Guam Catholic church to file bankruptcy amid abuse lawsuits By CALEB JONES and GRACE GARCES BORDALLO November 7, 2018 | https://apnews.com/717d8e867f5347ab...Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=AP FILE - In this November 2014 file photo, Archbishop Anthony Apuron stands in front of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica in Hagatna, Guam. Guam's Catholic church announced Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 that it will file for bankruptcy _ a move that lawyers say will allow the archdiocese to avoid trial in dozens of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests and move toward settlements. The U.S. territory, where almost everyone is Catholic, has been ripped apart by claims the archbishop and other priests abused children. Apuron has denied allegations he molested multiple altar boys. (AP Photo/Grace Garces Bordallo, File) HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — Guam’s Catholic church will file for bankruptcy — a move that will allow the archdiocese to avoid trial in dozens of lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests and move toward settlements. Archbishop Michael Byrnes announced Wednesday that mediation efforts that began in September led the church to bankruptcy. “This path will bring the greatest measure of justice to the greatest number of victims,” Byrnes said. “That’s the heart of what we’re doing.” Byrnes said the bankruptcy will provide “finality for victim survivors that they’ve been heard and understood.” Attorney Leander James, who is working with alleged victims in Guam, said in a statement the move will help resolve current lawsuits from more than 180 claims of abuse through settlements. “We welcome the announcement,” James said in a statement. “Bankruptcy provides the only realistic path to settlement of pending and future claims.” James says the bankruptcy will create a deadline for victims to file claims. “This bankruptcy filing will automatically stop any further action in the lawsuits that have been filed, and it will create a deadline for all Guam clergy abuse victims to file claims,” James said. “It will be important for those who have not come forward to do so and file their claim.” Guam attorney Anthony Perez, who is also representing victims, says the bankruptcy does not mean the archdiocese will be shuttered. “Just because the archdiocese is filing for bankruptcy does not mean it will go out of business,” Perez said. “In my discussions with attorneys from my team with extensive experience in these types of bankruptcies, this filing will allow the archdiocese to reorganize and still be operational after the claims are paid and the bankruptcy is closed.” Earlier this year the Vatican removed the suspended Guam archbishop from office and ordered him not to return to the Pacific island after convicting him of some charges in a Vatican sex abuse trial. The Vatican didn’t say what exactly Archbishop Anthony Apuron had been convicted of, and the sentence was far lighter than those given high-profile elderly prelates found guilty of molesting minors. Apuron, who has denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged, is 72. The Vatican retirement age is 75. Pope Francis named a temporary administrator for Guam in 2016 after Apuron was accused by former altar boys of sexually abusing them when he was a priest. Dozens of cases involving other priests on the island have since come to light, and the archdiocese is facing more than $115 million in lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by priests. Church lawyer Keith Talbot says the church has been able to settle two cases. Some Catholics on Guam said they were not surprised at the church’s bankruptcy announcement. “I knew it was going to happen,” said 68-year-old Judith Salas. “Eventually they would have to pay.” Francis Santos, 60, a member of his parish’s finance council, said the move was inevitable. “The church had to take a position to save all the churches and schools,” he said. “Personally, I’m glad. At least now we have some direction that we as Catholics can look forward to.” ___ Jones reported from Honolulu. *** View attachment 8848 Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St. Peter's Basilica for the closing of the synod of bishops on Sunday, Oct. 28. The church's abuse crisis has been propelled by bishops across the country who have enabled sexual misconduct or in some cases committed it themselves. (ANDREW MEDICHINI / AP) http://www2.philly.com/news/pennsyl...nsylvania-west-virginia-wyoming-20181103.html By Jeremy Roebuck, Julia Terruso and William Bender, Inquirer Staff Writers / Jenn Abelson and Thomas Farragher, The Boston Globe. Saturday, November 3, 2018
You can tell this young man is spending loads of time in front of the Blessed Sacrament and praying the Rosary. The Fire of the Spirit is within him. So interesting that he is starting to pick up negative/ critical comments. But he appears well able for them. I must send him a note thanking him.
How horrible--if this is factual. And if it is true, we all know that this order came from "the top". No Dialogue: Bishops "Should Not" Invite Cardinal Burke The nuncio in Washington D.C. told the American bishops not to invite people like Cardinal Raymond Burke for talks, and when Burke's presence cannot be avoided, they should not take part in such events, Marco Tossati reported on November 6. The order was given only orally. Responsible for this is the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin. When Cardinal Burke appears anywhere in the world, he attracts many faithful, while liberal prelates garner only interest from oligarch journalists. https://www.gloria.tv/article/Z94B3cRdMBNd43ec6rvY8PoHU
These people keep shooting themselves in the foot. It is incredible and these are highly educated people; what are they thinking? They have increased Cardinal Burke's profile 100% at the stroke of a pen. Can such stupidity be an accident...or is it the Hand of God? Their poor, poor feet shot to pieces again and again. Could they really be so arrogant they can't see this?
This priest is getting better and better. I love his succinct answer here for what we must do. I sometimes ask myself maybe I should just be quiet and start praying and leave this to others? But he is right, our church is under attack, just like a country being invaded. If we do not stand up for the Truth, who will?
Every day, I hope that this will become a reality - a unified effort with strong leadership that will guide and show us how to fight for our True Faith.
